By Juliette Tang
When I encountered this flyer on 5th and Mission, I figured “Cult of the Hermaphrodite” was yet another sadly-named juggalo band I’d never heard of. Unless someone’s cute, lost puppy is involved, flyers usually escape my attention, but loud declarations of”Ancient Sex Cults,” “Numerology,” and “Fertility” proved too ridiculous to ignore.
Closer examination of this bizarreness reveals an interesting viral marketing effort. My very mild disappointment that “Cult of the Hermaphrodite” wasn’t coming to town with opening bands “Prophecy” and “Hard & Hung” in tow was mollified by a happy realization that a seedy adult videostore was still doing business in the Polk Street area: a href=”http://www.yelp.com/biz/frontlyne-video-san-francisco” target=”_blank”>Frontlyne (1428 Bush St). According to my research, their prices are as brilliantly retro as their rentals-based business model: DVDs are $1-a-day.
Spotted at Van Ness and Eddy, dombrassy‘s Flickr
Hopefully, for the sake of cheap DVDs (a modest selection of non X-rated material in stockas well), these flyers will bring some foot traffic, but it’s unclear whether they’re even associated with the business they advertise. I called the store asking about them, and the woman on the line told me “Cult of the Hermaphrodite” wasn’t the title of any DVD they had in stock. “We don’t carry it,” she told me flatly. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about… is this Jen?”
If anyone, or Jen, knows what these flyers refer to, please call Frontlyne at 931-9999. They’d like to know.