Interview With Nelli Scarlet (atrophy)

by Cary

"My name is Nelli. I'm the singer of Melbourne punk rockers THE SCARLETS, but I'm a lot of other things, I'm also a model, photographer, back-up singer/go-go dancer for Australia's #1 Motley Crue tribute Shout at the Bastards, painter, stylist & now sometimes actress."

What music first captured your ear and got you interested in music?

Definitely Silverchair when they first came out, back when I was 10 or so. They were just this bunch of kids not much older than me from Newcastle with long hair and just totally flipped me right out... Freak is still one of my favourite songs ever.

Do you come from a background of training in the arts?

I was more or less born into the industry, my dad is a photographer and my mum works in film & theatre so posing and performing is more or less in my blood. I used to sing classically in chamber choirs when I was younger but I grew out of that and found a more comfortable niche in the angrier end of the scale.

How did you start working with your current band?

I was a fan of local Melbourne rockers Brutal Pancho/Tough Luck and had a bit of a thing for their bass player, I used to go to their shows and be too shy to talk to him. Then I met him at a Die Smiling gig and we were on like kong from the word go... we just started spilling all these songs out and bought a little 2-track and laid them down.

Do you prefer playing live or recording?

Definitely live. You get all the noise, the energy, the intensity and the feedback from the audience. Plus, it's far more authentic. You only get one shot and if you fuck up, you fuck up with a whole room full of people watching you. I actually hate listening to my voice recorded haha!

How did you become interested in fetish/BDSM?

I've always been fascinated by corsets, as far back as I can remember. I'd watch period plays or films and just stare in awe at the costumes. I started wearing corsets daily when I was 16, I bought a Marquis De Sade corset off a friend second hand, and I damned near slept in it. I wore it until I snapped the busk in half and consequently sliced a hole in my stomach on the broken end of it, I still have the battle scars to prove it!

Are there any fetishes that you don't find appealing?

Plenty! Fetishes are an extremely personal thing, one man's trash is another's treasure, and all that jazz. For example, the smell of leather drives me wild, whereas ball-gags and rope bondage make me feel sick. It simply doesn't do it for me.

What excites you about fetish modeling?

Being a part of something that's sexy but stylish, I think that a little mystery goes a long way, which is why I don't do nudes. I see girls in lad's mags and it's sexy but there's no style, no class. I love being able to express a part of myself that's sexual, glamourous and feminine at the same time, and still get dressed up to the extreme. I do all my styling, hair and makeup myself and it's wonderful to be able to be a different person every time I step in front of the lens.

What are your favorite types of outfits to model in?

Anything extreme. I once catwalked in a full-length peacock costume at L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival, complete with feathered corset, tail, and coque-feather mohawk I made myself, that was amazing. We shot the outfit afterwards and they're still some of my favourite photos.

What are your least favorites?

Swimwear, if a photographer approaches me and says "Hey, let's put you in a bikini at sunset on a beach" I just tell them to shove it. It's been DONE and it's boring!

Do you think pinup and fetish are becoming part of the mainstream culture?

I think it always has been to one degree or another. Every second season on the haute couture catwalks, someone's using latex, or corsets, or platform stilettos, the mainstream is always driven by the underground. James Boag have Helmut Newton photos, Dita is doing a 2-week run at Crazy Horse, the Betty Page film has been and gone, Katy Perry is sucking her finger in pin-up outifts and shouting about faux-lesbianism, Christina Aguilera's been doing the pin-up look across 2 albums. Even looking back, Madonna was corseted and engaging in underground fetish parties, Suzi Quatro played bass clad head to toe in leather and stilettos, Marilyn Monroe's endless pin-up shoots, the list goes on.

What kind of music do you like?

All sorts of music, everything from Etta James to Arch Enemy. I listen to a broad range of music from just about every genre and I think that reflects in the band. I like anything I can feel physically- if my body involuntarily reacts to a peice of music I love it. The Ascention by Otep and Blue Valentine by Tom Waits are both albums that always break me down emotionally and I love that, I love that I can feel music so deeply. I think if i were struck deaf tomorrow I would lose my mind.

What do you like to do for fun?

I'm also a photographer and painter, I love creating images, i get immense satisfaction from it. I'm a Lomography enthusiast, I collect and shoot with toy & vintage cameras, I have a 600 polaroid, an old SX-70, a Holga, an Action Sampler Lomo, and old Kodak Snappy and an Agfa Clack thats older than I am. Painting is like meditation for me, I just zen out and let my hands do the work. The last painting I finished was of Scar 13 in pinks and blues, I keep meaning to take a photo of it and send it to her but I'm too embarrassed haha!

See more of Nelli Scarlet (atrophy) at:

www.myspace.com/blasphemous__girl

See more of Nelli Scarlet (atrophy) at:

www.myspace.com/blasphemous__girl

Photos by: http://b.digitalobliquity.com