Lydia Lunch: The Gun is Loaded / Road Rant

Saturn’s Core is proud to present the collaborative works of two monumental female artists: Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and artist Merrill Aldighieri and provocative musician and poet, No Wave icon, and Cinema of Transgression firebrand Lydia Lunch (Fingered, Vortex, Mondo New York). Combining two essential video features, a wealth of rare archival material, and an exclusive new career spanning interview with Lydia, this crucial anthology presents a shocking snapshot into the oeuvre of one of the most important, impactful, and insurgent female voices in history. 

In The Gun Is Loaded (1989), Lydia Lunch delivers a brutally frank manifesto in a journey through the heart of contemporary 1980s American darkness. Set against a series of New York City locales, Lydia’s singular brand of poetic nihilism is underscored by footage of bottom rung Americana; as race car crowds, dead end streets, and meat packing plants seamlessly illustrate her ruthless examination of “the American dream turned mean”.  Featuring a cacophonous and deranged score by J. G. Thirlwell aka Foetus, Lydia brazenly disseminates her unresolved rage, exhilarating profanity, and timeless critiques of Reagan era politics in this ‘80s underground video classic. 

In Road Rant: A Week on the Road with Lydia Lunch (2012), the X-rated cartoon animations of director Merrill Aldighieri add a comical edge to this otherwise intense Lydia Lunch tour documentary. Highlights from five concerts are accompanied by a live music score performed by composer Joe Budenholzer (Backworld) & horn player Terry Edwards (The Higsons) during their travels to Marseille, Lyon, Evreux, & Nantes amidst Lydia’s promotional tour for the French release of her book Paradoxia: A Predator’s Diary.