Used to be a fetish fashion model and punk band drummer. Ask me anything!

[Ten Foot Bunny]

Looking through recent topics on the forum, I decided to create this thread because why should the scientists have all the fun? Some of us lived lives beyond the boundaries of what the establishment deems "acceptable," and most of us have never felt shame nor regret for our decisions.

So go ahead and ask away. Anything you want to know about punk-band politics or what goes on behind the cameras of the fetish clothing industry?

 

[SpinnokDurav]

Seeing as punk isn't a genre known for the technical proficiency of its musicians, did you practice rudiments like paradiddles and such? Or did you just bash away at the drums in a (hopefully ) rhythmically fashion.

Not trying to be offensive or anything, or to sound condescending but as a drummer myself I wonder. Also, I have known a few dreadful punk musicians from a technical standpoint, so I was just wondering.

Furthermore, is there a focus on technical skills within the punk scene, not just regarding drums but for all instruments?

Finally, and much more importantly, do you still play the drums?

 

[Thaluikhain]

I'll ask the obvious one, since there's a fetish for everything, what does being a fetish fashion model involve in context?

 

[Hoplon]

How long should a roast be left to rest after cooking?

 

[Barbas]

Right, let's settle this once and for all: what is the best fetish?

 

[Cowabungaa]

I wonder how much the fetish clothing industry overlaps with the fetish porn industry. For instance, have you been pushed to do porn or been mistaken for also being a porn actress by, for example, photographers or the people who's products you promoted? Or is it relatively strictly separated?

Also, what made you want to become a fetish fashion model? It's a pretty specific thing, so to speak.

 

[Blacklight28]

What are your best and worst moments from each of those careers?

 

[WouldYouKindly]

How much did your drum kit cost?

 

[Fox12]

How great was the pay for both? And why did you stop?

 

[DeimosMasque]

Hey that's awesome. I've been a fetish photographer/ erotic photographer for 10 years myself.

what has been the worst reaction you ever gotten to telling someone you were a fetish fashion model?

Was your family aware of what you did?

How many times have people confused "Fetish Model" with porn actor or prostitute?

Did you ever attend FetishCon in Tampa, Fl?

 

[Ten Foot Bunny]

Seeing as punk isn't a genre known for the technical proficiency of its musicians, did you practice rudiments like paradiddles and such? Or did you just bash away at the drums in a (hopefully ) rhythmically fashion.

Not trying to be offensive or anything, or to sound condescending but as a drummer myself I wonder. Also, I have known a few dreadful punk musicians from a technical standpoint, so I was just wondering.

No offense at all!

My drumming is a bit odd... I never had formal lessons and so I played along to drummers that I loved. That means I mostly learned my chops by copying Keith Moon. From there I expanded into more technical influences like Barriemore Barlow of Jethro Tull and Michael Giles' drumming on King Crimson's first album. Both of those are still relatively out of my league, but it's fun to give it a shot.

That was the point in my life where I really got into punk and started playing with power precision, much like Lori Barbero of Babes In Toyland [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL0V9hcaCvw].

So all in all, my style is kind of a mix of those - not sloppy, but not rigid, and always loud loud loud.

Furthermore, is there a focus on technical skills within the punk scene, not just regarding drums but for all instruments?

That really varies from band to band, how they want to sound, and how disciplined they are.

Finally, and much more importantly, do you still play the drums?

Very much so! I have more energy than I know what to do with, and playing hard for three hours still doesn't wear me out. If I didn't have that outlet, I'd probably try climbing thin air until I got tired. lol

 

[Ten Foot Bunny]

I'll ask the obvious one, since there's a fetish for everything, what does being a fetish fashion model involve in context?

Just modeling the clothes and various accessories one might use to suit one's fetish needs. There's a big difference between modeling the fashions and being a fetish model. Everything I did was in the context of advertising in underground zines, fetish balls, and the odd runway show (yes, those aren't exclusive to "high" fashion). I'd also do photo shoots for visual stories and art mags, but those trended more toward goth fashion rather than fetish.

How long should a roast be left to rest after cooking?

You should leave it until it begins to munch on the cabinetry, then hit it with a shovel, perform the Catholic rites of exorcism, wrap it up with a pretty little bow, and give it as a Christmas present to that junior high science teacher who sent you to the principal's office for singeing the hair off of your lab partner's head with a Bunsen burner.

That rat bastard.

Right, let's settle this once and for all: what is the best fetish?

Tortoise Interruptus [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjtCS0EEoCY]

 

[PunkRex]

Did you ever combine the two?

 

[Muspelheim]

Heh, doing the Lord's work ye did, that's for sure! Fascinating, very fascinating. I've always been 'respectable', part of the landless, titleless gentry, so to speak. Bumbling into a sex shop feels like a secret, forbidden adventure of sorts. With that background;

What is the oddest, most weird item you've encountered in your modelling work?

What would you call 'Goth'? What is Goth?

What do you think is the general idea of contemporary punk, as it were? I certainly can't tell anymore.

How is the fetish industry? I imagine some sleazy tatooed blokes in a warehouse somewhere, but I doubt that is true.

(I ought to stop posting while drunk. If I bloody vanish without a trace from another thread, this is why. But itäs damn interesting, I hope I'll remember to check in!)

 

[Ten Foot Bunny]

Do you prefer chords or cords? I'm really sorry, that was the only music/fetish combo joke I could think of. If it helps I've got Roy Orbison's I Drove All Night stuck in my head, so we're all suffering.

You poor thing! lol Let's see if we can remedy this situation [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOg0d5Wq4i0].

I wonder how much the fetish clothing industry overlaps with the fetish porn industry. For instance, have you been pushed to do porn or been mistaken for also being a porn actress by, for example, photographers or the people who's products you promoted? Or is it relatively strictly separated?

