#bronze liberace

[bitter69uk]

On this day 69 years ago (14 September 1955), a promising still mostly unknown 22-year-old rhythm and blues musician calling himself Little Richard (Richard Wayne Penniman) recorded the outrageous landmark rock’n’roll single “Tutti Frutti” at J & M Studio in New Orleans. In his ambitious 2024 book The Secret Public: How LGBTQ Performers Shaped Popular Culture (1955 - 1979), Jon Savage (author of the 1991 tome England’s Dreaming: The Sex Pistols and Punk Rock – a sacred text for me) argues “Tutti Frutti” represents year zero and forensically deconstructs and analyzes the song. “From the first eruption to the final exclamation, “Tutti Frutti” had a harsh, relentlessly driving sound, with an unrestrained vocalist who punctuated the simple lyrics with gospel shrieks and weird outbursts,” Savage writes. “Honed in the dives and drag bars of the American South and informed by his thorough knowledge of the sexual underground, Richard’s lyrics were a deliberate provocation: “Tutti frutti, good booty / If it don’t fit, don’t force it / You can grease it, make it easy …” In the volatile climate of 1955, they were also a barrier to any kind of wider exposure. [Producer Robert] Blackwell knew that a verse about sodomy would create such a storm as to kill both the record and Richard’s career. Substitute lyrics were needed if the record was ever to get a chance of airplay … Riffing off this basic phrase, Richard pounded the piano, yelled, shrieked and testified over just under two and a half minutes, and in doing so opened up the underground that he had inhabited … By early November, “Tutti Frutti” had sold 200,000 copies, entering the R&B charts in the middle of the month at #12. It was the breakthrough sound of freedom, couched in an extreme androgyny. The game was on.”

[bitter69uk]

“I have always wished I could somehow climb into Little Richard’s body, hook up his heart and vocal cords to my own, and switch identities with him. Admiring his processed pompadour on my own head in the mirror, feeling his blood pulsating in my veins as I looked down at the twitching pencil-thin moustache over his lip, I’d stomp through the world screaming, “A-wop-bop-a-loo-mop-a-wop-bam-boom!” and finally feel happy! Strangers would jump back and shriek, “Good lord, it’s the Bronze Liberace – Show Business Personified!” while others genuflected to the inventor of rock and roll, and for once, there’d be a reason to live.”

/ John Waters reflecting on his hero (and moustache inspiration) Little Richard in the book Role Models (2010) /

Happy heavenly birthday to Mr. Show Business Personified … the Georgia Peach … the Bronze Liberace … his Royal Highness, the divine Little Richard (né Richard Wayne Penniman, 5 December 1932 - 9 May 2020)! We’ll never see Little Richard’s like again. My favourite song by his will always be “Directly from My Heart” (1959). Oh, and “The Girl Can’t Help It” (1958) of course!

[milkandheavysugar]

Look anywhere...I am the only one left. I am the beautiful Little Richard from way down in Macon, Georgia.  You know Otis Redding is from there, and James Brown is from there and Wayne Cochran's from there...I was the best-lookin' one so I left there first. Prettiest thing in the kitchen, yes sir! I want you to know I am the bronze Liberace! Shut up, shut up!

Little Richard interviewed for “Rolling Stone” Magazine by David Dalton (1970)

[historichollywoodphotographs]

Ciro’s: Nightclub Playground of the Stars

Ciro’s was one of the most legendary nightclub-restaurants located on Sunset Boulevard, aka the Sunset Strip, a part of then unincorporated Los Angeles County where regulations were more relaxed than in the City of Los Angeles. Entrepreneur William "Billy" Wilkerson, owner of the Hollywood Reporter newspaper, Cafe Trocadero and Vendome restaurant, opened Ciro’s in January 1940. It was an immediate hit that Hollywood stars flocked to in droves, as did  Wilkerson’s other loyal Hollywood moguls, due to his previous track record of restaurant successes. Celebrity "regulars" included Clark Gable, Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Errol Flynn, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Olivia De Havilland, Ginger Rogers, Ronald Reagan, and many more.  

