Fancy Lezzies

Wendy & Lisa gave a candid interview to out.com. They’re talking about their relationship, recording with Grace Jones, their time with Prince in The Revolution and recording an album with Trevor Horn in the 90ties which did not get released, partly because of his homophobic remarks.
I love how they describe Prince as a “fancy lesbian” and getting more upset phone calls from him everytime they share some purple memories.

The ladies new album White Flags of Winter Chimneys is available from Wendy & Lisa”™s web site.

Did you first think Prince was gay?
Lisa: He was little and kinda prissy and everything. But he”™s so not gay.
Wendy: He”™s a girl, for sure, but he”™s not gay. He looked at me like a gay woman would look at another woman.
Lisa: Totally. He”™s like a fancy lesbian.
Wendy: I remember being at that “œSexuality” video shoot and him on stage with that little black jacket and that tie thing around his neck and his black pants with white buttons on the side. And we looked at each other for the first time and I thought, “œOh, I could so fall in love with that girl easy.” It doesn”™t matter what sexuality, gender you are. You”™re in the room with him and he gives you that look and you”™re like, “œOkay, I”™m done. It”™s over.” He”™s Casanova. He”™s Valentino.

Wendy: We had an amazing month with [Jones] in our home writing “œWilliams”™ Blood,” becoming friends, and being bizarre divas. We had to pick her up when she woke up in the morning, and the morning to her was like 6 PM.
Lisa: She gets in the back seat of the car and of course we have to stop to buy bottles of champagne. She wanted to play the bass. She kind of couldn”™t, but she could groove like nobody”™s business on one note. She started to sing and I wish I could”™ve seen my own face. I was like —
Wendy and Lisa in near unison: Oh my God, it”™s Nightclubbing! [Jones”™s classic 1981 disco-punk album with the hit “œPull Up to the Bumper”]

Read the full interview on out.com

New Interview with Helmut Berger

There is a new interview with Helmut Berger at faz.net. Below is just the beginning of the very entertaining conversation. After the first two or three questions, the Visconti actor asks the journalist if he knows dingleberries, using the Austrian slang wintercherries. And it just gets better from there.

Mr. Berger acts in a soon to be released low budget film, Blutsfreundschaft.

Sie haben ein aufregendes Leben hinter sich . . .
HB: Jetzt beginnt die Gehirnoperation.

Ruhm, Rausch, Ekstase . . .
HB: Ecstasy.

Über Ihren Drogenkonsum haben Sie in Ihrer Autobiographie ausführlich berichtet.
HB: Jetzt fang mal an!

Der Ruhm ist verblasst, dem Rausch folgte Ernüchterung. Worüber können Sie sich heute noch freuen?
HB: Ich finde, dass jeder Tag eine Freude bringen kann. Man weiß es nicht vorher. Wenn ich jetzt sage, ich freue mich auf Kirschen, kann es sein, dass ich morgen, wenn ich Kirschen sehe, lieber Pfirsiche mag.
Kennen Sie Winterkirschen?

Nein.

HB: Die kann man nicht essen. Man kann auch kein Kompott daraus machen. (“Winterkirschen” laut Österreichischem Wörterbuch: “Kotstücke an den Arschhaaren”) Aber darüber wollen wir nicht reden. Mach weiter!

(Thanks Gregor)

Chit Chat with J

My favourite Canadian designer & friend Jeremy Laing is showing his new Autumn 2009 collection at New York Fashion week, February 15. Head over to papermag.com for a quick chit chat with J.
It will surely be a stunning runway, as another favourite, the dance-disco-house band New Feelings will be playing for the show.

JL Summer 2009
Jeremy Laing Summer 2009

London Interviews

# Interview recorded with Viktor & Rolf during the final week of their exhibition at London’s Barbican Gallery: Inside the House of Viktor & Rolf

# Interviews with Head of Press and In-house Architect of Maison Martin Margiela at the opening of the new London boutique. There was a strict “no face photography” policy at the event.

John

John Waters by Nan Goldin
John Waters by Nan Goldin
From a New York feature & interview
(The letters are a gift from Paul Reubens aka Pee-wee Herman)

At present he is juggling work on an upcoming art show for his dealer, Marianne Boesky, with getting financing for Fruitcake and writing a book. “œIt”™s called Role Models, and it”™s a self-portrait where I write profiles of other people and how much I love them and how much they changed my life and influenced me””famous people, criminals, people you”™ve never heard of.”

Just Fine

Dear Readers, In recent weeks I felt a bit dull, especially when it came to blogging. I wasn’t feeling it, nothing excited me. Now, there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. I’m talking about an inspiring interview, which I’ve read today.

