Dallas female impersonator Patti Le Plae Safe talks Home for the Holidays Texas, Viva Dallas Burlesque, Miss Gay America, small town life, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, witch hunts, doing what you love and Orange Power.

Interview: Divertida Devotchka. Photos: Michael Stephenson of Modern Noir Studios

You’re the president of Home for the Holidays Texas, a non-profit organization that works to improve the quality of life for persons living with AIDS. You and your team work feverishly to raise funds for this cause, and you just completed a black tie benefit for the group, right? There’s also the December Viva Dallas Burlesque show, Festivus Follies, which will again be a benefit for this organization. Please tell us about the outcome of your black tie event and your expectations for the upcoming burlesque benefit.

The 2010 Black Tie Dinner Organization chose Home for the Holidays Texas (HFTHT) to be one of the 20 charities receiving benefit money from the Annual Dinner.  If Black Tie hadn’t chosen us I am most sure we would have faltered within a few years.  Raising money for charity these days has gotten very hard and small organizations like HFTHT work ten times as hard.  It has become a daily need to raise more money just to keep up with the requests our organization gets.  We just have to be more creative with doing it.  Luckily, Black Tie notices us and respects us and was more than willing to support us last year.  They gave us $23,475 – enough to stretch us out for the roughest part for almost 2 years.  Next year we will go knocking on their door with the hopes that they will support us again.   We aren’t greedy; we know there are other organizations that need help too, so we don’t intend to ask for money every year.   Yes you are correct the December 2nd Viva Dallas Burlesque show Festivus Follies will again benefit HFTHT.  We are so honored to have been selected again to receive money from the producers of VDB!  Last year was so much fun, and I certainly plan to make it fun again.  We have auction items and a 50/50 raffle planned.  If you remember the winner of last year’s 50/50 auction gave the money back to HFTHT!  She was so generous to do so.  With the VDB crowd you never know what to expect; we are so full of surprises!

Speaking of Viva Dallas Burlesque, you are the host of the monthly show at the Lakewood Theater, and have been since its inception last summer. Now that you’ve grown accustomed to the burlesque world, I’d love to hear your input on how hosting burlesque differs from your other hosting and performance gigs. What are your favorite aspects of hosting Viva? What are the biggest challenges for you?

You know I really didn’t think I would be accepted and/or fit in with the BurlyQ crowd. I still wasn’t convinced until the audience started asking for my autograph. OMG they want my autograph, are they sick or something?  Really?  This is going to be so much fun for me!  Now I can’t wait to play with the audience and make them smile or laugh about what ever my brain cooks up.  I plan a script for each show but oh so many times I ad lib on a dime and hope that it plays off well. I am stalling for the “Panty Wranglers” to clean the stage and prepare props for the entertainers.  Truthfully, I think I do my best work when I have no script at all.  Like I said before you just don’t know how a crowd will be with the VDB audience.  You have to be up and ready for them at all times.  Can you believe people come up to me and ask me to pick on their best friends (usually hot straight men) and try to ruffle feathers and scare them? Now that is hard work, sometimes a little scary, but it is so much fun to do.  Especially after the show when “fans” tell me they enjoy me as much as they enjoy the performers.  I’ve even stripped a few times.  In the early years of Burlesque, there were famous performers that were men and absolutely no one knew.  It’s all about the costume and lighting and the total tease.  I have no intention of trying to fool anyone. I know I am a man in a dress, a pig in a wig!  Who is the wiser here?  I am having the time of my life and I think the audience is too. At least they tell me with laughter, applause, get pictures after the show and ask for my autograph.   You wanted to know the difference between VDB emceeing and other hosting appointments.  There is a huge difference.  The VDB crowd most likely has never met a female impersonator LIVE!  All of my other hosting appointments are typically gay and lesbian.  I’d rather work for a primarily straight crowd like the VDB audience.  They are so much more fun to share with, learn things from, play with, tease, and mostly get laughter from.  They laugh with me and never at me.  I think to be honest the straighter crowd is a hell of a lot more “open” than my gay and lesbian crowd.  What do you think of that statement!  But I really mean it.   I would so much more play with a straight crowd!  Our little Burlesque family is perfect!  I am so lucky that Shoshana came to GayBingo that month and invited me to emcee.  Who would have ever known?  But I think now after a year and a half we are the perfect match!

You were Miss Gay America 1995 and really took to the pageant circuit. Are you still doing pageant work? If so, how has the dynamic of the pageant scene changed since you first started? (If not, do you have any plans to resume doing them in the future? Why or why not?)

I entered Miss Gay America on a dare, not knowing I had what it takes to be a winner.  It was my very first time to enter a pageant and I became the winner above 82 contestants.  I’m not bragging but in 40 years of the MGA pageant that has only happened 2 times.  I’m the last one it has happened to.  I have a lot in my life to be proud of.  I did a ballroom dramatic dance and theatrical performance for the talent category and I was up against girls that did illusions of Janet Jackson, Madonna and Cher.  My talent was refreshing and it told a story that either made you want to be on stage as me or my dance partner.  It was so romantic and so different from the high energy dance numbers everyone else was doing at the time.  Pageants were so different back then.  Now if I were competing, there is no way I would win.  Kids today start planning and playing in makeup (secretly no doubt) in the early teens and once they hit the pageant circuit they are primed for the “look” of a winner!  It took me years to perfect my look and I am still changing.  In my day, lordy I hate that phrase, but it’s true, back in my day, interview was the most important category next to talent.  I won interview with only 6 points from a perfect score.  Today, scoring has changed and the system has changed a lot.  The winners are more seasoned each year and very prepared when they finally win.  For some winners it has taken them as many as 12+ years to win.  It is a very serious entertainment business, and a very different world once you get involved!  I wouldn’t be the entertainer I am today if I hadn’t simply tried it.  MGA made me polish it up and glam it up for the stage.  Burlesque in the last year of hosting has allowed me to be more myself and let me have fun with being who I am.  I am so very happy that I am still evolving and becoming so much more than I have been and that is because of my Burlesque family! As far as entering pageants again……..nah prolly not!   After winning the best title in the Drag World on my first try, why enter something lesser just to say I won something else?  And maybe have to enter 12+ years to win it?  Not only no but hell no!

You grew up in a small town in Arkansas, and since early childhood you were planning your escape to the big city of Dallas. Do you find that life in the big city was all that you thought it would be growing up? Do you find yourself missing the peace and quiet of Arkansas now that you’ve been in the city for so long?

I grew up in a town that was so small you couldn’t hide from anybody! Picture this: if I opened the back door and stepped out with my left foot, before I blinked or breathed and even begun to lift my right foot — the phone would ring!  The neighbor lady next door would tell my Mom she needed me to bring her a gallon of milk since I was going to the store… HOW DID SHE KNOW?  To this day I still never knew how she knew, but she did and of course I returned with her gallon of milk!  Do I miss any of that? Yes I do!   We all cared for each other.  Life was simpler then, but I had dreams.  I wanted to be famous!  I had to go or I would have committed suicide.  Life was simple but oh so slow and certainly unimaginable for a gay boy like me.  I had needs and desires that fueled me and motivated me to get out and make a name for myself.  I always knew it would be Dallas. I sort of took a long route to get here, but I knew once I made it that it was perfect for me.  I was bullied pretty badly during my school years and recently at my 35th reunion one of those bullies apologized to me.  He honestly meant it; shocked as I was over it, it was closure and certainly made me feel differently about the past.  I have forgiven him and thanked him too.  All that bullying made me the strong person I am today.  I am a survivor and today a better person because of it.  I am walking proof that “IT DOES GET BETTER!”

You were a staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force and you also worked as a computer programmer on an Army base. I’m curious to know about your experience in the military and your thoughts about this year’s repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

HAHAHA too funny!   I am not a bit different today than I was back then.  A nelly boy never carries a sledge hammer. I have screamed more than once “Stop the War!! I forgot my Purse!”  I have survived so many witch hunts during my time in the USAF and as a civilian in the Army.  They were ridiculous.  We were interrogated in front of groups of men and singly with men who tried to entrap us into the “gay” world.  Once I was interrogated by this super hot guy (like a very young Kevin Costner or a Ryan Gosling kind of guy.  Trust me he was hot!)  He sat in front of me with his knees touching mine and tried to be “overly” friendly.  Funny thing is if he was my type of man I still wouldn’t have touched him back because I knew what was happening.  I was born on a farm but I wasn’t born stupid.  He tried so hard to get me to admit I was gay, and it really was too funny to watch him try.  I don’t know what made me think to do this, but today I admit it was a brilliant move on my part.  I told him he was wasting my time.  If he had some kind of proof like pictures or a video (back then it was 8mm) or a taped phone recording of me proving I was involved with someone of the same sex, then I would never need to admit anything, but until he did come up with that proof, I wanted to return to my job. I put my foot down and stuck to my guns with that thought and they couldn’t bother me anymore.   You have no idea how many of my friends fell for the entrapment tricks and were kicked out of the military the very next day.   I am a decorated soldier with an honorable discharge given only to those who complete their term of service with exemplary commitment to the military.  So you see if you are strong nobody can knock you down.  I am proud of my military past.  I learned so much from serving my country and hopefully our country is a better place because I did.

Patti Le Plae Safe’s daytime alter-ego is Hott Rodd the Hair Godd, who has his own salon in Dallas, correct? Can you share with us how and when you got started doing hair? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of your day job?

