The Candy Gram: Beatrix Von Bourbon

In our ongoing Q&A series --"The Candy Gram"-- we ask the same quirky questions of burlesque's various performers. If you want to be added to the mix, drop us a line at kellydinardo AT gmail DOT com. Today, say hello to London's Beatrix Von Bourbon.

What is your hometown?
London, UK.

How long have you been interested in burlesque/performing?
I tell people that I entered the world of burlesque through the back door. For me it wasn't as simple as having admired the performers of old for years and always aspiring to be one.

I had been looking at vehicles to express my sexuality and felt that amidst all the internet-based soft-core pornography and the darker sexualities that swamp the UK media (pedophilia, dogging...) something was missing. At the same time, I was reading about past subcultures, about punk, about psychobilly, about rockabilly, about the Las Vegas Grind Festival, and then I stumbled upon burlesque. The more I learned about American burlesque, and later learned about British burlesque, the more the art-form appealed to me.

I like how burlesque sits within contemporary culture, how it goes against the grain of the beauty myth - it embraces all bodies regardless of shape or race, and personalities from coy cheesecake to vivacious sex-kitten. It introduces playfulness and honesty to the somewhat seedy conceptions of sexuality that dominate today.

I've been performing burlesque for just over a year and a half now.

How many pairs of pasties do you own?
One pair for each act I have (10), plus three spare pairs and a couple of odd ones. I'm not really sure why I hang on to odd pasties.

What are your three favorite songs to perform to?
A La Carte - James Holloway
Sex Spider - Gogol Bordello
Any live backing music provided by the wonderful Palookaville Burlesque Orchestra.

What three items could you not live without as a performer?
Spare stockings
Tit tape (I've used it to temporarily fix feather fans before!)
Glitter, Glitter, Glitter!

Who had the biggest influence on your career?
Relatively early on in my burlesque career I performed at a fetish club alongside Polish-based art group Suka Off. Although their work doesn't really fall into the burlesque bracket, they blew me away, offering a professional and creative level to aspire to.And to this day every burlesque performer I work with offers me a new trick of the trade.

Who is your favorite burly queen?
Evangeline, the Oyster Girl

What is your favorite item of clothing?
My killer red heels

What's the last movie you saw?
Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas

What's on your must-see-TV list?
Oh no, here's where it gets embarrassing. I watch a lot of American sitcoms and dramas that aren't aired in the UK. Things like Gilmore Girls, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Dead Like Me. I'm also a sucker for silly cartoons full of fart jokes; Robot Chicken and The Brak Show to name just two. I was also addicted to the Aussie soap Neighbours until I moved house and now don't have a powerful enough aerial to watch TV.

What book is on your nightstand?
The Girls by Lori Lansen and Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee

If you could go anywhere for vacation, where would you go?
New York. Without a doubt.

If you could have any superpower, which one would you want? Why?
I'd quite like telekinesis, so I could multi-task - tidy my flat while I bring my correspondence up to date!

Satisfy your appetite for more Candy Grams: Angie Pontani, Tanya Cheex, Clams Casino, Trixie Little, Michelle L'Amour, Margaret Cho, Miss Dirty Martini,Princess Farhana, Miss Delirium Tremens, Paris Green, Jo Boobs, Jack Midnight, Heidi Von Haught, Diamond Minx, The Titillation Twins, Scratch, Creamy Stevens and Gina Louise.

A Red Hot Fundraiser

If you're in the Washington, DC area swing by Urbana tonight. The Kimpton Hotels are celebrating World AIDS Day early with a cocktail party to benefit the Whitman-Walker Clinic at Urbana. Admission to Red Hot Night is $10, which includes two special red cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and a silent auction. I will be signing copies of Gilded Lili and $1 from every book sold goes to the Whitman-Walker Clinic. All proceeds from the cover charge, auction and additional cocktails also go to Whitman-Walker. The doors open at 6 p.m. See you there!

Video of the Week

Say hello to Miss Exotic World 2007, Immodesty Blaize.

Barack Obama Strips

Not really, but have you noticed how journalists love to compare politics to burlesque and political maneuverings to striptease? That thought brings us to this week's non sequitur. If you're interested in the interaction between politics and technology, check out my friend Garrett Graff's new book The First Campaign. You'll learn all about how Facebook, blogs and YouTube are, wait for it, stripping the election down from what politicians have always done and setting a new political stage.

All The News That's Fit To Strip

Dita Von Teese spent Thanksgiving as a bird of paradise for Erotica, a three-day adult lifestyle festival in London. Before the event she told one reporter:

"I'm sure some people think I've just brought fluffy, fancypants striptease back into fashion. But I hope I've inspired some people to embrace glamour and to see a different kind of sensuality. I'm the opposite of the tanned, blonde bikini babe."

