I discovered the film adaptation of this small off-Broadway show called Hedwig and the Angry Inch sometime in the mid-00s. I immediately fell in love with everything about it: the damaged protagonist, every song she wrote and belted out, and mostly the song that was stolen from her by her former love. There’s something provocatively heartbreaking about the desperate need for acceptance told in Wicked Little Town. I think we’ve all walked alone though some wicked little town once or twice in our lives. It’s a song that offers a shoulder to lean on, a hand to hold through all the dark and trying times. The song has two iterations in the show; one sung by Hedwig herself and the other, the stolen version sung by Tommy Gnosis. Tommy’s version is a tragic apology that cuts me every single time.
From the historical writing archive. Original date: December 5, 2017. Recovered from local source material; editorial review is still in progress.