The Delusional Diva's Animal Queendom

Zacky is truly out of this world

Sky has a lot of pets - both furry, not very furry at all, and scaled. And if she could, she'd have a lot more. So when she isn't enjoying the company of her 4 cats (Djuna, Moaner, Little Baby, and Zacky the naked Sphynx), her dog (Scruffy aka Goldiscruffs of whom I am the co-parent), or her 4 foot long Iguana (Zyg), she can often be found making drawings and paintings of elephants, dolphins, turtles, and giraffes to add to the menagerie.

Here's the latest video clip from A Palkowitz Now! The Zacky & Sky Show - which briefly highlights her unique co-star and pet. More talking videos are in the works.

Also - enjoy this photo sampling of the inhabitants of R. SKY Palkowitz's Animal Queendom:

Scruffy & Zacky on the "Calling America" couch inside the Alien Theatre

A bed full of them!

Day bed relaxation with Djuna and Scruffy

PGX Fun Fact: Djuna, the black cat, is the eldest pet who used to live at Phyllis' Garage with us. Her name comes from famous lesbian author Djuna Barnes and the character in one of Anais Nin's novels. Djuna's personality has changed in the past year and she's become a more playful and energetic girl!

Scruff close up

Zyg and his dedicated mother

PGX Fun Fact: Zyg was discovered one day in a tree in the backyard - he had escaped from a neighbor who let Sky keep him. At the time he was only 9 inches long and without a tail (it can break off and grow back as a defense mechanism). And now...he's over 4 feet long! I built him an 8 foot long habitat in the living room so he had space to hang out!

Zyg's Living Room Habitat

More PGX fun to come!

Roast the Hostess with the Mostess: R. SKY Palkowitz, The Delusional Diva

 

This week’s blog makes me feel a bit like someone who's just been told, "You have a lot of explaining to do!" Indeed I plan to do my best, as I spend multiple posts to pay tribute to (and roast) the weird and wonderful woman with whom I've shared a very unorthodox artistic relationship with for many years,  the one and only R. SKY Palkowitz, The Delusional Diva! All year long we are celebrating PGX, the 10th anniversary of collaborations at our first Los Angeles venue, an intimate and magical place called Phyllis' Garage. This month she also celebrates freezing time for her 2nd 39th birthday. She’ll be hosting a party where she expects people to roast her, and while I shall do my part here in the blogosphere, this video invite to the party reveals she can do a perfectly good job of roasting herself (with my editing help).

I’ve actually known Sky since 1994 and our days in the Theatre Arts Department at the University of Iowa. I was an undergraduate in my second year when she arrived as a grad student working on her MFA. My first reaction to meeting her was, "Who is this wild gypsy?" At that time her long dark hair flowed like her dresses and her Eastern European ancestry stood out decorated by all the ear and nose piercings. She liked to party — and was good at finding her way into one! She enjoyed meeting people — even if it was more so she could talk about herself! She had chutzpah and said what she thought — often sharing too much information while at it! To say she made an impression on everyone in the Theatre Arts Department or the entire campus for that matter is an understatement!  People either loved her and looked forward to a visit as she entertained you with the zany impressions of her parents and many accented characters or avoided her at all costs because she could be like nails on a chalkboard to the sensitive.

There be gypsy in her blood.

We first worked together in the production of HAIR, a perfect vehicle to let the freak flag fly. When she did several of her own multimedia shows I was contacted to help with or create the video design. One of my all-time favorite collaborations with her was for Alien Rhoda, her one-woman show about how her family might react if she were abducted by aliens.  I shot video clips of Sky acting as her parents to be shown on a screen between segments of the show. She would crack me up behind the camera, forcing us to reshoot several times. Teeters of laughter from the unseen cameraman are to be found in practically every video shoot since (and we have since shots hundreds of hours of life-documentation in addition to the numerous other friends who have served as videographers for her over the years). While we have different perspectives and approaches toward life, we share the common admiration for art and aliens.

Sky & Jay out on the town in 2011

But the question remains, "How and why did you come to live in LA together?" Well...to put it simply: the aliens made me do it! I hadn't seen Sky since she graduated, but we reconnected via the internet. I was living in LA at the time and she was touring with the National Theatre for Children in San Francisco. I hadn't ever been to the magnificent city, so I drove up to visit with her. The reunion was infectious, and started me rethinking things when I returned to LA. While I had moved to Los Angeles to make my fortune writing mainstream movies, my heart was yearning for something a bit more experimental, a bit more edgy, a bit more off the beaten path — a writer needs experiences to write about.

I recognized that Sky had a fascinating energy about her, while tough for some people to handle, it was definitely palpable and for better or worse, quite memorable. She knows she’s an artist and she knows she’s a star. And I gravitated toward her to not only understand what made her so different and fascinating, but also to discover the unknown aspects of myself that hadn’t yet dared to crawl out of hiding. Against some of the advice of my peers (which was good advice by the way), I stepped aboard the UFO with Sky for a most unusual journey. I would indeed stray far from the original goals and aspirations that glimmered for me in LA-LA Land, but after 10 years of ups, downs, zig-zags, and loop-de-loops, I’m beginning to make sense of it all in wonderful ways and am very grateful for it!

