by Nicole Powers

Back in the early ’80s, Adam Ant was the king of the wild post-punk frontier. Mentored by former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren and his fashion designer partner Vivienne Westwood, the London born art school dropout created a visually vivid world of pirates and dandies which brought color back to the palate of a culturally monotone and economically depressed UK.

Having amassed an avid US fanbase with his music, and after starring in a critically acclaimed West End production of the Joe Orton play Entertaining Mr. Sloane, Ant moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. However the price of fame took its toll. Alongside film and TV roles, he also aquired a stalker, which severely impacted his already fragile peace of mind.

Taking a break from the public eye, Ant moved to Tennessee before returning to London, where an altercation outside a pub thrust him back into the headlines again. Following the incident, Ant pled guilty to a single count of causing an affray. Having been diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 21, Ant received a suspended sentence and court ordered psychiatric care. Unfortunately, due to the relentless nature of the British press, he was forced to pull his life back together under the tabloid glare.

Though his recovery was very public and far from linear – with every setback being exacerbated by its salacious documentation by the less savory contingent of the UK press – Ant is clearly in a much better place these days. He completed a string of dates in the US and Europe in 2012, before releasing his first studio album in 17 years. The intriguingly titled Adam Ant Is The Blueblack Hussar in Marrying The Gunner’s Daughter was released on both side of the Atlantic in January of this year.

SuicideGirls caught up with Ant by phone after a rehearsal with his new band The Good, The Mad & The Lovely Posse to talk about his new album and his upcoming US tour, which kicks off in San Diego on July 17th.

Read our exclusive interview with Adam Ant on SuicideGirls.com.

by Blogbot

This Thursday June 27th on SuicideGirls Radio hosts Nicole Powers and Juturna Suicide will be joined by activist Kevin M. Gallagher (Free Barrett Brown), academic and author Gabriella Coleman, and journalist Dell Cameron (VICE). We’ll be talking about the strange case of writer and security researcher Barrett Brown and the connections between his “ProjectPM” research and the more recent NSA surveillance revelations exposed by Edward Snowden.

You can listen – and watch – the world’s leading naked radio show live on Thursday nights from 6 til 8 PM at our new state-of-the-art all digital home: TradioV.com/LA.

You’ll also be able to listen to our podcasts via Stitcher – download the app now!

If you have questions for the SG Radio crew or our guests, you can call in during the live broadcast at: 1-855-TRV-inLA (1-855-878-4652)

For updates on all things SG Radio-related, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

About Dell Cameron (@DellCam)

Dell Cameron contributes articles to VICE.com on national security, human rights and online activism. He is also project manager of the upcoming news website Muckraker.com. Some of his recent articles have followed the rise and expansion of the U.S. government’s surveillance programs, such as PRISM and CALEA (the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act).

About Kevin M. Gallagher (@FreeBarrett_ & @ageis)

Kevin M. Gallagher is a writer, musician and systems administrator based in western Massachusetts. He graduated with a B.A. in English from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He’s currently pursuing activism on issues related to digital rights: freedom of information, privacy, and copyright; while also taking an interest in information security. He is the director of Free Barrett Brown, which is a support network, non-profit advocacy organization and legal defense fund formed for the purpose of assisting a prominent journalist and internet activist, for which he is in charge of all fundraising, public relations, social media and outreach.You can contribute to Barrett Brown’s defense fund here.

About Gabriella Coleman (@biellaColeman)

Gabriella (Biella) Coleman is the Wolfe Chair in Scientific and Technological Literacy in the Art History and Communication Studies Department at McGill University. Trained as an anthropologist, she researches, writes, and teaches on hackers and digital activism. Her first book on Free Software, Coding Freedom: The Aesthetics and the Ethics of Hacking has been published with Princeton University Press. She is currently working on a new book on Anonymous and digital media under contract with Verso. She has given numerous talks on hackers, digital activism, open source production and intellectual property law. For more info visit gabriellacoleman.org/.

**UPDATE**

ICYMI: This week’s show on the surveillance state and the criminalization of those who report on it featuring activist Kevin M. Gallagher (Free Barrett Brown), academic and author Gabriella Coleman, and journalist Dell Cameron (VICE).

Video streaming by Ustream

by Laurelin

There comes a time in everyone’s life when there has just been too much work and not enough play. This is usually not a problem in my life, no matter how many places I’m working I always seem to find the perfect thing to do on a night off. In that one night, it’s all been worth it: every last long hour and late night is wonderfully and sometimes painfully perfect. Some nights are relaxing and help you recharge your drained batteries, and other nights are not like that at all. Some nights you just know that a storm is brewing; the perfect storm.

