Unafraid of herself and her personal struggles with mental illness, Emilie Autumn has accepted the reality of herself and through music reaches out to women (and men) suffering with their own internal conflicts. Currently in the midst of a North American tour, Emilie Autumn will soon release her upcoming album, Fight Like a Girl, and has grand plans in the works to turn her beautifully crafted, Victorian inspired world into a Broadway musical.

photographer : Jake Garn
interview by : Gia C. Manalio-Bonaventura

Emilie, we want to thank you for taking the Time (intentionally capped) out of your schedule, especially since you are currently on your “Fight Like a Girl” Tour. I have been a Plague Rat for years so I’m grateful to have this opportunity and am going to try not to overwhelm you with questions. I would like to ask you things that have not been asked, but as you said on The Opheliac Companion, everything has been said or sung. So hopefully I can express the questions in some different ways.

I’m going to try to start from the beginning. In the song “Swallow” you say, “I’m not a faerie but I need more than this life so I became this creature representing more to you than just another girl. And if I had a chance to change my mind, I wouldn’t for the world.” Tell me about the birth of Emilie Autumn as we know her and the Asylum. And what is it about the Victorian age that draws you in so?
Emilie Autumn : Thanks for having this little teatime chat with me! The Victorian era is absolutely fascinating on so many levels. Amongst many other terrifying developments, the 19th century saw the birth of medicine and psychiatry as we recognize it today. It was also the era of the industrial revolution, the gradual shattering of the class system largely due to this revolution, an era of glorified mourning and elaborate death obsession, and so much more. The primary fascination however is what this era has in common with our present day, and how, in a lot of unfortunate cases, nothing much has changed.

Your songs are what initially drew me to you with the melodic (and sometimes intentionally not) harmonies and lyrics, some call them “Victorianindustrial”. When I first heard them, I felt like I connected to them so much I did some research on what was behind it all, especially The Opheliac album. What I discovered was how brutally honest and open you are about your own bipolar condition, medications, and suicidal thoughts. I admire this because it is often such a dirty little secret and any of us who have had the experience have almost perfected the art of faking being okay, which you actually discuss on “The Art of Suicide” track on The Opheliac Companion. There you talk about what happens when you can’t fake it, which I think actually hearing, as personal as that is, is comforting to people. In fact, when I asked a couple of teen girl fans I know what they would want to ask you, they both alluded to these feelings. I understand that writing and performing the songs is something you do for yourself as a catharsis, but how do you feel knowing that you are also reaching girls who are suffering and letting them know that they are not alone in that?
EA : That’s very nice to hear, and it is in fact my most important goal, to help both boys/girls, men/women to realize and truly believe that they are NOT alone. They’re really not. It’s become such a passion for me because I was very much alone in my less than pleasant life situations, and I want to be to others what I myself did not have. It’s a bit like my Asylum For Wayward Victorian Girls book… I wanted to write the book I wish I’d had growing up with these issues, to have someone tell me that just because you’re crazy doesn’t mean you’re crazy. But what you mention regarding the honesty in songs and such is equally meaningful in that it comes from a very real place, a place that I find can only be accessed when you have nothing left to lose. A marvelous freedom comes when you have nothing to shelter, hide, protect… when all your dirty little (or large) secrets are out, when judgment is inevitable, and when you don’t even care about this anymore. What has been such an interesting phenomena for me has been that, the moment I stopped caring what other people thought about me is the same moment that others started caring what I thought. That’s how I learned how interesting honesty can be.

read the full interview in the February/March 2012 Issue

additional photos from our exclusive photoshoot…

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Fluff’s DecalGirl Molly Mermaid Mobile Phone Skin

image source decalgirl.com

Turn your mobile phone into an adorable piece of artwork by covering it with a DecalGirl device skin illustrated by Fluff. Fluff has been making cute retro themed collections of bags and accessories like coin purses, key chains, wallets, and more. Now you can bring Fluff’s designs to your phone (or laptop, tablet, or gaming device for that matter) with her brand new DecalGirl skins. Turn your phone into a vintage pinup and tattoo inspired aquatic world. And theme all your on-the-go essentials with other items from the Molly Mermaid collection.

The Molly Mermaid Mobile Phone Skin is available for around $10 (depending on the device) at www.decalgirl.com.

- Jennifer

A pink fireball, because fire can be pink too, Kelly Eden of Denver, Colorado is a gifted young artist rising high into her career at a very young age. With experience working as a tattoo artist, Kelly is a recent graduate from Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design now pressuring her career as a studio artist focusing on hyper realistic painting in addition to being a makeup artist and agency represented multiple-cover model.

AUXILIARY ONLINE CONTENT
[ additional images not seen in the February/March 2012 Issue ]

photographer : Jennifer Erickson
fashion stylist : Jennifer Erickson
makeup artist : Christina Ramirez
hair stylist : Christina Ramirez
model : Kelly Eden

view the full feature in the February/March 2012 Issue

Behind the scenes video of the photoshoot for our December/January 2011/2012 PinUp and cover featuring Marlo Marquise!

