One Punk Under God

As we make our way into 2007, can we all agree that one of the scourges of the new millennium is so-called “reality television?” There were all sorts of hideous examples of this cultural phenomenon in 2006 from the ghastly “Dr. 90210,” a show about plastic surgery that proved that people really are more shallow in Beverly Hills to the shockingly debased “Flavor of Love” in which former Public Enemy rap star Flavor Flav filled a mansion with terrifying specimens of the female persuasion and whittled them down week by week through a series of humiliating antics and cat fights. I saw only a few snippets of that show but it seemed to set the women’s movement back to somewhere just before the Mesozoic Era.

Kendall and I have mostly weaned ourselves off of all reality TV offerings. We were never into the more popular reality game shows such as “American Idol” or “Dancing with the Stars” but a few years ago we got suckered into a particularly heinous season of VH1’s “The Surreal Life” in which we were introduced to the diminutive gold-teethed Flavor Flav and his unlikely TV paramour, Nordic Amazon Brigitte Nielsen, ex-wife of Sylvester Stallone. Oy. We also watched, God help us, a spinoff of “The Surreal Life” called “My Fair Brady” (call the Lerner & Loewe attorneys!) in which a crazy young model chased after the middle-aged Peter Brady (Christopher Knight) and forced him to propose. The two reality stars then headed towards their impending nuptials like a 747 heading for its crash site. Continuing our cultural decline, we got hooked on the first season of “Breaking Bonaduce” in which former “Partridge Family” star Danny Bonaduce, a self-described train wreck, struggled with his alcoholism, drug addiction, bouts of violence, and several other undiagoned disorders on national television. With every episode of these shows we watched, we could feel our brain cells screaming in agony. I was determined to honor our moratorium on reality television until I caught a new show that debuted last month. I’ve been looking forward to each episode and I don’t even feel the need to do penance afterwards.

“One Punk Under God” on the Sundance Channel (and available on iTunes) details the activities of Jay Bakker, prodigal son of 1980s super-televangelists, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. Jay was only 12 when his parents’ fundamentalist empire came tumbling down, thanks at first to revelations about Jim Bakker’s sleazy affair with church secretary Jessica Hahn and the hush money that was paid to her, and then a case of fraud that landed Jim in the clink for several years. The Bakkers handed over their massive ministry to friend and fellow evangelist Jerry Falwell who, in their view, then betrayed them big time by keeping it for himself and saying that in good conscience he could not turn the reins back over to the sinning Bakkers. Falwell called Bakker a liar, embezzler, sexual deviant, and “the greatest scab and cancer on the face of Christianity in 2,000 years of church history.” This from the man who blamed September 11th on abortionists, feminists, and homosexuals: “I point the finger in their face and say ‘you helped this happen,’” he said on “The 700 Club.” Host Pat Robertson readily concurred. Falwell is also the putz who said that “God is a Republican” and that “Jesus was the First American.” Huh? In the final analysis, Jim Bakker’s biggest sin may have been ever trusting Jerry Falwell.

I don’t know if I should admit this, but for a few years during its 1980s heyday, I consistently watched Jim and Tammy Faye’s wildly popular TV show, “The PTL Club.” I wasn’t a closet evangelical Christian, but I wasn’t watching purely to make fun of it either. Oh, I was horrified by the constant (and I mean CONSTANT) appeal for funds which included massive amounts of guilt-inducing manipulation (basically you didn’t have a prayer of getting into Heaven if you didn’t send a good chunk of your income straight to the Bakkers’ coffers). I was mesmerized by the power these two people seemed to wield. I watched as their gigantic Christian theme park and resort Heritage USA skyrocketed in popularity (in the 80s it was one of the top vacation destinations in the United States just after Disney World and Disneyland). Long before the scandals broke that would topple them, Jim and Tammy Faye would regale viewers with detailed explanations of their constant legal and financial problems with Tammy Faye breaking into mascara-smearing sobs at the drop of a hat.

