The African Couch

EP 2 - Lestat and Claudia: “Mother/Father Coded” and the Heteronormativity of it All

CLAUDIA / LESTAT TW - typical mother and daughter relationship (lestat and claudia) And I cannot say even now that I regret Claudia, that I wish I had never seen her, nor held her, nor whispered secrets to her, nor heard her laughter echoing through the shadowy gaslighted rooms of that all too human townhouse in which we moved amid the lacquered furniture and the darkening oil paintings and the brass flowerpots as living beings should. Claudia was my dark child, my love, evil of my evil. Claudia broke my heart.  - The Vampire Lestat There is so much to say about Lestat and Claudia. This small segment does not even cover half of all the things that can be said. The jealousy, the resentment, the constant state of conflict between them, to the silent conversations Louis and Claudia have (which Lestat cannot listen to), DOWN to the fact that Lestat created her. How similar they both are and yet the chasms that separate them—they’re embedded in mind. “Often father and daughter look down on mother (woman) together. They exchange meaningful glances when she misses a point. They agree that she is not bright as they are, cannot reason as they do. This collusion does not save the daughter from the mother’s fate.” ― Bonnie Burstow, Radical Feminist Therapy: Working in the Context of Violence [https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/4978328] [small NOTE: It also fits the Slave/Slave owner dichotomy. The killing of Lestat being akin to a slave rebellion and the burning of the New Orleans house (very similar to the burning of the Plantation house/Slave Owner’s house—just like in the movie)  In that sense, Lestat and Claudia’s relationship is HIGHLY mother-daughter coded; down to the “mother’s fate”.] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theafricancouch.substack.com [https://theafricancouch.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

TV Recap: Interview with the Vampire Season 1

A discussion about Interview with the Vampire Season 1 where we ponder why Louis keeps sipping dumb b*tch juice, our over identification to Claudia and revel in the (beautiful) mess that is Lestat. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theafricancouch.substack.com [https://theafricancouch.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]