A Man in Burlesque - this is a very thoughtful blog entry by a true gentleman in the scene... and I'm not just saying that because he mentions me. :P Feminism in burlesque is a huge, messy topic (probably since feminism in general is still very much a huge, messy topic) and Blue manages to discuss his perspective as a man without coming off like a huge douche. That's shockingly hard to do, people.
Customer Service in Tattooing - a brief entry on how to basically make sure people don't pay for you to sear ink into their flesh. Mostly I'm posting it because I agree 100% and have personally been appalled at some of the customer service displayed in tattoo parlours. Come on, desk people - just say hi to me. Chances are I'll give you money if you do.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Stripped, Scared, and Sacred
Once again there has been a lack of updates, and I'm sorry about that but after Abra-Cadaver was over there was Halloween to deal with and then I got sick for a month. Plus work, plus stress, plus a dozen other things.
SO BLAH.
But to make up for it my little ghoulies, I have a very special treat for you. It's loud, it's shrill, it has foul language and a lot of babbling, and you stick it in your ear-hole.
That's right, me and Mama have made a podcast.
So may I present to you, 'Stripped, Scared, and Sacred.' A podcast that is about Burlesque, Horror and Magic. And probably a few other random things that fall out of our brains.
Episode 1:
Part 1
Part 2
(It's in two parts because we couldn't upload the whole thing as one chunk, in the future we are either going to trim down the length or get a paid account so it can be one.)
Opening and closing music done by: Uncle Sigmund
SO BLAH.
But to make up for it my little ghoulies, I have a very special treat for you. It's loud, it's shrill, it has foul language and a lot of babbling, and you stick it in your ear-hole.
That's right, me and Mama have made a podcast.
So may I present to you, 'Stripped, Scared, and Sacred.' A podcast that is about Burlesque, Horror and Magic. And probably a few other random things that fall out of our brains.
Episode 1:
Part 1
Part 2
(It's in two parts because we couldn't upload the whole thing as one chunk, in the future we are either going to trim down the length or get a paid account so it can be one.)
Opening and closing music done by: Uncle Sigmund
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Abra, Abra Cadaver!
Mark your calenders, my darlings. Because this Friday we unleash a host of terrors upon the fine city of Vancouver.
That's right - AbraCadaver is BACK. And better than ever before. I can say that with total confidence, since I was at the last one and all. Let me tell you a bit about what we have in store.
Dr. T and Aleister Crane (formerly The Professor) two of Vancouver's most acclaimed magicians will be regaling us all with more tricks and feats of wonder this year. I am not even joking when I say that these two fascinate me - I literally spend every second possible staring at them whenever they're on stage, trying desperately to figure out how they do the things they do. Dr. T STILL manages to blow my mind with the shoe trick... At any rate, they and the gorgeous Violet Femme will be serving up mystery and delight all evening long!
Melody Mangler and our own Voodoo Pixie will of course be performing burlesque, as will yours truly, and Rufflesilkskin. I don't want to spoil anything, of course, but I will let on that the acts will involve possession, swamp witches and snake worship, and of course a little blood.
We also have Ava Lure and some of Vancouver's most promising thespians - including Michael Smith, Karly Palmer, and some more of the gang 'borrowed' from Spectral Theatre - serving up some genuinely creepy monologues and short acts. There are the undead, the insane, and a very disturbing fairy tale to look forward to.
Oh yes. There will also be puppets. If you've never been scared by a shadow puppet, well.... there's a first time for everything. I won't give away too many details, but I will say the story involves a very Canadian monster with a taste for human flesh. (Guess what it is. Go on, guess. Hint: no lips.)
There will also be photography displays by Anathema Photography (who did out AMAZING posters - I was at the shoot and let me tell you, it's insane how talented these women are) and Franky Panky.
The biggest news, however, is our special guest host. We are very pleased to announce that this year AbraCadaver will be hosted by none other than Miss Astrid! Words cannot describe my excitement over this one, folks.The first time I laid eyes on this woman, I was blown away - she is all attitude and bizarre glamour, and I can't think of anyone I'd rather have host this show.
