Hannah BlilieGOSSIP

Drummer, Hannah Blilie of the band "Gossip", talked to a favorite AfterEllen.com about the groups new released CD, and about her invigorating tattoo fetish!

When asked about their new album, "Music for Men", Blilie stated that she was very excited about the whole thing. This is a first major label record. Therefore, she (Gossip) wanted to make it more of a dance floor record with a hi-fi type sound that their other music doesn't portray. Instead of one guitar, drums and vocals, the band wanted to add more elements into the mix with this exceptional project! Their producer on the album was Rick Ruben, with whom Blilie says was an inspiration to work with. Very supportive and full of brilliant ideas! Blilie had told AfterEllen that before Rick came into the picture Gossip had never really considered themselves to be professional musicians.

In my opinion, Gossip is an extraordinary band! They have great music, their interaction with each other and consideration of sound shows through the vocals and all the instrumental detail that is involved with this energetic group! The new album is super awesome! I suggest taking a listen here and then buying yourself a copy here!!

On being queer and sort of an icon for the gay community.. I give you my favorite direct quote from Blilie to AfterEllen.com:

AE: Do you feel pressure at all being such a public figure for the queer community?
HB: No, just because I feel like we’re just being ourselves and I think that’s kind of part of what appeals to people about our band. We’re outspoken queers and we talk about queer issues. We’re loud and proud, we come from the queer community and now we’ve got this opportunity to bring the message to the mainstream and it’s a really rad opportunity.

I don’t really feel pressure to be a spokesperson or anything like that because it’s really more about just being ourselves. I always feel the love from the queers and it makes us feel really amazing and empowered.

On another note, Blilie's body looks to be swimming in radical ink, which it is.. she says that since she has some money now which the band has helped her earn, she has gone kind of wild with tattoo syndrome. Her dream was to always have full sleeves and now she is in the process of actually making that come true.

The two main pieces on both arms are paintings from Tamara de Lempicka, a 1930's art-deco artist along with many flowers, birds and horses!

Here's "GOSSIP" with Heavy Cross, a new song off of "Music for Men"! Enjoy!

Lezbian Art ShowAzsa West & Mary McAllister

Azsa West and Mary McAllister present:
"Lesbian Art Show represents the timeless and chaotic style of Dada, the intimacies of Left Bank lesbians in the 1920s, and the revolutionary spirit of queer ephemera combined with personal experiences from a recent European adventure, lesbian lifestyles, strange habits, the need for order and documentation, large type, and perhaps most importantly, true love. The works on view often utilize textual diagrams to illustrate ideas. Through graphs, maps, exquisite corpse, and Venn diagrams, they deliver their observations and revelations. In addition, there will be an installation constructed collaboratively with Aubree Bernier-Clarke, and finessed with respect for historical representation and compassion for community."

These are just a few piece of work the Fontanelle Gallery in Portland Oregon had to offer this past June. What an inspiring array of visual art these talented Artists had to share. I encourage you to visit the website to enjoy the rest of the show and to see the installments as they were in the gallery. The site also gives upcoming shows as well as past shows at the Fontanelle that are just as inspiring!

Sharon IsbinOut Grammy Winner

Boston Magazine has commended "out" Grammy winner Sharon Isbin as "the pre-eminent guitarist of our time." Isbin has an astonishing amount of accomplishments, I would be here all day if I discussed them all. But, one that stood out to me was that she has appeared as soloist with over 160 orchestras, and has engaged more concerti than any other guitarist! Isbin has also appeared in the L Word as herself performing, and recently Power Up! 2009 has honored her and other amazing gay women for their great attributes and successes!


Isbin has a new CD that came out in March of this year from Sony Classics, Journey to the New World, that features folk singer Joan Baez and violinist Mark O'Connor.

Here is a little insight to Sharon Isbins work with a current performance in New York with Mark O'Connor; Enjoy!

Lesbian Artists of the WeekBritish Poet: Renée Vivien

Renée Vivien was born Mary Tarn in London,1877. She was the product of a wealthy British father and an American mother from Jackson, Michigan. At 21, Vivien inherited her fathers fortune and permanently resided in France.

Vivien lived the "high life", as we would call it these days, as an out lesbian--rich and in love to an openly gay American heiress and writer Natalie Clifford Barney. She then had several relationships along the way, one of which was her close friend from back home, Violet Shilli. This relationship eventually led to the break-up of Vivien and Barney. Many more women from other countries swooned over Vivien, including Istanbul's Kérimé Turkhan Pasha, the Turkish diplomat's wife.

