Dear Constant Reader,
Our friend Lili VonSchtupp has created a lot of fabulous things and one of her recent creations are burlesque playing cards!
First was the Burlesque Deck, Photos of 26 Los Angeles-area performers adorn the 54 cards (I’m counting Lili VonSchtupp, the one-eyed Jack, and Boobdini, the Joker, as two separate performers). There’s even a special set of cards for magicians. The photos are in a very pin-up style, like the decks of old. Even though the release party was almost a year ago, you can still watch it.
But Lili and C.B. Summers, the photographer, couldn’t leave it at just one deck…
Tonight she’s celebrating the release of the Neo-Burlesque Deck! This contains photos of 53 burlesque performers from around the country, including two Legends. Our own Betty Blaize is the 6 of Hearts! The style is very different — the performers tend to be more unclad and the lighting is moody with neon-inspired colors, one for each suit.
In 2022 there was a pin-up calendar with performers from The Burlesque Deck, but this year, there’s a topless calendar with Neo-Burlesque Deck performers — and one of them is Betty! If you ever wanted to know what she looked like sans pasties, you can find out in June.
Go forth and get yourself one or both of these decks! Not only do I want to support these existing projects and all the amazing performers who appear within, but Lili has hinted that if there’s another deck it will be vintage-style black & white photos and there’s a chance I’ll be one of the performers in it. Let’s make that possible!
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