Artistic Director of the Burlexe and Boylexe shows, Howard Wilmot, shares his tribute to Donna Summer. He recounts when they met and the brief time he knew her.
A Burlexe Tribute to Donna Summer RIP
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I had the pleasure of interviewing Donna Summer in one of my previous incarnations as a journalist. I got the opportunity twice, once in person, once over the phone which is just greedy looking back but I lapped her up.
Obviously, the in-person experience was the best. She played the ‘grand diva’ knowingly with a naughty twinkle in her eye, telling off her PR in an adjacent room for being too noisy while being self deprecating and charming.
They say you should never meet your icons as they’re always a disappointment. It’s generally true but Donna Summer was above and beyond.
When I quizzed her about the ‘sex disco’ she was famous for – the reported orgasms she had in the studio for ‘Love To Love You Baby’ – she told me she didn’t take it seriously. She thought she was being more Lucille Ball.
She was burlesquey though I never really realised it at the time. Looking back the disco glitter should’ve given it away but she played characters and explored what it’s like to be a woman. You only have to look at the Once Upon A Time, Bad Girls, The Wanderer and She Works Hard For The Money albums to get a sense of that.
Even without the incredible voice and the musical achievements – five time Grammy winner, a pioneering game-changing track like ‘I Feel Love’, the Queen of Disco tag etc. But more than that she arguably paved the way for the dance scene and also Madonna, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and… Everyone else.
Let’s never forget that. The world is a lesser place without her.
– Howard Wilmot, Artistic Director of Burlexe and Boylexe.
Check out the celebrity reactions to Donna Summer RIP.
Burlexe is a sensational London burlesque show inspired by the women who created the genre and perform the art. It fuses burlesque performance with storytelling, dancing with acting.
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(Main image from Last.Fm)
