MACHO MEN

(Documentary about the Village People)

In MACHO MEN, we travel back with arguably the first gay icons in popular music and uncover both their personal stories and the way their collective journey was a direct reflection of the times. Take the story of Randy Jones as an example. The original cowboy in the Village People’s iconic lineup, Randy was first discovered by the French music producers Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo as a backup dancer for Grace Jones. As he tells it, he was approached backstage after that gig, while wearing nothing but his g-string, by two foriegners asking him to join a “group” — which at 2 a.m. in a drug-fueled New York nightclub could have meant two things. But it turned out to be a legitimate offer. Jacques had been inspired by the roaring gay scene in Greenwich Village at the time.

The characters that made up The Village People were a symbolic mix of American masculinity and macho gay fantasy personas.

We follow all six of the original members through their first auditions for the band, getting the job and the instant brotherhood that formed between them. The first release was the single for “Macho Man,” and with it, they burst onto the disco scene. Their second single was “Y.M.C.A.” It shot to number one on the charts, and they embarked on a national tour playing to over 100,000 people in stadiums every night.