THE DOCKS OF NEW YORK
Went to Rick Owens soiree in the patio of the Bowery Hotel on 3rd Avenue. He and his honey lamb Ms. Michele Lamy are in town for his furniture opening at Salon 94. Michele’s daughter Scarlette Rouge Newton is also here. I cant believe Scarlette is 28 years old now. I use to babysit her when she was a little girl. She was a bit of a brat until she turned 5 or 6, and then was the perfect angel. Scarlette is also a very talented artist, even when she was a child she was in the art rock band The Visiting Kids with Nancye Furgeson and her hussband Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo. Scarlette attended Cal Arts and was one of my students at a block seminar I taught there. Also at the party was costume designer Michael Kaplan who just bought a home in New York. Mr. Kaplan just worked on the new film Burlesque starring Christina Aguilera and Cher. There was no hot gossip on the set as the two divas got along. Mr. Kaplan has also done the costumes for the new Star Trek film, Blade Runner and Flashdance just to name a few.
The other evening I passed by The infamous Cock pub, and who was doing the door but Mona Foote who goes by her real name of Nashon. I didn’t know Mona stopped doing drag over 10 years ago. We had a great time gabbing. Mona is a magnificient guardian at the door of the club multi tasking with a vengeance. Some beautiful Teddy Pendergrass looking manchild of the promiseland was constantly hitting on her and chowing down on her big muscular titty cavity. Nashon is also in the elektro pop group The Ones, and is one hot sultry and sophisticated new yorker.
The fall of advanced capitalism has really hit the city hard. There are homeless people everywhere, but they hardly ask for money, some just ask you if they can finish your food when you are eating alfresco style in a restaurant. That tells you that this is just the beginning of a total financial collapse that will make the Great Depression look like cottage cheese. Soon the poor will rise up and destoy the r ich and powerful. I can feel it in my bones. Lets face it somethings got to give.
Busy in the preparation of my piece Speaking From the Diaphragm. Young French stud DeRohan Chabot has followed me to New York and I will most likely place him in a live sex scene with this very cute young Cooper Union student. DeRohan is straight, but very open. We went to my favorite New York spot for contemplation, the Madison Square Park across from the Flat Iron building. We met up with pretty Jonathan Berger and just chittle chatted for hours. Jonathan told me that the Flat Iron building is made completely of Terra Cota.
So many people have been emailing me to be on my show Speaking From the Diaphragm. One of the more famous being Mr. Billy Joe Armstrong of Green Day who turned their concept album American Idiot into a Broadway style rock opera. NPR even wants to do an interview with the doll. Met sexy Ethan Peck the grandson of classic Hollywood star Gregory Peck. I sure would love to have and affair with this yummy boy.
More meetings with Jonathan and Jean Kim, the wonderful video artist who is handling all the electronic chores with Speaking From the Diaphragm. We met at Veselka on 2nd Avenue. There is this short little lap top hunky Russian boy that works there who drives me mad with desire. Later Jonathan and I went to an end of the semester soiree at the Dean’s Conference Room at the Tisch Building of NYU for the performance studies department. Dept Administrator and Dr. Jose Munoz’s lovely right hand girl Lauren decorated to the hilt, and the food was Batista Nouvelle Cuban Cuisine. Had a wonderful time hanging out with all the kids and legends like Richard Move a ka: Pookie from the Jackie 60 Mother family. On my way back to the hotel I received a call from former student Scotland Zief, who is now 30 and teaches highschool in the South Bronx. We met up for a snack and caught up. The last time I saw Scotland he was with two teenage friends, one of whom was a hot muscle twink who had an elderly sugar daddy in tow. The boys performed a hilarious sexual piece at Bricktops back in 2003. Before that Scotland participated in the first Platinum Oasis at the Coral Sands, and even performed at my legendary Punk Rock Beer Bust Club Sucker. Back in 2001 Scotland was interning with Princess Superstar, now he is a selfless public servant giving back to the community.
On a sad note, Callie Angel of the Whitney Museum died. I had known Callie since 2006 when I was part of the CHEAP Gossip studio installation at the Berlinale International Film Festival and she was an invited dignitary as part of Forum Expanded, the Experimental Section of the film festival. Ms. Angel also took part in Jack Smith!Live Film! What a wonderful woman with a dignified and intelligent presence. She will certainly be missed by all who came in contact with her.
Made my last move before going into strident rehearsal s for Speaking From the Diaphragm. I am now situated in a quaint little flat just around the corner from the performance space and i am loving it.

WEEK-END AT THE WALDORF
Early hot humid New York summer/summer. Really wasn’t expecting it to be this boiling in the Spring, but that is the luck of an Irish drag prinzessin from the ghetto wonderlands of Watts.
Sorry dearest readersas that I haven’t kept the blogina up, but I have been working in power bitch style overdrive here in New Yorika and frantically spinning like a Linda Blair style chicken with its head cut off.
The night before leaving Berlina, my monthly curatorial performative silent film event Rising Stars, Falling Stars at Arsenal Institut fur Film und Video Kunst was SRO as the talented and lovely Ms. Eunice Martin accompanied the Lon Chaney horror classic The Phantom of the Opera, 1925. Arsenal Empress Stefanie Schulte Strathaus was off in Canada & America on important experimental film business so taking her place was juicy Nanna Heidenreich of Arsenal Experimental. During the post screening reception in the Rote Foyer the celebutant factor was high. Seen dwinking and schmoozing: Brazillian club kingpin Ricardo Domeneck of Berlin Hilton at NBI, Yusi Ettiman the guru of Basso, Downtown New York legend John Edward Heys with starina Zazie de Paris, Dickey Doo of Canadian TV’s House of Venus, with booty pie artist Jeremy Shaw who is also a member of the indie rock band Circle Square, Mickey One & Ibadette of the Berlin based pop group Super 700, film historian Marc Siegel, adorable Felix Knoke of Der Spiegel Online with muscular Jan Klesse. Felix cooked the doll a fab fish dinner a few nights before at his charming Neu Kolln pad. Pretty new mamma Michaela of bbooks, DJane Olga Damnitz, photographer Olivier Marcillac, pretty-pretty Nadja Talmi with studkin Uli Ziemons, also known as the handsomest man in Europa, The Chocolate Grinder Film Kollective of Little Alex, Juicy Julian and Mourning Becomes Elektra, gorgeous Tatiana, prima ballerina Trixie Cordua with her husband the famed experimental filmmaker Ludvig Shonherr, and humpy Israeli Catherine Sullivan dancer Assaf Hochman who was celebrating his 31st birthday.
The next morning early I was off for the US. Flew from Berlin to Paris where I transferred to an Airbus 300. My first time on one of these brand new giant planes that are split level in design. I love big aeroplanes, but they need to speed up the boarding process cuz it takes forever before the stupid jet takes off and flies. No eye candy on the plane just hordes of dull business people and crying brats.
My ravishing first child of New York high art Jonathan Berger whisked me to dinner, stuffing my gullet with lots of love, and then we went to the Eagle leather bar to meet up with my former Club Sucker partner Frank Rodriguez whose significant other the beautiful ginger prize Patrick Lee is now the official toast of the New York art world with his sold-out show of drawings. Also on hand fellow Angelinos in the form of voracious thrombone Steve Hall who is the gifted production designer on Bruce La Bruce’s LA Zombie with his mega well endowed lover Glen Stiegelman and their hot posse of pals. The hornpigs and salty doggs at the Eagle were having a hoot of a time, and I was able to down many whiskey sours. My first week lodgings being a spacious upper east side flat on Lexington at 63rd Street with a balcony no less. Mucho thanks to pretty Scotish lass Lauren at PS 122 for the hallowed digs. Being that this trip is no vacation I was immediately working with Jonathan Berger 27/7 which included meetings with our beautiful video expert Jean and soundscape artist Jason. Plus wonderful brainstorming with my co-host Jennifer Miller the bearded lady of Circus Amok. Did have a lovely breakfast with Billy Miller of STH Magazine and we cruised together through central park. Billy is one of my all time favorite New York personalities, plus Dr. Jose Munoz of NYU’s Performance Studies Dept treated me to an incredible din din at La Palapa in the Village a Mexican restaurant with courage and conviction. Also dining with us the big peniled academe Ricardo Montez, Sweet Johnny and student love sensations Leon Hilton and Nikko who signed on for the task of making a gown for the doll.
The generous Dr. Jose Munoz conspired with his fellow academes Dr. Jennifer Doyle and Dr. Ricardo to get the lady Ms. D a much needed lap top computer. My wonderful scholarly friends sure know how to take care of this poor pathetic woman. In fact I am at NYU at Dr. Munoz 6th floor corner office with the fine views writing this very blogette.
After supper we had one last dwink at Pieces a dive bar of epic porportions which was having a bingo night that featured Randy Jones the Cowpoke from the Village People. The next afternoon it was a power bitch klatch at Café Orlin with Jonathan and his expert team of Joshua Levy-Lubin Courtney Lovestein Hewitt, and the energetic and vivacious dynamo Ms. Sarah Michelle Geller Jessica Parker who really knows how to crack my whip and keep me organized. We later met up with the divine Lia G. of Participant Inc. and had dwinks at this French bistro Lucian on First Avenue with handsome French god Michel Auder, where we were later joined by the amazing feminist artist Kathy Burkhart. At Lucien’s we spied junior art stars Dan Colen and lanky Nate Lowman. Does anyone really believe any of those Fleetwood Macian rumours that purport that Mr. Lowman was once involved in a threegy with the dullard Olsen Twins. Nay pa-pa nay!
Friday nite Sarah, Jonathan & I shuttled to Terminal 5 on 56th Street to see Gossip perform. Ms. Uber talented Beth Ditto showed New York how its properly done, while looking stunning, ravishing and downright delectable. Ms. Ditto has a new hot girlfriend as well. Gossip manager Tara aka: Annie Oakley of SexWorkersArtShow was also looking like a supershtar spokesmodel. Delighted to announce that Beth &Co will be special guests on my chat show installation Speaking From the Diaphragm. Even Courtney Love has contacted me in hopes of having the new version of her band Hole be guests on my little performance piece at PS 122 which runs from May 15-27th with different guests each night. Check the PS 122 website to see who has confirmed. Backstage at Terminal 5 it was celebrity central with MC Murray Hill, actress and Imitation of Christ designer Tara Subkoff, artist Terence Koh, Waris the towelhead Indian socialite, jewelry designer,model & actor in Wes Anderson films, and dorky director Darin Aronofsky who went to school at Harvard with my talented artist galpal and former LA Weekly colleguen Marina Rosenfeld.
Saturday is when the weather turned turgidly humid and I had to change digs to my old stomping quarter at Off SoHo Suites. Just in time for a May Day Dinner party hosted by the elegant Glenn Belverio with cooking assist from Cory and French knitwear design sensation Pierrot. The menu included Bourride, dragons breath and sect. Mr. Belverio and Pierrot will both be on Speaking From the Diaphragm, with Pierrot presenting a fashion show. At dinner I was enchanted by the gracious and beguiling beauty of writer and Bataillian librarian Nancy Stout. And of course M. Pierrot is my kind of Frenchman—sexy and wild.
In the morning I found out on CNN that there was a foiled terror plot in midtown Manhattan. Yikes.
Last night at Participant I hosted the book launch for the Stuart Sherman Nothing Up My Sleeve Exhibit, curated by Jonathan Berger. The gallery looked gorgeous bathed in gold lame wallpaper, and I had everyone in gush over my exquisite puce gown designed by Mr. Nikko Lencek-Inagaki a new design force to reckon with who is a happa mixed with Japanese and Slovenian parentage which gives him that adorable shot of exotica. So nice seeing Sean Carrillo, & his wife Bibbe Hansen, the youngest of the Warhol Stars looking literally teenage. I cant believe that Bibbe’s pop star son Beck is turning 40 this year and his brother Channing’s son is 16. I use to babysit Beck and Channing back in the old punk rock days in LA. Also on hand The Bergers, the handsome young parents of Jonathan, Jason Martin, Sarah, Sweet Johnny, Tavia Nyongo, Marc Arthur & beau, Leon Hilton, Billy Miller & Jeff, Carlo McCormick of Paper Magazine (who will be on Speaking From the Diaphragm) Spencer from Santos Party House, photog Conrad Venture and a host of other notables that I don’t have time to relay as I have several meetings today including one with my co-host Carmelita Tropicana. Sunday evening ended beautifully at NoHo Star restaurant with Dr. Munoz & as we were served by a little lap top of a boy waiter with plenty of attitude to spare.

