Career
His video tapes were mainly inspired by popular culture and Las Vegas style shows. He also made the 1987 documentary Wigstock: The Movie about the annual drag queen festival. Rubnitz"s other works include "Strawberry Shortcut" and the infamous "Pickle Surprise" on YouTube.
Rubinitz worked with the B-52"s in 1987 to produce a "public service announcement" for the Art Against Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome organization"s "Summer of Love" project, which visually referenced the cover of Sergeant
Pepper"s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles in tableau vivant form, featured the B-52s, Willi Ninja, Allen Ginsberg, Nam June Paik, Quentin Crisp, Lady Bunny and David Byrne, among many others In 1989, Rubnitz released the song and video "Love is the Message" under his own name.
The song sampled Danny Krivit"s edit of MFSB"s instrumental "Love is the Message."
Tom lived in Manhattan. He died at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center of an Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome-related illness in August 1992 at the age of 36.