Cultural depictions of Matthew Shepard include notable films, musical works, novels, plays, and other works inspired by the 1998Matthew Shepard murder, investigation, and resulting interest the case brought to the topic ofhate crime. The best known is the stage playThe Laramie Project, which was adapted into anHBOmovie of the same name. Matthew Wayne Shepard was anopenlygay university student who was brutally attacked nearLaramie, Wyoming, in October 1998 and left for dead by his attackers.[1]
People in the entertainment industry expressed outrage and responded in various ways to the attack, andEllen DeGeneres spoke at Shepard's memorial services inWashington, D.C.[2] Three narrative films were made about the Shepard story:The Laramie Project (2000, based on the play of the same name),The Matthew Shepard Story (2002), andAnatomy of a Hate Crime (2001).The Laramie Project andThe Matthew Shepard Story both won numerous awards. The documentary filmLaramie Inside Out (2004) focuses on the murder's effect on the Laramie community in the aftermath of the murder.
Blood & Tears: Poems for Matthew Shepard edited by Scott Gibson and published by Painted Leaf Press in 1999, is a collection of poems by seventy-five different poets. Some of the poems were written in direct response to Shepard's death while others are offered in his memory. Among the contributors are John Ashbery, Mark Bibbins, Rafael Campo, Marilyn Hacker, Rachel Hadas, Gerrit Henry, Anselm Hollo, Patricia Spears Jones, Bernadette Mayer, W.S. Merwin, Eileen Myles, Eugene Richie, Paul Schmidt, David Trinidad, Jean Valentine, Anne Waldman and Rosanne Wasserman.[3]
The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed (2009) byJudy Shepard, Matthew's mother, details Matthew's life from birth to death, the aftermath, trial, media coverage and Judy's work with theMatthew Shepard Foundation.
October Mourning byLesléa Newman, a novel in verse about Matthew's murder, was published in 2012.[4][5] Reception for the work has been favorable.[6][7][8] Composer Craig Hella Johnson used parts of the book for her productionConsidering Matthew Shepard, combining the text with content taken from places such as the Bible and Shepard's journal.[9][10] Newman's book is also the source of the lyrics for the oratorioOctober Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard, composed by Curtis Heard.[11]
The Book of Matt by Stephen Jimenez was published by Steerforth in 2013. It details the life of Matt in the Laramie drug scene, and portrays the murder to be about drugs and money. Because it downplays the homophobic aspect of the crime, the book has been condemned by many gay rights activists.[12]
The Shepard family was not consulted or involved with the production of the film, prompting theMatthew Shepard Foundation to issue a statement stating "While we appreciate MTV's efforts to fight anti-gay discrimination and hate crimes, and support the social justice organizations participating in the network's year-long pro-social campaign, the Shepard family wants to make clear that it had no involvement in and does not give its blessing or endorsement to the MTV film Anatomy of a Hate Crime."[15]
The Laramie Project is a 2002 drama film written and directed byMoisés Kaufman, and based on his ownplay of the same name mentioned below. The film featured an all-star cast. Itpremiered at the 2002Sundance Film Festival and was first broadcast onHBO on March 9, 2002. The film was praised byTV Guide's Matt Roush for its emotional range, its examination of homophobia, and the unique investigation at its center, saying that viewers would be "enlightened" by it.[16]
The film seeks to illuminate the decisions Judy and Dennis Shepard had to make as to whether thedeath penalty should be sought for their son's killer. Throughout the movie there are several flashbacks of Matthew's life. It also shows the experiences and hardships Matthew endured throughout his life from junior high through college, including his first kiss, his first boyfriend and a rape scene.
Dear Jesse is a 1998 documentary film about the U.S. SenatorJesse Helms (R-NC). It was released theatrically by Cowboy Pictures and on DVD by Sovereign Entertainment in 2007. Written and directed byTim Kirkman, the film won many awards and was nominated for theEmmy Award for writing (nonfiction feature film) in 2000 after airing on the HBO/Cinemax "Reel Life" series. An interview with Matthew Shepard appears as a postscript in the first-person narrative at a political rally atCatawba College in Salisbury, NC, a small liberal arts school Shepard attended briefly in 1996.
Laramie Inside Out is a 2004 documentary that explores the repercussions of Matthew Shepard's murder on the town of Laramie, Wyoming in the year following his death. Filmmaker Beverly Seckinger, who grew up in Laramie, was compelled to return to her hometown to see how this event affected the site of her own closeted adolescence. Along the way she confronts "God-hates-fags"Westboro Baptist Church ReverendFred Phelps, who condemns Shepard and all homosexuals to a merciless eternity in hell. Through Seckinger we also meet grieving students, teachers, parents, and clergy, working to make the community a safer place, speaking out and taking action.
Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine is a 2012 documentary directed by Michele Josue, a former friend of Matthew Shepard, which documents the personal life of Matthew Shepard through interviews with friends and family members.[17] In an interview with theGay Times, Josue commented that Matthew Shepard "became this icon of the LGBT community but in the process he was being stripped away. I had this obligation to tell the world what he was like as a human being and share his story in an honest way. The only way to do that was to make my film."[18]Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine premiered simultaneously at both theMill Valley Film Festival and theWashington National Cathedral on October 4, 2013.[19]
An anthology of poems by seventy five poets in tribute to Matthew Shepard. The poets includeJohn Ashbery,W. S. Merwin, andHarold Norse:Scott M. Gibson (1999).Blood & Tears: Poems for Matthew Shepard. New York, N.Y: Painted Leaf Press.ISBN1-891305-15-8.
2002:Lullaby –If Thousands recorded theirambient album 2002Lullaby with a set of 10 songs on Matthew Shepard. Song titles include "he hade the smell of Wyoming sagebrush" and "we miss matt terribly".[22][23]
2016:Considering Matthew Shepard, a "fusion oratorio" by the conductor-composer Craig Hella Johnson.[24][25]
1999: "Elegy for Matthew"[26] – A choral work by composerDavid Conte, with text by poet John Stirling Walker, commissioned by theNew York City Gay Men's Chorus,[27] premiered at Carnegie Hall in New York in 1999.
1999: "Matthew Shepard" – A song composed by David del Tredici that depicts Matthew Shepard's final hours of life.
1999: "Scarecrow" – In 1999,Melissa Etheridge released the song "Scarecrow" on the albumBreakdown as a response to Shepard's murder.[28] Thisballad uses the image of a scarecrow because the bicyclist who found Shepard's body first thought that it was scarecrow lying in the fields. In her autobiographyThe Truth Is... she said that she and some of her friends, includingEllen DeGeneres organized a trip to the Denver hospital. Etheridge said that Shepherd's death made her especially sad since he looked like a gay friend of hers in high school which made her "cry uncontrollably."
1999: "Trouble the Waters" –Big Country recorded the song "Trouble the Waters" on their albumDriving to Damascus, released in 1999. The song has a reference to Matthew Shepard's murder.
1999: "Pistol Whipped" -The Blamed wrote and recorded this condemnation of Shepard's murderers. From their 1999 album "Forever".[29]
2000: "Into the Sun" –Jann Arden recorded the song "Into the Sun," listing Shepard among "decent men" who had been killed, for her 2000 albumBlood Red Cherry. It was also released as a single. The album and single were charted hits in Canada.
2000: "What Matters" – Randi Driscoll recorded the song "What Matters" for as an "official benefit single" for theMatthew Shepard Foundation.[30][31]
2001: "Laramie" –Amy Ray recorded her song "Laramie" on her 2001 albumStag about Shepard.
2001: "Sacrifice" –Best Revenge recorded the song "Sacrifice" on their 2001 albumStarts With You.
2002: "God Loves Everyone" –Ron Sexsmith wrote and performed the song "God Loves Everyone" on his 2002 albumCobblestone Runway. Reviewer Adrien Begrand said that "God Loves Everyone", "inspired by the brutal murder of gay Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, is a simple, acoustic song that is a wrenching plea for tolerance that sounds especially poignant these days."[32]
2002: "Scarecrow" –Kristian Hoffman wrote the song "Scarecrow" and performs it withRufus Wainwright on the 2002 album&. The CD liner notes describe the song as evoking "the empty plains of Wyoming, the scene of the death of its subject, Matthew Shepard."
2002: "Sounds" – Performed bySuzzy & Maggie Roche, their song "'Sounds" appeared on their 2002 albumZero Church. The liner notes to the CD say that the lyrics to "Sounds" were written by the poet Karen Bashkirew in response to Matthew Shepard's murder.
2003: "Hail" –Hamell on Trial recorded the song "Hail" on his 2003 albumTough Love.
2003: "Laramie" – Massachusetts hardcore punk bandThe Suicide File recorded their song "Laramie" on their 2003 albumTwilight.
