Exclusive: Missy Suicide Talks Suicide Girls’ 15th Anniversary Tour and More!
Drew Tinnin
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The Suicide Girls are an institution at this point. Founder and original pink girl Missy Suicide probably never imagined that a worldwide community of sultry outcasts would have grown out of her laid back, impromptu photo sessions with her friends; yet, incredibly, the 15th Anniversary Blackheart Burlesque Tour just kicked off in San Diego last week.
With over sixty cities to go across the U.S., the show is a glorious mashup of pin-up glam, kinky cosplay, and nightclub seduction. The Suicide Girls brand is all about inclusion and wanting to have fun so everyone is welcome at the shows, and there is something for everyone, no matter what your geek fetish might be.
Missy and I had a lovely chat about the evolution of the Suicide Girls and the new burlesque show that’s equal parts Comic-Con and Cabaret.
DC: I remember going to horror conventions back in the day and starting to see a lot of Suicide Girls there. When did that start, and did that influence the cosplay aspect of the Blackheart Burlesque Show?
MS: The girls started going to conventions like Comic-Con since probably 2004 or 2005. They just really got into the cosplay aspect of it and the horror conventions and comic book conventions and anime. The girls’ interests really came out. I feel like the sort of currency of culture these days is more pop culture themed and it’s more about what shows or what books rather than what music you listen to these days. It’s not about “I’m an EDM kid” or “I’m a punk rock kid.” I feel like that influenced us as well just as much as the conventions did.
DC: You’re right; it’s all about the playlist nowadays so you’re almost getting a playlist of pop culture as well.
MS: Exactly. Don’t get me wrong; we’re still super into music, and music is a huge part of the show. The thing that I geek out about is matching songs with the numbers. Taking Planet of the Apes and mixing it with Disclosure, that’s my personal nerdery.
DC: Being on tour this long really shows how much of a life this has all taken on. Now you guys are in Germany and really taking it international, and this is going to be a 60+-city tour in the U.S.?
MS: Yeah, it’s 63 cities across the U.S., Australia, and South America. We usually go up the West Coast to start, but this time we’re going across [Highway] 40 down South, and then the West Coast will be the end of the tour.
DC: I’d love to see a “Roadies” version of the Suicide Girls tour. Are you doing any filming along the way on the road trip?
MS: The girls are going to livestream a lot of it with road movies that they take along the way.
DC: So you can just go to the Suicide Girls website to check a lot of that stuff out. What’s the criteria for a Suicide Girl now? Do you think it’s changed since you created the brand? And how many Suicide Girls are actually out there now?
MS: There’s 3,000 official Suicide Girls from around the world, every continent including Antarctica, and there’s over 250,000 hopeful. We get about 50,000 applications a year. We give words of encouragement, and it’s actually one of the nicest places on the internet. You would think, if you looked on Facebook and at all the trolls and mean comments, that the internet was a harsh place. But, in fact, the place where the girls post naked photos of themselves, they get the most positive and reassuring feedback of any place online. So it’s really supportive and sweet. The girl who gets the best feedback, if the members all react crazy good to her photo set, then she becomes an official Suicide Girl and her set gets front page.
DC: You must be pretty proud that there’s such a cool community now.
MS: It’s amazing. Girls cry when they turn pink; some of them get the logo tattooed on them when they turn pink. It’s a big deal for a lot of girls. It is this really supportive community of women around the world. You ask any Suicide Girl what’s her favorite part about being a Suicide Girl, and she’s going to say the friends that she’s made.
Check out the official press release and remaining tour dates for the Blackheart Burlesque 2017 Tour below, and get your tickets today!
From the Press Release:
We’re pleased to announce the return of the Suicide Girls Blackheart Burlesque Tour in the U.S.! The most creative, sexy, and all-around fun show will dazzle audiences in sixty cities across the country starting in San Diego, CA, on April 13, 2017, and returning to Los Angeles on June 24, 2017. This geek fantasy spectacular will amaze as the girls perform the sexiest striptease numbers filled with pop-culture references.
“The show is unlike anything you have ever seen. It’s tongue-in-cheek, it’s sexy, it’s fun, it’s silly and highly choreographed. It’s impossible to leave without a smile!”- Missy Suicide, founder of Suicide Girls
Suicide Girls, an online community that celebrates alternative beauty and indie culture from around the world, has taken classic burlesque and added a spin to satisfy everyone’s geek side. Star Wars, “Stranger Things,” a tribute to Prince and David Bowie, and “Westworld” are a few of the pop-culture references unique to this year’s show. We challenge you to find them all!
