Life, summarised

On the Jukebox this weekend at Dolores Delargo Towers

[NB click on Virginia Belmont for a pleasant surprise]

Halston, Gucci, Fiorucci...

From the BBC website:

"There was always a ton of people outside waiting to get in - people from all walks of life," says Myra Scheer, an early fan who later became Steve Rubell's assistant.

"Most never got in, but if you caught the eye of Steve or of (doorman) Marc Benecke suddenly a path opened up.

"Beyond the velvet rope was what I used to call the Corridor of Joy. It had ornate chandeliers and everybody there was screaming with joy that they got in. You could hear the pulsating music as you walked through and then you turned left and there was this dance floor. Everybody on that floor had the energy of being a radiant star."

Among them: Margaret Trudeau, Elton John, Marisa Berenson, Diane Von Furstenburg, Debbie Harry, Vladimir Horowitz, Jerry Hall, Margaux Hemingway, Brooke Shields, Ginger Rogers, Cher, Salvador Dali, Richard Gere, Divine, Ivana Trump, Calvin Klein, Amanda Lear, Halston, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Truman Capote, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Grace Jones, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Liza Minnelli, Gloria Swanson, Robert Mapplethorpe, Elizabeth Taylor, Andy Warhol and of course the ever-present Bianca Jagger...

New York's notorious Studio 54 opened its doors 35 years ago tonight.

No one ever said I`m dull

"I want women to be liberated and still be able to have a nice ass and shake it."

"I can`t define longevity. I don`t know what it means."

"I've made so many movies playing a hooker that they don't pay me in the regular way anymore. They leave it on the dresser."

"An actor has many lives and many people within him. I know there are lots of people inside me. No one ever said I`m dull."

"I had a video made of my recent knee operation. The doctor said it was the best movie I ever starred in."

"The person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused."

Shirley MacLaine (born 24th April 1934)

Book of Life

Indeed.

Board meeting of patron saints

Chrissie Hynde, Debbie Harry, Viv Albertine (the Slits), Siouxsie Sioux, Poly Styrene and Pauline Black (the Selecter), 1977

Infamous

“You know what always amazed me? That none of the beautiful women I’ve photographed ever thought they were beautiful. Ava didn’t. Marilyn didn’t. Michelle Pfeiffer doesn’t. Such a waste.”

Terry O'Neill's photography ranks among some of the greatest portraiture of its kind - from supermodels to superstars, from the "Rat Pack" to Bowie, including often candid shots of icons such as Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Ava Gardner, Elizabeth Taylor, Brigitte Bardot, Raquel Welch and his own ex-wife Faye Dunaway.

His work seems to be extremely popular at the moment - last month there was an exhibition of Mr O'Neill's photos "reworked" by other artists, and now a new retrospective of his greatest photography is opening in the heart of London.

Terry O'Neill: Infamous is at the Alon Zakaim Fine Art gallery in Dover Street, Mayfair, London from 1st May to 8th June 2012.

Forever Dusty

"I find it an effort to keep up appearances."

"My sexuality has never been a problem to me but I think it has been for other people. I have tried sex with both men and women. I found I liked it."

"Sometimes you have to let people down in order to get on, particularly in showbusiness."

"I just decided I wanted to become someone else... So I became someone else."

"It's marvellous to be popular, but foolish to think it will last."

Dusty Springfield (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999)

I think today should be...

Anita Page

...a "Say Something Hat Day"!


Lana Turner


Tallulah Bankhead

Don't you?

Tuschinski - mooi oud theater

My favourite building in one of my favourite cities on Earth...

From the Tippin' the Scales blog:

The Amsterdam Tuschinski Theatre is considered one of the most beautiful cinemas in the world. Visitors are very impressed with the thousands of electrical lamps, the marble, the stunning stained glass windows and the exotic objects d’art. The theatre opened its doors in 1921 and is a mix of Art Deco and Amsterdam School/Art Nouveau styles.

Visitors enter the Tuschinski fairy-tale world on deep-piled carpets. The entrance and the foyer feature stunning decorations, including peacocks, cranes and butterflies. One of the hall’s showpieces is the famous 150 square metre large hand-knotted carpet. Another striking detail is the cupola.

In 1921 this was a huge sensation for the people who came to the theatre. Founder Abraham Tuschinski commissioned top artists to incorporate the various styles he loved in the building. Tuschinski’s dream came true when the theatre opened in 1921. He was of the opinion that every person had a right to relaxation.

Various celebrities have entertained the public on the stage in the main auditorium, including Marlene Dietrich, Edith Piaf and Josephine Baker. These days Tuschinski is mainly a cinema.

Pathé Tuschinski, Reguliersbreestraat 26,1017 CN Amsterdam