Interview with Sam Soto from The Viva Vampira Art Show – at Kat Von D’s Wonderland Gallery – West Hollywood, CA

Interview by Louie Bones
Big Wheel Staff Reporter

 

With the aid of technology good news happens to travel faster than ever and with that said the news of an exhibit dedicated solely to Vampira was something we at Bigwheel had to get the scoop on. The good people over at Wonderland Gallery with the help of Johnny Coffin have really outdone themselves with the Viva Vampira art show; their biggest and most popular show to date at the gallery.



 

 

 

We wanted to know more so we went down and had a chat with head curator Sam Soto (who’s best known for his bass playing in Exene Cervenka's Original Sinners, Mercy Killers, & Fangs on Fur)
Below is our conversation - Enjoy!


We are here today at Kat Von D’s Wonderland Gallery, there are a ton of Vampira photos and memorabilia on display, how did all this come to be here at the gallery?
We have a show here happening at Wonderland, it’s called Viva Vampira, it’s a collection of Johnny Coffins (of Coffin Case fame) Vampira collection, it’s photos and memorabilia, some of the photos have never ever been seen before though some of them have, and we have her classic bat glasses on display in that case right over there. What we’re trying to do is put on a respectful Vampira exhibition.

This seems to showcase the character that is Vampira but there are also photos of her dressed down self, Maila Nurmi.
The image of Vampira and who she was as a person adds to the character because it was her character that she developed herself, it was her style, she was a true rebel long before it was cool to be a rebel. If you look at these photos from 1955 you’ll see her with a shaved head and stuff, this was still totally not “cool” to have or to do that kind of stuff or have that kind of confidence. It’s such a solid idea. It was all very unique, especially for the time. She made and designed her own jewelry too.

 It’s like she had a D.I.Y. ethic…
Oh yeah! Most definitely! Totally, she designed her original dress. Eventually she worked with Liberace; he helped her when she was starting to get her career going again, just like he helped Elvis with the sparkle jumpsuit.

If you look at these pieces over here, this is real early on the set of the Vampira show, you can see how she did her dress herself, she modified it, she actually wore a dress backwards because they didn’t have low plunging dress back then, so she flipped it around and shredded it, she knew how to work it, it’s really cool how she did everything..

She was very fashionably original…
She had an idea of the image she wanted to have as a character, she had a full idea. She’d take notes and make drawings of how she wanted things to be and how things should look; she didn’t take any shit at all.

Can you tell us about the opening night of Viva Vampira?
Sure! It was a full night! We have a capacity of 110 people in here at a time, we kept letting em in! The line was wrapped around the building all night, it was totally packed! We had a live stream camera where we did interviews in here for Vampira fans online, we had 110,000 viewers, it was our biggest show ever. This is actually only our 3rd show ever too. Viva Vampira runs till Halloween, and we are open everyday. Our next show opens on Dia De Los Muertos.

Would you say that the casual Vampira fan to the most obsessive fan would get a kick out of this show?
Oh most definitely! Vampira’s niece and her family came down and she was beside herself. She said it was the most respectful exhibition for Maila and she wishes she could be alive to see this, she said this is how it should be done and that nothing like this had ever been done before for Maila. So hearing that from the family really meant a lot to me because we worked really hard on this and presenting it in a truthful respectful way where it wouldn’t come off as just camp. Sure there is camp, but there are levels of camp, like there is Divine eating dog shit, and then there is Vampira, two totally separate levels of camp. This is way beyond any of that, Vampira got in trouble for some of the things she would say, she’d go off script on set and say things into the camera like “Hey kiddies, go kill your parents!”

That’s pretty fucking morbid!
Yeah! And she was the first one to ever do anything like that, the first horror hostess.

We heard from a reliable source that the family of Bela Lugosi were in attendance and have checked out the show. Is there truth to the rumor?
Yeah they were! The Lugosi family! They were really cool, they loved the show! In fact they are interested in doing a show here. I did a card set for the Viva Vampira show and I’m probably going to do a card show for them as well.

There are postcards made from collections of the show, all limited edition in sets of 8. Just like the photos hanging in the gallery they will be available online very soon, and once they’re gone they’re gone! Everything here except for the bat sunglasses are for sale, we even sale the photos with our custom frames or without.

There are vintage televisions under the photos. Maila’s niece said that she used to watch Vampira on the same kind of TV back when she was younger. It’s all part of the vibe since she was more than just a photographic image.

