PussycatMagazine

Interview:Reigning Queen of Detroit Pop Art, Niagara Detroit

Ask any art professor at the University of Michigan in the 1970s if Niagara Detroit would make it in the art world, and they would have said "No."

They didn’t think Niagara would make it making art.

"They were flummoxed by me, and were always calling me into the office saying, "what are you doing?" Niagara says with a laugh, two hours and at least one questionable stimulant away from picking up a paintbrush on a chilly Tuesday night in October.

Back then, she says, art galleries were different. "They were snobby. When I started, people were into these nonobjective landscape paintings, the most boring crap. My teachers were worried because my kind of art wasn’t ‘in.’"

Funny how that’s changed. Ms. Niagara’s paintings of film noir-inspired women toting guns, delivering Sam-Spade-smooth one liners have appeared on the covers of Juxtapoz and New York magazine, and fetched thousands of dollars in art galleries.

Certainly, angsty hipsters worldwide rock out with the stereo too loud in rooms with walls covered with Niagara posters. She has, by all accounts, made it, despite the lipstick.

As a kid, "I thought women artists who made it were serious and wore no makeup," Niagara said.

You can almost hear her liquid eyeliner smacking against the telephone as she says "I thought, with the way I look who’s gonna take me seriously? But I went for it. I thought maybe I can get away with it."

When she couldn’t get a gallery gig, she made her own—in the window of Dave’s Comics in Royal Oak. She set up a bunch of mannequins in the window. The plaster peeps stood around looking at her paintings as if they were real people in a real gallery.

Every last painting sold. "I made about $300 (per painting), which doesn’t seem like anything now, but then I was blown away, because people don’t buy stuff unless they really like it."

The babe-inspired frenzy of color that she’s now known for started with Greta Garbo. Niagara says the women of film noir movies "raised her," and she’d watch "Bill Kennedy at the Movies," Detroit’s film noir movie bacchanal, on her family’s black and white television set religiously.

A bit of that noir femme sass rubbed off. "I was a snotty little kid who hated being told what to do," she admits laughing.

(Niagara also refuses to use an alarm clock and hates standing in line. But what self-respecting 21st Century Gal does?)

"We all usually go back to things that hit us when we were little," she says. "Growing up I thought everyone painted quasi pop, thought everyone in my age was influenced by the same things as me."

It wasn’t too long before Detroit’s petite Queen of Pop Art was doing a little influencing of others. Rolling Stone magazine once described her as "a cocktail of Valium, Tuinal and Nervine."

That was in the 1970s, when she was singing with seminal noise band Destroy All Monsters, and hobnobbing with Andy Warhol.

Her paintings sprang out of this era, starting with self-produced album covers.

These days, she hasn’t given up music for paint, although Niagara admits she is a "color addict." She tours the world with as front vixen of Dark Carnival, with former Destroy All Monsters bandmate Ron Asheton, who played with Iggy Pop and The Stooges. She can say, with a straight face and all sincerity, "I’m big in Japan."

Oh, and in Australia, which she describes as her home away from home. Niagara visits Melbourne and Sydney twice a year for art shows, and she's toured there so much, "she's a household name and everyone knows every lyric she's ever written," says her sexy raven-haired beau Colonel Galaxy, who is a rock promoter, body guard and international road race champion, of course!

And as if she isn’t busy enough, she’s managed to fall in love with Colonel Galaxy, accidentally rented the upstairs of her house to a bank robber, oh, and she just released a retrospective book, Niagara - Beyond the Pale, all without two batts of a fake eyelash.

But still she insists "Artists are so damn boring. We sit alone a lot and paint."

Oh, and for those boring lady artists out there, she has some advice about making it making art. "Artists really have to work at more than just painting," she says. " I always thought art should speak for itself. As artists, all we want to do is paint, but you have to try to deal with the gallery people. You have to run the business side of things, keep in touch with curators."

"It’s a good business, people are usually nice, it’s not like rock n roll," Niagara says laughing. "But ‘making it’ takes ages. The art community doesn’t love you right away."

Amen, sister.

"For women artists it’s harder, they’re getting low prices (for their art) compared with the guys," she says. Niagara paintings now fetch between $3,000 and $20,000 a pop. You can get your own signed limited edition print on her NiagaraDetroit.com, for about $200. Or, if your bank account is wearing a bit thin, at least a T-shirt with one of her babes on it.

Of course, that makes her a bit miffed. "That’s mostly because women artists tend to undervalue what their paintings are actually worth."