2003: "That Ain't Right" –Non-Prophets recorded "That Ain't Right", a song bySage Francis, on their 2003 albumHope.[33]
2003: "M. Shepard" – The New Jersey post-hardcore bandThursday wrote and recorded a song aboutThe Laramie Project production titled "M. Shepard" for their 2003 albumWar All the Time.[34]
2004: "Jesus Is On The Wire" –Peter, Paul and Mary recorded theThea Hopkins song "Jesus Is On The Wire", written about Shepard,[35] for their 2004 albumIn These Times. The Matthew Shepard story-song is described by Peter, Paul and Mary as "... one of the most important songs we have sung in recent years."
2004: "Matthew" –Janis Ian wrote and performed the song 'Matthew' – about Matthew Shepard – for her 2004 albumBillie's Bones.
2005: "Did You Just Say 'Faggot'?" –Dangers recorded the song "Did You Just Say "Faggot"?" on their 2005 Self-Titled EP
2006: "And Sadness Will Sear" –Trivium recorded their song "And Sadness Will Sear" on their 2006 albumThe Crusade.[38]
2006: "The Ballad of Matthew Shepard" – Brian Houston recorded his song "The Ballad of Matthew Shepard" on his 2006 albumSugar Queen.
2006: "For Matthew Shepard" –Dorianne Laux wrote a poem "For Matthew Shepard" in her 2006 bookFacts about the Moon.
2006: "Hinterland" –The Radiators from Space recorded their song "Hinterland" on their 2006 albumTrouble Pilgrim
2006: "Incinerate" –Elysia recorded their song "Incinerate" for their 2006 albumMasochist.
2008: "Poster Child" –A Balladeer wrote and recorded the song "Poster Child", which appeared on their second albumWhere Are You, Bambi Woods?. The song and its impressive videoclip is a tribute to Matthew as well an indictment to hate crime.
2010: "The Fence (Matthew Shepard's Song)" –Peter Katz wrote this song and it's featured on his 2010 albumFirst of the Last to Know. In concert he performs it without a microphone usually in the middle of the audience.
2010: "Scarecrow" – American hardcore bandStick to Your Guns recorded "Scarecrow" for their 2010 album,The Hope Division.
2011: "Little Birds" – American psych folk bandNeutral Milk Hotel recorded "Little Birds" as part as theirWalking Wall of Words compilation package.
2012: "Hands of Hate", written byRyan Cassata – a song about various tragedies that befell members of the LGBTQ community.
2014:October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard, a two-hour oratorio for SATB chorus and orchestra composed by Curtis Heard and premiered inLong Beach at theFirst Congregational Church (Long Beach, California). Lyrics were written byLeslea Newman (from her 2012 book, also titledOctober Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard)[40]
The Laramie Project is a play byMoisés Kaufman and members of theTectonic Theater Project about the reaction to the murder of Shepard. The play draws on hundreds of interviews conducted by the theatre company with inhabitants of the town, company members' own journal entries and published news reports ranging from a few months after the attack to a few years after. The play is designed to display the town's reaction to the crime.[43][44]
It premiered at The Ricketson Theatre by the Denver Center Theatre Company (Denver) (part of theDenver Center for the Performing Arts) in February 2000 and was then performed in theUnion Square Theater in New York City before a November 2002 performance in Laramie, Wyoming. The play has also been performed by high schools, colleges, and community theaters across the country, as well as professional playhouses in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.[45]
Almost a decade later,Tectonic Theater Project created a second play, titledThe Laramie Project: 10 Years Later, based on interviews with members of the town, Shepard's mother, and his incarcerated murderer.[46][47][48]
This play brings Matthew Shepard on stage in his own words, using information provided by some of Matt’s closest high-school friends. The cast consists of six people—four young actors and two older professionals—and the set is the same throughout. No lavish requirements. A recorded reading of the play is available, made at London’s Guildhall School of Drama in April 2017. John Watts gave a TEDx talk about writing the play.[49][non-primary source needed]
^Cart, Julie (November 5, 1999). "Killer of Gay Student Is Spared Death Penalty; Courts: Matthew Shepard's father says life in prison shows 'mercy to someone who refused to show any mercy.'".Los Angeles Times. p. A1.
^Conner, Elysia (October 14, 2018)."Art Through Tragedy".Casper Star-Tribune. pp. A1. RetrievedApril 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Continued onpage A5.
^Carter, Nicole (2009-12-10). "Lady Gaga performs her version of 'Imagine' at the Human Rights Campaign dinner in Washington D.C.".Daily News. News Corporation. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
Garceau, Dee; Basso, Matthew; McCall, Laura (2001).Across the Great Divide: cultures of manhood in the American West. New York: Routledge.ISBN0-415-92471-5.