It's going to be a spookfest of the first order. Check out our events listing on Facebook, and get your tickets at Brown Paper Tickets. (Search 'abracadaver.') The show is at the Wise Hall (1882 Adanac St_ with doors at 8:00 PM, show at 9:00 PM.
If you have any questions, post em here and I'll answer them! ...unless it gives something away.
Until next time, boils and ghouls....
That's right - AbraCadaver is BACK. And better than ever before. I can say that with total confidence, since I was at the last one and all. Let me tell you a bit about what we have in store.
Dr. T and Aleister Crane (formerly The Professor) two of Vancouver's most acclaimed magicians will be regaling us all with more tricks and feats of wonder this year. I am not even joking when I say that these two fascinate me - I literally spend every second possible staring at them whenever they're on stage, trying desperately to figure out how they do the things they do. Dr. T STILL manages to blow my mind with the shoe trick... At any rate, they and the gorgeous Violet Femme will be serving up mystery and delight all evening long!
Melody Mangler and our own Voodoo Pixie will of course be performing burlesque, as will yours truly, and Rufflesilkskin. I don't want to spoil anything, of course, but I will let on that the acts will involve possession, swamp witches and snake worship, and of course a little blood.
We also have Ava Lure and some of Vancouver's most promising thespians - including Michael Smith, Karly Palmer, and some more of the gang 'borrowed' from Spectral Theatre - serving up some genuinely creepy monologues and short acts. There are the undead, the insane, and a very disturbing fairy tale to look forward to.
Oh yes. There will also be puppets. If you've never been scared by a shadow puppet, well.... there's a first time for everything. I won't give away too many details, but I will say the story involves a very Canadian monster with a taste for human flesh. (Guess what it is. Go on, guess. Hint: no lips.)
There will also be photography displays by Anathema Photography (who did out AMAZING posters - I was at the shoot and let me tell you, it's insane how talented these women are) and Franky Panky.
The biggest news, however, is our special guest host. We are very pleased to announce that this year AbraCadaver will be hosted by none other than Miss Astrid! Words cannot describe my excitement over this one, folks.The first time I laid eyes on this woman, I was blown away - she is all attitude and bizarre glamour, and I can't think of anyone I'd rather have host this show.
It's going to be a spookfest of the first order. Check out our events listing on Facebook, and get your tickets at Brown Paper Tickets. (Search 'abracadaver.') The show is at the Wise Hall (1882 Adanac St_ with doors at 8:00 PM, show at 9:00 PM.
If you have any questions, post em here and I'll answer them! ...unless it gives something away.
Until next time, boils and ghouls....
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Spooky Stuff
Poor blog, you've been neglected and lonely haven't you?
I know, and I apologize but I was busy working full time and doing Screaming Chicken's Terror at RockOut Beach, which was awesome but I will save those stories for another time.
Why?
Because it's September, which means fall, which more importantly means Halloween.
Unless you've been living under a rock or have never actually spoken to myself or Mama, you know that Halloween is our absolute favorite holiday. Fuck Christmas, fuck Easter or Thanksgiving, Halloween is the best. It's dreary, it's spooky, it's creative and it's the day before my birthday. Every year we celebrate Halloween all month long, from throwing parties to traveling all over Vancouver and the lower main-land for haunted houses, ghost trains, and Halloween shopping. Why bother celebrating just the one day when you can have a month of spooky fun?
This year, there is something extra special about October though. And if I were Vincent Price I could insert a charming yet spooky laugh, unfortunately I am not, so instead I will pause here for maniacal cackling.
You see this year, on October 14th, myself and Melody Mangler will be producing 'Abra-Cadaver' again. If you didn't catch it the first time, which most people didn't, it's a mix of Burlesque, theater and magic. And this year it is going to be amazing.
I'm not going to spoil all the details at the moment but I will be trying to post here about the show as we start the countdown to it, so stay tuned for many fun stories about me making costumes and pulling my hair out about random things.
In also more random news, me and Mama are going to be starting up a podcast. It's not going to be strictly about Burlesque but that will feature largely in it since it's a big part of both our lives. It will also cover things like horror and magic, because both of those are big parts of our lives as well.
