Annie Sprinkle
By Dr. Carol Queen • Jun 20th, 1999 • Category: Carol QueenFriends of Good Vibes know that Annie Sprinkle is one of our favorite artists. From her beginnings as a porn star in the wild and crazy 1970s to her later incarnation as avant-garde performance artist and videographer, Annie’s one-of-a-kind presence makes the world a better place. (See below for a list of Annie’s work available through Good Vibrations.) She’s given us a lot: she’s appeared at our San Francisco store on a number of occasions, performed at our 20th anniversary gala, and we’re proud to count her as a cherished friend of the GV family. Now we’re able to give something back to Annie.
On April 14th, her home (a lovely houseboat in Sausalito) was destroyed by fire. While Annie was in Seattle touring her latest show, “Hard Core From the Heart: Annie Sprinkle’s Herstory of Porn,” her house-sitter left the premises without extinguishing a candle, and virtually everything Annie possessed was destroyed. Her two beloved cat companions, Linda and Tuttles, perished in the fire. The great majority of Annie’s archival material, from video footage to slides and photos, was lost. The fire was not only a personal tragedy for Annie — it was an immeasurable loss to the sex-positive community.
Annie is taking it like a trooper, though she is mourning the loss of her cats. She’s staying with friends in between legs of her tour (since the fire she’s finished the Seattle run — the show must go on! — and taken the show to Amsterdam, Austin and Chicago). And she wants to replace her houseboat paradise and continue to live on the water. After years in New York City, Annie’s been reincarnated as a mermaid.
So Good Vibrations and several other San Francisco organizations are sponsoring “Save the Mermaid! The Annie Sprinkle Fire Show,” to benefit Annie. All funds raised at the June 20th event will go directly to Annie. Tickets are available at both Good Vibrations stores and by mail through City Box Office at (415) 392-4400, for a sliding scale of $20.00 — $100.00. The show will be at the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason in San Francisco; doors open at 3 pm on the 20th and shows start at 4:00 and 8:00, with an Exotic Dancers’ Showcase at 10:00. Over 50 performers will take the stage on behalf of Annie — see below for a partial listing.
But the performers aren’t the only reason to attend. There will also be a silent auction of art, goods, and services; carnival games and activities (including a cock ring toss, a spanking booth, a celebrity Polaroid booth, and much more); a no-host bar; and dancing with some of the Bay Area’s top DJs. If you can’t be there in person, you may be able to attend via the magic of the Internet; we are negotiating for a pay-per-view live and archived webcast, so if you’re interested, check this space the week before the event for an update. (The auction may even be available via the Internet.)
For more about the benefit, you can visit http://www.houseochicks.com/anniesprinkle.html.
And you can still help Annie with donations, even if you live too far away to come to the show. Mail checks made out to Annie Sprinkle to Good Vibrations, 938 Howard St. Suite 101, San Francisco, CA 94103. Please write “Attn: Annie” on the envelope. We will forward all donations to her.
Annie Sprinkle has made the world a more loving and sex-positive place, and if you’ve felt her influence or she’s entertained you, we hope you’ll want to help her rebuild her life. Oh, there’s one more thing Good Vibes is going to do: we’re going to replace Annie’s sex toys!
Partial list of performers at “Save the Mermaid! The Annie Sprinkle Fire Show”: Juliet “Aunt Peg” Anderson, M.I. Blue, Rob Breszny, Pat Califia, Geoffrey Karen Dior, Dossie Easton, Jade Blue Eclipse, Cosi Fabian, Fairy Butch, Fakir with Cleo DuBois, FatChanceBellyDance, The Hail Marys, Scarlot Harlot, Nina Hartley, Thea Hillman, Hank Hyena, Jwala, Candye Kane and the Swingin’ Armadillos, Kaos Kitty, Mistress Kat, Fetish Diva Midori, Frank Moore and Linda Mac, Carol Queen, Reverend Shar and the Word, some of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Margo St. James, Thoth… and many more!
Other sponsors: Climate Theater/Anon Salon, Queen of Heaven, San Francisco Sex Information, Spectator Magazine, the Lusty Lady Theater, House o’Chicks, and SF Weekly.
Annie Sprinkle products available through Good Vibrations:
New! Video version of Annie’s latest show, Annie Sprinkle’s Herstory of Porn
Zen Pussy
Fire in the Valley
Sluts and Goddesses
Linda/Les and Annie
Deep Inside Annie Sprinkle
Post Porn Modernist
XXXOOO Postcards, Volumes 1 and 2
Dr. Carol Queen >> Carol Queen is a writer, speaker, educator and activist with a doctorate in sexology. First as an organizer in the lesbian/gay community, where she helped found one of the first gay youth groups in the United States, and later in the emerging international bisexual community, as a sex worker and a practitioner of alternative sexualities, she typically teaches and writes from her own experience and that of her communities even as she references academic thought on these subjects. See her website: www.carolqueen.com.
All posts by Dr. Carol Queen
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