Monday, June 13, 2016

A Lovely Chat With Writer, Lady Aslan

Columnist,Interviewer,Poet, and Baby bat?


KA: Hey, Miss Aslan, thanks for having a chat with me.

Thank you for inviting me over for a chat and some virtual tea….
KA: Where are you right now? I'm in my warm bed, drinking an iced mocha- my addiction, attempting to wake up!
I too am in bed with Pure Moods playing in the background and I have Child’s Play II on telly and I have an iced-tea…..
KA: Ah, Pure Moods!  I inherited all of those from my dad's collection. So relaxing
 KA: So those who know you know that you are a writer. Poet, columnists, etc. Busy lady. Which medium of writing is your first love?
Hmmmmm…..my first love was and still is the dark fairy tales of Hans Christian Anderson. I could not believe how they sugar coated them over the centuries….then after traveling and living in the Netherlands and going to The Efteling a theme park older than Disney and based on Han’s ‘real’ fairy tales I just fell in love all over again.

KA: I loved the end of Cinderella in Grimm's Fairy tales. The birds plucked their eyes out!
With Hans Christian Anderson my favourite(s) are The Little Match Girl ( you see her die in front of you at the Efteling theme park ) and the Snow Queen ( which Disney raped sooo bad with FROZEN-that it bore NO resemblance what. so .ever to the Hans Christian Anderson classic….no words….some things need to be left alone…..
 KA: You have collaborated a bit as well, even with yours truly (Tattooed Lullabies), if you could collaborate with anyone living, who would it be?
That is an amazing question….Indie wise I would love to collab with you again and Brian Bowyer. I’d also love a chance to have a sit with Stephen King and JK Rowling and Clive Barker
KA: I'd be down for another collaboration for sure.And Rowling is a genius!
 KA: You are a pro at social networking these days, is there anything that annoys or ‘urks’ you that other artists do when using that kind of platform for promotion?
When ANY artist from Indie to established ( GRANTED it’s the semi new indie people that do this shit….and I quote “Don’t tag me in ANY post that have nothing to do with ‘my’ this or ‘my’ that…..how about a BIG FUCK YOU…..it’s like HELLO ASS-HAT this is ‘social networking’ hence being social and sharing….when I group people in a post I know that there is a connection to be made…a few babybats got in working with Tony Todd via one of my posts…..so if you think your shit smells like roses now and about 400 ppl know you on FB….oh boy one has a lot to learn [ insert evil laugh ] another thing that burns my biscuits are people that bitch when a person messages them via FB or any social network platform… a certain actress ( whom I shall not name because she is that nasty )  who has had her 15 seconds ( YES seconds ) had the audacity to actually post how messaging her was intrusive and impulsive behavior…..oooh my OK when you get that big for your britches….2016 needs to come in and maybe smack one around….since 2016 has NO CHILL button I am sure that might scare said actress back to Earth.

KA: You mention Babybats. Explain that a little bit. Where does that come from and where do you intend for it to go?
Ahhh the term Babybats….at first I said it on the first radio show when a guest called in and requested a song and at the time we had a scheduled show so no call in and no request line ( but down the road there was a 4 hour radio show with all music of past guests ) and when I told her we already had a band scheduled ( of course it was Darkwave ) and I said “I am sorry my little baby bat” and then it kind of ran from there and with some brain-storming and the host egging me on to make the T-shirts ( because I wasn't at first I felt like an idiot )  I came up with the T-shirt idea of the catch phrase “babybats” on the front and the back of the T-shirt has actual bat wings. Which also lead to the Ladyaslan T-shirt w/ the Anarchy for the “A” in my name. All proceeds from the t-shirt sales went to Wolf Haven International and Stand for the Silent charities.

KA: Speaking of writers and promotion, who are you currently reading?
I am not currently reading anyone. Between the day job and the columnist gig with COMA Music Magazine and TE Magazine I have gone back to watching movies on Netflix for my relax time…I am reading interviews all day lol lol sometimes I need to be on auto-pilot…..
KA: Right. Working at magazines can be wonderful and exhausting all at once.
KA: Your books, Victorian Days and Punk Rock Nights and Lipstick and Absinthe, have been described as Gothic,Erotica, or just plain "dark" , but how would you describe your stuff?
That is my description [insert giggle] they are very dark and at times bloody and haunting and have a heavy aroma of erotica to them; however, I do have this very trippy side with a dash of wit and dry humour about me….those writings, well let’s say Amsterdam was quite the instigator in some of my newer pieces…..

KA: Is it safe to say Amsterdam will always have a piece of Lady Aslan in it, and what piece is that?

