The late Velvet Hammer strikes another blow
THEY bumped. They ground. They shimmied, peeled and twirled. For 10 years, the ecdysiasts of the Velvet Hammer charmed L.A. audiences with their glamour, their coquetry and their humor.
But the heyday of this neo-burlesque troupe, like the golden age of burlesque itself, was as brief as a pair of ruffled panties.
“Velvet Hammer will never happen again the way it was,” founder Michelle Carr says. “It’s too self-conscious now. It’s lost its fun and innocence.”
Innocence may seem like an odd word for such an erotic art form, but that’s the charm of burlesque, its tightrope act between chaste and bawdy. Peaking in the mid- to late-1950s, “vaudeville’s naughty cousin” was part showgirl extravaganza and Catskills comedy set, an ethos Carr paid homage to even as she repackaged and modernized it.
With playful stage names such as Sissy Spanx, Senorita Bunnypants and a tatted-up, rockabilly aesthetic, Velvet Hammer (1995-2005) was more proto-Suicide Girls (though the reference makes Carr wince) and less Spearmint Rhino. Carr made only two rules for the dancers: no strippers and no fake body parts.
“I wanted it to be fresh and fun and to have that twinge of embarrassment of doing it for the first time,” she says.
She begged, coerced and blackmailed performers to take the stage (rounding out the bill herself as Lula Tallulah), but the show’s debut was an instant success.
The next year, in 1996, Velvet Hammer expanded to the El Rey, where it drew a steady stream of celebrity performers.
After a two-year sojourn in Berlin during which Carr compiled a glossy Velvet Hammer photo book, Carr has returned to L.A. eager to celebrate the troupe’s glory days.
She’ll be joined by author and rock siren Pleasant Gehman (better known to burlesque fans as Princess Farhana) for a Velvet Hammer book reading and costume exhibit featuring a dozen elaborate costumes, including the Chinese empress robe worn by Ming Dynatease, the Marie Antoinette gown and powdered wig worn by Coco Coquette.
Looking over the talismans of her career as Valentina Violette, Carr reminisces, “There was a real camaraderie among all of us. It was like being in a big girl gang.”
--
-- Elina.Shatkin@latimes.com
--
VELVET HAMMER
WHERE: Coco de Mer, 8618 Melrose Ave., L.A.
WHEN: 7-9 p.m. today
PRICE: Free
INFO: 310-652-0311; www.velvethammerburlesque .com
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
