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