bitter69uk

[bitter69uk]

Happy 78th birthday to cinema’s King of Sleaze, the People’s Pervert, the Queer Confucius and everyone’s favourite corrupting role model - John Waters (born 22 April 1946)! Waters’ evergreen cult classicks (sic) like Pink Flamingos (1972), Female Trouble (1974) and Desperate Living (1977) have been warping the imaginations of malcontents for generations now. Years ago, the official Dreamland News Facebook page suggested the following festive tips to commemorate Waters’ birthday. I’ll reproduce them here: "Get a ludicrously large hair-do, tattoo your flesh with the name of your idol, smoke cigarettes in the girls room, give a stranger a rosary job, have an interracial love affair, return a gift for the money (you can do that, you know), stomp some honky lady’s foot, send your enemy a turd, declare it backwards day at the office, prank call your next door neighbour, teabag some old queen at the bar, dance lewdly for a quarter, mainline liquid eyeliner, drink the tears of your incarcerated lover, order a double egg-salad on white toast, do the hokey-pokey… EAT DOG SHIT."

John Waters and Divine. Photo: Allan Tannenbaum

#john waters #lobotomy room #peoples' pervert #the queer confuscious #divine #prince of puke

[bitter69uk]

Born on this day: happy 77th birthday to streetwalkin’ cheetah with a heartful of napalm / world’s forgotten boy / chairman of the bored / possessor of the world's most sinewy torso, the artist formerly known as James Newell Osterberg Jr – feral godfather of punk, Iggy Pop! (Born 21 April 1947). Pictured: Pop at full cry at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles in the early seventies.

#iggy pop #iggy and the stooges #the stooges #punk #lobotomy room #punk rock #punk royalty #punk icon #godfather of punk #male beauty #whisky a go go #world's forgotten boy #chairman of the bored

[bitter69uk]

Latest dispatch from Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend 2024! Friday morning a group of jaded international thrill-seekers went in search of some vintage smut and sin-sational adult situations. But don't worry - it was educational! We visited the Burlesque Hall of Fame Museum. My only disappointment: they have a pink velvet heart-shaped settee salvaged from Jayne Mansfield’s Pink Palace in their permanent collection - but they regularly rotate the items exhibited and it wasn’t on display when we visited! (Also the guide said people kept wanting to sit on it). Some of the treasures pictured: Gypsy Rose Lee's glittery g-string (as an added bonus you can see my gormless reflection) and Dita von Teese's champagne glass prop from 2000 (surprisingly tiny).

#viva las vegas rockabilly weekend #viva las vegas rockabilly weekend 2024 #burlesque hall of fame #las vegas #lobotomy room #vintage sleaze #kitsch #burlesque #burlesk #exotic dancer #vintage smut #tempest storm #dita von teese

[bitter69uk]

Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend 2024, day one! I arrived Wednesday night. Somehow I have a farmer's tan. How did I acquire that? I've already drunk my first Mai Tai of the trip at the reliably wonderful Golden Tiki (with my friend Kevin). The cocktails, kitsch decor and exotica soundtrack at Golden Tiki are sublime.

#viva las vegas rockabilly weekend 2024 #viva las vegas rockabilly weekend #rockabilly #kitsch #greaser #greaser punk #gay greaser #the golden tiki #las vegas #tiki bar #tiki culture #tiki cocktail #tiki decor

[bitter69uk]

