The Goddess, Immodesty Blaize, talks bonkbusters, Ambition, waistlines and Texas.

Divertida Devotchka

1. You’ve never performed in Texas, correct? What are your expectations for your March 20th show in Dallas?

I am really looking forward to coming. The promoter has been incredibly welcoming. Generally I have no expectations or pre-judgments whenever I perform somewhere new; I just give everything to my audience wherever I am!

2. What made you choose Dallas for the location of the U.S. premier of your new film, “Burlesque Undressed”?

There’s a great tradition of entertainment in Texas and I’ve been approached a number of times to perform there. The opportunity to combine a USA Film Festival premiere with a performance (which features Dirty Martini and Perle Noire) was a great idea for collaboration.

3. Have you noticed any significant differences between your audiences in the U.S. and those at your shows in the U.K.?

I find the audiences equally appreciative, and with a similar split of around 60% female to 40% male. If anything I would say that perhaps the mainstream American audience is a little more conservative than the European audience.

4. Your first novel “Tease” came out last year, and your second, “Ambition” will be out later this year. Care to tell us a little about the upcoming book? What other literary aspirations do you have?

The upcoming book is called ‘Ambition’ and it’s set in Vegas. It’s another bonkbuster and so you’ll find plenty of sex, scandal, private jets, Alpha males, superheroines, feathers, big hair…I think the best way to sum it up would be Dynasty meets Paul Verhoeven’s ‘Showgirls’. I’m seriously considering setting the third one in Dallas…so I hope I get to come back for some more in depth ‘research’!

5. After seeing you in person, I must say that the most astounding of all your breathtaking features was your waistline. You mention in your film that your waist shrinks to 19 or 20 inches when you’re wearing your corset. Have you always been able to tighten it so severely, or did you train your waist by tight lacing? If so, how long have you been tight lacing?

Thanks! No I don’t train my waist, I have an hourglass shape at rest, I’m 38-26-38 – so it’s not too much of a problem for me to take it down. The key for me to get the extra inch is just to not eat anything bulky the day of a show. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone as daily wear and I only wear them that tight for short periods, I find it very uncomfortable to go down to 19 inches, as it hurts my back in particular. I once nearly vomited right before a show when I realized I couldn’t actually breathe. But I was stuck in the darn thing, with my shoulder pack strapped on underneath, my crystal underwire garroting my breasts, my headdress clamped in place, a choker tight around my throat, and sweltering under 50 kilos of feathers – I think it was a costume claustrophobic reaction. I’m sure there are many out there who identify!

6. In your film, your milliner Stephen Jones made the comment about your grandiose wardrobe, “It’s a costume. But she always wears it; it never wears her.” Can you think of any scenarios (performances, photo shoots, etc) in which you felt like your costume was “wearing you”? I’ve heard you describe some of your headdresses as “medieval torture devices.” How do you manage to make wearing them look so easy? (and glamorous, at that!)

Some costumes can be painful to wear, but it’s the smile you wear that completely outshines all that discomfort. If you want the exaggerated visual effect that the costume gives then you just find a way to deal with it. You can ‘tame’ the costume – rehearse a lot with it and find out what movement you can and can’t do, and get used to the pain/weight/restriction. Ultimately I think your persona still has to be the star, rather than the rhinestones – so the costume should suit, and work for the personality, not the other way around. I don’t mind the ‘no pain no gain’ thing – if it’s a hell of an effort to get it right then it feels like I’m going the extra mile in my presentation. I somehow feel more dressed to kill if my feet are dying in 6 inch heels. This will get me lynched by feminists, but it’s just how I feel, for me I don’t see the difference between that and the pain I feel after 100 crunches in the gym!

7. Other than the snag you ran into when choosing the name for the Tease Show, have you had any other experiences with censorship?

Not especially. Although occasionally some of my corporate clients ask me to reveal less, and not to remove my bra. (Dior for example). I’ll work closely with my clients to make sure we meet in the middle and achieve something they are 100% comfortable with, whilst still giving a burlesque performance. I’m not sure there’s any point just doing a dance routine in a corset, I wouldn’t try and pass that off as burlesque.

8. I’ve read that you immersed yourself in books as child, and in your film you touch on the topic of the escapist element of burlesque. Are your performances a way for you to bring those childhood fantasies to life? I mean, what little girl wouldn’t want an 8-foot crystal-encrusted red rocking horse or a 6-foot bejeweled telephone?