Hollywood Reporter ads preceding the highly anticipated opening were a daily occurrence, reminding readers that "Everybody that's anybody will be at Ciro's." There was such a buzz, two opening nights were scheduled and for weeks afterwards, it was the only place in town to “see and be seen”. Guests were greeted with a sophisticated exterior facade designed by George Vernon Russell and a Baroque style interior by Tom Douglas. Douglas’ style epitomized the latest in Hollywood glamour - walls draped in heavy ribbed silk, dyed a pale Reseda green, and ceilings painted in American Beauty red. The stars luxuriated on red silk upholstered banquettes and warm bronze urn light fixtures flanked the bandstand. Emil Coleman's orchestra graced the stage.

Post premiere parties, benefits, and birthday parties were lavishly celebrated at Ciro’s. One of the oddest occasions in the club’s early days was a fashion show by a local furrier who dressed models in expensive fur ensembles accompanied by the same live animal. These beavers, leopards and minks got a peek at Hollywood’s infamous nightlife that most people weren’t even privy to! Speaking of insider access, columnists Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons were usually on hand to surveil the scene and keep the public informed of Veronica Lake's alcoholic bouts, who Judy Garland was seeing, and the latest leading man to be temporarily banned for causing a disturbance. Lana Turner named it her favorite haunt, and with high powered endorsements like hers, Ciro's entered the realm of legend, packing the house with nightly audiences eager to enjoy headliners such as Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peggy Lee, Liberace, Maurice Chevalier, Danny Kaye, Nat King Cole, and countless other performers, for almost two solid decades.

After two and a half years, Billy Wilkerson repeated the exit strategy he’d used at the Trocadero, abandoning Ciro’s to establish La Rue Restaurant just down the street. In his place, Herman Hover took the reins and continued to foster the nightclub's great reputation. Hover remodeled the club, making it even larger and more opulent, in an effort to keep up with the other joints on the Sunset Strip and cater to the tastes of Hollywood's elite and loyal customers with the best entertainment in Hollywood. Highly popular with photographers, hundreds of photographs were snapped of the famous and not-so famous each night.

With the increasing popularity of Las Vegas in the 1950s, Hollywood's nightclubs found it difficult to compete with the enormous salaries being paid to entertainers in the gambling capital of the world. With business dropping off and expenses increasing, Hover filed for bankruptcy and closed Ciro's in January 1958.

Two years later, Frank Sennes, owner of the Moulin Rouge nightclub in the former Earl Carroll Theatre, further east on Sunset Boulevard, acquired Ciro's and re-opened it. Ciro's continued to do well and feature top entertainers. In 1961, Sennes decided to rename the venue “Le Crazy Horse” after the famous Crazy Horse Revue from Paris. After just a few months, the club was taken over by Paul Raffles and Bill Doheny who re-established the Ciro’s name in February 1967. Less than six months later, it was again renamed Spectrum 2000. In the early 1970s, pioneering disc jockey/record producer Art Laboe acquired the club and named it "Art Laboe's”. A couple of years later, the location was acquired by Sammy and Mitzie Shore who opened “The Comedy Store”. Mitzie operated the club throughout the 1970s and 80s as a new population began to enjoy the Strip. The Comedy Store remains in operation today.

- Christy McAvoy, Historic Hollywood Photographs

Source: Bruce Torrence archives

[bitter69uk]

“I have always wished I could somehow climb into Little Richard’s body, hook up his heart and vocal chords to my own, and switch identities with him. Admiring his processed pompadour on my own head in the mirror, feeling his blood pulsating in my veins as I looked down at the twitching pencil-thin moustache over his lip, I’d stomp through the world screaming, “A-wop-bop-a-loo-mop-a-wop-bam-boom!” and finally feel happy! Strangers would jump back and shriek, “Good lord, it’s the Bronze Liberace – Show Business Personified!” while others genuflected to the inventor of rock and roll, and for once, there’d be a reason to live.”

/ John Waters reflecting on his hero (and mustache inspiration) Little Richard in his 2010 book Role Models /

In Memoriam: remembering his royal highness, “Show Business Personified” and the artist praised by soul diva Etta James for having “the guts to be a king and queen all at the same time” - the divine Little Richard (aka Richard Wayne Penniman, 5 December 1932 - 9 May 2020) on the fourth anniversary of his death. I saw the flamboyant “Bronze Liberace” give one of his final concerts at Viva Las Vegas rockabilly weekender in 2013 (he retired from performing shortly afterwards). I won’t lie – by that point, the Georgia Peach was a hot mess, but a fascinating, charismatic and regal hot mess (and possessor of a profile worthy of Nefertiti). The man was magnificent! We’ll never see Little Richard’s like again.