(The Televisions play non stop static lending an eeriness appropriate for such a spooky show)
You’ll notice we even have photos of her dressed out of costume on display as well. She used to do beauty shots too. We have a shot from her life magazine shoot; it’s one of my favorites. She and James Dean were friends and they hung out together, they were part of the same crew when they were all coming up as actors. We have a page from one of her diaries where she mentions how much she loves James Dean. Right next to it is a drawing of Maila with her shaved head done on a napkin by James Dean at their favorite coffee shop Googies.

You and your wife both work here at Wonderland; can you tell us how all the pieces fell into place in order for the Viva Vampira show to open?
Johnny Coffin first contacted the gallery because there was a movie that was made called “Vampira and Me” and he wanted to have a collaboration, like a Vampira weekend where they’d open the film on one day and we’d open the exhibit the next day. Kat loved the idea so it really started as that. The curator who was in charge at the time had moved on, and it was kind of up for grabs, so I stepped in and ran with it, Kat said she couldn’t think of anyone better for this.

Would it be fair to assume that Kat is influenced by Vampira’s style, she too has black hair, pale skin and wears a lot of dark clothing, sort of vampy in a way…
Oh yes she loves Vampira and is a big fan, in fact she told me “You can do this exhibit, but don’t fuck it up because she (Vampira) means a lot to me!”
Her knowledge of Vampira is very deep; she has lots of really cool interests and allows this all to happen here, it makes this all better with her support. It’s all very natural when you have a boss who you don’t have to go against. She wants people to be exposed to and know about Vampira and her legacy, her influence is long lasting and important.

A lot of this has never been seen before so it’s very cool that we get to put this on display for free for fans. As a fan I’m seeing a lot of these for the first time too.

Big Wheel would like to thank Sam and Lacy Soto for their time and personal tour of the very impressive gallery exhibit.

Kat Von D’s Wonderland Gallery is located just south of Sunset Blvd at -
1257 N. La Brea Blvd, West Hollywood, CA.
(Corner of La Brea and Fountain Ave)

As a horror movie fan, especially of Vampira, I was blown away by the amount of cool photos and priceless memorabilia on display. The good people over at Wonderland have really paid the ultimate respect to Vampira and it must be noted that what they are doing is nothing short of honest and admirable.

Do yourself a favor and pay a visit before the show wraps up on Halloween. Make sure to say hello to Sam, he is the pale punk rocker behind the counter!

 

 

 

 

 

Go HERE to check out more interviews

 

Send your comments to the editor HERE

 

Bad Otis Link and Conjoined Art Show at Corpo Nason – Santa Monica, CA

On Saturday night the place to be was at one Los Angeles' coolest places to see art, Corpo Nason gallery at Bergamot Station Arts complex in Santa Monica. Like always they host an excellent art exhibit opening and reception. For the uninitiated, an artist reception is the opening night where an artist shows their prime pieces, they usually have tons of free drinks and some, like Corpo Nason will feature live music. Tonight’s reception featured the works of Bad Otis Link along with a group exhibit.

Artist reception: Saturday, January 22, 8:00 - 11:30 pm
Featuring: Bad Otis Link as part of Conjoined in 3D
Dimensional group art exhibition curated by Chet Zar
Food by: The Grilled Cheese Truck and Don Chow Taco Truck
Live music from: Joe Wood and the Lonely Ones


The reception was pretty packed no matter where you went in and around the gallery's surrounding area. Many that have taken in art openings in the past at Corpo Nason continuously commented how this may have been the most overwhelming turn out they had ever seen at this gallery. With a mix of live entertainment, some excellent art and a great all around vibe -this art opening was the place to be.

"Junk" New Puppets and Crap In gallery 2 presented 3D work of demented puppets, paintings, drawings all in the classic Bad Otis Link style.

In Conjunction with Conjoined this show will mostly consist of three dimensional art: puppets and experimental foam work. Otis likes to inject odd little creatures, birds (messengers in many ancient myths) and structures into his work and the puppets are all demented and the crap is all recycled, a statement by the artist on the earths environmental problems and the BP oil spill. Self-taught and self-educated, bad Otis Link sharpened his distinct style in the late 70s through the mid 90s as one of Los Angeles premier and most notorious Punk rock graphic artists.

Bad Otis has designed alot of band logos, record covers, posters and produced merchandise for The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Damned, Social Distortion, TSOL, The Adolescents, Danzig, The Circle Jerks, Wasted Youth, along with many of the 80's Goldenvoice concert shirts and flyers. In the early 90s, he designed and published the "True Life Murderers Trading Cards" which was the first set on the subject matter and attracted mass media attention. Otis' art has appeared in countless magazines, films and his projects have been praised and equally viciously attacked in the media by moralist groups and media hungry politicians.

