Our latest Java's
Bachelor Pad Cheesecake Contest (#7) is now history and we
have ourselves a new Cheesecake Queen! In all, 906 votes were cast. 160
of those (17%) went to the gal who now wears the Cheesecake Crown...the
sultry Minnie Vicious. This beauty marks a Cheesecake Queen
first. Not only does this gal know her stuff when it comes to modern pin-ups,
but she is also an up-and-comer on the burlesque scene. At the tender age
of 19, this gal has already made a name for herself and she's just getting
started! She's one of the new generation of gals who were bitten early
by the pin-up and burlesque bug. They are starting to come of age and are
hitting the scene in a big way. We are proud to have Minnie Vicious
as our latest Cheesecake Queen and are happy to include her in JBP
Modern Femme Fatale Gallery.
Below is an exclusive
interview with Minnie Vicious including lots of photos from
this gorgeous girlie!
* * * * *
(Interview from July 2006)
Java's Bachelor Pad: Well, congratulations on being voted the
newest Cheesecake Queen. What was your first reaction when you first found
out?
Minnie Vicious: Thank you very much Java! Also, thank
you for putting on such a wonderful contest for all the pin-up girls! I
was actually on the phone with a good friend and my photographer, Christopher
Wright, when the contest was coming to an end. I think I was telling
him my silly story about my first garter belt which I got when I was 13!
It's about 1:10 a.m. (my side) and he cuts me off and says "Sorry Minnie.....but
it says here you're the new Cheesecake Queen!" My first response was "Shut
up! You're kidding me! It's one of your tricks!", and he assured me it
wasn't and read the results. I just sat there, on my giant pink powder
puff (one of my burlesque props which doubles as my floor pillow that I
sit on when I do my costumes and crafts!), I was holding my first garter
belt, and just thinking about how I am following up such lovely ladies
as Miss Kay (O'Hara) and Gigi
(Valiant). I was completely awestruck! Then I told Chris
"Java's gonna call me! I gotta get off the phone!". We said
our goodnights and I told him if he wanted to speak to me again, I will
try to pencil him in! We both laughed and hung up, then you called me!
(Editor's note: Minnie told me she
wasn't going to be around a computer when the winner was announced. She
gave me her number and told me to call her and tell her who won. She had
no idea that she was going to be the new Queen.)
JBP: Yours is a real story of persistence. Last contest you only
gathered six votes. This time around, you got 160 votes. I know last contest
you were rather new to the pin-up scene, but what do attribute your recent
success to?
MV: I still feel like I'm new to the pin-up scene and photography.
I'm learning things every day and everytime I shoot! I love it! The first
time around, not many people knew what I was doing or about me. I
admit , I didn't even get to promote the Contest as much as I wanted to.
I didn't know how to make an online banner or anything! I learned how to
do these little things with time, of course, and no I can promote myself
better. Mainly, I attribute my recent success by putting myself out there
and promoting who I am and what I do.
I posted a few bulletins and comments,
and my friends reposted, and it went on from there! More people see the
banners and my photographs, and more people know about me! I do this online
and even in person. The way I look online, is really how I look like
when I go out and about on the town! Even to work. The only difference
is I don't run around in my "intimates" or wearing sequin and fringe! But
I do wear nice dresses, dress pants, or skirts, high-heels and I have my
hair and makeup done very well! I always wear red lipstick, day or night!
At night, I usually wear stockings, little
hats, and gloves! I don't call this 'dressing up' since I wear these things
all the time, but it sure gets everyone's attention! And there is when
the promoting comes in. I get many people asking to take pictures (usually
tourists - I live in Florida, what do you expect!?!), and many people ask
me questions about where I get my fashions and who I am. That's where I
slip them my business card!
So be who you are and promote yourself
where ever you go, because you never know who you're going to meet!
JBP: In some of our e-mails, you've told me stories of how people
are starting to recognize you out and about. Care to share one of your
"rock star" moments with the rest of our readers?
MV: I have had a few 'rock star' moments, but they sure make
you feel great! They assure you that you are getting yourself out there
and people are really seeing what you're doing...and that they like it!
I just recently had a moment where I was doing some shopping at Hot Topic.
The sales associate came up to me and introduced herself, then talked about
the sales and if I needed any help to let her know. She came back a few
minutes and asked "are you that shimmy cheesecake queen pin-up girl from
MySpace?" to which I responded "who do you know that's not on MySpace?"
and we both just started laughing! I said yes and introduced myself to
her as a pin-up and burlesque performer. She then congratulated me
on my new title as Cheesecake Queen! I asked her how did she hear about
me, and she told me that one of her friends had my 'Vote for Cheesecake
Queen' banner on his profile! I told her to keep in touch with me online,
and that I will see her again since I always shop at her store. Thanks
to the most addicting internet craze, I'm known as "That pin-up shimmy
girl from MySpace". Which is great of course!
JBP: If I'm not mistaken, you are the first burlesque/pin-up
girl we've had win the title of Cheesecake Queen. Which came first? When
did the burlesque/pin-up bug bite you?
MV: Why yes I am! The Burlesque bug bit me first...and let
me tell you, it bit me hard! I was about 12 when I saw the movie Victor/Victoria
in which there is a scene with Leslie Ann Warren doing a Vaudeville
style burlesque in a pink frilly dress. I was in love! I wanted to dance
how she danced and wear the little pink bow and corset costume that she
had on! That's where my obsession began. I watched old films on TCM, and
when I first discovered the internet world at age 14, I went crazy looking
for anything I can find about these "glamorous ladies doing some sort of
show-girl dancing" as I called it. There I started to research the culture,
music, the way of dressing, and then came the pin-ups! I was about 15 when
I came across the pin-up. I found a site that posted many of Gil (Elvgren's)
drawings and then *bite* I saw his pin-ups. I was stunned by their beauty...they
were just perfect. That's who I wanted to be.