The Suicide Girls have been re-imagining burlesque since 2002. They have been consistently on the road for the past four years, playing sold out shows across the United States, Chile, Australia, Canada, the U.K., and, most recently, Germany. The girls have huge plans ahead, with an expanded and much anticipated 2017 U.S. spring tour roster.
Check out the remaining dates below, and click here for tickets:
April 18th, 2017
Albuquerque, NM
Kimo Theatre
April 19th, 2017
Colorado Springs, CO
The Black Sheep
April 20th, 2017
Denver, CO
Summit Music Hall
April 21st, 2017
Lawrence, KS
The Granada
April 22nd, 2017
Omaha, NE
Sokol Auditorium
April 23rd, 2017
Wichita, KS
The Cotillion
April 24th, 2017
Oklahoma City, OK
Diamond Ballroom
April 26th, 2017
Dallas, TX
Gas Monkey Live
April 27th, 2017
Austin, TX
Emo’s
April 28th, 2017
San Antonio, TX
Alamo City Music Hall
April 29th, 2017
Houston, TX
Warehouse Live
April 30th, 2017
Pensacola, FL
Vinyl Music Hall
May 2nd, 2017
Bonita Springs, FL
Sanjan Theatre
May 3rd, 2017
St. Petersburg, FL
State Theatre
May 4th, 2017
Fort Lauderdale, FL
The Culture Room
May 5th, 2017
Orlando, FL
The Plaza Live
May 6th, 2017
Charleston, SC
Music Farm
May 7th, 2017
Atlanta, GA
Center Stage
May 8th, 2017
Columbia, SC
Music Farm Columbia
May 9th, 2017
Charlotte, NC
Neighborhood Theatre
May 11th, 2017
Greensboro, NC
The Blind Tiger
May 12th, 2017
Washington, DC
The Howard Theatre
May 13th, 2017
Brooklyn, NY
Music Hall of Williamsburg
May 14th, 2017
New York City, NY
Le Poisson Rouge
May 16th, 2017
Baltimore, MD
Baltimore Soundstage
May 17th, 2017
Philadelphia, PA
Union Transfer
May 18th, 2017
New Haven, CT
College Street Music Hall
May 19th, 2017
Portland, ME
The State Theatre
May 20th, 2017
Boston, MA
Royale
May 22nd, 2017
South Burlington, VT
Higher Ground
May 23rd, 2017
Clifton Park, NY
Upstate Concert Hall
May 24th, 2017
Cleveland, OH
Beachland Ballroom
May 25th, 2017
Detroit, MI
El Club
May 27th, 2017
Pittsburgh, PA
The Rex Theatre
May 28th, 2017
Louisville, KY
Zanzabar
May 30th, 2017
Lexington, KY
Cosmic Charlie’s
May 31st, 2017
Nashville, TN
Exit/In
June 1st, 2017
Sauget, IL
Pop’s Concert Venue
June 2nd, 2017
Indianapolis, IN
The Vogue
June 3rd, 2017
Chicago, IL
Park West
June 5th, 2017
La Crosse, WI
Cavalier Theatre
June 6th,2017
Milwaukee, WI
Turner Hall Ballroom
June 7th, 2017
Madison, WI
Majestic Madison
June 8th, 2017
Minneapolis, MN
Amsterdam Bar and Grill
June 9th, 2017
Fargo, ND
Sanctuary Events Center
June 10th, 2017
Sioux Falls, SD
Icon Lounge
June 12th, 2017
Billings, MT
Pub Station
June 14th, 2017
Seattle, WA
Showbox
June 15th, 2017
Portland, OR
Revolution Hall
June 16th, 2017
Eugene, OR
Wow Hall
June 17th, 2017
San Francisco, CA
The Independent
June 18th, 2017
Petaluma, CA
Mystic Theatre
June 19th, 2017
Sacramento, CA
The Crest
June 20th, 2017
Santa Cruz, CA
The Catalyst
June 22nd, 2017
Fresno, CA
Strummers
June 24th, 2017
Los Angeles, CA
Teragram Ballroom
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