Timeless Cool

[nemesisbinxartifactseries]

Artifact Series L

L. Ron Hubbard's "E-Meter" Electropsychometer

La Volpe's Cowl

The Lady from Shanghai's Mirror Maze

Lady Godiva's Saddle

Lady Jane Grey's Necklace

Lady Liberty Lighter *

Lady Lovibond

Lady Macbeth's Candle

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's Journal

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's Tulip Bulbs

Lady Saigō's Kimono

Laelaps

Laika's Harness

Lake Peigneur Diamond Drill Bit

Lamassu Statue

Lambert Simnel's Leggings

Lamp from Chicago Pile-1

Lampshade of Psychic Power *

Lance Armstrong's Trek Bicycle

Lantern from the Courrières Mine *

Lanterns from the Tillamook Rock Light

Laozi's Calligraphy Brush

Lara Croft's Holsters

Larry Walters' Lawn Chair

Las Vegas Atomic Skillet

Las Vegas Strip Neon Signs

Lascaux Cave Paintings

The Last Straw *

Laszlo Toth’s Hammer

Latasha Harlins' Two Dollar Bill

Late Schoolbus

Lauging Baby's Highchair

Laughing Moai

Laundry Basket from 'The Merry Wives Of Windsor'

Laura Bassi's Sample of Water

Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Schoolhouse

Laurel and Hardy’s Hats

Laurence Shirley's Noose*

Lawrence Joseph Bader's Eyepatch

Lawrence of Rome’s Gridiron

Lawrence Welk's Accordion

Lazare Ponticelli’s Shoebox

Lazarus of Bethany's Grave Clothes

Leatherface's Chainsaw

Leather Strap from the First Iron Spike Chair

LeBron James' Headband

Lee Harvey Oswald's Handcuffs

Lee Harvey Oswald's Rifle

Lee and Marina Oswald's’ Wedding Rings

Lee Morgan's Trumpet

Lee Travis' Fedora

Leena's Bed and Breakfast Painting *

Leendert Hasenbosch’s Tent

Left 4 Dead Survivor Clothing

Left Arm of the Statue of Fergus Mor

Left Handed Whopper Wrapper

Leg Lamp

Legalese-Forcing Desklamp *

Leif Erikson's Helmet

Lemuel Gulliver's Ship Wheel

Lenape Tribe's Cloak and Artifacts of Nature *

Leon Herrmann's Sword and Playing Cards *

Leon Panetta's Projector *

Leonarda Cianciulli's Cake Shovel

Leonardo Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa"

Lenoard A. Funk Jr's Thompson Submachine Gun

Leonard Smith's TV *

Leonardo da Vinci's Gargoyle *

Leonardo da Vinci's Notebook

Leonhard Rauwolf’s Herbarium

Leonidas' Cestus

Leonid Telyatnikov's Firefighter Gloves

Leroy Brown's Coat

Leslie and John Morton's Morgue Sheet

Leslie Scott's Jenga Blocks

Lev Termen's First Theremin

Levi Strauss's Original Pair of Jeans

Levitating Gurney

Lewis Carroll's Looking Glass *

Lewis Nixon's Pistol

Lewis Powell’s Pickaxe

Li Bai’s Rosewood Wall Panels

Li Ching-Yuen's Bowl

Li Zicheng’s Shackles

Liberace's Candelabra

Liberty Bell Ruby

Licking Dog Collar

Life Replenishing Clock

Lighter

Lightning Rod from Banqiao Dam

Lillian Russell's Evening Gloves

Lily Tomlin's Rocking Chair

Lilo & Stitch Experiment Pod Container

Linda Lovelace's Bathing Suit

Linda Hazzard's Wardrobe

Linda's IrisPhone

Lindsay Broom's Fozzie Doll

Ling Lun’s Bamboo Flute

Lin Zexu's Trunk

Linda Hazzard's Wardrobe

Lion Country Safari Park Sign

The Lion man of the Hohlenstein Stadel

Lippershey-Janssen Telescope

Lisa del Giocondo's Teeth

Lisa Howard's Press Pass

Liss Seltzer Bottle

Little Mac's Boxing Gloves

Little Match Girl's Box of Matches

Liu Ji’s Fire Lance

Liu Pengli's Hanfu Hat

Liu Ziye's Tanto

Lizzie Borden's Dress

Lizzie Borden's Compact *

Lloyd Loar's Mandolin *

Lloyd Olsen's Axe & Mike the Headless Chicken's Head

Lobengula’s Assegai

Locker 837 from Columbine High School

Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird"

