SuicideGirls is returning to Canada and promise to bring with them a revamped version of one of “the sexiest, most clever and fun show on the planet!”
The SuicideGirls: Blackheart Burlesque is unlike any other burlesque act you’ve seen, filled with pop culture references, a high-energy indie soundtrack and the sexiest choreographed strip tease to make your inner nerd explode with glee. The tour will conclude on April 20th at La Tulipe in Montreal. Tickets are on sale now at BlackheartBurlesque.com
The show features stunning choreography from renowned choreographer, Manwe Sauls-Addison, who has worked with world famous performers such as Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, and Lady Gaga. With striptease performances in tribute to Star Wars , Orange Is The New Black, Donnie Darko, Clockwork Orange and more, this show will have you on the edge of your seat! In the early 2000’s the SuicideGirls Burlesque show criss-crossed North America for 5 years. The girls entertained thousands of people at sold-out shows, opening for Gun N’ Roses and Courtney Love and went overseas to perform at music festivals in both Europe and Australia.
It is amazing the success that the SuicideGirls brand has had over the past decade: International notoriety and a real sense of community based around the organization. We caught up with co-founder of SuicideGirls, Missy Suicide to find out a little more….
MR: Other than achieving the admiral goal of capturing stunning images of close to 3000 “hot punk rock girls naked.” do you feel that you have accomplished what you set out to do? Or is this tour indicative of the future direction of the SuicideGirls?
MS: In 2001, we started SuicideGirls as a community for alternative culture people to discover each other, have discussions and post and look at photos of alternative pin-up girls. And in the 12 years since we launched, we have had hundreds of thousands of people post tens of millions of comments and millions of photos on our website. Over the years we have made 6 movies for Showtime, 3 books, a magazine, a series of comics and countless other creative endeavours, including the Blackheart Burlesque tour. It’s been an amazing adventure!
We’re constantly evolving, improving, and branching out in new ways to spread our mission of redefining beauty, so the tour is a great way to do just that. It’s hard to say where SG will be in a few years, but I do know that we want to keep doing what we do better every day, and we never want to stop coming up with new ways to present SG to the world!
MR: For a movement that only a few decades ago would be considered “Not Ready for Prime Time”, the SuicideGirls have broken down many barriers and appeared in mainstream publications such as Rolling Stone, Wired Magazine, The New Yorker, with appearances on many big network TV shows. How has being a “household name” affected the direction of the Suicide Girls? Is there a bad side to having achieved such stardom.
MS: Well, we definitely get more applications to become a SuicideGirl than we ever have before! Being more widely recognized has really challenged us to keep upping our game. We listen carefully to our large audience and take what they say into consideration to improve the quality and artistry of what we produce. If you look at pictures that were a big hit on our site in 2005 or 2006, you’d see immediately they just wouldn’t make it on to the site today. If you watch our first movie we put out in 2004 and compare it to the one airing on Showtime right now, I hope the difference in quality would be immediately apparent to you. I think we have the same spirit as we had in 2001, I just think we have gotten much, much better at expressing it. I hope we never stop growing and taking on new challenges!
MR: Burlesque is hardly a new form of art. No doubt the SuicideGirls will bring a fresh perspective to this age old tradition. What new twist can we expect to see at the Blackheart Burlesque.
MS: When we first put out our SuicideGirls Burlesque tour in 2003, we were the only people who were doing non-traditional, non-old fashioned burlesque on a large scale. We were excited to put on a sexy performance that didn’t involve feather boas and songs like Hey Big Spender. We wanted to use modern music and references to modern pop-culture but still put on a show in the spirit of old time burlesque. Now, ten years later, there are a lot more non traditional burlesque acts around, and some of them are doing really fun and different kinds of shows. Lucy Fur and her Star Wars Burlesque is a great example of just how diverse and non traditional the Burlesque scene has become.
Also look at the spectacle performers like Lady Gaga put on at live shows. People have seen a lot and it’s much harder to show them something that really feels new and original.
So clever Quentin Tarantino Burlesque numbers and a leather pants AC/DC striptease is just not enough to wow people these days. We really had to take the spirit of pop-culture modern burlesque that we pioneered ten year ago and up the production values, sexiness and performances by a factor of ten. It’s the same kind of Burlesque show we used to do, but this time I think we have executed at a much higher level in almost every respect: dancer abilities, costumes, choreography, everything.