Maybe it’s a crisis of confidence, she said. Whatever it is, chicks need to snap out of it.

The moral of the story? It’s tough to make it in art, Niagara says. You have to be sassy and persistent, much like the ladies in her paintings. Don’t take no for an answer, and most of all, don’t sell yourself short.

"Just be a genius and shut up."•

To learn more about Niagara, to buy awesome limited edition prints of her paintings, or to see a schedule of her upcoming shows, visit NiagaraDetroit.com

Interview with Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde

She's down-to-earth, intelligent and political. She's the mistress of her own destiny. And she just plain rocks. Best known as the voice of Concrete Blonde, Johnette Napolitano is more than just singer. She is an artist who constantly reinvents herself. She displays original work in L.A. galleries, and she has made music with a variety of artists, including The Talking Heads. Christ, she even flamencos. Now, she's touring the U.S., so go to the show. You won't be sorry. Here's what she had to say to us: Visit her web site. I've read that you used to work as a waitress and would sneak off to the bathroom to sing and write songs. That may or may not be true. What was the last day job you worked before you could support yourself with music and art? Describe the day you quit. That is very true. The last day job I had was working as an assistant for indie movie producer Donald P. Borchers. I actually learned a lot from that job and worked up until the first record was released and we started to tour. It was a little sad, as Don was good to me and I wish it would've been a job I hated! In a 2000 interview, you mentioned roller skating on Hollywood Boulevard with your sister. Do you still skate? Can you tell us more about that memory? Yes, we did...back in those days, we'd spend the weekends up and down the Boulevard. There was a little place upstairs called The Weird Museum run by two witchy-looking women. They had fetuses in jars and a mummy and showed films of Lizzie Borden's parents smashed-in skulls and stuff like that, all for 50 cents! We couldn't get enough of it.I don't skate anymore, I'd sort of like to, but I've had knee surgery and in general have to be more careful. Would you describe yourself as a do-it-yourself person? I know you write, play and produce songs, and do lots of art and design work. Do you find it empowering to have your fingers in as much of the creative process as possible ? Is self-sufficiency a motivator? I just enjoy all those things, I really do. But I have no problem having someone else do something if they're right for the job. But ,over the years, I find I really like doing these things, and when we started to happen and everything became someone else's job there was nothing for me to do but sit around and drink. I also find it's more work sometimes to have to watch over everything and make sure it's done right, so I may as well do it myself. Also, my main gig is indeed the music, but I find if I focus to much on one thing, overthink it, I get locked up and it becomes counterproductive. I'm like a kid in some ways, you know, "It's MY record, or photo, or whatever, and I get to do it MY way. You wanna have so much to do with artwork, do your own record!" Also, I have to say, computers make everything so easy, you don't have to rely on anyone anymore to make your own record. What are the greatest challenges to creativity and creative people these days? Do you have any advice for other creative people trying to eke out a living with art/music? Yes. Get rid of your TV. Do not pay the least bit attention to what anyone else is doing. But more importantly, know why it is you're doing what you're doing. If it's for money, forget it. There are a lot of easier ways to make money. Also, and this isn't just for artists, but for us as a society -- live without all the crap, that is, the SUV, the toys, the big house, etc. The lower your personal overhead, the more chances you can take artistically, and it then becomes possible to make a living. The more scaled down your life is in general, the easier it'll be to maintain, always. Sustainable living is very important. How do you feel about 'celebrity?' Do you consider yourself a celebrity? Does it adversely affect your life in any way? Oh, it gets on my nerves in a big way, but I see people who handle things well, and gracefully, and do great work. Celebrity can be anyone from an Osborne to the Pope to Pablo Picasso. A game show host is a celebrity, but more power to everyone, it's just that fame has become the end goal and there's something fundamentally wrong with that, I think. I stay pretty real, whatever real is, I suppose. Do you have any secret hobbies or passions? Do you still decorate your house Feng Shui-style? I'm passionate about Flamenco, and get to class when I can. I took my shoes to Peru and practiced some footwork in my hotel room, it had nice big mirrors. I hope to get to Jerez, in Spain, early next year for some studying there. I believe very strongly in Feng Shui, and my new house has a nice flow to it, with a good combination of hills, desert, sky and Joshua trees. I have to figure out where water comes in, though, for balance. But, I'm a bath person so that is a bit of a ritual for me every day, and that gets my water thing in. Do you still love to karaoke? I went not too long ago to Japantown in L.A. with our friend Don McLeod, a Butoh artist, and his wife and friends. It was of course a rollicking good time, and there were some amazing Japanese businessmen there who sang their asses off! Once, you referred to working as a recording artist as 'glorified factory work.' Do you feel that is true? At a certain level, in a certain situation, yes. At least, I have heard people on the business end of things talk about it that way. "Product", you know, as long as it's sells like a McDonald's hamburger it doesn't matter who it is or what it is...quantity, not quality. The process of assembly--producers, stylists, designers, all the shit that goes into the fabrication and creation of a personality or image. On the plane I saw that movie Simone where he creates a huge star who doesn't exists. Interesting food for thought. Do you have any advice for musicians starting their own record label? No, but they'll soon find out there are two sides to a label/artist relationship, and artists are a pain in the ass. I should know, I am one! Concrete Blonde had an 8-year hiatus. How do you feel about the projects you did during that time? Was it a growing/renewal process for you? I'm proud of everything I've done. I pick and choose very carefully what I do and with whom. I needed that, and I learned and grew quite a bit during that time. I'm especially grateful to have made the Pretty & Twisted record, especially now that Marc's (Moreland) gone. Also working with The (Talking) Heads, of course, was a privilege. How do you feel now that Concrete Blonde is back together? And what projects are on the horizon? Yes, we're well into a new album, or 'song cycle' as is the term now, that we've been recording out here in the desert at Mankey Manor (Jim's house) with Gabriel Ramirez, our drummer. It's very fresh and very cool, and I'm anxious to finish it by the end of the year. We recently collaborated with our friend Ed Calls Him of the Sioux-Ponca nation, and although I'm only home for two days and horrified to feel a cold coming on, I've got to at least edit one more of those pieces. I get backed up very easily and have resolved to get one thing finished before starting another. Were you surprised to see that you still had a bevy of loyal fans? Frankly, yes. I think we're very lucky.•