I was born to do hair.  My motto is “If you like what you do, you’ll do it well!”  So I ask you, would you really get your hair done by somebody who bitches and complains every time you sit in their chair?  Do you really want someone who doesn’t enjoy coming to work every single day?  I have found my calling.  I used to cut hair in the dorms while I was in the military.  We were poor and couldn’t afford to get our hair cut twice weekly to keep it perfect in standards.  So I offered haircuts just so I could get free drinks in the night clubs.  T’was in my blood long before I ever took professional classes and got my license.  I was in computers bored to tears; I could do that with my eyes closed!  When the insurance company I worked for here in Dallas decided to move our company to Indianapolis, I had only one quick question that needed to be answered. Does it snow in Indianapolis?  I knew the answer, but it broke the ice in that big meeting.  I offered to take the severance package whatever it was so that I could stay in Dallas.  I took the offered package that was enough to live on for two years, went to school and well the rest is history.  This past Valentine’s Day I opened my own salon just big enough for me and two clients at a time.  I could not be happier.  My career is great.  I can always take new clients and never have to worry about the owner being upset because I am working too many hours. What doing what I love?  Really?  Okay I deserve my own place and the happiness that I create for myself.   I wish I could bottle it and give it to those who hate their jobs… now that is sad for them.   I just wish for them to have what I have!

I read a really beautiful story about you in the Dallas Voice, and I was very taken by your personal spiritual philosophy that you call “Orange Power.” Can you tell our readers what Orange Power is and how it affects your decisions and actions?

Orange Power (OP) isn’t real to anyone but me.  I can’t help but to be honest.  I don’t feel like everyone else in this world.  I’m not saying I’m alien.  I just don’t fit in with organized religion but I do believe there is a sense of a higher power.  God to some people is very, very real.  S/He speaks to them, but I have never been spoken to!   I do know what is right and what is wrong.  We all do.  So I need something to make me feel closer to the good vs evil.  The color Orange does that for me.  I feel surrounded by the warmth of Orange when I see or wear it.  I felt it was the perfect choice to develop an OP and not worship a god of any type. I find so many holes in blind faith.  Religion is something I cannot touch when I need to. I can’t lean on it physically.  Naturally, I’d rather tell myself to be good. I’d rather tell myself to stay on the right side of life.  I’d rather tell myself to be proper, professional, and polite, etc.  OP does all this for me and I’m not giving money to a bigger church in a country that tells the local church what they can and cannot do in their own local church.  I prefer the warmth and love I get from the simple vibrant color of Orange.  Pick your own color and make your own OP!  It’s cheaper and you can touch it when you need to.

I know a number of us Dallas burlesquers have had this chat with you backstage, but you look DAMN good, and we’d love to know some of your secrets! How does a gal like you stay looking youthful? We’ve also discussed with you the similarities in aesthetics of drag makeup and burlesque makeup. Do you have any drag makeup tips that could be used to enhance a burly gal’s stage makeup process?

How do I stay so young? Miss Thang I am 53 and I look every wrinkle of it!  If you really want to know my secret you’ll have to move in with me and watch my routine!  A girl never gives her secrets away.  You are so right drag and burly makeup is very similar! I just say more, even when you think you have enough on, don’t stop put more on!  The spotlight is so bright and harsh on unpainted faces and skin that you tend to disappear on stage under all those lights.  So the more you put on the more you are seen. I have a big face, so I have to enhance it with lines and shapes to make it look smaller.  You might notice I don’t use shadows on my cheeks.  I spend lots of time on my eyes and lips!  I have to draw attention to where I make the most expressions. It might be ugly up close but on stage for your 6 – 10 minutes you will be marvelous!   Oh and always more mascara so you can flutter those loverly lashes.  I have to wear fake lashes and without them I look naked (in a different sense) on stage.  I sometimes double up my lashes so that they totally frame my eyes……  I think we should have a class!  Would you attend a class if I set it up?

The Pin Curl Staff put our heads together and came up with the best gifts this holiday season for the pin-up or burlesque gal in your life. Happy Holidays!

We are completely in love with the gals at Sugarville Candles!  Their unique candles, lip balms, & body butters smell so delicious, they are hard not to eat & the adorable pin-up girl labels are to die for!  (S’mores and Birthday Cake are among our favorites!)

There are several burlesque autobiographies that scored high on our list of gift giving favorites.  Check out: Georgia: My Life in Burlesque by Georgia Sothern, And Men my Fuel by Lili St. Cyr, Tempest Storm: The Lady is a Vamp by Tempest Storm, Gypsy: Memoirs of America’s Most Celebrated Stripper, The Days We Danced: The Story of My Theatrical Family From Florenz Ziegfeld to Arthur Murray and Beyond Any of which are sure to please the bookworm on your list.

For the fashion diva, we like Elegance Navy Polka Dot Dress by Bettie Page Clothing, The Birdie Dress by PinUp Couture is a fabulous holiday party dress, and for underneath we adore the Bernie Dexter Tigress Garter Belt and matching bra by Lucy B.  The vintage lingerie selections sold by Shannon Doah at Vintage ShowGirl are not to be missed!

If you are looking more to decorate yourself from the neck up, we are head over heels for the work of Sharon Sullivan, the milliner and owner of Dream Hats!  Whether you are looking for the perfect pillbox, fedora, or fascinator from her amazing line, or a custom one of a kind creation, Dream Hats is the perfect choice!

For stocking stuffers or the collector in your life, we adore the series of pin-up and burlesque gal drinking and shot glasses.  The gals’ clothes disappear as you drink!

If those aren’t enough eye candy, there’s a fabulous collection of modern pin-up books out by photographers such as Viva Van Story, Gayla Patridge of 666 Photography, and Roy Varga available on Amazon.

If DIY is more your style, you’ll want to get to work on a Mikiphone- vintage or reproduction a Mikiphone is a nifty pocket phonograph popular in the 1920’s.  It fits into a canister just a little larger than a snuff can.  Certainly a lesson in patience and not for the novice builder, you can find plans and video online to build your own, or get lucky on Ebay! Either way you go, a wonderfully original gift for the music loving guy or gal in your life, and a superb conversation piece.

Of course, if you are looking for a practical yet fun gift that helps a good cause in the process, you’ll want to check out the 2012 calendars offered by pin-up centered non-profits such as Pinups for Pitbulls, The Pinup Angels, and Pin Ups for Vets.  What’s not to love about flipping through images of lovely ladies with big hearts? Each are changing the world one centerfold at a time.

New Orleans burlesque beauty Trixie Minx talks turning tragedy into productivity, Fleur de Tease, inspiration and clowning.
Interview: Divertida Devotchka  Cover Photo: Don Corbitt

After reading up on you a bit, I found it very interesting that your burlesque career was partially shaped by the events of both 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. Would you please share with us the impact those happenings had on your life?
As strange as it sounds both these events greatly shaped the direction of my life. I think most people reassess their lives after witnessing or enduring a major disaster. Prior to September 11th I was a ballerina and most of my goals pertained to achieving a specific body type and dance technique. Watching the towers fall on TV and learning that my husband lost a family member it just sort of struck me that my goals, while important to me at the time, weren’t really what mattered most in my life. It became very clear that life is precious and short and I didn’t want waste another moment on anything trivial. I had battled with anorexia & bulimia and this was the catalyst to get serious about getting better. I spent the following months becoming the person I wanted to be rather than destroying the one I was. I decided not to pursue ballet and began training to be a Pilates instructor. I traveled to different countries for the first time and spent a lot more time hanging out with friends. It was a year or two later I started dancing again but for the pure joy of performance/movement rather than anything else.
I was in New Orleans for Katrina and left on the day the levees broke. Once again I coped with this experience through internal reflection. I was living a healthy happy life but wasn’t actively pursuing any creative endeavors which I think had a lot to do with my fear of slipping back into anorexic/bulimic behavior. I remember thinking of all the things I never did in New Orleans because I was too busy, it was too expensive, or I was simply just scared. Katrina made me realize that not only is life precious but so is this world so enjoy EVERY opportunity, experience, moment you have. I moved back in October 2005 and my character Trixie Minx was born.

Photo: Don Corbitt

When did you first begin training in ballet and for how long did you pursue it? Do you have experience in other styles of dance or other arts like theater or music?
My first class was a creative movement dance class. I was 2 and a half; my mom lied and said I was 3 because I wanted to dance so much. I was what ya call a “bun head”, obsessed with Ballet. I learned several styles of dance like modern, jazz, character but never loved them the same as ballet. It wasn’t until I moved to New Orleans and joined the Komenka Ethnic Dance ensemble that I really started enjoying other techniques like tango, swing, African, etc. My experiences with theater & music didn’t really develop until I moved to New Orleans as well. But… I do come from a crazy artistic family. My dad plays piano/guitar, my mom is an excellent visual artist, my sister is a musical theater actress, & my brother makes films. I think I got the dancing gene from my Grandma. She taught tap & piano when she was younger and currently directly her own dance group; they even have a retired rockette!
From what I’ve read you were originally very hesitant to perform burlesque. Can you tell us why you felt that way and what it took to change your mind?
The first time I saw burlesque it was a clip from a documentary about the Suicide Girls. Before everyone gets fussy, I sincerely support the idea behind the group and have a couple awesome friends that model for them but, what I saw on TV seemed more like soft core porn than performance. I assumed all burlesque was like that. I later went to see a live show and while it was definitely a step up in the performance department it was a very bare bones show. The girls took off clothes to different music but there was no theme, no props, no lighting. It wasn’t until I saw the Moulin Rouge in Paris that I realized that burlesque could be realized as a full scale production like a classical ballet or Broadway musical. What they did wasn’t traditional bump & grind but they were beautiful dancers in amazing costumes on a professional stage. They were almost completely nude but it was never raunchy; the whole show was a celebration of different women and everything they embodied. This show made me realize there are no rules or limits to burlesque and it can be performed many different ways.

