Dear Robert,

As you know, i'm still balls-deep in Leigh Bowery, the Australian born Performance Artist who passed away some time ago [...so that Boy George could rise again like some Boweryesque dragged-up Phoenix from the ashes]. I have accumulated this wealth of research material on the poor man, funded by the odd generous scholarship programme, and when I steal (literally, s.t.e.a.l.) some time, I write some more here and there.

Which is actually how you and I met. I got in contact with Dick Richards [Hi Dick!] at Funtone about some Bowery footage, and he passed me on to his talented s(l)av(e)ant - you!

At this stage, I fear that your book on Miss Holly WoodLawn [Hi Holly!] will come out well before mine, and that the incredible Mr. Jeffries in NY [Hi Joe!] will beat both of us by several prolonged genocides with his book on Ethyl Eichelberger.

And then again, Lady Bunny has trumped us all by writing dozens of books in single posts on her blog. Is that 'woman' painting on microchips in lieu of 'wet look' nail polish? Is she half woman half computer now? Where does she find the time? I'm gobsmacked (i know) that the Seniors' Pension over there -in the US- caters for such a life of luxury. Over here -in Australia (i know)- they shuttle the elderly out to hovels that they call 'homes', sell off all their wigs [blatantly not true], and use the poor old dears only as laminated cardboard cut-outs for cheap Current Affairs style shows that make all their money exploiting the elderly, by making shows about how the elderly are being exploited [Hi Mom!]!

But anyway, I digress, here is a little snippet that some lovely person has put up on mytube. Bananarama (i know) had an MTV stylee television show (i know) that played all the 'hot' new music video clips. It's about as bad as you might expect it to be, but this episode had Leigh on as their guest. And it's worth watching just to see how - in your typical freak-domination style 'there's-a-camera-i-am-the-king-of-the-world' move - he shifts from being guest to host in no time at all.

I'll warn you now that the show is rapeful, but it's the kind of historical gem that people like us go spastic over (i know - i used the word spastic, i know).