She gave me the interview first for TF E-ZINE and now I am interviewing her for cross promotion! I hope you guys enjoy the read, even if it is not entirely metal related. -D
1)How long have you been promoting bands for?
Ladyaslan: Well I guess I could say all my life ha-ha, my parents use to own a pub and they did a great deal of promotions for bands in the Pittsburgh area in the late 70’s to early 80’s and I was always around watching them...fast forward to my High School years and me and my friends would help promote friend’s bands and I would be the photographer and pass out flyers and get people ‘pumped’ up in the audience. Now let’s move to my 20’s...a friend of mine promoted a great deal of Ska and Jazz bands ( and she wrote for magazines-freelance ) and I ended up being the photographer and documenting the shows and I did that up until my late 20’s and then ended up stepping away from the scene for a few yrs. So here I am now back at it, old habits die hard and I just find it a great deal of fun and I love learning and hearing and seeing great bands, regardless if they are huge headliners or start-ups. If I like your music I will assist in promoting and if a band asks for help I will assist as well ( whether it is an established band trying to get back in the game or a brand new band ). I work with ALL genres, I do not discriminate like some people, but I do prefer my Punk and Goth and Electro type bands.
2)What artists have you worked with in the past, and what landed you in the music world in the first place?
Ladyaslan: I have worked with ‘mostly’ Electro and Punk and Ambient type artists, along with some Rock and R&B and not limited to artists such as painters, movie directors, and tattoo artists. I have worked with Nosferatu ( Goth ), The Zips ( Punk ), Leela James ( soul ), Nile Rodgers ( Grammy award winner ), Pride and the Vanities ( electro ), LadyParasyte ( electro/rock), indie horror movie director Johnny Daggers, The Unquiet Void ( ambient/Lovecraft inspired ), Jamie Roxx ( artist/ painter aka Sissy Pesticide ), The Spiritual Bat( psychedelic/death rock ), poet(s) Fred McNeil and Mystic Lady, Tattoo Artist and Painter Thomas Jacobson of Bad Dog Tattoo ( he has done a great deal of ink on me in regards to my writing career and my love of Duran Duran he is just incredible and dedicated to AWESOME art both on canvas and skin ) and Industrial act Roughhausen...ALL artists are welcome in my world. As to what landed me in music, well I bleed clefs ha-ha. Music is and always has been a passion of mine. If music did not exist, neither would I.
3)How long have you been promoting Duran Duran for?
Ladyaslan: Hmmmm....good question. I became a fan the moment I heard Planet Earth on the way to my Gram’s house in ‘81. When a person would ask me what band is your favorite ( I have MANY ) or what song would you like to listen to, Duran Duran is what I answered with, along with The Sex Pistols or The Clash or Blondie, etc...imagine the looks on people’s faces when a 6 yr old answered like that. But the REAL promoting started in ( about ) Dec 2009 when I came upon a Facebook page dedicated to getting DD inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Kirk Harrington runs this page ( with a GREAT team of peeps: Jason Henry, Kandice Purpura, Josie Beaudoin, Hanna Cruz, Pranav Chandrasekhar, Christian Helwig, Kirk Harrington, Luciana, Mike, James, and Paula ) and at first I rattled his chain about the Rock Hall ( personally I find the Rock Hall to be run by a bunch of fascist pricks who have NO IDEA who or what should be inducted and have NO IDEA what music really means to the masses *don’t get me started ha-ha ) but after talking and getting to know Kirk and seeing the fan base grow on his page, I could see that the fans aka ‘Duranies’ would like to see them inducted. Soon after, Kirk asked me aboard to assist with this adventure ( around March 2010 ) and I thought what the hell ha-ha. I LOVE Duran Duran and I have some decent background knowledge in music and know a GREAT deal about DD and it seemed like a great group to join and above all help promote a band I have always adored.
4)Any big influences musically growing up? and what’s on your playlist now?
Ladyaslan: WOW!! YES I had many influences growing up....ready....ha-ha here we go, The Beatles, The Sex Pistols, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Elvis, Meatloaf, Huey Lewis and the News, Billy Joel, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Nico, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Alien Sex Fiend, David Bowie, Peter Cetera, Styx, REO Speedwagon, PRINCE, Roxy Music, Charlie Daniels, Lynard Skynard, The Eagles, Al Martino, Dean Martin, Rosemary Clooney, Nile Rodgers, Goblin, Blue Oyster Cult, Bonnie Tyler....quite the list huh...and let’s not leave out the SONG WRITERS: JIM STEIMAN, David Foster, Lennon, McCartney, Loggins, Rhodes, LeBon, Bryan Ferry, Bowie...growing up I had a bad ass record player and fuck ton of albums ( still have a great deal of vinyl ) and as for who or what is on my playlist now...DD ( of course ) Xandria, Nightwish, Rob Zombie, Pure Moods compilations, Mozart, LOTS of 80’s New Wave and Goth and lots of Punk....
5)What is your personally life like? Hobbies? Anything out of the ordinary?
