Johnny Weir on Rachel Zoe and reality TV, his music, memoir and yesterday's All That Skate show
"I want pants that are all feathers, I've wanted to do it for years now."
Johnny Weir is describing his ideal costume for All That Skate LA, a two-day ice spectacular imported from Korea to the Staples Center,where it was held this weekend. Topless in nothing but white plumage capri pants, skating 'Swan Lake' in the Matthew Bourne style, Weir's ambition is a direct reference to the closing scene of the film 'Billy Elliot' and suits Weir's strengths of the dramatic and flamboyant.
But it's also a highly athletic routine, and Weir no longer practices at acompetitive level. Even though he still fits in women's sample sizes, he's feeling self-conscious about his body.
Instead, this weekend, Weir performed his dramatic routine to Richard Clayderman's 'A Comme Amour' in a more forgiving form-fitting black tank top and pants. The performance opened with a triple axel andclosed with the former world champion curled in the fetal position. Forthose familiar with his career trajectory that may seem like ametaphor for his journey from Olympic competitor to prematureretirement following a sixth-place finish.
But in just the last few weeks Johnny Weir has traveled to China and Japan to pose for a forthcoming photography book and model for Voguealongside Hello Kitty, lectured GE executives in upstate New York,begun work on a second single to follow his first effort, 'Dirty Love',negotiated a second season of the Sundance Channel documentary series'Be Good Johnny Weir,' received a Visibility Award from the HumanRights Campaign Seattle, taken meetings for his first jewelrycollection, and attended New York Fashion Week.
It's there, before fur designer Dennis Basso's Spring 2011 presentation, we caught up with Weir sitting for make-up artist Joey Camasta and hairstylist Eric Alt inside the second floor MAC Pro Store in Manhattan's Flatiron District.
Weir would not wear fur to Basso's show, save for extensions of dubious origin his hairstylist, Eric Alt, affixed to his client's Eurotrash mullet.
"It's my pet raccoon, girl" Weir insists before tilting his head back to ask Alt, "Is this Indian child's hair?"
"Yes it is, freshly killed Indian child's hair" Alt assures, not missing a beat. Weir demands the scalp but in truth would want such carnage nowhere near him.
"I'm worried because the furs in shows always get blood thrown on them, and I love my furs too much to ever get blood thrown on them," he admitted.
Not that they weren't offered. Weir receives the perks of so many front row boldface names, free clothes. The outfit he settles on this afternoon is an assemblage of gifts. His loose cobweb of a sweater was taken from the photo shoot for his book. "The color schemes were the mood of the picture, and this [sweater] we pair with a white tutu and a red rose to signify the crown of roses I wore at the Olympics. I was on a bed, I was supposed to be like a doll." The white dinner jacket was a gift from the Japanese designer Buffalo Bob and his white, diamond Chanel J12 watch was a present as well. Such generosity, which began early in his skating career when hewas so often treated to Louis Vuitton accessories by his overseas fans,is a virtue of Japanese culture of which Weir is highly receptive.
"I'm a huge fan of Christina Aguilera and Lady Gaga but I would never go buy them a Birkin bag. Japanese culture is so gorgeous in that way, They're so giving and they know exactly what you like and what you want. It always shocks me because I'm just not one to give big crazy gifts."
Weir isn't ungenerous, he's just frugal. He may clean his Lyndhurst, NJ home in disco shorts, be he still does it himself. "I don't have acleaning lady because I don't trust she would do it aswell as I would do it." He does his own grocery shopping as well, nowthat he's given himself a year's rest from his formerly strict diet regimen. "Set a baby down in front of me and I'll eat it," he jokes to his agent Tara Modlin's chagrin.
"I was just having this conversation with Tara in the car. Because I get so booked, and I get booked so quickly, and my life is so crazy right now, I don't always have time to do everything. It sounds sillyto cancel some big event because I have to clean my house or go grocery shopping, but if I don't do it no one else will. I don't have a lover.I don't have a mother, I don't have an assistant who does all thesethings for me, I have to do it myself." It was in the car in which hedrove here - Weir drives himself everywhere - parked outside thewindow, across West 22nd Street.
"He's on a first name basis with every man who works at a parkinggarage in New York City" Modlin notes, momentarily oblivious to theinnuendo.