Photo: Hampton Van Meter

In addition to performing, you’re the producer and artistic director of Fleur de Tease, a New Orleans-based performance troupe. When did you start FDT and how has it evolved over the years?
I started Fleur de Tease the summer of 2006 and we had our first show at One Eyed Jacks (formerly the Shim Sham) in September that year. I remember our first show in a very positive light but it has definitely improved over the years. Our earlier shows were great but didn’t have a lot of definition beyond pure entertainment. We started by incorporating holiday themes and later expanded on that by designing our own theme shows. Two years ago we started doing full length story productions, like Alice in Wonderland and our adaptation of the Wizard of OZ. But it has been our collaborations which are the current highlight in our performance history. We work with several bands and were able to create a Prince themed show with one of the groups that was spectacular. I LOVE Fleur de Tease! I love all the cast members, our venue, our partners in crime; the whole experience has been awesome.
Do you consider yourself to be neo or classic? Why?
Neither and both? My character has several different personalities depending on which production I’m performing in. With Burlesque Ballroom & Creole Sweet Tease (two other shows I organize) it is definitely traditional bump and grind with fantastic New Orleans musicians. However with Fleur de Tease I perform mostly comedic strip tease, and while it is not the extreme end of the neo burlesque scale it definitely isn’t classic.
I also perform as a clown with a couple bands/groups which is an entirely different yet complimentary part of my character too. I often feel like a clown who performs burlesque rather than the other way around.
I’d like to know your creative process when developing a new act.
For me it starts with inspiration in something. It can be anything like a song, an experience, a joke, most recently it was tortoise, but no matter what it is, it becomes the driving force for the act. I tend to pull towards OCD behavior so whatever I’m working with plays in a loop in my mind. I tend to lock myself in a room or a studio and just play a song on repeat while I work movement out in front of a mirror. Dance is the easy part but I’m weak at costuming/props which is where I’m lucky to have a great group of friends that are able to help. The last part is stage time. I believe that while you need to rehearse, you truly develop an act in front of a live audience. It is their reaction and behavior that is better feedback than any video could be.

Photo: Kim Welsh

You also produce a weekly show called Burlesque Ballroom, right? How does that differ from your FDT shows? (I’m asking from both an audience perspective as well as how your roles/involvement change(s) with each show.)
I produce Burlesque Ballroom in addition to Fleur de Tease which definitely keeps me busy. The shows are very different. Fleur de Tease is a Vaudeville inspired Burlesque Revue with a full time cast and lots of variety acts. Burlesque Ballroom is a modern spin on a classic 1960’s Bourbon Street Burlesque Show with a rotating cast of soloists all performing classic strip tease to live music. Ballroom is a very cool show on a historical level too. It’s bringing quality jazz & burlesque back to its original home (at least during the 50’s & 60’s) on Bourbon Street. And this weekly show is entirely FREE which encourages a lot of people to check it out who might not otherwise seek out burlesque on their own.
Can you tell us about the New Orleans Bingo! Show?
The New Orleans Bingo! Show is a curious rock’n'roll spectacle of theater, clowning, music, dance, and of course BINGO! It really is hard to describe but very easy to enjoy. I’ve been a member for 2 years but Fleur de Tease has worked with the band on specific projects since 2007. Rather than try to put it in words I suggest ya’ll check us out online here: www.neworleansbingoshow.com
What’s next for Trixie Minx?
I definitely want to perform as long as I can though I’m not sure what will happen after that. I have a lot of ideas and plans in the works but I don’t want to jinx anything so for now let’s say… hopefully a LOT more.

Jeez Loueez! Photo: Kriss Abigail

Jeez Loueez, the Powerhouse of the Midwest, talks hot messes, family, Jeezy’s Juke Joint, butt cymbals and bro-dude karaoke.

Interview: Divertida Devotchka

You’ve described your first burlesque show as “a hot ass mess” with very little preparation and wardrobe/wig malfunctions. You’ve certainly cleaned up your act since, but we’re curious to know of any other show disasters you may have had. Any advice for aspiring burlesque performers who need encouragement to bounce back from a less-than-stellar show?

Where do I even begin? Wigs have flown off, bras have gotten caught in fishnets. So many things have happened, but I try to work through them. They usually happen at a festival. Last year on the opening night of WCBF I was performing Ramalama Bang Bang, it was my first festival and so many burlesque celebs and headliners were in the audience so I was very nervous already. My netted shirt got caught on my belly piercing and after a struggle to get it out I unscrewed it, yelled “Fuck iiiiit!” and threw it into the audience and everyone went crazy. This year at the WCBF opening night I was doing my Whitney Houston act and I slipped on a bag of crack and busted up my hip. I definitely played it off and the audience thought it was on purpose. I wish I could recreate that moment! My advice would be to allow yourself some time to recover from a slip up and play it off as best you can. If your facial expression shows that you effed up the audience will see that, but if you keep your confidence and cool they’ll never know. Don’t beat yourself up about it; those are just the brakes of live performance!

You’re originally from St. Louis but you now reside in Chicago where you perform and teach with Vaudezilla Productions, though you also perform regularly with the Beggar’s Carnivale. What brought you from St. Louis to Chicago? What are the biggest challenges and rewards of maintaining a presence in both cities?

I moved to Chicago 6 years ago to pursue a degree at Columbia College and I graduated with a B.A. in Musical Theater Performance. At the time I was very naïve to the artistic scene in St. Louis and wanted to be in a mecca for performing arts. I feel like being a part of both the Chicago and St. Louis burlesque communities is a luxury and very rewarding. I went to STL about one or twice a month this year. They make me feel like the hometown girl they’re all rooting for trying to make it in a big city. I’m fortunate to have the support of a troupe in Chicago and still have the freedom to travel. Both cities are my family and the biggest reward is that my mom and dad, brother, and grandmas are in St. Louis so I get to see them and my friends. It can be challenging because I want to do every show I can while I’m there because they’re all so amazing, and I might not get to see my family as much, or I might only be there for less than 24 hours before we head to another city. St. Louis and Chicago have very different communities and both are growing at a rapid rate and gaining national recognition. What’s great is that more and more performers are traveling between Chicago and St. Louis. The Midwest is not playing around and I love being a part of the Bi-State Burlesque Exchange!

Mama Loueez is brought onstage. Photo: D McWhirter

Your father is a musician- your mother a radio personality and actress. You’ve stated that performing is in your blood and it seems your family understands this because they are known to be very supportive of your performances, correct? Can you tell us more about that?

Oh yes, my family is all up in it! Just last weekend at a show a random man asked about my mother and where she was. She loves coming to support me and everyone loves when she’s there. Nadine Dubois even brought her on stage at the Show-Me Burlesque festival, and she always takes a bow and gets an applause! It’s hilarious. Someone thought she was in the show once and told her to get in the dressing room! My dad has even been to a performance and he said he loved it up until the taking my bra off part. My grandmother and aunt came to a zombie show, and my uncle came to the Colorado festival. Although, I do think too many people are adding my mama on the Facebooks. Back off!

Jeez Louees is "BAD" at the NOLA Burlesque Festival. Photo: AKoch Photography

You write a blog called “Jeezy’s Juke Joint” which focuses on burlesque performers and producers of color. You also had a show of the same name this year. We’d love to know more about both of these projects.

Well, it’s a project that’s very dear to my heart. When I started burlesque there were only a handful of Black performers in Chicago and EVERYONE always has to be compared to Josephine Baker. Not that that’s a bad thing! But every time you do a show someone is telling you that you should do the banana dance. There are already talented performers that pay tribute to her. I wanted to find out about other Black burlesque and shake dancers around the world and in history so I started researching and found so many performers! I found out about Perle Noire while searching for videos and I was floored. Here was someone who moved like me, danced like I danced and had an obvious physical and emotional connection to the history and culture of African movement.  I draw a lot from my training in African and modern dance, and from club dancing, juking, footwork, etc. and I knew there were more dancers out there who do the same. The response was overwhelming and someone suggested that this should be a show. Vaudezilla approached me about getting the ball rolling and in July we had the one night only SOLD OUT Jeezy’s Juke Joint: A Black Burly Q Revue! There was drag, burlesque, comedy, music, tap dancing and we were able to bring in great performers from around the country like Praline Dupree from New Orleans, and Switch the Boi Wonder from Minneapolis. We all felt such a connection with the cast and the audience in paying tribute to our past and future, it was one of the greatest nights of my life.

Your dance and music training is very impressive! Starting at age 5, you took jazz, tap and ballet classes five days per week all the way until high school. What is your absolute favorite style of dance and why? Did you find the transition into burlesque dancing to be an easy one with such an extensive background?

I don’t know if I can pick just one style of dance!  Oh man, this is cruel. There is something about tap dance that soothes me. The crisp, clear sounds of the metal making music. I think that’s what draws me to it, the fact that you can make your own rhythmic, percussive soundtrack with your feet. You don’t even need a song; you can be your own song!

I found the transition to burlesque to be very natural. I’ve always been very feminine and aware of my sexuality even at a younger age. My mother was quite open and honest about sex and nudity and showed an appreciation for the female body and didn’t shame it. That had a huge impact on me already feeling very comfortable with embracing my body and sensuality. I think my dance training definitely gave me the advantage of already knowing about lines, and technique and confidence on stage. What I really had to work on was the tease and the clothing removal. Instead of 5, 6, 7, 8, glove off, 5, 6, 7, 8, bra off, I had to find how to blend the two elements and to also take my time. I’m always learning new things about burlesque.

Photo: Kriss Abigail

You’ve said that you were “fed up with dance” in middle school and decided to “become a jazz musician instead.” You took vocal lessons as well as piano and trumpet. When is the last time you played music? Have you ever/Do you plan to mix singing/playing an instrument with your burlesque?

I make music every day! I’m love singing and writing songs and melodies. My friends and I actually prefer to sing most of our conversations rather than talk, and we would love to create an improv musical show. In high school I abandoned my dreams of jazz music because the school I transferred to didn’t supply band instruments, so I left the trumpet and drums for show choir and haven’t played since.  I continued with piano through college but reading music is such a pain that I prefer to learn by ear. I really want to utilize all of the education that I’ve received and show people that there are more sides to me so I’ve been hosting and singing a lot more. I have a few acts that are singing strips as well. I actually just started playing the harmonica and my dream is to learn accordion. Honestly, I want to be a one man band like Bert in Mary Poppins. I need butt cymbals if anyone would like to donate to that cause.

You’re also an actress, right? Any recent projects you’d like to discuss with us?

