Monthly Archives: May 2023

My perfect IRL drawing comeback show: The Sinner’s Saloon from Felicity Felicis!

Felicity Felicis at The Sinners Saloon at Crack Bellmer Berlin by Suzanne Forbes May 15 2023 webSince my self-prescribed and Berlin-drag-performer-delivered MECFS antiviral meds are working so well, I went back out to work!

I was very much helped by the fact that I could travel with our dear friend Daniel Paikov, a fellow documentary artist who records Queer Berlin in photographs.

And I was welcomed and supported by The Sinner’s Saloon producer Felicity Felicis, above! Felicity is one of Berlin’s great cabaret performers; she’s also the magic behind productions like TSS and The Theatre of Leeds. Her website is here!

I love to draw her IRL and also jumped in online when she was modeling for Sketcherei not long ago.

Misty Lotus performs at The Sinners Saloon at Crack Bellmer Berlin by Suzanne Forbes April 19 2023 web editWhen I saw the performer list for this show, I HAD TO BE THERE.

Misty Lotus is one of my very favorite burlesque stars. Misty is based in Switzerland, and is a producer, performer, fire-eater and doyenne of the Swiss Burlesque Academy.

Misty Lotus performs at The Sinners Saloon at Crack Bellmer Berlin by Suzanne Forbes May 25 2023Misty did two acts; her Ursula is incredible!

I first drew Misty at the incredible 2019 Berlin Burlesque Week, a wonderfully rich series of shows that also included a powerful social justice education panel.

Bishop Black at the Sinners Saloon by Suzanne Forbes Bishop Black is another absolute Berlin legend I love to draw.

I’ve drawn them modeling for Dr. Sketchy’s Berlin several times and workshop-modeling for Shine Louise Houston, but this was the first time I drew them dancing! This performance involved kinetic movement, self-tying and insertion with a rubber tape.

Bishop Black at the Sinners Saloon Suzanne Forbes April 27 2023Bishop did two acts, and the second one involved a staple gun!

They stapled paper hearts all over themselves! I am not a great piercing or sideshow audience as I tend to flinch, but the effect was lovely.

Marta Karta performs at The Sinners Saloon at Crack Bellmer Berlin by Suzanne Forbes April 21 2023It was the first time I’d seen hostess Marta Karta perform: what a dark cabaret legend!

She hosted, and sang, and danced! See her insta here and upcoming shows here.

People with great hair!

Redhead from Finland Armi Von Vep, who also did a spin onstage, and in the background DJ Don Rogall.

Martini Cherryfurter and Enjo Flint perform at The Sinners Saloon at Crack Bellmer Berlin by Suzanne Forbes May 15 2023There was another wonderful surprise – Martini Cherryfurter is back in Berlin!

Such a joy to see and hug her after so long. She was called onto the stage to do an impromptu act with Enjo Flint. Enjo smashed a bunch of glass on the floor and Martini stood on his head!

Gracefully, of course, as she does everything. Photo of the actual moment by Daniel Paikov here! I of course was flinching 🙂

Constance Peach performs at The Sinners Saloon at Crack Bellmer Berlin by Suzanne Forbes April 19 2023 It was also my first time seeing/drawing Constance Peach!

She brought glamorous and wicked Marie Antoinette vibes. Her insta is here and site here.

The Next Sinners Saloon is June 4th; I won’t be there cause I will be wiped out from Hurentag the day before, but tickets are here!

All in all, I couldn’t have asked for more for my return to drawing in a club after over three years.

Crack Bellmer has a ventilation system (although I had to ask them to turn it on) and Felicity made sure I had exactly the seating setup I needed. Having a buddy system with Daniel helped so much.

I felt a little weird going out in my prescription swim goggles and 3M Aura FFP3 mask, but my self-consciousness melted away when everyone was so kind to me.

Misty Lotus said, “Ah, it’s Berlin! It’s fine!”

As always, I am so grateful to my Patreon Patrons, whose monthly financial support makes it possible for me to continue documenting Berlin performers as a vulnerable disabled person. For as little as a dollar/euro per month, you can help!

Go Blue for MECFS and the Millions Missing!

goblueformecfs May 12Today is May 12, International MECFS Awareness Day.

I’m already wiped out from all the online awareness stuff I’ve been doing all day. But I wanted to share some of it here, on my online homebase.

goblueformecfs May 12I made lots of graphics!

There’s a social campaign called #goblueformecfs I really like. The idea to use the hashtag on a post of yourself wearing or with something blue. The blue ribbon for ME dates back to 1995.

It wasn’t hard for me to wear blue!

It was a nice chance to show all my blue textile arts projects.

photo by ZIlle Defeu of Midori performing at Feminas Potens in 2010. Suzanne Forbes is drawing in the background.I shared a little about what having MECFS has cost me.

Here’s a photo taken at Femina Potens in 2010, by Zille Defeu. Midori performing and me drawing in the background.

Victoria Copeland with Millions Missing pillowcase 2023

Victoria Copeland with Millions Missing pillowcase 2023.

MECFS affects millions of people of the Global Majority.

This is policy analyst, researcher, abolitionist praxis MSW and MECFS patient, Victoria Copeland. Vee is wearing her MEAction Still Sick Still Fighting shirt and lying on the Millions Missing pillowcase she made for the 2023 action in Washington DC. I asked her if I could share her picture with her info, because she deserves a treatment for this terrible disease.

GoBlueForMECFS art by Victoria Aronoff aka Stupid Sloth Cards May 12 2023

GoBlueForMECFS art by Victoria Aronoff aka Stupid Sloth Cards May 12 2023

This isn’t about me.

Personally. I’ve had a lot of life, a lot of lovers, and lots of my dreams came true. I’m one of the lucky ones… and one of the privileged ones. But #mecfs is a disease that strikes traumatized bodies, that strikes mostly AFAB people, including trans guys, that you have to convince your doctor you have. It’s a disease that invisibly disables and kills BIPOC people, and they almost never get help or justice. The #medicalracism is enormous. Vee deserves the life she wants and to do the work she wants to do in the world. The world needs her.

So please @goblueformecfs for young people, for aunties, for moms, for trans guys, who have never gotten any help.

Here are some resources:

MEAction’s Resource list.

Mepedia

Health Rising is our favorite site for ME research news

Deutsche Gesellschaft für ME/CFS (German Association for ME/CFS) Run by volunteers, that’s how fucking underfunded this disease is!

And there’s so much more to say, but I am exhausted.