Actually an element of that horse prop was inspired by memories of the rocking horse my grandfather carved for me when I was tiny! However my shows are very much centered around ‘The Woman’ and I don’t really perform girlie things – no tutus or cupcakes. (At 6’3 in my heels it would look absurd if I came over all porcelain doll.) For me the escapist element came about because I always loved to create fantasy worlds and continued that into my adult life through working in film, and with writing and art. I am a huge fan of ‘camp’ which obviously involves an exaggeration of reality too, I love to include humor, and a sense of ‘ridiculous’, it’s probably just the European eccentricity in me.

9. What upcoming projects are you excited about? What are your goals for the upcoming year?

I tend not to talk too much about future projects in case I jinx them! But I will have some fabulous new performances in store, books….

10. How do you go about obtaining the goal of being perceived as “other-worldly,” as you mention in your film?
 


I used that term I guess as a way of relating to the concept of a ‘glamour’ which is, literally, a spell. With showgirls and actresses in mind for example, in setting up a much more exaggerated version of reality, it presents a vision to an audience that they would never see in everyday life – ie not in their immediate world – otherworldly. That way it becomes a special and memorable experience to watch and it has the capacity to transport the audience away from their every day concerns. However if you think about it, we create this believable idea that we waft around in gowns and rhinestones all day – the irony is that it’s not just an illusion, we really do live like that – because it’s part of the job, it’s vertical integration.

11. How do you think burlesque will change in upcoming years to accommodate the current boom in the industry?


Certainly there are great opportunities for mainstream awareness. Burlesque was always meant to be populist and accessible for both high and low culture, so it’s good to see a return to a mainstream audience base. Although it’s impossible to predict how the genre will evolve. I have no idea! I just hope that in whatever direction it progresses there will continue to be great new ideas, and high quality. If there aren’t then the audiences won’t want to come back for more!

12. When U.S. audiences first saw you, it was at the 2007 Miss Exotic World competition where you took the crown, but what about the first time you ever hit the stage as a burlesque performer? Did you have large scale props, fabulous costumes, and spot-on choreography or was it more “modest”?


Back in ‘98 there were no burlesque clubs in London; I performed on the performance art scene. There wasn’t the stage space for huge props, and there weren’t the audiences back then to pay for $50,000 costumes! However it was a vibrant and creative underground scene, I learned a lot. My first ‘classic’ act was a ‘garden of delights’, with an old velvet chaise lounge covered in fresh flowers, roses, petals, it smelt great but was pricey to do every show. (In retrospect it was a little like Lili St Cyr’s flower-covered throne.) I also experimented with Berliner cabaret influences, some of my acts were more ‘neo’. I surprised an audience once when I entered in immaculate black Victorian men’s riding gear to a baroque, before stripping into a military pony girl in sparkling harnesses to a Goldfrapp heavy electro cover of ‘Yes Sir I can Boogie’ which she sung as a political statement about the 2nd Iraq war. I really enjoyed those early days of experimentation! I guess it allowed my stage persona to develop naturally.

13. You found your burlesque name when the gas man compared you to the comic book character Modesty Blaise. Other than physical characteristics, is there anything else about her character with which you can identify?


Yes she had been a child without a family who had to grow up quick. Other than that, no I’m not a hit woman. I do have a secret penchant for thigh boots though, but as part of uniform or riding….

14. With so many projects, from managing the details of every production from the props & costumes to the talent, to writing and film projects, how do you manage to find time for things like meals and sleep?

Haha, I don’t! I’m writing this at 4 am!

15. What does a typical day look like for you? Is there any sort of routine? 


No routine. But I have to be disciplined, for example I have to get my word counts done when I’m in the middle of a novel, I have a weekly training regime, I live by deadlines for shows etc …. But it’s a funny old job, as you know it’s time consuming to design and create shows, and the performances take me all over the world so I travel a lot. I have a low boredom threshold so it probably suits me best that no two days are the same. 
I try to squeeze in time in my house in France whenever possible so I can take an afternoon out by the pool to gather my thoughts.

16. What do you enjoy when not immersed in burlesque?


Art. Any kind of art or culture. Although not performance necessarily, I do try to have a break from that. I also like to DJ electro, disco, and soul as listening to 40s/50s music every day drives me round the bend occasionally.

17. Just out of curiosity, how many diamonds adorn your diamond merkin?


None, they’re constructed in China by my costume jeweler who uses cut crystals. Shhh, that’s not very other-worldly is it!

