About the most intelligent person in the world
After a long break, my desire to write suddenly came back after finishing Julio Torres' last comedy special. What happened to me with Julio Torres is something that often happens with other artists: I find some of them so incredibly talented, original, special and refreshing that my heart feels as though it's about to come out of my chest just thinking about how lucky I am to experience what they've created. Is eveything that I'm going to write just an excuse to talk about how I find Julio Torres the most intelligent and creative person ever? Indeed it is. Actually, I was going to write about more stuff that have fascinated me recently, but you know what? I've got far too many things to say about him because I'm back at being obsessed with him, just the same way that I was a while back, and he's back again at being my favourite person in the whole world.
In this world where there's nothing but reboots and spin-off, along with the AI-looking repetitive content and content made by people lacking originality, we can still find a glimmer of light, that little spark of hope that sometimes reminds us that there's a litle light at the end of the day.
As someone whose hobbys have centred on reading, music and audivisual content, I've always found a great comfort in these areas, which have served as a kind of escape from real life since I was a child, and help me not to overthink 24/7. It's not just the fact that I feel connected to these creations, but also that they make me feel alive and hopefull, and, it allows me to spend a nice time while to evade myself.
Getting into Julio Torres' world is tricky, okay? Because you're going to find it a bit odd. It's just not for everyone, that's just how it is. You won't understand a thing when you watch the first episode of Fantasmas. Or the second one, for that matter. In fact,I reckon that of everything he has done, Fanstasmas is probably be the craziest, most surreal and most incomprehensible project he has ever created. But, at the same time, it's so original, fun, bizarre and surreal that the 6 episodes fly by. I can't really tell you what the show is actually about either, only that he loses a golden oyster-shaped earring (we should really investigate Julio's hyperfixation with earrings). That, and HBO should go ahead and give him another season.
For example, you're sitting there watching Problemista, following the story of a toy designer, and you're laughing. A lot (he's first and foremost a comedian, he used to be a writer for SNL!). And suddenly it hits you: Okay, he has created this whole crazy world to reflect the exprience of migrants in the US. Because everything, absolutely eveything he does has a subtext full of criticism, and he does it in such a brilliant and original way that it almost seems like a miracle to me. I could spend HOURS watching and listening to his stories told in his unique, whimsical, optimistic and sincere voice.
In his latest comedy special, Color Theories by Julio Torres. A Guide to Seeing the World, Julio links different colours to the feelings they evoke in him, as well as to words, concepts, and even, institutions. Of course, I spent the hour or so that it lasted nodding along, because I found everything he said completely logical and spot on: green is knowing exactly what you're doing and being comfortable with it; yellow is optimism, but without a hint of self-awareness; red is anger, blood, lust, shock;...Now, navy blue was my favourite one. Navy blue is the economy, leaving a Google review for a waterfall, law and order, airports, institutional obligation and organised religion. And if we combine red and navy blue, we obtain purple – Catholicism. As someone who doesn't really like navy blue this made me even happier for some reason. So once again, right from the first minute, it's all a critique using pure and siple synaesthesia.
P.S.: God, what I'd give to see Julio Torres at night doing all the craft projects he uses in this special.
Last week I started (and finished, because I literally devoured it in no time) Los Espookys. The atmosphere of this show is, once again, very colourful, whimsical, strange and, as you'd expect, kind of horrifying – and that’s one of the things I love most about Julio’s work: he rejects that dim lightinng you see in practically every audiovisual project these days and fills it with vivid, electric colours whenever you look. He always has the best set designs! About Los Espookys's plot now: in short, it's as if your lesbian friend, your gay friend, your other autistic friend and your other asexual rocker and gothic friend (all of whom have a genuine passion for horror) got together and set up as a company to help people with their paranormal and horror fantasies by making them seem as real as possible.
To be specific, Tati's character is absolutely perfect, she's so utterly mesmerising and hilarious (and ofter absurd) and could be the vivid image of Orla from Derry Girls (Ana Fabrega, you're the best!). I feel ashamed I didn't stop watching it whilst it was airing, because it would have been one of those shows that I just can't stop talking about and recommending to everyone. Although the news of its cancellation after the second series would have devastated me. But I'll focus on the positive stuff: it's been ages since I've laughed so much with a show. Oh, and there's also an episode that could easily have been the inspiration for Fanstasmas. Plus, there's more than one plotline involving earrings. In one episode in particular, a history teacher asks them to stage a farce using fake skeletons with earrings to show his students that queer people have always worn an earring in one ear.
I absolutely love listening to Julio Torres speak in interviews on late-night shows (which I'm ot a big fan of), or in short clips, such as when he went to the Criterion Closet (¿Y tu mamá también, House, Where is the Friend's House, Wall-E, After Hours and The Virgin Suicides? Congratulations, you're perfect). Or when he went to an Emmys roundtable and left the rest of the actors completely flabbergasted and speechless.
I mean, I think it's clear how much I like Julio Torres and that he's my favourite person in the whole world, and I truly think we should give him all the money in the world so he can do whatever he likes (come one, HBO).
Protect queer art!