“I thought Fuck the pain away was so succinct and clever, and hot and fierce, and dangerous.”

Filmed during The Teaches of Peaches Anniversary Tour in 2022, this documentary seamlessly weaves together exclusive archival gems with dynamic tour footage capturing the transformative journey of Canadian Merrill Nisker into the internationally acclaimed cultural powerhouse Peaches. From the inception of the stage show to the rigorous rehearsals and riveting performances, the film provides an intimate look at the inner workings of a tour led by this beloved and globally celebrated icon. As a feminist musician, producer, director, and performance artist, Peaches has spent over two decades challenging gender stereotypes, solidifying her status alongside pop and music industry icons. Her fearless originality has challenged social norms, dismantled stereotypes, and confronted patriarchal power structures. Through biting wit, she advocates for LGBTQIA+ rights and tackles issues of gender and sexual identity, leaving an indelible mark on popular culture.

With Teaches of Peaches, Philipp Fussenegger and Judy Landkammer paint a portrait of one of the most interesting Canadian artists that the country has produced in history. A rather classic documentary road trip, but necessary.

A classic documentary

Although the form is rather classic, Teaches of Peaches is not just a documentary, it’s a tribute to an exceptional artist and personality: a story about how Merrill Nisker became Peaches the queer icon, and how she stayed true to herself along the way.

In addition to recording footage from the Teaches of Peaches anniversary tour, the filmmakers were given an intimate glimpse into her early years as Peaches through countless hours of exclusive, private archive footage. It’s actually quite impressive how much Peaches and her collaborators filmed, at a time when not everything was shot with social networking in mind. 

Alternating between the present and the past, the documentary recounts the career of this involved and politicized artist. This alternation shows how Peaches’ thinking has evolved over the years, without changing. The on-stage moments also show the evolution of the performer. Because Peaches is not just a musician, she’s also a performer.

You’ve heard of the concept of the singer throwing himself into the crowd to do some body surfing? The artist lies down on top of the crowd, who carry them around before bringing them back on stage. Peaches, on the other hand, wasn’t body surfing. She was walking on top of the crowd, like Jesus walking on water. To see the shots of the young woman doing it in the early 2000s, only to see her in 2022, at 56, doing it again, is simply magical and makes me regret never having had the opportunity to attend one of her shows.

But there’s nothing classic about this artist.

Peaches has never really done things the old-fashioned way, and the documentary makes that abundantly clear. First of all, she’s never shied away from fighting retrograde ideas and promoting women’s freedom and equality. 

For those who don’t know her, let me give you a small example. At her famous anniversary concert, she appeared on stage wearing a camisole that read “Thank God for abortion”. Although the artist herself doubts the relevance of these songs today, we need only to look to the United States to see that all her work is unfortunately still relevant today.

The film’s visual language is based on Peaches’ creative energy – an audiovisual experience that not only captures Peaches’ artistic diversity, but also chronicles the ever-expanding cosmos and development of a pioneer of queer, intersectional and sex-positive feminism. She shattered gender stereotypes and patriarchal power structures in pop music, paving the way for many who followed.

With testimonies from her companions past and present, such as Chilly Gonzales and Leslie Feist, we are told anecdotes from the late 1990s and early 2000s. 

But what’s interesting about this artist is how her concerts reflect what she stands for. And rest assured that the documentary doesn’t hide these shows where women, men, non-binary people and everyone in between show off, go wild and have fun in an atmosphere that’s as crazy as it is politicized. She was one of the first to not only deal with women’s sexual freedom, but also to show it.

A little more…

With Teaches of Peaches, the filmmaking duo offer not only a film that will please Peaches fans, but also inspire new viewers who don’t yet know Peaches for her music and everything she’s always fought for.

By the way, if you’re the kind of person who’s easily shocked, you’d be better off avoiding this documentary, because here, feminism, the fight for equality and eccentricity are unabashed. The film is exactly in the image of this artist, who certainly deserves to be better known here. 

I therefore extend an invitation to everyone. Sit back and watch a documentary in which you’ll see a woman take a drumstick out of her panties, approach the drummer and begin the mythical cymbal beat of Fuck the pain away. 

Teaches of Peaches is presented at Hot Docs, April 26 & 27, 2024. 

Trailer