Yes! I just guest starred in a web show called Fool’s Goal with comedian Marz Timms here in Chicago. I was also featured as a trendsetting lesbian activist on The Playboy Club on NBC. And by “featured” I mean my face was blurred in the background in the last 2 minutes of episode 3, and you might have to watch a few times to really catch a glimpse of me. But hey, there are no small parts, right? And you can always catch me and boylesque sensation Tito Bonito making lip-sync videos and short films on our wacky internet sitcom, The 8^th Degree (www.the8thdegree.com)!

From what I understand you’re really into singing karaoke. If you could pick 3 overused karaoke songs that you would never have to hear again, which ones would they be?

Anything sung by bro-dudes. The top 3 bro-dude karaoke disasters are Don’t Stop Believing, Living On A Prayer, Bohemian Rhapsody, with Sweet Caroline as an honorable mention. Just stop. STOP. That’s why I go to gay bars.

You’re a rapidly rising star in the national burlesque scene. You’ve been in burlesque world just a few years, and you’ve already been voted #39 in the Burlesque Top 50! What’s next for Jeez Loueez?

I’m looking forward to more touring with the Beggar’s Carnivale this fall. Vaudezilla has a Live Band Burlesque show coming up that I’m preparing new acts for, and Jeezy’s Juke Joint will be back in early 2012. I’ll be performing in Iowa, Indiana, St. Louis, and beyond the next few months.  And you’re hearing it here first; I’m throwing myself into the running for the Viva Las Vegas competition! I’ve never done anything like that before so I’m quite nervous! I just want to keep working hard, stay true to myself and my craft, be a classy fucking lady, and continue to be inspired by the artists I encounter.

Anything you’d like to add?

I wasn’t kidding about the butt cymbals thing.

Photo: Ciro

Part Tom Waits, part P.T. Barnum, evoking music hall and Carnevale, with cabaret dreams and charlatan schemes, his curriculum vitae includes ringmaster, vocalist, percussionist, songwriter, director, maskmaker, fire-eater, instructor, and innovator.  Introducing the Carny Preacher himself, Armitage Shanks!

Interview: Femme Vivre LaRouge

First off, we would like to know, how was Armitage created?

In 1998, when my romantic partner (at the time) and myself co-founded Circus Contraption, I was in need of a name and character that would befit the role of Ringmaster.  We both were searching for the right monikers and had the occasion to do a bit of travel in Europe. As it turns out, she found her circus name on a billboard in the Metro station in Paris. And I found mine amongst the many thrones and vestibules that inhabit the finer establishments of the United Kingdom.

What influenced your character choices and led you to your current career?

As to character choices, I was influenced by a nostalgic image of Circus, Carnival, and Cabaret, Carnival Barkers, and their ilk.  Tom Waits has certainly been an influence on a particular way of blending music with theatrics.  Shaping the persona of Armitage Shanks, I ingested those and other elements as a starting place and then added my own…proclivities. Some of those are a fascination with words and wordplay, a desire to engage others in intelligent repartee, including the audience directly and   imbuing my performance with sense of physicality, sensuality, and a louche presence. And the idea that this is all illusory, and so fair game for play, satire, and comment.

I have always tried to remain open to what a character “needs” to be, and the idea that if you are receptive, a character will emerge if you listen, coax, and get out of the way, as opposed to you turning the screws.  Armitage Shanks filled the form that I sketched for him.  He picked me as much as I picked him.

It was a confluence of artistic intention and evolution, necessity, intuition, milieu, timing, and fate.  If a fortuneteller would have told me 20 years ago that I would go on to start a seminal, underground neo-circus, and that it would lead to traveling around the world as an itinerant ringmaster, compere, and cabaret singer, I would’ve thought they were smoking crack (but thanks for the great story!).  I truly had no idea I would end up doing this.

It makes perfect sense now, however. I had come up through playing music all my life, acting since a young age, stunt work, and all manner of odd, interesting, and banal jobs. But none of it quite fit. But circus, cabaret, burlesque, and variety arts just made sense.  That combination of music, acting, original creation, radical departure, and physical, corporeal engagement. Once I connected to what that was, it was truly “To the manner born.”

We’re all excited to see The Burlesque Assassins (burlesqueassassins.com)!  “Set in the 1950s, this tale of cold war espionage and intrigue follows superspies Johnny Valentine, Koko La Douce, Bombshell Belle and new recruit, Bourbon Sue, as they seduce their way within killing distance of a trio of villainy bent on global domination.”  Please tell us about your character, Johnny Valentine, and what it was like to film the movie!  (Surrounded by burlesque beauties and toting a cigar in every frame, it seems a bit like your real life, but perhaps with a bit more dynamite?)

“The Burlesque Assassins” was truly an amazing experience and one of the most intense things I’ve ever accomplished in my career. It started, for me, when my dear friend, Coco Framboise, recommended to the director and writer of the film, Jon Joffe, that he attend the Amsterdam burlesque Festival as I, amongst others, would be there to perform and may prove a fecund opportunity to explore casting choices for the movie.   I met Jon and he asked if I would read for the part of Johnny Valentine. As we were preparing for the evening’s performance I only had a few minutes in which to glance at the script and give it a go. I brought my dinner into the audition room and with Jon sitting across the room reading the other characters and recording the proceedings, we set about the thing.  Sometime later when I returned to the States, Jon contacted me and offered me the role.

Johnny Valentine was a cigar chomping, adventurous world-traveling rogue, a man of accomplishment, a romantic, and a lover of women.  A dashing, daring hero with a “devil may care” attitude.  A modern action hero, equally comfortable in a tuxedo, jumping out of an airplane, or foiling evildoers, incognito, in a cocktail dress and size 13 stiletto heels!

Becoming Johnny Valentine was an incredible challenge and yet familiar enough to accentuate and embellish my own characteristics.  If Armitage Shanks is me at “11”, Johnny Valentine is Armitage Shanks at “11.”

We had an amazing cast and crew of great talents and now good friends, who all worked their asses off far beyond the call of duty to make this film happen. If you’ve never worked on a movie before, it’s a very intense experience. It’s a little bit like boot camp…but in this case, with really beautiful women!   My co-stars, Kiki Kaboom, Koko La Douce, and Roxi D’Lite were so talented and a delight to be around and work with.   All four of us in one house together for a month! With a pool table and a hot tub.  Calgary will never be the same.  Ask Kiki about the frozen underwear.

I can’t wait to see “The Burlesque Assassins” in theaters and I hope it takes the world by storm because I’m already preparing for the sequel!

Photo: Allen Lee

You co-founded and toured with the one-ring circus, Circus Contraption (www.circuscontraption.com), serving as Ringmaster.  Please tell us about the conception of Circus Contraption and about what you’ve experienced in your performance career as the avant–garde in the ‘New Circus movement.’

In some ways, Circus Contraption was just a bunch of really talented people making things that appealed to us. That simple. We were driven by the ideas that we thought were fascinating.  That made us laugh.  That we responded to as moving. We didn’t set out to be ‘avant’ by any stretch of the imagination.  We were a group of smart, talented creators that happened to catch a bit of the public’s imagination, and at a time when only a handful of others in the United States were doing that kind of presentation. It is perhaps a bit hard to imagine, now that the circus/carnival aesthetic is so prevalent, that there was really no circus identity, aside from the Ringling/Cirque scale here.  Circus Contraption seemed to be part of a resurgence that has now really seeded and doesn’t seem to be abating.  It was twelve magical, glorious, at times maddening, years that I wouldn’t trade for anything.

Another of your projects is “Squirm Burpree- A Vaudevillian Melodrama,” which had a run Off-Broadway.  Won’t you share with us a little bit about your work with The Handsome Little Devils and your experience bringing vaudeville back to the New York theatre district?

Speaking of other groups who picked up on the “New Circus” Zeitgeist, we met The Handsome Little Devils at a festival in California about three or four years into our existence.   For obvious reasons, we became fast friends and a mutual admiration society.  We continued to cross paths and occasionally perform on the same stages throughout our travels.  When they decided to make the transition from more of a festival/outdoor show to a show that could stand up to the framework of theatrical staging, they asked if I would come in as a co-writer and show director. Fast forward 3 years of late nights, hard work, side-splitting collaboration, great friendship and hi-jinks, and “Off-Broadway, Here We Come!”  That and the fact that HLD is one of the most talented, imaginative troupes of lovely, twisted folks I know, who put in Herculean amounts of effort on even the smallest details.

New York is a great proving ground.  It will let you know right away what you are doing well and what is missing the mark.  And they know their Vaudeville.  2 days before our show opened, we did a Gala with Bill Irwin. It doesn’t get grander than that for our people.

All in all, I think that we put on a beautiful, strange, magical presentation of original circus/vaudeville spectacle that had touches of sheer genius and loving care.  And the Baron looks pretty damn good in frilly undies!

Photo: C Talbot

Your credits include a great deal of travel, to some very interesting international locales.  Every performer dreams that their art will take them all over the world; what got that ball rolling for you?  Any fond memories or raucous adventures that you’d care to share?

As those of us in Circus Contraption could sense we were approaching the end of the Midway, I realized that I might be able to take what it is I do to a wider audience. At that time, producers were asking me locally, as well as nationally and internationally, if I might host their festival or event. I did so, and in that way started to ‘spread the gospel’ of Armitage Shanks.  Over time other producers and events saw or heard what I was doing and it generated momentum from there.   It was a calculated risk, and at first, a bit of a business investment.  But I was willing to take that chance and it paid off.   I also realized that if I was going to make my living from creating and performing that I would need to diversify.   Which is why I also direct, consult, teach, and have an event production company, Dog & Pony Show Productions.   Making your living as an artist is a bit like having 20 part-time jobs.

Fond memories and raucous adventures, eh?  Generally, hundreds of fond memories of gracious people from all over the world who have treated me like one of their own. A few specific ones that come to mind- Playing the part of Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi wearing a clown suit, and a jailer’s ball & chain, grasping a fistful of dollars while riding on top of a 4-story parade float with bas relief scenes of the Kama Sutra flanking its sides and in front, a 30 ft. articulated Ganesh, through 150,000 people during Carnevale in Italy.  Leading hundreds of people to become Pink Elephants.  Or ice skating under a snowy, moonlit night on the Leidseplein in Amsterdam.  So many memories…

As to raucous adventures… there may have been a few.

