Traci Lords
Returns To The Dance Floor With "Last Drag"
It has been 16 years since pop icon Traci Lords' album, "1000 Fires," was released in 1995. The first single off of it, "Control," went double platinum, climbing to #2 on the Billboard Dance Charts. It was also featured on the "Mortal Combat" sound track.
The album's second track, "Fallen Angel," was showcased in the Denzel Washington/Russell Crowe film "Virtuosity."
Well, the notorious TL returns to the dance floor with a brand new high-energy single, "Last Drag." "Last Drag is my proclamation that I'm not running from my demons anymore," says Ms. Lords. Really? Sounds intriguing. Tell us about it, Traci..
TL: Goooooood morning! I'm not awake, how are you? (laughs)
MS: (laughs) I'm not awake either!
TL: I flew into New York last night really late.
MS: Really? What time?
TL: Oh, I don't know, I got to bed around 1 am. It wasn't a red eye, but it was an afternoon flight. Then I laid in bed and started thinking about all the things that must be going on around me, in New York and Los Angeles. Then I flopped and flopped about, and all of the sudden it was time to wake up already! (laughs)
MS: Yeah, I flopped around, too. I fell asleep too close to 6 am, the time I had set my alarm. I wanted an hour to get myself together before you called at 7 am.
TL: That's very professional. I am only one cappuccino in and I am still lounging (laughs).
MS: I drank a half-bottle of Tejava Tea so I think I am good to go (laughs).
TL: So, what's your excuse for flopping around?
MS: The same as you, I can't turn my brain off.
TL: Well, I am excited! I flew into New York from Los Angeles for the opening of Studio 54!
MS: Nice!
TL: Sirius Radio is doing a one night thing tonight, to celebrate their new channel that they are launching, that is dedicated to all the music of that era. I never went to Studio 54, but of course I know about the stories, and the outrageousness that took place. So I'm pretty excited.
MS: Well, that's fun!
TL: Rumor has it they are re-creating the exact vibe.
MS: Meaning it's all about the sex, drugs and rock-n-roll!
TL: Now, mind you, I never got to go to Studio 54, it was slightly before my time, not that that has ever stopped me from doing other things I wasn't supposed to do before my time (laughs). The problem is it was on the wrong coast (laughs).
MS: Speaking of music I love this quote about your latest single, "Last Drag". That: "Last Drag is my proclamation that I'm not running from demons anymore. These days, I invite them in for a martini!" I get that, this way you own them.
TL: That's right! You see them, they see you, you are one, it is all peaceful.
MS: Inviting them in makes them more afraid of you, than you are of them.
TL: Exactly! They are less scary.
MS: So, how does "Last Drag" fit into that?
TL: Well, "Last Drag," I think is a great song. It's fun, it's a dance song that has that rock edge and spunkiness to it. The lyrics are meant to be cheeky, and about what you just said, owning things. Saying 'OK, I know what this is, I get the temptation, I'm not going to do it now, it's not good for me.' Then the song ends, with "Well, maybe one more time." (laughs)
MS: That's hot!
TL: I just shot the video with Zalman King directing. I am a huge fan of his as an artist and I am so excited he directed this video! One of my lovers, or temptations, in the video is Sylvia Tosun, who owns Sea To Sun Records, the company that put out "Last Drag". She is a brilliant singer in her own right, she's amazing and fun! Zalman set the video to where I walk in, it's maybe kind of like Studio 54, where it is a room full of my temptations. I look at them and they look at me, it's sexy and it's naughty, all of those things you would expect from Zalman King, without the full frontal nudity (both laugh).
MS: How come it took so long, since 1995, for you to do new music?
TL: I don't know, I really don't know. Synchronicity is a funny thing. (laughs)
MS: I've got "1,000 Fires" in my iPod. I use it at the gym quite frequently.
TL: Oh good! Well, I hope you'll like "Last Drag" and blast it on your iPod, too!
MS: Any new movies on the horizon?
TL: Yeah, I just finished doing an indie called "Excision". It was edited really quickly for consideration for Sundance, I'm really excited for people to see it.
MS: We are excited Traci, we are!
"I kicked that habit, when I kicked your ass out the door." - Last Drag
Take a "Drag" at:
Michael Shinafelt has covered pop & dance music since he first burst on to the writing scene, interviewing everyone from pop icon Olivia Newton-John to pop artist E.G. Daily. Not to mention the many dance divas (male and female) who he has crossed paths with. Other interviews of note are Pamela Anderson, Heidi Fleiss, as well as cover stories on Margaret Cho and Kathy Griffin. Peace.
