Вчера было опубликовано интервью Эвана, в котором ему задали следующий вопрос:
Fellow American Olympic skater Johnny Weir has said he feels snubbed by “Stars on Ice” because his sexual orientation wasn’t “family-friendly enough.” Thoughts? “Stars on Ice” is really selective of who they hire and they only hire the best of the best to skate. It would’ve been hard of them to justify hiring him, and I think he was really upset because he wanted the financial benefit of the tour. A lot of us in the skating world were really disappointed in the way he reacted, basically whining that he wasn’t chosen.
In this exclusive interview with FULL FRONTAL FASHION, Johnny Weir once again talks to Bradford Shellhammer about Hollywood fashion, meeting Elton John, and his possible fashion career.
When you were in L.A. for the Spirit Awards, did anyone surprise you?
Jodie Foster. That was amazing to see her, and no one told me she was going to be there. She was just standing there in a pair of jeans looking demure. She was meek, almost. That impressed me.
читать дальше You have an obvious love of fashion. Who was the best-dressed that night?
Well, I was very well dressed that night! I was wearing a beautiful Viktor & Rolf creation. Adrien Brody was very masculine and chic. Emmy Rossum was fantastic. And someone else, I cannot remember, had on feathers?
Have you met Viktor & Rolf?
I have not, but I met Sarah Jessica Parker last week. And of course I had heart palpitations the entire time and I was trying to be cool and not be a crazy fan. She and I were talking about Viktor & Rolf because she invited me to the SEX AND THE CITY 2 premiere and we talked about how I need to wear Viktor & Rolf to it, so hopefully I will get to meet them.
How are you approached by labels to wear their garments?
I am still a small fish for the big designers like Viktor & Rolf or Balenciaga or Louis Vuitton. For my L.A. trip I had help. Rachel Zoe dressed me, and Dolce and Gabbana dressed me for Elton John’s Oscar party. And at my table someone was wearing the exact same outfit! I had a diva drama and got on the phone with Rachel Zoe’s assistant Brad. I said, “Brad, there is a fashion disaster!” He started freaking out and I heard gasping, and within 20 minutes there was a Town Car full of options. I decided on another Dolce jacket, red velvet, and as soon as I walked back into the party, a portly man walked by me in the exact same jacket!
It is hard when you don’t like to wear black suits. When you do something different — and I like things slightly different than a boring black suit — there is a small pool of items to choose from. The third jacket I wanted to wear, which my agent talked me out of, I saw will.i.am in later. Rappers and rock stars have a tiny pool of outfits to choose from.
How was Elton John?
He was lovely. Something that shocked me about that trip was that I never grasped famous people watched the Olympics. People like Elton, Debi Mazar, Kelly Osbourne, and Milla Jovovich came up to me! Meanwhile, I would never have the balls to talk to them. Elton John knew details of my skating, and he thought I was robbed. He was really incredible and he was total class.
Have you been a fan of Elton’s personal style?
My style is different from his. He is a constant rock star. I think you dress to the life you’re in. For him, rhinestones onstage and offstage are acceptable. For me, I like to trim it down, because I do wear so many rhinestones on the ice, which is my stage. I appreciate that he pushes boundaries and does things that are different.
What was the experience like having a camera crew following you for the TV show?
My life is so structured and in many ways boring, and it seemed so difficult to figure where a camera crew would fit in. My coach does not like distractions, and they did a great job winning everyone in my life over. We had to really enforce the fact that I was not always available. The severity of my life at the time was difficult to grasp. It was a thrill. I always wanted to help figure skating. I wanted people to see what happens behind the scenes. So many people who would never watch ice-skating got a chance to see it. It was very important to show my life. In 50 years, I can look back and watch my life.
I would love to do another season. I don’t know what my life will be. I may compete, perform, go back to school, or become a trophy wife! If you do go back to school, what will you study?
I met with FIT. And they took me on a tour and I sat in on classes. It was so interesting to see a fashion school. That is up my alley. Science and mathematics does not interest me. I would study fashion and, if there was a way, I would want to improve my Russian. I want to make myself sound like a native. We are familiar with you dressed up in costumes, but what will be your look for summer?
I love very preppy summer looks. I love shrunken polo shirts and plaid shorts cut at mid-thigh. I have gorgeous Libertine shorts that were pants once. Every once in a while I will do that Miami look, fluorescent tank top and skinny jean. In general I dress preppy because I find it is, temperature-wise, the coolest way to dress. But I am somebody who can still wear fur in the summer too!
B&TF:How did you become so fascinated with Russian culture and language?
JW: It was born in me. There’s something so special about Russia from the first time I ever heard the name Russia. Of course it was USSR when I was born. Everything that I’ve heard fascinated me. I had a book, it was called, “Russia and her states”, because here they called them states, not republics. I was so interested in learning about the tsars, and the alphabet. I started to draw the characters from the alphabet and it was something that was so special to me. Really, Russia lives in my heart.
читать дальшеB&TF: I’ve read that during the Olympics you got underscored because you were too flamboyant. Do you personally think that your score was fair?
JW: I don’t think the score was fair but when I took the ice there was an American, Evan Lysacek that was already short of medal so it’s hard to have two Americans on the same podium. Of course, I think Plushenko should’ve won. I mean, there’re lots of politics in figure skating and of course, I think I should’ve done better than sixth place. For me sixth is kind of nothing but through that experience so many people thought I should’ve had a medal and that gives me a lot of power and a lot of passion to skate more and be stronger.
B&TF: As you can see I work for l-word.com. Have you watched the show when it aired?
JW: I watched a few episodes but I haven’t gotten into it. I need to buy the DVD’s and really sit and watch everything. I think it’s amazing that there’s a show like “The L Word” on television. It was like “Queer as Folk” and different shows before but I think it’s so special. B&TF: I asked because I read an interview with Jennifer Beals who plays Bette on the show, where she said that she watched you perform in Vancouver and she thought you were fabulous. She really liked how authentic you were. Why do you think the authenticity is so important?
JW: I think being an original is important. I don’t think you should be judged on what you are but who you are. I think that’s the most important thing in this life and if you’re gay or straight it doesn’t matter. As long as you are an interesting individual person that has a clear image of who you are that’s what important.
B&TF: Are you going to continue competing in the Olympics?
JW: I hope so. It’s a dream for me to compete in Sochi and I’m really looking forward to seeing where my skating career goes. I’m still training, I’m still on the ice and I also enjoying my life a little bit in doing things like this.
B&TF: I saw your performance to Lady Gaga and I also thought you were fabulous. Good luck in Sochi.
Wonderwall stayed up late last night to attend the launch of our new sister site, Glo, at the Cooper Square hotel in New York City and bumped into our favorite Olympic figure skater, Johnny Weir! The always personable Mr. Weir gabbed our ears off about his burgeoning music career, how he'd style Lady GaGa and his style advice for spring. Wonderwall: We heard you're working on your first single, is that true? Johnny Weir: Yes. I'm working with Lucien Piane [known online as RevoLucian]. He's RuPaul's producer. He put together a song for me called "Dirty Love," after he saw me skate in the Olympics. So I'm going to be singing this song "Dirty Love." We're currently going over some lyrics and fixing things up a bit and after everything's finished in May I'm actually going back out to L.A. and starting to record it.
читать дальше Wonderwall: Awesome. Can you describe your music a little bit? JW: It's kind of techno-pop. A little bit Lady GaGa mixed with the Scissor Sisters mixed with Sam Sparro. Wonderwall: Are those artists the kind of music you generally listen to? JW: Absolutely, I mean Lady GaGa I think everyone in the world listens to, whether you're a pop fan or a country fan, everyone likes Lady GaGa.
Wonderwall: You've also been wanting to branch out and do more designing. Which celeb would you most like to dress? JW: I'd love to dress Lady GaGa.
Wonderwall: What would you put GaGa in? JW: I'm a big fan of fur. I don't know if she actually wears fur or not but I'm a big fan of fur so something with a giant, weird fur headpiece, almost to make her look like [shes wearing] the traditional Russian hats for their folk dancing, but we'd make it bigger and put some kind of bird sitting on top. Something like that. But I want to make real clothes too, I don't want to make just costumes. Wonderwall: Are there trends with mass appeal right now that you're in favor of or opposed to? JW: I hate the whole farmer chic thing that's going on. I don't like that Chanel did their show in a barn setting with hay. It's not a good style. And I'm from the country and if anyone should like that style it's me and I'm definitely not a fan of that. I really like when people look different, even if they go to a vintage shop somewhere and get a T-shirt that's 50 years old, it's better than going to the Gap and looking the same as everyone else. That's the thing that I hate the most. Anything that's really mass produced like a J. Crew or a Banana Republic or an Abercrombie, something like that, I really hate. Wonderwall: Can you share an example of something in your upcoming memoir that wasn't covered in the press? JW: Well, the book is going to be about me and my story and how I got to where I am. I'm going to deal with some of my past relationships, sexual and not. I'm going to talk about the politics and the behind-the-scenes dealings of figure skating which, even though people don¹t necessarily think of it when they're watching figure skating, it's definitely there. Because of politics I wasn't an Olympic medalist so there's a lot that I have to talk about.
His cell phones rings, blaring dance music: My mother, one second. Mom, I'm on an interview. Can I call you back? Sorry. Wonderwall: That's OK! Can you give our readers a word of spring style advice? JW: I think people don't take enough risks. People are very hung up on the way they appear to other people. If there's too much boob, too much leg, too much need of a man girdle -- a mirdle. Rock your own style and never be afraid to fall down. Even if you look ridiculous one day, you'll fix it the next day. There's no harm in having fun.
I’m completely charmed and dazzled by this gifted Olympian who most certainly marches to his own drummer.
At the GLAAD Media Awards over the weekend, I got to gab with Johnny a bit and he could not have been nicer.
Here is our chat:
Q. You’re such a hero the way you conducted yourself at the Olympics in the face of some difficult circumstances. Where did that strength come from?
A. I find that I’m very strong and that’s something that was instilled in me by my parents. They never told me not to do something or to do it this way, they always pushed my brother and I to do everything the way we thought was right. When you don’t have the constant badgering from family and friends, then you tend to grow and be unique and strong in who you are.
I’ve fallen down more than I’d like to admit in life but I always get up, and I always dust myself off and I keep moving because my parents taught me that.
Q. Your performance in the long program at the Olympics was superb. I could not believe the judges ranked you sixth. How did you feel about your scores?
A. There’s a lot of politics in figure skating and there was already an American assured of a medal when I took the ice. So that, in a way, was already the first nail in the coffin of me not winning a medal at the Olympics. Of course I was so upset and so depressed that I didn’t win a medal. But at the same time, I did the best I could. I rocked. I did the best that I possibly could, I took that audience on a journey and that’s the best that I could have done.
A medal was something that I could not control at all but of course, as an athlete, we don’t like to lose.
Q. It was the performance of a lifetime.
A. It was. It was the performance of my lifetime, probably the best performance I’ll ever give.
Q. Are you enjoying yourself now post-Olympics?
A. I’m so enjoying my life, I’m so enjoying my ribcage (gestures as his skimpy, ribcage baring shirt). Q. Everyone pays attention to everything you say now. You make a little remark on Chelsea Lately about [Olympic Gold Medalist] Evan Lysacek and it’s all over the place. Some thought when you winked at Chelsea you were confirming that you think Evan is gay. Anything you want to say about that?
A. Well, the Evan situation, I was kind of winking at Chelsea to stop and people misconstrued it as me implying something that I wasn’t implying. I don’t know Evan well enough to say anything about his personal life.
еще одно видео - про DWTS, "don't ask don't tell" military policy, etc. читать дальше
UPD. one mooooar мини-интервью.
Johnny on his gloves: "They're like a metallic silver oil slick that I was sloshing through to get here"
On Lysacek: "You know, we've always been competitors. I don't know the dirt and the nitty gritty. We've never been close. I mean, I have no reason to be close with him. He has his life and I have mine."
www.latalkradio.com/Terry.php - интервью Джонни LA Talk Radio. можно скачать или послушать на сайте. начинается примерно с 87 минуты.
- I love my penis! (c) JW о высказывании комментаторов, что ему надо пройти тест на определение пола. Ну и еще раз он говорит, что, я так понимаю, он собирается совершить каминг аут в своей книге. По-крайней мере, что он собирается говорить о своем сексуальном прошлом.
He’s known for his colorful personality, both on and off the ice. Now, outspoken figure skater Johnny Weir will bring his unique voice to the literary world.
Simon & Schuster imprint Gallery Books announced today that it will publish a yet-to-be-titled book from Weir, featuring a collection of anecdotes and essays on skating, fashion, pop culture and the author himself. It’s scheduled for a January 2011 release. “His book will be all things Johnny — vivacious, stylish, honest and one-of-a-kind,” said Jennifer Bergstrom, vice president and editor-in-chief of Gallery Books, in a statement.
Weir, 25, is a three-time U.S. National Figure Skating champ, World Medalist and two-time U.S. Olympian. He’s also the star of his own reality show, Sundance Channel’s Be Good, Johnny Weir.