Halloween *mini* Interview Part 3: Melle Noire

TAMD: What is the story behind your modeling alias?

Melle Noire:  Melle is the short form of Melanie, my real forename. Melanie means: The black, the dark, the black dressed (Greek: Mela = dark). My mother gave this name to me because I had black hair when I was born (now it's dark brown). She couldn't know how good the name would fit to me when I was adult.  Since I was 18 I've been in the German gothic scene, so at most times I wear black, I love black and dark things (for example my furniture is black, decorated with skulls and roses).

At the beginning of my modelling career my pseudonym was just Melle.

It's my sobriquet in daily life too. When I lived near Kassel in a small rural town, there all Melanies were called Melle. That was a normal thing. Oneday I thought it would be fine to have a surname for my modelling too, so I was searching for a good name. "Noire" was the idea of my boyfriend, he is a half French and Noire means black. So you can see that my whole life is black.

I think everything falls into place, my modeling alias is harmonious to my life.

TAMD: Besides modeling, what do you do in your spare time?

MN: My hobbies are: Watching TV (I love movies and many TV series), going to the theater to watch movies, surfing the Internet, listening to music (darkwave, future pop, electro, industrial, noise, EBM, gothic, goth rock, metal, middleage crossover, folk...), going out to parties, hanging with friends, drawing, writing poems, reading, crossword puzzles, and cooking.

TAMD: What about alternative modeling do you find appealing?

MN: I can make pictures different from the mainstream, I can dress up and play weird roles. I can show my dark side, I can be evil or I can be nice, I can show different faces. I can plan with own ideas for shootings if I want. That's all so fantastic and I have the chance to be creative, it's a free and easy thing. 

TAMD: Describe Halloween in Germany.

MN: It's definitely not the same as it is in America, there's no trick or treat. But for several years there are have been Halloween parties in Germany too. You can buy Halloween accessories, there are Halloween and horror shops on the Internet, it's already very commercial here. Of curse there are also separate gothic Halloween parties. When you are watching TV on Halloween, you can see many horror movies and Halloween specials.

An interesting thing from my childhood near Kassel was a custom named "Glowesabend". It's every year on St Nicholas' Day. The children wear costumes and fantasy masks, ringing on every house and doing a hackneyed saying to get sweets. It's very similar to Halloween but a regional custom in Germany.

TAMD: Tell us about the photo that is being featured.

MN: It was taken on my last shooting date: 09 / 12 / 2012. It was a great fantasy shot, the photographer bought the costume and lent it to me. The idea was that I am an evil witch..

Halloween *Mini* Interview Part 2: J. Michael Kent

Photo: Dead Clown Studios


TAMD: Who are your favorite movie killers? Why?
J. Michael Kent: Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees, because they're awesome. 

TAMD: What makes a good horror film, in your opinion?
JMK: One that makes you jump all the way through it, and has lots of gore. Also, one that has a good plot.

TAMD: Which is more important, the gore or the storyline?
JMK: Storyline.

TAMD: Do you have any Halloween traditions?
JMK: I love 'Trick or Treat', I'm like addicted to it, so I watch that every Halloween.

Halloween Interviews Part 3: Rachael Rose

Photo: Carlos Toledo

  TAMD: Is Rachael Rose your real name, or an alias?

RR: This is my alias.  I am a pretty private person so having an alias allows me to have a personal life that isn’t in the spotlight...ever.  And it’s pretty easy for my kids to not get harassed.   

TAMD: What made you want to model?

RR: In real life I am a HUGE Tom boy.  A friend of mine was looking to start her photography business and asked me if I’d be willing to dress up and take some shots for her.  Once she posted those images another photographer contacted me and asked to see the rest of my portfolio...When I told him I didn’t have one and wasn’t a model, he said I needed a change of career asap.  Now I love dressing up and being a girly girl. 

TAMD: What is you favorite thing about being a model? Least favorite?

RR: My favorite thing about being a model is a tossup between the people I meet and the images I get. I’ve been very lucky to meet so many people that have been more than business contacts.  They are now my lifelong friends.  And these people that I will forever be friends with have my back and I have theirs.  It’s one of the great things.  The 2^nd in my toss up is the images I get.  They are something my grandchildren will be able to look back on and see some of the things I was able to do.  I wish my grandparents had something like this to leave me.

Least favorite, for me, it’s the people.  (catch 22)  Some are great and others are shit talkers who cannot think past the ignorance they were taught.  And the people that I call WIIFM people.  (What’s In It For Me)  From fans to people in the industry.  I am all about networking and always helping everyone out.  Word of mouth is a powerful thing.  Some fans think they deserve something special because they clicked like on an image or shared a contest.  These fans, to me, have zero respect for me or themselves and I won’t give them the time of day.  Then the people in the industry that forgot that they were that page with 2 likes and needed others to help them.  Not my favorite thing at all. 

 

Photo: Ike Kraushaar

TAMD: Tell us about Obscure Magazine; what is your vision for it, & how did it come about?

 RR: Oh our baby Obscure.  And I say our because I am including my partner in crime, Nikki LaRoux.  We hope to create something that embraces all aspects of edgy, fetish, tattoo, and non mainstream art.   Stuff that hits you in the face and makes you think, “why haven’t I seen this before” or “why haven’t I seen this person before”?   Well because you are not looking, we are.  Our vision is to take that artist that is amazing and undiscovered and show you their talent.  Our goal is not to be HUGE.  More of that mom and pop place you go to and love you bring your friends to it, but it’s your secret. 

 I mean, if we get huge and sell to major outlets, great.  But really our goal is the art. 