Locust-Summoning Dog Whistle *

Locusta’s Vials

Lon Chaney Jr.'s Makeup Kit

Lone Ranger's Mask

Lonely Christmas Ornaments *

Long Island War Trumpet

Loki's Feather Cape

Lon Chaney's Makeup Box

Lonnie Johnson's Original Super Soaker

Loránd Eötvös' Torsion Balance

Lord Alfred Tennyson's Cracked Mirror

Lord Byron’s Cloak

Lord Zedd's Staff

Lorena Bobbitt's Knife

Lorenzo Ghiberti’s Bronze Panel

Lorne Acquin's Tire Iron

Lottery Ticket, Circa 1950s

Lottie Dod's Tennis Racket

Lotus Incense Burner

Louis I, Duke of Orléans' Torch

Louis XIV's Silverware Forks *

Louis Agassiz's Iron Auger

Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte III's Candelabras

Louis B. Mayer's Desk and Chairs

Louis Braille's First Braille Book

Louis Braille's Leather Awl

Louis Chevrolet's Crank Handle

Louis Chevrolet's Helmet

Louis Daguerre's Camera Obscura

Louis Essen's Alarm Clock

Louis Le Prince's Camera

Louis Le Prince’s Film Spools

Louis Pasteur's Beaker

Louis Pasteur's Flask

Louis Pasteur's Milk Bottle *

Louis Prang's Original Christmas Cards

Louis Slotin’s Screwdriver

Louis Vuitton's Suitcase

Louis XIV's Mirror

Louis XIV's Sundial

Louis XIV's Peg Solitaire

Louis the XIV's Scepter

Louis Wain's Cat Collar

Loukas Notaras’ Turban

Lourdes, France Madonna Statue

Lou Reed's Music Transformer Machine *

Lou Reed's Record Player

Love Bead Necklace

Love-In-Idleness Flower

Love Potion No. 9

L. Sprague de Camp's Theodolite

Lu Bu's Battle Armor

Lucius Apuleius' Pet Donkey Hoofs

Lucius Copeland’s Boiler

Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus’ Plow

Lucius Tarquinius Superbus' Stick

Luis Garavito's Walking Stick

Luck Altering Dice

Lucky’s Magical Charms

Lucky Strike Cigarette Tin

Lucretia Garfield's Reading Glasses

Lucrezia Borgia's Comb *

Lucy's Diamonds

Luddite Hammer

Ludger Sylbaris’ Grate

Ludwig II of Bavaria's Cloak

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Drawing Board

Ludwig Prandtl’s Airfoil

Ludwig van Beethoven's Clock *

Lugh's Spear

Luigi Galleani's Wagon Wheel

Luigi Galvani's Bio-Electric Wires

Luigi Galvani's Scalpel

Luigi Lucheni's File

Luis María Mendía's Airplane

Luiz Vaz de Torres' Compass

Luke Howard's Barometer

Luke P. Blackburn's Linens

Lully's Staff

Lumiere Brother's Cinematograph *

Lunchlady Hairnet

Lycaon's Ladle

Lyn Robinson's Turtle Shell

Lynette Fromme’s Red Robe

[tmanakatstyle]

2020 has been a muthafucka, Jack. The Bronze Liberace, The Black Mamba, The Black Panther, Mr Roper from Enter The Dragon & Betty Wright gone😬 #FunnyByBirth🤣 https://www.instagram.com/p/CEg52kwl2-VF8HebkCBmC4QqxUCw_-BuM6Qd980/?igshid=1mges9fvhftj

[bitter69uk]

“I have always wished I could somehow climb into Little Richard’s body, hook up his heart and vocal chords to my own, and switch identities with him. Admiring his processed pompadour on my own head in the mirror, feeling his blood pulsating in my veins as I looked down at the twitching pencil-thin mustache over his lip, I’d stomp through the world screaming, “A-wop-bop-a-loo-mop-a-wop-bam-boom!” and finally feel happy! Strangers would jump back and shriek, “Good lord, it’s the Bronze Liberace – Show Business Personified!” while others genuflected to the inventor of rock and roll, and for once, there’d be a reason to live.” 