“Her greatest desire in life was to be a glamorous movie star; by allowing press and filmmakers to satirize her image as a sex object, she actually achieved her aim for a brief period from 1956 to 1960. Despite her oversized mammaries she was not a dumb blonde as far as her career was concerned and she parlayed a modicum of talent and a maximum of flesh to international fame. Along the way she made some surprisingly good films … It was easy to laugh at Mansfield, but today her achievements look greater than her detractors allowed at the time.” / From The Illustrated Encyclopedia of The World’s Great Movie Stars by Ken Wlaschin, 1979 / Today is a holy day! Lobotomy Room’s Patron Saint, berserk glamour girl par excellence and the punk Marilyn Monroe (or the drag queen’s Marilyn Monroe), Jayne Mansfield (19 April 1933 - 29 June 1967) was born 91 years ago on this day. (To put it in perspective, Mansfield is the same age as Joan Collins, would be just a bit older than Brigitte Bardot or Sophia Loren and two years younger than Mamie Van Doren). Revered by the likes of John Waters, Divine and The Cramps (“She’s a role model, a mentor. She had so much aplomb. She’d wear spiked heels and gold lamé to take out the garbage,” Poison Ivy would exclaim in a 1994 interview), for me sex kitten Mansfield is virtually a sacred figure, the eternal publicity hungry starlet, Hollywood Babylon made flesh, the cooing and squealing hourglass-contoured personification of atomic-era kitsch. Don a ratty blonde wig, drink pink champagne and hug a Chihuahua today in her memory! Pictured: Mansfield in 1964.

#jayne mansfield #sex kitten gone berserk #platinum blonde #sex goddess #love goddess #kitsch #camp #retro #lobotomy room #punk marilyn monroe

[bitter69uk]

God willing, I arrive in Vegas tonight for the annual Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend festival at The Orleans Hotel and Casino for the first time since 2019. (I’ve been regularly attending on and off since 2007). Let’s hope my American friends – who haven’t seen me in five years – aren’t too startled by my ravaged appearance (the “covid years” were not kind!). To be honest, I’ve barely glanced at the VLV schedule or investigated the bands playing so far. A few things feel “off” this year. I suspect the organisers have downsized and streamlined things post-covid, which I don’t begrudge. I’m undeniably disappointed that Ambassador of Americana Charles Phoenix’s retro slideshow is not on the agenda (for me, he’s always been synonymous with VLV). There’s no mention of Elvira / Cassandra Peterson appearing at the car show (catching a glimpse of her is always a religious experience!). But still, I am feverishly looking forward to perusing stuff at the vendors and attending the pool parties and the car show. Beyond that: venturing offsite for Mai Tais at Frankie’s Tiki Room and The Golden Tiki. A Bloody Mary at Peppermill Restaurant and Fireside Lounge. Beers at Atomic Liquors and the ne plus ultra of punk dive bars, The Double Down Saloon (with a shot of their signature “ass juice”). Visiting the Burlesque Hall of Fame Museum to genuflect before a sacred relic (their permanent collection contains an item of furniture salvaged from Jayne Mansfield’s Pink Palace!). Revisiting Big Elvis at Harrah’s. One big question mark: the new Punk Rock Museum. The steep cover charge is off-putting. Has anyone been there? Is it worth it? But mainly, looking forward to hanging out with friends not seen in ages (like Kevin and Louise) and newbies (Anne-Kathrin and Knut). If everything goes according to plan, anticipate a deluge of photos!

Las Vegas Strip, 1955. Unknown couple posing in front of Thunderbird Hotel. Kodachrome red border slide, VLV collection.

#viva las vegas rockabilly weekend #rockabilly #vintage las vegas #greaser punk #rocknroll #old vegas #kitsch #lobotomy room

[bitter69uk]

Born on this day 84 years ago: luscious, pouting rock’n’roll heartthrob and "British Elvis" Billy Fury (real name: Ronald Wycherley, 17 April 1940 - 28 January 1983). I’m such a keen Fury devotee I’ve even been known to suffer through Play It Cool (1962) the virtually unwatchable cheap’n’cheerful rock’n’roll musical he starred in (think of it as his “Elvis movie”). As an actor, Fury (doomed to die aged just 42) is merely adequate and visibly uncomfortable onscreen, but so moody and exquisitely photogenic it scarcely matters. (Like Presley, in his close-ups Fury clearly favours heavy mascara and eyeliner). For anyone unfamiliar with his music, The Sound of Fury (1969) is his chef-d'œuvre. It represents the closest a UK artist came to capturing the grit of American rockabilly. But I also love Fury’s lush, soaring pop ballads like “Last Night Was Made for Love” and “Halfway to Paradise”.

