DEATH ON THE NILE

Death on the Nile

Love's Labour Gnost

The Vagimule Doll is gutted with news of her beloved Afro Sister "Pop That Cherry" Jefferson's death yesterday morning at her home in Oakland, surrounded by family including her film director son Immanuel Martin and University professor daughter Mira Bai plus grandkids and her ex girlfriend the lovely Ghislain de la Falaise.  Cherry Jefferson whose real name was Priscilla Hazelwood was the niece of Hollywood golden era star Richard Widmark.  Vaginal Davis and Ms. Hazelwood lived in the 1980s at the famed Karnak Apartments on La Mirada Avenue.  Other residents included members of such notable LA underground bands as The Fiends, The Shadow Minstrels, The Lazy Cowgirls and The Nymphs.

Priscilla worked in the art department of the LA Weekly in the 1980s and in the 1990s was art director for Klinger International, a gay porno empire run by Casey Klinger. She moved back to the Bay Area in the mid 90s and headed her own feminist advertising agency called Begonius Creative.  Priscilla was featured in the famous photo of the Afro Sisters taken by Albert Sanchez that graced the pages of a special edition of Interview Magazine from April, 1986.  It was the last issue of Interview Magazine that Andy Warhol personally supervised.  Priscilla had a wicked sense of humour and was always involved in some mischief deflating the egos of the pompous and overbearing.

Also dying this week was the great German actor and director Volker Spengler.  Known for his roles as part of the Fassbinder ensemble of the 1970s.  Ms. Davis met Volker in 1999 in Los Angeles when Volker was performing with the Berliner Ensemble that included Martin Wuttke, Margarita Broich, Constantine Ahcmed Berger and Susanne Sachsse.  This meeting propagated the forming of THE CHEAP Kollektiv in Berlin in 2001 with the performance piece CHEAP Jewelry at The Volkbuhner, which led to Vaginal Davis moving to Berlin in 2005 and the rest is herstory upended.  Vaginal Davis will always remember the high times with Volker at his favourite watering hole Deane at Savigny Platz and hanging with him at the hustler bars in the Nollendorky Platz area of Schoneberg.  She remembers Volker saying that certain liberal types were "Nazis without a spine".

RIP Volker Spengler and Priscilla Hazelwood. You will be missed by many.