Amsterdam….a piece of me….hmmmmm…..that was quite an experience and not all good but not all bad. It definitely changed me down to the fiber of my being…..I am not sure I have words that can truly describe what part of me was left there….my shell…again I am not sure there is a word that could so describe such change…..maybe QUACK [ evil wink ]
 KA: So, what's a typical day like for Anitra, walk me through it from the time you wake up
[ OH HELL ] I am infamous for hitting the snooze button like 6 times and have three alarm clocks [ laughing ] I stretch the part of my body that hurts. I say my evocation for the morning over my candles. I read the FB feed now depending on my schedule I will work my ‘day job’ clients I am a licensed medical esthetician-certified went to medical school and got my degree ( ssshhhhh ) then I will go to Cranes Roost-it’s a nice park fifteen minutes from my house  in the car and I will walk / jog the park, people on FB often see me post I am there. Then I get home shower and will either eat or look at the interviews that came back to me OR the ones I need to get out. I will watch ‘screeners’ when sent to me for review. Then I usually need a coffee break BUT since its usually late I get a decaf Ice coffee and Dunkin Donuts has the BEST Almond Joy coffee flavor….NOMZ NOMZ…..then once all is settled I usually Netflix and chill with Bocephus ( my cat ) and txt a cute boy I know [ evil grin ] then maybe get somesleep.With my mum passing my sleep and nightmares are interrupted by anxiety and night terrors so sleeping and dreaming isn’t as fun as it used to be for me. Valium is my best friend at night along with some 4:20……

KA: You lost your mom. I'm so sorry about that, I'm losing mine as well. Has the loss of her only been negative, or have you been able to get something-anything positive out of that experience
The loss of my mum killed what bit of hope and faith I had. It was a traumatic experience for us both- I would think-and since I was her caregiver for 4 yrs after I moved back to the states….it left me vulnerable and wounded and soooooo many people took advantage of me when I was down I was in utter shock when I slowly came to or had people point out things I could not see myself-I was just disgusted with humanity. I guess within negative is positive because with her death I was reminded how nasty and cold hearted people are. I also saw complete strangers pick me up with words and share private very personal stories of this thing called death. I have not fully recovered and not sure I ever will. I was the one responsible for telling the Dr’s to ‘stop all treatment’ after her sudden cardiac arrest that basically left her brain dead. I am haunted by the fact I killed my mother. It was my signature and my tongue that said stop all treatment now and 19 hrs later she passed in her sleep, but watching death at work is the scariest thing one will ever see. No book or movie will ever do death justice because he is different with everyone and no one story is the same.