I’ve read that you are also an instructor for Arts Corps, “a non-profit organization that provides quality arts learning opportunities to youth, regardless of resources or income,” which sounds like a wonderful project.  What is it that you impart to these youngsters?

Through my work with Arts Corps, or summer camps I taught with Circus Contraption, or my present tenure as artistic and show director for the School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts (SANCA) 2012 Gala, “Up, With A Twist,” the song remains the same.   I try to teach honesty, truthfulness, originality, and creative center as all being most fully realized by the exploration of the individual gifts of self.  That the most compelling thing you can bring to the stage is your own uniqueness.  The idea that says, “Why be a cheap copy of someone else, when you can be a great version of you?”  How to ramp that up to its utmost.  And to give permission to goof off in public.

What advice would you give to new comperes, for whom there is little training available except in the ring itself?

In keeping with the above, BE HONEST!  Don’t be a bullshitter or a crap knock-off of something you’re not.  Risk enough to let the audience experience who you are. You are their tripmaster and conduit to the experience, so you best establish a rapport.   And for those working in burlesque, don’t be a sexist douchebag.  The world doesn’t need another shmuck dressed in a suit talking about the “hot, sexy ladies” or “would you like to see some tits?”  If that is all you have to bring to the stage, stay off of it!   Call upon your better nature and bring some thoughtful rumination.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T… find out what it means to those performers that are you are sharing the stage with.  Ask them about their acts and what significance they bring to bear.  Inform yourself so you can weave a story from the seemingly disparate elements of the night.  The story is there, you just have to look for it.  And don’t forget the audience is the “5^th Beatle.”  They are active participants in shaping the flow and energy of the night.  Allow them to inform what you do. Forget that and you forget the reason that you are there- to communicate.  And that is a dialogue.  And finally, be adaptable.  Push hands.  Let the night move you about and take you to unexpected places.  That’s where good stuff is hiding.  Embrace mistakes.  No accidents, only opportunities.

And get out and live some life.  Nothing informs your work like doing something else.

Soapbox Descended.  Whew.

Naturally, we’d love to hear all about how you landed yourself in an issue of Playboy France.  Pray, do tell…

All I can say, is that I don’t think they will ever get the pudding stains off of the Llama.

As if all of this wasn’t enough, Armitage Shanks is also a singer of songs both dark and dreamy.  As Dan Savage said, he has “A voice like honey-coated gravel. He was a sinister and louche presence, who put some sex in the air.”  Have a listen at: http://www.myspace.com/theearmitageshanks

Customs By Cora – D.I.Y. Sewing and Crafting

Anyone who knows me knows I have a costuming compulsion…sickness…ok, possibly a serious problem. Thanks to Pin Curl Magazine, I now have an opportunity to share some of my madness with you. I hope that I can give you some ideas and information that will help you find new and fun ways to express yourself and make the world a more beautiful (or crazy) place…Enjoy!

Here’s Looking At You…The Googly Eye Series.

We all know that shoes covered in rhinestones are amazing. But, what about another material? In the middle of creating some new costumes for our yearly Zombielesqe show, one of my dancers sent me a picture of shoes that had goggly eyes on them. WHAT??? Googly eyes? This must happen!

I should say at this point that you can apply this whole column to rhinestones as well, but for this project, I was using goggly eyes.

Step 1- Grab a pair of shoes. Anyone who knows me, knows I have an entire room filled with costumes I have made and an embarrassing stock of materials I think I “might” use someday. Patent leather shoes are always my shoe of choice for these kinds of projects. With patent leather, I have had the best luck with glue adhering to both the shoe and the rhinestone. Plus, they are really affordable.

Step 2 – Make sure the surface of the shoe is really clean. I use Clorox Wipes, but then I use them for just about everything including taking makeup off my face (Insert horrified look here).

Step 3 – Once your surface is clean and dry, grab your supplies. In this case, eyeballs, a wax stick and glue. I used goggly eyes from Joann but I am sure you can get them just about anywhere and they are surprisingly cheap. My glue of choice for ANYTHING on a shoe or flexible surface is E-6000. E-6000 can be found in most craft stores. Warning: use E-6000 in a well ventilated room. The vapors can be pretty toxic, but, I have found nothing that works better. I use a wax ended stick from www.hotfixqueen.com to place the rhinestones/googly eyes. I understand that beeswax, museum wax and crayons also work. I’ll have to try that someday. But for now, I am sticking with what I have.

Step 4 – Pour out your goggly eyes into a small tray with sides. Anything will work, but I like a flat lid or something that will allow me to shake out the eyes/stones when they are not right side up. This flips them over rather than having to do it one at a time. I find this step saves me a lot of time.

Step 5 – Apply small dots of E-6000 wherever you want to put your embellishments. I do multiple dots at a time. Just make sure that you do it fast enough that the glue doesn’t dry before you get to it. Touch the top of the eyeball (yuck) with the waxy end of the stick and it will pick it up. Then gently press the bottom of the eyeball down into the glue. Try to get just the right amount of glue so it just barely comes out the sides. This will make the strongest bond.

Step 6 – Pour yourself a glass of wine and settle in. This is going to take a while…

Step 7 – Make sure when you are finished you give the glue at least 24 hours to cure and you will have an amazingly crazy pair of shoes!

But, I had leftovers….so…

An eyeball bra!! I took a bra (again from that room of craziness) and got to work. Note: a hard cup bra works best for gluing on any embellishments. I used the same application process and a few hours (and glasses of wine) later, I had eyes down where we always say they aren’t. Get it?

Another warning: the early feedback I have gotten is that men are freaked out by boobs staring back at them. So proceed with caution…and awesomeness.

Until next time…xoxo Cora Vette www.coravette.com

La Cholita by Laura Byrnes Photography. Byrnes also shot our cover.

Los Angeles’ La Cholita, the Latina Queen of Burlesque, talks motherhood, medieval torture tactics, her new band, rhumberas, body image, and childhood bedazzling.

Interview: Divertida Devotchka

Congratulations on your baby boy! (He’s your first, right?) Regarding your pregnancy, you mentioned in a recent interview that you were “excited and thrilled but also terrified at the same time.” Now that he’s here, do you find that you’re still slightly terrified, or has instinct kicked in and taken over?

Thank you so much!! Yes he’s my first and the best thing that has ever happened to me. Having a baby is an immensely joyous occasion but nobody talks about how scary it can be too. Aside from the fact that you are growing a tiny person inside you, all of these  crazy things are happening to you physically, emotionally and mentally, then there’s this stigma like you are just going to drop off the face of the earth. Suddenly everyone is treating you like you’ve been stricken with some terrible disease! Even some of my closest friends stopped inviting me out or calling because they just assumed that I would no longer have a social life but that’s when I needed them most. All I kept hearing was how this was the end of my career as a performer but I think the most terrifying aspect was that it was a serious reality check. It made me really reevaluate my priorities and my life. It was a year of intense transition for me, I had to look closely at myself, my career, my relationships, and be brutally honest with what changes needed to happen. That was hard, especially letting go of people and accepting the things I couldn’t change. Dealing with heartbreak, devastating post partum, and all the new changes in my life there were times I wanted to crumble, but then I would look at this amazing gift I’ve been given (my son) and all the hardships I faced suddenly turned into artistic gold. I stopped whining and feeling sorry for myself, grabbed a pen and started writing music and finding ways to channel those emotions into creative outlets.

Valentino has been the biggest blessing in so many ways, he is the ultimate love of my life, he’s so inspiring, just an endless source of light and happiness that pushes me to strive harder and be the best I can possibly be and as a result all these amazing things began happening. I’m more successful in my career than I’ve ever been: traveling around the world, headlining tours, performing with my idols. It’s been the most challenging yet most rewarding experience of my life but I feel like a fucking warrior now. He has awakened a strength and unconditional love within me that I never knew I was capable of there’s nothing in the world that compares to motherhood!

Cholita Live. SH Photo

You’re fresh off headlining a European tour. Tell us all about it! Care to share some of your fondest memories from the tour?

This tour was an epic experience on so many levels. I love to travel, and Europe is incredible because there is so much history which is an element you really aren’t exposed to living in L.A. In Ireland I explored abbeys, Victorian gardens, lush country side and saw a knight sarcophagus that was just mind blowing. In Belgium I visited a castle and learned about all of the brutal torture tactics used to punish prisoners in medieval times and although it was disturbing it was fascinating. Each country was more interesting than then last. It was amazing to be half way across the world and in every country have fans, some people driving as far as 5 hours to make it to see a performance.

I am so incredibly grateful to each and every person that comes out to my shows and I really enjoyed the European audiences because they were so enthusiastic. They just do it the way they feel it and aren’t afraid to go crazy and I LOVED that. At one show in particular there was a girl who I noticed kept looking at me but looked really nervous so I smiled and said hi and she came over with a little piece of paper. She didn’t speak any English so before the show she had looked up all the things she wanted to say to me and printed them out on a piece of paper. She read each line to me and I melted, Is that not the sweetest thing ever?!

Another big highlight was fulfilling my long time dream of dancing in Paris; it was magical. Paris is enchanting, breathtakingly beautiful and the whole city is blooming with love. It’s just in the air and you feel it. I’m a big time romantic so I fell madly head over heels with the entire city. I cried as the car took me to the airport, I didn’t want to leave and definitely look forward to returning. Everyone was asking about my band which was really exciting for me too since it’s a fairly recent endeavor for me, we’re working on a European tour next summer so I can’t wait to get back!

I’d like to know more about your band, La Cholita and the Kreeps. Can you describe your style for our readers and fill them in on when and where they can see you play?

Currently this is the project I am most excited about and of which I’m most proud!   It’s like a new romantic relationship, everything is fresh and thrilling like a constant natural high and you want the whole world to know about it. Our sound is influenced by psychobilly, surf and garage rock. I sang with a few different bands but never really felt like I could let go and be me;  I was always upholding this kind of glamorous image. Although I do identify with it, there’s also a part of me that wants to trade my heels for creepers, get in a pit, get rowdy and dance and sweat like a wild woman!