Still it's misleading to assume he's inviting of just anyone into hislife. Whether it's cleaning the bathroom or cruising through traffic,Johnny Weir is always behind the wheel. "I'm very much a disciplinarianin that way, and I'm very set in my ways,and its why I don't invite people into my life that often - it'sbecause I'mso particular. I'd be a horrible husband or wife or what have youbecause I'm so particular. I always joke with Tara, whoever ends upwith me has to be really stupid or really busy to put up with me."
Even when Weir isn't romantically involved, he's hard on himself duringtraining, even forgoing self-gratification. "If it's within three weeksbefore competition, I don't touch it. I canwake up completely happy," Weir slaps his hands together, raising themup, "and leave it. Because if you think about it like a battery, mencompletely unchargetheir battery when they have sex they let all their energy go - womentake energy. Women can take energy from sex but men lose energy. Ifyou've been drinking too much the nextday you're sluggish and you're slow but it's not ideal and when you'retraining for something as big as the Olympics."
He says it's a misconception that such behavior is limited to athletes who need to beagitated, aggressive toward an opponent, like on a football field or ina boxing ring. "We're all tigers. We may look gorgeous and beautifuland softand pretty but not at all. It's hardcore sport."
But while Weir embraces the agitation chastity provides, he'll never let it show. "My whole thing with figure skating is makingeverything look as easy as possible and with this new judging systemits almost like the skaters have to make everything look difficult. It'snot me - I make everything easy and sex makes everything harder."
After a hot pursuit of an Olympic medal, Weir's other major flirtationthis year has been with fashion. Last month Johnny Weir appeared on anepisode of 'The Rachel Zoe Project'. The west coast celebrity stylistand her then assistant Brad Goreski dressed Weir for this year'sIndependent Spirit Awards.
"I can get on the ice in front of people, and millions watching aroundthe world, and be more comfortable than with these two reality starswhoI never really met before," Weir confessed, critical of the glimpse hecaught of his on-screen persona after downloading the show on iTuneswhile in China. "Rachel Zoe is somebody I watch and somebody I admirefor the work shedoes, and when I went on the show it was by invitation. Because youknowall reality shows are not reality - except for mine! - and everything hasto be planned and wrapped up. And it was planned that I would go and Iwas nervous because there was no meeting period before then. I'm avery closed person, I don't meet people well, I dont play well with othersin general and I'm always little bit nervous meeting new people and thatcame across."
Weir is even less sure about appearing on Rachel Zoe's other televisionhome. "We've been speaking to QVC and now we're really not sure that'sthe right fit for me." But while he's still in talks about his clothingline, there's more progress to report on his jewelry collection, acollaboration with Los Angeles designer Alana Hale which will beaccessible at a lower price point.
While stubborn about his future clothing line remaining high fashion,he's more realistic about his more affordable accessories. "Everyproject right now is so fun it doesn't have to be lots andlots of money, it doesn't have to be completely couture and high endright away. You have to pay your dues, it's the same with sports." Andlike skating, he sees design as a new arena to apply his discipline andcompetitive spirit. "I'll design it, create it and be totally involved,I'm not somebodythat will put my name on anything if I haven't had any help in thedesign, help in the production of it. It's not me. I wouldn't haveback-up singers on my song because I like everythingto rest solely on me. If it's a success or a failure, it's all on me."
That song of which he speaks is 'Dirty Love', a dance track made withRuPaul producer Lucian Plane. While in Japan Weir learned the single isagain delayed "Since I was gone there was a whole hullabaloo about mysong, so we'regoing to have to push it back just to have all the ducks in a row." Butwhile his dream of performing at the MTV Video Music Awards has nowcome and gone, he continues to look forward to its release. "I wantmore opportunities for [my fans] than one song that was remixed eighttimes. 'Dirty Love' is going to be the first single for sure butI want to have back-ups if I have a hit, I want to have something tofollow it up. But in no way do I fancy myself as an amazing pop star."
