Eartha Kitt, yet another femme fatale I greatly admired, died last night-- and the video below was the first thing I thought of. Below, watch Eartha Kitt as she finds her spirit animal.
There is no one like Bettie Page, and never again will there be anyone like her. As this woman is such an unbelievably huge deal, I'd like to pay my respects to her. So turn on The Cram
ps, put away your whips, and mourn with me.
When it comes to sex icons, Bettie tops them all. As a prime influence in the 1950's sexual revolution, she was about as radical as you could get back then. While the more traditional pin-ups of the time were more chaste and coy, Bettie's brought danger into the equation. And while she was a sex symbol, she was one that strongly represented the power of a woman in control-- which was extreme(ly necessary) in a culture of female subservience. She exuded confidence, vivacity, and a healthy dose of humor. Best of all, she was scary! This was a chick who showed an equilibrium between fear and lust, as you knew she could probably kick your ass-- but didn't you want her to?
Internally, Bettie didn't seem to give a damn about it all. When the uniform came off, she was just as kind as any Southern girl's charm would allow. While sexuality was her job for years, she had the unshakable innocence of a child. She was so good at what she did that beneath those layers of racy lingerie, it's hard for viewers to remember she was just like a little girl, having more fun with dress-up than you.
I love you, Bettie, and I salute you in your eternity of kickin' it with Jesus.
Long live the patron saint of the pin-up.
Y Lolita Hazed
(Channel a legend in femme fatality and check out an Agent Provocateur set Bettie would appreciate here.)
The following will probably be a summation of the thoughts of every girl around my age:
I'll miss my Heath bar
In my dreams I ate him up
My best friend did, too
R.I.P.
~Heath Ledger~
1979 - 2008
I forgot how fine he was.
Pour one out for him.
"What do you do?"
"Well... I'm Tony Wilson."
--from 24 Hour Party People (2002)
It saddens me very much to say that the music industry has lost a very key figure, and a true original. Anthony "Tony" Wilson, founder of the groundbreaking Factory Records and the notorious Hacie
nda Club, died in Manchester of cancer on August 10th. He was 57.
Tony Wilson was also the host of such British shows including So It Goes (shown left), After Dark, and MTV Europe's Remote Control. He was portrayed by friend Steve Coogan in 24 Hour Party People, in which he even played a tiny role as a television director. He also played himself in Coogan's other film, Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story.
Wilson helped to sculpt and popularize images of Manchester, rave culture, and several bands, including Joy Division, New Order, the Happy Mondays (who actually helped fund Wilson's cancer treatments), Durutti Column, and A Certain Ratio... bands that helped to be the refuge and inspiration for several confused and bored kids all over the world, for which I definitely know I'm grateful.
Wilson was a true original, and will be missed...
But the saddest part is that this death is found on few American headlines: the only ones I've found were from The Onion's A.V. Club and Pitchfork, I guess that a man who helped to take away the money-grubbing aspect of music just isn't as important as Emma Bunton's fucking baby being born.
24 Hour Party People might've advertized him as a twat... but I'll never forget you, you loveable twat.
