Tom Rubnitz - Biography

Thomas Block Rubnitz (b. 1955/1956 in Chicago, Illinois - d. August 12, 1992, Manhattan, New York) was a video artist most often associated with the New York East Village drag queen scene of the late 1980s. His video tapes were mainly inspired by pop culture and Las Vegas style shows. A number of his works featured RuPaul and members of the B-52's. He also made the 1987 documentary Wigstock: The Movie about the annual drag queen festival.

Rubnitz's other works include "Strawberry Shortcut" and the infamous "Pickle Surprise."

Tom lived in Manhattan with his life partner Curtis Irwin and their two Persian cats. He died at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center of an AIDS-related illness in August 1992 at the age of 36.

External links

• Tom Rubnitz in the Video Data Bank