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CRAIG´S WIFE

For all you fans of Azteca Warrior here is a short emug from him:

Nigressa,

I have been all over the city and state for that matter for work. Can't complain, too many folks without work! I finally saw my Hot Buttered Jewish Gym buddy last week at the gym. He was working out with his hot GF when I saw them. She was her usual bubbly self. He was a little quiet.
Fechesita, in my ass hounding adventures, when you get the opportunity to give a guy, straight, married, etc... his first ass rimming it's a great experience for both. If you have the boy/man on his back with his knees to his chest, you get to enjoy what he has to offer, but more important to me at least! Is watching is facial expressions. When a straight dude is getting licked for the first time around his ass, his nuts, the portion between the nuts and hole and the sides of his inner thighs, it's all a new sensation. Guys don't know if they should laugh/giggle cause it tickles, moan, or start calling out for a Butthole Jihad. The result of all these sensations, especially when you finally dig into the hole, is an odd really Goofy and dorky Smile. For some reason this look really gets me going. Back when Azteca Warrior was a Marine, I got to enjoy that look often...Nothing better then a hot young fit Foondio to chow down on. As you always say, young bung hole is always sweet and tasty even if it's a little dingy.
OK, so back to my gym buddy, we did our usual small talk and then I went on my way with my routine. I turned and saw him while is GF went off to get some water. While I worked his hot ass he had his mug deep into his pillow so I didn't get to see his face. At the gym he looked right at me and he just gave me that Odd Goofy smile that I recognized as the "I can't believe this hole feels so good being licked-look!" I looked back at him with my serious Poker face and then he broke out with a really big cheesy smile.
So my sweet Crenshaw Rose, I have a feeling that a second opportunity awaits me. You know I'd be down for that, I'd have to do my Pupusa Style rim session or the sloppy Wet Burrito number that works for big butts like your hot hard Horse Ass!

Azteca Warrior

***
Had a delightful time with one of my NYU students Alex Casso who is here in Berlin on an art exchange program. We met at the Nobel Elf for drinks, then went around the corner to Festival Hall Kreuzberg to see MEN perform. MEN is the new hot band headed by JD Samson of Le Tigre fame. The place was packed with fans dancing and having a grand ole time. JD and her wilde lovesexy crew that includes sweet Ginger and hottie patotie young Michael (who was packing quite the penile package)worked the audience into an Alfred Hitchcock style frenzy. It was nice to enjoy the show with a handsome young companion, and see things through his youthful eyes. Also in the audience: Janine of PlanningtoRock, Anna Muelter of HAU, Tim Stutkin, Liz Rosenfeld, and editrix Manuela Kay of Sieggesaule.
***
The next day i was feeling a little under the weather when i was treated to a lovely luncheon by Marc Siegel on AkazianStr near the Cheese Endique Trifecta. Marc regaled me with stories of his successful tour of the east coast with Drag Superstar Mario Montez. I will be leaving Sunday for New York to work on my Ethyl Eichelberger Award show at PS 122 which is called Vaginal Davis is Speakingg From the Diaphragm. The kids from MEN said they want to be guests on my show, and that would be amazing!!!

Hope to see you this Saturday April 24th 9pm at Rising Stars, Falling Stars where i will go through another one of my frightening transformations. Feel free to bring along a baby Frankenstein or your gnarliest Berlin Nosferati looking best friend as we celebrate all things hideous with a special screening of the horror classic The Phantom of the Opera (1925) starring Lon Chaney and directed by Julian Rupert.

Vaginal Davis presents: Rising Stars, Falling Stars, a monthly utopian performative silent film event for the discerning filmgoer. Saturday April 24, 2010 9pm at Arsenal Institute für Film und Video Kunst. The Phantom of the Opera starring Lon Chaney with live musical accompanyment by Eunice Martin on klavier. After the screening join the ugly Vaginal Davis Jr. In the Rote Foyer for an intimate wine reception.

2 Potsdamer Str Kino 2 at the Sony Ctr Filmhaus in historic Potsdamer Platz. www.arsenal-berlin.de www.vaginaldavis.com

KRAKATOA YEAST OF JAVA
This amazing emug just came to me from Arsenal Empress Stefanie Schulte Strathaus who is off traveling the experimental film circuit in the US and Canada.
***
Hello dears,

how does it feel under the cloud? Bitte keine großen Luftsprünge machen!!!

I have to tell you the weirdest story that happened to me in Winnipeg: When I arrived at the hotel, like a ghost late at night, they told me that I had already checked in a couple of hours earlier. I said well, that can't be true, because I had just arrived. But they insisted that Stefanie Schulte Strathaus was on her room and had already complained about having no warm water. Everyone was very confused, so they decided to believe me my identity and gave me another room. The next morning the other Stefanie Schulte Strathaus showed up earlier than me and the hotel people asked her to prove her identity, they compared credit card numbers, called Manitoba Film and Music who had made the reservation for her, and it turns out that this person really exists. But she got mad at the people at the hotel, insisting that she was the only Stefanie Schulte Strathaus in the world, no-one else would have this name and that I had stolen it from her. She left the hotel and I never got to see her. But the bellhop whispered into my ear: "She has your hair!"
However, my double had left and we went on to Vancouver. Like in Grimonprez' Double Take, when your double disappears you lose your identity. At the hotel in Vancouver my passport was lost. I tried to call the airline, but because of the vulcanoe it was impossible to get an answer. The next morning I spoke to BA call centers in India, the lost & found at the airport, the German Embassy, the police, the taxi company. No success, everybody told me that I should contact the other, it ended up in an endless loop. I was also told that if they would find my passport at all, they would have to give it to the Embassy, because it is Germany's property, not mine. And that would take a couple of weeks. At the Embassy they told me that I could get a temporary passport on Monday, but they wouldn't accept it at the US customs. So it looked like I could neither go further to the US nor back home because of the cloud.
After a million more phone calls I took a train to the airport and went to the lost and found. The guy didn't ask me for my name, but for the colour of my passport. I said it was red, he went to the back room and came back, holding it in his hands. He gave it to me and said, "now go and play the lottery". I took a taxi back to the city and the driver asked me why I had no luggage. I explained him that I was at the airport because I had lost my passport. He turned around and asked me "are YOU Stefanie"? They had informed already taxi drivers that my passport was missing. I wasn't sure what to answer, since I knew there was another Stefanie Schulte Strathaus around, but then I said yes and it felt like I had my identity back ...

Miss you all and hope to be able to fly back on Sunday!
Tim: Meeting with your family on Wednesday ;-)

Kisses,
Stefanie (the 1st)=

***
Saw the new film version of Dorian Grey, and its not very good. Fine oil Paintings should never hiss, or sprout faggoty maggots kids. Ta!
Went and saw Tom Ford´s version of Christopher Isherwood´s A Single Man. Mr. Ford had sent me a copy on DVD, but i wanted to check it out on the big screen. I liked it better smaller, but Mr. Colin Firth and Ms. Julianna Moore did put in some excellent performances and young British ingenue Nicolas Houth is mouthwatering throatcandy.
***
This just came in from DJ Snax:

HEADACHE is the new party brought to you twice a month by international musician and performer Snax and his partner, the debonair Michael R.

Every first and third Tuesday of the month, in Mitte’s Bang Bang Club, Snax and Michael blow your head with a festive, sexually mixed party full of cute boys, willing girls, drink specials and music so eclectic you’ll be begging for an aspirin. HEADACHE will host a special live act and guest DJ every night upstairs while downstairs, patrons with extra strong migraines can visit our soothing Wagner lounge, which offers mind bending visuals and ambiance.

HEADACHE is happy to launch our first party, TONIGHT, Tuesday April 20th, with none other than the one and only Namosh performing live. Namosh has been electrifying stages with his exotic, groovy music and performances since 2003. He is currently touring his latest LP, "Keep It For Later" (Crippled Dick Hot Wax), which can be described as cinematic, romantic, and danceable all at once.
http://www.myspace.com/namosh
Following Namosh will be our very special guest DJ for the evening; the legendary Matt Sims. Already known for his darkly provocative performances and recently on the heels of a touring opera with Olaf (The Knife) and Planning To Rock, Sims creates DJ sets known to be both brooding and cathartic.
http://www.myspace.com/mtsims
Guests will definitely want to stick around late as Snax closes the party each night with a DJ set sure to get your head (and other body parts) throbbing!
Start Time: Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at 11:00pm
End Time: Wednesday, April 21, 2010 at 7:00am
Location: Bang Bang Club
Street: Neue Promenade 10
City/Town: Berlin, Germany
***
Received this emug today from the charming art photog and gallerist Ms. Elly Clark whose traveling exhibition has been postponed because of all that ash, smoke and lava coming out of my erupting pie hole.

