When Comedy Writer Paul Horan was in L.A. in the late 1990’s he was asked who were the latest comedy sensation back in his home country New Zealand, and without a single hesitation he replied it was a pair of middle-aged yodelling lesbian twins The questioner just walked away horrified because on paper The Topp Twins would seem the most unlikely commercial act, but that is exactly what they are. And after watching this flattering documentary on this irrepressible pair of country singers you will so know why.
Born in 1958 on a rural dairy farm in the middle of nowhere in the middle of New Zealand, they grew up as animal-obsessed tomboys. The seemed to have been born with a ceaseless source of energy, and in very early footage when they are finding their musical roots and busking every Saturday in the nearby town, they are just brimming over with happiness. But above all what really helped set these singer/songwriters aside from most people is right from those early days, they were always true to themselves. Not for them some angst-ridden confrontation to ‘come out’ to their parents, Jools simply took her girlfriend home one day. Mother took it all in her stride, but was concerned her Lynda (Jools’s twin) would re-act ….LOL. Actually it turned out that the Twins sibling Peter was gay too.
Their fame grew in part because of their total openness about their sexuality, no mean feat considering the rural audiences they played too regularly. They used their new found celebrity for their political activism, and their involvement in working towards making the country a nuclear free zone, and also quashing anti-gay legislation made a significant difference to the outcomes.
In the late 1990’s with their hit TV series ‘Do Not Touch Your Twinset’ they had become national icons and had developed a whole string of comedy characters ….. including two men in drag ….that in some cases became more famous than them. Off stage these very homely sisters radiate the same warmth and sincerity that they exude in their act, and even when they touch on the matter of Linda’s breast cancer (which she fought and won) you know that their unsupressable good nature would get them though anything as long as they are together.I have to admit that I was more than a little incredulous about the whole idea of the sisters before I first saw the movie back in 2010. I was part of the Programming Team of the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival that year, and not only did I fall in love with the film , I also cast my vote to give it our Best Documentary Award.
Since then I’ve re-watched several times (its available on DVD and VOD) and it never ever fails to cheer me up no-matter how dark my mood is.
Unmissable.