He does have one thing in common with so many pop stars today, he's notshy about admitting he uses Auto-Tune on the track. "I told [Lucian]everyone knows I'm not a trainedprofessional singer. I haven't been singing since I was ten years oldand performing. I don't know how all this works. Make me sound - if youneed to do something do it - as authentic as you can, because no one isgoing to understand, no one is going to buy it, if I have thisChristina Aguilera voice. He let me here it unAuto-Tuned and it wasgood, likeif it wasn't me I would still say it was good. But of course he had tofix a few things - just put me in key in a few places - because I don'tunderstand keys or counts or anything. I don't understand how to countmusic. Even in all these years of skating I can't count beats."
So, despite his limitations, will Weir write a second memoir ten yearsfrom now about his life in music? "Well, who can say really? I meanBritney Spears has been a star for along time and she doesn't even sing."
First comes 'Welcome to My World,' his first autobiography, to bereleased January 11th. and while there's still no cover image toaccompany the Amazon listing, shooting is imminent. "I'mgoing to appear pretty much naked and going to emulate the greekgod Atlas. There was a big discussion if I should have the globe on mybackand change it to a disco ball or change it to a big black ball or anice cube or do something creative like that."
Not every story behind a Johnny Weir picture is so glossy however. Hestill feels a weight on his shoulders following the publication of ajabbing profile in New York magazine's Fall Fashion issue which mistookpear juice for a mystery liquor, suggested a tendency to overuse theword girl, and made Camasta - a soft-spoken or smoldering lumberjackdepending whether his glasses are on or off - self-conscious about hisweight. "You can't imagine the number of people who come up to me andgo girrrrllllll,they write to me on Twitter and it has girl with thirteen I's."
During interviews he conducted while in Asia, Weir learned he has to becareful with the words he chooses, that there's a slang Americans maytake for granted that foreign translators may find cryptic. But hedidn't think he would have to be so careful with an Americanjournalist. What gave him solace was the popular reaction to the piece.
"My fans are really what makes me. I was sixth in the Olympics, that'snot usually a good way to get into the public eye. My fans fight for mefor everything - in Betty White style. So it wasincredible to have that reaction the piece. I was unhappy. It reallywas negative about all the people I love and surround myself with andit hurt my feelings. I can take a lot. But my team isn't quite as strongas me. So when you attack the team, you attack me. Nobody in thefigure skating world as the same fan support I do."
Weir believes he's earned that fan support by not only remaining trueto himself but by honestly expressing himself in the public eye. "Icame to realize that, especially during theOlympics this year. My gender was questioned and attacked and therewere so many people responding, respecting me for speaking veryfreely and openly about my feelings and I wasn't just a cagedathlete and not able to talk beyond I was very happy with what I didtoday and I did my best. That usually is the end of what I can talkabout. Then so many mothers of weird little kids, weird littlethemselves,and weird older kids were coming up to me, and writing, and complimentmeon what I was doing. That was amazing because I never really graspedthat leadership role."
Despite capitalizing on his creativity and keeping up appearances, it'sunclear if Weir can maintain that role off the ice, so he was honoredby Yuna Kim's invitation to this weekend's show.
"To be thought of as a prime American you can get in the skating showmakes me very happy." It's something he didn't think could happen -appealing to American sports fans - without giving up his penchants forforeign languages, labels and travel. a prelude to his own iceproduction early next year. "I'm very excited because I very rarely getthe opportunity toperform in a big show in America. There is no big tour right now that'spopular that lots of people go to so i haven't been doing anythinghuge,besides doing my own show I want to put on in New York in late winter.It'll be skating but it'll be more of a spectacular than a skating showbecause it's what I do, it's who I am. I don't want people to startthinkingI forget where I come from or forget that I'm an ice skater. I do allthese other projects for furn because I enjoy it, and I love it, but Idon't think of myself as anything different than what I was - just aniceskater. That's what I am, just with lots of other side projects."
Whether he still envisions himself as a competitive skater, he can't say. "I won't return to skating competitively unless I can contend. Even at this Olympics I contended, but I still didn't win a medal which was completely depressing." Whether he does or does not return to competition, criticism from coaches and the political pressures of the sport won't be a deciding factor. "There were so many years of that,that this public outpouring of acceptance and love to me has completely killed all the negative impressions of myself and what I was trying to portray."
There's no doubt, moving forward, Johnny Weir will remain in control of every role he portrays, the only question is whether he can still play one in feather pants.