Dear All,

DUE TO VOLCANIC ACTIVITY, neither Elly nor her suitcase could make it to NYC - this week. So W U N D E R K A M M E R will be staged on Thursday 22nd April on the shelf of Clarke Gallery instead, presenting the work of all 11 Berlin-based/Clarke Gallery artists of the exhibition.

Curated by Elly Clarke and Jessica Brouder, this is the first Clarke Gallery exhibition that will travel beyond the confines of Elly's apartment in Neukoelln but to other venues, in either her or Jessica's suitcase. The contents of the show will change gradually as it goes; sales and additions in every city will ensure the inventory is constantly in flux.

Next May, 2011, W U N D E R K A M M E R will be shown once again in Berlin, after its journey, with probably quite a different collection from now. And New York will happen for sure at some point before the Autumn.

Wunderkammer is the German translation of Cabinet of Curiosities and the show incorporates sculpture, photography, drawing, painting and performance ephemera.

Please note: Since this has been a last-minute change, Clarke Gallery will not be serving drinks, so please Bring Your Own!

Next Stop after Berlin (Volcanic Ash permitting) will be St. John's in Newfoundland. We look forward to seeing you!

CLARKE GALLERY PRESENTS:

W U N D E R K A M M E R

in Berlin

22nd April 2010, 19:30-22:00h

Friedelstrasse 52, 12047 Berlin. Bei Clarke Klingeln

EXHIBITING WORK BY THE FOLLOWING ARTISTS:

Jessica Brouder
Elly Clarke
Julian Eicke
Alexander Heaton
Liz Fletcher
Sophia New and Dan Belasco / plan b
Christian Sievers
Vajra Spook
Anna-Myga Kasten
Kym Ward
Andrea Winkler

http://www.clarkegallery.de / mail@clarkegallery.de

WIE SOLL ES AUF DAUER GEHEN; DAS MITEINANDER DER NATION?
Spent Sunday morning with handsome Daniel Hendrickson the Swedish Muslim translator to the shtars helping me organize a conceptual outline for my new stage piece Speaking From the Diaphragm which will co-star downtown legendinas Carmelita Tropicana and Jennifer Miller the famed bearded lady off Circus Amok. The sensationally handsome and talented artist Jonathan Berger will handle the costume, set and production design. This piece will premiere May 15th at PS 122 as part of the Ethyl Eichelberger Award i won. Well lets hope the Iceland Byork Volcano doesn't cramp my travel plans. We shall see just what Mama Naturrel has in mind for the Vagimule doll for springtime.
Mr. Hendrickson cooked an amazing breakfast of homemade biscuits and fritatas with his special mamosa party mix. The afternoon was major Ms. Gorgeous so we did the SonnenAlee ho stroll looking for humpy Turkish and Arab trade. Boy were the boys bursting out of their white pants. Delovely! We zoomed through Hasenheide Park and watched Ms. Nanna Heidenreich of Arsenal Experimental, her athletic gal pal DJ Olga Damnitz and Senol Senturk play a pick-up game of soccer. I have been feeling like i need some exercise, but now after watching them chase that little ball,i realize that soccer isn´t going to be the source of my becoming more physicall fit. Later Tim Blue cooked me a fabulous lemon grass, knobloch & fennel Chicken dinner that was just too perfect. Tim Blue is directing and starring in a version of Alice in Wonderland mixed with The Wizard of Oz via alien abduction for the Parkauer Theatre in Lichtenberg that will premiere in January 2011.
Headed to the Lido to see the triumphant Berlin return of Baby Diaper Joel Gibb and his Hidden Cameras merry minstral band. I havent seen them since Krems, Austria in 2008 for the Donnau Festival. What a magnificent show they put on complete with well choreographed dance moves. It was so playful and joyous that at times i was dancing along uncontrollably, then other i was crying from the heartfelt pathos of Herr Gibb´s beautiful voice and manly seductive stage ardour. The entire crowd in the auditorium were equally swept away.
In the audience the celebutant quotient was high starting with Anna Muelter from HAU, Yussi Etiman the divine Turkish guru of Basso Kollective, lovesexy artists Dean Sameshima and Austria´s beloved Mattias Herrmann who teaches at the Vienna Art Academy and has one of the largest penises in Christendom, DJ Snax, Wieland Speck of the Berlinales Panorama Section, juicy Enrico Dallman Joel Gibbs East German lover, adorable Felix Knoke of Der Spiegel Magazine with his handsome pal Jan, Edwuardo Cabra and brother Rene Perez of Puerto Rican band Calle 13, hunky actor Alex O'Loughlin & Val&Sebastian of Noblesse Oblige who were the opening act. Later i took Felix & Jan to Barbie Deinhoff´s for a nitecap and we were joined by the entire HC crew & admirers that included Alessio from bbooks and Tim Stutkin. Of course i wound up flirting shamelessly with HC drummer the humpy blondine beauty Farmer John of New Foundland. What i wouldnt do to become that boys permanent sperm receptacle.
In the morning Anna Muelter invited me for coffee and croissants at WAU Cafe, and she looked over my New York contracts. Anna is one smart, talented and highly skilled lady in matters concerning legaleeze both in Germany, the US and abroad. The director of the Hebbel Theatre Mattias Lienthal surrounds himself with a bevy of the brightest most beautiful women working in the arts in all of Europe, and Anna is one of his right hand gals. One of the wonderful aspects of working regularly at HAU is that it is a very female centered, and driven atmosphere. In patriarchal Germania that is something very rare in.

KÜSTENPANORAMEN
Forgot to mention that before going to HAU 3 i stopped at the WAU Cafe for some delicious cake and coffee. Everyone was sitting outside enjoying the lovely spring day. Ran into cute Israeli artist Imre who is the boyfriend of filmmaker Lior Shamriz. Imre is working as a film editor and part time for the WAU at the HAU 2 Foyer bar, and still occasionally bartending at Barbie Dienhoff.
I flirted with my favorite WAU waiter the tiny and sexy blondine Benny with the pretty blue eyes. Also hung out and sat next to at HAU 3 the delightful and charming curator Dorothee Wiener, with her distinguished looking male escort. Dorothee is extremely beautiful,elegant and patrician. Found out that we are both born the same year.

TRAUM UND DER ALBTRAUM
Went to HAU 3 to see EIN WARNGEDICHT or Warning Poem by young handsome Turkish filmmaker and stage director Tamer Yigit. I have been wanting to see something by Mr. Yigit for some time as he is quite an alluring, brooding presence at the Hebbel Theatre. Warning Poem was being presented as part of an international festival for curators and programmers so the proceedings which were in German had English untertitles--thank god.
It was wonderful to see a piece with some young, fresh,and very intense Turkish performers who were also major Ms. Gorgeous. Their youthful bravado was a complete utter treat to the senses. The hornpig in me kept hoping that the two lead actors with short dark hair would take off some clothing. The boy playing Tony had one of those rock hard lean bodies and flat abs that you could wash your clothes with,plus a bubble,sniffable butt to build a dream on. He was extremely lovesexy in that ultimate bad boy big dicque arrogant manner that completely drives me crazy. The other dark haired lad was classically handsome, with a manlische square jawed Yilmaz Guney matinee idol good looks. The scruffy long haired kid playing Knut was chunky, but funky and had an endearing smile that lit up the house. The only girl was strikingly beautiful, with a lovely singing voice and a magnetic stage presense. She deserved more stage time, but certainly held her own amidst all the machismo posturing from the young men. My only complaint being that the cast screamed a great deal where restraint and reserve would have been more affective. Also having the live guitar playing and other soundscapes continuously during the recitation of text would have created a nicer sense of layering with the poetry. Its so standard German theater to have only quiet during the speaking of text. When will they learn that approach is very dull and boring. If I was working with this fantastic cast i would have them showing the audience their feelings via gesture,and tableaux,keeping dialogue to a minimum.
In all i was excited to finally see the work of the enticing Mr. Yigit and kudos to him and his juicy cast Almila Bagnacik, Ömer Tarakci, Talu Emre Tüntas and Haydar Yilmaz.

DAS VERLOGENE PARADIES
Malcolm Maclaren died recently. I have only had one encounter with the punk rock maestro.In the early 80s at the Gagossian Gallery in Beverly Hills there was a Richard Bernstein exhibition of his Interview Magazine cover paintings.I came to the exhibit with the Afro Sisters, and the crowd was very hostile toward us and our look. One must remember that dressing ala the early 1970s wasn´t considered retro in the early 80s as some people were still sporting those fashions on a daily basis.
I think i was wearing a multi-colored caftan, and the Sisters were in performance costume mode donning super micro-minis with matching shiny pleather jackets & boots. This brittle blond art gallerist friend of mine was dating Mr. MacLaren at the time and she met me and the Sisters at the entrance of the gallery and escorted us to the VIP area where we partied royally with Christopher Makos, Andy Warhol, & Grace Jones who was coming on very strong to my Afro Sister „Pop That Cherry“ Jefferson aka: Priscilla Hazelwood. Mr. MacLaren was left speechless, and just looked at me the entire evening in a daze.
***
Took Anna Muelter of HAU out for a belated birthday breakfast at this cute little cafe on the canal banks. Anna is so sweet.The weather was perfect and we sat in the direct sun. Afterwards we took a girlish stroll and Anna showed me her new split level penthouse flat that she bought next to the Kreuzeberg hospital.
***
Filmed a new movie project directed by French beauty Pauline Beaudry and her handsome German ex-girlfriend Renata Lorenz.In this short subject I play the early 20th Century black vaudeville star Ada Overton Walker.I performed a distilled version of the cakewalk that left me with swollen leggs and feet for a day afterwards. Tan Bihn Nguyen designed the hair and make-up which was wonderful. Tan Bihn is a genius. Also starring in the movie is the amazing Spanish dancer Arantxa Martinez.
***
Der Spiegel writer Felix Knoke and his good friend and roommate Jan came by the Cheese Endique Trifecta the other day and we had a lovely time drinking and chittle chatting until the wee hours. Felix is adorable and he and Jan perform as a pick up band with my dear girlfriend Ms. Glen Meadmore whenever he performs in Europe.
***
Don´t know if this is real or not, but i got a very official looking letter requesting an autograph picture from someone representing Hamden bin Mohammed al Maktoun who is the Crown Prince of Dabai. Someone could easily be pulling a big practical joke on me, but all i can say is that i hope this Saudi Prince is goodlooking and well endowed.