Crafting a Successful Company How Krissy of biggerKrissy.com turned fun fur into a full-time job

Ms. Krissy, how on earth did you go from life as a journalist to life as a crafty gal / artiste extraordinaire? That seems like quite a jump!
 
There was one stop in between. I worked at a web company for three years, eventually becoming creative director of a spin off — though there was nothing creative about what I did. I was a total cliche —completely absorbed in my job, working at least 80 hours a week. By the time the company tanked, I was physically and emotionally burned out. So I decided to take some time for myself ... only to realize that I had become the most boring person on the planet! I had no hobbies or interests outside of work. So I got my ass in gear and tried everything — knitting, Spanish class, hula class, collage, yoga. You name it, I tried it.
 
How did this business start? And how has it grown?  
It mostly started by accident. I was at the beginning of my “finding myself” phase and at some point thought, “Hey, I like toys.” So I went to the fabric district and my mom let me borrow her sewing machine. I just did what I remembered the old ladies on TV doing when they sewed ... flipping this thing here, turning this other thing there. Within a couple weeks, the toys had taken over my apartment. I stalled and stalled but finally went to a local store I thought might like them. They did and told me to bring them in and set up a display the next day! So I went home, put together a little marketing campaign for them, and the biggerCritters were born.

Was it difficult  to take the plunge and start your own company? Why did you finally decide to go for it?
The most difficult part was to take my biggerCritters outside the house. I thought people would laugh at me because they were so lame. I was trying for edgy, and they were sort of odd and cute. But, like, not at all. I look at those old ones now and want to contact the buyers to refund their money. They got gypped. Really, though, I was good at my job ... so when it came to doing that stuff for my own gig, I couldn’t have been happier. I was at a time in my life when I was working hard to push outside my comfort zone, and this did that in a big way. Still does.

What was the biggest hurdle? Was there an easy part?
I have to admit, there haven’t been a lot of hurdles. The “be bigger” stuff has all just evolved for me. Because I worked in branding and marketing, that was the easy part. On that level, I knew what I was doing. At the same time, I was sort of living it.

I’m still not sure how it all came together. I found this community of amazing crafty women through message boards – back in the day it was Glitter. But now there are Craftster, the Switchboards, Supernaturale and more. The women are amazing resources. There’s also a small community of plush toy makers who have been great – a few reached out to me very early on. I consider myself extremely lucky. For the most part, people have come to me, and I’ve made some really good friends along the way.
 
The hardest part has been staying motivated. Sometimes I just get over biggerKrissy and threaten to shut the whole thing down. But then I make a couple little guys or get an email from someone who digs it, and I saddle up again. My current issue is protecting my brand. I’m having some trouble with people stealing parts of it. I don’t really get it, but I suppose it’s flattering.
 
