Lady Gaga plays a Marc Jacobs-clad witch in a new set of Hansel and Gretel-themed shots from Annie Leibovitz in December's Vogue.
Gaga appeared over the weekend on the German talk show Wetten Dass where she previewed scenes from her new video for "Bad Romance".
What is this beautiful face flashing before our eyes at the hottest parties and our TV Sets?
After reading Freak Show I felt a sense of empowerment. I wanted to take a stab at “Swamp Thing Drag” Is this what you set out to do? Oh I would LOVELOVELOVE to see somebody take a stab at that! I have literally NO IDEA what it looks like. I got such a thrill after Party Monster came out, and I saw the troll doll look and the bloody wedding gown look in the WeHo Halloween parade. I think I would even feel MORE PRIDE if I saw someone doing my Swamp Thing drag...! DOIT!DOIT!DOIT!
How much of the main character, Billy Bloom is James St James? Oh baby, it's ALL me. The book actually started out as a collection of columns and essays and scraps of paper I had lying around about my life etc. When my editor suggested I try writing a YA (Young Adult) novel, I thought, well I can just turn all of this into fiction! Easier said than done, of course. But my high school years were the beginning of the story. That was my school, my house, my dad, our housekeeper, my first boyfriend... Let's see, though: that wasn't my mom, it was a friend of mine's mother. And I was never beaten into a coma. And I didn't run for homecoming queen. But other than that, JSJ = BB.
Party Monster was a major hit! Do you see a movie in Freak Show? Who would you pick to play Billy Bloom and who would you pick to play Flip Kelly? I sold the rights to someone who's been trying to get it off the ground for a while now. When I was writing it I had a number of people in mind who are now too old or too famous. I wanted Zac Efron, of course, to go blonde and play Flip. Or Cody Lindley. Or even Aaron Carter, lol. I definitely wanted Taylor Lautner for either Bernie or Bib the bully. (This was after Shark Boy and Lava Girl-- WHO KNEW HE'D BLOW UP LIKE HE DID?) I wanted the kid from Bridge to Terebithia to be Billy. Now, we have to start looking at the younger kids, who will be able to play 16 in a year or so. There's a young gay boy on United States of Tara that I have my eye on....
You are a definitely a role model, an Iconic figure in the club kid movement. How does that make you feel? Were you ready for the pressure? Well, I take it seriously, of course. But I'm still me. I'll always be sort of a bitchy mess. When I wrote Disco Bloodbath, I was definitely writing it for a very select group of very jaded queens. I never had any idea that teenagers would be reading it. So it was upsetting when I started to get e-mails from kids who were idolizing Michael and/or myself. Party Monster is a cautionary tale and should not be ANYONE'S life's ambition, lol. That's why I wrote Freak Show-- so that I could share some of the positive things about the clubkids (the freedom of society's rules, the joy in being different, the beauty of constructive rebellion) WITHOUT all the murder and drug addiction.
Things have definitely changed in the club scene since the early 90’s… Do you miss it? Do you see it coming back? Why or Why Not? Fran Leibowitz describes glamour as anything older than you. People always think the scene that preceeded them was SO MUCH COOLER than theirs. I remember during the clubkid days yearning for the Area scene before it. And the Area people were nostalgic for the Mudd Club and Studio 54. And the Mudd Clubbers were nostalgic for Max's
Please give me 5 words that describe a James St James experience.
Still. Struggling. To. Find. Fun.
Kooky. Ketamine. Mess. Does. OK.
Aging. Clubkid. Wishes. He. Had. Hair.? (whoops that's six) lol
Who is your favorite current Drag Queen/ Club Kid?
If you could come back as someone living or dead who would you be? I think I'm the reincarnation of an Edwardian it-girl, Lady Diana Cooper. Google her, I guess.I love a lot of those early century fashion icons. Evelyn Nesbitt, the Marchesa Casati, Babe Paley, Diana Vreeland, Theda Bara, the list goes on forever...
What is the best advice you would give to someone to achieve the most fabulous state of being? Read my books.
What is next for James St James? Trying my best to get a couple books out. One is a style guide. The other is sort of a sex/noir novel. And I suppose I should probably do another YA book again. If I could ever the time!
Dont forget to visit James St James Blog DAILY @ www.worldofwonder.net
Photo Courtesy: Gabriella Castaneda © 2009