EIN NACHTLICHER STREIFZUG
Art photog Annette Frick hosted a lovely formal supper at her large and spacious Mitte flat. Frau Frick lives in the only part of that area that isn't completely gentrified. Everyone feasted on the famous Frau's world renown lasagna, and the drink kept flowing until the wee hours. Annette surprised me with a belated birthday cake that was delicious to the taste and touch. Sitting around her gracious table handsome experimental film legend Wilhelm Hein, musician and cineaste Timothy Blue, video artist Evelyn Rüsseler, Johannes from Galerie Fischerundfischer, Solmas Shabazian the stunning internationally known Iranian videoartist with husband Stefan the typographie authority who teaches at the Cairo Art Academy and Berlin drag queen Juwelia who reminds me of a giant piece of delicious fruit that has taken on human form and characteristics.
***
I am still receiving a million emails from people who saw me perform at Semiospectacle in New Yorika.For those of you who were unable to attend Semiospectacle: A Literary Revue, there is now an image gallery up online with photographs by Bricktops archivist Don Spiro (http://tinyurl.com/yjkjkjl), a writeup at Art in America (http://tinyurl.com/yk4dsh4), Nubby Twiglet's post on her stunning Semiospectacle designs (http://tinyurl.com/ycdtnch), and a Semiospectacle Facebook group for news on future installments (http://tinyurl.com/yhlco75). Plus
Jeremy (J F Thompson) and Paolo Javier are co-curating a new performance series entitled P||R||O||J||E||C||T||I||O||N||S at Bowery Poetry Club, focusing on the intersection of text moving sonically through space and the movement of image across the surface of the screen. For more information and information on upcoming performances, you can join the series Facebook group at: http://tinyurl.com/yj32sr7.
***
And for all you ginger snap lovers, the hot young, bubble butt, big tittied LA based ginger artist Patrick Lee will have his first solo show in New York. Patrick is one of the most talented men I have come across in the last ten years and his work has to be seen to be believed. And if that isn´t enough for you he is also one fine piece of eye candy. If you are in New York do yourself a favour and check him out:

Patrick Lee
22 April – 28 May, 2010

Ameringer | McEnery | Yohe is pleased to announce its first solo exhibition of drawings from Los Angeles-based artist Patrick Lee. Patrick Lee opens to the public on April 22 and will be on view until May 28. There will be a public reception for the artist on Thursday, April 22 from 6 to 8 pm.

This exhibition will feature graphite works on paper from Patrick Lee’s Deadly Friends series. The drawings in this series are composite portraits based on hundreds of photographs that Lee has taken over the past decade of men he approached on the streets of Los Angeles. Lee is a master draftsman and each of his drawings is painstakingly crafted over many labor-intensive months of refinement. His technical skill is evident in the subtle nuances and visual complexities of his images; rays of light, shadows, muscles, pores, intricate neckchains, facial hair, even blemishes and scabs all are rendered in photorealistic detail.

Lee’s subjects are intimidating figures, often drifters, outlaws, and gangbangers, some with fascinating or frightening stories to tell. They are men with threatening stares and broad, muscular bodies covered in gruesome scars and audacious tattoos that indicate gang membership, prison time and hard-won life lessons. He explores the way in which these physical signs of aggression and elements of masculine style are utilized to communicate complex codes of identity and amplify the subjects’ fearsome masculinity. The artist focuses his attention not just on the surface of the body, but especially on the gaze of his subjects and the expressions of hostility, pride, stoicism, strength and apathy that they seem to wear as protective masks. Aided by his inimitable technique, Lee’s drawings go beyond the obvious harsh physical exteriors to expose the nobility and humanity of these individuals who society dismisses as outcasts or thugs.

Patrick Lee was born in Butte, Montana in 1979 and attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Lee’s work has been exhibited at galleries and museums across the country including the Francis Young Tang Teaching Museum at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York; the Weatherspoon Art Museum in Greensboro, North Carolina; Rebecca Ibel Gallery in Columbus, Ohio; Western Project and Marc Selwyn Gallery in Los Angeles. Lee’s work is in permanent collection of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas. Patrick Lee currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California.
Ameringer | McEnery | Yohe is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 am to 6 pm and by appointment.
For further information and visuals, please contact: Thomas Quigley at
TQ@Ameringer-Yohe.com
***
The divine Stefanie Schulte Strathaus empress of the Arsenal Institute für Film und Video Kunst celebrated her 28th birthday at The Blue Nile Ethiopian restaurant in Kreuzberg last Thursday. On hand was Tim Blue, Daniel Hendrickson with lover Piero Bonhomme, Susanne Sachsse, Nanna Heidenreich and gal pal DJ Olga Damnitz, scholar Nicole Wolfe with girlfriend as well as Herr Roman one of Frau Strathaus's oldest friends from childhood. Speaking of the Arsenal handsome Israeli Assaf Hochman took the doll to see the Romy Schneider tribute. Frau Schneider with Alain Delon and a breathtakingly young Jane Birken in the French psychological drama The Pool from 1967When it comes to the psycho sexual no one handles that better then Azteca Warrior in El Lay. Here is his latest whorestory:

Pachuca,

My morning routine starts off at 6:00 a.m. at the gym just about every weekday. Over the years I have made some cool gym friends. The super hot eye candy includes the pretty young USC boys who work out before class. For the past 2yrs I have become friends with this SUPER HOT ASSED Jewish guy and his sexy girlfriend. This guy is a ripped muscle mega Bubble assed man with a handsome masculine face, he’s 32yrs old. Sometime last year we exchanged cards and we communicated a few times via email. He tells me that my odd sense of humor and perspective on different issues is very intriguing?
While at the gym we laugh at some folks, talk smack etc… He sent me an email once telling me that his girl noticed my Cornelius stare at his hot ass. I replied by saying that a hot ass was my weakness, and that an ass like his needs manly attention! After that email exchange, I’ve received some odd emails from him. On another occasion I was talking to him and his girlfriend when this super hot young guy moved to use a work out machine right next to us. The guy was very hot faced with a smoking body, I looked at his girlfriend and just raised my eyebrows. My ripped hot assed Jewish buddy just looked and smiled and said, he’s too skinny. I said, that boy deserves a nice Man to Man Nude Dude massage. I told him that Nude Dude Massages could bring peace to the Middle East! He laughed and we went about our business. Since that conversation, he tells me that my Nude Dude Massages are the same as Windex for Greeks, the cure for everything, I replied and said, it was.
Today, I see him and his side kick girlfriend early in the morning. He sees me leave the gym in my sweats, he asked me, No suit today, I said, No, I have a free day to do some office stuff and that I would be working from home. I asked him, what’s up with your back? he seemed to be walking slow. He explained to me how he must have pulled something, blah blah blah. I told him, a nude dude massage would take care of that. Both he and his girlfriend laughed.
I made my way home and about 9a.m. I get an email from an address I don’t recognize. It had an address and nothing else. I remembered that he lived somewhere in the Valley. I did not reply, I got in my car and drove to the address. I parked in front of a small craftsman house and walked up to the door, it was opened. I called out, Hello, I walked into the house and saw a clean very well organized home. I see the hallway and the open door to the bedroom. I did close the door behind me. I walk into the room and there is my hot ripped friend lying in bed, ass up and naked. Pachuca, he had a professional body shave job going, not a single hair in sight. The ass was un-real, it belongs on a 16yr old Black cheerleader, it is round and hard and super white! He moved but didn’t show his face. I took off my shirt, pants and underwear. I climbed on top of the bed and on his body, I grabbed the bottle of lotion he had by the bed and started massaging his back. I was sitting on his ass with my knees straddled across him as I worked his back. After about 20 minutes or so I turned my body around and positioned my butt on his back, straddled him again and started massaging his lower back and butt! I worked his ass and broke out into a sweat. At this point, I could feel his heart beating, and mine was getting worked up as well. I did not have a boner, but I was leaking pre-cum that I wiped away a few times. I kept working his ass and moved my position again. Now I’m in between his legs, working his ass and his lower and upper back. I continue to work his ass and lower back and then start to make my way down his thighs and legs. As I make my way back up his thighs I make my way close to his hole getting deep under his crotch. At this point I do have a boner, mind you he still has his faced jammed into the pillow. I continue to work his butt and thighs and he starts to arch and buck back and forth. I spread his legs apart further and see that pretty pink hole. I continue and spread his cheeks apart, he is starting to gyrate his ass. So I take one more butt and lower back stroke and then dive into that hot ass and dig my tongue into that hot hole. I get a mouth full of not so clean ass hole. I figured, he’s straight, he thinks it’s clean. So as the experienced ass eater that I am, I continue and muster up enough saliva to clean that nasty hot hole. I casually lick the blanket to clean my tongue and get back into his hole, I do my tongue cleaning number twice. The boy in the meantime is insane, he is all ass spread and his body is red. I work that hole and put my arms under his body and lift him up so that I have him on his knees. I spread his ass and work his hole, while I reach under him and grab his nuts and reach for his cock. He had a really small cock, which was fine, I appreciate how God balances things out. As I held his hard cock and worked his hole, he was shaking. I like pulling the cock down and licking the back of the cock and working my way up to the hole. I really get worked up by that number and that worked him way over the edge, he let out a HUGE yell and a huge load! He then yelled- he thought he was going to fart. He freaked out, and ran into the bathroom and turned the shower on. I changed into my clothes and made my way home and back to work. I could taste his hole on the drive home. This man ass was so hot, his abs were just as hard as his dick.
Pachuca, I need St Saletia to cleanse my soul and get me back into loving Jesus and no more hot man booty sex. Although, I wanted to fuck him so badly, I knew that would have been a buzz kill. I have played with two other straight/married guys and they were fucken crazy over the sensation of getting rimmed. While in Atlanta, I was rimming a hot young dude, when I did the cock lick and hole number, he did fart in my mouth. It was a baby fart, but it was still a fart. He didn’t know what to do, I told him it was organic and that’s what happens when you stick your tongue in an ass hole. He settled down and we got right back down to business.
So there you have it. We will see how this man handles tomorrow morning when we see each other, if we see each other.