In other news ...

Do you want to compete in the Jockey Wars?

Jo posts photos from Margaret Cho's Sensuous Woman and explains the term ecdysiast.

I spoke with Rick Klaw about Gilded Lili for Monsters and Critics.

Black Friday Burlesque

Sure, it's shameless, but remember you could avoid all of this if you just gave everyone Gilded Lili for the holidays.

The Candy Gram will return next Friday.

Video of the Week

Forget the Macy's Day Parade, burly-q does balloons right.

Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art Show

For the last two years, Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School has been melding art and burlesque with dancers posing for illustrators, painters and photographers from around the world. Now, the school is really bumpin' with its very first art show.

Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art Show opens November 27th at Rapture in New York. With a nod to its burly-q roots, the opening will feature costumed burlesque queens Lady Lovely, Amber Ray and Gal Friday, and live, obscene portraits by Amanda Pearson. Attendees will also vote on their favorite anti-artist, with the three crowd favorites winning cash and prizes. Admission is free. The art will hang through December 20.

All The News That's Fit To Strip

While hosting a burlesque performance in Montreal, Carmen Electra told the Globe and Mail that Americans have a split personality when it comes to sex. Our healthy libido is mixed with a seriously puritanical streak, giving us both icons like Madonna and sexual scandals involving conservative senators.

"At the end of the day, we all have wants and desires and fantasies," says Electra. "Some may be deeper than others. When you're in entertainment you have more freedom to express your sexuality and your fantasies. Political people are a bit different - they often have to be a certain way, and if they're not in reality, it's more shocking."

In other news ...

Shameless plug: Publishers Weekly calls Gilded Lili a "swift, engaging biography" and the Austin Chronicle declares it's "well-researched and superbly written."

A reporter gives the S Factor striptease class a twirl.

A new online striptease proves to be spam.

Frederick Teeses The Holidays

I hate leapfrogging one holiday for another, but I can't be the first person Dita Von Teese inspired to break the rules. So, with apologies to Thanksgiving and the promise that we'll give Turkey Day its due ...

Dita Von Teese is making the holidays merry and bright for Frederick's of Hollywood, which features the burlesque queen on its cover and as the centerpiece of a multimedia "Pin-Up Parade" holiday campaign. The campaign includes the "12 Days of Dita" showcase on the Frederick's Web site, where Dita models her sexiest picks. Forget naughty or nice. This holiday, even Santa's gonna be naughty.

Photo courtesy of Frederick's of Hollywood via The Lingerie Post.

Video of the Week

All The News That's Fit To Strip

Boston Babydoll member and former America's Next Top Model Sarah Hartshorne told Bostonist how the burlesque troupe gave her a boost:

Being a Boston Babydoll certainly boosted my confidence and made me aware of my body, which helped at photo shoots. I was also very comfortable changing in front of people or wearing skimpy outfits, which helped at challenges. Also, dancing of any kind is very similar to modeling, and knowing how to move my body helped in taking good pictures.

After Sarah got bumped from the show, the Boston Babydolls put the smackdown on Tyra.

In other news ...

The Vixen chats with Miss Seska Lee and Miss Sugarpuss.

Burlesque is all the rage on Gossip Girl. And Jo has the pictures.

The Crazy Girls joined Kylie Minogue for her TV comeback.

Irving Klaw, who filmed movies with Lili St. Cyr, Tempest Storm and others, would have celebrated his 97th birthday on Friday.

The Fashion Police at OSU don't know burlesque. For real burlesque-inspired fashions try this, this or this.

Candy Gram: Angie Pontani

In our ongoing Q&A series --"The Candy Gram"-- we ask the same quirky questions of burlesque's various performers. If you want to be added to the mix, drop us a line at kellydinardo AT gmail DOT com. Today, say hello to Angie Pontani, who performs solo and as one of The World Famous Pontani Sisters.

What is your hometown?
I was born in Trenton, NJ, but I cut my teeth in Brooklyn, where I have been since I was a teenager.

How long have you been interested in burlesque/performing?
13 years. I started as a chorus girl in the Dutch Weismann Follies. One of the city's first resurgence shows that was truly underground. It was held in the producers apartment, which he literally turned into a speakeasy! I wasn't even old enough to enter a bar through the front door, yet I was shaking it three nights a week in this amazing, illegal show. By the end of my run with the show, which was about four years, I was a featured solo act. It was an amazing experience and I have been working in burlesque ever since.

How many pairs of pasties do you own?
Probably about 20 or so, though only a dozen are in serious rotation.

