The BFG Raygun Interview

Untold Raygun: Breaking Badly, directed by Chapman and Maclain Way, turns the real-life absurdity of an academic researcher focused on gender in Sydney’s breaking scene suddenly being her country’s entrant into that new Olympic event.

READ THE BFG REVIEW OF UNTOLD RAYGUN: BREAKING BADLY

As the film progresses we witness an ordinary person taken from her mundane life to the pure craziness of performing on an Olympic stage. We watch the obstacles pile up and the media scrutiny grow.

Gunn’s studies did not make her an elite Olympic athlete, but it did mean she understood, at least in theory, the cultural space she was entering. Everyone in her circle — including her — knew she was going to be destroyed. The media, meanwhile, kept asking her about medals. The perfect storm assembled itself: an uninvolved official coach, an absent Olympic committee, and a woman feeling the pressure build with nowhere to put it.

Book and Film Globe spoke to Gunn about her experiences and the film.

For a while, “Raygun” became a character on the internet and Rachael Gunn almost disappeared behind the meme. When you watch those images now, do you see something that still hurts, something that makes you laugh, or something that simply belongs to someone else?

When I see those images of Raygun in the teal tracksuit, it’s me but it’s not me. Actually I wore my uniform in the documentary for the first time since Paris, and it was the strangest experience looking at myself in the mirror — it felt like I was wearing a costume. I mean, it literally became a costume for many people around the world. But Sammy and I just couldn’t reconcile my appearance with the person who had last trained and competed in this uniform.

You spent years studying culture, identity and gender academically, and then suddenly found yourself becoming one of the most intensely discussed cultural figures in the world. Did Paris feel, in some strange way, like your own academic research had escaped the university and turned around to study you?

Absolutely, I could suddenly feel myself becoming part of all the case studies I had used in my courses. In fact, within a few days of my performance in Paris, my colleagues were using me as an example of viral media and misinformation (albeit because they had to spend 10 minutes at the start of each class addressing a myriad of questions). Overall, my studies were useful in giving me a broader perspective on my experience, and I could understand why some things were taking hold. To understand these discourses is one thing, but to experience them directed at you is another thing entirely.

Breaking comes from a very specific cultural history, particularly Black and Latino communities, yet your Olympic performance became one of the most visible representations of the form to a global audience. Has everything that happened made you think differently about the question of who gets to represent a culture — and who gets to reinvent it?

I never set out to reinvent breaking, if anything I wanted to represent those values embedded in the foundation of the dance and culture — self-expression, peace, love, unity and having fun. African-American and Puerto-Rican kids developed breaking and Hip Hop culture, and inspired people from all around the world to nurture and innovate it. I think it’s a testament to what they created that it’s one of the most versatile activities out there — from community halls, to theatres, to feature films, to concrete cyphers, and on to the Olympic stage.

I think art and culture truly have the capacity to bring us together. That’s not to say people should just unthinkingly ‘take’ or profit from other cultures — absolutely not. You must learn the history, respect the contributions of those who came before you, and give back to the community. In breaking, some see giving back as literally creating your own moves — adding to the ever-expanding vocabulary of movement so that the dance, the ideas, and the breadth of expression continue to grow across generations. It might also mean supporting events, local brands, and those coming into the culture after you.

While there is certainly more work to do to ensure breaking continues to be accessible to disadvantaged groups, I’m troubled by the notion that anyone of a certain education, cultural background, or means shouldn’t participate — does that mean there’s no room for any social mobility? And what kind of world is that advocating for?

The documentary is, in many ways, an attempt to take the story back from the internet and put your own voice at its center. If you could go back to the moment when the world first turned you into a meme, what would you want that version of Rachael Gunn to know about the woman who would eventually emerge from it?

Oh goodness. You’re stronger than you think, and you will emerge from this knowing who your true friends are. While the world looks to be a scary, negative place, there are so many kind and thoughtful people out there who are going to fill your heart with joy.

The experience has made you something much stranger and more interesting than an Olympian: you have become a cultural phenomenon. So, now that the noise has quieted down, what do you actually want “Raygun” to mean?

I want Raygun to be inspiring to others. It’s about not being afraid to fail, and about daring to be different.

At a time when so many people seem increasingly disconnected from one another, Untold: Raygun contains something unexpectedly beautiful: a story of love, loyalty, empathy and partnership. Your relationship with Sammy seems to have been an extraordinary source of strength through circumstances few people could imagine. What would you say to people who have stopped believing in love — and what have you learned about keeping a marriage alive in an age of digital noise, public judgment and constant distraction?

I hope people don’t stop believing in love! Sammy is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

Relationships, like anything, are a skill that you have to work on and improve — how you communicate, how you listen, how you make time for one another, and how you support each other. You’ve both got to want to grow not only as individuals, but also together as a couple.

The best relationship advice I ever received was to be kind, especially when you don’t feel like it. I think that’s probably just a good general rule if I’m honest.

After watching Untold: Raygun, what stayed with you? Was it relief, pride, vulnerability… or something you never expected to feel?

It was certainly difficult to watch back and be reminded of so many painful memories, but I was really proud of us for getting through it.

There is definitely some relief in having my story out there and being able to look towards the future. I’m ready for the next chapter to begin.

Read the Book and Film Globe review of Untold Raygun: Breaking Badly