Diane, A Shaded View on Fashion

Vaginal Davis with Pedro, Muriel & Esther plus Tony Clifton at Santos Party House during Performa in NYC, November 16. Photos by Glenn Belverio

Dear Shaded Viewers,

This past Monday we attended a rare reunion of Vaginal Davis's LA punk band PME and it was long overdue. Our black, bodacious giantess led the band into all their classic hits, from "Closet Case" to "Sawed-off Shotgun" to "Mushroom Head" to "Jewish Husband." ("My Jewish husband is a pseudo-intellectual...") There was noshing and moshing aplenty. 

 

The band's costumes were DIY Ku Klux Klan outfits made of black trash bags with glue-on glitter disks. Look for overwrought knock-offs of these costumes on John Galliano's runway next season.

 

 

I had no idea who this "man" was when I took the photo....later I found out it was my friend Bibbe Hansen! Bibbe used to play in Vag's other LA punk band Black Fag and she is also a Warhol legend and Beck's mom. She definitely wins the Best Drag King of the 21st Century Award with this look.

Beautiful Vaginal backstage after the PME set

 

 

I also ran into Tony Clifton and his "adopted daughter" backstage before his set

 

Tony definitely has one of the most polarizing acts in NYC. You either love him or you want to rush the stage and murder him with your bare hands (which my friend Bruce Benderson almost did). Tony did his usual repertoire of retro-filthy sexist, racist and homophobic jokes ("Why can a black man make love all night long? Because he doesn't have to go to work in the morning.") He also performed overly long versions of Vegas lounge classics plus cocktaily re-workings of Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin songs. 

The show is an endurance piece, with Tony going on and on and on, seeing how long the audience can take it. When people heckle (and if this isn't an act designed for heckling, I don't know what is) Tony shoots back in old show-biz style without missing a beat. He doesn't care if people walk out; clearing the room is part of the piece. Before fleeing the club, my friend Carole from French Vogue referred to him as "that mustachioed pig."

 

 

Above: Tony is down but not out in the midst of a leggy daisy chain

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Glenn Belverio

WOODKID

Dear Shaded Viewers,

I'm working on a piece for ZOO on Woodkid and I keep hitting the replay button. It's the perfect music for a rainy day in Paris or anywhere else in the world. His first album comes out in the beginning of 2010.

Later,

Diane

Nina Hagen - Ziggy Stardust [Live 1980]

ON THE NEW ASVOFF BLOG : Beyoncé vs Gareth Pugh

VS

More on the ASVOFF Fashion Film blog...

Audio - DP -Music by Kay D'Orsay -Lyrics Pablo Neruda

 

Download DP_Marco_sound

Dear Shaded Viewers,

There is a good chance that you will never see the short film directed and conceived by Julianne Rose and Jeff Manzetti with music by Kay D'Orsay and  Art Direction by Marco de Rivera. The idea was great but it was filmed on one of my  'off' days so my vanity will not permit me to post it, however I do love the idea and the audio.

Later,

Diane

Antony & Boy George - You Are My Sister & Ornella Vanoni - L'appuntamento

Nick Storella "Maps Mappings" pt 3

Dear Shaded Viewers,

I received Maps Mappings by Sarah Maher and music by Nick Storella in the post today.I cannot show you the book at the moment but I can let you enjoy the performance live With Animals Gallery Brooklyn, a few days ago in NYC for the book launch.

Later,

Diane

Tori Amos - FM4 Radiosession - "Mary Jane" 05/06/09

Just came back from watching the fireworks with Dragos Olea and while we were there there was a faint smell of 'maryjane' in the air. Hence, this song.

Later,

Diane

CAUTION CORRECTNESS AHEAD...INTRODUCING FARRAD

 

Mixing a powerful combination of funky dance, bluesy rock & urban pop, add in beyond energetic live performances with a powerful fashion sense that referances everything from old school punk to The Guardian Angels and fierce fast food fashion finds and you have FARRAD. His new CD is called The Time Is Now and the song to catch first is The Way U Do. If you are not dancing your butt off with the first few seconds you simply have no soul. Chk him out at http://www.farrad.com. Zipper harness by http://www.sohungdesigns.com. Text & photograph by Walt Cessna NYC 09

MICHAEL JACKSON LIVE IN BUCHAREST, BILLIE JEAN