Did you ever have a moment when you regretted your decision or thought that you wouldn't be able to make it?
I get over it all the time. I think the freedom of being able to shut it all down at a moments notice is what keeps me from actually doing it. At the end of the day, it’s my little baby. I’m proud of it and I'm just enough of an egomaniac to enjoy the attention.

How long did you have to work before you could quit your day job?
I didn’t exactly quit my day job, I’m on hiatus. I have some health issues, which is at the heart of all this. So biggerKrissy came at a time when I was redefining who I was and who I wanted to be. My life had pretty much fallen apart, and I decided eventually I was going to be a bigger and better version of myself — hence biggerKrissy. Sometimes I like that biggerKrissy is still pretty small. Who know what the future holds? I try to enjoy where I am, because I likely won’t be there for long. Life is like that.
 
What are the upsides and pitfalls of Internet retailing?
It’s all upside, I think. At first, it was all just seeing how far I could get my brand out without spending any money. OK, it still is. Why front? There’s no way I could have started this without the resources online in terms of information, friends, materials, software and just really cheap shit to put my name on. Pencils, pins, whatever. I think the Web was the best thing to happen to small business.
 
What is your advice for women who want to start their own Internet business venture?

The best part about the Internet is that it doesn’t have to be a full-time commitment. You can start small small small and never show it. That was part of the game for me at first; I guess it still kind of is. A little HTML, an understanding of clean design and a cute little product ... you’re golden. Can I stress the clean design part again?

Other than that, think bigger! I have a very clear vision of what biggerKrissy is at this stage and what it will be if it gets bigger. I make all choices with both those visions in front of me. I think the mistake many crafty women make is they don’t run their ventures enough like a business —I don’t mean in terms of accounting and stuff. I mean they don’t have a big picture. As women, we’re doing so much, juggling so much and then are encouraged to think small. F@#* that! Have fun with what you’re doing, honor it and yourself through the process ... and, well, be bigger.
 
How do you handle the nuts and bolts of the business, such as order fulfillment, taxes and accounting?
Mostly by pissing and moaning. I don’t update my site nearly as much as I should, but it’s just such a pain in the ass. Someday I’m going to pay someone to create a thing that automates this more. Taking pictures, sizing them, PhotoShopping them to make up for how bad the pictures are, creating a new page for each toy, writing all the copy, redoing all the library items. See? As boring as it is to read about, it's worse doing. And I’m a nightmare about keeping track of who is where.
This is not much of an answer. I’m a very poor role model.
 
What systems have you designed  or software do you use to handle this?
Welcome to my world of Dreamweaver. If I understood Photoshop better, that might also help. Once I decided I would learn how to write ASP, another time how to write a database. That lasted about two minutes apiece. Fortunately two of my close friends are skilled in graphic design. My brother is an IT guy ... most of my operations are completely ghetto. The skill is in hiding it. Is that a skill?

Lily Burana, author of "Strip City"

Why did you decide to write the memoir Strip City?

Part of it was personal--like many people who've worked in adult entertainment, I found it ate up a huge part of my consciousness. Even after quitting, I could not put it behind me, emotionally or psychologically. I felt like I was whirling in the Obsess-O-Matic. Writing helped get it all out.

Another part was political--I was hoping to issue a view of stripping that ran counter to the manufactured stereotypes: Hollywood sensationalism and right-wing prudishness and old-school lefty moralizing. I also thought the relentlessly cheery nouveau feminist "sex work is a perfectly legitimate choice" line seemed a little too smooth to be accurate (believe me, I trumpeted that line for the longest time!). Lastly, I thought it might make a fun and informative book for people to read! I wanted the book to have lots of variety and humor, and that's why I took the show on the road, so to speak.

Was the prospect of thousands of strangers being able to read about your feelings, as well as some of your more private thoughts and insights into that part of your life, strange or frightening?

It was more frightening than strange. I mean, no one had done it before — at least not at that level of visibility, and not in that style. I thought strippers would think I was some colossal narc for writing about the negative aspects of stripping. But more than that, I was worried that people who were hostile toward stripping would attack me. And in truth, plenty of them did. Some people wanted me to be their little whore, with dirty stories oozing from my pores, so they felt free to blast me for not being salacious
enough. Others, who were looking for any angle of attack to express their discomfort with the subject matter ran me down for being some sort of rampant exhibitionist, eager to show off my literary cooch on every page. (And yet the book had no centerfold, and no gyno shots in the author photo.
Go figure). But you know what? With a powderkeg subject like stripping that binds together sex and gender struggles and money and intense feeling, the only way you know you're doing it right is if you get that range of extreme response. A polite "that's nice, dearie" means you are not writing close enough to the bone.