MR: Flipping through some recent images of the Blackheart Burlesque show online I saw performers wearing Star Wars themed masks. My inner geek’s curiosity was certainly rattling in its cage. Can you tell me a little about the Star Wars masks? What are some of the other influences that shaped the show creatively?
MS: The Star Wars number is one of our favorites! The girls are decked out as sexy Stormtroopers, and there’s a super hot Boba Fett, too.
There are so many great pop-culture influences you’ll find in our show: Legend of Zelda, Adventure Time, Orange is the New Black, and tons more! In creating the show, I really get in touch with my inner David Lynch. I get to bring all of my nerdiest fantasies to life, like our tribute to “Planet of the Apes” with girls in silver bikinis and gorilla masks who are dancing to Disclosure’s “When a Fire Starts To Burn” with Simpson quotes, AND it is the sexiest thing people are likely to see!
MR: Burlesque has become very popular in recent years, to the point that even the YMCA offers Burlesque themed workout classes. Having worked with your dancers, would you say that Burlesque is a viable form of maintaining fitness.
MS: Absolutely! The athleticism and endurance these girls have is incredible, not to mention their flexibility! These girls rehearse up to 6 days a week in preparation for tour, and perform almost every night, so you can imagine how strong and fit they are. Burlesque themed workout classes sound like a lot of fun, actually!
MR: We often hear that Montreal has a bad/good reputation for being the “Amsterdam of North America”. We produce one third of the world’s internet porn, have more strip clubs than I can name, easy access to any drug you might want, and a certain “Love of Life” that you don’t see in the mid-west.. What is your perception of our fair city?
MS: Montreal has always treated us fantastically! We have such a great time in all of Canada, but Montreal seems to have such a history to it, and the people are so great. And it’s always nice to be in a city with so many open-minded individuals, of course! It’s the perfect place for us to wrap up our Canadian leg of the tour!
MR: Going back to my previous question, because of this “Love of Life”, I think you can expect to be very warmly accepted here in Montreal. I can almost guarantee we will try to earn the honour of “loudest” or most intense” crowd at a show. Have there been any problems on the tour where people have protested your presence? Or is the world now as open minded as I always hoped it could be.
MS: We haven’t had any protesters, no. I know there are people out there who don’t understand what we’re all about, but society has become much more open-minded in the last decade! In fact, we’re heading to Singapore after the Canadian leg of the tour ends – We’re really excited to be the first international burlesque tour to perform in their country!
MR: How do you think you will look back on this experience when you are in your golden years.
MS: It’s so surreal to sit back and think about my life these last few years. What started as a project to showcase interesting girls who had both beauty and brains has turned into a worldwide movement to redefine beauty. I’ve traveled the world taking photos and hanging out with some of the most amazing women, orchestrated so many really awesome creative projects, and I receive countless messages and emails from women of all ages who are inspired by and empowered because of SG. I really have the coolest job in the world, and I feel so fortunate that my friends and family have believed in me and my vision since the beginning!
MR: This is a rock n’ roll blog so I would be remiss if I didn’t ask you what bands you are listening to nowadays. Who really gets you pumped up?
MS: There are so many! Leon Bridges is my new fave. I also love the new Kendrick Lamar album, FKA Twigs is le sex and Die Antwoord is the best.
MR: What roll does music play in your show? What can we expect to hear other than the “striptease” classics?
MS: Our music plays a huge part in our live show. Not many other burlesque acts feature music by Die Antwoord, Black Keys, Grimes and The Knife! I mean, I don’t think our Clockwork Orange number would be nearly as awesome set to something other than Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer”, for example!
We also have a couple of original songs performed by our host, Sunny, which are clever takes on some old favorites. Everyone is really going to get a kick out of them.
MR: Alright. Think fast on your toes. Your favourite tattoo artist with a twist in the whole wide world. Who and why?
MS: Xoil in France, his work is so artistic, graphic and unexpected.
SuicideGirls: Blackheart Burlesque comes to Montreal on April 20th at La Tulipe. Get tickets HERE
Interview – Myles Beeby
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