Showmanship is really important to me so I still approach each performance with The Kreeps the same as I would a burlesque performance. I’m always thinking about new costuming, hair, makeup, props, etc. If fans are coming to see us I want them to feel like they got their money’s worth.  My favorite performers are those who really dive in and are 100% in the moment giving it their all, they don’t even have to be great singers it’s just that raw passion. I hate when I go see a band and he/she had a great voice but they just kind of stand there or walk back and forth I could have just bought the CD.  The thrill of performing live is that exchange of energy that happens between you and the audience because no two are alike.

I was really nervous at first because I had already made a name for myself doing burlesque, so on one hand it was good because I had a fan base on my own and people were curious, but I also knew they would be more critical.  It’s like you are only allowed to be talented in one capacity. But if you are an artistic creative soul by nature chances are you are probably good at a lot of things.

I know that not everyone is going to like me but I can’t sit around and not live my life out of fear of what other people think. So far we have been REALLY lucky, and the response has been tremendous we had our first show in May and things have just taken off it’s incredible. We’re playing places like The House of Blues in Hollywood, The Las Vegas Shakedown and opening for legendary acts. One of the biggest music magazines in the UK just featured us as what’s new in music, which is insane and awesome.

Photo: Aaron Settipane. Image from Dita Von Teese and Special Guests "Burlesque: Strip Strip Hooray!" at the Roxy Theater. May 17&18, 2011.

You recently performed with Dita von Teese in the “Strip Strip Hooray” show in L.A. Since seeing Dita was your first ever burlesque show when you were about 19 years old, that must have been quite the accomplishment to see things come full circle. Did you ever expect that things would turn out that way when you first began performing?

It was very emotional for me because when I got the invitation I instantly went back to the night 9 years ago when I was watching  her perform on stage for the first time and thinking to myself, this is what I want to do. I have always held her in the highest regard, and have a deep respect and admiration for her work. To have your idol tell you they love what you do and ask you to be in their show is just beyond, words cannot express. I was pinching myself all the way until my heel hit the stage the first night and even then thinking to myself, “WOW is this really happening?” On top of that I just had my son 3 months before and hadn’t performed in a year so it was the ultimate comeback! Being on stage again at a historical venue was like reuniting with an old friend, I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. It was overwhelming. It was very exciting to perform for a whole new crowd and to have such a positive reaction from them. I was over the moon and remain grateful to Dita for the opportunity. As far as whether I expected it to turn out this way, not necessarily I mean I always set goals with the intention of fulfilling them and I always give my all when in pursuit of those goals but this was HUGE and I feel really lucky. It is definitely a moment I will cherish near and dear to my heart forever.

Speaking of your first burlesque show, you said in a recent interview that your mom took you to that first show, and you said of that experience, “it felt like I had been training for it my whole life without knowing it until that moment.” First of all, let me just say- your mom sounds AWESOME! Second, I think many performers had that same epiphany (I certainly had the same feeling) but I’ve never heard it described so perfectly. I’d like to know more specifically the things you were doing that were “training” before you realized that’s what it was. Do you have dance or theater background? What about costuming?

Yes my mother is awesome. As an artist herself, I think she understood what it was like to dance to the beat of your own drum so she has always supported and encouraged my interests .I always say that I tap danced my way into the delivery room because performing has been an innate instinct for me for as long as I can remember. I started Ballet and Tap when I was about 2 or 3 but I knew I wanted to do more. I became involved in theatre and music first by putting on shows in my living room for family members and house guests, then in the yard recruiting neighborhood kids as my back up dancers which evolved into me joining community theaters and playhouses.

In middle school I wrote all my school’s plays and was obsessed with makeup and costuming. I played a lot of male roles as well as crazy people and villains; I loved the transformation and challenge. I was also born with a deep rooted lust and fascination for elaborate decadent costuming. I would watch old Mae West films and Ziegfeld Follies girls and just be in awe day dreaming of being a modern day version of that. My mom bought me my first Bedazzler and I Bedazzled *everything*!! She also had an extensive collection of gorgeous vintage rhinestone jewelry that I would wear to preschool. I don’t think anyone in my family or who has known me since then is surprised one bit by my career choice now. It’s funny because when I’m working on costumes and acts sometimes I have flashbacks and it will remind me of being a little girl, bedazzling my dresses and imaging they were big beautiful showgirl costumes that I would be wearing on a big stage and now they are.

You’ve described your performances as “a love letter to the things that have inspired” you, most notably Latin culture. Your fiery Flamenco act won you the title of Miss Viva Las Vegas in 2007, effectively making you the first Latina to become Miss VLV. You’ve also got an act that you describe as “if Mae West was a Mariachi,” as well as a Día de Los Muertos routine. Being that you’re a pioneer of Latina burlesque, what has it been like to see it grow over the last few years? (I’d heard you say in another interview that you’ve started some sort of revolution. Was that your intention or did you find that it just sort of happened?)

It was a demographic that wasn’t being largely represented anymore. Some of my favorite dancers were the rhumberas from vintage cinema like Amalia Aguilar and Yolanda Montes (Tongolele) but I hadn’t seen anyone do anything like that since Russ Meyer queen Kitten Natividad. When I first started, it wasn’t my intention I just saw a place for myself within the community because I knew my style was different, and that I brought a unique element to what was currently being offered. It’s an honor to inspire people; I think it’s the best compliment you can receive. But you never know if that is going to be the outcome of your work.

Every act that I do comes from the heart, and at times as an artist I think you feel vulnerable when you debut a new project because it’s like you are putting a piece of your soul out there for people to judge and criticize but when I think back to the people that have inspired me they were all pioneers in some way. Just because something isn’t being done doesn’t always mean it can’t or shouldn’t be done. I think the most important thing is that you are genuine and true to yourself, that’s how you create a signature and if you can inspire others in the process that is a beautiful thing. It’s great to see so many interpretations of Latina Burlesque from glam, to camp, and traditional to modern Latin culture. It’s been wonderful to see the Latina revolution evolve over the past few years and become a thriving contribution to the burlesque world; I hope it continues to grow.

You say that you’ve been “every size” and that even at 98 pounds when you were 18, you still thought you were overweight. You’ve also stated, “In no other entertainment medium is it really encouraged or accepted for women to embrace their figure and their shape.” Many other performers I’ve interviewed feel that burlesque was the biggest help to their body acceptance. Is that the case with you as well?

Definitely. Being involved in burlesque has been the most empowering and liberating experience for me. I never felt that I represented the ideal model of what was socially accepted as beautiful. I always thought there was something wrong with me, my hair was curly, I had freckles, I was chubby, whatever and no matter what size I was there was always something negative that I focused on. After I began doing burlesque, it was like I had unleashed a force within me that just took over. I wasn’t going to let anyone else dictate what I considered or accepted as beautiful, I took responsibility for that definition!

I started focusing on the things I did like about myself and then I began appreciating the things I previously looked at as downfalls. I realized that my strengths lied in my differences. I didn’t want to look like everybody else.; just because something is popular doesn’t make it better. A gem is precious because it’s rare. There’s nothing you can do about facts, but the great thing is you can change your outlook and beliefs then you begin to realize facts are few and far between, there’s not much that can’t evolve or change.

I highly recommend burlesque to anyone who is struggling with body image even though it may sound like the most intimidating thing you could possibly do if you are feeling insecure, but there is something magical about the transformation that happens when a woman is in tune with herself and tap into that natural sensuality that is within all of us. Some have to dig a little deeper because they’ve denied it or been afraid of it for so long that it’s buried deep down but it’s there. You may not be twirling tassels at your desk or maybe you will but you will hold your head higher, and appreciate yourself more.

Not everyone has to perform in front of an audience; taking classes can provide you with all the tools you need to coerce that inner burlesque bombshell. I recently watched a phenomenal documentary film that is a *must see* for everyone interested in burlesque it’s called A Wink and a Smile. There are many elements that make this film so special but one being that it takes you on the journey of women from all walks of life who have enrolled in the incredibly talented Miss Indigo Blue’s burlesque workshop. Regardless if you have been performing for 100 years or if it’s still just a twinkle in your eye, I guarantee there is part of you that will relate to each and every one of them. I laughed, I cried, I LOVED it. It was such a raw, authentic representation of how diverse women are, and that should be celebrated.

What’s next for La Cholita?

My primary focus is my band The Kreeps. We’re having so much fun, and I’m learning so much about myself in a whole new capacity. I feel really lucky we found each other and are embarking on this adventure together; I’m really looking forward to returning to Europe with them and seeing where our music takes us. Then again there is so much I want to do! I’ve been hustling and working so hard for so long that up until recently I never took the time to appreciate the things and goals I was accomplishing along the way.

If you put your mind, heart and soul into it you really can achieve anything and your imagination is your only limitation. Sometimes the way you get there isn’t the way you expected it to happen, and sometimes you are achieving goals without recognizing them or without even remembering you set them. It’s been such a crazy journey to get to this point in my life and I still feel like I’m just beginning. Now it’s just figuring out which direction to go next.

It’s awesome to be constantly be exploring new avenues and making my dreams my reality and I don’t want to ever stop doing that. I go back to being that little girl, spending hours bedazzling my clothes, putting on my mom’s rhinestone jewelry, singing, dancing and performing shows in my living room imagining that one day I would be traveling and performing for sold out crowds on big stages. I’ve always wanted to be an entertainer and sing and dance around the world, and that’s exactly what I’m doing.

Murray Hill by Malgorzata Saniewska

New York icon Murray Hill, “The Hardest Working Middle-Aged Man in Show Business” talks Don Rickles, Dita, cheeseburgers, Texas, Swedish Fish, biographies and showbiz.