I don’t know what it is about Faneuil Hall in Boston that just makes you wild. I think it’s just that foreign concept of having weekends off. I don’t usually have them, so when I do it’s like this whole other world can be seen, a world I usually only see from behind the bar. This Friday was like that. We could be those people, the ones who go out with no abandon, who rack up a hundred dollar tab that’s just a couple beers and a million Washington apple shots. We could be the loud ones, the crazy ones, the dancers, the wild.

The cover band might as well have been Guns n’ Roses in the flesh and the friendly faces behind the bar telling me this round was on the house soon led to things starting to blur. The guys I was with all started looking like dinner and then dessert, and with a wink and a smile we gallivanted off to the bar next door for one more shot and then to yet another bar where I realized that I was in trouble. Things were happening in slow motion. I pulled down my friend’s dress while she danced against her guy with her underwear hanging out, watching a conversation between two people I don’t know. Not being able to shift my gaze, I came to an all too slow realization that my roommate has gone home in a cab by herself and it was my own voice that told her I wasn’t going with her.

The next morning, as I am frantically searching for very new and very lost earrings in a sea of wrinkled sheets and bad, bad decisions, I can’t help but think that none of this is really my fault. Faneuil Hall and having a weekend night off is what’s to blame here. I just get too excited, too thirsty, and at the time nothing seems as bad as it is as that first sliver of light is hitting your face through the shades. It all starts coming back, like a giant wave cresting and crashing against my lifeless hungover body, and I close my eyes as the waves of nausea roll over me, just another repercussion of last night’s perfect storm.

[..]

by Blogbot

This Thursday June 20th on SuicideGirls Radio hosts Nicole Powers and Juturna Suicide will be joined in studio by producers DJ Muggs and Andrew Kline, and uber geek and Safecast co-founder Sean Bonner, who with vocalist Brevi comprise the avant-garde band Cross My Heart Hope to Die. Journalist, podcaster, and SG Blog contributor David Seaman will also be in-studio to give us his take on the recent NSA surveillance revelations.

You can listen – and watch – the world’s leading naked radio show live on Thursday nights from 6 til 8 PM at our new state-of-the-art all digital home: TradioV.com/LA.

You’ll also be able to listen to our podcasts via Stitcher – download the app now!

If you have questions for the SG Radio crew or our guests, you can call in during the live broadcast at: 1-855-TRV-inLA (1-855-878-4652)

For updates on all things SG Radio-related, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

About Cross My Heart Hope to Die

Cross My Heart Hope to Die (@cmhxhtd) will change your perceptions of art and challenge your expectations of music. CMHHTD transcends musical boundaries – the music exists as just one part of a larger project, ever evolving. At its foundation, this collective balances tangible art with striking visuals and an all encompassing soundtrack to create a total experience – each element as important as the other.

The sound system is the spark caused by the collision of producers DJ Muggs (@DJ_Muggs) and Andrew Kline. DJ Muggs is best known as a founding member of the multi platinum rap group, Cypress Hill, as well as the producer of such hits as Ice Cube’s “Check Yo Self” and House of Pain’s “Jump Around.” The Grammy nominated producer has created remixes for U2 and Depeche Mode, and collaborated with UK trip hop artist, Tricky, on the album Juxtapose. Andrew Kline is a founding member and main songwriter of the Los Angeles based hardcore band, Strife. With a career spanning more than 20 years, Strife is heralded to be one of the most influential and defining hardcore bands of the 90’s. As a music producer, Andrew has worked with artists over a wide range of genres and has recently added video directing to his repertoire. Muggs and Kline, though from different musical backgrounds, share a love of a dark, cinematic music and the fusion of their talents creates something you would not expect.

This sound is complemented by the ethereal songstress, Brevi, who elevates the tracks with her sexy and hauntingly beautiful vocals. The attentive listener may recognize her from tracks with such musical veterans as 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa, Xzibit, Raekwon from the Wu Tang Clan, and more – though CMHHTD puts her in a spotlight like never before.

Sean Bonner (@seanbonner) adds an additional, indefinable piece to what is already a bit of an enigma. Sean is a hacker and curator who commands a noteworthy online network. With a history in both fine art and music, he helps to shape the public face and feel of this project, and his involvement is sure to blur the lines between fans and collaborators, audience and participant.

