LEW PHILLIPS
THE PREPPY VOICE
Our interview and photos with the talented Canadian musician known as Lew Phillips.
THE PREPPY VOICE
Our interview and photos with the talented Canadian musician known as Lew Phillips.
Bettina May. Red head. Pin-up model. Burlesque Queen. Always in demand. Always on the go. With bombshell movie star looks, Ponyboy caught up with this beauty recently before she jumped on a plane for a quick chat. All photos courtesy of Bettina May.
PONYBOY: You hail from Canada originally?
BETTINA MAY: Yes, I was born in a little town in British Columbia near Vancouver and moved to Victoria to go to university. And from there I moved to New York.
PONYBOY: How did you get into burlesque performing?
BETTINA MAY: I got into it through vintage culture, hairstyles and outfits. I did pin-up modeling first and through that was introduced to the burlesque world. I basically saw it as a way to explore my love of all things vintage.
PONYBOY: It really is a true talent, not just something that anyone can do. Who are your burlesque idols?
BETTINA MAY: I have to give a huge shout out to Dita Von Teese for bringing the modern burlesque resurgence to a more mainstream audience without diluting the art form. I also love the work of Tempest Storm, Tiffany Carter and Bambi Jones – true legends of burlesque.
PONYBOY: Have you always been into the vintage aesthetic? 40-50’s?
BETTINA MAY: Yes, it has appealed to me for as long as I can remember. I grew up watching “I Love Lucy” and “Leave It To Beaver” and couldn’t wait to dress like all the stylish ladies I admired onscreen. I dabbled with 60’s and 70’s styles in grade school and spent a lot of time working on perfecting hairstyles, makeup and collecting clothes from the 30’s-50’s.
PONYBOY: All that glamour you have…you must get stopped in the street a lot. Do people recognize you?
BETTINA MAY: People are definitely not used to seeing red lips and precisely coiffed hair out in public, even in New York City. So I do get a lot of attention. Once in a while people recognize me, but mostly they just think I must be someone legitimately famous. People still associate that high level of glamour that Hollywood starlets in the golden age of cinema flaunted with celebrity, so I get asked if I’m “somebody” quite a bit. Short answer: No! Hahaha!
PONYBOY: Are you a natural redhead?
BETTINA MAY: While red hair runs in my family and I prayed for years that it would come in, my dreams did not in fact come true. I took matters in my own hands.
PONYBOY: In your burlesque career, what has been your favorite performance?
BETTINA MAY: Oh goodness, that’s a tough one! Every time I get on stage is my next favorite because I enjoy being up there and sharing my love of dance with every person in the audience and feeling their enjoyment reflected back on me. I think the one I’ll always remember was during my first European tour in 2007. I performed in a beautiful little club in Lisbon, Portugal to a gorgeous, perfectly dressed audience of vintage culture enthusiasts. Unforgettable!
PONYBOY: Who was your favorite celebrity to perform for?
BETTINA MAY: Performing for Brooke Shields was my favorite experience. We got to meet her after the show. She was so lovely, genuine and sweet – everything I’d hoped she’d be.
PONYBOY: What brought about your Bettina May Pin-up classes?
BETTINA MAY: When I started performing I had so many ladies come up to me after shows asking me for hairstyling and make-up tips. After a while of trying to explain the finer points of a proper roller set in a loud night club to drunk fans, I decided a proper class was in order. The first class in 2006 was a great success. And since then I’ve brought my class around the world and tour the US with it at least once per year. It’s been amazing to see how life-changing it can be for my students. It’s truly heart-warming.
PONYBOY: Congratulations on your green card. Any big plans for the future?
BETTINA MAY: Thank you so much! It seemed an impossible task, but now that the US Government has declared me an Alien of Extraordinary Ability in burlesque and pin-up modeling, I’m inspired to set much larger and loftier goals. I’m currently booking another European tour for Spring 2014, and lots of other exciting projects are in the planning stages that I need to keep under wraps for now.