Interview: Divertida Devotchka

I love how you describe yourself as simply an entertainer, as opposed to a stand-up comedian, burlesque show host, etc., as these are not really accurate descriptions. I read a 2009 interview in which you said, “I’m not up there with some great message, or going to talk about how messed up our country is, or work out my demons for an hour, I’m an entertainer, you see.” Can you tell our readers a little more about the development of your style as a performer and how it’s changed over the years (or if it hasn’t changed a bit?)

Entertainer is an old-school term these days, but it’s what I do. Simply put, I entertain. I’ve always made a conscious decision to play to as many different audiences as possible and to knock down that fourth wall…even if there isn’t one.  With blood, sweat, and tears (sometimes all at once) I earned the best showbiz education available…pounding the boards of New York City in every dump, dive, and high class joint imaginable.  What’s changed over the years, I’ve got a lot of experience under my belt, and a belly hanging over my belt.  I’m like my Grandpa’s La-Z-Boy recliner…I’m beat up, worn in, but totally comfortable.

Obviously the burgeoning neo-burlesque scene in New York is a great avenue for your style, and I’ve read that in some ways you compare your style to that of Don Rickles, who got started in burlesque clubs. Rickles eventually earned the reputation of being an insult comedian, but I’m curious to hear your take on where the line is drawn between making a joke and alienating your audience with too many insults. How do you know when to draw the line, especially when so much of your material comes from off the cuff?

Working the burlesque scene has been a Reese’s peanut cup from day one. It just works. The showgirls, the booze, the energy. I’ll take a lounge, theater, nightclub over a comedy club any night of the week.  Don Rickles is the Master. To truly understand his act, you need to see or listen to it from beginning to end.  Unlike the crass insult comics, or really most stand-ups today, he had a heart and he was all class. He never came from a mean place.  It’s a subtle difference but it’s palpable as an audience member. Comedy clubs are often cold places, Rickles is all warmth. Ironically, he’s called Mr. Warmth…in reality, that’s the vibe of his shows.  I love this quote from him: “If I were to insult people and mean it, that wouldn’t be funny.”

The line is thin between alienating people and making them in on the joke is hair thin.  Based on your earlier question…after years and years of doing this, I’ve learned how to play that line and not go too far.  In the early days, I wasn’t as disciplined as I am now and sometimes schtick went too far or negative.  One of my biggest priorities is making sure any room I play is warm. That’s showbiz.

Murray Hill by Allison Michael Orenstein

You just got done hosting a string of sold out shows featuring Dita von Teese. Care to share a few of your favorite highlights from the tour?

So many highlights, that could be its own interview and reality show! Working with Dita is like being in the major leagues. It’s all pro, all the time. She’s elevated burlesque through the roof and into the mainstream.  My Texas debut was in Dallas and that show was a personal highlight.  The energy was high-voltage so I gave it back full blast and then some. To have a sold-out house flip out like a stadium rock ‘n roll concert for burlesque, well, that’s showbiz. That’s warmth.  Nothing I love more than bringing all kinds of people together and presenting them with a jaw-dropping show. The Texas audiences blew me out of the water.

I must say, it was about 110 degrees that day. At the after party, a very busty and sexy woman came up to me and said, “I know it’s a federal crime, but I want to kidnap you.  I know it’s hot baby, but I got a pool. I’ll even clean it.”  I’ve been in showbiz a long time, that’s one of the best line’s I’ve heard.  A little later in the night, a fox screamed out “Marty! You my boo! You crazy, you funny, you my boo Marty! You crraaazzyy.” That had me laughing too!

You were a photographer when you first came to New York, and much of your subject matter was related to drag queens. How did you make the transition from photographer to performer, and what made you decide to go that route?

That’s a long story. I’ll tell ya, I saw a discrepancy in representation out there, so I became the subject matter I didn’t see. I like to say, if you don’t feel represented out there, then go out there and represent yourself.  Photography is a powerful medium but it’s silent in a way. I wanted to have a voice (even though it can be high-pitched at times) and take up some space. I wanted to even the playing field so to speak. So eventually I put the camera down and jumped on the other side of the camera.  Through performances, I’ve traveled the world, met so many people and made some history in the process.  That beats hanging a picture on a wall any day. Although, I wouldn’t mind my double-chin being photoshopped.

Photo: Allison Michael Orenstein

You have been incredibly busy as of late, and I’m astounded at the number of notable appearances and cameos that you’ve made on television programs and music videos. Which of your recent appearances was the most exciting for you and why?

They don’t call me the “hardest working middle-aged man in show business” for nothing! I love being in a Gossip video and then being on Real Housewives of New York. Keeping it real, and keeping it showbiz. It was a great honor to have a cameo in HBO’s “Bored to Death.” Jonathan Ames, one of my showbiz pals from the East Village created the show after years of hitting the boards in NYC and has hit the big time.  A real inspiration, and he never lost his unique voice.

As a notorious meatatarian, I share with you a strong affinity for cheeseburgers. Tell me about Murray’s dream burger. I want to know everything- the bun, the meat (rare, medium, well?), toppings and assorted condiments, as well as your preferred side dish and beverage, if you wish to include that (though they obviously take a backseat to the burger.)

Incredible how many double entendres I read in this question.  I love a good cheeseburger, and my preferred side dish is the legendary Dirty Martini.  Cheeseburger and fries, straight up, that’s my favorite. I’ve had to cut down on my cheeseburger consumption to just remain 20 pounds overweight. It’s tough in the biz, I tell ya.  Right now, the recent best burger I’ve had is at the joint in Brooklyn called 5 Leaves.  Also, I’m addicted to Swedish Fish candy.  Ladies out there, it’s a real weakness for me. I’ll do anything for a bag of Swedish Fish.

What’s next for Murray Hill?

Waking up before noon tomorrow! Rimshot.  Small, attainable goals are the key to life. Next up is shooting a TV show in London this fall on Channel 4 called Dirty Digest.  I can’t wait! I’ve spent a lot time over there filming pilots, and one of the planes got picked to fly.  And, because this recent southern tour was a blow-out, I think Dita and her VonTourage have some more shows cooking! It’d be great to share the showbiz all over!  Of course, make sure to check on http://mistershowbiz.com !

Anything you’d like to add?

You know I’m a showbiz biography addict?  I’ve got a big library of showbiz books here at the headquarters. When I get a chance, I’m going post The Murray Hill Book Club on my website. I’m a student of showbiz, so to speak.  I’m reading Keith Richards and Roseanne’s new book right now. Some favorites are books on Jimmy Scott, Sammy Davis, Dean Martin, Benny Hill….and I read everything on the old Catskills and comedians that worked the resorts, or the “hills” as they used to say.  Sitting on my desk, waiting to be cracked open is Tina Fey, Kay Thompson and Dancing at Ciro’s.  Readers out there: send me your favorite showbiz books to listmurrayhill[at]gmail.com!

Check out more of Murray on his website See him perform at the upcoming New York Burlesque Festival

Jonny Porkpie. Photo: Leland Bobbe

Jonny Porkpie – performer and host, director, writer, and the Burlesque Mayor of New York City – talks unfortunate run-ins with the color purple, inauspicious beginnings, and of course- grabbing his junk.

Interview: Femme Vivre LaRouge

From Mr. Porkpie’s debut novel, The Corpse Wore Pasties: “I’m Jonny Porkpie, known to audiences as the Burlesque Mayor of New York City.  It’s not an elected position—I’m self-appointed—but I do take my duties very seriously.  I try to spend as much time as possible pressing the flesh and polling the electorate-”

First of all, let’s talk names and titles.  Your name, Jonny Porkpie, comes from your trademark hat, a porkpie.  Tell us about your favorite hat and what led you to make that your moniker…

The hat is so-called because of its crown, which – it is said – looks not unlike the crown of a savory pastry.  The story of how it came to be named after me, or I after it (Wikipedia is unclear on that point) is a long and depraved one, involving not only savory pastries but savory pasties, a defunct basement dive bar called “Siberia” and an unfortunate run-in with the color purple.  Someday, perhaps, it shall be revealed.

You bill yourself as the Burlesque Mayor of New York City and in 2009 you actually ran for Mayor of New York City, your main opponent being The Naked Cowboy.  What set you on the campaign trail?  Did you rise from inauspicious beginnings or have you been groomed for politics since birth?

Inauspicious beginnings, but of course.  I like everything I do to be as inauspicious as possible.  I got into the race specifically because this so-called “naked cowboy” was running.  I mean, have you seen the guy?  He’s wearing tightie-whities.  I know naked.  Some of my best friends are naked.  And that, sir, is no naked.  Soon after I entered the race, he dropped out.  I think that says something.

I read that you’re an Ivy League graduate with a degree in Visual Arts – you’ve got smarts as well as a good dose of sex appeal and good humor!  But what began your career in the Performing Arts?

Yeah, but for some reason they never list my shows in the alumni magazine.  Strange.  As for the performing arts, it’s unclear whether it was nature or nurture – all three of my parents are actors, and my first appearance onstage was as a rather large lump in my mother’s stomach.  But once I scored the starring role of “Boy” in my kindergarten production of that seminal work “A Sunny Day” (by either Mamet or my teacher Mrs. Herbst, I forget which), I suppose there was no going back.

Jonny Porkpie. Photo: Don Spiro

Another title you’ve gained is “Most Innovative” for your duet performance with Nasty Canasta at the 2007 Exotic World pageant in Las Vegas.  I believe this was also the first time that award was given?  Please tell us what it was like to win a title at the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend.

Was it 2007 or 2006?  I’m forgetting.  Yes, that was the first one, and it was quite a surprise to get it…  We’d forgotten there were more awards for which we would be eligible, and suddenly people were saying “You just won!  Get the heck onstage!”  I’m thrilled to have shared the honor of being the first, and thrilled to be in the company of those who have won it since.  I miss doing that number.

I had the great pleasure of meeting you this year at the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend in Las Vegas and all I really knew then was that you’d given one of the most delightful performances I’ve ever seen.  If I had been more acquainted with your work I might have needed a fainting couch, but you were incredibly amiable and down to earth.  How did you get to be such a great fella?  And won’t you please share a description of that number so that our readers, who may not have had the chance to see it, can envision its greatness?