/ John Waters reflecting on his hero (and mustache inspiration) Little Richard in the book Role Models (2010) / 

Born on this day: his royal highness the undisputed Kween of Rock’n’Roll, the divine Little Richard (aka Richard Wayne Penniman, 5 December 1932 – 9 May 2020). I witnessed the regal “Georgia Peach” give one of his final concerts at Viva Las Vegas rockabilly weekender in 2013 (he retired from performing shortly afterwards). He was a hot mess, but a fascinating and charismatic hot mess.

Little Richard, Wembley Empire Pool 1972, by Barrie Wentzell

[bitter69uk]

“Little Richard scared my grandmother in 1957. I was eleven years old, and on my way to her house for dinner with my parents and had just shoplifted a record in the five-and-dime. Mom and dad hadn’t even noticed. Easy pickings – the 45 of “Lucille” on the Specialty label. My favourite tune. I felt happily defiant in the backseat of the car with the sharp edge of the single jabbing my stomach beneath the sweater. Once inside Mama’s, I made a beeline to her out-of-date hi-fi and let it roll. “Lu-CILLE! You won’t do your sister’s will!” came blaring through the house like a rabid pack of dogs. It was as if a Martian had landed. My grandmother stopped in her tracks, face ashen, beyond comprehension. The antiques rattled. My parents looked stunned. In one magical moment, every fear of my white family had been laid bare: an uninvited, screaming, flamboyant black man was in the living room. Even Dr Spock hadn’t warned them about this.” / From the book Role Models (2010) by John Waters / Happy heavenly birthday to Mr Show Business Personified … the Georgia Peach … the Bronze Liberace … his Royal Highness, the divine Little Richard (né Richard Wayne Penniman, 5 December 1932 - 9 May 2020)! We’ll never see Little Richard’s like again. My favourite song by his will always be “Directly from My Heart” (1959). Oh, and “The Girl Can’t Help It” (1958) of course!

[lafreakvintage]

"i want you to know i am the bronze liberace!" ✨✨✨🎂🎁🎊 . 🎉🎉🎉 happy 85th, king💕🎉🎉🎉 . . . . . . . . .

[bitter69uk]

“Little Richard scared my grandmother in 1957. I was eleven years old, and on my way to her house for dinner with my parents and had just shoplifted a record in the five-and-dime. Mom and dad hadn’t even noticed. Easy pickings – the 45 of “Lucille” on the Specialty label. My favourite tune. I felt happily defiant in the backseat of the car with the sharp edge of the single jabbing my stomach beneath the sweater. Once inside Mama’s, I made a beeline to her out-of-date hi-fi and let it roll. “Lu-CILLE! You won’t do your sister’s will!” came blaring through the house like a rabid pack of dogs. It was as if a Martian had landed. My grandmother stopped in her tracks, face ashen, beyond comprehension. The antiques rattled. My parents looked stunned. In one magical moment, every fear of my white family had been laid bare: an uninvited, screaming, flamboyant black man was in the living room. Even Dr Spock hadn’t warned them about this.” 

/ From the book Role Models (2010) by John Waters / 

Remembering his royal highness, the undisputed Kween of Rock’n’Roll, the divine Little Richard (aka Richard Wayne Penniman, 5 December 1932 - 9 May 2020) on the second anniversary of his death. I saw the flamboyant “Bronze Liberace” give one of his final concerts at Viva Las Vegas rockabilly weekender in 2013 (he retired from performing shortly afterwards). I won’t lie – the Georgia Peach was a hot mess, but a fascinating, charismatic and regal hot mess. The man was magnificent! We’ll never see Little Richard’s like again. Pictured: a portrait of Richard by Gilles Petard, 1965.