The first traditional release from Cross My Heart Hope To Die, a self titled EP, was released on April 2nd on Alpha Pup Records. The interactive art side of this collective, however, has been prolific and manifesting itself on the streets for close to a year. Unsuspecting pedestrians around the world have been enjoying and participating in this project – sometimes without even knowing it. Inconspicuous art installations and street music boxes have been hidden in such cities as Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo, Rome, Belfast, Prague, and Vienna. CMHHTD wants to manipulate the way people find music; to bring back the thrill of discovery. Something sorely needed in a digital age where we are constantly bombarded with aural stimulation.

Upcoming gallery exhibitions and a series of videos shot all over the world make it obvious that Cross My Heart Hope To Die is much more than just another musical project. Their actual scope escapes clear definition.

For more visit cmhhtd.com and Soundcloud.

About David Seaman

David Seaman (@d_seaman) is an independent journalist. He has been a lively guest on CNN Headline News, FOX News, ABC News Digital, among others, and on his humble YouTube channel, DavidSeamanOnline. Some say he was recently censored by a certain large media corporation for posting a little too much truth… For more, find him on G+ and Twitter.


**UPDATE**
ICYMI: Here’s the video-pod of last night’s show. We explore the intersection of music, art and technology with Andrew Kline and Sean Bonner of the innovative LA band Cross My Heart Hope to Die. Sean also measures our radiation levels with a Geiger gadget he made earlier and explains how his crowd-sourced Safecast project helps empower people with critical data about their environments. Plus SG’s Political Correspondent David Seaman explains to someone who gets naked on the internet – ie SG Radio co-host Juturna Suicide – why she should care about the fact that the NSA is spying on her.

Video streaming by Ustream

by Nicole Powers

Artist/SG Member Name: Timothy Skinner a.k.a. TimmyGee

Mission Statement: Everything is about balance – of imagery and material. Paint has the ability to both mimic and exist as its own entity. As an artist I sit between the two trying to react to each and create a harmony of sorts. The imagery I collect and use is often of human rituals but the imagery is essentially a place to start, the paintings themselves then lead to a place that you don’t expect.

Medium: Paint – mostly oils but some printing inks and spraypaints also find their way in.

Aesthetic: I guess you would say I err on the shadier side of life.

Notable Achievements: I think the first piece you sell is a landmark, especially in how you view yourself coming out of art school. There is a watershed moment when you start to understand that what you create is really an extension of you that you are putting out in to the world.

Why We Should Care: Why should you care about me? Maybe you shouldn’t. I’m really not the person to make that decision. But you should care about creative integrity and embrace it whenever you find it.

I Want Me Some: The best way is to speak to me directly. Work is often in shows around the UK and I try to keep my blog and website updated with current exhibitions. There are a few shows coming up late summer which I’m working on now so that will be the next chance to see the work in the flesh. You can also follow me on Twitter @TimSkin.

[..]

by Blogbot

This Thursday June 13th on SuicideGirls Radio hosts Nicole Powers and Juturna Suicide will be joined in studio by Dirty Sanchez and Joey Ryan of the Mexican masked wrestling burlesque comedy troupe Lucha VaVOOM. The group draw their inspiration from the bizarre world of ’60s Mexican Lucha Cinema, where brave, masked wrestling crime fighters save the world from evil with an obligatory stop at the local go-go club.

You can listen – and watch – the world’s leading naked radio show live on Thursday nights from 6 til 8 PM at our new state-of-the-art all digital home: TradioV.com/LA.

You’ll also be able to listen to our podcasts via Stitcher – download the app now!

If you have questions for the SG Radio crew or our guests, you can call in during the live broadcast at: 1-855-TRV-inLA (1-855-878-4652)

For updates on all things SG Radio-related, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

About Lucha VaVOOM

Founded in Los Angeles in 2002 by Rita D’Albert and Liz Fairbairn, Lucha VaVOOM is non-stop, action-packed surrealism where Mexican masked wrestlers perform breathtaking acrobatic feats in a fast-paced, fun-filled, character-driven style. Known for their far-out flamboyance, its quick, exhibition-style, one-fall Lucha Libre matches designed for maximum enjoyment and action.

Since 2002, LUCHA VaVOOM has regularly sold out 1,000-seat venues across the globe (Amsterdam, Calgary, Toronto, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Seattle, Portland and Philadelphia, among many other cities). When not on the road, the troupe calls downtown Los Angeles’ Mayan Theater–an elaborately appointed, 1927-built former motion-picture palace–home.

