That's right! My favorite shapewear company, American Shapewear did a photoshoot with one of my favorite performers, Miss Gal Friday!
And just to further prove how the universe works in mysterious ways, I had an opportunity to see Gal perform the following evening at Nurse Bettie! After the show, I approached Gal to compliment her on her performance and photographs -- And she was kind enough to offer to do an interview with me for the blog!
Gal and I sat for a casual encounter in my home over coffee to talk photos, Burly Q, Life Philosophy and Lingerie! It was an absolute blast. Check it out!
Interview with the lovely "Five-Alarm Fire of Burlesque", Gal Friday:
Betty: Hi there! Thanks so much for agreeing to sit down with me and talk!
Gal: Hi! You're welcome, I'm totally glad to be here!
Betty: Before we get into the thick of it, let's talk about those photos I caught of you on Facebook for American Shapewear.
Gal: Oh, those were a ton of fun. I was referred by a friend of mine to an ad agency that has American Shapewear as a client. They're trying to open their market to the performance and Burlesque community a little bit more, so they asked me to do a photoshoot in exchange for some shapewear and a disc of the photos. They were shot by a really down to earth photographer, Lane Bensen, who works for the agency -- but also has her own photography company called "Bunny Lane Photography". You can get a hold of her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BunnyLane.
Betty: Oh, that is fun! I saw you had on American Shapewear by RAGO, which I am a longtime fan of. What products were you showcasing?
Gal: Let's see, I had on their:
Satin and Lace Bra - Rago Style 2190
Wide Band Thong - Rago Style 801
Girdle with Garters - Rago Style 21
Betty: Can we post some of the pics on the blog?
Gal: Absolutely. I'm a big fan of the one of me on the phone, it's super dynamic and was really fun to play around with. They also have a video of my shoot on Youtube. It reminds me of the classic "Bettie Page Reels" -- It was really great working with American Shapewear and the Ad Agency.
Click to View Gal's Photos
Click to View Gal's Video of her Shapewear Shoot
Betty: And you said you have a coupon to offer readers?
Gal: Yes, go ahead and log on to www.AmericanShapewear.com and use the coupon code GALFRIDAY to receive 10% off your orders!
Betty: Wow, that's a great deal, thanks!
Gal: No problem!
Betty: So, now that that's out of the way -- Let's start with a little background info. Where are you from?
Gal: I'm originally from Tennessee and went to school in Kentucky for Theatre -- That's the reason I moved to New York.
Betty: [laughs] I can hear it! I love that you still have your accent!
Gal: [laughs] Yep!
Betty: So you moved to NYC to pursue theatre?
Gal: Yep!
Betty: And how did your time in NYC influence you to start getting involved in the Burlesque scene?
Gal: Well, I was looking for a creative outlet -- I wanted to perform, but my interest in theatre was waning to be honest. I just didn’t enjoy the competition and I wanted to not only perform but to make friends and to have, I guess, a "support community" around me.
Betty: New York’s kinda tough for that sometimes -- finding a community.
Gal: I think so. Especially supportive females. I found that to be one of the most important things to me at the time.
Betty: So, you sort of found solace in the community aspect of Burlesque... How did you actually end up in the performance aspect of that community?
Gal: Long story short, a girl that I worked with had done burlesque and I saw her debut performance and really enjoyed it. But it wasn’t until a full year later that I sought it out for myself.
Betty: And what was the process for that?
Gal: Well, that's a funny part of the story. The girl and I had worked at the same gym and quit long ago. When I wanted to do it I didn't know how (we didn't have the NY School of Burlesque then) so all I knew is that she was my “connection”.... So, one day I’m on the R train and I see her and I’m like "Janice!" And I had to get off in like two minutes and knew I didn't have a lot of time so I asked her quickly: "I wanna do burlesque, how do I do burlesque?" [Laughs] And she goes "Meet me at Raffifi tomorrow at this time.." or whatever, and she’s like "It's gonna be a great show! I’m gonna introduce you to World Famous Bob."
Betty: So you get to the show...
Gal: Yea, the really cool thing was that the show itself was a "Miss Exotic World Benefit" show -- and the great thing about that was I got to see some of the best performers in the industry, so I really got a great chance to see a “powerhouse show". At the time, World Famous Bob's "New Girl Review" was going on. It was great -- My friend Janice, (who's stage name was Lola Pearl) introduced me to Bob and she was like "Here is my contact, contact me and I’ll put you in a show."
Betty: And that was that?
Gal: That was that! The coincidence was fabulous.
Betty: So, what was your first show like?
Gal: Incredible. There was so much I didn’t know, but it was great. I met a girl who became a good friend and it was just FUN. I never did the act again because the act was awful. [Laughs] I mean really awful. But, I remember how fun it was to put together and practice in my tiny bedroom. But to walk in and see Bob put on her makeup and be like “Glitter on your lips!?!? That’s amazing!”. [Laughing] But, I walked away with so much and felt fantastic and thought “This is it. I’m going to do this!”.
Betty: So, I'm dying to know. Who is your favorite Burly Q performer?
Gal: My favorite legend of burly is Patti Waggin’. The thing I like about her is that her performance style is very upbeat and she's a real Powerhouse. Her moves really have that "Pop!" -- She’s doing a lot of traditional burlesque stuff but its very bump and grindy. And she always looks so full of joy – the dirty moves come off nice and clean.
Betty: You keep using the term, ”Powerhouse”. Whats that about?
Gal: There’s something about watching performers to me -- Some people are good, but some people are good and have that UMPH. [Chuckles] That thing that makes them really exciting to watch.
Betty: A stage presence?
Gal: Yes. To me, a "powerhouse performance" goes above and beyond a dance or theatre background. It's that special something that makes people gravitate towards you. You know, you can feel it. Watching a particular performer when you see they put that extra “something” into their act or persona is really a treat.
Betty: So, a sort of "je ne se quois"?
Gal: Yeah, for example. Watching videos of Patti Waggin', there are a couple of times she does moves that could appear awkward -- but you can look beyond it, and it even becomes charming because there’s something about her that just radiates and she makes it work. She's incredibly dynamic. I use both those words a lot, dynamic and powerhouse.
Betty: So I hear you work at the New York School of Burlesque?
Gal: Yes, I am one of the instructors there. Jo Boobs (Owner/Head Instructor) is generous enough to call me her “business partner”. It’s something I’ve learned a lot from, and really enjoy.
Betty: Jo Boobs? She just put out a book right? :
Gal: Yes. The Burlesque Handbook -- And it's excellent. It really is. It’s got great advice and practical use. For example, she has a whole section on how to make pasties with pattern, but it's also personal and she talks about her inspirations. It’s a fun read -- and it has a lot of great pictures , which I love.
Betty: If someone wanted to take a class with you, how would they go about that? What do you teach?
Gal: You can go to www.schoolofburlesque.com and it has a full class schedule and a contact email. And we teach a variety of classes, but one of the most popular ones we have is actually a series of classes called the “essential burlesque series” and it's every weekend for a full month and it includes a variety of classes such as “fan dance, glove and stocking peel, classic moves, etc”. I teach all of those classes as well.
Betty: Where can we find you? On the web? Venues?
Gal: Well, you can find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/galfridaynyc. I always list my upcoming performance dates and I have a website in the works so I’ll let you know when that’s up.
Betty: Gal, thank you so much again. It's been a real pleasure!
Gal: Likewise!