Also, what made you want to become a fetish fashion model? It's a pretty specific thing, so to speak.

There's a lot of overlap in that fetish porn uses the exact gear that I'd model in a non-porn environment. To obfuscate the boundary even more, modeling the gear sometimes required being photographed in various states of undress. Reputable photographers exercised great care that those shoots (and the photos that came out of them) were artful and not the least bit pornographic. Both you and the photographer are there to make the client's wares look good. They're the focus of the shoots, and lewd photography flies in the face of that goal.

That said, you'd occasionally run across photographers who wanted a little "post-business" activity for their pornographic pet projects. Thankfully for those of us who performed our jobs as professionals in any other industry would, those photographers rarely stay in one place for long because they're eventually blacklisted by agencies and manufacturers alike. You don't fuck with the talent and get away with it.

As for getting into that particular type of fashion modeling, it has to do with my body type. I may have the height of a standard high-fashion model (6') but I'm really lanky and have almost nothing in the way of curves. At the time I worked, heroin chic was rapidly on its way out, and that's exactly what my body type naturally is. However, fetish fashion modeling is different - they want models who look good and can make their PRODUCTS look good without distraction. Sure there are plenty of larger and curvier models in that field (the industry's inclusiveness is spectacular) but androgyny is a definite bonus, even for the guys. You'd be hard-pressed to find muscular guys in fetish modeling, or even guys who have enough meat on their bones to qualify them to model K-Mart brand underwear.

 

[Ten Foot Bunny]

What are your best and worst moments from each of those careers?

That's a tough question!

Playing in bands, it was a thrill to write a good song that you felt had legs, then seeing audiences agreeing. Those were the best moments. The worst was when I was in a band whose lead singer/songwriter/guitarist had an epiphany: he wanted to make a living playing acoustic guitars and eating granola in hostels throughout Europe.

Okay, that's not exactly how it went, but he did tell us that he was a serious musician and was too good for us. And yes, he started playing nothing but mellow acoustic guitar, and he DID move to Europe for some art-house scene he concocted in his head.

In modeling, there were bunches of highs. You may be surprised by how intelligent some of the people in that niche market are. There were always great conversations. Conversely, there was a fair amount of junkies. Walking into a photo shoot full of stoned-out automatons was always a buzzkill for me. I never did drugs, I still don't do drugs, and I never will do drugs.

How much did your drum kit cost?

As a college student, not a lot. Some of it cost me nothing because I took things that other people no longer wanted. Besides, I also play guitar, bass, and piano, so my limited money didn't go solely to drums.

How great was the pay for both? And why did you stop?

I made a whole lot more money doing the modeling than I did in the bands. It wasn't a lot of money, but it was enough for a college student to eat well (no ramen noodles for this girl), put gas in the car, get an apartment with my girlfriend, and have enough left over to buy presents for everyone I loved.

Why did I stop modeling? See the above response about the drugs. After being around too many junkies for a year and a half, I couldn't take it any longer. As soon as I found a steady job working in the kids' section of a local bookstore, I took it. Then I was a drummer in punk bands AND someone who would dress up in costumes for in-store book readings packed wall-to-wall with the elementary school crowd.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Right, let's settle this once and for all: what is the best fetish?

Sex. Pretty sure sex is the best fetish.

 

[Ten Foot Bunny]

Did you ever combine the two?

No, I kept them quite separate. You'd be surprised how much fetish clothing can either restrict the movement you need to play drums, or simply pinches in all the wrong places.

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Heh, doing the Lord's work ye did, that's for sure! Fascinating, very fascinating. I've always been 'respectable', part of the landless, titleless gentry, so to speak. Bumbling into a sex shop feels like a secret, forbidden adventure of sorts. With that background;

Even the gentry can be corrupted...

What is the oddest, most weird item you've encountered in your modelling work?

Strange, but I never found anything odd or weird. I guess that has to do with my upbringing. I saw Poltergeist in the theater when I was 5, Nightmare on Elm Street in the theater when I was 7, Texas Chainsaw Massacre in the theater also when I was 7, and the list goes on. As a kid, I'd go to parties where I didn't know what the white lines on the mirrors were, much less why people put those lines up their noses. I listened to New Wave when it was brand new, saw the first broadcast of MTV, and was pretty much exposed to everything.

Point is (I think) what other people find weird doesn't phase me. I can't understand people who alter themselves to fit in. It's a totally foreign concept. I raise my freak flag high and don't give a shit what anyone thinks.

What would you call 'Goth'? What is Goth?

More a catch-all term to vaguely describe a certain aesthetic in dress, music, and art. It's a convenient descriptor that became so diluted over the years as to be practically useless today. Thanks a lot, Hot Topic.

What do you think is the general idea of contemporary punk, as it were? I certainly can't tell anymore.

Hell if I know. lol It seems these days that everyone is too enamored of thrash and having a vocalist that sounds like every other vocalist out there, which itself sounds like almost every Cali punk singer that's ever held a microphone. To be fair (and to lay my biases out on the table) about the only punk I listen to is late '70s UK punk. However, I have an opinion that almost always results in shit getting flung my direction: Nirvana's In Utero was the last great punk album ever recorded.

How is the fetish industry? I imagine some sleazy tatooed blokes in a warehouse somewhere, but I doubt that is true.

There's probably some sleazy, tattooed, greaser polishing his pewter while ogling a fetish mag, but that's WAY beside the point. I honestly don't know what the state of it is today. Even back when I was in the scene, it was different based on where you lived. Baltimore (where I lived at the time) was probably a lot different than Denver. And Baltimore certainly WAS different than it was in New York.

I think there are so many variables to consider that it'd be impossible to provide a statement about the industry as a whole.