S/he Is Still Her/e: The Official Genesis P-Orridge Doc review – Throbbing Gristle’s gender-challenging tabloid-baiter

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"Documentary Explores the Life and Impact of Genesis P-Orridge"

S/he Is Still Her/e: The Official Genesis P-Orridge Doc review – Throbbing Gristle’s gender-challenging tabloid-baiter analysis cover image The Guardian 7.5
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Original Article Source: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jun/18/she-is-still-here-the-official-genesis-p-orridge-doc-review-throbbing-gristle
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Genesis P-Orridge, originally named Neil Megson, emerged as a significant figure in the performance art and music scenes, particularly as the lead singer of Throbbing Gristle. Born in Manchester in 1950, P-Orridge became known for challenging traditional notions of gender identity, a theme that resonates throughout the documentary 'S/he Is Still Her/e.' The film features various interviewees using an array of pronouns, such as 'he,' 'she,' and 'they,' reflecting the fluidity of P-Orridge's identity. The documentary portrays P-Orridge as a complex character, blending elements of the occult and counterculture, drawing comparisons to figures like Aleister Crowley and Charles Manson. The film presents a sympathetic view of P-Orridge's life, illustrating their role as a provocative artist who was both ahead of their time and, at times, misunderstood. It also touches on P-Orridge's influence in the music genre known as industrial music, a term they helped coin, which would later be adopted by others without proper acknowledgment.

As the documentary unfolds, it chronicles P-Orridge's journey from radical conceptual artist to a prominent figure in various underground movements. After relocating to the United States in the early 1990s to escape a controversial allegation, P-Orridge's artistic and musical endeavors flourished. The film highlights their formation of the band Psychic TV and the establishment of Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth, showcasing P-Orridge's commitment to exploring the boundaries of identity and expression. The documentary also delves into P-Orridge's personal life, including their marriage to Jacqueline Breyer, known as Lady Jaye, with whom they embarked on a radical project of 'pandrogynous' fusion through surgery. While the film may leave some viewers questioning P-Orridge's lasting impact on art and music, it ultimately portrays them as a sincere and unique figure whose contributions to the cultural landscape were marked by a fearless exploration of identity and self-expression.

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Source URL: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jun/18/she-is-still-here-the-official-genesis-p-orridge-doc-review-throbbing-gristle

Genesis P-Orridge was the performance artist, shaman and lead singer ofThrobbing Gristlewho was born as Neil Megson in Manchester in 1950, but from the 90s lived in the US. P-Orridge challenged gender identity but it is clear from the interviewees that there were no wrong answers when it came to pronouns: “he”, “she” and “they” are all used. This is a sympathetic and amiable official docu-biography in which the subject comes across as a mix of Aleister Crowley, Charles Manson and Screaming Lord Sutch. The “P-Orridge” surname makes me suspect that Spike Milligan might have been an indirect influence, although there’s also a bit of Klaus Kinski in there as well.

Genesis P-Orridge, known to friends and family as Gen, started as a radical conceptual artist, rule-breaker, consciousness-expander and tabloid-baiter who with Throbbing Gristleinfluentially coined the term “industrial music”, a term later to be borrowed without acknowledgment by many. They were, in the words of Janet Street-Porter, shown here in archive footage, “too shocking for punk”. P-Orridge formed a new band, Psychic TV, in the 1980s, and then also formed a group of likeminded occultist provocateurs called Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth. (The film tactfully passes over how very annoying that spelling is.)

At the beginning of the 90s, P-Orridge and his family, including first wife Paula P-Orridge, went to the US to escape a (later retracted) allegation of ritual sexual abuse. In the US, they were the guests of counterculture figure Michael Horowitz, father of Winona Ryder, and P-Orridge’s career in art, music and peripheral celebrity blossomed. After divorce from Paula, P-Orridge married the artist Jacqueline Breyer, known as Lady Jaye, with whom Gen pursued a radical project of “pandrogynous” fusion, involving breast and lip surgery.

By the end, there is maybe a you-had-to-be-there factor with all this, and the film leaves you with a nagging feeling that P-Orridge was not seriously important in either art or music – but was pugnaciously sincere, too unselfconscious to be a narcissist and certainly a real one-off.

S/he Is Still Her/e: The OfficialGenesis P-OrridgeDoc is in UK and Irish cinemas from 20 June.

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Source: The Guardian