Source
x-posted to weirsjohnny
Johnny Weir is describing his ideal costume for All That Skate LA, a two-day ice spectacular imported from Korea to the Staples Center,where it was held this weekend. Topless in nothing but white plumage capri pants, skating 'Swan Lake' in the Matthew Bourne style, Weir's ambition is a direct reference to the closing scene of the film 'Billy Elliot' and suits Weir's strengths of the dramatic and flamboyant.
But it's also a highly athletic routine, and Weir no longer practices at acompetitive level. Even though he still fits in women's sample sizes, he's feeling self-conscious about his body.
Instead, this weekend, Weir performed his dramatic routine to Richard Clayderman's 'A Comme Amour' in a more forgiving form-fitting black tank top and pants. The performance opened with a triple axel andclosed with the former world champion curled in the fetal position. Forthose familiar with his career trajectory that may seem like ametaphor for his journey from Olympic competitor to prematureretirement following a sixth-place finish.
But in just the last few weeks Johnny Weir has traveled to China and Japan to pose for a forthcoming photography book and model for Voguealongside Hello Kitty, lectured GE executives in upstate New York,begun work on a second single to follow his first effort, 'Dirty Love',negotiated a second season of the Sundance Channel documentary series'Be Good Johnny Weir,' received a Visibility Award from the HumanRights Campaign Seattle, taken meetings for his first jewelrycollection, and attended New York Fashion Week.
It's there, before fur designer Dennis Basso's Spring 2011 presentation, we caught up with Weir sitting for make-up artist Joey Camasta and hairstylist Eric Alt inside the second floor MAC Pro Store in Manhattan's Flatiron District.
Weir would not wear fur to Basso's show, save for extensions of dubious origin his hairstylist, Eric Alt, affixed to his client's Eurotrash mullet.
"It's my pet raccoon, girl" Weir insists before tilting his head back to ask Alt, "Is this Indian child's hair?"
"Yes it is, freshly killed Indian child's hair" Alt assures, not missing a beat. Weir demands the scalp but in truth would want such carnage nowhere near him.
"I'm worried because the furs in shows always get blood thrown on them, and I love my furs too much to ever get blood thrown on them," he admitted.
Not that they weren't offered. Weir receives the perks of so many front row boldface names, free clothes. The outfit he settles on this afternoon is an assemblage of gifts. His loose cobweb of a sweater was taken from the photo shoot for his book. "The color schemes were the mood of the picture, and this [sweater] we pair with a white tutu and a red rose to signify the crown of roses I wore at the Olympics. I was on a bed, I was supposed to be like a doll." The white dinner jacket was a gift from the Japanese designer Buffalo Bob and his white, diamond Chanel J12 watch was a present as well. Such generosity, which began early in his skating career when hewas so often treated to Louis Vuitton accessories by his overseas fans,is a virtue of Japanese culture of which Weir is highly receptive.
"I'm a huge fan of Christina Aguilera and Lady Gaga but I would never go buy them a Birkin bag. Japanese culture is so gorgeous in that way, They're so giving and they know exactly what you like and what you want. It always shocks me because I'm just not one to give big crazy gifts."
Weir isn't ungenerous, he's just frugal. He may clean his Lyndhurst, NJ home in disco shorts, be he still does it himself. "I don't have acleaning lady because I don't trust she would do it aswell as I would do it." He does his own grocery shopping as well, nowthat he's given himself a year's rest from his formerly strict diet regimen. "Set a baby down in front of me and I'll eat it," he jokes to his agent Tara Modlin's chagrin.
"I was just having this conversation with Tara in the car. Because I get so booked, and I get booked so quickly, and my life is so crazy right now, I don't always have time to do everything. It sounds sillyto cancel some big event because I have to clean my house or go grocery shopping, but if I don't do it no one else will. I don't have a lover.I don't have a mother, I don't have an assistant who does all thesethings for me, I have to do it myself." It was in the car in which hedrove here - Weir drives himself everywhere - parked outside thewindow, across West 22nd Street.
"He's on a first name basis with every man who works at a parkinggarage in New York City" Modlin notes, momentarily oblivious to theinnuendo.