I should say, however, that the strippers who've taken the time to let me know they've read the book have been amazing. I never would have expected the simple appreciation of women saying, "Hey, that's my story. Or close enough to my story. Or, hey, that's not my story, but at least you told yours with some humor and dignity. THANK YOU." That's been awesome. Probably the best part.

Do you think it is important for young women to write about their experiences? Why?
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I think it's important, if only for the young woman herself...but there's a difference between writing something and publishing it. Writing is a great means of discovering and organizing your thoughts, and we often fantasize that publishing will automatically validate us and what we've written. But in truth, the process and subsequent benefits of writing form a complete entity--you've found your voice and made your story--and in a way, it's the opposite of publishing. When you have a finished piece of writing in your
hands, you're in complete ownership of your story. Once it's published, however, it's not your story anymore. It's a product, and what happens with that product is out of your control. If you're ready for what might happen as a result, it can be thrilling to get in that roller coaster car and zoom along the track. But if you're not ready, it can be quite traumatic to be so exposed. That's why I don't think people should be in a hurry to publish, especially if it's edgy, personal stuff. There can be a dangerous crash and
burn if you come out with something you're not yet ready to have judged.

But a young woman has time on her side! What may be too raw to publish one year may seem marvelous and okay the next. I do think that people tend to get crazed about publishing, like it's got to happen NOW NOW NOW, but sometimes, your perspective (and your rewrites) get better over time, and
it's better to hold back until all the elements are in place.

Can you tell us about your next project?

It's a secret! But I can say that soon I'll be back to my regularly scheduled career of journalism. I've been away from it for far too long, and I do miss it.

Many people have an idealized vision of the writing life as a glamorous, jet-set way to live. What do you say to that? And what is your everyday life as a writer like?
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If you make enough money, you can certainly go jet-set as a writer. Most of us, however, get our glamour in the form of freebies (traveling for stories on a magazine's dime, dinners that the publishing folks treat you to, swag from people who want you to write about their product). The hard reality is that writing is one of the least lucrative jobs, period. Even writers who pen New York Times bestsellers may find themselves teaching at colleges! One must always be realistic about this. Sometimes, your big checks come from
everything but your books — speaking engagements, teaching, workshops, magazine pieces, heck, even the ol' day job, if you still got one. I'm not complaining, god knows, since I've been able to write professionally for the better part of a decade, but there are no guarantees.My everyday life as a writer, well, it usually involves a lot of cups of tea, loud music, and screening calls. I'm definitely not a regimented 9-to-5 writer. Some weeks, I'm cranking for 12 hours each day, then I won't write at all the week after that. It's a very solitary job, so it can get lonely. I've learned to pencil in some social time during long projects so I don't turn into one of those psycho writers you see in movies, all holed up in a
secluded cabin, with big gnarled hair and a torn bathrobe, surrounded a halo of flies. But truthfully, when I'm working intensely, I tend to let my eyebrows go.

What words of wisdom to you have for aspiring women writers?

Just the basics. It all comes down to this: Don't take rejection personally. Keep charging. Give yourself permission to write several sucky drafts of anything — NO ONE is good on the first try (cf: Hemingway "All first drafts are shit". Repeat as necessary to keep yourself going. Also, in times of self-doubt, read a crappy book, not an awesome one. If a crap book can get published, then what's stopping you? Another writer gave me this tip. It's petty, but it works!
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What book are you reading now?
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"Bastard Out of Carolina," for the millionth time. So good it makes you
wanna quit (please reference previous answer).
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> And the personals...
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What were you like in the 7th grade?

Smart, music-obsessed, self-conscious, and, uh, kinda ugly, to be perfectly
frank. 
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Have you attended any of your high school reunions? If so, what happened?
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I went to my 10th reunion (the only one we've had so far), and I had cooked up this huge "I'm so fabulous" revenge spree, like in "Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion." I was a punkish Goth in high school and got made fun of all the time. In fact, I went to an "alternative" high school for my diploma because I couldn't stand going to my regular school any longer. But I felt perfectly entitled to show up at the reunion anyway. In ten years, I had morphed from alterna-chick into a bona fide New York media type, from my
salon highlights to my silly all-black ensemble of leather pants, turtleneck sweater, and ski parka. I walked into the reunion, like, "Dudes, I so totally rock, and you so totally suck." But, much like Romy's Post-It note humiliation, I was soon humbled. It turned out that my superiority was for naught. Nobody who I hated in high school even remembered making fun of me, and no one gave me any attitude for showing up. I think the head of the girl's clique even hugged me. Apparently, all that hostility I held in for a decade was one-sided! Live and learn and let it go.