Warrior

FITTING INTO GENE KELLY’S PENNY LOAFERS
Last night accompanied by Daniel Hendrickson and Piero Bellomo to the Arsenal´s Magical History Tour for a screening of the 1952 classic MGM musical Singin’ in the Rain starring Gene Kelly, a very young and queeny Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds. Its weird that Ms. Reynolds even as a teenager already looked middle-aged. The true stars of the picture being Jean Hagen and Cyd Charisse. Ms. Charisse does a spot on Louise Brooks impersonation with legs to match, and Ms. Hagen who was nominated for an Academy Award has the broadest shoulders of anyone in filmdom. Stanley Donen and Mr. Kelly shared the directing chores, but its obvious that the true inspiration came from Mr. Donen who was only 23 at the time.
I was friends with Gene Kelly’s son Tim from his last marriage. We are both the same age, and Tim was one of the partners with Matt Dyke in the 80s dance club Nairobi Room. Tim would wear some of his fathers old clothes and they were the spitting image of each other. Like dear old dad Tim´s little legs could barely contain that bubble butt. I will never forget a New Year’s eve party at their Beverly Hills mansion on Sunset Blvd, the entire backyard has hedges resembling the maze in the Kubrick film The Shining. A few years after the party the house burned down to the ground.
And speaking of Matt Dike of Delicious Vinyl Records, i got a million emugs from people who read what i wrote about him and shared in their marvel for his talent as a DJ, producer and boy beauty. The magnificent writer Nancy Rommelman, one of my LA Weekly collegues also sent me a sweet note on the subject.
***
I had forgotten that Berlin at Easter is filled with a zillion homo sex tourists stomping through the streets, highways and byways looking for whorgies. Its hysterical seeing these chubby men stuffing themselves into tight jeans and braces desperately trying to look like hot Nazi skinheads. A shaved head and Fred Perry shirt doth not the humpy football hooligan make. You´re just a middleaged pepperpot with a bald head.
And now its time to talk about the Semiospectacle event I headlined for Columbia University which took place at PS 122 on Monday March 22, 2010. The event was curated by the glamorous 22 year old academic prodigy Ms. Mashinka Firunts , who I am proud to say was one of my Bricktops girls at Bricktops at the Parlour Club in Los Angeles. Received this sweet emug from Ms. Firunts so you get a taste of her marvelous writing talentas.
Dear Vag,
Lord Whimsy hit the nail on the head in his livejournal remarks (http://lord-whimsy.livejournal.com/610942.html), you were truly the Mistress of Ceremonies in our vaudevillian backstage room throughout the performances, spreading effusive charm to all those weary and weak and war-torn from the aggression of the spotlight.
I've made mention on multiple occasions of how formative experiences at Bricktops and with documentation of your work have been to the conception of the show, and as such obviously had not the slightest doubt as to the fact that the piece would be absolutely sensational, but really what you presented so far exceeded any recollection or expectation I held that I'm at a loss for adequate expression of gratitude for your contribution. Your piece, and your performative/lived persona transgress and cross-fertilize so many diverse communities and disciplines, producing electrifying hybrids that are essentially impossible to articulate. In discussions with friends, peers and spectators during and after the evening of the show, I frequently encountered usually grandiloquent critics being rendered speechless by your work. Graduate students at Columbia, gentlemen from the experimental poetics presse Ugly Duckling, denizens of the demi-monde, J. Hruska from Art in America, and burlesque sensationalists alike all pointed to an ineffable poignancy that eludes translation or comment. The liminal space you produced was habitable by neo-vaudevillians, academics, stripteuses, poets, playwrights. In short, I consider it a rare privilege to have been able to have a hand in showcasing something that spoke to so many, in so stentorian a boom, and on so many levels.
***
And now my notes on the evening in question. I was only able to view a little of the rehearsals of the other performers like the voltive figurine of Dr. Lucky and her Monster Beauty piece, juicy gamine Shonni Enelow and her My Dinner With Bernard Frechtmann, and the gallant Lord Whimsy and his Chimes From a Tin Chrysalis, but what I did see intrigued me to no end. The wonderful Lord Whimsy a patrician man of impecible taste and accomplishment gifted me with a copy of his latest tome The Affected Provincial´s Companion Volume One which contains a delightful plethora of essays, philosophical diagrams, poetry and other Arcadian Follies concerning the art of curious living and the reintroduction of ancient charm. I had a perfect time backstage getting ready with Lord Whimsy, meeting his beautiful wife and also sharing laughs with Dr. Lucky who is a modern day Texas Guinan, Ms. Enelow, Paolo Javier and his lovesexy crew that included Thomas Fink, Serena Liu and Geoff Olsen, Jeremy JF Thompson who completely captured the spirit of Charlie Chaplin during his glory days of 1925 when he was hosting orgies at AC Blumenthals penthouse suite at the Biltmore Hotel. I could see young Jeremy painting his privates with iodine and running madly through the suite as admirers gasped at his erection. O and the splendor of The Night They Raided Minsky Sisters rap tap tap tapping Eleanor Powell style into everyones hearts like they did at Bricktops Takes Man!hattan back in 2006. All my journalista friends were really impressed by the Mormen testimonials of Daniel Scott Snelson and houseband Granpa Musselman and his Syncopaters which featured handsome Bryan Reeder on piano. Mr. Reeder accompanied me as I sang Stichhaltiger Kunst.. I cant wait to receive a video of the evening so I can see everything as it was meant to be seen.

50 MILLION FRENCHMEN CAN´T BE WRONG
Rising Stars, Falling Stars last night was perfect. A diverse crowd in overflow for the 1913 film What 80 Million Women Want with live accompanyment from the Blue Bros. Tim&kJohnny who brilliantly wove audio tracts from Angela Davis,Eileen Wornos,Emma Goldman and Assata Shakur into a seamless score plus some original recordings by Katherine Fischer aka: Mad Kate who works with kJohnny at White Trash Fast Food A-Go-Go. Bros Blue also handed out to the audience a sheet soliciting their participation in contributing extemperaneous outbursts.Helping me introduce the film was Swedish Muslim Daniel Hendrickson who played beautifully Eric Satie on the piano as i sung a ditty called Stichhaltige Kunst which incorporated text by Adorno and Bataille. I also made it clear that 80 million women don´t want philosophers Martin Heidegger, Jurgen Habermas or Peter Sloterdink. Enjoying the free flowing vino in the Rote Foyer-Arsenal Empress Stefanie Schulte Strathaus who celebrates her 28th birthday on April 3rd, please send her lots of juicy presents, she is the hardest working woman in Europe and deserves mucho gifts and cash$, the lovely Aston Brooks and partner Andrea of Stereo Code,Alex & Sarah of The CHEAP Gossip Studio bar, actress Susanne Sachsse with her gorgeous twins Salome & Richard Gershe, sexy Sasha of HAU,Enrico Dallman the handsome physical therapist to the stars with his sweet best friend from Bregenz, Austria, scholar Tavia Nyongo, humpy Jon from Montreal, members of the theatre group Schwartz Rock & Salomon, Mimosa Pale of the Himo Hat Shop in Neu Kölln, Dutch boy Daniel, well endowed Toby with an equally hung pal, Beatrice „Trixie“ Cordua, Evelyn Rüsseler, artist Angela Meritoupolous, Assaf Hochman with Mourning Becomes Elektra, and whitetress Helen Suhr.
***
One of my all-time favorite personalities is Billy Miller of STH, who sent me this little emug:
MAGAZINE was a fantastic publication edited and published by Didier Lestrade
from 1980-87. It was a truly unique accomplishment, especially in that era.
Unlike the homo "lifestyle" publications of today, MAGAZINE did not glamorize or
fetishize consumerism and presented interviews with interesting contemporary
homosexuals from virtually every walk of life - and from every age group! In
those days, there was no pressure to conform to industry standards and -as
fashionable and hot as Didier was back then (and he was a beauty)- he never
sucked the corporate cock or catered to fashionista dumb-dumbs. MAGAZINE was
glamourous without being exclusionary, and sexy without being body-nazi. In it's
way, MAGAZINE was pretty revolutionary and was certainly the first of it's kind
in the world. There had never been anything in the homo publishing world that
was quite as smart, or as beautifully designed, and at the same time so
completely OUT there... and if you ask me, there still isn't anything out there
now that can touch it.
CONGRATS Didier!

(click on pages at bottom of article for views of MAGAZINE):

http://www.viceland.com/fr/v4n3/htdocs/didier-lestrade-340.php

And speaking of gay magazines saw the latest copy of Butt Magazine that has the British/Nigerian lead singer of the indie rock band Block Party on the cover. The boy is very cute with a nice lean body. I saw him once in a towel at the Steam Sauna and he looks as good in person as he does in photos, but doesn´t come across as very interesting in this interview, which may not be entirely his fault. The video artist Ryan Trecartin is also in this issue spotlighted in a very truncated feature interview. The only thing i liked was the pics and one-on-one with humpy courtesan Greek Pete.