I was about 16 and a few months when I
decided that when I turned 18 I wanted to show my first burlesque performance!
The same way I saw it for the first time....less skin, more shimmy shakes!
The first day after my 18th birthday I did my first pin-up shoot! It was
me wearing pink and black lingerie, in front of pink fabric. My boyfriend
took my photographs! I remember him getting on a chair to get a 'cool angle'
and saying "make that funny "Uh-Oh!" face you do!" I had a blast, and I
will never forget every detail of that day!
A few weeks later, I did my first burlesque!
I performed at a little dive bar to some Elvis tracks and was wearing
a polka dot dress with a pink girdle set under. I took off my dress only
to dance around in my girdle and a pink matching parasol which I did some
funny tricks with. People came in from the streets and crowded the bar!
The place loved it so much I got booked to do a few more shows on the spot!
After this, I moved on to perform in bigger and better stages and headline
many more events!
JBP: Since you are a part of both of those worlds (burlesque
and pin-up), talk about how the two intersect and how the two separate
themselves.
MV: I feel that Burlesque is sort of a live version of a Pin-Up
shoot! You come up with a cute outfit, and theme for your shoot. You gather
your props and start to pose. The same comes around for Burlesque only
you dance to music and you take off a few more pieces as you shimmy! I
have been inspired from routines to do a photo shoot and from photo shoots
to do a new routine. You really can't promote your burlesque shows without
taking photos for people to see a 'preview' of your show first. They need
something that will catch their eyes, and come to your show to see you
tease them live! One of the differences is that in a pin-up shoot you can
"fix" anything you don't like. When you're doing a live burlesque show,
whatever you look like is what you look like and nobody can change that.
So in other words; I can suck in my tummy for photos, but it's very hard
to do when you're shimmy shakin' on stage!!! Hehe!
JBP: Where do you draw your inspiration from (both the burlesque
and pin-up)?
MV: I have so many! I don't think I will be able to list them
all! Older burlesque performers that have inspired me are Tempest
Storm, Sally Rand, Dixie Evans,
Carmen
Miranda (even though she was more of a show gal!), and Lili
St. Cyr. Modern ladies that have inspired me in burlesque are The
Pontani Sisters, Kitten DeVille,
Dita
Von Teese, and my favorite Dirty Martini!
My inspirations in Pin-Up are the classic
beauties like Rita Moreno, Bettie
Page, Marilyn Monroe, Betty
Grable, and so many unknown cheesecake gals from the men's magazines!
Modern inspirations are Miss Kay O'Hara (her settings and details
are just great!), Dita, and so many of the modern pin-ups! Each
girl who is a pin-up model has inspired me. Miss Anneliese's site
was one of the first pin-up sites I came across back in 9th grade! I fell
in love with the few images she had up
at the time.
JBP: Have you been able to tap into a pin-up/burlesque community
where you're at (Florida)?
MV: Oh yes I have! The "scene" here isn't very big, and it's
so hard to find people that you have these things in common with. So many
people are into my burlesque shows here in Florida because it's not something
you see all the time. I perform my shows in a very classic and glamorous
way, that I quickly received a great response from my audience. What I
do is so nostalic, and people really like taking that trip to pin-up land!
And to think of it, I really don't think anyone was doing 'neo-burlesque'
in Florida, until I started doing shows. If someone was, then many people
didn't hear about it. And believe me, I was doing research in Florida for
years!
Vanity Flair was probably the first
pin-up I talked to online that lives in Florida. Also Lady E and
Miss
Cherry Blossom (a Jane Mansfield look a like!). Just recently
I found great photographers in the state, so now I don't have to travel
much to take great photos!
JBP: You are also active in the fetish community taking your
burlesque act to fetish conventions.
How does that side fit into these other aspects of your life?
MV: I get asked this question so many times! It got to the
point where I wrote a small essay about it on my
blog!
In my own opinion, burlesque and fetish
compliment each other so well. A major part of my bookings are for fetish
events, and shows. I think this is because I, in a way, am a CLASSIC fetish
model, and performer. Way before the latex, and extreme kink, the fetish
was gals in high-heels, corsets, and lingerie!
The more 'extreme' fetish that I know of
was things like Bettie Page in bondage and wearing leather gloves!
So when I come on stage wearing a tightly cinched corset, stockings, garter
belts,
and dancing around really gets the fetish crowd! And if I want to
be really kinky, I might dance around with a whip! Oh my! How naughty am
I? Haha!
When I went to FetishCon last year
people were wanting to take photographs with me and know more about me!
I was one of the few girls there wearing corsets, girdles, and my retro
styles! I was the only Latina girl there that was a retro pin-up and burlesque
performer. This quickly got everyone's attention. burlesque and pin-up
is so appreciated in the fetish world because of it's class and tease.
People automatically think of these "weird"
things when you hear the word fetish, but fetish really is something that
you like. I like being extremely femme and glamorous. I love corsets, retro
lingerie, and high-heels! If you want, you can call these things my fetish!
JBP: It looks like things are just starting to take off for you.
What's next for Minnie Vicious?
MV: I have so much to do! Right now I'm working on some sponsorship
deals and my main event will be FetishCon! I have a big show that
weekend, as well as a burlesque and classic striptease class during the
convention! After that, I would like to do some photo shoots our of state,
and some burlesque conventions. My main goal, is to expand the retro
culture in Florida. Little by little, shimmy by shake, I'm going to make
it!
