Notes from the Parlour...
February 2005

I t was closing weekend of what ended up to be a three month smash run of "Welcome to the Hypnodrome." For those who are wondering what I am talking about...this was my debut as leading lady in a lavish recreation of Grand Guignol, the infamous 1920s Paris shockstage--tales of terror never before staged for an American audience! San Francisco's famed Guignol troupe Thrillpeddlers (headed by Russell Blackwood) developed a show around me, created an elaborate, eerie theatre for the event, complete with rigged SFX and "Shock Box" seating, ala William Castle! It was a sight to behold... (See Links and December 2004 Parlour archive to learn more.)

Anyway, I was perched out of sight on a wobbly ladder in stockings and high heels, trying to steady myself in the pitch dark, while I prepared to "haunt" the audience as the ghost of beloved Simone Laconte in the third play of the night, Murder of the Will. This was the finale. (You see, I was just killed in a violent train crash, after being put under a spell by a mad, lovesick hypnotist, therefore suffering a seizure in Act One.)
The technicians had rigged the theatre with a series of tubing that ran the length of the room. I spoke through different tubes from the ladder and my voice seemed to emanate from one side, then the other, as if I were a floating spectre!

I had done this for three months in a row, mind you. It was getting to be old hat despite how fun it was to hear the screams from the crowd, and hearing my voice echo and bounce through the cavernous space. But on closing weekend, I had a strange, little 'gratitude moment' balancing on that ladder. We were all a bit melancholy, the cast and crew had become a veritable family by the shows' end. And I realized that despite our endless hardships, disappointments, financial struggles, the state of the entertainment industry in general that has all but destroyed the potential for independent artists and thinkers to gain any sort of exposure, let alone support and fair opportunity...WE had achieved something noone said we could...yet again! Every night crowds excitedly stepped through those doors. Many were turned away. My CD sales soared and I composed a beautiful new score for the Hypnodrome on a gorgeous nineteenth-century pedal reed organ that I didn't even know how to play mere weeks before! A monstrous beauty, an instrument that is all but obsolete in today's world. (Thank you Jim Tyler!) Yes, I was proud. Of myself and of everyone in the cast and crew.

Just by continuing to create our art, and staying true to our vision--we ARE beating them at their own game! ! It is so important to realize that. And to keep going, keep creating, at whatever level you can. The imagination is the most powerful tool in the arsenal.

I cherish the emails and gifts I receive from artists all over the world, kindred souls, we all endure the same frustration. There is so much passion and brilliance out there lurking in sacred corners we've had to create for ourselves. There is so much strength in that...a collection of whispers evolves into a scream.

So even though it certainly isn't perfect, life is quite fun right now... I mean how many people can say that being attacked by a feral wolf-boy, getting dissected with a scalpel, locked in a tower with iron bars, attacked by the Marquis DeSade, and binding a Tyrolian Count in a straightjacket and whipping his feet with a riding crop as an audience cheers is all in a day's work!!
Ahhh, and that doesn't even include the music!

But I guess I'm on the radar when a well-known Hollywood screenwriter contacts me to ask my expertise on various methods of poisoning! That's right...so if you see an episode of an acclaimed TV show that deals with a very bizarre poisoning plot--you'll know the hush-hush specifics came from yours truly!

The Evil Garden, the fifth annual Edwardian Ball was an incredible evening of performance and spectacle! (San Francisco's Cat Club, Jan 22). There are some wonderful photos now on the EB website, and the San Francisco Chronicle ran a huge feature about the evening. Click Links.

The event is a continuing celebration of the work of illustrator and delighfully sinister scribe Edward Gorey (1925-2000). I was blown away at the lavish costumes and exquisite attention to detail; everyone looked fantastical; we actually got to exist inside a storybook for a few hours. My favorite part of the evening was hearing the strains of Strauss and Wagner and realizing people in costumes were waltzing, as I peered through the tiny window from the dressing room! It was lovely. Thank you to the extraordinary Justin Katz and crew for such a perfect evening. The club was packed to the rafters!

My song "The Proof" (from Diabolical Streak) was inspired by Edward Gorey. I loved the childlike rhyming schemes and meter as I reveal a "tale told in Six Suicides." We performed The Proof complete with puppets, created by Gitty Duncan of Puppets and Pie!

Sadly, people have approached me unaware of the sweetly, disturbing work of Gorey. There is a book I recommend as a must-have, a full collection of interviews and articles with the artist: Ascending Peculiarity--Edward Gorey on Edward Gorey.

If you have taken photographs at Jill Tracy events and concerts and want to share them with the world, please email us and let us know. Then we can give you info on where to send your images. We are in the throes of revamping the entire website and concocting new galleries and sections. You will see many changes appearing gradually in the coming months. Keep checking back often.

Beginning this month, you may also purchase Jill Tracy CDs directly through Projekt. Diabolical Streak is featured in the Dark Cabaret section of their online Lobby. For complete details and ordering info, please visit the Merchandise page.

And yes, we are preparing to go into the studio later this year to record the new album!! I'm currently creating the new band line-up and beginning to choose songs. There are many, and I'm excited to hear them coming to life. The new live ensemble of late has been Randy Odell (drums, percussion, SFX) and Alex Nahas (Chapman Stick.) I'll certainly keep you updated as the wonderful things unfold...

in spirit,
Jill Tracy

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