Traci Lords Pin-Up Girl

It's The Traci Dress!
Traci Lords & John Waters

Actress, Singer, Author, Songwriter, Icon these are the adjectives that come up when you mention the name Traci Lords.

Well saddle up because there is a new adjective in town to add to Traci's resume: Clothing Designer.

That's correct Traci has a new vintage clothing line from a design company with the moniker Pin-Up Girl a company that meshes seamlessly with her fashion sense and image.

Tired of having to alter pieces to flatter her curvy figure Traci set out to design ready to wear clothes for women like herself. The line also has a shout out to her character Wanda Woodward from John Waters Cry-Baby. Hey guys she didn't forget us, there is a T-shirt that was made just for us men as well. Time for Traci!

MS: Hey, Traci how's your day going?

TL: Fine, I'm just recovering from a whirlwind last week at Burger Boogaloo.

MS: Was it a good time?

Beat It Creep!
Traci & Laura Byrnes of Pin-Up Girl

TL: Yeah, it was a lot of fun! I've never been to it before, they do it every year. It's like a punk rock, rockabilly festival. It's all outside and it's in Oakland, CA, Jello Biafra was the DJ there. John Waters had done it last year, he was the Mister of ceremonies so when it came up this year they asked me to co-host it with him. I knew it was a big deal when I had family in town the week before and my nephew who is twenty-six now asked "What are you doing aunt Traci?" I told him I was going to MC an event where a band called The Mummies were playing. He said "The Mummies, oh my god!" They were all dressed like mummies, they were pretty groovy. The clientele was really great too sometimes the nicest people you meet are the ones covered in tattoos and dressed in leather, and the conservative looking ones in the suits are the ones you have to watch out for. You can't judge a book by it's cover.

MS: Let's talk fashion, give us the 411 on your clothing line.

TL: I'm doing this collab with Pin-Up Girl Clothing so I got to take my new "Beat It Creep" shirts to the festival. I also wore two samples of my Traci Dress which is a red halter just below the knees in homage to my Wanda dress from Cry-Baby. The fans were really delighted and supportive, they squealed, they loved getting a glimpse of Wanda! The week before I thought "I can't possibly host this event with John Waters without the Traci Dress."

MS: When first I heard about your clothing line I was intrigued. Is it based on Wanda?

                                                           Traci as Wanda 
                                                              In Cry-Baby

TL: The line isn't really based on Wanda, I realized Pin-Up Girl and myself have the same fan base. My female fans who love Wanda tend to dress up in more retro/pin-up inspired clothing. All these women are looking for empowerment, some sort of strong female bad ass prototype. Wanda has become such an icon for rockabilly/punk/pin-up scene, she just really is. I'm not kidding, I have my little baby Wanda's who are six years old that I have pictures of and those little girls they just love the songs. John made Cry-Baby so musical and so much fun to sing with, kids just love that! 

Then I have the women with tattoos and they're dressed like a pin-up. They are straight women who have families and all that, and they all want me to sign their breasts, every one of them. They say "just sign right here on my cleavage" so there are all these women walking around with gorge dresses on with my name across their breasts (laughs) It's really funny it's like "OK, right on!" - over the years it's really wild, men and women show up with my name tattoo'd on their bodies where I've signed it, I'm thinking "tattoos are forever are you sure you want to do that?!" (both laugh) The clothes I am doing with Pin-Up Girl are day wear, like that cool skirt with the hip/retro vibe that's ready to wear and you don't have to squash your body into. I'm not a large woman, but I am all legs and have a short torso, so it seems like everything always has to be moved to fit right, and I was tired of squeezing my boobs into dresses to make them work. This idea came from a desire to have clothes that were custom made for me and women like me that look amazing and aren't made for a twenty year old. These clothes are for women who want to look cool, elegant and sexy in their forties.

MS: Tell me about "Swedish Dicks."

TL: Peter Stormare and his partner own a detective agency and they had the bad luck of opening it across the street from my agency. My character sees herself as the finest detective in all of Los Angeles, I think I have the biggest dick of all! 

MS: You might! (both laughing)

TL: I know! She has a little bit of Jane Lynch from "Glee," she's very blunt about what she says and uses all of her feminine wiles to get what she wants. She is such a fun part to play. It's dark comedy with off quirky little bits here and there as well.

Traci, Gunnar & Jeff

MS: I have to ask about "Sharkansas Women's Prison Massacre"...

TL: My husband rented it I haven't seen it yet, it's on my list. My son watched, this is horrible but this is what happens when I'm out of town, My husband and my son watched "Sharknado" I'm worried about Gunnar being afraid. Gunnar then told me about it when I got home "It was the stupidest, most hilarious movie I have ever seen, the shark went flying through the air and ate this guy and only his legs were left, and there was what looked like paint from my paint set!" He just thought it was hilarious! With "Sharkansas" I think what I'm going to do...he can see the parts that I'm in with Corey Landis because we are the detectives, that was actually a really fun role to play, but some of the cheesy stuff with the prison girls, I think we will go ahead and edit that out.(laughs)

MS: He stole the show on "Celebrity Wife Swap."

