Gitane Demone: Life After Death

In The Dark Side of Life, the 1991 documentary that opens this two-disc DVD, Gitane Demone claims she “came to know about death at an early age”—by permanently silencing a petulant chicken. When she discovered Billie Holiday and Janis Joplin in the 1970s, Demone realized that “all my heroes were dead,” and she developed an interest in witchcraft and Satanism. Clearly, this death-obsessed performer was meant for a life in goth-rock and its various tributaries. Demone first came to fame through the L.A. band Christian Death, before embarking on a Holland-based solo career (think: Courtney Love as a damaged-artiste cabaret singer). The first disc also features Dutch, German, and Swiss performances from 1989-1998 (audience chatter, unfortunately, mars the Swiss set), with selections including “Love for Sale,” “Strange Fruit,” and a stentorian rendition of “I Only Have Eyes for You,” a song that demands a lighter touch. Demone sings with minimal accompaniment throughout (mostly cello, piano, guitar, and saxophone). The second disc features harder-edged material, including two sets from her 1995 Dream Home Heartache tour with Christian Death's Rozz Williams, a 1996 Christian Death reunion, and a look at Demone's involvement in the fetish scene (latex cat suits, stilettos, and the like). Demone and partner/director Nico B. edited the content from Hi8 and VHS sources (hence the grainy look), although the sound quality is generally fine. For those not tuned into her wavelength, Demone may seem self-dramatizing and pretentious, but fans will surely appreciate both the personal insights and rare footage. An exclusive CD of cover tunes titled Times rounds out this limited edition set. Recommended, overall. Aud: P. (K. Fennessy)