 KA: What do you think, for you, personally inspires you more, sadness or happiness, or is there another feeling that moves you to create?
I have ran the gamut of emotions and even the  relatively brief conscious experience of calm, which I miss in my life, but what moves me to create is that voice in my head. It’s the other person or energy inside me wanting to be heard and released. I guess that second person who lives in us all is what moves me to write….
 KA: Tell me about the person behind the poetry, the person beyond computer screens,promotions, and creating
Oh boy, the person behind the poems and laptop screen….she is rather boring [ proper laugh ] I struggle with pain a great deal. I have Degenerative Joint Disease and currently being checked for M.S. in 2013 I had my full left jaw replaced. Due to a car accident in ’07 that almost left me motionless. I need my C-Spine replaced I have scare tissue and calcium build around my lumbosacral ( very lower back-tip of spine ) so that needs removed and probably another surgery on my lower back. All this because a lady speeding to pick up her son at school. She hit me whilst I was stopped at traffic light….the cop assumes from the force of the hit she was well over 85mph. What else that isn’t sad or painful [ laughs ] I am quiet by nature I rather txt or message than talk on the phone BUT I have certain people I would talk to in a heartbeat and its usually because certain people have gone above and beyond to help me in one way or another and with that, I am very loyal. I can be very secretive [ laughs ] so even now am I really telling the whole story of me???? [ Evil winks ] we may never know and I love to laugh and play jokes on people. Music was the first love of my life and its around me all the time, even in my car the radio is on full blast which is why people will never see me on the phone driving….because I am letting out my inner rock star!
KA: If we hung out, you in Seattle, because I can’t do Florida weather (laughs), what would we do if it was your call? I know I'd take you to see gigs at my favorite clubs, the Showbox and the Crocodile Cafe:)
My call….hmmmm…..well there is this place called The Unicorn Bar and, well, LOOK AT THE NAME! [ laughs ] I must have a corndog!!! Maybe a ghost tour somewhere…ooh and see Bruce and Brandon Lee’s graves….then take lots of pics at The Arboretum & Foster Island….then we can just hide from the ducks and goose at your place as we drink tea and peg the goose with marshmallows [ horrible giggle ]
KA: The geese tormenting we can do, but the Unicorn, in Tacoma Washington, just like everything in WA, is closed at the moment.
 KA: How autobiographical are your books? I know you write about your experience at Lollapalooza in the 90's in your first book, but What about in Lipstick and Absinthe?
That is a GREAT question, with ALL that I write there could be a sentence or one word that is describing the ‘me’ of now or the ‘me’ of then. I like to keep people guessing  even down to the hauntings like Pennsylvania Haunting or the stoner trippy story of The Four Tripping Friends there is truth, just the names have been changed because certain ppl are no longer in my life, so why give them any light?
KA: Exactly. Just use the bad people and experiences for positive creativity then bail.
KA: Musically,most people know you are a fan of a lot of rock bands and new wave (Darkwave), but what are some guilty pleasures, or bands people would be surprised to hear that you like? Like right now I'm diggin' on Lana Del Ray and most would think I'd dislike her (laughs)
People that know me know I have an endless well of music in my blood…I love my southern rock granted I was born in Pittsburgh I grew up in the south, in Florida,  so yea let’s go muddin’ in the Jeep listening to some Skynard. Also I like Jimmy Buffett and beach ( Florida west coast beach ) or St. Augustine. I LOVE LOVE love songs play some Chicago or Peter Cetera and I will love you long time [ laughs ] I will give ANYTHING a true listen a few times before I say “mehhhh next…” everything deserves a fair chance” I must admit, Lana is very nice and mellow I could see you grooving’ and putting the kettle on…makes sense [ smiles ]
 KA: You are also into makeup, what products do you swear by, what can't you be seen without?
BWHAHAHAAAA!!! OH MY GAWD….M.A.C. and Urban Decay and Too Faced are in my beauty boxes and they are over-flowing I have an abundance of M.A.C because I face model for them with the new seasons and campaign products. As for being seen without [ laughs ] people will usually see me with no make up and zits galore [ laughs ] over 40 and NOW getting break outs WTF…..but when I am going VIP I have M.A.C Visage under my make-up it sets it and it won’t melt off in the FL heat or rain.
KA: A face for M.A.C, how did that come about, and what do you do exactly?
M.A.C. I was going to a Nude Night Art show here in Orlando in 2008 ( erotica art show ) before I headed back to the Netherlands and I decided to get my make-up done…I was lazy [ laughs ] and my now make-up Artist, Marvin was having fun because I told him have a FIELD DAY with my face and think outside of the box. The next day he called me for an event for a new M.A.C campaign and to be his face model, and I was like ‘hell yea’ basically you sit for an hour and let people, ( for me Marvin ), do their M.A.C make up idea on ones face; I was his canvas and have been thus far…..
 KA: You've had some radio shows under your creative belt, what can you tell us about those, and any current or future ones in the horizon that we should know about?
GROWLS……ok radio shows are great when the people that ask you to be part of the show are A. NOT scam artists and B. Not desperate for money and making out they are bigger than what you thought-please beware of the dog and pony show people that sell big but in the end have nothing to show except new meth head friends and C. if you find a host is ‘whacking one off’ when you are talking just hang up [ yes that really happened to me] a certain person thought it would be great to have me call thinking I was getting schedules and call in times and in actuality he was rubbing one out when I spoke-I needed a shower after that call and counseling and NO I did not join that ‘pack’……I really feel that podcasting is DEAD….it’s sad because it’s such a great platform to be heard but with all the fakes and wannabes out there it’s hard to do. People really just want to say ‘fuck’ every other word….lie about who they know and how…..and above all one has to take the ‘podcaster’ job seriously, if you don’t then you are only as good as your voice and if you have no inflection and are very monotone in speaking people will fall asleep….that is what I can say about those past podcasts. On the flip side I have made some amazing friends from around the world and those friends that take the time to look me up and want to hear my little opinion on something are #Babybats…having fans is very pretentious besides I have a fan above my bed [ laughs hard at own joke ] #Babybats is just another cool witchy term for friends near and far…..as for anything NEW on the horizon….I am officially a member of COMA Music Magazine and TE Magazine which is amazing I have never been part of a real functioning magazine before. As for podcasts I might be invited on them but my days of hosting / co-hosting are done because for the most part people are mean and lie and I just cannot be around or tolerate toxic people. The ONLY person(s) from the last two infamous radio shows I still speak to is the “Twisted Housewife Terri Lohr” and Tara-Perfetti Street ( she is a paranormal investigator from the first radio show I ever did ) other than that, I have zero need for anyone else. [ smiles pleasingly ]

KA: ‘whacking one off’ (laughs insanely)
KA: As a poet, is there any genres of poetry or literature you don't like to read or write?
No, there isn’t. I am open and appreciate all genres of poetry and literature….the story or topic my not be my cup tea just based on how said writer presents, but who is to say another writer could present the same topic better…..
 KA: What do you like to do when no one is looking?
Ought oh what you see is what you get…short of masturbation and  some people have seen me do that ( special occasion lol )…soooo nothing [ laughs ] I am the same person when no one is looking….

KA: So no nose picking, or belly button sniffing? (giggles)
Bwhahaaaa….I honk my nose every morning in Florida you will have allergies [ laughs ] so I'm always blowing the snozz no boogies most of the time….I keep my belly button very clean….always get a Q-tip a few times a week and clean her out good…in Florida you sweat like a hooker on election day soooo you would be amazed at what stays super clean [ laughs really hard ]
 KA: Now last but not least, here is something for a little fun! I'm going to give you a writing prompt and you have to write a 4 line poem. My prompt is the word "mirage"
I thought I saw Venus and Apollo dancing in the sky
As I ate sushi drinking a bonsai  
I am the Madam of the modern mirage
Lying naked having a heart massage

KA:, Awesome! Thanks for joining me today, love!


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