So stay tuned for lots of spooky goodness boils and ghouls!
-Voodoo
I know, and I apologize but I was busy working full time and doing Screaming Chicken's Terror at RockOut Beach, which was awesome but I will save those stories for another time.
Why?
Because it's September, which means fall, which more importantly means Halloween.
Unless you've been living under a rock or have never actually spoken to myself or Mama, you know that Halloween is our absolute favorite holiday. Fuck Christmas, fuck Easter or Thanksgiving, Halloween is the best. It's dreary, it's spooky, it's creative and it's the day before my birthday. Every year we celebrate Halloween all month long, from throwing parties to traveling all over Vancouver and the lower main-land for haunted houses, ghost trains, and Halloween shopping. Why bother celebrating just the one day when you can have a month of spooky fun?
This year, there is something extra special about October though. And if I were Vincent Price I could insert a charming yet spooky laugh, unfortunately I am not, so instead I will pause here for maniacal cackling.
You see this year, on October 14th, myself and Melody Mangler will be producing 'Abra-Cadaver' again. If you didn't catch it the first time, which most people didn't, it's a mix of Burlesque, theater and magic. And this year it is going to be amazing.
I'm not going to spoil all the details at the moment but I will be trying to post here about the show as we start the countdown to it, so stay tuned for many fun stories about me making costumes and pulling my hair out about random things.
In also more random news, me and Mama are going to be starting up a podcast. It's not going to be strictly about Burlesque but that will feature largely in it since it's a big part of both our lives. It will also cover things like horror and magic, because both of those are big parts of our lives as well.
So stay tuned for lots of spooky goodness boils and ghouls!
-Voodoo
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Teeth
All right I admit it, this might be a bit of a strange topic to talk about on a Burlesque Blog. Tips for red-lipstick yes, but teeth??
Kind of weird.....unless you're me.
You see when I was younger I'm pretty sure I was supposed to have braces but we couldn't afford them, the result being that I have fairly crooked teeth and five canine teeth instead of four. Now I'm not saying that I have the worst teeth ever, I mean, I don't look like an English woman from the 13th century or anything but they are far from perfect.
And for years, but especially during highschool, I HATED my teeth, I thought they were hideous and made me look like a troll and I would do anything not to caught doing a wide toothed smile in photos or in public.
I tried everything; from adopting a sarcastic side smile to ducking out of photos and claiming that 'I didn't like my photo being taken' which was utter bullshit as I've always been a camera whore. For the most part though I was pretty successful at hiding my 'hideous teeth' with the exception of some family photos and photobooth ones of me and my sister, but that was okay because then it was just the two of us.
All except one.
It was taken by my friend Darla who was quite a good photographer even then and in it I was sunburned, fully freckled and laughing like a loon.
I hated that photo.
I mean really hated it. I thought it was the ugliest photo anyone had ever taken of me because all I could see was my teeth. My horrible ugly teeth, all gnarled and crooked and no matter how many people told me that it was a cute photo and not a bad one I didn't believe them. Of course more than ten years later I realize they were right and I wish I actually had that photo, because out of all the ones that were taken of me during that era I think that one actually showed me for me. No make-up, no disguises, just a sweet faced freckled girl with red hair who was having fun.
It's taken me a long time to accept my crooked teeth, and I'm not saying that I'm not envious of people who seem to have flawless white smiles because I am, but I realize now that my smile is my own and it's a good one.
Crooked teeth and all.
(photo by Greg McKinnon)
Kind of weird.....unless you're me.
You see when I was younger I'm pretty sure I was supposed to have braces but we couldn't afford them, the result being that I have fairly crooked teeth and five canine teeth instead of four. Now I'm not saying that I have the worst teeth ever, I mean, I don't look like an English woman from the 13th century or anything but they are far from perfect.
And for years, but especially during highschool, I HATED my teeth, I thought they were hideous and made me look like a troll and I would do anything not to caught doing a wide toothed smile in photos or in public.