TL: He thinks he's a TV Star because of that, it's just hilarious! He tells me, this is just so funny that his plan is he wants to be a scientist. What he tells me he is going to do is graduate High School and make one or two movies so that he can finance his career (both laugh) this is his plan! Which made me laugh, it's less work for me!

MS: You will be jetting of to Williamsburg, VA soon for "Scares That Care."

TL: Yes, it's a 501 non-profit, it's a really great one. All of the money from it goes to helping families who are facing serious hardships, things that are insurmountable like a family member who has cancer. It's all 100% volunteer, nobody is paid salary or anything like that. The money really makes a difference. All ticket sales all the money goes to the people who need it. I've never been to Williamsburg it's supposed to be a very cool place historically, I'm looking forward to that. 

MS: I feel that if you are in a position or have a platform to help you should. The more open I am to that the better I feel.

TL: Especially when it hits that close to home. I am sure it doesn't surprise you that I had a lot of hardship in my family when I was growing up. There was nothing like "Scares That Care" at the time to help. Children Of The Night is another organization that is near and dear to my heart, it helps young girls really transform their lives. It's really important, human trafficking is really a big deal Los Angeles is the hub of it, it's unbelievable and not sexy. You are talking about young girls who are having their lives taken away from them.

MS: You've got a lot going on, all the best on the clothing line.

TL: Here's a fun little factoid, my old friend Shirley Manson of Garbage, used to be with a band called Angel Fish that was on the same label I was Radioactive Records. She just Tweeted me a couple of days ago that she wanted a pink and a black "Beat It Creep" T-shirt. I'm very flattered that she wants to wear them.

MS: By the way I would love to have one of the men's T-shirts.

TL: I think that can be arranged. (laughs)

Traci on the net:
https://twitter.com/thetracilords?lang=en
https://www.facebook.com/tracilords
https://www.instagram.com/tracilords/

Pin-Up Girl Clothing:
https://www.pinupgirlclothing.com/   

Watch This "Damned" Documentary

You know the old adage: Damned if  you do, Damned if you don't? Carry on then! Featuring Chrissie Hynde, Dave Gahan, Lemmy, Mick Jones, Billy Idol and more... After packing cinemas and collecting rave reviews around the world, THE DAMNED: Don't You Wish That We Were Dead is coming to home video on May 20th. Hailed as "excellent" by Uncut, "fascinating" by The Arts Desk,and "funny, fast-moving and gloriously chaotic" by The Hollywood Reporter, the film was directed/produced by Wes Orshoski, and is the first fully authorized documentary on punk pioneers The Damned. Ireland's Hot Press raves: "Orshoski came onto our radar with the acclaimed Lemmy documentary in 2011 [which he co-directed/produced] and has once again created a tour de force, presenting an entertaining and searingly honest depiction of the grievously overlooked punk legends." Filmed around the globe over three years, and world-premiered at SXSW 2015, THE DAMNED: Don't You Wish That We Were Dead tells the story of the third prong in the holy trinity of U.K. punk. In advance of both the Sex Pistols and the Clash, The Damned was the first U.K. punk band to release a single (1976's immortal "New Rose"), the first to release an album ('77's frenetic Damned Damned Damned), and the first to tour America (planting their flag at CBGB in April 1977). Now in their 39th year, The Damned are the only band from London's 1976 Punk Rock Big Bang still touring the world today. In addition to Damned founders Captain Sensible, Dave Vanian, Rat Scabies and Brian James, the film includes appearances by such one-time bandmates as The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde, Mick Jones (The Clash) and Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead, as well as such rock and/or punk luminaries as Nick Mason (Pink Floyd), Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols), Steve Diggle (Buzzcocks), JJ Burnel (The Stranglers), Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode), Billy Idol, Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat/Fugazi), Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys), Keith Morris (Black Flag/Circle Jerks/OFF!), Dexter Holland (The Offspring), Jack Grisham (T.S.O.L.), and more. Taking its name from the title-track of the Damned's 1979 album, Machine Gun Etiquette, the film charts the band's unique history, bitter infighting and legendary bad behavior (drummer Scabies is blamed for creating punk's "gobbing," or spitting, phenomenon); it takes viewers into the toilets once scrubbed by Captain Sensible and viewers follow the Damned on their world-wide 35th anniversary tour in 2011 -- with estranged band founders Scabies and James seen on screen answering that trek with a snarling celebration of their own. In a bizarre twist of fate, other former members find themselves being treated for the same form of cancer by the same doctor in the same Welsh cancer ward; elsewhere, the band's founding members are seen grappling with their legacy, and the fallout from missed and/or bungled business decisions that have kept them painfully working class for most of the past four decades.                                                           "Damned" Trailer The Arts Desk: "Where many music documentaries have a similar dynamic arc-rise, fall, rise again-Don't You Wish That We Were Dead is a fascinating, rambling saga that emanates a rich, sometimes morose, sense of what it's really like to have a whole life defined by the oh-so-brief explosion that was punk rock." In the bonus features, Captain Sensible takes viewers on a tour of Croydon, the south London town that gave rise to the Damned, and he busks on the streets of Hollywood with actor/musician/comedian Fred Armisen, a huge Damned fan. Elsewhere, the full story of the band's involvement and eventual ousting from the Sex Pistols' fabled Anarchy in the U.K. tour of 1976 is told in detail for the first time.  In the film, The Damned is credited with helping to ignite the punk scene in America. In 1977, the Damned were the first of the U.K. punks to play in both New York (at CBGB) and Los Angeles (at the Starwood). In 2010, The Huffington Post's Binky Phillips recalled the band's U.S. debut at CBGB in early April 1977: "I was down at CBGB with a chip on my shoulder. My town was Punk Ground Zero.... I was, in fact, without a struggle, reduced to fan boy within 30 seconds. It was as if the entire evening proceeding them had been in black and white and suddenly we were thrust into Technicolor Oz." The Damned kick off a West Coast tour in April, which includes two appearances at Coachella (April 16 & 23), as well as stops in San Francisco (April 14, Great American Music Hall); Solana Beach, CA (April 19, Belly Up); Pomona, CA (April 20, The Glass House); and Los Angeles (April 21, The Roxy). The band officially kicks off its 40th anniversary tour on May 20 with a sold-out gig at The Royal Albert Hall in London. Follow news about the film at:    www.damneddoc.com    www.facebook.com/damneddoc    TWITTER: @damnedmovie    Instagram: DAMNEDDOC Pre-order at the MVD SHOP: http://bit.ly/1LV7MRm  Amazon: http://amzn.com/B01BSW1NR2