BACK TO BATAAN
Yes the Vagimule Doll is back in Berlina after a whirlwind adventure in NewYorika, that also included pitstops at Princeton University, Vassar and Hampshire College in Massachusetts. Over 400 students came to see me at Hampshire and it was SRO all the way. North Hampton residents Thurston Moore& Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth and their daughter CoCo joined in the festivities as little Ms. Davis gave a performative lecture on Black Freakyness. Also in the crowd was Hampshire Theatre Professor Djola who was one of the members of The Afro Pomo Homos, and pretty video & installation instructor Kara Lynch who rode the train back with me to Man!hattan. All my thanks and kisses go out to Christian and her lucsious gal pals brainy Ft. Knoxxx and size 17 ½ footed Chris Cole who wined and dined the diva, and made her feel warm and welcome.
I arrived in New York on March 20th, greeted by a sumpteous spring day warm and breezy with the miraculous sight of humpy men in tank tops and flip flops. Mashinka Firunts, one of my gorgeous Bricktop girls curated the Semiospectacle as part of her thesis project at Columbia University. Mashinka made sure i was lodged in a residence befit a starina. Back in 2007 Deitch Projects put me up at the Off SoHo Suites between Chrsytie & Bowery, and it is the perfect place in lower Manhattan to stay, because everything is in walking distance.
As the headliner of Semiospectacle i went on last, so i didnt get a chance to see any of the other acts. But since this was a literary verbal variete´ i did get to hear them, and what i heard was resplendid. Art in America´s online edition gave the performance piece a 5 star review. I will comment in more detail on Semiospectacle and the fabulous performers in another post later in the week, once i have recuperated from jet lag, and am able to go over my notes properly, so stay tuned.
Oh and to all of you who have been writing me skads of emugs wanting to know all about the lesbianic drama between me and PS 122, and whether or not I will be doing Orifice Descending in May at PS as part of my Ethyl Eichelberger Award take note that the board members of PS including the divine Lucy Sexton and downtown legend Carmelita Tropicana have come to my rescue and we have worked out a solution. Ms. Sexton will act as artistic director supervising my performance at PS. I will do a much smaller, less involved piece in May called Speaking From the Diaphragm(after this very blog) where I will channel the spirit of such great daytime 1970s TV chat shows as The Mike Douglas Show and Dinah! featuring lesbian icon Dinah Shore. The always amazing Lia Gangitano of Participant Inc. Gallery will present Orifice Descending at her space in the fall with Jonathan Berger designing the sets, stage & costumes and co-starring Jennifer Miller, the famed bearded lady of Circus Amok.
On this trip i also did some studio visits with the wonderful NYU Barney Building grad students including lovely Cubana Jessica Gispert whose art practise just keeps getting better and better, and her video work is moving in exciting new directions. The delightful Jason Martin who works in anthropomorphic electronic assemblage and is like a male version of Kembra Pfahler with a little Joe Coleman thrown in for good measure. I really want Jason to be a part of Orifice Descending in Autumn. And i had a sweet talk with the talented and articulate Andy Slemenda, who is mystikal and majical and has some long flowing Barbra Streisand nails and creates mythical worlds and multi-dimensional universals that can outdo L.Frank Baum & Lewis Caroll. Later in the early evening on March 24th i gave an overview of the Josephine Baker/Jean Harlow performance seminar Platinum Jungle that i taught at Malmö Art Akademy to a nice group of students and faculty that included headmistress of the Art Dept and my old LA pal who really takes good care of me when I am in New York, Ms. Nancy Barton, pretty Alex Jovonovich, Performa´s RoseLee Goldberg her lovesexy son Pierce, daughter and patrician husband Dakota.
Professor Jose Munoz of NYU´s performance studies dept took me to a fab Mexican restaurant on St. Marks Place and later to a Tequila Bar where we cleaned the place dry.
Bruce „Judy“ La Bruce and i threw a Middle Aged Crazy Anti-Crisis party at the piano bar Marie´s Crisis on March 23rd that was utterly explosive and featured a veritable who´s who of celebutants including academics Chan Noriega and his enchanting wife Kathleen McHugh who had just curated an exhibit at the Post Chicano Museo del Barrio. In their party included Bibbe Hansen and hubby Sean Carrillo, Ela Troyano and her sister Carmelita Tropicana, Dr. Jose Munoz and Filipino Butch Professor Karen Tongson of USC. The cream de la creme of homosexual artistes included writer Bruce Benderson, Slava Mogutin and Brian Kenny, (who cooked a sumpteous feast for Judy & I the previous Sunday) hot singer and painter Gio Black Peter with his 11 year old lover Neil Young, Billy Millerr of STH, Glenn Belverio & Carol Pope with some handsome Bollywood stars in tow, including Sherwih Parikh and Arjun Bhasin fashion director for GQ India and top Bollywood stylist, Pierrot aka Pierre Carrilero of Voila Pierrot the knitwear design company. Pierrot use to be a top model in the 1980s for Mugler and Gaultier, the delightful sexpert Ms. Patty Powers, handsome NYC music star Xavier, My Comrade´s Linda Les Simpson, Viva Ruiz,Jonathan Berger, Bill Coleman the mastermind behind Deee-Lite and Ultra Nate, Lia G of Participant Inc., Marc Arthur and new beau, Interview Magazine´s Alec Gartenfeld, Cyril Duvall the spritelike French architectural wunderkind with Idem Item, who use to live in Japan but is now based in New York, vivacious Eliza Schwartz and humpy Leon Hilton and lover Misko. I am sure i am forgetting some peoples names, so check back in a week and i will add to the list.
It was so nice to be able to spend quality time with Jonathan Berger who is my beautiful child of high art. We had many wonderful meals together at greasy spoons, which are my favorite eateries, as there is nothing like them in Berlin. We also went to Julians the gay dive hustler bar in Greenwich Village and drank some perfect whiskey sours. I was so happy that I spent my last few hours in New York with Jonathan and Billy Miller at the Spring Natural Cafe. I was treated to lunch there a few days earlier by Emi Fontana an art historian who runs a not for profit organization in Los Angeles called Rome West. Emi and I are long lost twin sisters from different mothers born on the same day, same year. Ms. Fontana is coordinating a huge event through the Getty in which she plans to bring me to LA in late 2011 or early 2012, which would be my first time back to the city of my birth since leaving for Berlin in 2006. Is Los Angeles ready for a visit from i t s number one prodigal daughter? We shall see.
Saturday´s plane ride back to Berlin gave me the pleasant treat of the gifted scholar and gorgeous celebrity academe Juliana Rebentish. It was such a pleasure to share a taxi ride with the sparkling and vivacious Frau Rebentish.
Tonight at 9pm I will host my monthly performative silent film event Rising Stars, Falling Stars at Arsenal Institute für Film und Video Kunst with a screening of the 1913 feminist treatise What 80 Million Women Want. The Blue Bros Tim & kJohnny will provide the musical accompaniment and I will have a spezial guest in the form of Scandanavian Muslim Danny Hendrickson. So see you 2nite at the Sony Center at Potsdamer Platz

VAD HAR HÄNT?
The Jerk-Off Festival in Paris is aptly named. They sure acted like Gallic jerks to the Bad Breast Production. We were slated to perform in Paris for this queer festival July 1-4, but they pulled the plug. If anyone has any dirt on these icky people please give it to me so. I was looking forward to seeing Paris again and visiting Rick Owens and Michele Lamy.
***
The final group of performances by my students at Malmö was open to the entire Academy, and we had a good crowd, with some special celebrity guests in the form of Malmö Academy grad and one half of Fine Art Union.
Jessica Sanderheim began the presentations with a lovely contemplative crystaline watery mess with nice repeatitive movements. It was tranquil, calming and very thought provoking.
Natalie Sanchez wore a feminine Abu Gharib gown, defecated blue pigment on to canvas and ignited the room in an expanded cinema pageant of brilliant starlight and volcanic music chimes. Powerful and profound.
Johanna Stillman played on the notion of Paul Bern´s so-called suicide note to Jean Harlow by having the audience write their own suicide letter and then displayed them gallery style on the white lecture room walls. Sweet and perfect.
The Prince of Babylon, and great beauty of Bagdad, thus spake Zardasht Faraj with assist from Gwen Stefanie, Michael Jackson and other pop supositories in re-reading text and context. Roland Barthes eat your funky heart out.
Stine Midstaeter dressed to impress with bling and blang read aloud her screenplay on adult adoption, with such yearning and intensity. This is one scenario that needs to reach the silver nitrate screen--Graumanns Chinese Theatre or the Egyptian.
The last performance ended the afternoon on a high note with Ihra Lill Scharning´s My Worst Nightmare. If all Norwiegan nightmare´s were like this i would want want every night. A beautiful short film bathed in Leonard Cohen with Ms. Scharning clad in pink serenading the audience of her peers with an Eddie Grant love ballad. Sublime.
I can’t believe that Platinum Jungle has come to an end. I really loved meeting such a marvelously talented group of students doing such diverse work. There are some shtars here in Malmö ready to take their rightful place in the heavenly firmament.

SYMPATHIVALET
Went with my talented and beautiful student Karen Gimle to see a performative lecture by the art collective Fine Art Union at Signale Gallery. Fine Art Union is a Norweigan artist group based in Malmö, and Karen has collaborated with them. Seeing a bit of FAU performing live and on video they remind me of LA performance art legend Johanna Went. FAU have a explorative quality in their work and expressive singing voices. We share a distrust of art institutions while maintaining a messy kibbles and bit aesthetic. It was grand to hear that FAU performed at the incredible Wu’s Wildness space in Los Ang at the Silverplatter in Westlake/MacArthur Park. FAU as future primitives unfurled a Gay Rainbow/Leather/Bear Flag while performing at Signale and it was a complete hoot.
***
Second day of final class projects and Helena Olsson performed a movement piece with Sewing Machine in C major. Nice hommage to Jean Harlow with a little bit Cary Grant thrown in for good measure as she disected and deconstructed live a bias cut white evening gown and perfected her bee stung lips. Nice way to start the morning and it got better with petite Maria Norman donning a Jane Avril outfit and taking Josephine Baker to new heights in an ecstatic dance of epic porportions. All of my lesbian drama went out the window as Ihra Lill Scharning and Ellinor Aurora Aasgaard used the internet, a web camera chat room and partner fascination to love juicy and hilarious results. Last but not least Ms. Catherine Helberg did her native town in Sweden take on the ubiquitous La Baker banana dance, this time substituting a Herring manifest. Didnt notice the fish smell until the end of her gala interpretive dance. Tomorrow, the last day of performances are open to Academy community, and after a champagne salon.
***
One of my cute and sensitively manly NYU grad students Carlos Reyes sent me a link to a marvelous video he created called Portrait of the Artist as an Artist. http://www.davidjmerritt.com/dailies/

SKRAMLIGT OCH VASST
Received a wonderful emug from the gorgeous and multi talented artist Heather Cassils, who among other things has also worked as part of the art collective Toxic Titties. Heather as many of you know was prominently featured in the 9 minute music video of pop starlet Lady GaGa, sharing a passionate lovesexy smoochy. The video reminds me of Cheryl Dunye's lesbian prison film The Stranger Inside, and i am sure that was one of the directors influences. Also in the video is R&B Prinzessin Beyonce.
***
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Thank you for the outpour of support and comments over these past few day. I really appreciate it!! The video has over 15 million hits on the internet allready so I think its safe to say that this is another step for queer representation. All though I am happy to have had this experience and excited that the image is everywhere, there is absolutly no mention of who I am and what I do, (beyond making out with pop stars.)
My partner worked with a publicist last night and a press release went out this morning.
Please forward to any and all of your contacts in the art/ film and music worlds.
Help give a different kind of credit to the "girl" who kissed Lady Gaga.
Thank you!
Heather Cassils
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Who’s the “Girl” Kissing Lady Gaga in Controversial “Telephone” Video?

Lady Gaga’s epic nine-minute video “Telephone” has caused an up-roar
on the Internet, in part because of a sizzling queer kiss with a
female prison inmate. The video has already racked up 15 million
views on You Tube alone and now the “girl” has been revealed as Los
Angeles artist Heather Cassils.

Heather is a visual artist, stunt person and a body builder whose
exaggerated physique questions ideas about gender. It was for that
very reason that Lady Gaga handpicked her for a featured moment in the
jail yard scene during “Telephone.” When Gaga walks into a prison
yard, glasses flaming with cigarettes and smoke, she is approached and
seduced by Heather. With her unconventional beauty and strength,
Heather steals the scene.

Heather’s body is a work of art sculpted over the past decade as a
response to traditional ideas of gender. Somewhere in the “in-between”
of girl or boy, woman or man, she is a queer artist. Her work has been
so influential, the Canada-native was recently granted a green card as
an “Alien of Extraordinary Ability” to continue performing in the
United States.

While the make out session with the pop star was provocative, it was
anything but gratuitous. Rather, it added another layer to the ongoing
conversation about sexual identity and beauty. Heather’s response to
the media frenzy over the video is overwhelmingly positive. She
states: “it was exciting to be picked by Lady Gaga because I know my
body is different and I knew this video would give mass exposure of a
very unconventional female body.”