How it all came about...well, I had been asked by a few magazines to write or have some influence in their magazines.  And that’s fine but they had an outline pre done for me.  None of them felt right.  So I held off and didn’t commit to any of them.  Then Nikki came to visit me from Italy and was putting her magazine together.  We were on the same page since day 1.  Hopefully the rest will be history! 

 

TAMD: Describe Halloween in your house.

RR: It’s an all month affair.  We go all out.  Wigs, contacts, costumes etc.  We might dress up a few times in different costumes throughout October.   We hit up parties and events.  It’s a lot of fun.  The spookier the better, the more macabre the better and the bloodier the better! We really start planning November 1^st change our plans and tactics a bunch then come together. Last year my husband was an escaped mental patient zombie, I was a sexy nurse zombie, 3 of our sons were random boy zombies (skater, jock, creepy kid) and our youngest was the zombie hunter.  Prosthetics, contacts, blood, and makeup were KILLER. 

Photo: Jodie Royak

Photo: Sidney Adam Cumbie

TAMD: You've shot as a vampire, and you've shot as a zombie, which is your favorite of the two?

RR: That’s a close one too.  Zombies are a lot of fun.  And I will never turn down a zombie gig.  But my love is for the vampires.  I LOVE being that sexy forbidden character.  And I have some pretty bad ass custom fangs.

TAMD: How about a random Rachael Rose fact?

RR: Random Rachael fact, I shouldn’t be here.  (oh snap, shit just got real!)  When I was 3 years old my grandparent’s house burned to the ground. I was left alone in the kitchen surrounded by fire...no one could get to me.  From what I am told I passed out due to smoke inhalation.   My uncle burned his body to get me.  He had the scars to prove it until the day he died. 

When I was 14 I had to have emergency surgery and my heart stopped.  I was shocked and they performed CPR for 3 minutes.  The nurse came to my room when I was almost well enough to go home and told me that I was almost pronounced dead by the doctor.  For some reason they continued and my heart started beating on its own again. All that and living on the streets I cannot count how many close calls I’ve had...I don’t know how I am here today. 

 

TAMD: You've lived both on the East and West Coast of the US; have you noticed a difference in the way Halloween is celebrated from coast to coast?

RR: Absolutely!  But every single holiday is different from coast to coast.  St. Paddy’s is better on the east coast for sure.  Halloween is just different depending on the people you are with.  Although I thought it was down played on the east coast.  I couldn’t go out in my wig, contacts, blood, fangs on October 1^st without getting harassed about it.  Last week I went shopping with my fangs and contacts.  It’s great. 

TAMD: What would be your dream shoot?

RR: My dream shoot would be to do all comic book bad girls.  I am probably the nicest person you will ever meet.  I can talk to anyone anywhere about anything.  Just a couple days ago a woman at CVS asked if she could give me her number so we could hang out...kinda cool.  But I can play that bad girl/bitch really well.  I like it. 

TAMD: Finally, is there anything you would like to add or promote?

RR: More than anything Obscure.  We are getting things ready to go to print and release January 1, 2013.  All the people signed up for print really deserve to have recognition.  Not only for having our backs and giving us material but because they are pretty bad ass. 

Photo: Ike Kraushaar

Eve Le-Fay Alternative Photography Giveaway!!! ENTER NOW!!

Win this OOAK card designed, embellished, & signed by Eve Le-Fay*

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Information about the prize: This 4" X 6" card has been designed, and embellished with Rhinestone crystals by Eve Le-Fay Alternative Photography. It will come with envelope, a cellophane sleeve for protection, and is a fine art card, so can be framed.

Halloween *Mini* Interviews Part 1: Dayne

Photo: Nic Burgess

TAMD:  What is the story behind your alias?

Dayne: My alias for modeling has a number of origins. It's the last name of a country singer, the last name of a Character in Game of Thrones, a variation on a name that is in my family, and also a homonym for my heritage (I'm a "Dane"). It's simple and memorable, and somewhat androgynous as well, which I like.

TAMD: What drove you to start modeling?

Dayne: I was driving with my husband in the south of Germany three months ago and we needed a way to pay for gas. I booked my first modeling job in München with Lifes Foto Models for 150 Euros, after that, for some reason I just started booking a lot of work!

TAMD: Besides modeling, what do you do in your spare time?

Dayne: I am finishing up my Bachelor's Degree, I garden, and I read mostly. I am learning a lot about photography and photo editing even in just the three months I have been modelling.

TAMD: You recently did your first cosplay shoot, do you have more planned?

Dayne: I love cosplay and before modelling I couldn't afford it. One of the wonderful things about this job is being paid to enact a fantasy. I plan to do more work like that in the future, instead of "pretty girl on a white background." I love being approached with a fully-formed idea, or creatively collaborating on thematic shoots.

TAMD: The photo that is featured was very controversial when I shared it on TAMD. Mainly people were saying you were glorifying murder, in your own words what was the motivation behind the shoot?

Dayne: The shoot with Nic Burgess where I play a "dead girl" (a la Laura Palmer) was just a lot of fun. Hallowe'en is coming up, and I think the photos turned out really well. It's funny that Nic gets accused of glorifying misogynistic themes and whatnot in his work, when he was in fact one of the most respectful people I have worked with so far. Your average "guy with a camera" who approaches you and wants to do sexy nudes or lingerie shots in his basement has far more contempt for women than your average kink/fetish, alternative, or horror photographer. I must say that with the number of times I get asked to look doe-eyed, submissive and sexy in my line of work it is refreshing to do work where the point is not "be pretty so I can fap later"--the point is "let's create some art."