The Meatrack

A hybrid of Warholian midnight movie and Doris Wishman-esque sexploitation picture, Michael Thomas's softcore rarity Meatrack was originally produced and released by Sherpix, the company that brought underground films like Lonesome Cowboys, Pink Narcissus, and Invocation of My Demon Brother to a nationwide circuit of art house theatres. The film concerns an ostensibly straight married man who starts turning tricks on the sleazy streets of San Francisco, and it was shot almost entirely on location in the city’s by-the-hour hotels, adult theatres, gay bars, and bathhouses. With real-life go-go boys, female impersonators, and leathermen as its supporting cast, it serves as a rich subcultural document.