Ladyaslan: Ha-Ha-Ha ‘what is my personal life like’ If I told you I would have to kill you...let’s just say I am not what I seem, yet I can be and I am full of surprises if one decides to look beyond the surface...besides a passion for writing and music I am also a licensed L.E ( skin care specialist )and soon LMT ( licensed massage therapist ) obtaining my degree in Science and Natural Health and I strive to stay abreast of the latest developments in the skin care industry in both, medical and cosmetic areas, another passion of mine is helping people feel and look as best as they can. As for hobbies, I like to write ( that’s a given since I have written-VICTORIAN DAYS AND PUNK ROCK NIGHTS, a book of Gothic poetry and short stories and I’m currently working on the sequel ) I love photography and staying active and ‘trying’ to stay fit. I love tattoos and have many and plan to get many more in my lifetime, have a strong pull towards the metaphysical world and candles and I am very spiritual and I like to create environments based on lifestyle mixed in with a little old school tradition...As for out of the ordinary...again that is something I don’t think the readers could digest or handle...I am quite the unique snowflake as is and I will leave it at that *evil smirk*
6) How long have you been a journalist for? And how do you get in contact and scout bands out for promotion or advertisement?
Ladyaslan: I have been an active journalist off and on for about 10 yrs give or take( been writing for about 15+ yrs ) but just this past year and a half I have been balls to the wall with it, non-stop. As to how I contact bands or scout them, I troll Facebook, MySpace, word of mouth, and as of late they have been coming to me.
7)Can you name a few interviewees you have that been your favorite? And why?
Ladyaslan: I cannot say I have a favorite band or artist because they all have something different to bring to the table, to me this question is like asking a parent to pick their favorite child, I just cannot do it. I can say this much, I was shocked and honoured when Nile Rodgers, Nosferatu, and Taylor Dayne crossed my path.
8)How much longer do you think you can be part of the music scene for?
Ladyaslan: I will be part of the scene now and forever and even in an altered state when my time comes to leave this physical body and go to the next level of consciousness.
9)Any work with bands outside the country? or from different states?
Ladyaslan: I have worked with bands from the U.K. to Russia and all in-between and for my stateside work....well pick a state ha-ha
10)What is your favorite thing to do on a day when you have free time?
Ladyaslan: Sacrifice goats to the Moon Crone ommmmm~ JOKE!!!! My favorite thing to do with my free time....what’s that?!?! Ha-Ha...no really, I like to go to the beach ( night is my favorite time to be there ) think up and get new ink, photography, listen to music, I like to go to museums, I like to take nature walks, COOK, shop ( of course lol ), go to the movies, hang out with friends, Yoga, meditate, I guess normal stuff people like to do, above all though I LOVE to travel!
11)Can you describe what the feelings have been with bands you worked with? were they all pleasant and respectful? or have some bands been a pain at all?
Ladyaslan: 99.9% of ALL the bands and artists I have worked with have been GREAT and over all lovely people that have awesome talent(s) I had only ONE bad experience and ( it was no fault but of my own ) but I did not thoroughly research this one band, I had been on an interview bender and had a shit load coming in, and well this ‘ditybird’ slipped through the cracks, I later found out this so-called band was some drunk karaoke bar fly that had NO IDEA how to answer an interview along with the fact he had NO TALENT, well except to be a boil on the ass of life, BUT I do not believe in censorship NOR do I go back on my word ( I posted the interview ) and then sent this derelict an e-mail that pretty much summed up....how can I put this....that he needed to go back to the job where his name tag can be clearly seen and to make sure he asks the customer if they would like ‘fries w/ their meal’ it was THAT bad and to be honest I would not let that person near an open flame let alone a stove. Luckily I have a great fan base and they realized I had to post that bloody mess of an interview and this so-called band was laughed off...luckily I still had about an ounce of dignity left ha-ha...live and learn...ALWAYS RESEARCH!!
12)What landed you as a publicist for Duran Duran in the first place? word of mouth?
Ladyaslan: Back to question #3, the founder of the on line campaign ( Facebook ) Duran Duran to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Kirk Harrington, recruited me back in May 2010. The rest is now history! We showcase band/artist interviews every other Saturday and we post on the DDTTRH and the Victorian Days and Punk Rock Nights Facebook pages and Twitter, MySpace and the Blog Spot. DDTTRH has occasional contests where lucky winners can win T-shirts, bumper stickers, Duran Duran CD’s etc and on Victorian Days and Punk Rock Nights, my give-aways include signed copies of my book, handmade necklaces, mojo bags, and scented oils made my me~
13)Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, and I appreciate the interview you gave me as well, great fun it was! I wish you luck in all your work, and is there anything you like to say before we close this interview? Thank you very much! Big Hugs!!! :) -D
Ladyaslan: Please sign our DDTTRH petition at:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/duran-duran-to-the-rock-hall-of-fame/
Please ‘LIKE’ our DDTTRH Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Duran-Duran-to-the-Rock-Hall-Official-Site/183081057489
Please “LIKE” the Bad Dog Tattoo Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bad-Dog-Tattoo/184527918237613
and lastly...”LIKE” my book’s Facebook page: Victorian Days and Punk Rock Nights ( Gothic poetry, slight erotica and LOTS of musical tidbits and order a copy YOU’LL LOVE IT )
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Victorian-Days-and-Punk-Rock-Nights-by-Ladyaslan/41585390313
To order Victorian Days and Punk Rock Nights ( Xlibris is my publisher )
http://www.ladyaslan.com/index.htm *also check Amazon.com and Target.com and Barnes and Noble websites for Victorian Days and Punk Rock Nights~Thank You~
*by liking these pages one WILL NOT be consumed by useless posts, these are awesome pages that post occasionally and even have contests like DDTTRH and the Victorian Days and Punk Rock Nights page!*
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http://www.myspace.com/gothgirlcutie
http://www.myspace.com/ladyaslansbook
http://twitter.com/RavenCasketbox
http://www.ladyaslan.com/book.htm
facebook.com/witchpot23
ladyaslan_2000@yahoo.com
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