(via (162) Pinterest)

[tune-collective]

Brendon Urie's Stylist on the Panic! at the Disco Singer's Colorful Tailormade Style

Brendon Urie's Stylist on the Panic! at the Disco Singer's Colorful Tailormade Style

For Panic! at the Disco frontman Brendon Urie, the embrace of “emo” spans at least a decade. But thanks to stylist Anthony Franco, the band is changing its tune, donning a new, colorfully clad style.

The self-taught designer and stylist first cut his teeth in the ’80s and ’90s dressing Janet Jackson, Boyz II Men and Lauryn Hill and outfitting MC Hammer for his “2 Legit 2 Quit” video. “When you come from making clothes for stars, you can’t give it up, which is why I like working with Panic!,” Franco says in the interview.

After being introduced to the Las Vegas-bred group through their Nothing Rhymes With Circus tour director — who Franco worked with while styling Fall Out Boy — it was a match made in sartorial heaven. “I just threw a whole bunch of stuff in my bag from working on films like Waterworld and X-Men, made a bunch of sh–, met the boys, and they were like, ‘We love you,’” he recalls. “They were babies, 17 to 20 years old, and I was already in my 30s, but from that point on, I became really close with them and have literally done every single thing with the band and Brendon since.”

How would you describe Brendon’s style?

The thing I love about the band is they’re from Vegas, so they kinda had a Rat Pack vibe with emo elements to them. With all groups, it’s the singer who usually has their individual style, and Brendon will wear anything I ask him to. He trusts me, and that’s a big thing; when an artist does not allow their stylist or creative team to help them create an image, a lot of times it looks like it’s forced. Personally, I can’t think of anyone out there with his sense of style. He loves his shiny fabrics, has stage presence, and to me, he’s always been a one-man show. He does take over, and the fans love it, and it’s great.

He seems to be a big fan of colorful and patterned tuxedo jackets, along with high-collar shirts. Is that your influence? 

Yeah, the high-collar thing came about when we were doing the “Hallelujah” video, where it’s a play on clergymen in a confessional. Instead of doing the band in collars — which is a direct reference to priesthood — we implemented that element into the shirts by raising the collar up. I love how Karl Lagerfeld dresses with his collars, so that’s what we go for. It gives an emperor’s look as opposed to looking like a preacher.

  Brendon @brendonurie @panicatthedisco ready to give you an amazing performance tonite on @fallontonight – #brendonurie #panicatthedisco #tonight

A post shared by Anthony Franco (@afrancodesigner) on Jan 19, 2017 at 5:01pm PST

What about the colorful and patterned tuxedo jackets?

This started around the ‘05 Vaudeville eyeliner emo look, but I began noticing that the clothing started to elevate itself with shine and color. I wasn’t so nervous about it since I knew Brendon could pull it off, but it was also something that nobody at the time was doing, and it sort of came across as really Liberace. To avoid looking like a Vegas lounge singer, his fit had to be perfectly tailored and custom-made. I didn’t want to just throw him in clothing that we had to alter but didn’t work for him. As his stylist, I want to make sure that every time he’s out there performing or on the red carpet, he looks different, but it’s still his style.

Is there a pattern or color Brendon wouldn’t wear?

I don’t know if I would ever put him in plaid. I like textures, and leopard works perfectly for him. I think there is not a color now that we haven’t used. That’s why when we did the Grammy red carpet, we went for a clean slate with the white tux with silver thread in it and a fattened collared shirt (exclusive sketch below). Kind of like [Grammy-nominated best rock album] Death of a Bachelor, where a bride wears white. We flew in the shiny fabric from London, and I made the full look (tux, pant and shirt) within a week, because I have his pattern down perfectly. That’s fast for us, but with him, I don’t like to do things with too much of a lead time because we’re so creative we might change our minds. His fans love him, and it’s nice when they get in really close and can spot a new detail within that look.

What influences Brendon’s style the most: comfortability or design interest?

Since he’s an active performer, his pants have a little stretch in them, and his shoes have to be super comfortable. But up top, he will wear anything. I also have to be aware of sweating because he’s performing, so I will never use wool. He’ll start the show looking head-to-toe perfect and will start stripping stuff off, and before you know it, he ends up shirtless. [Laughs] For him, I think it’s really about a full look at the beginning, and then he’ll sort of taper down to get himself into it. For the red carpet, he wants to look perfect from head-to-toe.