SCREENINGS: April 2: New Orleans, Louisiana, Zeitgeist Arts Center, 9:30 PM April 6: London, England, Hackney Picturehouse, 8:30 PM. April 14-15, 23: Buenos Aires, Argentina, BAFICI - Buenos Aires International Independent Film Fest April 22-28, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Broadway Theatre, check times for each date April 24, Kingston, New York, BSP Kingston, 6:30 PM April 28: Houston, Texas, 14 Pews, 8 PM April 29-30: Providence, Rhode Island, The Cable Car Cinema, 5 PM, 9 PM May 2: Orlando, Florida, Enzian Theater, 9:30 PM May 5: Durham, North Carolina, The Pinhook, 7 PM May 6: Calgary, Alberta, Canada, The Globe, 7 PM, 9 PM May 12: Toronto, Canada, Revue Cinema, 9:15 PM May 23, 25: Edmonton, Canada, Metro Cinema # # #

Are You A "Crate Digger?"

Crate Digger: An Obsession With Punk Records

by Bob Suren

Available on June 9th - Trade Paperback, 192 Pages - $14.95

An insider's account of the last 30 years of punk rock and vinyl records, 

including new information on many punk luminaries. 

Oh how fondly I remember "crate digging" - it was so much fun, I would go to the Tower Records once a week and find out what new vinyl I could buy, punk included. Yes, I was and still am a Punk Rocker!!!

Bob Suren spent more than 30 years immersed in punk rock. His obsession with punk music, culture, and especially record collecting began with a loaned mix tape in a small town in Florida when he was a teenager and slowly took over all aspects of his life.

He started a record label and distribution company, opened a record store, managed a thriving bootleg merchandise empire, published a magazine, promoted shows, and traveled the world with his own band. He mentored generations of younger punks and built a movement that put Florida on the map. He stayed a step ahead of all the ups and downs of the music industry, always pioneering.

Join Bob as he hangs out with punk luminaries like Jello Biafra, The Meatmen, Raw Power, Black Flag, The Dead Boys, Millions of Dead Cops, Rattus, and more. He relates his (mis)adventures breaking his curfew to see the Dead Boys' last show, almost getting arrested after seeing the Ramones, touring with his bands in Egypt, Ecuador, Brazil, and more.

As Jeff Nelson of Minor Threat said, "Really brings to life the early days of the American punk scene as it spread slowly across the country, through turntables, fanzines, and word of mouth. His vivid vinyl recollections illustrate how good record stores and adventurous college radio stations were so essential in bringing startling new music into the lives of many previously isolated kids. It follows the trajectory of a kid-turned-concert-promoter as his passion for music became all-consuming." 

Then one day it all fell apart. He'd built up his life like a record collection, but it didn't satisfy him anymore. He sold everything, dropped out, moved far from home to start fresh... and wrote this book.

Crate Digger is written in short spurts tied to actual records. The result is real, heartfelt, and deeply informed by the music of the last thirty years. It's a basic piece of your punk history collection. 

"Bob Suren delivers some great punk rawk history through anecdote and wit, intermingled with personal stories of love, loss, the characters that have come and gone and that elusive hunk of vinyl that's just around the next corner.... All spanning 30 years of Bob's life." 

- Ami Lawless, Voetsek 

"More than just your typical "record guide," Crate Digger allows us to accompany Bob on his passionate 30+ year punk rock journey. The anecdotal approach reminds us that, for the passionate music fan, there's a personal connection to a particular record that often conjures up various memories, both good and bad." 

- Al Quint, Suburban Voice magazine and Sonic Overload Radio. 

Purchase:  http://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/5296/