A little over a week ago, while I've been tour... I was invited to write an artical about Glam-Fetish... I don't know if it will be published yet, and/or if anyone who doesn't have a subscription to the magazine will be able to read it... but it's relivant to this tour in a number of ways...so I thought I'd post it here.
IF I get word that it was published, I will send out info on where and how to access it in it's full form.
- Venus
PS I will be writing a end of tour blog after I return home sometime after Oct 21st.
========================
GLAM-FETISH
A Month before, I was freezing in Wellington NZ waiting backstage for the set to start. Now I'm sitting with my dancer Stacy watching "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" while hiding from the 90-plus heat of the Phoenix sun in my friend Paul's house. We're on tour now, out to the west coast.
And enjoying a few days off before the big Scottsdale fetish event we will perform at.
I'm watching the movie.
I'm thinking about Glam.
And now I'm thinking about Gender,
And now I'm thinking about Life.
I am a self-made, transgender, Dark-Glam, Rock Star. (did I say...?)
"Rock-Star."
When I was 10, I wanted to be a "Rock Star."
When I saw David Bowie on the Midnight Special with his orange hair and plastic wrap-a-round hands over black?-glitter fishnet bodysuit.
When I knew I wanted to be female.
When I wore dresses in secret.
When I was 10.
A "Rock Star."
A GLAM 'Rock Star."
And now I'm thinking of the classic fetish photos I've made a point of collecting, and remembering... That time when I was on that art tour up to Canada? And was given that art photo book by that photo artist who took those self portraits of himself crossing? Remember him wearing all that classic "Stiletto-Silk Black-Patten" beauty?
And when the border guard was digging through my bags trying to find just one excuse to hold us all just that little bit longer? wanting to enjoy his power just a little bit more, just a bit more as we re-entered the US.
He missed this book.
And now I can't find this book anymore. I know. I've looked.
And here I am hiding from a Phoenix sun watching Hedwig.
Can I say now that I love doing what I do? ...Can I say now that I am conflicted by what I do?
I drive 20 hr's getting to the last gig...through a sleepy windy night.
I'm turning the radio/CD player up LOUD!
And now, onstage, I feel dissolved into emotion.
I'm performing alone with my guitar. Balancing on a ply board covered table supported stage. Each step in my thigh-high, black shiny 4 inch-ers working hard not to cause the microphone stand to tumble off. Catching my breath from the 'waspy' corset I'm wearing. That spiked short belt I tied tight over my forearm because of the torn elbow muscles. Torn from too much heavy equipment lifting, and careless fast strumming. (I hold that damn pick way too hard!)
It's cutting in now.
Too Tight.
I feel the numbness.
I take it off.
Still pure emotion.
I only know these 10 square feet of stage. ...All that really exists.
This stage,
This time,
These people,
This caught breath.
This torn muscle pain,
This story I tell of a trans-woman shot.
And I'm gone.
Make up in my eyes now.
And gone... I'm simply gone.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Made it to New Zealand!!
Made it to New Zealand!!! we're at the start of the dateline...so a day ahead of most everyone! (First to see the sunrise.)
We made it to the airport in time... after having my van break down the night before on my way to my 331 DJ gig. (Stacy, my dancer, helped me through that... and Raymond, my lead guitarist, joined in at the end of the night to help me get the van home... got it running again, but it totally quit 3 blocks from home so the 3 of us had to tow in through alley-ways the rest of the way using my big old tow chain. this all at 4 am...and having to be at the airport by 1 pm the next day!!
so I slept well enough on the flight...(as well as one can sleep cramped into an airplane seat for 16 hr's!! (13 hr's from LA)
While in LA, we visited two friends during our 6 hr layover. and they took us to Venice Beach. took photos...will upload them next blog.
The weather here in NZ is early spring... rain today, but has been sunny and cool. (Cold at night...but not too cold.) Matthew (Madmat, my NZ promoter, and sub bass player for the tour,) and his husband Eddy's house is where we're staying. it's BEAUTIFUL!!! on a hillside in a valley on the ridge over Wellington. We can just see the ocean through the vortex of the valley. (mor pix next blog.)
Last night I performed a pre-tour gig at the Hummingbird. midnight till ...2 am? 2 sets. just me and my electric, and Matthew plugged his bass into the PA to join me .
