Alexander Geist is something of a grand phenomena. The alter ego of queer performance artist La John Joseph, Geist is what we really need: a very queer, very pop star. But they are fictional. And that’s the glory and the shame of it.

I say shame because whenever I see Geist perform or watch one of their videos for their fictional hits, I want more. And we can only have some. But what some that is.

And the glory of it is that because Geist is fictional their narrative can be anything that their creator wants them to be. And their fiction gives them that added extra to their aura that makes watching them perform even more thrilling.

I first saw the character in La JJ’s theatre piece Geist in which they perform for us, we watch their tantrums and trials, and there is screened a documentary that reveals the shock twist that is Alexander Geist’s central mystery.

Of course, we can get more when La JJ grants it. And we did so in their latest Geistian show, debuted at Hackney Showroom last night. Alexander Geist: Speculative is in two parts. The first is a gig where Geist performs their songs for us in front of the wonderful videos. The second is a ‘documentary’ about Geist’s young fans. And this film itself is in two parts; fictional encounters between Alexander Geist and their fans and a workshop with La John Joseph and those young people who played the fans discussing their own fandoms and why being a fan is important. This was particularly fascinating for me, an ex-popular culture scholar who was particularly interested in celebrity and fandom. There is a moment when one of them says (paraphrasing here) that when they feel particularly down music helps. And this is so true. Music can help like nothing else and this is why fandom is so vital; it anchors the purpose of music in a way that ‘just’ music cannot. It increases the intensity of the feels. And when you are young you really need that outlet for your intense feelings. Hell, we all do, at any age.

And I need to talk about these fans. Because I’m assuming they weren’t actors and they play the fans so extraordinarily well. And if they are actors then they are the most brilliant actors I’ve ever seen.

But… that performance. Oh Geist. Hello, Lover. Swoon city. The charisma. Geist is one of the best pop stars we’ve ever had which is why we need more. Maybe more like them if we can’t have more of them. Where have all the queer pop stars gone? That queer and camp combo has all but disappeared, from the mainstream at least.

The only criticism of this show is that we are seated – as suits the theatrical performance and for the documentary. But this is great pop music. You want to dance. So, it stifles somewhat. This makes it more interesting to watch because it highlights the fiction in a very Brechtian way. But as someone who likes to just go with how something makes you feel, I really really wanted to be up and dancing. Perhaps we could have done so but our audience reserve stopped us?

I would basically love it if La JJ would give us a pure gig once in a while. Just for the outlet. Is that too much to ask? Pretty please?

La JJ can’t be Geist all the time. They have to be other characters in other pieces from time to time and La JJ most of the time. But we are extra lucky, because we have both.

Review by Fallon Gold