The other portion of the show, Conjoined - In 3D! presented classic sculptures, life like models, surreal assemblages, mixed media paintings, life sized toys and other conjoined works in 3-D. Curated by Chet Zar this show will include many artists of Pop-Surrealism as well as motion picture industry special effects and well known art toy artists.

From the twisted and bizarre to the majestic and unbelievable there will be many unusual works and all in 3D!

This exhibit will be on display until February 12, 2011. You will want to make sure you head over and see these exhibited works while they are still there.

Big Wheel Staff Reporting

More photos of the art opening can be seen HERE

 

 

Send your comments to the editor HERE

 

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Dee Dee Ramone will forever be an enigmatic Punk rock icon. While most are familiar with his musical legacy as a founding member and songwriter of The Ramones, New York. Los Angeles, California, Atripla for sale, many are less aware of his talent for art and painting. Like Dee Dee, purchase Atripla online no prescription, Buy no prescription Atripla online, the work is rebellious, dynamic, buy Atripla without a prescription, Where can i buy cheapest Atripla online, eccentric and comedic.

La Luz De Jesus Gallery is one LA's favorite places to take in an art show and they hosted the Dee Dee Ramone collection and opening night that saw a serious crowd throughout the 3 hour opening reception.









Also on display were rare and vintage images of Dee Dee that were cherry-picked from photographer Jenny Lens' archive. During the later part of the art show Jenny shared her experiences with the Ramones and specifically citing Dee Dee as the reason she picked up a camera initiating her prolific body of work from 1976-1980, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Las Vegas, Nevada. Rx free Atripla, After Jenny spoke, Stan Lee of the Dickies gave thanks and reverence to the work of Dee Dee and The Ramones and noting that if it was not for them, where can i find Atripla online, Köpa Atripla online, Osta Atripla online, Jotta Atripla verkossa, The Dickies would not have existed.









Big Wheel Magazine

 

More photos of the art show can be seen HERE

 

                                          Go HERE to see all the latest show reviews

 

Send your comments to the editor HERE

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Ruby Ray photo show – Opening night at La Luz de Jesus gallery – Los Angeles, CA

Friday night over at La Luz de Jesus Gallery which is housed inside one of the fun'est stores on Hollywood Blvd, Wacko, was the opening night of Ruby Ray’s exhibit, “First Wave Punk Photography. Ruby who is a very accomplished photographer and journalist began documenting the underground Punk scene in San Francisco and was a staffer at Search and Destroy magazine and then later co-founded RE/Search magazine.
 

Tonight’s opening took place on a rain filled night, however that still did not deter a very solid crowd from turning out to browse her work. Many of the photos have been routinely seen around throughout the years since the shutter snapped on them, yet one photo that many most recently recall seeing is the Darby photo that adorns the cover of the Darby Crash biography, Lexicon Devil taken back in 1978.

Ruby Ray gleans the photo of Darby she took backstage at the Mabuhay after the Germs set the same night Sid Vicious was there

Granted many of these photos appeared in the magazines of the day that documented the scene, yet newsprint does not do them justice. Seeing the photos in person as prints demonstrated how clean and crisp the photos were originally captured. This exhibit will stay on display through February 28 so make a trip down to La Luz de Jesus Gallery to check it out. Go to their website and stay up to date on all of their events www.laluzdejesus.com

More photos of the evening can be seen HERE

Winston Smith – Chet Zar – Rachel Bess – Dark Vomit artist reception – with music by: The Billybones – at Corpo Nason Gallery – Santa Monica, CA

In what is turning out to be one of the coolest places to see art, Corpo Nason gallery at Bergamot Station Arts complex in Santa Monica hosted another smashing artist reception. For the uninitiated, an artist reception is the opening night where an artist shows their prime pieces, they usually have tons of free drinks and some, like Corpo Nason will feature live music. Tonight's reception featured the works of Winston Smith who most know his stuff from the many iconic album covers he created for the Dead Kennedys, as well as many flyers of the 80's.

The following is from the press release on the opening and will certainly get you up to speed on the artist that are currently being exhibited that run till October 24, 2009. You will want to make sure you head over and see these exhibited works while they are there.