Jay & Sky Circa 2001 at Phyllis Garage

Jay & Sky returning to Phyllis' Garage in 2011

PGX Fun Fact: When in collaboration with Sky, I often shorten my name to Jay so it has the same number of letters and a "y" at the end or I use the initial of my middle name (Robert) and go by Jason R. Jenn to echo the "r" in R. SKY - all to emphasize greater connection 

So come join me on this crazy ride with R. SKY Palkowitz -- several more posts in tribute/roast of the Delusional Diva to come with videos and pictures of our fabulous history together!

FOR MORE INFO:
Visit: DelusionalDiva.com
For party invite info: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=216237388407951

CRAZY FOR A FOX (Part 2): MARIANNA

The multi-talented Marianna Fox at her Silverlake gallery opening Feb. 2011

Two weeks ago I talked about the importance of creative friendships and the artist Krys Fox as he made his gallery debut in Brooklyn. This week we turn our attention to another Fox -- Marianna Fox, a multitalented artist who is also connected by the bond of Phyllis’ Garage, an intimate performance and art venue created out of the place I called home with R. Sky Palkowitz from 2001-2002. Sky and I have co-hosted a plethora of events since those early days and are celebrating the 10 year anniversary this year with PGX (Phyllis’ Garage 10) which will include several events in the coming months - more information forthcoming!

Marianna & Sky performing at Phyllis' Garage in 2002

While Sky and I share a most unorthodox collaboration worthy of scratching the head over at times, I’ve found it to hold a variety of riches on this artistic journey. One of the greatest benefits about such a friendship has been the lovely mix of people that Sky befriends on a regular basis, and Marianna Fox is one of the coolest I’ve had the pleasure of calling a friend by association. I admire the many faceted nature of Marianna’s talents. To be in her presence is to immediately feel the energy of a sharp mind, a passionate soul, and fierce performer. She is a creative inferno who tackles all manner of art forms with a bold precision.

I love this festive 2004 pic from my "Personalized Mythology" photo series

I recently caught up with Marianna at her art opening at Mornings/Nights cafe in Silverlake. Marianna is a bicoastal entity, splitting her time primarily between NYC and Los Angeles. The digital collage mixed with painting works on display were those created in her LA studio. While in NYC she works on different types of work. This approach seems to help Marianna manage her various interests, and each environment determines the type of material she uses. But wherever she goes, music follows, and its her beautiful voice and guitar playing that I most know her for. Here’s some archive footage of an impromptu performance at Phyllis’ Garage Art Be-In Day in 2001:

Marianna answers 5 Quick Questions:

1. How do you describe yourself as an artist? What type of work do you do?
I describe myself as a Renaissance Artist. I revolve my worlds around creativity as it hits me. I follow the work till its done. But, I might revolve other arts to inspire the others. Some people say, "stick to one thing". I say, "why", and ruin my fun....one thing I do have is focus so all my work gets done.
The type of work I do could be song writing, singing, performance art, photography, and mixed media. Sometimes all is combined....I'm also a healer/massage therapist for 21 years which has been a huge part of who I am and the energy that I can put out to the world.

2. If you could only choose one, which is your favorite media, and of that, which is your favorite piece you’d want most to share with others, and why?
Hmmm, this ones hard to answer...I'd probably say music, because it is what I was born with...being a child in a musical family....I don't have a favorite piece, really...If I do a piece or performance, it is always important to me and is my favorite at the moment...I like to keep things fresh and moving.

3. What/who have been the major influences and inspirations to your work?
I would say that travel and nature have been the major influences in my life...hearing random peoples stories inspires me and triggers creativity...then I see color and images that lead me...Often, the moment before I sleep, I see myself doing new things and creating...sometimes its just a feeling that comes over me....I am inspired by any performance that has pure passion of creativity...

4. What comes to mind as one of the most interesting circumstances behind the creation of a particular work?
When I'm in the groove of creating, I start to buzz literally...The excitement is so much fun and it creates happiness around me too...That is very interesting to me...Its not a selfish thing, its something I like to share...When I take on a certain project and commit to it...I am very confident that it is right and that all the stars are aligning...Then I move towards it with passion...Its what I live for....

5. What’s next?
Next projects are a soultry modern album which I just completed with Songwriter/Producer Carter Tutwiler and will be out soon....performing it with the band...Also learning jazz standards and will perform eventually with my brother James Fuchs(Musician/Producer)...We will definately give it another twist. Normally I am doing all my own material but I'm trying things a different way and learning a hell of a lot..
I will have 2 pieces of Art in TOAST Tribeca at the Salomon Arts Gallery in Tribeca NYC at the end of April...
And a big show at the same Gallery in June with another artist...working out the details now...Next year will be another LippyLu(Multi Media performance art show in Los Angeles Ca), where I do all the music and work on background video with my performance partner Jon David Casey as we perform in front of it....you can see samples of my work on Facebook (Marianna Fox)(lippiLu)

Marianna before the show @ Phyllis' Garage in 2002