Only 4 Days into October And...

If this weekend's is any indication of the rest of this month, I am bracing myself for some serious awesome shit! I kicked off the month performing as "Rhinestone Zipper" - a "faux" groupie band conceived and created by Kiki Valentine and myself - who follow the band Diamondsnake every where they rock. Since Diamondsnake's music is metal/rock and the lyrics really say everything about the parody aspect of their music, we rolled with it and came up with our characters, simply known as "Groupie #1" and "Groupie #2". We ransacked the stage and danced with the band throughout the evening and choreographed certain articles of our costume to be removed at certain times. Here's a raw clip of our characters in action - die-hard fanatic groupie sluts who heart Diamondsnake! The longer edited clip can be seen here. I have to say, I really enjoyed working with the band not only because I like their music (and the likes of such as Steel Panther in LA), but also cause everyone was professional and courteous and chill. There's nothing I despise more than drama backstage or attitude like as getting way trashed before the show starts, starting an argument/disagreement with another person, being a Debbie Downer and moping around bringing everyone's energy dooooooown. Jo Boobs said it best in one of her Dos & Don'ts for burlesque performers - your behavior backstage should never give a producer pause when thinking of booking you. So yeah, no drama or attitude. Just rock and roll and vegan double chocolate chip cookies made by Juliet. It was a little tricky dancing on stage though with all the wires and wearing 4 inch slut heels. But neither of us tripped. I went to Remedy Diner afterwards and had chicken noodle soup with Michael, Bryan, Dan, and another guy and Juliet and three of her friends. One of her friends saw my "impromptu" duet-debacle with Jo Boobs at that fateful Beatles Burlesque a couple months ago where everyone kept buying me tequila shots to get me to take my clothes off (which I did) and then the finale with Jo where I don't remember anything. Everyone I've talked to however said the duet was so hot and crazy and I finally saw some photos on Facebook that a friend of a friend took!

Jo dancing to Oh, Darlin and I'm supposed to be a fan who wont leave her alone.

Ha! I think I went down on her here! Love Kenball's expression in the back.

So I did remember to do curtain call...

I still haven't figured out how I personally think of that night. Whenever someone brings up the duet, I feel a mixture of embarrassment and pride. Embarrassed that I didn't remember the act, but kinda proud that it was so notorious that it has become a great story to tell about Beatles Burlesque. Like, "Do you remember that last act with Jo Boobs and Calamity?" It's showbiz after all, and you're not going to get people's interest by not being memorable.

Sunday night I FINALLY went to dinner at Employees Only, the speakeasy bar/restaurant in the West Village where I book their "Silky Sunday" burlesque number. I met a friend from Texas who I have not seen for a good twelve years there for dinner and we were treated like queens! Dushan made us a cocktail called Secret Crush which according to him is a drink he makes only for people he has a secret crush on. I was like, "Well it's not a secret if you tell us!" It was a champagne drink but then he took out this little box and tapped some sparkley powder into the drinks. In the candlelight you could see the drink "move" inside. It was beautiful. My friend that I met looked the same. She and I were like total BFF when we were 11 til 16. Her mom and my mom were BFF too. They moved around a lot but we managed to stay in touch with each other. Then for reasons too long ago to remember now or rather leave buried, we lost touch with each other. Then she and I graduated high school and I left Texas and went to Cornell. We were so close but by then I didn't even know which college she ended up going to. Funny how things happen like that. Now 12 years later, we're sitting at the bar of Employees Only speed catching up on boyfriends, dating, school, NY, kids, husband over copious amounts of cocktails and food (elk loin is amazing so are the mussels!). Then I discovered that not only is Dushan the mastsermind mixologist genius behind EO, he also co-wrote this book called, You Didn't Hear It from Us: Two Bartenders Serve Women the Truth About Men, Making an Impression, and Getting What You Want. If his wise advice about a situation with a man to one of my friends (no names mentioned) is any indication of the kind of advice and insight this book provides, it is worth a read, single ladies.

That's me, Gal Friday, my friend Rebecca, and Tina, my friend from Texas!

I also had the pleasure of meeting Jonathan, the publisher of the neo-feminist publication, Whore Magazine. The magazine is brand new and covers art, culture, music, design, fashion. I love the reaction people have when you tell them the title of the magazine. From the web site, "...reclaiming a derogatory word that has long been used to censure those who would desire, express, resist, or simply take a different path." The magazine is sold at McNally's Bookstore in Soho. I'm hoping to do a photo feature with them soon. They came to my first show at Coco de Mer.


Earlier this week, I also met the people behind the French Tuesdays parties that they throw for an older, elegant, well-heeled expat crowd in LA, Milan, Miami, Sao Paulo, and NYC. The party this Tuesday is "Vegas Glam" and I'll be doing two acts and a gogo set there. I'm super excited about this show because Veronica Varlow will be performing too! I've worked with her once before and really like her vibe so I'm happy to be working with a gorgeous dame such as herself.