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Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Sexerati Interviews: Molly Crabapple

filed under: Erotic Elite, We Make Art Not Sex, Sexerati Interviews by Lux Nightmare

Heads up!  Sexerati Interviews is now on Tuesday, and The Future of Sex has been moved to Thursdays.  Subscribe to Sexerati and never worry about missing a feature!

I first met Molly Crabapple at a mutual friend’s party. We bonded over cupcakes, gossiping about altporn, nude modeling, and trying to make it in New York City. Two and a half years later, Molly’s tenacity and whipsmart business sense has brought her a bunch of fancypants clients, an awesome book, and the coolest lifedrawing class since, well, ever. Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School – a cross between cabaret and life drawing class – meets every other Saturday in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and has spawned spinoff events all around the country (and internationally!), as well as Dr. Sketchy’s Official Rainy Day Coloring Book. I recently sat down with Molly to pick her brains about art, sex, and hot naked men.

So what’s the history of Dr. Sketchy’s? How’d that get started?
During college, I worked as an artists’ model. Going into it, I was under the delusion that modeling was a glamorous profession, tied in with Paris and absinthe and all that la-di-da. Not so. And boy was it low paid. I started Dr. Sketchy’s to bring to life some of my fantasies. And to give models a nice wage.

There’s some really great antecedents to Dr. Sketchy’s in bohemian culture of times yore. What would your biggest inspirations, in the history of sexy art scenes and eras, be?
While I have my inspirations, I’m sure that, looked upon in the harsh light of fact, they’re pretty a-historical. That said, Kiki de Montparnasse, the Bal des Quaz’arts, the Zutistes, and all that crazy bohemian Parisian stuff was a big inspiration.

Dr. Sketchy’s has made a point to have male models as well as female models. How has your audience reacted to that? Are hot naked men received as well as hot naked women?
Unfortunately not. It seems like, unless you tap into a gay male audience, it’s much harder to make a buck off of guys than girls. Straight women seem more inclined to shell out cash to ogle other women than to men, which makes me kind of sad for society.

Several of your male models have come from the burlesque scene: is the burlesque world more accommodating of hot naked men than the art world?
Male burlesque perfomers have been enthusiastically welcomed into the burlesque community. There’s ever a special category for them at Miss Exotic World (Miss America for peelers). Frankly, I love the fact that there are men- especially hot, macho ones- performing. Sometimes, doing burlesque feels like working in a harem.

In your opinion, who’s more fun to draw: naked men or naked women?
For me… naked men. Though I’m better at naked women, mostly because I practiced drawing myself.

What’s the best piece of advice you can give to aspiring young artists?
If you want to make money, develop a consistent style. Art directors and gallery owners have very little imagination, and versatility confuses them.

Here’s the one thing we’re all dying to know: do you have any debauched Dr. Sketchy’s hookup tales? Has love (or at least, lust) been found after the pencils go down?
Every single man, and a significant minority of women, is in love with Lady J [a Dr. Sketchy’s model].

What one thing do you consider to be most essential to a good, healthy sex life?
Twisted, unhealthy sex is more my speed.

And lastly: any plans for the future that our readers should know about?
Dr. Sketchy’s is coming to a city near you! In March, I’m doing a national book tour (which means lugging bags and sleeping on floors in ten cities across the country). So, if you live in LA, SF, PHX, Norfolk, Boston, Durham, DC, Baltimore, Richmond or Greensboro, come to my signings. I will love you and shower you in free buttons. Deets at www.drsketchy.com/tour.php.

Need more Molly? Check out her website. Learn more about Dr. Sketchy’s here.

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