What are your three favorite songs to perform to?
36-22-36 by Bobby Bland, it's my favorite act!
Take Me out to the Ball Game - a special King Curtis remake. I love baseball and I do a Mets baseball themed act to this song, I adore it!
La Vie En Rose. I do a very traditional sheer dress pointe dance to this and the song and Edith Piaf's voice is just so lovely I get lost in it.

What three items could you not live without as a performer?
snaps
flash tape
red wine

Who had the biggest influence on your career?
Elvis, he wasn't exactly a burlesque dancer in the traditional sense but his inclination to do everything in such an over the top way really moves me. Everything from his jump suits, dance moves, every day clothes, cars, personal style, music (especially the '70s stuff), is just so over the top, there is such attention to every detail. Through those things you can just see how passionate he was about his music, life and performance. I love that and find it wildly inspiring, especially because he was such an innovator of style. Graceland itself is like a set, it couldn't be more perfect in my eyes.

Who is your favorite burly queen?
Blaze Starr, love-love-love her. She was an amazing performer, lived an amazing life and is just so full of sass. She gave me permission to recreate her smoking couch act a few years ago in Las Vegas and I was honored. I was sweating rhinestones waiting for her response. She is an original wild girl, gorgeous and full of class and sass. That is a tough mixture that doesn't happen a lot and I admire it.

What is your favorite item of clothing?
Recently I was in Australia where I discovered Wheels and Dollbaby, an amazing clothier. My life will never be the same! My current fave is a velvet black pencil skirt with covered buttons down the front accompanied by a sheer pink silk blouse. I can't stop wearing it, I vacuumed in it yesterday.

What’s the last movie you saw?
I don't get to the movies much, in fact I can't even remember the last time I went. I think the last movie I saw must have been the last Rocky. My sister lent it to me on a rainy Sunday & I thought it was good! He gives his son this fabulous speech about how being tough and being a winner isn't about actually winning every time. It's really about having the tenacity to just keep getting back up and not stopping and that's real courage and spirit and general awesomeness. That's being scrappy & Rocky-like.

What’s on your must-see-TV list?
I'm not a big TV girl, but I do have the western channel. They run classic westerns constantly. I need to see an episode of Gun Smoke at least once a week, I love Miss Kitty on Gun Smoke.

What book is on your nightstand?
Gone With The Wind and The Biography of Buffalo Bill, talk about show biz, he was the king!

If you could go anywhere for vacation, where would you go?
New Mexico. I'm super lucky that I get to travel so much with work. I've been all over the world and country and have seen some fabulous places, but it's funny because the only place I have actually ever wanted to go to was New Mexico and I've never been! Growing up I was obsessed with it. I even subscribed to New Mexico magazine. It seems like it would really be an amazing place, plus I love chilies and they grow the best!

If you could have any superpower, which one would you want? Why?
I think I would love to be able to disappear, become invisible. It would be fabulous to be able to read minds or throw fire balls, but you can really work the invisible thing. Not only would that power enable you to leave sticky situations on a whim, but you can multi-task by spying, moving things around, torturing your friends, etc... But, only for the good of all humanity though!

Photo courtesy of Don Spiro

Satisfy your appetite for more Candy Grams: Tanya Cheex, Clams Casino, Trixie Little, Michelle L'Amour, Margaret Cho, Miss Dirty Martini,Princess Farhana, Miss Delirium Tremens, Paris Green, Jo Boobs, Jack Midnight, Heidi Von Haught, Diamond Minx, The Titillation Twins, Scratch, Creamy Stevens and Gina Louise.

Undie Where?

Torontoist took a peek at a vintage burlesque ad. As most things do these days, that sparked a thought about Lili and the ads for her lingerie shop. Here's an excerpt from Gilded Lili:

Always interested in fashion, Lili also opened up a mail-order lingerie business and a Hollywood boutique known as The Undie World of Lili St. Cyr. The catalog, which used both exaggerated illustrations of Lili and her glamour shots, promised that women would “be well dressed for that most delightful sport of all . . . [in styles] created to meet an unprecedented demand for the bold . . . the delicious . . . the naughty!” The sexy creations included bikini briefs, filmy negligees, lacy G-strings, and sparkly pasties, with names like Scantie Panties, Folies Bergere, Coy Miss, Lili’s Love, Lolita, and Fanny Hill.

Descriptions played up Lili’s connection to the lingerie. The ads divulged that in her personal appearances she wore the Illusion, a robe made of “yards and yards of sheerest Nylon--draped to reveal and conceal.” And they trumpeted the notion that “only Lili St. Cyr could design such a fabulous Nylon Lace dance set” as Lili’s Love, a halter bra and bikini. The lingerie boutique, which sold the same items as Lili’s mail order business, boomed and remained a Hollywood hot spot for over twenty years, attracting many designers and celebrities, including pop icon Madonna.