Just finishing up a tour for his new album, Riding a Black Unicorn down the side of an Erupting Volcano while drinking from a Chalice Filled with the Laughter of Small Children, we had the chance to talk to Voltaire about his music, his writing, his filmmaking, his geeky side, and even his love life.

photographer : Paul Collins
interview by : Gia C. Manalio-Bonaventura

Hey, Voltaire. I want to thank you for talking to us. I know that you just wrapped up your US Black Unicorn Cabaret Tour as well as a few international shows in Scotland and Whitby and have jumped into your next project, so we really appreciate your time.

Can we talk about the tour a bit? It was described as, “A Villainous Vaudeville of Bawdy Burlesque, Music, Mischief, and Mayhem.” The title alone is so much fun. How did the tour go?
Voltaire : It was great! I really felt like it needed to be more than a couple of bands on tour, it needed to be an event. So I brought along with me a couple of the finest bands I know in the dark cabaret genre, Hellblinki Sextet and This Way to the Egress. And we had local burlesque talent at the shows. So it was a big themed night of dark cabaret and burlesque. Lots of people came out all dressed up and all in all we had a fantastic time.

As I’m writing this, I’m listening to Riding a Black Unicorn down the side of an Erupting Volcano while drinking from a Chalice Filled with the Laughter of Small Children. Once again, I have to congratulate you on an amazing album and I again love the cabaret style. Can you tell us a bit about what went into making it?
V : I had worked with Brian Viglione of the Dresden Dolls on my previous album Hate Lives in a Small Town, so when I was ready to record this album, I asked him if he would join me again. So he played all of the drums. I asked Melora Creager of Rasputina if she’d play the cellos and she kindly joined us. So at this point I realized I had the makings of a supergroup! [laughs] When it came time for bass, I invited David J. of Bauhaus to contribute those parts. The rest of the musicians are amazing New York City-based players. It’s really a great line up!

read the full interview in the December/January 2011/2012 Issue

Arden Leigh’s The New Rules of Attraction: How to Get Him, Keep Him, and Make Him Beg for More

You should be done with your holiday shopping by now, so it’s time to get something for yourself. And if you’re not done shopping… than all the more reason you’ll need to turn your attention inwards. Pick up a copy of Arden Leigh’s brand new and first book, The New Rules of Attraction, and between holiday parties this weekend and next use it to kick back, relax, and focus on you. Arden Leigh is a fresh voice on women’s dating and relationship strategies with experience in neurolinguistic programming, psychology, pickup artistry, and the fetish industry, and a long time contributor to Auxiliary Magazine. But her writing is on more than just dating and seduction, underlying that, it is about being the person you want to be, strong, confident, and able to get what you want. For a taste of what this book has to offer check out her advice column in Auxiliary Magazine, “Ask Arden”, or her blog “A Weapon of Mass Seduction”.

The New Rules of Attraction is available online for $15 at www.amazon.com.

- Jennifer

Starting out as a model borrowing his styling cues from Marilyn Manson, Manzin developed into a unique homme fatale. Manzin is now loose in New York City, not afraid to break the rules, and taking gender ambiguity to a personalized new level.

photographer : Ron Douglas
makeup & model : Manzin
location : Beauty Bar New york
interview by : Arden Leigh

You recently relocated to New York City. What have you been up to there and how has the new environment affected your personal style?
Manzin : Mostly I’ve been getting lost in the city and abandoning myself to whatever interests me. Once the tricky business of finding a job was out of the way, I could indulge a bit more in the restaurants, bars, clubs, and shops and I’m really enjoying the variety. It’s making me a bit more polished than I was before, I like to think I’ve come a long way from haunting thrift shops, now my key pieces are by quality designers and I have more access to better materials to play with. Plus spending time pounding the pavement has exposed me to a lot of different people and I’m constantly inspired and to some extent influenced by who and what I see on the streets.

view the full feature in the October/November 2011 Issue

There’s plenty of pink to go around when it comes to Los Angeles based fetish model Xanthia Pink. Xanthia is a creative whose modeling, styling, and very own hair accessory designs give fans of her work plenty of pink goodness to absorb through rose-colored glasses.

photographer : Saryn Christina
makeup, hair, model : Xanthia Pink

view the full feature in the August/September 2011 Issue

Plasticland’s Spooky X-Ray Skeleton Bones Apron

image source shopplasticland.com

I have to share my obsession with the store Plasticland, I am constantly checking their website for cute and creepy items. Once again Plasticland has got me excited, this time about the Spooky X-Ray Skeleton Bones Apron, it’s such a nice relief from the boring old white chef’s apron. Whether you’re a master cook, a baker, or someone who enjoys grilling, this apron is to die for.

The Spooky X-Ray Skeleton Bones Apron is available online at www.shopplasticland.com.

- Meagan

An artist and model, Cassia Sparkle of Toronto shines in so many ways. In addition to being an emerging, popular alternative model she is currently designer of an accessories and jewelry line called Altar Dollies, working as a makeup artist under the name Sparkle-Studios, and front-women of the experimental metal band Avasinity. Cassia Sparkle is an example for the rewards of dedication, hard work, and love for the alternative.

photographer : Andriy Zolotoiy
makeup artist : Sparkle Studios
hair stylist : Robyn Elizabeth Hancock
model : Cassia Sparkle

view the full feature in the June/July 2011 Issue