David Foster looks like the Axeman!

#ahscoven  #axeman  #rhbh  #yolandafoster  #davidfoster  #lookalikes

an Artsy Fartsy interview: DIEGO SANSON

He's performed in various forms of ladies' underwear onstage and off for over 20 years now; he's marched miles in make-up & heels in gay pride parades; and he recently werked the runway for a cause in a corset and platforms like nobody's business! Oh, and did I mention that he's straight?

Who is it? None other than the Long Beach Art Theatre's current reigning Frank-N-Furter, the deliciously demented diva, Diego Sanson! I recently got a chance to catch up with the performer during this quick Q&A sesh...

AFB:  How long have you been performing in a Rocky Horror Picture Show shadow cast?

DS: "I've been doing Rocky Horror for 20 years now. I know...too long."

Diego explains to me that the cast had to change their name a few years back from Midnight Insanity to Rocky Horror at the Art Theater Long Beach, due to an attempt to be sued for the name by a disillusioned ex-cast member..."but we are the same cast though."

AFB:  What or who initially drew you into this crazy troupe?

DS: "I was an audience member and got picked to do a "Rookie" show- and have stayed ever since."

AFB:  How long have you been playing 'Dr. Frank-N-Furter'? What do you enjoy most about playing this character?

DS: "About 7 years. I like becoming somebody else for a couple of hours...and you can get away with a lot, especially when you're in drag."                                                                                                      

AFB:  You recently worked with and developed a friendship with Richard Elfman, creator of the cult classic Forbidden Zone (and co-founder of Oingo Boingo) when a shadowcast performance was put together for the film... What was that experience like? 

Diego performing onstage with Richard Elfman

DS: "Incredible!!! Best thing ever!! One the coolest things ever to happen to me."

AFB:  Are there plans to do more with Richard and'Cell 51' (the name of the Forbidden Zone shadowcast)? 

DS: "Yes...sometime in early 2014."

AFB:  Awesome! Can't wait to see more. Have you run into any issues or obstacles in your life due to basically being a straight drag queen? What have you learned the most about yourself by wearing ladies' undies?

DS: "Well....my mother still hasn't accepted me about me dressing up. She doesn't like it. And trying to be pretty is really hard!!"

AFB:  Tell me about it, gurl! So what, if any, are your hopes & dreams for the future, as far as performing is concerned?

DS: "Going to keep doing this until my body and mind give up. I love performing. It's addicting. And maybe, hopefully, make a career out of it one day...not sure what yet..."

Well, pretty-please Mr. Sanson- keep doing what you're doing- because we love it!

Diego sites B-movie maker Ed Wood (a pioneer in the area of "hetero" cross-dressing) as a personal hero.

Vincent, I know how you felt...

Vincent Van Gogh self portrait, painted shortly after his
infamous self-inflicted ear amputation

Being an artist can really suck. I mean REALLY suck sometimes. No, actually MOST of the time. I mean, I didn't ask to be born with this "talent" that has caused so many before me to live (and die) feeling tortured and frustrated...

But exactly why is the artist such a traditionally tortured creature? Well have a seat, and let me break it down for you. Imagine yourself as a child, about 3 or 4 years old, just playing like any other kid, then maybe grabbing some crayons and doodling something up. Suddenly, an adult snatches the paper from your grubby little hands and declares, "This child is really talented!" And there it was for the first time, that word I now sometimes despise - talent. What does it even mean? Webster's Dictionary describes it as "the natural endowments of a person" or "a special often athletic, creative, or artistic aptitude." Okay, whatever.  All I know is, it felt good to be called talented.  As one of four children in a single-parent home, my newfound "talent" gave me some desperately-craved attention.  Throughout grade school, I used every opportunity to show off my artistic abilities as a means for attention and approval.  You better believe my mother fucking mission was the best!  And paper mache'? Forget about it. No one even came close.  But then I got older, and there were no more gold stars, A+'s, or blue ribbons to fill me up. Now it was time to be a grown-up, and to seek approval as an artist in the real world- and boy was I in for a shock.

Ah, and there is that other nasty word - approval.  A HUGE part of the artist's tortured existence is that we often seek outside approval to validate ourselves and our work- which isn't really our fault- it's how our system works. Even if an artist was never a needy little rugrat like me, the approval we are forced  to seek as an adult artist comes in the form of money (you know, how you pay rent and eat and stuff).  There is nothing more difficult for an artist than to pour your heart & soul into your work, resulting in pieces that you love and are very satisfied with...and then no one buys them. Or even likes them.  Or even sees them.  And the illustration agencies don't call you back.  And neither do the galleries. And the only

type of work offers you can seem to get are to do a portrait of Aunt Edna and her cat for 20 bucks and lunch at Applebee's (and you take it). And everyone you meet keeps telling you, "You know, you should really do something with your talent." And then your work just ends up in a closet or corner of your house somewhere, collecting dust, and reminding you of how much you suck and you should just give up this stupid art shit already and get a real career going, and then you paint all your paintings black or throw them away or something, and all of the sudden you find yourself understanding why Van Gogh cut his fucking ear off! (Or maybe I just need medication?)

As an artist in this world, it is easy to feel completely unappreciated, dejected and useless- like an old dinosaur roaming around in the suburbs, just getting in the way of the busy, money-making people and eating everyone's plants.  Okay, maybe that analogy didn't make perfect sense, but you get my drift.  I wish that I could end this little rant on a more positive note, but alas- this is one of the 362 days this year that it sucks to be an artist.

ADDITIONAL NOTES & LINKS:
Think I'm crazy?  Just check out this list of artists throughout history who have commited suicide and at least you'll see I'm not alone in my frustration.

-Vincent Van Gogh's suicide note
-Life in Hell comic about struggling artists (hilarious!)

Van Gogh's final painting before shooting himself in the head. Many believe this painting hinted of his planned
suicide, with the crows reacting to the sudden sound of the gunshot (this field was the view from his window).

YES, I'M A JEALOUS BITCH...

This weekend I ended up watching some crappy 2005-ish college comedy on cable starring Blake Lively, whom I think is drop-dead gorgeous. Anyway, I didn't even recognize her at first because her nose looked MUCH larger than I remembered! I'm slightly ashamed to admit that I couldn't have been more delighted! A-HA! Not so perfect after all (though she was definitely very pretty with her old nose). I even recall Kelly Osbourne on an episode of Fashion Police becoming equally excited over a photo of poor Blake in which cellulite was visible. Jealousy? Bitterness? Perhaps.

At any rate, this realization sent me googling for celebrities who've had work done, and I couldn't believe all the subtle rhinoplasty that has been going on around Hollywood! I was positively giddy at the prospect that these beautiful creatures were once mere mortals like me!  And I think more than just plan old envy, it also gave me a sense of relief. Relief that perhaps I am not so bad after all, even with my God-given, slightly crooked nose. Relief that, in reality, much of what we perceive as perfection is just an illusion-- and true beauty will always be on the inside.

If I were President... NOSE JOBS FOR EVERYONE!!!

I've been called a lot of things...