Hot tranny, no mess
(Credit: Hannah Ross)
What in gay hell is a New York institution like you doing in Los Angeles?
[Laughs.] Well, I have a bit part in the sequel to “Another Gay Movie,” which I’m shooting this weekend. I’m also doing a photo shoot while I’m out here, and I’m going to DJ tonight at Vinyl Vixens.
Have you ever been here before?
I used to come out here with David LaChapelle all the time for photo shoots. The thing is, I’d just model in whatever shoot we were doing and go back to New York right after, so never for that long.
What’s your relationship with him like now that he lives in L.A.?
Well, I haven’t been out here to visit him in a few years. He spends a lot of time in Hawaii these days. I saw him a lot more when his studio was in New York, but we’re still in contact. He’s a close friend. Our relationship…it’s a lot more than just taking pictures. We became really close.
Do you like the city?
Of course! All the great blondes are here!
What about its style?
I don’t know that much about fashion in L.A., but I do like Raquel Reed and the Suicide Girls. I like L.A. girls who wear fetish stuff, like Dita Von Teese. She always looks incredible. I love it when she does old Hollywood glamour. I like rockabilly girls too; that’s a style you never see in New York.
That’s vintage Hollywood Boulevard, baby.
I love it! It’s very L.A. When I met Raquel, I was like, “Oh, you’re so L.A., but in a good way!”
Any other style icons?
These days? Scarlett Johansson and Rihanna. Both of them are always so well put together.
Designers?
I like John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Christian Louboutin and Valentino.
How long have you been doing the DJ thing? Is it something you want to do more of?
I wouldn’t really call myself a DJ—I just really like music a lot, so when I’m asked to, I do it. I definitely consider myself more of a performer. I do think it’s really cool that Vinyl Vixens always has a female DJ behind the turntables. Tranny power!
How did you meet David LaChapelle and the Heatherette boys?
I’ve known both of them for a really long time. I met Richie when he first came to New York. We both worked at Michael Alig’s Disco 2000. David I met at Bowery Bar in New York. Apparently, when he was a kid, he was obsessed with drawing girls that looked just like me. We’d never met before, so when he saw me, he kind of freaked out and said, “Oh my god, you’re the girl I’ve been obsessively imagining since I was a kid.” People think he was taken with me because I’m a transsexual, but it had more to do with the fact that I happened to look like these girls he’d been drawing his whole life. Our collaboration was, essentially, him reliving the time in his life when he drew me before he knew me.
Can you talk about any future collaboration you have planned with either of them?
I’m definitely doing something with David very soon. He’s in the process of booking this big project that he wants all of his friends to be involved in. It’s going to be incredible. It’s going to be more like art than fashion photography. It seems like that’s where his head is these days.
What do you think of his desire to move away from fashion photography and celebrity portraits and move more toward directing films and making art?
When he first started out, David worked with Andy Warhol, so he’s always had a fascination with art. I think he’s at a point in his life where he can do whatever he wants to, and why shouldn’t he? I also think it got to a point where he wasn’t happy doing fashion photography or shooting celebrities. He did everything he could in that genre. I’m actually surprised he doesn’t make more films. He directed a short that I starred in for Heatherette, and it came out so well. His pictures always tell stories, so naturally, I thought he would go into that. I hope he goes into that.
You’re kind of like his Candy Darling.
Yes! David’s done a lot for me. It’s really an honor to work with him.
You mentioned having a part in “Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild.” Is acting something you want to pursue more actively?
Acting is definitely something I want to do more of. I just think it’s a natural progression for someone as visual as myself. I think it would be really fun to play a complete bitch or a murderer, something completely opposite of who I am. I’m going to play a stewardess in this movie. It’s a small part.
There are no small parts, only small actors.
And there’s nothing small about me!
Well, you’re in the right city if you want to be an actress. Anyone you’d love to work with?
John Waters and Quentin Tarantino. Either would be a dream come true.
What are you working on now?
I’m finishing up my album, “My Way,” and I’m coming out with a makeup line soon. I think I’m going to be doing a lot more merchandising now that I’ve set up everythingamanda.com. That’s the best place to go to buy my T-shirts and my music and stuff.
Lately, it seems like everyone in fashion is moving here. David LaChapelle lives here; Heatherette showed at L.A. Fashion Week last fall; Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and Comme de Garcons just opened up stores here. Why do you think L.A. has become such a hotbed of fashion activity?
It’s just a fresh, fun, whimsical place to be. When I did the Heatherette show here, the kids were so excited, more so than any other show I’ve walked in. I think maybe New York is a little bit jaded just because everyone there has seen so many things and they’re just so used to it. Plus, I think New York is getting really corporate, and it’s turning a lot of people off. The club scene has changed a lot because of bottle service. It isn’t like the good old days of free-for-all debauchery. That’s really how it affects fashion—as New York gets more corporate, it’s requiring its retailers to provide more outlets for suits and pencil skirts and fewer places for rhinestone-studded, feathered, S&M mesh items.
Would you ever consider becoming an L.A. woman?
I don’t drive, so I’d have to drastically change my lifestyle if I chose to move out here. That’s one of the reasons I stay in New York—everything is so condensed, I can get a lot of stuff done at once. I do like the warm weather here a lot, so you never know, you might be seeing a lot more of me. You might not be able to get rid of me!
Marcos Luevanos is Style editor for MetromixLos Angeles.
