The piece begins in 1979 in the parking lot of the Utah television station where Harris worked. A young man in staggering bellbottoms and a marvelous coif is seen snapping photographs of the building's transmission towers. Encouraged by Harris to step before his movie camera, this character reveals that he's "the Rich Little of Beaver, Utah," and proves it with a string of bizarrely bad impressions. This encounter leads to a talent show at a local high school, where the young man will be performing in drag as Olivia Newton-John. Harris follows him to the local mortuary where the cosmetician transforms him.
The viewer can only gape in wonder at the spectacle, but before one can draw a deep breath, the story begins again. Only this time, a young Sean Penn is playing the kid. While his performance is uncanny, there are slight changes to the story ("Sean is definitely darker," says Harris). Using the original encounter as inspiration, Harris explores in a short fiction the possible motivations and ultimate fate of this sweet outsider. We are beginning to get it when, amazingly, it starts over with Crispin Glover, now playing the kid with optimistic cluelessness.
Watching this astoundingly strange trilogy seems to mirror the entire creative process of any artist--idea, exploration, and fulfillment. "Everybody's saying that and I can definitely see why, but it was never intended that way. It just happened, like so much else about the damn thing," says Harris with a hint of glee. It must be a delicious moment for the director whose own studio yanked the misunderstood Rubin & Ed from circulation a decade back.
Harris seems to finally be enjoying the attention his work deserves. Better yet, you can appreciate him during his lifetime, since he will be gracing our city in a whirlwind of a weekend. He's teaching an all-day workshop on "Gonzo Filmmaking" at WigglyWorld on Saturday. Then, that evening, he will be on hand at the Fremont Outdoor Cinema to introduce Rubin & Ed. His Beaver Trilogy screens on Sunday at the Little Theatre--by which time, with any luck, he won't be totally exhausted. So show up, see the work of a true artist, and let him know he doesn't have to die to get a little respect.
