2 hours, 23 minutes (audio only version)
2 hours, 57 minutes (Patreon exclusive version)
Released: February 26, 2022
Recorded: November 28, 2021
Whether you know her as Regina Stargazer, Cream Victoria, Virus the Clown, Jayson Mustachio, or that weirdo that is doing the weirdo shit, this entertainer has been thrilling and captivating for nigh on 16 years with White Elephant Burlesque. A jack of several trades, from the creepy to the seductive, we’ve long wondered what… exactly made her that way. We get a glimpse behind the curtain with Regina, at 38 weeks pregnant (hey, baby Nova!), at the time of the recording waxing nostalgic on some of her most formative moments.
- Regina Stargazer on WEBurlesque
- Regina on IG: @reginastargazer @nails_by_regina_stargazer
- Regina on Twitter: @reginastargazer
Listen to this episode:
On this edition of The Music That Made WE, Viktor chats with Regina Stargazer, burlesquer, drag performer, and original White Elephant member.
“Who’s That Girl” by Madonna
Regina says: “The number one song that really inspired me to go into this whole weird, quirky, acting, showgirl kind of status was Who’s That Girl by Madonna… The movie of the same name still resonates with me to this day. I’m not saying its the best movie I’ve ever seen, but for a four year old girl… whose mother worked in New York City… it stuck with me because [Madonna] was such a rebellious badass and she could just in a flick of an eye… be this classy broad.”
“The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats
Regina says: “When my parents were still together, I would have a babysitter and it’s name was MTV. Anytime my mom or dad wanted to go outside and have a cigarette or something they would plop little old me right in front of the TV, turn on MTV because it was nothing but music videos and this one… has been a vivid visual memory. It turned me into a complete fool anytime I heard it… It’s so absurd and beautiful.”
“If” by Janet Jackson
Regina says: “Around the time this song came out, I was around 9 or 10 years old. 9 or 10 is when a lot of kids start to grow into their sexuality. Is it OK that I am liking boys and girls at the same time? Is it appropriate for me to even be talking about something like this to anybody except my mom and dad? Watching MTV in 1993… Janet “Ms. Jackson if you’re nasty” came out with If. My God, if that music video didn’t awaken something inside of me.”
“Tragic Kingdom” by No Doubt
Regina says: “This was the first CD I ever bought and it was a point in my life where I was living with my father. I was around 12 or 13 at this point… and one of those girls I found an adorably wholesome attraction to was Gwen Stefani. Especially in this stage of her life when No Doubt was starting to become really really popular… They came out with Tragic Kingdom, and it was the most sought-after album in 1996… It resonated with me as a teenage girl going through puberty. Going through this rough time of…being told everything I feel as a person is wrong…I’m supposed to live my life in a certain way and everyone is telling me to grow up and stop being a kid…I kind of didn’t want to give up that whole childhood wonder experience and I think this last track, [the song] Tragic Kingdom is all about. Giving up innocence to try and be an adult. And
it’s really heartbreaking.”
“Come To Daddy (Pappy Mix)” by Aphex Twin
Regina says: “With Aphex Twin it’s just ‘Shut up, just listen. If you like it, you like it, if you don’t you don’t, that’s fine.’ But this particular track was really rough to get into at first…I don’t know if Aphex Twin specifically wanted this kind of associated with his music but it is stuff that would make you not sleep at night… I loved it. I really loved the unpleasant, unhingedness of it all. Especially after being so wrapped up in a bubble for so long. It’s like I had to explode out…of what was popular in music at the time.”
“Exit Music (For A Film)” by Radiohead
Regina says: “This next track is something I will always have in my theatrical bank. Something everyone should have as a performer, is something that will always make them cry in command… I have had an experience with running away. I felt like running away from my problems and everything was the best solution instead of facing them head on and I outgrew that in therapy… I seriously thought that I was just going to get up and go away and get away from it all. I’ve heard this album and I heard this track so many times but to actually have this song that I’ve heard a thousand times actually resonate with me truthfully made me hysterical. So grasping that emotion, putting it in a little box… saving it for when I really need to cry on stage.”
“Castles in the Sky” by Ian Van Dahl feat. Marsha
Regina says: “It is one of the most iconic songs that I grew up with. Just being very flamboyant, I was very big into trance at that point. But I was a stoner girl at that point too so I was literally stoned all the time and you put this track on and I’m just going to perform anywhere, wherever it is. I’m just gonna let loose. I threw caution to the wind. I didn’t care who saw me, I didn’t care who made fun of me, I didn’t care about anything else in the world.”
“Peacock Tail” by Boards of Canada
Regina says: “I never heard this group until my husband introduced me to it. They have always been an artist I will listen to and the best description I can come up with is ‘ear bleach.’ If you need a good ear douche, you can always listen to any song by Boards of Canada. This one in particular always reminds me of camping trips which are very special to me and my husband. We are very outdoorsy and nature and science people. So to hear something like this song to look up at the clouds to whether it be day time or night time, anything to calm an anxiety or panic attack, we will just put this song on and drone out to it.”
“Eyes Be Closed” by Washed Out
Regina says: “This is a little bit more intimate for me because…if there every was a band that could be tied into me and my husband’s relationship, it’s Washed Out. This specific song, Eyes Be Closed, is just one of many songs I can’t really give a scene or setting to, but it will always be a song I go to if I’m missing him…to me this band and this song just gets me all awwww.”
“Everything I Wanted” by Billie Eilish
Regina says: “This is one of the most important songs to me even though it has a different meaning towards the artist who created it. It has a specific meaning towards me in finding the beauty in giving up in terms of being successful in a nightlife career. Because you know, when you are going into this and are like I’m going to be the next Dita Von Teese…and when you realize that’s not gonna happen for you, you go into a really deep depression. When you keep being asked to do performances, you really want to do it, but your heart is kinda not there in the same place anymore and you kind of feel guilty about doing it.”
– Produced by Viktor Devonne, reigning Mr Hollywood Burlesque, and celebrating 15 years in burlesque. White Elephant Burlesque recently closed a five year residency in Manhattan, and continues to produce White Elephant Burlesque virtually. Visit weburlesque.com for details.
– The Music That Made WE is a creation of WEBurlesque Podcast Network, produced by Viktor Devonne.
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