#billy fury #lobotomy room #british elvis #rocknroll #kitsch #heartthrob #dreamboat #hunk #teen idol #the sound of fury #play it cool #british rocknroll #retro #poodle

[bitter69uk]

Last night I watched the first episode of four-part documentary Ministry of Evil investigating the Alamo Christian Foundation, the notorious abusive cult founded by corrupt husband and wife con artists Tony and Susan Alamo in 1969. Look, the Alamos were horrendous people but as John Waters concludes in his essay “Crimes of Fashion: A Look Inside the Criminal Wardrobe”: “I don’t judge criminals by the terrible crimes they commit, I judge them by what they wear.” On that level, the duo possessed a gloriously trashy Country & Western dress sense with baroque platinum blonde bouffant wiglets (her) and dark Elvis-style shades and sideburns (him). (They made Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker look understated). In their pomp, the Alamos evoked a shitkicker Christian fundamentalist version of Raymond and Connie Marble of Pink Flamingos, or a George Jones and Tammy Wynette tribute act.

#alamo christian foundation #tony and susan alamo #cult #cult leaders #christian fundamentalism #lobotomy room #john waters #bad taste #shock value #kitsch #wiglets #sideburns #country and western #retro #vintage sleaze #camp

[bitter69uk]

“Claudia Cardinale was originally intended to be Italy’s answer to Brigitte Bardot (CC versus BB) and as her only training for acting was winning “the most beautiful Italian girl in Tunisia” contest in 1957 this seemed like a reasonable kind of competition. In the end Cardinale never became as big a star as Bardot at her height but she has lasted a lot longer and starred in far better pictures. BB’s films are memorable only because she is in them; CC’s films, on the other hand, are memorable not only because she looks lovely but because they were directed by such major figures as Visconti, Fellini, Bolognini and Commencini, not to mention Sergio Leone, Blake Edwards and Richard Brooks.”

/ From The Illustrated Encyclopedia of The World’s Great Movie Stars by Ken Wlaschin, 1979 /

Buon compleanno to the glorious Claudia Cardinale (born 15 April 1938). What a career! In 1963 alone, she appeared in Federico Fellini’s 8½ and Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard! I’ve always wanted to see her play opposite Bardot (in the Western The Legend of Frenchie King (1971)) and fellow Italian goddess Monica Vitti (in Midnight Pleasures (1975) and Lucky Girls (1975)).

#claudia cardinale #italian actress #italian cinema #european art cinema #lobotomy room #glamour #italian movies #italian movie star

[bitter69uk]

"Joey Ramone's signature bleat was the voice of punk rock in America.” Allmusic.com

Gabba gabba hey! Undisputed high potentate of American punk and leather-jacketed frontman of The Ramones, Joey Ramone (Jeffrey Ross Hyman, 19 May 1951 – 15 April 2001) died on this day. Sniff some glue, be sedated, beat on a brat, go down to the basement and do the cretin hop in Joey’s memory!

#joey ramone #ramones #the ramones #punk #punk rock #nyc punk #lobotomy room #punk icon

[bitter69uk]

Recently watched: bizarre 1994 comedy Cabin Boy. I’ve always loved Chris Elliott’s anarchic appearances on the golden age of Late Night with David Letterman (thankfully they’re preserved on YouTube) and was curious to see his one big stab at movie stardom Cabin Boy. Last night when I was crashed out on the sofa flipping through TV stations, I found that it was playing! I liked Cabin Boy’s freewheeling kitschy Pee-wee Herman vibes (Tim Burton produced it). I know Cabin Boy flopped at the time, but maybe it’s due for potential cult movie reappraisal? Anyway, I didn’t manage to finish it (it was late at night by time I started watching) but I did see the guest star appearance by the fabulous Ann Magnuson as alluring six-armed, blue-skinned temptress Calli (pictured).

