At last week's opening of The Life Casts of Cynthia Plaster Caster: 1968-2000 at the Thread Waxing Space in downtown Manhattan, the buzz in the crowd was mostly one of relief, amusement, and confusion: The exhibit's representative
rock gods were hung like regular shlubs!
Of the more than 40 plaster molds of male genitalia from the world of rock (including roadies and managers), few really stood out in the futuristic illuminated domes in which they were displayed. In fact, there were more specimens which caused one to wonder, is that the whole thing?, than examples of divine endowment. Seems like Spinal Tap might not be the only rockers who have resorted to the ol' garden-vegetables-in-the-pants trick.
An unashamed groupie (she was a member of the GTO's with Pamela des Barres), Cynthia Plaster Caster began her life's work at the age of 18 when an art teacher assigned a casting of something "hard." Apparently the project didn't turn out as planned, but Cynthia did manage to lose her virginity to one of Paul Revere's Raiders - and the rest is history.
As revealed in her casting diary, partially displayed in the exhibition, it took a couple tries for Cynthia and her partner Diane to get the process down: "Either Cynthia or Diane must have the rig thrust straight into the alginates without hesitating, guiding it down toward the bottom until the balls are just submerged." Got that?
The diary then goes on to describe the casting of Jimi Hendrix, "of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, lead guitarist, American, 1968." In her excitement to see the results Cynthia opened the mold too soon, and Jimi's "rig" broke into pieces. Fortunately she glued it back together and it still stands in all its glory. Generous of both length and girth, it is unquestionably the most "impressive" sculpture at the Thread Waxing Space - at least, of the ones on display.
Following closely behind Hendrix were Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys and Jon Langford of the Mekons. Cynthia's most recent model, British pop star Momus (who was walking around in a "Momus" T-shirt so we'd know who he was), seemed pretty pleased with his likeness: We saw him return to gaze at his own cast several times.
But the real draw was Cynthia Plaster Caster herself. As raucous rock and roll cranked through the gallery, hipsters, rock critics, and a few Andy Warhol doppelgangers all craned their necks for a peek at the artist in the flesh, ageless and adorable in pigtails, fuzzy pink flip-flops, and a slip which revealed her very svelte figure. Surrounded by fans and a camera crew shooting a documentary about her life, Cynthia Plaster Caster was, at this moment, even larger than Jimi.
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