Eric wrote this up for us on the re-emergence after many decades of burlesque in Bushwick. It is probably the first and last time you’ll see both “the ‘Wick” and “nabe” on this blog. –Jeremy

I’ve been doing research into the New York Burlesque scene for about a year. I know. Roll your eyes. “Riiiiight. Research.” Yeah, and you may punctuate this by miming that air quote thing. ‘Cause, like, they take off their clothes and stuff. But let me put this into some sort of perspective. I have a background in theater and graphic design. So I like to think I have a strong, er, visual acumen. When I went to my first burlesque show I was surprised at how polished, how well performed, how theatrical the whole thing was. And then there’s that participatory response of the audience. This ain’t no stripper crowd. It is a happy mix of hipsters, goths, the Indie Rock and a dash of rockabilly. When a journo friend of mine asked me to sum up in one visual what the New York Burlesque scene is like I replied, “Think: Bettie Page. With tattoos. And maybe some body piercings.”

I was doing this “research” for a documentary I’m co-producing. I also moved to Bushwick around the time I had decided to take on the project. I was skittish about the prospect at first. I was a Manhattan snob, having lived in Chelsea and the East Village. But the rent was more than reasonable for the apartment’s size and the commute was a breeze. One year later I have not only grown more comfortable with my neighborhood, but I’d discover that two topics prominent in my life — Burlesque and Bushwick — would ultimately be reconciled.

For example, when I first met Albert Garzon it was after a show called “Wassabasco” somewhere in the southern reaches of Park Slope. Not only he is a musician of the “scene” and a producer as well, but I discovered he’s a fellow resident of Bushwick. “I was living in a huge industrial loft in Williamsburg from 1992 ‘till June 2006,” he says. “When the rent got too high and the neighborhood got too lame, I moved to Bushwick.” I bring up the retro quality of the Burlesque scene and ask Albert if a certain time period always appealed to him. “After I toured with the Blindlestiff Family Cirkus, I realized that I loved circus and vaudeville. For me, it was the closest thing to doing ‘silent movie’ work, an outdated piano profession to say the least.” He then goes on to define his approach, “My problem with the neo-burlesque revival was that they didn’t need a piano player — everyone just performed to canned music soundtracks. Being recruited by Vava Voom Room was my turning point. That troupe incorporated live music. Plus, I was lucky enough to work with all the top names in the business: World Famous *Bob*, Dirty Martini, Tigger, Joe Boobs…” Thus we are introduced to the calling card of the Burlesque performer: the racy-but-cheeky stage name. It’s not uncommon to be greeted by the likes of a “Creamy Stevens,” “Little Brooklyn,” “Clams Casino,” or “Gigi La Femme.”

Two performers, “Weirdee Girl” and “Kiki Klutch,” actually live in the same building on Flushing Avenue near the JMZ line. In fact, Kiki is roommates with yet another performer named Fem Appeal, the producer of Kitty Nights (a show that performs every Sunday night in the East Village). Both girls are a good representation of some of the contradictions and mysteries that surround this scene. Weirdee is an attractive red head very much in the Rita Hayworth mold. But Kiki looks strikingly different in her civvies. Weirdee might be recognizable on the street should you see her after a performance whereas Kiki seems to transform herself on stage. It sounds paradoxical: how can someone who indulges in an art requiring the revealing of oneself in public be so different in real life? In Kiki’s case it’s very possible. Although I’ve seen her perform only twice, both times she inhabited a completely different look. In real life without the wigs, the props and the make-up, Kiki is refreshingly pretty in an almost girl-next-door kinda way. While Weirdee is, well, still Weirdee.

But of the two, Weirdee is reluctant to reveal her real name as she fears for her position as an executive assistant to a major publisher. Kiki herself is the art director for a marketing firm but is not as concerned about the ramifications. So I am forever intrigued by this alter ego concept.

Of the two, Weirdee has lived here for the least amount of time. I am also surprised to hear she’s only been performing for under a year. I recall a very funny performance featuring a series of mirrors that would appear each time she removed a bit of her clothing. She would then pause, admire herself in the mirror then continue to remove another piece. And so it went: with each piece removed, another mirror. She’d then stop, glance, wink at her reflection and move on. She’s even given the persona of her act a name, “That’s ‘Vanity!’” she laughs.

Yet they haven’t really familiarized themselves with this neighborhood. They only recently heard about places like Kings County and Northeast Kingdom and would like to venture more into their surroundings, but have trepidations when it comes to some of the paths to get there. “We live across the street from the projects,” says Kiki. “Kinda scary if you’re coming from this direction at night.” I can relate as my access to this part of the ‘Wick (I had met them on a Sunday morning at The Life Café) can be dicey at times (I have to walk through a desolate stretch of Bushwick Avenue to get there). But this does not deter them from liking their neighborhood. Both of them are extremely happy with their living situation, even if they came from supposedly safer places like New Jersey and Staten Island.

Since we’re all neighbors, we’ve promised to support each other when it comes to being more active in our nabe. Which brings us back to Albert Garzon. His Ixion Burlesque put on a show called “Down and Dirty” at Goodbye Blue Monday last Thursday night thus giving some of us the opportunity to finally hang in a Bushwick night spot. I asked Albert if this was the first time he’s produced a show in our neighborhood. “We did some shows at Goodbye Blue Monday in late 2006. We felt it was the right time to start up again as the Bushwick scene is growing.” I then ask him if his was the first burlesque show in the Bushwick area. His response: “Definitely not. Mae West was born in Bushwick, after all. There were burlesque theaters in Bushwick shut down by Mayor LaGuardia in 1937. In the summer of 2004 we did a Green Party fund raiser called ‘Pasties For Peace’ in Bushwick — but Bushwick was never credited. Even though the event took place in the center of Bushwick, it was billed as ‘East Williamsburg.’”

It turns out, GBM’s “shabby chic” aesthetic worked well with Albert’s more classic take on Burlesque. There was a canny attempt at detail. I had seen some of these performers before but not in this stylized, 1920s-like way. The music was indeed live with Albert on piano and someone else on drums. And two performers took turns singing rarely heard blues songs from the period. The only thing missing was saw dust and a bar serving illegal hooch. So I had to be content with a Red Stripe. But the evening made for an interesting contrast to the standard performing-to-recorded-music common to the scene. I asked Albert if his show required a stronger commitment to the group rehearsal process (most performers prepare their acts on their own. They are then booked for a particular evening and put into a line up). He said, “the current Ixion cast is developing burlesque and theater skills – which includes how to perform with live music. That’s why they’re in the show. It’s a lot more work and expense to have ‘live’ music. But keep in mind – using ‘canned’ soundtracks for burlesque – is what’s new. Burlesque performers from the past could never imagine bumping and grinding to canned music.” After the show, Albert points to a nook near the entrance of the venue filled with shelves of used record albums. He explains that a lot of the songs we heard that night actually came from there. It’s like he’s found a neighborhood “archive.”

And there you have it: Burlesque is reintroduced to the Bushwick scene. Or, as Albert would tell it, it has never really gone away.

Albert Garzon’s Ixion Productions will perform their “Down & Dirty Burlesque” at the Bowery Poetry Club on November 28th. He promises to return to Goodbye Blue Monday in the very near future. Eric’s documentary film project Big City Grind finally began filming last weekend.