Bobby Abate
(Outsider Tarot)
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Complete playlist below; tracks in yellow were cut for time.
- Love is Blue, Paul Mauriat, 1968
- He Makes Me So Mad, Sax Kari & Hollywood Jills, 1968
- You & Your Sister, This Mortal Coil, 1991
- Arkansas Coal, Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood, 1972
- Private Number, William Bell & Judy Clay, 1968
- Girl for All Seasons, Grease 2, 1982
- Obscene and Pornographic Art, Bongwater, 1990
- Diet, Shamir, 2020
- Ain’t It a Shame, B-52s, 1986
- Alien, Britney Spears, 2013
- Flash, Queen, 1980
- Parry the Wind High, Low; Frank Black, 1993
- Robin Hood, Laredana Bertè, 1979
- Monstre Sacre, Stereolab, 1996
- Past, Present & Future; The Shangri-Las, 1966
- Fancy, Doja Cat, 2018
- Come Softly to Me, The Fleetwoods, 1959
- Cowgirl & the Dandy, Dolly Parton, 1977
- Cuchi-Cuchi, Charo with the Salsoul Orchestra, 1977
- Fucked My Way Up to the Top, Lana Del Rey, 2014
- Any Other Way, Jackie Shane, 1963
- The End of the World, Skeeter Davis, 1962
- Canon in D, Johann Pachelbel, c. 1680-1705
Sweetheart national treasure Bobby Abate joins me to talk about the pleasure of making connections with life’s outsiders—especially teenagers, queers, and members of the Cobra Commando. We talk about his early video work, the editing work he’s done for HBO’s We’re Here, and his extraordinary Tarot deck. Abate’s remarkable sense of imagination and empathy for the struggles of other people—both historical figures and everyday folks—is the guiding force behind the Outsider Tarot, his recreation of the traditionally hierarchical form of divination. Bobby's deck speaks directly to the struggles of 21st century humans—and he brings this loving iconoclasm to the show, serving up Britney Spears, Bongwater, the Shangri-Las, and Grease 2. Let Kim Deal and Bobby Abate warm the cockles of your heart!
The Outsider Tarot is here
Bobby Abate's website can be found here
Watch Bobby's iconic early video "The Tanti Man" here
BOBBY ABATE (Brooklyn, NY) is a queer artist, filmmaker and editor. Exhibitions/screenings include the Museum of Modern Art in New York, New York Film Festival, Guggenheim in Bilbao, Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, San Francisco Cinematheque, the ICA in London and most recently the 42nd annual Harper College Small Works exhibition. Bobby was the 2020 recipient of the Princess Grace Artist Development Grant. In 2021, Bobby released the Outsider Tarot, a queer re-invention of the Tarot featuring 80 original artworks. Bobby is currently editing the forthcoming third season of HBO’s queer docuseries, We’re Here. He is also working on an ongoing series of 2D works and a screenplay focused on the queer underground in the era before the Stonewall riots of 1969. His works can be viewed on SWEETKITTY.COM