Want to see more of the catalog pages and ads? Kara Mae features a great gallery of them.

Video of the Week

Last week burlesque got animated on The Candy Pitch. So today we dish up one more burly-toon.

I Spy

With Dita Von Teese rumored to be playing Mata Hari in an upcoming film on the World War I spy, I thought we'd take a look at a few photos of the exotic dancer and double agent.

All The News That's Fit To Strip

Greta Garbo. Doris Day. Zsa Zsa Gabor. And now, Dita Von Teese. Rumor has it that the burlesque queen is the latest actress to take on the role of Mata Hari, the femme fatale who was executed after being exposed as a double agent during World War I.

"Who the hell is Lili St. Cyr?" I answer the question for USA Weekend.

Jo Boobs talks to Lady Monster about the Full Body Project and interviews a burlesque memorabilia collector.

The Iron Matrons rotate around a pole.

The Candy Gram: Tanya Cheex

In our ongoing Q&A series --"The Candy Gram"-- we ask the same quirky questions of burlesque's various performers. If you want to be added to the mix, drop us a line at kellydinardo AT gmail DOT com. Today, say hello to Toronto's Tanya Cheex, who performs with Skin Tight Outta Sight.

What is your hometown?
Originally Halifax, Nova Scotia but the city was too small at the time to contain my ambitions. I ran away to Toronto to become a stripper, a dominatrix and a retail slut till I realized my true calling.

How long have you been interested in burlesque/performing?
Since I was a little girl. I was always attracted to all the glamorous trappings; boas, gloves, rhinestones. I coloured in a beauty mark at age four and my mom had to scrub it off! I started Skin Tight Outta Sight 10 years ago when I realized could find a live audience for my spectacles.

How many pairs of pasties do you own?
I have no idea! I've seen one stuck to my cat once! I make Swarovski ones. My favorites are leopard print with over 2 gross each.

What are your three favourite songs to perform to?
Minnie The Moocher by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend by Marilyn Monroe and Number of The Beast by Iron Maiden

What three items could you not live without as a performer?
Safety pins, rhinestones and a brave smile

Who had the biggest influence on your career?
My grandmother. She was always done up to the nines. I have a vivid memory of her in a turban, lounge pyjamas, red heels and Cameo Menthol's. However, in practice, I'm anti-smoking but why does it have to look so film noir cool?

Who is your favorite burly queen?
Tura Satana for her combination of tough and tenderness. Dixie Evans's "Casting Couch" routine always slays me and, of course, for carrying the torch for us all past and present.

What is your favorite item of clothing?
My pink and black patent Agent Provocateur peep toe stilettos and the matching corset costume by Lovesick Corrective Apparel.

What's the last movie you saw?
Super Bad. So super funny, your soda pop will shoot out your nose.

What's on your must-see-TV list?
Shark Week on Discovery Channel. Where can I sign up to go-go dance in a shark cage?

What book is on your nightstand?
Freak Unique by Dead or Alive's Pete Burns and always a few Marilyn Monroe bios.

If you could go anywhere for vacation, where would you go?
I just spent a month touring across Canada with camping in between. I slept under the stars on the beach in Tofino, BC, got up, put the eyelashes on and performed in Victoria. That was the ideal vacation for me. So next year I'd like to tour/vacation Europe. No rest for the wicked!

If you could have any superpower, which one would you want? Why?
To have my clothes fly off effortlessly at will. It would be a great gimmick and nothing would get caught in my fishnets ever again!

Satisfy your appetite for more Candy Grams: Bloody Belle, Clams Casino, Trixie Little, Michelle L'Amour, Margaret Cho, Miss Dirty Martini,Princess Farhana, Miss Delirium Tremens, Paris Green, Jo Boobs, Jack Midnight, Heidi Von Haught, Diamond Minx, The Titillation Twins, Scratch, Creamy Stevens and Gina Louise.

Burly-toons

Last week, I marveled at an animated striptease. Laura pointed out that burlesque and animation have been bumpin' together for a while. She's right, of course. From Red Hot Riding Hood to Bugs Bunny scenes, cartoons have had some great wolf-whistle, jaw-dropping, roll-the-tongue-out burlesque scenes. There's also some great, new striptease animation. Today, the Candy Pitch dishes up some burlesque 'toons.

Red Hot Riding Hood:

A more modern wolf 'toon:

Some animated boylesque:

Bruno Bozzetto melds animation and live-action: