Until further word (up), which hopefully will not be an eternity, the display cases here at the Allee Willis Museum Of Kitsch are pretty much locked and full. Though I will still be checking from time to time for brilliant submissions of Kitsch and add them to the stash here if I find them. Not that my interest in, passion for, obsession with and EXCESSIVELY UNCONDITIONAL LOVE OF KITSCH has wavered whatsoever! But my curatorial duties as your Kitschmeister General have finally overcome me given my present career circumstances: The musical I co-authored, The Color Purple, is coming back to Broadway this year staring Jennifer Hudson so my mind needs to be on Celie and Shug in rural Georgia as opposed to on Liberace’s Hot Nuts.
And when my mind’s not on Celie and Shug it has to be on “The D”, the record and video, and Allee Willis Loves Detroit, the feature-length film I’m making starring Detroit, me, and the Motor City peeps which demands 28 hours out of every 24 hour day as I act as everything from one of the main subjects of the film to co- (to preceed to all of the following) director, editor, animator, music creator and director, and just about every other function you can assign to record and filmmaking aside from craft services.
There are also several other pots on the stove about to, with any luck, boil over. So seeing as this is a self-funded Museum my first duty must be to make the moolah to keep AWMOK going. Not that I wouldn’t rather be looking at Golden Girls tatooed thighs, practical beachwear, or cake-like couches.
My curatorial duties as your Kitschmeister General take a phenomenal amount of time each day to inspect and color correct each and every item and photo you aKitchionados submit here, correct grammar, format, comment, and send out certifiKitsches and Classique D’ Camemberts. As much joy and laughter as this brings me as I was adding ten new items to the Museum every day since 2009 there is just too much pulling at me now to give the Museum the attention it demands.
And I can’t even tell you the amount spam that hits my mailbox every day. Between penis enlargers, which luggage to buy should you travel to Bulgaria, casino game tips, and “seven ways how to lose 10 pounds a week safely can drive you bankrupt fast! I spend more time eliminating this garbage than having my eyeballs explode from exposure to Kitsch. I do want to stress however that THE DOORS TO AWMOK REMAIN OPEN so feel free to stroll the aisles and have your eyeballs assaulted with the largest collection of kitsch on the planet. And again, I’m checking every now and then, just not daily, so new items will still pop up.
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BeeJay
I’m going to miss Kitsch News big time, but YAY!!! for you being so involved in such fantastic projects and I’ll enjoy following your adventures until “whenever” you’ll find time again :)
Great photos, Allee! And if there ever is a way I can somehow support you online from the distance when it comes to AWMOK please don’t hesitate to give me a buzz. You know where you can find me. Xx
Larrysturn
Just found you Allee which makes me quite a bit late to your living party. But I’m writing to tell you that even without giving your Museum a decent look I am already in full fledged awe. Back in the day when I was married to a very creative artist who I met while running an art gallery I had an idea for setting up the American Museum of Kitsch; AMOK. We began in Scranton where we lived with a very small ode to an incredible man Morris Mertz, who had a store filled with old unopened stuff, (gems, toys & junk), mostly from the Sixties. We called our honorarium the Mertzatorium and it was appropriately placed in our bathroom. But you have done something way beyond wonderful and I will spend some time looking and learning and becoming a real long distance fan. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR VISION!
Allee Willis
Well, I love this note from you! How long did you keep your AMOK going? I’m not aware of Morris Mertz but I’m certainly fascinated with him now that I’ve read what you wrote. My greatest joy is to be stumbling into a store that time forgot that was packed with unopen gems. There was one here in Glendale, California called Record Products that I stumbled on around 1982 and I eventually bought out at least half of the store over a period of the next few years. No one was ever in there so it was really whatever I could afford each time I went. The first time I drove up and saw the closed sign on the door I needed sedation for about a month. I have never forgotten that place. So I can imagine your thrill when you stumbled upon Morris Mertz. If you still have gems lying around please post them here. I’m not active anymore curating every day but if you write another comment where you put this one I will make sure and look and post. It is excellent meeting another Kitsh wise person!
Oh, and if you haven’t seen this, this was in the Washington post yesterday: The first video is packed with kitsch: http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/hit-songwriter-and-kitsch-provider-allee-willis-now-has-a-song-for-detroit/2015/05/14/a417d020-f8d8-11e4-9030-b4732caefe81_story.html
Nessa
I’ll still be here! \o/
Allee Willis
Yay, Nessa! I will be cruising in and out and at some point when my workload lessons will be back full time.
Nessa
Take all the time you need, of course! I’ve got plenty of kitsch stocked up for your return.
Also I am enjoying your adventures!