“1001 Beds”–body language

Miller, Tim. “1001 Beds: Performances, Essays, and Travels”, University of Wisconsin Press, 2006.

Body Language

Amos Lassen

Tim Miller won a Lammie for “1001 Beds”. Miller is an internationally acclaimed performer as well as a gay rights activist and his artistry is based upon a combination of performance, politics and identity. He entertains with material based upon his own personal experiences to relay to others about gay American life. Nothing is beyond his touch. He tackles gay sex, relationships, political disenfranchisement and artistic censorship. This book is a look at his professional and personal life and we see the real Tim Miller. The volume includes scripts of his performances, essays, interviews, entries from his journal, and photographs. Also included is the test of his most recent stage piece, “Us”.
The book has been edited by Glen Johnson and what the editor has dome is to bring us the Tim Miller experience, something that seems almost impossible to do. It is the most difficult of tasks to put charisma on paper but Johnson has managed to do just that. Miller uses his body in his performances and this book is rooted in body.

Miller began his career in performance art with skits about growing up gay. When the AIDS epidemic became a part of our lives, Miller became attracted to the militant Act Up and his focus became much more pointed politically. Merging performance and politics, Miller found his place.