Diane Luckey, aka Q Lazzarus, had a cult hit song,“Goodbye Horses,” in the late 1980s. Now a documentary, Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives of Q Lazzarus, explains Luckey’s mysterious disappearance, and her re-emergence. Mexican-American filmmaker Eva Aridjis Fuentes spoke with BUST about her film.
You were a passenger in Diane’s cab; what made you think she was Q Lazzarus?
Diane’s age and the fact that she said she lived on Staten Island, which I had read somewhere. She’d been a taxi driver in the ’80s, so it made sense she’d returned to driving for a living.
Any concerns that Diane would give permission, cooperate, and participate in the film?
I gave Diane my phone number. When we spoke she said she had a dream she was performing, and I was there. We met and she told me about her life. My being a mother and her belief that our meeting was fated earned her trust.
Did misogyny and racism play a role in Diane’s journey?
Race definitely affected Diane’s treatment by the music industry. As for misogyny, the fact that she was a six foot tall, full-figured woman and not a Whitney Houston type definitely hurt her.
How did Mon Amie records obtain “Goodbye Horses”?
The label’s owner purchased a demo tape from a manager Diane had in the 1980s. Diane never got royalties from “Goodbye Horses” other than when Jonathan Demme used it in his films. My film’s soundtrack is the first release to give Diane’s family royalties for her music.
What do you hope audiences will take away from your film?
I hope they will be inspired by Diane’s resilience, embrace her music, and connect with her creative inspiration. Diane led an exciting, difficult life, but she wasn’t jaded and she lived with grace and humor, which is something we can all learn from.
Images via Diane Luckey