Interview with NYC's the Nuns

Under the Nuns' Habit

An interview with the blonde, beautiful, and unbearably foxy Mistress Jennifer of New York rock's The Nuns

When did you decide you were going to be a rock star?

When I was sixteen I decided to be a rockstar, and I cried because I knew how difficult it would be. I am still crying. God, I wish I had done something else, it was such a bad decision. Now I just want to be a TV star. Show biz is just terrible. It's like a drug you can never escape from. I have tried to quit show biz many times, only to get pulled back into it. And I have spent SO much money, just about all my money trying to make it in show biz. It's so sad and pathetic.

It seems to be impossible for me to live any kind of normal life or have any kind of relationship that is normal. It's all twisted and messed up. But I have to accept the fact that I am bored with normal life. Normal men are just so boring, so I go after these terrible sexy exciting broke drug addicts, rockstars, moviestars, just anyone or anything that will never ever work out or ever make anyone happy.

You've done movies, CDs,and photo layouts. What's next for The Nuns?

OK, this is really great. We have been negotiating with a very large TV station, national TV about this new TV show that I created. I filmed the pilot myself, edited it myself, and somehow wangled the E-Mail addresses of one of the TV bigshots and got him interested. Six months later, we have gotten it into the very top people in LA, and they asked me to fly down and meet with them. I actually rehearsed this meeting a million times, so that when I went in, I was so prepared, I did a really great meeting I think. I even made spiral bound booklets with the description of the TV show and 44 future episodes, I mean, I was PREPARED. They even remarked about how professional I was!!! So that was about three weeks ago, and they haven't said no. But they don't just GIVE it to you right away, and this project is now in the hands of the very top executives.

If I get this TV show, I will get everything. Everything. But it is the weirdest thing, a lot of people got really jealous and cut me off, especially the boys I know. As soon as I got back from this big meeting in LA, they all just turned on me, and I literally got kicked out of the club we used to hang out in because the club owner got so jealous!!! I guess because if I get this TV show I will have more power, it must be a power/sex/jealousy thing. Men hate it when you have more power than they do. But it is still upsetting when everyone turns on you. These last few weeks have been really tough, it's like all or nothing.

But I am really in the running, I might really get this show, Then I might have to take down all my sexy websites!!!! www.nyrock.com/the_nuns/ nuns.html and www.thenunsonline.com.

Why did you get new boobies?

I actually did the breasts for this English director that I was in love with who promised me the lead in all of his upcoming films. I know it was silly of me to get caught up in this kind of nonsense, but anyway, it turned out that the man was insane and completely broke and of course lied about everything. I think he is in jail now.

But I am SO glad I had the breasts done, I mean I LOVE LOVE LOVE them so much!! I think the doctor (Dr. Brad Jacobs in NYC) did a wonderful job, just the best.

If I get this TV show, it is because of my new breasts, and I know that, because during the pilot, I am wearing this skimpy outfit with tons of cleavage. I mean, I shot this pilot right after I got the breasts. It's the best thing I have ever done, I cannot stress enough how pleased I am with them, and how much men just seem to LOVE them!!!!!

Describe the day you discovered your talent for domination.

I have no talent for domination, men just walk all over me. It really does not turn me on at all to dominate men. But I LOOK like a dominatrix, I look very dominant. So this is my big problem. I look like this ice cold bitch, but in my mind I am living in a Jane Austen novel. I actually read a lot of Jane Austen books and watch Merchant Ivory films. It sort of comforts me to know that girls had problems with boys even hundreds of years ago, and the same problems.

What is the one sex toy or fetish you just can't live without?

Well, toys I find kind of silly and embarrassing to even talk about, but I seem to be forever stuck in this "fetish." I guess you could call it with falling in love with men who are mean to me, impossible situations that make me miserable, so that must mean that I am a masochist, because I get into these terrible relationships over and over: Men that have girlfriends, and live with other girls, men that treat me badly, rockstar and movie stars that use me. I mean, it is glamorous and they are sexy and exciting, but nothing you could ever hold onto or depend upon. I know this is not exactly the kind of thing you would expect to hear from me, but since you asked me, I am going to vent.