All Art is unstable. Its meaning is not necessarily that implied by the author. There is no authoritative voice. There are only multiple readings.
–David Bowie
No spoilers here, I am a huge (tall, at the very least) RazorCandi fan. She is, without a doubt, the best damn work of art I have the bizarrely good fortune to cover. I write for SexyFandom because I believe in the brand and what it supports and nobody represents those values like Razor Candi. When I heard she had a book coming out, I was stoked. When she blew the roof off of Kickstarter, I knew this was something special. It’s one thing to review her (rather awesome) shoots and videos, but, baby, I’m all tactile and this book feels amazing. I’m talking a hardcore hardcover wonderland. What’s inside, eh? Wouldn’t you like to know!
RazorCandi: Gothic Punk Deathrock Tattoo Pinup Icon starts out with a rather powerful monologue by Kym aka RazorCandi. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing her for a magazine (Spoiler–shhhhh) and I am amazed at how poignant she is with her words. She really is an artist all the way through. One thing that really stuck out to me was her work ethic. I remember the moment when I was writing press for her Kickstarter campaign and I found out she designed her own looks, makeup, costume–bloody everything. I’ve been around modeling for a few years and it was always Zoolander to me, so when RazorCandi said she designed everything from scratch, I was rather blown away (truth be told, I think I dropped the f’bomb to my editor). She imagines it and then becomes it. If you ever get a chance to see her website, check out the BTS stuff. It truly is stunning.
That work ethic translates rather large in this coffee table book. Everything imaginable is on display, live in front of your filthy little eyes. There are shots in here that I didn’t know existed and I cover RazorCandi for a living. That’s how deep in the woods this book goes. You want madness? She’s got you covered. Bettie Page? Nailed it! Girl next door? Yep. A sheborg? Naturally. Your next nightmare? Oh, mais oui! She has pulled out all stops for this book. Her work spans for more than a few years (a decade plus) and not one thing here is rehashed. Nothing is extra. Nothing is a teevee dinner waiting to be warmed up. This is all 100% pure octane–and yet–it’s soft in places. There are photosets that are mellow–low tones–gentle. Of all the people in the world, RazorCandi definitely does not have just ‘one look’.
Her range is not just the outfit. A lot of people can wear clothes (or not) and look good in (or out of) them, but RazorCandi’s emotional connection with the camera is what puts her far beyond most people. She is, in all essence, Mr Spock. Okay, this is going to need a bit of explaining. Nimoy once said that Spock wasn’t emotionless–he felt a wide range of emotions–but he controlled his emotions so well that even the tiniest hint of an eyebrow raise betrayed a whole world of wonder. This is what I see in RazorCandi’s look. What some models do with an over the top gnash, Razor Candi does with a small curl of her lip. I’m looking at one picture right now (for the first time, I’m serious, there are so many great shots in this book and most of them I haven’t seen before!). She has a ripped fishnet top that barely covers her nipples, a pink and black hairstyle, some very tattered fishnet stockings, and a hand tucked down her ammo belt. She has all of that going on as a costume, but it’s that lip that sells the whole thing. In that, we see genuine emotion. When someone–model or not–can show you true emotion, it is a rare event indeed.
I can go on for a rather long time about this book, but the bottom line is–if you are a fan of RazorCandi or of art itself, then stop reading this review and click the link. You need this book in your life. BlueBlood has another hit on their hands (which is something they should be used to with Amelia G and Forrest Black). RazorCandi: Gothic Punk Deathrock Tattoo Pinup Icon and…Best seller (mark my words!).
P.S. If you ever needed another reason to buy this book, then you need to check out her Santa look. I make a living writing and I don’t even know what to say about this one other than ‘Wow!’. Not many people can shut this guy up, so hats off to you, RazorCandi!