Miss Blaize will be performing for the first time in Texas on March 20th at the Lakewood Theater, as well as screening her new film Burlesque Undressed. For more info on the show, please visit our Events page.

Dirty Martini talks Texans, the Moisture Festival, straight men, and about her first Burlesque show.

Interview: Divertida Devotchka

Q: You’re featured in Immodesty Blaize’s documentary “Burlesque Undressed.” What was your reaction when you were informed you’d be included in the project?

Immodesty approached me about participating in her film when I performed in her show the year before at Koko nightclub in London. It was a fabulous show and I love her so I was more than happy to be interviewed for the film at the Burlesque Hall of Fame weekend the following year. Unfortunately the amazing footage from that show wasn’t able to be used in her documentary and I wasn’t able to perform in the show that all of the wonderful footage was pulled from due to my shoot schedule for the French film “Tournee” which will premiere at Cannes in May, but luckily it was used for my documentary Dirty Martini and the New Burlesque which will screen at the Dallas film festival in April. I’m really thrilled that the footage will be used as it was a very professional shoot and I was devastated that I wasn’t able to perform in her show last May because that was even better looking! I hate to have to pass up any opportunity to work with Immodesty.

Q: You’ll be performing in Dallas on March 20th for the U.S. premier of the aforementioned film. Do you think Dallas is ready for Dirty?

Every city I’ve gone to all over the world has been very warm and receptive to my performance and made me feel extremely welcome and I’ve heard that Texans have big hearts so I’m excited to perform there. I was in Austin a couple of years ago and had a great experience there and loved it so I suspect I will feel right at home.

Q: Do you have any other film projects in the works?

I have two short films out currently touring the film festivals, one a short format documentary by Iban del Campo and a beautiful silent film by Steven Dirkes called the Object. I worked with French actor Mathieu Amalric for a film that will premiere this May in Cannes called Tournee and Dirty Martini and the New Burlesque by Gary Beeber will be having its first screening at the Moisture Festival in Seattle March 29th. I’ll be there with Burlesque Undressed on the 23rd as well. It’s been really fun planning Immodesty’s U.S. release along with my film too.

Q: You were recently voted the top fan favorite in the 21st Century Pinups Burlesque Top 50. How does that make you feel? What was your reaction when you heard the news?

I was very surprised to be voted number one and honored because of the company in the top 20 alone! It must have been a very tight vote indeed. I’m a big fan of Catherine D’Lish and Michelle L’Amour and Immodesty and Julie Atlas Muz and Dita and and and….. so you can only imagine how incredible it is to have such wonderful fans to vote me in there too! I feel very lucky indeed.

Q: The Lagerfeld photos in the V Magazine size issue are absolutely out-of-this-world! In a recent interview you mentioned that you didn’t know it was going to be a plus-size issue when you agreed to do it. Had you known that going into it, would you still have agreed to do the shoot? Do you feel like knowing that beforehand would have altered your perception, preparation or behavior going into it?

Well…. It’s not like you tell Karl Lagerfeld and V Magazine you couldn’t possibly come to Paris and shoot at the House of Chanel! It was an incredible experience and I felt shocked that Steven Gan and Steven Chaiken at V thought of me for the editorial. I suppose the whole thing made more sense when I found out a month later that it would be a magazine devoted to all body types. I think it’s a shame that people only think of it as a plus size issue when there are really all types of women represented. Actually, come to think of it there aren’t all types of women in it. People were complaining that I am obese and some of the other models were as well, but I didn’t see anyone over a size 16 in any of the shoots. Considering that the average size for women in the U.S. is currently a size 14, there seems to be a disconnect in the fashion world. Big surprise there. My goal for what I’m doing in burlesque is to have women with womanly features represented properly in today’s hyper-controlled media. I believe that this is a big step for me and my mission statement!

Q: You’ve mentioned that you seek inspiration in drag queens and burlesque legends of the past. Care to elaborate on this?

When I moved to New York City, I went to drag shows at least once a week. I really loved the spirited and improvisational nature of the performances and the fact that they were edgy and interesting. Burlesque never really died in New York. Kitten Natividad performed at Show World in her own burlesque review in the 80’s, Ann Magnusson hosted a Vaudeville night featuring burlesque themed material and Jackie 60 in the early 90’s kept the spirit alive. Drag Queens in NY like International Chrysis and Candice Cayne kept that sexualized uber glamour alive for us and we should all be praying to them like the goddesses they are! They in turn – along with the Something Weird Video reels of old burlesque that I studied before creating my own burlesque routines – inspired me to be the glamour-crazed performer I am today.