Artist reception: Saturday, October 3, 8:00 - 11:30 pm
Featuring: Winston Smith, Chet Zar, Rachel Bess, Dark Vomit
Food by Don Chow Chinese Taco Truck
Music by The Billybones

Winston Smith "In God We Trust Inc." in Gallery 1

( Relics from the Archives and New Blasphemies from the Vaults )
A retrospective of Winston's career, this show leads with the ephemera circa 1977, which helped define the Punk art scene in San Francisco (including several Dead Kennedys pieces whose only other "gallery" appearance have in the way of wheatpaste), and leads through his editorial shock pieces, which create a true "gloves off" visual history of politics and American culture.

Also on display will be cover art for Green Day, and magazines such as the New Yorker and Playboy, and other epic masterpieces old and new, which have to be seen up close and in the flesh to truly show Smith's unique and unqualified mastery in the art of montage.  Layer upon layer of skillfully "carved" elements, some of which are from antique magazines, are puzzled together to form absurd and sometimes hilarious images, whose compositions are so seamless, they look as if they were born that way.


Chet Zar's "Lilith" In Gallery 2

This exhibition of 7 new paintings centers around the the myth of Lilith, which was a banned book from the bible. She was the female Mesopotamian storm demon associated with night birds, desolate desert landscapes, and wind and was thought to be a bearer of disease, illness, and death. She is also considered to be the archetypal feminist, being the first wife of Adam who was banished from the Garden of Eden for speaking the name of God and refusing Adam's sexual dominance. Rather than succumb, she was cursed with angels killing 100 of her children per day that she had with with Samael (the Jewish Angel of Death said to have impregnated Eve with Cain) and stillbirth. The legend goes on that In revenge against God she kills 100 of Adam and Eve's children per day.

Chet states, "Of course this sounded like a great subject for me to take on so I decided to try and blend some of those ideas with my own. It was really just a good excuse to paint females, something that I rarely do. I have a much easier time painting ugly things that are either androgynous or slightly masculine. I don't know why. So I looked on it as a challenge and really got into it. It's a fun series of paintings."


Rachel Bess "Infinity in a Second" in Gallery 2

For the first time at Copro Gallery Rachel Bess presents a mini-show of 3 detailed oil paintings. "My paintings portray a scene as though you are looking though a peephole and you may be looking at some type of sacred event that contains a touch of the surreal. Instead of the usual images in sacred paintings I use elements from the natural world, often elevating them to the focal point of the scene and either altering or entirely replacing traditional iconography. The paintings contain this scientific element because of my deep love for biology, botany and natural history. These bits of the sciences carry a thread throughout my work about people's desire to understand and manipulate the world around them. I believe this desire can be explained by the thought that if people can control other aspects of nature, then maybe they have a shot at controlling the heavy hand of natural fate and overcoming what nature eventually has in store for all of us.


Dark Vomit "Killer Clown Revue" in Gallery 3

Dark Vomit presents the "Killer Clown Revue". More than just an art show it will be an event featuring our favourite loveable clown J.W.G. For one night only J.W.G. will be in attendance handing out autographs, balloons and Sno-Cones!! Dark Vomit's POP Art doesn't disappoint! Featuring some of his masterpieces such as the clown's "Last Supper" and "Smokeout" this will be an incredible show!!

The Billybones LIVE performance

The Billybones were super excited to be playing the art opening for Winston Smith and with that, the crowd was treated to alot of new material that was written for an upcoming Billybones album. Lead man, Billybones is heir to the original Punk scene in Los Angeles going back to the days of the Masque, Bones has a ton of gas in the tank and the songs just keep coming. No word on when this new record will street, yet like everything else that Billybones touches, you know this will be a record you will want to pick up.

Don Chow Chinese Taco Truck

So kick ass food comes out of this truck! Killer tacos, quesidillas, to rice bowls - great catering that ads to a fun night of art, music and mingling. Bookmark Carpo Nason, you will want to stay up to date on all their top shelf events.
 

 

Big Wheel Online Magazine

 

More photos of the show can be seen HERE

 
                                          Go HERE to see all the latest show reviews
 

 

 

 

We’re Not The Jet Set Art Show – at Western Project – Culver City, CA

Tonight a few staffers took in the art show at Western Project a quaint little art gallery situated on Main Street in Culver City. This was a joint art show featured the art of Exene Cervenka and Wayne White. Most of the audience that visits here is familiar with Exene who is the singer of X, The Knitters and The Original Sinners. After a great performance by X the night before in Orange County, tonight saw a steady stream of gawkers, art lovers and fans of her bands coming through the 3 hour opening reception.

The installation runs through September 5th and you can get more information by going to the art gallery’s website at: www.western-project.com

 

Big Wheel Online Magazine

 

More photos of the show can be seen HERE

 
                                          Go HERE to see all the latest show reviews
 

 

 

 

 

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