I tried everything; from adopting a sarcastic side smile to ducking out of photos and claiming that 'I didn't like my photo being taken' which was utter bullshit as I've always been a camera whore. For the most part though I was pretty successful at hiding my 'hideous teeth' with the exception of some family photos and photobooth ones of me and my sister, but that was okay because then it was just the two of us.
All except one.
It was taken by my friend Darla who was quite a good photographer even then and in it I was sunburned, fully freckled and laughing like a loon.
I hated that photo.
I mean really hated it. I thought it was the ugliest photo anyone had ever taken of me because all I could see was my teeth. My horrible ugly teeth, all gnarled and crooked and no matter how many people told me that it was a cute photo and not a bad one I didn't believe them. Of course more than ten years later I realize they were right and I wish I actually had that photo, because out of all the ones that were taken of me during that era I think that one actually showed me for me. No make-up, no disguises, just a sweet faced freckled girl with red hair who was having fun.
It's taken me a long time to accept my crooked teeth, and I'm not saying that I'm not envious of people who seem to have flawless white smiles because I am, but I realize now that my smile is my own and it's a good one.
Crooked teeth and all.
(photo by Greg McKinnon)
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Be gentle, it's my first time.
So I don't know about the rest of you but it's always a little daunting to do your first entry on a new blog, not that I'm new to this whole thing mind you, I've been posting about my life online since I was in high-school.
Ugh god, the shame.
Anyways, there is still that bit of anticipation and wonder about what that first post should be. An introduction? A bio? A routine? After a lot of thought, well okay a morning bus rides worth of thought, I decided to say screw it and just post something. If you sit and think too long about what your first post should be you never wind up posting right?
Right.
So let's talk about hair.
Anyone who knows me knows that I love almost anything to do with hairstyling, I can't even claim that I just love vintage hair because it goes much further than that, although since getting into burlesque it is one of the high points for me.
Now, usually in my day to day life I prefer to wear vintage up-dos, if simply for the fact that it keeps it out of my face and keeps me from playing with it and fucking it up. However, sometimes for shows I will plan ahead and set my hair. I have quite fine hair, that is neither curly or totally straight and I've found that doing a set with hot rollers never really works for me since about half an hour after I style it the curls fall out and it looks like shit.
Therefore I have become quite good at doing wet set patterns.
This is the one I used last Friday: (yes I like to have tea before shows, it's calming and gives me a little caffeine kick) The pattern I used was sort of a basic pin-curl one that had everything but the left side of my hair curled clockwise, the rest done counter clockwise.
Yes, marvel at the horrible bags under my eyes and my blotchy skin! Anyways, after I brushed it all out and put on some make-up the end result was this:
Ugh god, the shame.
Anyways, there is still that bit of anticipation and wonder about what that first post should be. An introduction? A bio? A routine? After a lot of thought, well okay a morning bus rides worth of thought, I decided to say screw it and just post something. If you sit and think too long about what your first post should be you never wind up posting right?
Right.
So let's talk about hair.
Anyone who knows me knows that I love almost anything to do with hairstyling, I can't even claim that I just love vintage hair because it goes much further than that, although since getting into burlesque it is one of the high points for me.
Now, usually in my day to day life I prefer to wear vintage up-dos, if simply for the fact that it keeps it out of my face and keeps me from playing with it and fucking it up. However, sometimes for shows I will plan ahead and set my hair. I have quite fine hair, that is neither curly or totally straight and I've found that doing a set with hot rollers never really works for me since about half an hour after I style it the curls fall out and it looks like shit.
Therefore I have become quite good at doing wet set patterns.
This is the one I used last Friday: (yes I like to have tea before shows, it's calming and gives me a little caffeine kick) The pattern I used was sort of a basic pin-curl one that had everything but the left side of my hair curled clockwise, the rest done counter clockwise.
Yes, marvel at the horrible bags under my eyes and my blotchy skin! Anyways, after I brushed it all out and put on some make-up the end result was this:
I was quite happy with how it came out, not to mention how puffy it went considering I slept with the curls in as well as hung out all day with them in a scarf. Sometimes when I do that the crown goes rather flat, but not this time.
Okay that's all for now, now get outta her before I slap you with my slipper!
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