Heather moved to Los Angeles from Montreal to pursue her Master’s
Degree in Fine Art’s from Cal Arts, completed in 2005. Her work can
be seen in film, as well as formal gallery and museum settings. You
can find out more about Heather here: www.heathercassils.com

To reach Heather for an interview or photo opportunities, please
contact Cristy Michel at sir@youcancallmesir.com.
***
Today my students started to present their class performance finals. With the help of Miss Margot the technical coordinator at Malmö we turned the lecture room into the Platinum Jungle performance space, complete with video documentation. One of the youngest students the beautiful Elsine Hoff Levinsen who is just shy of 18 years of age presented a nice recitation that included two of her oil paintings. Her work already has a performative charge to it and she took it to the next level.
The equally beautiful and serene Jessica Sanderheim had the class follow her in pagentry procession mode to a 2nd floor closet which she converted into mini amphitheatre and installation space where she cleverly projected a short film with text that seemed to float in the room in a very mysterious fashion. Great way to start the week. Tomorrow six more student performances---a veritable variete show.

SAIGON LETTER
Part one of a wonderful letter received from that first family of experimental film Sherry & Ernie,who i love dearly and two of the most gifted and fun loving people i know. Enjoy dear readers.

Hi Vag--Sherry and I are traveling in Vietnam and now in Cambodia and as of tomorrow back to Vietnam, where we'll be till mid-April. We expect to be back in Europe all summer, doing various little things in Copenhagen, Ljubljana and in Portugal--we'll have to plot a way to get to Berlin as well--in our whirlwind tour. Anyway I wrote the notes below a little while ago and now have written another little such letter that continues the story--which I'll send you in a separate email. I have to say that you would be much loved in Phnom Penh. We stayed at a gay-friendly guesthouse there--and the city which is very lively is for sure gay-friendly overall (unlike it would seem on first inspection much of Saigon...). Anyway, just wanted to catch you up on some of our adventures--love, Ernie (and Sherry)
Happy New Year--from Saigon!
(on the streets of Saigon, cheap and, as you can see, smudgy copyshop editions of travel and Vietnam-interest books in English are widely available. This is a pirated Bantam 1968 edition of General Giap's manual.)

Sherry and I arrived at Tan Son Nhut Airport—a designation like so many others with a grim resonance for us for more than forty years—just minutes before Tet, the week-long New Year’s Festival was to begin. Outside the airport people were clamoring for taxis—so anxious or so excited were they to get into Saigon proper before the Year of the Tiger began. We got in the mood.

Once we grabbed one, the taxi ride in was exhilarating, after the 24 hour trip from snowy New York City, as the streets were thronged with dozens hundreds thousands of young people on motorbikes—motos, as they are called here. Sometimes whole families are bunched on a single moto. Stopped at red lights,we called out Happy New Year, from the taxi window, in between erratic bits of videotaping.

Upon checking in at our hotel, situated just two short blocks from the central Cho Ben Thanh market, we asked about the fireworks and were assured that the best place to see them now was the roof of the hotel….Up we went in the elevator, with a bunch of other visitors to Saigon, both Vietnamese and not. We were in time—which seemed auspicious—and was, as it turned out, for our nine days in Ho Chi Minh City. As the fireworks boomed the strangers looking out on the roof wished each other a Happy Year of the Tiger, in several languages.

I suppose in exploring every unknown and alluringly foreign city the swirling atmosphere of chance, even if ultimately illusory, seems to take over with each glance left or right, or each uncertain step this way or that. But Tet in Saigon nourished that potential, as we wrestled with inadequate maps (the bookstores were all shut for the week—Tet, you know—and so we kept failing to find a decent map, which had its own detourned appeal once in awhile—but not always). In the first Temple (Quan Am Pagoda) we went to in the Cholon District (which one reads about in Graham Greene’s The Quiet American as a suburb of Saigon, in the still-Frenchifed Fifties) we were struck right-on by the fantastic incense-drenched smokey spectacle of the rapt desire for good fortune. Dozens of worshippers lighting joss sticks they stuck into ceramic jars and incense cones hung on the ceiling in hopes of good fortune for the coming year. It was enough to turn any sentient being into a believer on the spot. And so newly religious, I joined in the ceremony, as Sherry wielded the camera. The overlap of the practice of worship to the more mundane practices of everyday life was so striking that we left suitably dazzled and soon stumbled into an actual gaming arcade, a few blocks away, where luck was a bit more mixed with skill as Sherry and I took turns playing some kind of pinball with some young Vietnamese also playing and trying against high odds to instruct us on how to play. We were transfixed for quite awhile—and when we broke away, thanking our neighbors for their help—we asked the young attendant what we owed for playing—and she checked our scoreboard—and paid us 10,000 dong—about sixty cents.

A few days later, in a muted Disney-fied almost amusingly ghastly tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels outside Saigon (from which the 1968 Tet offensive was launched by the VC against Saigon) the politics of luck (another name for class struggle in this context?) were played out on all sorts of levels. For instance, at the climactic point in the tour you can pay a little extra for some ammo and shoot the Vietnam War weapon of your choice at a target range. That nobody ever seems to hit a target would appear to be one point of this game. The punishing noise is another.

But much more compelling was the chance to talk to the tour guide, who had been demonstrating and lecturing about the enemy (that is us, the US), demonstrating, that is, the use of boobytraps and lethal cages, how the tunnel entrances were camouflaged, how the VC did and didn’t survive in the tunnels. We talked to him about his own experience of the War—he was a man of about 67 years of age.. He’d been an advisor to the Green Berets, was wounded in 68 and luckily –there it is again—demobilized—so after ’75 when he should have been a target for ‘Reeducation’ was given a pass on that. He asked me whether I’d been in the army during the War and when I explained that I’d been a draft resister responded, “oh, like Muhammad Ali.” We had in common the knowledge that the War had been the determining moment in both our lives.

The Cu Chi Tunnels , like the War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace, are the major sites of the circuit of war tourism in the Saigon area. Tourists can be counted upon to always behave like tourists so there was no visible hesitation in snapping photos in front of US tanks on the grounds of the War Remnants Museum, or in posing with broad smiles with arms draped around the VC mannequins at Cu Chi, etc. And of course we videotaped many of them doing so. And since it was Tet a great many of the tourists were Vietnamese—not just Westerners. These monuments (and others, scattered here and there, like the small street-corner memorial to the first monk who immolated himself, which is venerated on a daily basis by passersby) give Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City an ever-present ever-past sense of doubleness also hinted at by its double name.

There is much more to say but these are the themes we are reckoning with right now so far: the resonance of names, the deception of chance, and the persistence of burning—as we continue.

MEN MÖTENA FICK EN TRAGISK VÄNDNING
Did some performance exercises with the students today, like Mother May I?-Yes You May! We worked on opening our touch and voice chakras with gang massage, throwing voice and conjuring voice in the spirit. We did some mummification sculpting and value currency repeating the phrases: ”I am the most beautiful and talented in the world, I make the best choices and i am a visionary. My excrement doesnt stink, I can go a year without taking a bath and i have absolutely no b.o. I can eat raw onions and maggots and still have sparkling minty fresh breath.
Later in the evening i attended a happening by one of the students which was a great experiment in sensory deprevation, by forcing people to spend 2 hours in pure darkness.
Woke up Saturday morning thinking about the beautiful Matt Dike, one of those boys I liked back in the 1980s who got away from me. Matt Dike was one of the owners of a rap label out of LA called Delicious Vinyl that gave us Tone Loc and Young MC. Matt was also the third member of The Dust Brothers who went on to successes producing Beck and the Beastie Boys. Matt in fact was crucial in the production of the Beastie Boys seminar and highly influential album Paul´s Boutique. When I first met Matt in the early 1980s he was a recent transplant from New York City. He had pale skin, light colored hair and the sexiest most kissable ruby lips imagineable. He use to DJ an underground club called Nairobi Room that i would frequent that was on Third Street near Crescent Heights. Matt was a closet dinge queen, who had a strong desire for black boys but wasn´t able to express it. We exchanged google eyes with each other, but he was way too uncomfortable with his sexuality to make a play for me. Plus i think i scared him a bit because of my drag persona. He was flirtatious with me and playful when i was dressed in boy wear, but he found my femininity problematic. Maybe there could have been something there between us, but in my youth i was just too dogmatic in my belief system to give Matt a chance, and looking back now i regret that. Over the years he would DJ the Rhymthm Lounge on Melrose Avenue and Larchmont and Rhythm Lounge SoHo in Lincoln Heights. He also was the main DJ with Bradley Bransome´s Power Tools Club. Bradley was a cute photographer form ID and Face Magazine, very cute tall and blonde. Later he wound up having a serious drug problem. Wonder what ever happened to him, he was very adorable looking in the mid – late 1980s. But getting back to Matt Dike. I remember when he had a studio on Santa Monica Blvd near Vine Street. At that time I lived on La Mirada Avenue at the famous Karnak Apts. There use to be some great parties at the Karnak as members of the bands The Nymphs, Lazy Cowgirls and Fiends lived in the building not to mention a slew of other bands. There was also a lot of hot parties at the Happy Malaga Castle, an old building in Hollywood not far from The Karnak where Greta Garba use to have many a rendevous with her lesbian lovers.
Matt wanted me to play Funky Cold Medina in the Tone Loc video and i was horrified that he would suggest such a thing. He didnt even ask me personally but got one of his co-horts Mickey Petralia to do the dirty deed. I liked Mickey though he was very cute. I think Mickey works in music in movies these days. The last time Matt & I had a flirtation was in around 1994 at a big opening at ACE Gallery on Wilshire Blvd on the Miracle Mile. I felt like he was trying in an awkward way to open up to me, but i took his hesitation for arrogance and was rude to him. A few times i saw him from a distance in Silverlake in the late 90s. At this point he was working a Rick Rubin look of a long greasy billygoat gruff beard and basically looking like he was homeless, and living up in the Silverlake Hills in a big house that some people dubbed the Cocaine Compound. If any of my faithful readers out there know what happened to Matt Dike please drop me a line. He was always the boy that got away from me, and it was mainly my own fault. Vaginal Davis is definately a bitch goddess.