Jim Bakker seemed like a high-tech snake oil-selling charlatan, but even with all of her excesses, there was something about Tammy Faye that I found endearing. She was easy fodder for comedians everywhere (two especially funny and brutal parodies of Tammy Faye were performed by Catherine O’Hara on “SCTV” and Jan Hooks on “Saturday Night Live”). One of the things that kept me glued to the show was Tammy Faye’s singing. Although her speaking voice could shatter glass and make you want to stuff communion wafers in your ears, her singing voice really did have an ethereal quality that seemed to come from the Divine. I couldn’t wait for Jim to shut up about his money worries and how he was being persecuted by the government so we could hear Tammy Faye trill for Jesus. The Bakkers would often parade their two young children in front of the cameras, Tammy Sue and Jamie, who seemed like bored snotty brats who would probably rebel from the so-called family values their parents espoused.

When the Bakkers fell from grace, I can’t say I didn’t join the clucking that they were finally getting their due. I watched their defensive rants on Larry King and was repulsed by the reports of their spending sprees including an air-conditioned doghouse, solid gold bathroom fixtures, and Tammy Faye’s wardrobe that made Imelda Marcos look like a country girl who’d taken a vow of poverty. But there’s nothing like being at the center of a well publicized scandal to give sinners a healthy dose of humility. The Bakkers lost their fortunes, the sprawling Heritage USA shut down, Jim got sent off to jail, and Tammy Faye divorced her husband, got remarried, and began a talk show with an openly gay co-host. Little Jamie Bakker, now calling himself Jay, dropped out of high school and fell into drug addiction before cleaning up his act and becoming a tattooed, pierced pastor in the Revolution Church, a Christian ministry that appeals to a decidedly more liberal crowd than his parents’ old TV show.

This six-part series details the activities of Jay Bakker, now 31 and still struggling with his identity as the son of Jim and Tammy Faye. We see how he has reclaimed his passion for Christianity, albeit a different version than the one his parents promoted, as well as his current relationship with mom and dad and his gorgeous rocker cool wife, Amanda, who is working on her PhD at NYU, and would just as soon see her husband drop his religious pursuits. I’ve seen three of the episodes so far and I was deeply moved by each one. The unabashedly sincere Jay welcomes everyone to his church and strives to prove that Christians are not all right-wing Christian Coalition neocons. “You can care about social issues,” he stresses. “You can care about the poor and the hurting.” Jay raises plenty of eyebrows in his church and risks his funding when he decides that he is pro-gay marriage. He visits his mom Tammy Faye who is sadly in stage 4 of inoperable lung cancer. The warm interplay between the two is heartbreaking and poignant. Jay tries desperately to see his father Jim, now out of jail and remarried with several new adopted children but his father seems reluctant to meet with him. They haven’t seen each other for over two years but finally Jim agrees to let Jay come and visit him and appear on the new television show he began a few years ago in Branson, Missouri. The meeting is awkward and painful. Jay still longs for a relationship with his dad, especially now that his mother is dying, but the workaholic Jim seems to be unable to relate to others except on his show. Following their reunion, Jay says, “I think my dad’s a pretty sincere guy. On TV.”

Whenever anyone is being followed by a TV crew, it obviously changes the dynamic of what’s going on. This is one of the reasons why “reality TV” is such a misnomer. But with Jay Bakker, it’s clear that the TV cameras have little effect on his earnestness. There is something so unusual about the personal truths that pour out of his mouth that I was moved to tears during each episode and worried about the lack of a protective shell around the vulnerable preacher. Unlike his dad, Jay never tailors his spiritual talks to cater to his followers (or their wallets), he speaks his mind and shares from his heart, no matter the consequences. Now that’s a religious calling I can respect.

I can’t stand the way many fundamentalist Christians invoke the name of Jesus to spread their message of intolerance and closed-mindedness, the very antithesis of Jesus’s teachings. But if Jesus were looking down on Jay Bakker and his ministry, I think he’d say, “Right on, brother.”