Still it's misleading to assume he's inviting of just anyone into hislife. Whether it's cleaning the bathroom or cruising through traffic,Johnny Weir is always behind the wheel. "I'm very much a disciplinarianin that way, and I'm very set in my ways,and its why I don't invite people into my life that often - it'sbecause I'mso particular. I'd be a horrible husband or wife or what have youbecause I'm so particular. I always joke with Tara, whoever ends upwith me has to be really stupid or really busy to put up with me."
Even when Weir isn't romantically involved, he's hard on himself duringtraining, even forgoing self-gratification. "If it's within three weeksbefore competition, I don't touch it. I canwake up completely happy," Weir slaps his hands together, raising themup, "and leave it. Because if you think about it like a battery, mencompletely unchargetheir battery when they have sex they let all their energy go - womentake energy. Women can take energy from sex but men lose energy. Ifyou've been drinking too much the nextday you're sluggish and you're slow but it's not ideal and when you'retraining for something as big as the Olympics."
He says it's a misconception that such behavior is limited to athletes who need to beagitated, aggressive toward an opponent, like on a football field or ina boxing ring. "We're all tigers. We may look gorgeous and beautifuland softand pretty but not at all. It's hardcore sport."
But while Weir embraces the agitation chastity provides, he'll never let it show. "My whole thing with figure skating is makingeverything look as easy as possible and with this new judging systemits almost like the skaters have to make everything look difficult. It'snot me - I make everything easy and sex makes everything harder."
After a hot pursuit of an Olympic medal, Weir's other major flirtationthis year has been with fashion. Last month Johnny Weir appeared on anepisode of 'The Rachel Zoe Project'. The west coast celebrity stylistand her then assistant Brad Goreski dressed Weir for this year'sIndependent Spirit Awards.
"I can get on the ice in front of people, and millions watching aroundthe world, and be more comfortable than with these two reality starswhoI never really met before," Weir confessed, critical of the glimpse hecaught of his on-screen persona after downloading the show on iTuneswhile in China. "Rachel Zoe is somebody I watch and somebody I admirefor the work shedoes, and when I went on the show it was by invitation. Because youknowall reality shows are not reality - except for mine! - and everything hasto be planned and wrapped up. And it was planned that I would go and Iwas nervous because there was no meeting period before then. I'm avery closed person, I don't meet people well, I dont play well with othersin general and I'm always little bit nervous meeting new people and thatcame across."
Weir is even less sure about appearing on Rachel Zoe's other televisionhome. "We've been speaking to QVC and now we're really not sure that'sthe right fit for me." But while he's still in talks about his clothingline, there's more progress to report on his jewelry collection, acollaboration with Los Angeles designer Alana Hale which will beaccessible at a lower price point.
While stubborn about his future clothing line remaining high fashion,he's more realistic about his more affordable accessories. "Everyproject right now is so fun it doesn't have to be lots andlots of money, it doesn't have to be completely couture and high endright away. You have to pay your dues, it's the same with sports." Andlike skating, he sees design as a new arena to apply his discipline andcompetitive spirit. "I'll design it, create it and be totally involved,I'm not somebodythat will put my name on anything if I haven't had any help in thedesign, help in the production of it. It's not me. I wouldn't haveback-up singers on my song because I like everythingto rest solely on me. If it's a success or a failure, it's all on me."
That song of which he speaks is 'Dirty Love', a dance track made withRuPaul producer Lucian Plane. While in Japan Weir learned the single isagain delayed "Since I was gone there was a whole hullabaloo about mysong, so we'regoing to have to push it back just to have all the ducks in a row." Butwhile his dream of performing at the MTV Video Music Awards has nowcome and gone, he continues to look forward to its release. "I wantmore opportunities for [my fans] than one song that was remixed eighttimes. 'Dirty Love' is going to be the first single for sure butI want to have back-ups if I have a hit, I want to have something tofollow it up. But in no way do I fancy myself as an amazing pop star."
He does have one thing in common with so many pop stars today, he's notshy about admitting he uses Auto-Tune on the track. "I told [Lucian]everyone knows I'm not a trainedprofessional singer. I haven't been singing since I was ten years oldand performing. I don't know how all this works. Make me sound - if youneed to do something do it - as authentic as you can, because no one isgoing to understand, no one is going to buy it, if I have thisChristina Aguilera voice. He let me here it unAuto-Tuned and it wasgood, likeif it wasn't me I would still say it was good. But of course he had tofix a few things - just put me in key in a few places - because I don'tunderstand keys or counts or anything. I don't understand how to countmusic. Even in all these years of skating I can't count beats."
So, despite his limitations, will Weir write a second memoir ten yearsfrom now about his life in music? "Well, who can say really? I meanBritney Spears has been a star for along time and she doesn't even sing."
First comes 'Welcome to My World,' his first autobiography, to bereleased January 11th. and while there's still no cover image toaccompany the Amazon listing, shooting is imminent. "I'mgoing to appear pretty much naked and going to emulate the greekgod Atlas. There was a big discussion if I should have the globe on mybackand change it to a disco ball or change it to a big black ball or anice cube or do something creative like that."
Not every story behind a Johnny Weir picture is so glossy however. Hestill feels a weight on his shoulders following the publication of ajabbing profile in New York magazine's Fall Fashion issue which mistookpear juice for a mystery liquor, suggested a tendency to overuse theword girl, and made Camasta - a soft-spoken or smoldering lumberjackdepending whether his glasses are on or off - self-conscious about hisweight. "You can't imagine the number of people who come up to me andgo girrrrllllll,they write to me on Twitter and it has girl with thirteen I's."
During interviews he conducted while in Asia, Weir learned he has to becareful with the words he chooses, that there's a slang Americans maytake for granted that foreign translators may find cryptic. But hedidn't think he would have to be so careful with an Americanjournalist. What gave him solace was the popular reaction to the piece.
"My fans are really what makes me. I was sixth in the Olympics, that'snot usually a good way to get into the public eye. My fans fight for mefor everything - in Betty White style. So it wasincredible to have that reaction the piece. I was unhappy. It reallywas negative about all the people I love and surround myself with andit hurt my feelings. I can take a lot. But my team isn't quite as strongas me. So when you attack the team, you attack me. Nobody in thefigure skating world as the same fan support I do."
Weir believes he's earned that fan support by not only remaining trueto himself but by honestly expressing himself in the public eye. "Icame to realize that, especially during theOlympics this year. My gender was questioned and attacked and therewere so many people responding, respecting me for speaking veryfreely and openly about my feelings and I wasn't just a cagedathlete and not able to talk beyond I was very happy with what I didtoday and I did my best. That usually is the end of what I can talkabout. Then so many mothers of weird little kids, weird littlethemselves,and weird older kids were coming up to me, and writing, and complimentmeon what I was doing. That was amazing because I never really graspedthat leadership role."
Despite capitalizing on his creativity and keeping up appearances, it'sunclear if Weir can maintain that role off the ice, so he was honoredby Yuna Kim's invitation to this weekend's show.
"To be thought of as a prime American you can get in the skating showmakes me very happy." It's something he didn't think could happen -appealing to American sports fans - without giving up his penchants forforeign languages, labels and travel. a prelude to his own iceproduction early next year. "I'm very excited because I very rarely getthe opportunity toperform in a big show in America. There is no big tour right now that'spopular that lots of people go to so i haven't been doing anythinghuge,besides doing my own show I want to put on in New York in late winter.It'll be skating but it'll be more of a spectacular than a skating showbecause it's what I do, it's who I am. I don't want people to startthinkingI forget where I come from or forget that I'm an ice skater. I do allthese other projects for furn because I enjoy it, and I love it, but Idon't think of myself as anything different than what I was - just aniceskater. That's what I am, just with lots of other side projects."
Whether he still envisions himself as a competitive skater, he can't say. "I won't return to skating competitively unless I can contend. Even at this Olympics I contended, but I still didn't win a medal which was completely depressing." Whether he does or does not return to competition, criticism from coaches and the political pressures of the sport won't be a deciding factor. "There were so many years of that,that this public outpouring of acceptance and love to me has completely killed all the negative impressions of myself and what I was trying to portray."
There's no doubt, moving forward, Johnny Weir will remain in control of every role he portrays, the only question is whether he can still play one in feather pants.
Source
x-posted to weirsjohnny