A few years ago a musical group from New Zealand called "The
Avalanches" released a very unusual song (and music video) called
"Frontier Psychiatrist."  In listening to it, I note that some of the
dialogue at the very beginning appears to refer to characters in the
John Waters' film "Polyester."  Specifically, there is reference to a
"Mrs. Fishpaw," her son, "Dexter," and the city of Baltimore (MD)
where almost all Waters' films take place.  I have not come across
anything indicating the song refers to the film in any way, but it
seems much too much of a similarity to be mere coincidence.  Even the
voices of the characters sound like those in film.  Any info available
about this?

Hello kakite-ga,

Thank you for your question.


It is not a coincidence; the song Frontier Psychiatrist does include
dialogue from Polyester. I am including the following references where
you may verify that this is the correct answer.

 
Here is an excerpt from an article by PopMatters Music Critic
Christine Hsieh: 

“Most impressively, though, is the way the Avalanches make things like
whinnying horses and spoken word sound kooky and fresh instead of
recycled and stale. "Frontier Psychiatrist" is a perfect example of
this aesthetic, combining snatches of dialogue from Laurence of Arabia
with John Waters' Polyester.”

Source: Pop Matters Magazine
http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/a/avalanches-since.html


From Tower Records Pulse: THE AVALANCHES  by Kurt B. Reighley

“The borrowed bits-presented with warmth-generating vinyl pops and
crackles intact-range from the familiar (the bass line to Madonna's
"Holiday" anchors "Stay Another Season") to the far out (a snippet of
John Waters movie dialogue introduces "Frontier Psychiatrist").”

Pulse: Tower Records
http://pulse.towerrecords.com/contentStory.asp?contentId=2788


From Sloane's Journal:

“Dexter Fishpaw: The son in John Waters' Polyester, Dexter was
obsessed with stomping on women's feet and raised hell through
Baltimore when not poring over his scrapbooks filled with magazine
feet. The muse for The Avalanches' Frontier Psychiatrist.”
http://www.livejournal.com/users/okayfine


Search Criteria:

"Frontier Psychiatrist" "Polyester"  
“Frontier Psychiatrist" “John Waters” movie

I hope this helps. If anything is unclear please request clarification
and I’ll be glad to offer further assistance before you rate my answer
and close the question.


Best Regards,
Bobbie7-ga

*EXCELLENT* answer; precisely what I wanted to know to confirm my
sanity.  Complete with multiple web references, etc.  I am impressed!

The Avalanches are actually from Melbourne in Australia. I refer to
this entry in the All Music Guide.
(http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=CASS805121836&sql=Bjtknu3ekan5k)

"Never mind digging in the crates — the Avalanches probably just buy
them whole, sight unseen, and find a way to bounce off each platter.
Eventually morphing into a gang of six merrymakers bent on filtering
their all-encompassing record collections through original
instrumentation and a great deal of sampling, the Avalanches came from
one of the most unlikely places to generate mind-bending dance music —
Australia."

Their US record company site comfirms that they are from
Melbourne.(http://www.elektra.com/elektra/theavalanches/artistbio.jhtml;jsessionid=P0UFQOSFW5LKAQAMEEQSFEY?_requestid=118047)

"Which makes Melbourne's The Avalanches that much more precious. A
five strong crew who function like a close-knit gang of rock
mythology. They're a dance band with a grasp of pop's life-affirming
?lan, a pop act whose approach to dance incorporates hip hop's cut 'n'
paste code, a bunch of wide-eyed dreamers who abide by their own
rules."

I didn't know the quotes came from Polyester though. Perhaps,
coincendentally one of the members of the Avalanches is Dexter Fabay.

Thank you for the five star rating and tip!
I'm glad to have helped.

--Bobbie7-ga