#lobotomy room #cabin boy #chris elliott #ann magnuson #cult cinema #cult movies #late night with david letterman #tim burton #bad movies we love #bad movies for bad people #calli #kitsch #cult films

[bitter69uk]

“The men sat in the next booth at the Brown Derby. My back was to them. Suddenly I perked up as I heard my name. “Liz Renay,” one of them said. “There’s a girl who had some tough breaks.” “She brought it on herself,” the other voice said. “Still … it’s kind of sad. She wasn’t just another one of those French pastries who come to Hollywood to look for fame. She had it. She has one of the most beautiful faces I ever saw. You know, she just missed being great.” I turned to get a look at the man who had just spoken. I recognized him as William Ornstein, a reporter for Hollywood Reporter. Ornstein spoke again: “Yeah, that Renay really could have made it big. She was on the way to becoming a superstar. Add a few good breaks and subtract a few of the bad ones and you know, she could have been Marilyn Monroe.”

/ From Liz Renay’s chatty, meandering autobiography My Face for the World to See (1971) /

Born on this day: the sublime Liz Renay (née Pearl Elizabeth Dobbins, 14 April 1926 - 22 January 2007) – b-movie actress / burlesque queen / jailbird / naive outsider painter / gangster Mickey Cohen’s moll / “Streaking Grandmother” / authoress of multiple volumes of sordid memoirs (including My First 2,000 Men and Staying Young) / all-round kitsch icon and the woman hailed by John Waters as “my idea of total glamour.” For Waters’ fans, Renay is venerated for her performance as Muffy St Jacques in punk masterpiece Desperate Living (1977) - especially for her acidic delivery of lines like, "I was having an erotic dream!" and "I sleep in the room next door - naked!" She’s also memorable in The Thrill Killers (1964) and The Hard Road (1970).

#lobotomy room #liz renay #john waters #desperate living #burlesque #vintage smut #vintage sleaze #b movie #muffy st jacques #kitsch #streaking grandmother #my face for the world to see #bouffant wig

[bitter69uk]

As the host of East London’s monthly Lobotomy Room cinema club (devoted to Bad Movies for Bad People), permit to occasionally suggest some joyful, trashy and neglected films from the celluloid underbelly for your viewing pleasure! This time: 1964 hagsploitation classick Strait-Jacket starring Joan Crawford as an axe murderess!

#lobotomy room #straitjacket #joan crawford #william castle #horror movies #hagsploitation #vintage sleaze #kitsch #graham russell #cult film #cult cinema #bad movies for bad people #bad movies we love #b movie #lgbtqia

[bitter69uk]

Adieu to striking Dietrich-cheekboned veteran fashion model and muse to Thierry Mugler and Azzedine Alaïa, Zuleika Ponsen, whose death on 10 April 2024 has been announced. (Haven’t found any online obituaries). Ponsen features prominently in some of French pop art duo Pierre et Gilles’ most iconic work – including this one: Méduse (1990).

#zuleika #zuleika ponsen #pierre et gilles #medusa #fashion model #lobotomy room #supermodel #kitsch #cheekbones #queer art #pop art #thierry mugler #azzedine alaia #fashion

[bitter69uk]

At the beauty salon with Sophia Loren, seemingly enjoying an erotic reverie under the hairdryer.

#sophia loren #lobotomy room #kitsch #italian actress #international sex kitten #glamour #beauty salon #hairdryer #old showbiz

[bitter69uk]

"Hotdog" by Charles Hovland.

#charles hovland #latino #latinx #homoerotic #lgbtqia #male pinup #latino men #latino man #uncut #queer

[bitter69uk]

Born on this day: Anton LaVey (11 April 1930 – 29 October 1997), founder of The Church of Satan, musician, author of The Satanic Bible and the man who shamelessly melded Vegas-style show business and publicity stunts with devil worshiping. Here’s “The Black Pope” as he appeared in the 1969 Kenneth Anger short film Invocation of My Demon Brother. LaVey’s friendship with doomed sex kitten-gone-berserk Jayne Mansfield is explored in Mansfield 66/67, the delirious and lurid 2017 fever dream / documentary by Todd Hughes and P David Ebersole.

#lobotomy room #anton lavey #mansfield 66/67 #kenneth anger #jayne mansfield #invocation of my demon brother #satanism #occult #occultism #devil worship #show biz #old showbiz #vintage sleaze #his satanic majesty #that old black magic