Oh, god, it can’t possibly live up to that ballyhoo!  The name of the number is Competitive Burlesque, and it’s a classic burlesque number to classic tunes featuring classic moves – bump and grind, glove peel, stocking peel, tassel-twirl, etc., but with sports commentators narrating
the action as if it were an Olympic event. Special thanks to Jo “Boobs” Weldon for putting me through high-heeled boot camp to help get my classic moves up to snuff.

Jo "Boobs" Weldon and Jonny Porkpie. Photo: Don Spiro

You’re co-creator of the widely acclaimed “Pinchbottom Burlesque” as well as creator of the bump and grind game show “Grab My Junk”(Grabmyjunk.net) and the monthly production, “Jonny Porkpie’s Bad Ideas.” “Grab My Junk” is currently wrapping up a summer tour and has even spawned a franchise in Melbourne!  The show combines striptease, inappropriate questions, and a plethora of prizes that must be pulled from your pants.  Now that’s a Great idea!  What have some of your best ‘Bad Ideas’ been?

Those are probably inappropriate for a family publication.  This is a family publication, right?  No?  Well, probably still pretty inappropriate.

This March Hard Case Crimes published your first pulp novel, The Corpse Wore Pasties.   (He has supplied the first chapter for free on his website).  The book has made mention in Vanity Fair and Publishers Weekly just to name two, and Bob Lunn of LibraryJournal.com states that the novel “will surely come to nestle comfortably between Gypsy Rose Lee’s classic 1941 The G-string Murders and Kinky Friedman’s mysteries.”  What made you decide to put your wit and words on the page and where on earth did you find the time?  Can we expect more hardboiled, lusty literature from you in the future?

I’m working on a follow-up (set in Las Vegas during “the Superstars of Striptease Showcase and Reunion”), but have to admit I didn’t get much writing done on tour.  The first book happened because Charles Ardai, the creator of the Hard Case Crime line came to a Pinchbottom show and I guess he liked what he saw…  And of course, he saw quite a bit.  (Useless tip for aspiring writers: Putting talented nudity in a show is sure to catch an editor’s eye!)  Charles proposed that we collaborate in some way, and I managed to convince him that the best way would be for him to publish a novel written by me.

Last, but not least, won’t you tell us what it’s like putting the burly in burly-q – what are some of the challenges and rewards of being male in a predominantly female field?

Tigger says, and I agree, that it’s very important that it IS a female field, and that it remain so, and that men are guests in it.  (Don’t get me wrong, I love the boylesque as much as the girlesque, and in my travels have tried to get as many men into pasties as humanly possible, but it’s not the thrust of the genre.)   It’s not just that burlesque is female-driven, it’s that it’s performer-driven – the performers themselves not only conceive, choreograph, costume their own acts, but also produce the shows, stripping alongside the people they hire.  This is what makes burlesque such a vibrant, joyous, immediate, and fearless art form.

Thank You, Jonny Porkpie, for sharing your time, talent…and junk with us.

Sammich the Tramp by DallasPinUp.com

Sammich the Tramp, St. Louis’ punk rock hobo and director of the Beggar’s Carnivale, talks slapstick, touring, the Show Me Burlesque Festival, Buster Keaton, passionate performance, and f’ing magic.

Interview: Divertida Devotchka

You studied theater at Columbia College Chicago and you describe your style as “live action silent film and neo-vaudeville.” I’d like to know more about the development process of your style and the creation of Sammich, if you will.

All through my childhood I played sports, I was really active. Then, when I got into my teens I got really into theater and discovered how much I loved performing, I specifically enjoyed making people laugh. As soon as I started doing theater I knew then and there that that’s what I was going to do with the rest of my life. So, when it came time for college I moved to Chicago, which is a theater mecca, and studied performance at Columbia. When I was in my junior year I was approached by a company to be a part of a silent play set to music. That company turned into Silent Theatre Company. We were a group that specialized in the recreation of silent films adapted for the stage. We, essentially, created a performance style that we had never really seen before. We weren’t clowns, we weren’t mimes, we weren’t modern dancers. It was very confusing for people, but people also really identified and gravitated towards the style. It’s a universal language, body language, people innately understand it. Within that group an even smaller group of us formed who were really passionate about physical slapstick comedy. We turned into the Oona Tramps, we all played despicable dastardly tramps, we did short pieces that fit into variety shows, and from that we ended up in burlesque. It was right when burlesque was starting to blow up. Then, I moved to St. Louis and started performing solo. I needed a name and Lola van Ella jokingly came up with Sammich, and it stuck. When Sammich started the character was a much more vulgar mean character, the charm and sweetness developed over time.  I’ve been doing the tramp gig for about 6 years.

Photo: Kaylin Idora

You’re the artistic director and producer of the Beggar’s Carnivale, correct? How did this project get started and what have you learned so far over the course of production?

Yes. I’m the director and I’ve learned to treat it like a theatrical production. Every tiny detail has to fall into place, the music, the lights, the show order, the story. It’s a journey. This show is particularly unique because it’s done completely silently set to music, featuring both a live house band specifically put together for this show (The Royal We), and a DJ. This is one of the only variety/vaudeville shows I’ve ever seen done without an emcee. There’s a story line that holds the show together. Audiences really seem to identify with the physical comedians (The Knock-a-Bouts). They’re the common men. Everyone can see themselves in those characters. I’ve wanted to do a show like this for years, St. Louis made that possible.

Photo: Virginia Harold

Though the Beggar’s Carnivale is still in its first year of production, it’s been wildly successful, not only in St. Louis, but you’ve also begun touring as well. Tell us about your touring experiences thus far and your traveling plans for the near future.

Well, I love touring. I would generally rather be on tour.  The most important thing when you’re touring with a large group of people is that everyone in the group has a positive attitude and that everyone carries their weight.  Of course, everyone has their moments and you have to learn to deal with that. When you’re on tour you’re living with people every minute of every day. You see people at their best and at their worst. It can be an incredibly positive experience if the group works together, and so far all the Beggars have given selflessly to this show. I couldn’t be more excited about taking this show on the road with these people.

I first saw you perform at Burlesque Hall of Fame 2009 with the Oona Tramps and it was incredible! Do you ever perform with the Oona Tramps anymore?

I haven’t performed with the Oona Tramps in almost two years. There are no plans for any future projects. I live in St. Louis now and they are in Chicago. I love the Oonas, they’re family. I would definitely be open to getting back together at some point to do a performance. I think it would be a lot of fun. We’ll see…

You’re the production assistant for the Show Me Burlesque Festival. Tell us all about the preparation that goes into the event. Are plans already in the works for next year’s festival?

The Show-Me Burlesque Festival was the biggest thing I’ve ever taken on or been a part of.  Let me just say, again, this festival would not have been possible without the St. Louis arts community. Seriously, it’s the most supportive, loving scene I’ve ever been a part of. All of our national performers marvel at the love in St. Louis. A St. Louis audience is the best audience you could ever perform in front of. We were able to do this festival because an entire community came together to make it happen. There were nearly 200 people involved in the production of the Show-Me festival. That ranges from performers, to stage managers, to tech crews, and to volunteers. The key to doing something that large is having a circle of people that you trust. Delegate duties to the people you trust. We have been talking about the next one. We have tricks up our sleeves. I promise it will be even bigger than the last.

Photo: DallasPinUp.com

Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton are both big inspirations for you, right? With what do you identify the most with these two characters? Who or what else do you find particularly inspiring as a performer?

When I was really little my dad got me into Buster Keaton and as a kid I identified with the physical comedy. The stunts and gags that Buster Keaton came up with and executed are incredible. I don’t think anyone has come close to it since. As I got older I started identifying more and more with Chaplin. It’s his charm and his humanity and the way he was able to layer his tramp character so deeply. Such a fully realized beautifully executed character. His struggles speak to the common man; he’s a dreamer, a vagabond, a lover, a poet, and on top of all that he’s a brilliant physical comedian. He can make you genuinely laugh and cry all in the span of 90 minutes. His art is universal. Still to this day the themes he touched on in the teens, the twenties, and the thirties are still relevant. His work is universal. He truly achieved immortality. City Lights is the best movie ever made. It’s perfect. I could go on and on.

I think I’m a good performer because I’m such a huge fan, and my favorite performers are the ones who are the most passionate. I love live passionate performance, when you can tell that the performer really loves what they’re doing. They love it so much that they obsess over it, dream about it, study it, research it, and work at it all the time until they’re really f*ing good at it, and they’re confident and they know that they’re really f*ing good at it. A really great live show can feel like a spiritual experience….and music, I love music. It inspires almost everything I do creatively.

You were voted number 26 in 21st Century Burlesque’s Top 50 Burlesque Performers of 2010, which is incredible considering that it was your first time to make the list. It’s refreshing to see someone with your performance style receiving the recognition you deserve.  Did you have any idea just how many fans you had prior to that?

I had no idea! I was completely surprised. I thought, “Hmm, it would be fun to make that list, a silly little tramp being on the top 50 burlesque performers list.” I never thought I would be voted that high. I was honored, I still am honored. Being in St. Louis helped that a lot.

In the last year, you’ve injured your nose, leg, foot and two ribs while performing. That’s quite a list! What’s the worst injury you’ve sustained while performing?

I think the worst one has been the most recent one. I’m currently all bruised up as I’m doing this interview. I get hurt more than most performers, I can deal with bumps and bruises, but this foot one has really been the meanest. The nose one is up there. That was awful. I was performing to Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance.

What’s next for Sammich the Tramp?

My goal right now is to really focus on The Beggar’s Carnivale. I want to take this show around the world. I’ve never believed in anything more. I want people to see it. I want Beggars to become a household name.

Anything you’d like to add?

I just want to entertain people. I want to keep them on their toes, keep them surprised, give them a spectacle, transport them to a totally different world. People NEED great live performance. It’s a uniting force, it’s spiritual. I’m really passionate about it, and when it’s done well it’s F*ing Magic!