Comments

[Heather]

Great post, Danny. I lived in Charlotte during the reign of the Bakker family. (I'm about Jay Bakker's age.) My dad was endlessly fascinated by the PTL and their theme-park compound, Heritage USA. We used to drive down there to see the Christmas lights. Speakers blasted Tammy Faye singing Christmas carols, and every few yards were billboards advertising her albums. One year, we went to Heritage USA on Easter. The waterslide park wasn't open for the season yet, but there were still wonders to behold. The indoor mall had a moving cloudscape projected on the ceiling. There was a store that sold cosmetics and I am pretty sure it was named after Tammy Faye. We took a bus tour of the park and the chirpy tour guide started singing a Bible song. "Come on, kids," she implored my brother and me, "you know this one!" Uh, no... we really didn't! My Catholic/Jewish family was definitely there to gawk at the fundie freak show. That's sad about Tammy Faye's cancer, though. I had no idea. I was impressed with the way she reinvented herself after she divorced Bakker. She does seem like a genuinely good person, however spotlight-obsessed.

[david]

Did you make this up...??!!

[Danny]

Does it seem like parody? No, it's all true and I really do have great respect for Jay Bakker's ministry. But don't worry, David, I'm not becoming a fundamentalist Christian. I'd have to change the name of my blog...

[Paula]

Now you've got me wanting to watch this. My heart bled for Jim and Tammy Faye's kids when their whole sordid scandal exploded. I imagined what they thought about the t-shirts that came out with two smudges and a red gash saying "I Ran Into Tammy Faye At The Mall". Remember those?

But about Dr. 90210 - I am compelled to watch because I need to see Hayley Rey regain her weight and lose those mouth sores. Are they mouth sores, or are her lip implants stretching her skin until her lips crack? The Rey's are so endearing. I don't want their little family to implode because Robert is in Brazil admiring butts on young girls while Hayley is in a gargantuan house with no furniture, trying to give meaning to her existence.

[churlita]

I had heard about this show, but wasn't sure if it was real either. I actually might try to catch it the next time it's on.

Do you know what happened to the big sister? You never hear about her anymore.

[OldOldLady Of The Hills]

What channel is that on, Danny? I have not been keeping up with the evangelicals in the last decade or two...though I have heard about poor Tammy Faye's health problems...
Isn't it perfect that Jim Bakker is in Branson, Missouri...What better busier place for a fallen Man Of God! OY!
I sure would like to catch an episode or two of Jay Bakker if you were moved to tears each time you saw it...!
A fascinating post, my dear.

[Danny]

It's on the Sundance Channel which is on most cable networks and also available as downloads off of iTunes so you can watch it on your computer or iPod.

Yeah, I noticed that they weren't mentioning the sister at all, at least in the first three episodes. My guess is that she just didn't want to be on TV. I read an interview with Jay Bakker in which he said his sister is practically living with their mom taking care of her during her illness. When they were little I was convinced those bratty kids would come to no good but they sure seemed to have turned their lives around after so much adversity. I give a lot of credit to that to Tammy Faye who, if you can get past her eccentricities, seems like a damn good mom.

[Adriana Bliss]

What coincidence - I watched Jay's program today for the second time and felt as you do, quite moved, attached already, and impressed. Wow. I had no idea Tammy Faye had become so ill and when she sat in that little cafe, sobbing, she seemed so small and humble that it made it hard to imagine she'd once been the mockery of the media. Even her tell-tale hold onto her unusual makeup was heartbreaking. Great post, Danny.

[Jeff]

Isnt Jay Bakker amazing? I have to say I would not have watched it if not for Tammy Faye Bakker going on the Surreal Life. When I saw her pro homosexual attitude I thought WOW if she'll give me the time of day, I'll give her the time of day. I then heard about Jay's new church in Brooklyn over the summer. This show is amazing. You can download the sereies on iTunes and his sermons are posted in the podcast sections as well.

[tsb]

I was bored but I was not a "snotty brat". I just did what my parents told me to do.... ~tsb

[Lonster6]

How BIZZARRE! To think that a child of such a weird family would go in2 the same career as his folks is astounding indeed. LOVED the 'I Ran in2 Tammy Faye Bakker @ the Mall' shirts, btw. Where can I get one still? :)
So this guy is on the up-&-up, huh? Stranger YET! Since he IS the offspring of such low-down shills like Jim & Tammy Faye, that is.
Remember Oral Roberts & his 900-ft. Jesus sermon? Now THAT's true Xianity THERE! 'I saw a 900 foot tall Jesus & he said he's going 2 take me HOME if U do not gimme yer $!' Praise the Lord! & pass the ammunition.

[supra muska]

Thanks, I'm going to have nightmares tonight.