The Hummingbird is a restaurant during the day...and turns into a bar and hang-out place late night... so an interesting crowd... not all expecting someone like ME to suddenly set up on a created stage, and perform... but after the first set kind of cleared out the people who were not expecting the show, those who stayed, joined the ones who came by FOR the show and the second set, which went over very well. A nice way to start the tour with this unadvertised solo special gig.
the Official Tour starts Thursday (Wed early morning for those back home in the US) at the San Francisco Bath House. http://www.sfbh.co.nz
and we'll go from there for the rest of the gigs, and the other cities.
Till then I'm in rehearsals with my NZ back-up band, and enjoying New Zealand in Wellington.
When I get back home Sept. 4th I have a DJ gig at 'Nick and Eddy' (somehow I'm going to need to figure out how to get my records and turntables there and home without the van!! (till I get that fixed of course) so please drop over...I'm going to see if I can score a good NZ vinyl or so while here to bring home for my DJ set(s)
OK gotta scram... more later, and I'll add PIX soon.
Venus
(PS Thanks to everyone who signed up to our e-list and made it to our in-studio invite-only performance/party !! Lovely!)
We made it to the airport in time... after having my van break down the night before on my way to my 331 DJ gig. (Stacy, my dancer, helped me through that... and Raymond, my lead guitarist, joined in at the end of the night to help me get the van home... got it running again, but it totally quit 3 blocks from home so the 3 of us had to tow in through alley-ways the rest of the way using my big old tow chain. this all at 4 am...and having to be at the airport by 1 pm the next day!!
so I slept well enough on the flight...(as well as one can sleep cramped into an airplane seat for 16 hr's!! (13 hr's from LA)
While in LA, we visited two friends during our 6 hr layover. and they took us to Venice Beach. took photos...will upload them next blog.
The weather here in NZ is early spring... rain today, but has been sunny and cool. (Cold at night...but not too cold.) Matthew (Madmat, my NZ promoter, and sub bass player for the tour,) and his husband Eddy's house is where we're staying. it's BEAUTIFUL!!! on a hillside in a valley on the ridge over Wellington. We can just see the ocean through the vortex of the valley. (mor pix next blog.)
Last night I performed a pre-tour gig at the Hummingbird. midnight till ...2 am? 2 sets. just me and my electric, and Matthew plugged his bass into the PA to join me .
The Hummingbird is a restaurant during the day...and turns into a bar and hang-out place late night... so an interesting crowd... not all expecting someone like ME to suddenly set up on a created stage, and perform... but after the first set kind of cleared out the people who were not expecting the show, those who stayed, joined the ones who came by FOR the show and the second set, which went over very well. A nice way to start the tour with this unadvertised solo special gig.
the Official Tour starts Thursday (Wed early morning for those back home in the US) at the San Francisco Bath House. http://www.sfbh.co.nz
and we'll go from there for the rest of the gigs, and the other cities.
Till then I'm in rehearsals with my NZ back-up band, and enjoying New Zealand in Wellington.
When I get back home Sept. 4th I have a DJ gig at 'Nick and Eddy' (somehow I'm going to need to figure out how to get my records and turntables there and home without the van!! (till I get that fixed of course) so please drop over...I'm going to see if I can score a good NZ vinyl or so while here to bring home for my DJ set(s)
OK gotta scram... more later, and I'll add PIX soon.
Venus
(PS Thanks to everyone who signed up to our e-list and made it to our in-studio invite-only performance/party !! Lovely!)
Saturday, August 9, 2008
2 New Songs
OK... tonight by midnight tonight: (8/9/08), I'll have posted two new songs that I've just finished mixinging and recording in NY with Super Buddha, (my producers; http://www.myspace.com/superbuddha.)
I'll be posting them on my Myspace site: http://www.myspace.com/atphvenus.
They'll be up for just a while for listening to ONLY till I have them available for download and purchase in a few weeks once I return from New Zealand.
-Venus
I'll be posting them on my Myspace site: http://www.myspace.com/atphvenus.
They'll be up for just a while for listening to ONLY till I have them available for download and purchase in a few weeks once I return from New Zealand.
-Venus
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