Earlier this year Lucha VaVOOM headlined the “El Jimador Mexican Wrestling Bar” at Australia’s Big Day Out 2013 Festival where Ben O’Shea from YAHOO.AU.COM noted (1/24), “Sex and violence – it’s a winning combination but you’re unlikely to find it done as successfully or with such feel-good humour as Lucha VaVOOM…”

Coming off their sold-out Sunday, May 5 Cinco de Mayan show at the The Mayan in Downtown Los Angeles, LUCHA VaVOOM is responding to public demand and will stage another Cinco de Mayan show on July 11 at The Mayan in Downtown Los Angeles. This marks the very first timeLUCHA VaVOOM–the high-octane mix of Mexican-style lucha libre wrestling, traditional burlesque and blow-by-blow comedic commentary–has performed their Cinco de Mayan show in July.
Tickets are currently on sale HERE.

For more on Luca VaVOOM visit their website, Twitter and YouTube channel.

**UPDATE**
ICYMI: Here’s the video-pod of last week’s show featuring Dirty Sanchez and Joey Ryan of the Mexican masked wrestling burlesque comedy troupe Lucha VaVOOM.

Video streaming by Ustream

by Alexander Hinkley

GoGo is a sexy Italian model that is also into video games. She’s also a movie buff and hardcore Game of Thrones fan, so it’s safe to say that GoGo actually loves all sorts of nerdy things.

Is there a story behind your SG nickname?

There sort of isn’t one. When I first applied for the site I had to pick a nickname and GoGo is what came to mind. It sounded short and cute and easy to remember!

How long have you been modeling?

Since I applied for SuicideGirls in 2004.

You have a ton of really cool tattoos. Is there any special symbolism behind them?

Not really, I mean, besides the name of my dog on my ankle and Rain Dogs across my knuckles over Tom Waits, the rest is just ideas of things that I like / inspire me. I usually just give a rough idea to the artist and let him or her do the rest.

What are some of your favorite video games?

The Silent Hill saga has a special place in my heart. Other than that, I love Diablo 3, LA Noire, and Call of Duty.

Do you play games online much?

I used to be really into Diablo 3 and would play for hours every day. But the servers are so horrible, always down, and always laggy, so eventually I just kinda gradually gave up on it. Call of Duty is a game I like to play sporadically, like when I am really frustrated so I can just shoot some motherfuckers.

Which class do you prefer in Diablo 3?

Wizard all the way! I’m definitely a disintegrate/archon combo wizard.

Ever try to make money on the auction house?

Not real money, only gold to buy more equipment with. I never got that far as wanting to spend hundreds of real dollars for it. Maybe I would have been tempted once or twice if the servers were more reliable, but alas…

What’s your console of choice?

PS3 and desktop 🙂

Do you think the Silent Hill franchise has gotten better or worse over time?

I think it had ups and downs. Some of them were great, some not so great, but overall it’s the universe of it that really gets to you, you know? 1 and 3 are my favorites.

How/when did you first get into playing video games?

Gosh I don’t know. When my parents gave me a Sega Master System for Christmas when I was little, I guess!

Judging by the fact you list “Winterfell” as your hometown, I take it you’re a Game of Thrones fan?

Huge! I wouldn’t know where to begin! Last year I did a tribute shoot that came out super cool. It was the “grown up version” of Arya Stark. You should check it out!

So where did you really grow up?

Italy, books, and the internet 🙂

Which is better, the books or the TV show?

This is a hard question! I LOVE the books and at the same time I LOVE the show. I would instinctively pick the book because there’s just more of everything, and you can spend months reading them and being absorbed in the whole imaginarium –– but they sure are doing a great job with the TV version, too. The TV show has the potential to be on air for a long time, whereas the books are being published too far apart and it’s such a long, painful wait!

Favorite character?

Tyrion and Arya. Bran seems to be heading in a very badass direction too, whereas Jon isn’t really as interesting as he once was. But given the huge cliffhanger of the last book, I expect greater things for him to come. *SPOILER ALERT* (I just don’t want him to really be dead). I have to say since Theon became Reek, he also started to really interest me.

Have you gotten a chance to try the GoT RPG that was released back in May?

I haven’t! I feel like between the books and the TV show I have enough GoT in my life if that makes sense!

I understand you’re also somewhat of a movie buff. If you could make any movie into a video game, what would it be?

I am, that’s another subject I could talk about forever! Let me think… Perhaps an Oldboy inspired game where you wake up in a room you don’t know why and you have to solve the mystery and riddles etc. Hmm that sounds like Silent Hill a bit doesn’t it? 🙂

For more of GoGo find her on Facebook, Twitter and SuicideGirls, and be sure to checkout her Etsy store!

[..]