When it comes to fashion, what excites Brendon?

He’s interesting because we know it’s the element of dress-up, and he knows that people love him for his music and his clothing. He gets inspired by fashion and is not an off-the-rack kind of guy. Brendon will never follow a designer just because everyone else is following a trend. It’s dress-up, but it’s not a costume nor gimmicky.

Brendon @brendonurie looks so good at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards – he’s wearing a custom Diamond White Tuxedo–We’ve done almost every color in the rainbow — This shining beauty is definitely one of my favorites. #brendonurie #panicatthedisco #grammys

A post shared by Anthony Franco (@afrancodesigner) on Feb 13, 2017 at 10:31am PST

How do you keep it from looking gimmicky?

The good thing is, with well-made clothing; it never looks cheap. And we put a lot into making sure the fit of the fabric and details are expensive, a.k.a. well-thought-out and -executed.

When he’s not performing, what does Brendon gravitate towards?

He’s all casual. Jeans, T-shirt, a hoodie and Adidas sneakers. He is straight-up comfort. 

Even at nighttime?

Oh yeah, he would never dress up to go to dinners and stuff like that. That persona of him is strictly  onstage. 

  Brendon @brendonurie giving you one hell of a performance yesterday @iheartradio – wearing one of my favorite jackets in Army Green Lacquer ☠️ #brendonurie #iheartradio #performance

A post shared by Anthony Franco (@afrancodesigner) on Sep 25, 2016 at 10:50am PDT

What is your most memorable styling moment with Brendon?

His light-blue jacket with leopard T-shirt from his last tour. A couple, who met at a Panic! concert and eventually got married, sent a photo of their baby dressed up for Halloween in a leopard shirt and blue onesie jacket over it. It was so damn cute, and when fans start re-creating his looks, it’s flattering for us. The most incredible moment was when Brendon met President Obama after performing at the Kennedy Center Honors in a gorgeous bronze tuxedo, which we custom designed. It photographed beautifully, and I felt so proud to see my work on him while meeting the president. 

  One of my favorite fashion moments – Brendon @brendonurie & Sarah @sarahurie at the Kennedy Center Honors 2013, both look so stunning wearing my designs. #love #friends

A post shared by Anthony Franco (@afrancodesigner) on Nov 11, 2016 at 2:35pm PST

Source: Billboard

http://tunecollective.com/2017/02/25/brendon-uries-stylist-on-the-panic-at-the-disco-singers-colorful-tailormade-style/

[bitter69uk]

In Memoriam: remembering his royal highness, “Show Business Personified” and the artist praised by soul diva Etta James for having “the guts to be a king and queen all at the same time” - the divine Little Richard (aka Richard Wayne Penniman, 5 December 1932 - 9 May 2020) on the third anniversary of his death. I saw the flamboyant “Bronze Liberace” give one of his final concerts at Viva Las Vegas rockabilly weekender in 2013 (he retired from performing shortly afterwards). I won’t lie – by that point, the Georgia Peach was a hot mess, but a fascinating, charismatic and regal hot mess. The man was magnificent! We’ll never see Little Richard’s like again. Pictured: backstage portrait of Little Richard in the UK in 1962 by Harry Hammond.

[bitter69uk]

I finally watched the 2023 documentary Little Richard: I Am Everything. Director Lisa Cortés succeeds in making it feel cinematic, and the archival performance footage of Richard in his prime alone is worthwhile. The best “talking head” contributors are Richard’s late exotic dancer girlfriend Lee Angel and pioneering transgender nightclub entertainer Sir Lady Java - and John Waters, of course! (Waters recalls he used to shoplift Richard’s records as a kid, and that his signature pencil-line mustache is a direct “twisted tribute”). By comparison, big name guests like Mick Jagger and Tom Jones mostly offer show biz platitudes (and Billy Porter is self-aggrandizing).