Viviens was a British poet who wrote in the French language. Her compositions include sonnets, hendecasyllabic verse and prose poetry.

She later died at 35 in 1909, due to alcoholism and anorexia. Just another torn writer who had withheld an unnecessary amount of money, as well as unpromising love affairs that ripped her heart in two.

Here is a taste of some of her parts!

The Touch

The trees have kept some lingering sun in their branches,
Veiled like a woman, evoking another time,
The twilight passes, weeping. My fingers climb,
Trembling, provocative, the line of your haunches.

My ingenious fingers wait when they have found
The petal flesh beneath the robe they part.
How curious, complex, the touch, this subtle art--
As the dream of fragrance, the miracle of sound.

I follow slowly the graceful contours of your hips,
The curves of your shoulders, your neck, your upappeased breasts.
In your white voluptuousness my desire rests,
Swooning, refusing itself the kisses of your lips.

Please visit Lesbian Poet Herstory for more of Renée Viviens pieces.

Julie BeckerRespective Ink

The lovely Julie Becker has been a tattoo artist for 13 years and works in a private studio in Silverlake (L.A), California!

Her ink gracefully clothes her body in a way satin sheets clothe a stimulating mattress.

A body of art, soul, and originality is that of Becker; desirable!

Lesbian Artists of the Week,Tee Corinne

One of Tee Corinnes most popular pieces of work was that of the Cunt Coloring Book! All the drawings were done by Corinne which portray personality and an obscured vision on the beauty of a woman!


Before Corinne became a famous activ-art(activist through art), she spent 7 years as a married heterosexual until the '60s when she broke out and delivered the world an amazing feminist artist who had skills-to-kill! She was co-facilitator of the Feminist Photography Ovulars, and co-founder of The Blatant Image, A Magazine of Feminist Photography around 1983. Corinne was the author of one novel, three collections of short stories, two photo books, as well as four books of poetry and numerous artists books with small edition publications.

Corinne wrote about art for a variety of publications and, from 1987, was the art books columnist for Feminist Bookstore News. A co-founder and past co-chair of the Gay & Lesbian Caucus (an affiliated society of the College Art Association), she also co-founded the Women's Caucus for Art Lesbian & Bisexual Caucus. In 1991, she was chosen by Lambda Book Report as one of the fifty most influential lesbians and gay men of the decade, and in 1997 she received the Women's Caucus for Art President's Award for service to women in the arts.

Corinne passed away at the age of 62 at her house in Oregon where she had been battling cancer. Her partner Beverly of 16 years then passed on as well.
Corinne was at most an awesome educational and intelligent lesbian (as the majority of us are)!! I highly recommend checking out Tee Corinnes publications, as well as her photos, and don't forget the Cunt Coloring Book! It's just one of those things that you must have on your bookshelf if you are a true lesbian, just like the Vagina Monologues or the Lesbian Kama Sutra! Lesbians just own shit like that, that's why we are the true humdingers in this world!!

I leave you with a train of Tee Corinne...
(Thanks to Wikipedia and Queer-Arts.org for info and photos)

Lesbian Artwork

I have decided that once a week I will find and reveal Lesbian Artwork by not only famous artists but those who are looking for people to recognize them and their talents!

Gay and Lesbian Art and Artists
GALA Visual Arts, Philadelphia, Pa.


Audrey Kawasaki


J M Starkey
Figurative Work
Visit Starkey's website!

Sarah Baley

Sarah Baley is a fascinating photographer with exquisite skills. Through a run of photos Baley showcases sexuality and gender definitions. Her recent show "BOIS" held in New York, concentrated on the these issues as well as urban landscapes in their state of "rot" being re-developed. Her work has been seen in issues of Velvet Park. Also, the Brooklyn Museum is acquiring some of her work as well for their permanent collection.




What I find most alluring about Bailey as photographer and an artist is that she continues to use film instead of digital. Her prints are darkroom oriented which gives her images a brilliant amount of extra character. Baley has a way with telling a story, finding life and portraying that life within her shots. Glorified and delightful to the eye, Sarah Baley has become a new favorite of mine. I can't wait to see one of her shows in the future!

Check out some of Sarah's work at Collette Blanchard Gallery, or Sarah's personal website! Also in the video bleow Sarah Baley shows us some of her prints for the "BOIS" show, and how she became founded in Brooklyn! Check it out!