ELPRISET RUSAR-MED FLERA TUSEN
After a full week of screenings with my Malmö Students. The second week started with studio visits. Karen Gimle works in photography,short electronic media and performance. She is involved with a spirited art collective called Fine Art Union. Impressed with her rock n roll tableaux vivant set ups featured windsweptshe hair in face. Its a very high concept version of Helmut Newton ala Eyes of Laura Mars.
I adore cute and hunky Iraqi student Zardasht Faraj who came to Sweden as a refugee when he was 14. Zardasht does some stop motion animation art porn that would be great for the Porn Film Festival in Berlin or in Paris, must introduce Zardasht´s work to Jurgen Brunning in Berlin or Maxime Cervulle in Paris. I think they would love what he does. His stop motion animation videos are inspired Swedish artist Natalie Djurberg. He also has this marvelous series of Love Letter paintings that I find intriguing.
Ihra Lill Scharning is a very bright and sensitive Norwiegan girl who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheel chair. I adored her the first moment i saw her, and her art practice involves craftwork like knitting large sculptures, and obsessions like the one she has with these two young Norwiegan soldiers of fortune who are being held captive for murder charges in Africa. Ihra also has a crush on eccentric Hollywood actor Crispin Glover, which means the girl has good taste. She also works in photography and has created a wonderfully vulnerable series which features these beautiful boys from her hometown who function as substitutes to various aspects of her psyche. Its quite brilliant and done in an organic way that i relate to.
Young and pretty Catherine Helberg screened for me a delightful video with accompanying stills about eating ones femininity. I think she is on the way to creating a brand new feminist discourse. It feels so great to discover new emerging talent.
***
I find myself seriously falling in love with this hot young French actor Tahor Rahim who just won a Cesar Award for the Jacques Audiard film Un Prophete. I can´t wait till I am in Paris with The Bad Breast in July. More about this relationship later, as I don’t want to jinx it.
***
Tuesday i spent time with Jessica Sanderheim who works in sculpture, video and photography. She has an interesting background having lived in Iceland, Spain and Ireland. She is working on a series where she will create this underwater world via assemblage. She has also done this project where she has braided grass and made patterns in knolls and cornfields using an epilady. Don’t blame the aliens its actually Ms. Sanderheim. She also sewed a cheshire cat smile with thread into her palm as if it was stigmata. Take that you modern primitives.
Stine Midstaeter who is Norweigan, has a lovely Kenneth Anger obessession. Mr. Anger, the godfather of experimental film would appreciate a sweet little ditty that Stine has devoted to the superstar. She also is working with an art boy band. I loved her presentation with Maxmillian Ockborn called Washing Horses to Be Able to Understand Their Past. She also does performances as a duo, and these funny pieces remind me of Chicks on Speed crossed with NO BRA and that wild Berlin girl group Cobra Killer.
Petite Maria Norman has been working on this very personal project about a distant relative who was a silent film starlet in Hollywood during the 1920s under contract to Paramount between 1921-1925. She left Hollywood and married in Australia where she spent the rest of her life. The Silent film star’s name is Sigrid Holmquist and she was Maria´s grandmothers cousin. She also showed me a film about this movie palace that was run by her grandfather and grandmother. The movie theatre is now a national treasure.
Elsine Hoff Levinsen is very young at 18 with long Repunzel like hair, she has only been painting for a short time in oils, very old school but has a very distinct style and a fantastic voice that comes through in a mature fashion with a series of humous self portraits.
Helena Olsson, treated me to fruit and juices as we talked. She was a little bit in crisis mode and needed some encouragement that only the Doll can provide to students. Really loved her photo shape shifting series where she impersonates friends and acquaintances wearing their clothes and doing portraits as them in their homes. Also her staging of parental portraits is quite startling and moody.
Johanna Stillman is quite personable and sparkly. She showed me some epic pencil drawings that play off the Manga universe and the pop music world of Japanese and Korean boy bands and their homoeroticism. This is certainly work up my alley, as I am a perenial tween who has never managed to mature into adulthood.
One of my students came down with the flu so we werent able to have a studio visit. But this morning I saw some of Natalie Sanchez´s work. Natalie is Chilean via Bulgaria and Norway. She comes from a very politically active family in South America, and works in sculpture, photography and assemblage. Her work has a mischieveous edge to it. Some of her photocollages are strewn with poetic manifestos.

ELPRISET RUSAR-MED FLERA TUSEN
Took a day trip to Copenhagan which is only 30 minutes by train from Malmö Central Station. Copenhagen is major Ms. Gorgeous in all its Nordic splendour. Was really impressed by how lovely a jewel of a city it is. The weather was bright and sunny with the bluest of blue skies. Chilly and crisp but warmish in the direct sun. I came back to Malmö at 9:30pm just in time to catch a march through the city center by a nice group of young ladies intent on smashing patriarchy. Lovely way to end a lovely day on International Women´s Day.
Continuing on that thema you might appreciate knowing that New Zealand was the first country to give women the voting right in 1893 followed by Norway in 1913. The tired USA didn´t ratify the 19th Amendment until 1920 giving women the rights to vote.
Madame Curie won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 and in Chemistry in 1911.Madame Curie was portrayed by Greer Garson in the 1943 film. The blind/deaf activist Helen Keller was not only a radical socialist but a supporter of birth control, a suffragette and the founder of the American Civil Liberties Union in 1920, besides being an advocate for people with disabilities.
Gabrielle ”Coco”Chanel introduces her signature little black dress in 1925 making female elegance simple and accessible to more social classes.
Anthropologist Margaret Mead publishes ”Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies” challenging western assumptions about gender relations. Simone de Beauvoir in 1949 publishes the controversial ”Le Deuxieme Sexe”(The Second Sex) which argues that society has branded women as inferior to men and outlines how women can shift the balance of power.
The Birth Control Pill is introduced in 1960.
Betty Friedan publishes the Feminine Mystique and Valentina Tereshkova of the Soviet Union becomes the first woman pilot in space in 1963. Abortion becomes legal in Britain in 1967, and six years later with Roe vs Wade it becomes legal in America.
Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei is first woman to climb the top of Mt. Everest as part of an all-female expedition. Isabel Peron becomes first woman president of Argentina and first woman to become a head of state in the western hemisphere.
***
Those of you who like me worship singer, songwriter Nina Simone will be delighted to know of a new book about her called Princess Noire-The Tumultuous Reign of Nina Simone by Nadine Cohodas.

And please check out the latest event by Elly Clark

Scroll down for English

Carte Blanche
Ausstellung / Salon / Performance mit
Elly Clarke, Pauline Curnier Jardin, Tatiana Echeverri Fernandez, Linda Franke, Anne Kathrin Greiner, Elisabeth Jugert, Anna-Myga Kasten, Katja Kollowa, Michelle-Marie Letelier, Silvia Marzall, Lätitia Norkeit, Bettina Rave, Karen Scheper De Aquirre, Miriam Steinhauser, Kymberley Ward

Samstag, 13. März 2010 von 16.00-22.00 Uhr

Wer glaubt, Salonkultur sei Vergangenheit, irrt. In generöser Manier lädt Clarke Gallery 15 Damen ein, ihr aktuelles kuenstlerisches Schaffen, ganz im Sinne der Salonkultur des 17. bis 20. Jahrhunderts, zu präsentieren.
Die Kuenstlerinnen, diesjährige Stipendiatinnen des Goldrausch-Projektes, formierten sich im Januar 2010 zu einer neuen Schicksalsgemeinschaft. Es ist dies die erste gemeinsame Ausstellung, die sie auf eigene Initiative realisieren.

Der Anlass mit dem Titel Carte Blanche bietet den Kuenstlerinnen die Möglichkeit, in den Räumlichkeiten der Clarke Gallery –eine Privatwohnung - zu schalten und walten wie es ihnen beliebt.
Neben Videos und Arbeiten auf Papier werden auch Positionen, die direkt auf den privaten Wohnraum Bezug nehmen, zu sehen sein. Die Grenze zwischen Mobiliar und Kunstwerk verschwimmt, da das gesamte Interieur von den Künstlerinnen vereinnahmt wird.

Des Weiteren werden mehrere Performances stattfinden, das genaue Programm wird ab 12. März auf der Website www.clarkegallery.de abrufbar sein.
Fuer Speisen, Getränke, einen Hauch Anarchie und Noblesse ist gesorgt.

Wir freuen uns auf Euren Besuch!

Clarke Gallery und die 15 Salondamen

Elly Clarke
Pauline Curnier Jardin
Tatiana Echeverri Fernandez
Linda Franke
Anne Kathrin Greiner
Lisa Jugert
Anna-Myga Kasten
Katja Kollowa
Michelle-Marie Letelier
Silvia Marzall
Lätitia Norkeit
Bettina Rave
Karen Scheper De Aquirre
Miriam Steinhauser
Kimberley Ward

translation for carte blanche: Unrestricted power to act at one's own discretion

Die Clarke Gallery befindet sich in einer Wohnung im 4. Stock des Hinterhauses an der Friedelstr. 52 in Berlin/ Neukölln (Nähe Hermannplatz). Sie wurde von Elly Clarke im Oktober 2008 gegruendet.

ENGLISH

Carte Blanche
Exhibition / Salon / Performance with
Elly Clarke, Pauline Curnier Jardin, Tatiana Echeverri Fernandez, Linda Franke, Anne Kathrin Greiner, Elisabeth Jugert, Anna-Myga Kasten, Katja Kollowa, Michelle-Marie Letelier, Silvia Marzall, Lätitia Norkeit, Bettina Rave, Karen Scheper De Aquirre, Miriam Steinhauser, Kymberley Ward

Saturday 13th March 2010, 4pm - 10pm

Anyone who thinks Salon Culture belongs to the past is mistaken! Generously (perhaps foolishly?) Clarke Gallery opens its doors to fifteen Ladies, inviting them to present their work in the style of a Salon - as practiced during the 17th-20th centuries.

These fifteen artists met in January 2010. They brought together through their shared "fateful destiny" of the Goldrausch Kunstlerinnen Projekt - of which they are all Stipendium recipients this year. This is the first exhibition these artists have done together and is organised independently of the programme.

With the exhibition title Carte Blanche artists are offered free rein to do whatever they want within the private apartment of Clarke Gallery.

Alongside videos and works on paper are other works created in direct response to the immediate environment of the gallery. The border between furniture and art becomes blurred as the whole flat is monopolised by the artists.

Performances and readings will also take place. The complete line up will be published on the Clarke Gallery website on Friday 12th March.

Food, drink, a touch of anarchy and a sense of nobel refinement will all be present.

We look forward to seeing you!

Clarke Gallery and the 15 Salon Ladies.

Elly Clarke
Pauline Curnier Jardin
Tatiana Echeverri Fernandez
Linda Franke
Anne Kathrin Greiner
Lisa Jugert
Anna-Myga Kasten
Katja Kollowa
Michelle-Marie Letelier
Silvia Marzall
Lätitia Norkeit
Bettina Rave
Karen Scheper De Aquirre
Miriam Steinhauser
Kimberley Ward

Carte blanche definition: unrestricted power to act at one's own discretion.

Clarke Gallery was set up by Elly Clarke in October 2008 and is located in a 4th Floor Hinterhaus apartment in Neukoelln, Berlin, near Hermanplatz.

Text: Miriam Steinhauser, Translation to English: Elly Clarke

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