Eva Aridjis Fuentes’ GOODBYE HORSES: THE MANY LIVES OF Q LAZZARUS tells the story of a mysterious one-hit wonder
Eva Aridjis Fuentes ‘ GOODBYE HORSES: THE MANY LIVES OF Q LAZZARUS tells the story of a mysterious one-hit wonder
Back in 1998 and 1999, I was a student at University of Alabama. I partied a lot and was among a cast of unique characters and friends. One of whom was Chris. I’m not going to say his last name for privacy purposes. But, when he would be at a house party – and sometimes a club – he would do his ‘Silence Of The Lambs Routine’ anytime he was high/drunk and “Goodbye Horses” came on. He would do just like the character Jame Gumb did. Chris would jump up on a table, strip down, put his junk between his legs, and dance with a fluid motion. It was equally disturbing and hilarious. I mean, Chris was not a fit guy. His belly would be flopping like a tub of jello and he would be sweating profusely.
Eva Aridjis Fuentes ‘ GOODBYE HORSES: THE MANY LIVES OF Q LAZZARUS tells the story of a mysterious one-hit wonder
Filmmaker interviews, reviews, FREE communities. Find Films Gone Wild on YouTube | Facebook | Instagram
Somehow, I remember that everyone around me knew that “Goodbye Horses” was from Silence of the Lambs (1991) and later in Clerks 2 (2006). I don’t think any of us really knew who sang it. The voice was slightly husky and could’ve been sung by a guy with a high pitched voice, which was pretty common in the 80’s. There was nothing about race or gender with the singer. The song was just awesome – still is awesome!
Back in the late 90’s, when Chris was doing his thing at parties, I was trying to make my mark in the professional music world. I was in a series of bands: The Puking Bananas, Waffle Ministry, Premenstrual Brain Rocket, and The Obese Firemen. We had our biggest ‘success’ with The Obese Firemen. This was all pre-Youtube, pre-iTunes, pre-Spotify days, so we did like Q Lazzarus had to do: pass around cassette tapes we recorded in our dorm rooms and do live shows. Eva Aridjis Fuentes’ Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives Of Q Lazzarus (2025) brought back a lot of memories of when I used to play music seriously and aspired to be a professional. When I was in The Obese Firemen, we got a record contract with a small label that dealt mainly with hardcore punk bands, but we decided to turn it down, because we were about to graduate and had plans for our near futures. I mean, we got further than most aspiring musicians do. We got a record contract offer.
Eva Aridjis Fuentes ‘ GOODBYE HORSES: THE MANY LIVES OF Q LAZZARUS tells the story of a mysterious one-hit wonder
#SponsoredAd
Eva Aridjis Fuentes’ GOODBYE HORSES hits on a point that I have always kept close to my heart
This documentary was very interesting, because it hit on a point that I have always kept close to my heart. I ask myself and many other writers, artists, and musicians I know who are still trying to make a living and find success. “At what point do you know it’s not going to work out?” Q Lazzarus talked about this very question in the documentary, which tied in with her disappearance from the spotlight and the music world. It’s sad when talent stops, like it did with Q Lazzarus. “But the notoriously conservative record companies weren’t into it,” said John Bouillet (Q Lazzarus’s bass player when she played in London). A black woman singing heavy metal wasn’t what those in power thought heavy metal should be. I just got done reading Most Dope: The Extraordinary Life of Mac Miller. The writer talked about how Mac Miller just wasn’t what those in power thought rappers should be. He didn’t grow up in the right area and he didn’t have the right look.
Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives Of Q Lazzarus reminded me a lot of Tyson (2008). It was more of a long interview where a lot of the past was aired instead of a documentary, per se. It was awesome, because we got to live, in real time, some important events in Q Lazzarus’s life, like her surgery and her quest to get past royalties. I also really enjoy these kinds of documentaries where someone famous who disappeared is found and we get to learn all about their personal life. When I was younger, I wanted to do a documentary about finding Thomas Pynchon, only to learn that everyone outside of literary academia has no idea who Thomas Pynchon actually is. I’ve only ever met one other person in my life who read Gravity’s Rainbow. Doing a documentary about finding Satoshi Nakamoto (the creator of Bitcoin) would be an interesting documentary. Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives Of Q Lazzarus shows the world who was behind a classic song that everyone – especially Generation X – knows and had memories around it.
I had no idea that Q Lazzarus was the one singing at the party in the movie Philadelphia (1993), but I always knew that voice sounded familiar. Q Lazzarus was a One Hit Wonder, which is not a bad thing. I mean, every struggling musician just wants that one song to hit it big. She had the talent, which was clear when you hear sections from many of her other songs that were never released. She just wasn’t the right fit, as the record companies saw it. I don’t understand how talent can’t be the right fit, but that’s just me, I guess.
The ending of the documentary is not very happy, but the fact that Q Lazzarus got to tell her story to the world is very comforting. I was enthralled throughout the whole film because I kept hoping that Q Lazzarus would finally catch her big break and she would be what her talent deserved. She was always real to herself about the kind of music she wanted to sing and perform. That’s inspiring to me.
Upcoming screenings include:
May 28, 2025: Romania premiere at Dokstation Music Documentary Film Festival
May 28, 2025: Dayton premiere at The Neon
May 29, 2025: Chicago premiere at FACETS
May 31, 2025: Akron premiere at The Nightlight
June 2, 2025: Indianapolis premiere at Kan-Kan
June 5, 2025: Schenectady screening at Proctors Collaborative