Mary J. Blige talks to MTV about her new album, Growing Pains (due Dec 18), and the first single, Just Fine (couldn’t resist highlighting):

“So many people are like, ‘I’m perfect.’ I’m so imperfect, that’s why I’m able to let everything out and let people see everything. ‘Cause I’m just a mess like every other person that’s a mess out there. (…) So as long as I’m a human being and I’m not perfect, I’m able to say I’m having some growing pains. Because in order to sustain where you are once you made such a breakthrough that everyone is looking at you, now everyone is like, ‘Ooh, is she gonna make a mistake?’ Yes, I’m going to make a mistake. Yes, I’m still gonna do things. And that’s what Growing Pains is about, it’s about finally not whining about the pain, Mary J. Blige, and accepting the pain that comes with growing.

makin waves

“‘Just Fine’ was written based on me having a good day,” Blige explained. “You know, I can have 30 or 40 [bad days]. I can have as many bad days as anyone. But I choose to say, ‘I’m just fine.’ Right now. You know those days when your hair looks good, you’re not sitting in traffic, your man’s not acting like an idiot. You’re just fine. So it’s OK to have those days. So instead of coming with something ungrateful to the universe, how about I come with something first that’s says, ‘You know what? It’s OK. Enjoy this day if you’re having a great day.’ ”

boy drag

“Feel Like a Woman” (…) she said, is based on the idea that it’s OK for women to receive gifts from men and that they shouldn’t be called gold diggers for it. “Sometimes you got to enjoy him splurging on you,” she said.

Just Fine Fine Fine Fine Fine, was produced by the The Dream and Tricky Stewart, the team responsible for Umbrella Ella Ella. Makes Sense? It doesn’t stop here, the videos to both songs are directed by Chris Applebaum. The video to Just Fine had its premiere today.

just dancin'

Make Like A Fairy, Baby

The fine folks of the wonderful, Paris based Fairy Tale magazine asked me for an interview. Boy, was I surprised when I got the questions for their FOTO issue. I never thought I could answer all of them, especially the ones regarding pictures and photography. Huuuuh.
But then, there were a lot of Mariah questions, I finally felt at home. And some concerning Madonna. And even more questions about Toffi in Montreal.

Below is a very brief excerpt of the interview in German, if you want to read the full thing, get Fairy Tale FOTO. It’s all in English, don’t worry.

produzentin is in love, again!
I know what I want. Hint: It is not a dog.

Ein bestimmter Moment

FT: Gehen wir einmal vom reinen Bild aus und lassen den künstlerischen Faktor dabei ausser acht. Was bedeutet das Bild generell? Zeigt es das Leben in einem bestimmten Moment, bildet es also direkt ab, oder zeigt ist es wie das Leben in einem Moment sein könnte oder sollte?

produzentin: Ein Bild, eine Fotografie, ist für mich eine unstillbare Quelle der Inspiration. Manchmal gebe ich den Bildern Namen: “das Lustige”, “das kleine man nehme”, “wasted” oder auch “Beauty, beauty, look at me”. Und wenn sie dem Dialog standhalten, dann sind sie gut und zeigen die Realität, die sie mit dem Namen bekommen haben.

FT: Sind die Bilder in dem Moment in dem sie gezeigt werden Realität geworden und die Situation genau die, die auf dem Bild zu sehen ist?

produzentin: Für mich werden die Bilder sofort zur Realität. Ich finde so kleine Fotostrecken mit Stars oft ganz gut, in denen sie posieren. Dass zeigt eine Realität, so wie es sich der Star oder der Fotograf vorgestellt hat.
Daher wünsche ich mir oft, ich würde keine Paparazzi Bilder mehr sehen (und ich versuche sie auch zu umgehen), die machen die Posen kaputt. Die Paparazzi Bilder sind keine Realität. Ausser, wenn eine Star die Paparazzi bezahlt, dass ist etwas anderes, darauf sollte aber bei den Bildern hingewiesen werden.

Mariah

FT: Auf dem Cover zu ihrem Album “The Emancipation of Mimi” sieht Mariah sogar aus wie Beyonce. Auf “Rainbow” sah sie noch anders aus. Wie hat sie das gemacht? Ich meine, man wird doch nicht so einfach Beyonce, oder?

produzentin: Ich war sehr geschockt, als ich das Mimi Cover zum ersten Mal sah. Ich hatte grosse Befürchtungen, dass die Musik dementsprechend sein könnte.
Mittlerweile denke ich, sie musste den Beyonce Trick anwenden: Also auf dem Cover wie Beyonce aussehen, um die Käufer zu täuschen und anschliessend mit der Musik faszinieren.

FT: Wäre es nicht einfacher gewesen Beyonce um ein altes Foto zu bitten?

Mariah: Ansich eine sehr gute Idee, aber ich glaube, es wäre nach hinten losgeggangen, wenn Beyonce gemerkt hätte, dass Mariah mit dem alten Beyonce Bild mehr Alben verkaufen kann als sie selbst. Womöglich hätte Beyonce auch noch Jay-Z verboten, für Mariah zu rappen.

Helmut Berger Interview

Helmut Berger on German late night TV, The Harald Schmidt Show: Part I, Part II.

I think it’s a shame, that Helmut Berger’s autobiography, Ich, has not been translated into English yet. It should be available to a broader audience, it is one of my favourite autobiographies. Maybe I should translate some highlights.

“Cocaine was the jet-set-drug. If everybody was on it, I had to be too. You know, I am very easily influenced by other people. I like modern things. I wanted to be “in” back then. Immediately I took half a pound…” (source)