A Bit Of Autobiography
I was born (Kirsty Lucinda Allan) in the early 80’s and grew up in the Glasgow (Scotland) suburbs attending local schools and clubs and was at one point a bona fide teacher’s pet (a regular Lisa Simpson).
However as a child my personal interests were always rather unusual including herpetology- interests such as snake breeding, a fascination with the moon, Germans, the paranormal, the occult, religion and ancient religious practices – especially Ancient Egyptian rites.
Throughout my teens, I flirted with many different lives (as in with the tradition of cats) including life as a Baptist where, after much wrestling with Literalist Christian views, I came to find that “the light” generally comes from outside the church… “as pretty as stained glass windows are, they occlude and distort what is naturally beautiful and perhaps divine..."
Shaken by dogma but not stirred, I was driven to find an alternative way of looking at things and so I pushed my faculties - mental (perhaps limited!), emotional and spiritual (for lack of a better word) by studying the history and ancestral roots of Judeo-Christian beliefs and arrived at a more Gnostic conclusion. I now hold such work as the Hermetica in very high regard and generally find literalism to be rather limiting. It’s no surprise that I now have a wide collection of books on the paranormal and occult, psychology, the unconscious etc, conspiracy theory, art, pinup, erotica and my home has far too many kitsch religious items adorning the furniture and bathroom. I like to keep any little trinket that’s obscure, culturally peculiar or a tad macabre. Perhaps taking an “academic” look at Christianity is the reason I now have a “thing” for gentleman of the cloth…
I have been involved with modelling agencies since 11 and the years of experience working with photographers has helped my become adept at arranging and directing photo shoots too. I have been honoured to represent the “Vampyre” and fetish genre across Europe via various media and artistic connections, being both a cover girl and a subject of “Dark” photographic galleries based in Milan by age 18. ...
“when it comes to working with artists, one realises that patience is not a virtue, it is a necessity....as is integrity, and a LARGE fee!"
It was through attending performances of Hugh Reed and the Velvet Underpants, where I teamed up with Electra Cute to conceive “Kitsch ‘n’ Kink” - the UK’s premier cheesecake double act; and go on to co-found the Ministry of Burlesque.
This is when I adopted the name Kittie Klaw. The rationale is thus: My hero is Bettie Page (whether by intention or not, she was a boundary pusher of the post-war American psyche. I combined Kirsty and Bettie = Kittie. In honour of the late Irving and Paula Klaw who came acropper to the thought police I use the name Klaw..
Additionally, the name has obvious connections to Bettie, connotations of cats/claws and further more my initials happen to be KLA. So it is possibly the most contrived stage name in Burlesque. It is as contrived as burlesque and it made sense to me. Where the nazi uniform fixation comes from well, that’s another story - my first crush was a certain satirical comedy TV Gestapo Herr Flick! That’s right the bespectacled guy in the leather coat that whacked poor Von Smallhausen every episode. I was an unusual child. When i hit my teens, nothing much changed - I was in love with hypnotist, Paul McKenna. He took pride of place on my bedroom wall for some reason. Ah Well! No surprise I find comfort in and friends among the Fetish industry then!
I have always been drawn to anything feared, hated or avoided. The idea of being taught to fear or hate something, however non-threatening or natural (i.e. a species, a race, an object, the dead, a body part, a symbol, an idea...) has always fascinated me and so I have always loved what’s controversial. I reckon that controversy is the drive behind social evolution and must be defended!
Any thoughts, Freud?
For more details see: www.ministryofburlesque.com
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