Seattle Tapehead Duo Alicia Betty and Gvn Team Up to Create VHS UBER ALLES and Bring Bodacious Magnetic Magic to the Masses with Radical Rewind-Inclined VHS Screenings at Grand Illusion and The Highline!
The December line-up from VHS UBER ALLES! What a magnetic month it was, Tapeheads! ALIENATOR 5EVA.
Can you tell us a little about yourself, the VHSUA crew and how it all got started? What inspired you to start up the screenings? Alicia Betty: I’m an avid VHS collector with a little over 500 horror and sci-fi tapes. I also have been working for the last four years at a non-profit, all volunteer run cinema, The Grand Illusion. Gvn and I both have a love for physical media, and share a lot of the same tastes in movies. We had dreams of starting our own VHS night, and would talk about it throughout the years we’ve known each other. We used to have big potlucks at Gvn’s house where we would subject our friends to movies like Chopping Mall and Alienator. Over the winter, we were given a bi-monthly spot on the GI’s calendar and a weekly slot at a local metal bar, The Highline.
Looks like it was mighty fine analog times at The Highline this past January! At-the-cheek jean shorts and automatic weapons will always win.
Where does it all go down? What's the atmosphere like in there? Gvn: We’ve done most of our shows at The Highline, which is a vegan bar in Seattle located above a sex shop. It’s got kind of a dark cavernous feel to it, which is perfect for watching movies! The atmosphere is pretty chill. It feels like a group of friends watching a so-bad-it’s-good movie and just having a great time. Yo, you know we can dig it. You've done some killer titles so far. Can you name us a few, and why you chose them? What's the essential idea behind the movies you pick? Alicia Betty: Me and Gvn have the same philosophy: we both try to choose movies that are some of our favorites, and also movies that we think would be great to share with others. Also, as feminists, we try to choose horror movies that aren’t super rapey and gross. We try to keep it fun and positive. Some of my favorites have been Basket Case, Chopping Mall, Dracula’s Widow, and Maniac Cop.
More magnetic madness from VHS UBER ALLES in March! Z'Dar Forever.
I love that Dracula’s Widow is slipped in there! Why screen VHS? Why do you think it's important to champion the format? Gvn: To me, VHS is very comforting. I grew up in a small Midwestern town and spent a lot of my youth watching and trading tapes since there wasn’t a lot to do. Aside from that, I just love the VHS era of cinema. The 80s and early 90s were a real watershed for Psychotronic movies and a lot of it never made it to any other format. Alicia Betty: VHS is accessible, cheap, and the tapes are pretty much everywhere. It’s the only thing I can afford to collect! Fuck DVDs, VHS Über Alles! Also, I have been fascinated for quite some time with all the forgotten recordings you can only find on VHS, found footage, and trying to understand why some things are considered obsolete or trash by society. Both Gvn and I agree: we wouldn’t start throwing all our old books in the fireplace or the recycling bin just because they have been digitized; why is that okay for movies on analog media? Gvn: Unless that movie is Titanic. Then you can feel free to recycle it! It's your last day on Earth and you have room for a TV, VCR, 3 tapes and some snacks. What's goin' with you to the outer limits, mang? Gvn: I’d have to go with Forbidden Zone, Ghostbusters, and the MST3k version of Warrior of the Lost World. For snacks I’d grab some Shin Cups. Spicy ramen seems like the best choice for the apocalypse! Alicia Betty: I’d need to watch The Big Crime Wave to cheer up, Robocop to restore my faith in humanity, and then Killer Workout so I can get pumped about the end of it all. With pizza.
The most recent and upcoming analog celebrations from VHS UBER ALLES, mang! Damn, I wish I could be there for PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS! One of the best Gimps in all of film history, IMHO. And ROACH. Roach Rules.
What's next, guys? Alicia Betty: We are going to keep on rockin’ at the Grand Illusion Cinema and at the Highline. Gvn: We’re also considering putting together a zine to go into more depth on the movies we’ve screened. Anything else you wanna shout out to all the Videovores here in LM land?! Gvn: Wear sensible shoes, beware of moldy tapes, and keep your heads clean!Yo, that’s some VHSound advice, indeed! Alicia Betty and Gvn are providing a most radical rewind time out in Seattle right now, so if you’re in the area, be sure to check ‘em out and bring them some spicy ramen and pizza pies for championing some of the most mad groovy movies on the best format there is. And, remember, Tapeheads: it’s totally free! How can you beat that?! You just can’t, man. Don’t forget to groove on over to their Official Facebook and their Tumblr page to stay updated on all their upcoming analog-lovin’ events and future endeavors. Who knows? If they keep it up, they just might turn that city into VHSeattle, mang! I really just wanted to type VHSeattle. Cause that’s cool. Dig it.
Groove and Groove and Party in the Outer Limits.
Josh Schafer