art as fashion

February 3, 2005 9:27 AM

Dress as though your life depends on it, the works of Leigh Bowery.
posted by drezdn (18 comments total)

You might consider flagging this as possibly NSFW.
posted by agentmitten at 9:46 AM on February 3, 2005

Nice link. I mostly know of Bowery through Taboo, the musical by (and, partly, about) Boy George. George actually played Bowery on stage in London and in the short-lived Broadway production; a lot of the work was reproduced in the costuming. His "Ich Bin Kunst" - when Bowery installed himself as a fixture in an art gallery - was absolutely spectacular.
posted by graymouser at 9:50 AM on February 3, 2005

You might consider flagging this as possibly NSFW.

Why? Where are the naughty parts?
posted by pracowity at 9:56 AM on February 3, 2005

Pracowity - I would take at look at the hat in the clothes pin picture.
posted by Alison at 10:16 AM on February 3, 2005

Good old Leigh. I still think his ultimate creations were the daytime outfits, where he made himself into a sort of care in the community probable paedo, with shades of Benny Hill. Much more freaky than a black neck 'n' belly bulge number.

The interesting thing about his dressed-up look is how enduring it's been - Club Kids in New York, Gatecrasher kids, even the Goths (of today) all owe him bigtime, whether they know it or not (obviously Alig and Co. were well aware).

Minty were fairly shit, mind you.
posted by jack_mo at 10:22 AM on February 3, 2005

Off-topic - why on earth is this tagged with folksonomy?
posted by jack_mo at 10:24 AM on February 3, 2005

You might consider flagging this as possibly NSFW.

Pracowity - I would take at look at the hat in the clothes pin picture.

WTF. Are you guys serious?
posted by Specklet at 10:24 AM on February 3, 2005

I would take at look at the hat in the clothes pin picture.

That's all? No one works anywhere that that picture would cause trouble, do they?
posted by pracowity at 10:25 AM on February 3, 2005

Sorry! I'm just the messenger!
posted by Alison at 10:58 AM on February 3, 2005

There's a bare butt thumbnail toward the bottom of the page which leads you to here:

Walk This Way

I don't know that the front page itself is NSFW, but there is stuff on the site that is.
posted by agentmitten at 10:59 AM on February 3, 2005

The hat is hilarious.

(Somebody needs to do a FPP on the New York Dolls so we can complete a gender bender trifecta.)
posted by BoringPostcards at 11:03 AM on February 3, 2005

BoringPostcards:Love 'em though I do, the NY Dolls merely mildly bent genders so they could score chicks. For the pretzel-level gender bending, you need to check out this individual, who among other accomplishments, once brained Handsome Dick Manitoba with a mike stand.
posted by jonmc at 11:16 AM on February 3, 2005

jonmc: Oh, I know Wayne/Jayne (& the Electric Chairs), and even once lived in her home, namesake county.

But yeah, I prefer the Dolls' music.
posted by BoringPostcards at 11:20 AM on February 3, 2005

Me too. But Wayne/Jayne definitely took the gender-bending further.
posted by jonmc at 11:37 AM on February 3, 2005

Thanks for this. I watched a great documentary, "The Legend of Leigh Bowery," on Trio a week or so ago. I'd never heard of him before and was totally captivated by how fabulous and smart and punk he was.
posted by mediareport at 5:07 PM on February 3, 2005

Klaus 4EVAR!!! And Leigh too.
posted by gorgor_balabala at 7:32 PM on February 3, 2005

i met him a hundred years ago--and he widened my view...i'll always be in debt.
posted by amberglow at 7:58 PM on February 3, 2005

i met him a hundred years ago

That must have been back when he was doing music hall. Didn't he sing "Don't wear your penis hat on the stage, Mrs Worthington?"
posted by pracowity at 11:35 PM on February 3, 2005