One thing it accomplishes nicely: so often hidebound rock critics and filmmakers get hung up on "who influenced who" which descends into "who ripped off who" as if it’s always a negative thing. It's common knowledge that when Richard was just starting out as a performer without his persona cemented, two flaming queer Black male rhythm and blues musicians - Billy Wright and Esquerita - inspired his musical approach and appearance (the towering, processed conk, thick make-up and mustache). As one of the talking heads savvily argues, Richard didn’t “steal” from them: rather, they provided a mirror for Richard to see his true self. Similarly, Cortés gives Ike Turner his due. A musical expert notes that Richard's piano playing was beholden to Turner’s, something Richard admitted (he raved about the impact of hearing "Rocket 88", the 1951 Kings of Rhythm track widely considered the first-ever rock'n'roll single). Yes, Ike was a monster to Tina, but his trailblazing musical genius must be acknowledged.

The finale where Cortés demonstrates Richard’s effect on modern pop culture with a montage presumably meant to represent his spiritual descendants (Cher! Harry Styles! Lady GaGa! Lizzo!) is misbegotten. Are we meant to think anyone who EVER wore sequins owes Little Richard a debt? (At least the inclusion of Lil Nas X - a modern flamboyant Black male performer – is apt). Richard was instilled with a sense of shame and guilt as a child, and throughout his life alternated between extreme hedonism and extreme fundamentalist Christianity. Sadly, as one commentator argues, Richard set a great liberating example for other people but never truly enjoyed that liberation himself.

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Last year, Little Richard fans were spoiled with two comprehensive documentaries about The Bronze Liberace. In 2024, within months of each other, we get Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes and Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar about the late, great volatile showbiz diva. In Lost Tapes, director Nanette Burstein marries previously unheard audio of 32-year-old Taylor in conversation with journalist Richard Meryman in 1964 (for a book that never came to fruition) with newsreel footage and clips from Taylor’s films. The results are entrancing, and Taylor – whether talking candidly about her desire to be challenged as an actress, guffawing when Meryman calls her a “sex goddess”, admitting she realized immediately the marriage to Eddie Fisher was a mistake or her brushes with death - emerges as remarkably open, blunt and emotionally intelligent. By comparison, the three-part Rebel Superstar is more of a dumbed-down "idiot's guide" seemingly intended to make Taylor palatable to the TikTok generation. It’s characterized by jarringly insensitive and inappropriate music (Billie Eilish, Goldfrapp and Donna Summer. Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams” is used twice!) and celebrity talking heads (executive producer Kim Kardashian, Joan Collins, Sharon Stone, Paris Jackson) either stating the obvious or talking in vapid showbiz platitudes. But to its credit, the final episode - covering Taylor's struggles with addiction and her AIDS activism – is genuinely moving.  And of course, any account of Taylor’s tempestuous life is bound to be juicy and enjoyable. Both docs are best when they let Taylor speak in her own words and both are illuminating at how the line between public and private was always blurred (for her first wedding, 18-year-old Taylor wore a replica of the gown she wore in the 1950 film Father of the Bride). Both focus on her sympathetic friendships with closeted gay and bisexual actors like Rock Hudson, James Dean and Roddy McDowall. Interestingly, Montgomery Clift barely rates a mention. Is the assumption that 2024 audiences don’t know or remember him? Pic: Taylor by Douglas Kirkland, 1961.

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Today marks a holy occasion! His royal highness the undisputed Kween of Rock’n’Roll, the divine Little Richard (aka Richard Wayne Penniman, 5 December 1932 – 9 May 2020) was born on this day ninety years ago. I witnessed the regal “Bronze Liberace” give one of his final concerts at Viva Las Vegas rockabilly weekender in 2013 (he retired from performing shortly afterwards). He was a hot mess, but a fascinating and charismatic hot mess. A nice way to remember him: in his New York Times opinion piece “Little Richard’s Queer Triumph” following Richard’s death, Myles E Johnson vividly evokes Richard in concert in Paris in 1966. At a climactic moment he strips-off his sweat-drenched shirt and hurls it into the crowd. Regardless of gender, everyone there would have fought each other for this sacred artefact. “For those in the audience, it must have been fantastical to see, and a deeply erotic thing to witness. To think, in 1966, a black queer man - over the course of his life he would identify himself as gay, bisexual and “omnisexual” - could be a sex god. He was a symbol of brazen sensuality, three years before Jimi Hendrix would use his tongue and guitar to catapult a nation beyond their prudish sensibilities at Woodstock.” My favourite Little Richard song will always be “Directly from My Heart” (1959).