At the Slipper Room with Mel Frye and Matt Musselman

I perform often with live bands, and I have a great time performing with Grandpa Musselman and the Syncopators. Last night we were at the Slipper Room, with Mel Frye (actually Slipper Room owner and my business partner, James) hosting.



Matt Musselman (with redeye) and Mel




The Set List




Violetta Beretta from Hawaii, seen from the dressing room at the side of the stage, as tiki lamp




Amber Ray Backstage




Lady Lucerne




Walking home, Tigger and I ran into Pinkie Special and Melody Sweets, who had just come in from Coney Island, where they performed with a live band as well at Fisherman's Love Luau. I had to take a picture of everyone with all their bags, to document what I call "The Culture of Schlep." One of the influences on the style of New York burlesque is the lack of cars, and therefore car trunks. So we have to be able to tote our numbers around. Yes, it gets old, and we all want sherpas; but what we do is schlep. We are the glamourous bag ladies of millenial New York.


Street Walkers




Now, as someone who frequently walks the street in various versions and stages of drag and costume, I expect to get some looks and comments from people who notice that I'm, uh, colorful, but the past two nights have been exceptional in that regard. A whole new level of people who are just aghast that I (or, in this case, we) go around looking like sideshow freaks and circus characters. A little bit of this is entirely expected, but it was nonstop last night. People, calm down--we KNOW we're eccentric!




When using photos or text you found in this blog, please credit the following:

Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque, for her Burlesque Scrapbook. Failure to credit properly will mark you forever in my eyes as shady and dishonorable.