julianne escobedo shepherd

One more from the voguing book—Willi Ninja, looking like a work of art.

Around Xmas I special-ordered Soul Jazz’s newish book on voguing and ball culture in NYC 1989-92, and it just came a couple days ago. It’s fantastic but I’m reading it slowly because IT’S SO FANTASTIC. Anyway, THIS HAIR! I’ve been listening a lot to DJ Sprinkles’ Midtown 120 Blues, which is an exegesis on the NYC ball scene in those years disguised as the best deep house album I’ve ever heard; between that and this book I’ve been walking around sad and nostalgic and also, totally revolted by Madonna, ha. ANYWAY: GUESS WHAT, THIS IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT AT MY PRESENTATION AT THE EMP POP CONFERENCE IN NYC IN MARCH. About ball culture then and now, and appropriation, and resurgence, and other stuff. SO I AM GOING TO WRITE OFF THE PURCHASE OF THIS BOOK AS A WORK EXPENSE. WHICH IS GREAT!