Q: You were inspiration in the neo-burlesque revival, especially in New York. What have you noticed about the changes in the neo-burlesque scene in the past ten years? Any patterns you notice in different parts of the country?

Yes, there are patterns but every place is different. I knew that in London and the UK it would become a big retro craze like Carnaby Street in the 60’s. When I performed in Paris for the first time I knew it would grow there too. I saw the very first new burlesque show in Paris’ Bastille district. Kitten on the Keys and I went to see Kisses Cause Trouble there and arrived too late because we were confused by the 24 hour clock. They ended up repeating the entire show just for us and their fans stayed to watch it again as well. That’s the spirit of New Burlesque- that punk rock DIY feeling! Burlesque will always have its high end shows and its more campy and experimental shows and it’s wonderful that there is room for all that self expression. I feel it’s very important for women to express their sexuality in a free and unencumbered way with no edicts from society or more particularly straight men.

Q: How rewarding is it to know that you are such an inspiration to women of all sizes? You’ve remarked before that “the power of possibility” is the most important result of burlesque’s influence on its female audience. Can you talk more about that power?

I would hope that I inspire ladies not to give up on their own power. I’m happy to be a role model for plus-sized ladies, but more than that I feel like the leader of a powerful revolution for women’s rights. What we do in burlesque in the 21st century is so much more than just glamour and beauty and a rhinestone leg show. I believe it also to be an important expression of female culture. People talk about the Amazonian tribe of myth, and well, I think we have that potential as well. Women are very powerful and taking away our power over our own reproduction and sexual expression is akin to castration. It keeps us down and powerless.

Q. Do you think Karl Lagerfeld knew what he was getting into when you first entered the room for your shoot? Was he able to match your energy and pace when trying to capture your images?

Lagerfeld is a very busy glamour puss! He was shooting his own film that day and my shoot was like a little side diversion. He was exhausted by the time he got to me because his day started at 7am. It’s not easy to be the most glamorous man in the world and have your day start at that hour. Our shoot started at 10pm right after the film wrapped for the day, but he gave me as much as I gave him. I adored him and everyone on that set. They treated me with respect and I had a wonderful time.

Q. You’ve said that there were several Coco Chanel look-alikes milling about the area during your shoot due to a movie being filmed. How crazy was that?

Everyone on set thought it was surreal seeing Jane Schmitt dressed as Chanel later in her life. She was the spitting image of Chanel herself! The film is posted to Youtube (and you can see it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3t_3fIWFlw). I loved the woman who played the Duchess of Windsor, Amanda Harlech; she was someone with an incredible aura. I had never heard of her, but when I met her I knew she was someone I wanted to get to know better. Apparently she is a confidant to Lagerfeld and John Galliano. I just thought she was an amazing person. Jane Schmitt was too and that’s why she was in the photos with me. It wasn’t planned, we just happened to be talking and getting along and Lagerfeld started shooting us. She was a little unsure at first, but I made her feel welcome and told her I wanted her in the photos. I’m glad one of them was chosen for the magazine. I thought it was a fun juxtaposition as I felt Chanel’s spirit pirouetting in her grave while I was posing on her stairwell!

Q. Would you say that in a way your size/shape has been a double-edged sword for you in the industry? I’ve seen remarks from you before that you feel like people always focus on that as opposed to your art/talent being the primary focus as it is with some of your contemporaries.

I do wish that people could not have prejudices, but that’s a tall order. I started performing burlesque routines because I felt that it put my dance training and body type in perspective, but some people can’t go on that journey with me due to their own ideas of what women should be. I hate that should word. I think it’s very dangerous.

Q. What the most fun experience you’ve had since embarking on your burlesque career? What has been your most challenging experience to date?

There are challenges in every career. Mine has been to keep myself motivated to make new work, but luckily I have had life changing experiences seeing what other performers have done within the burlesque medium and it keeps me inspired to make new and different pieces. The best experiences have been traveling and meeting new performers everywhere. The first time I heard backstage chatter about pasties and burlesque costumes with a mid-west accent was a fun and weird experience. Walking into old theaters and feeling the history in those buildings has been amazing too! I’ve met some incredible people because of burlesque, some very famous and some just regular folks and I’m always amazed at people’s generosity and fabulousness!

Dirty Martini will be performing with Perle Noire and the mighty Immodesty Blaize on March 20th at the Lakewood Theater, as well as answering questions about her role in the new film Burlesque Undressed. For more info on the show, please visit our Events page.