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Interviews

 

"The Internationally Controversial Angel Eyedealism"

by Harry James Hanson

October 12, 2013

 

"Out & About in the East Village"

by James Maher

December 12, 2012

 

"Angel Eyedealism" - Citysearch New York

 

If ever there were a diva who had her shit together, Angel Eyedealism is that goddess. A fully realized vision with such platinum blonde hair and fantastical hats that she's often mistaken for a drag queen, Angel is more than a mere singer. From her '83 roots as a wild performance artist at East Village gallery openings, Angel has ventured into a cappella, spoken word performance, painting, singing, even standup comedy, and she's found her groove creating trip-hop electronica music. But she's an Eyedealist who manages to stay grounded in the real world, too: She has her own label in the works, an artists' collective for semi-unsignable, crazy right-brained, non-conformist musicians like 

Formally trained as an opera singer, Angel utilizes her full five-octave range to give a different syntax and vibe to the normally subdued tones of trip-hop. Her larger-than-life voice is matched by her flamboyant performance style, and she can tap into the energy of any kind of crowd to get them going. Her band, Angel Eyedealism and the Horny Spawn, is about to go into the studio to start recording their new album, and, in the meantime, you can catch them around the city. Their unique sound brings her Nina Hagen-esque voice to Portishead type music venues such as Brownies, the Knitting Factory, Starlight Lounge and Baby Jupiter for the past year. When Angel's "on," she's an immediate center of attention - she bills herself as the "Tom Jones of trip-hop." But for Angel, it's not just about her: Her performances are supposed to provide not only entertainment, but "theatrical cathartic relief." "I suffer for you," she laughs, "songs come out like pissing ... stream of consciousness filled with life experiences." 

Angel is an avid believer in astrology. Though her pragmatic, no-nonsense attitude doesn't allow for the really "airy-fairy" stuff, she's seen "too many quirky, strange or unknowable things" answered by astrology to be a non-believer. Her current name, Angel Eyedealism, chosen as an emblem and a tribute to "the struggle against cynicism in the face of adversity" is meant to evoke her softer, more idealistic side - as divined by the sun's current alignment with Neptune. Angel also gives readings at Lucky Cheng's on Friday and Saturday nights: "I like to do things for people. And now I get paid for it." Her customers often assume she's a trannie, with her gender/bending/blending amorphous looks. Little do they know that she's 

Angel's even pragmatic about her psychic needs. To keep centered, she undergoes therapeutic bodywork like Reiki and hypnotherapy to work out her day-to-day issues. "There's no ego in there - so much more room to move around in the subconscious." She also takes yoga once per week, maintaining down-to-earth logic in the midst of her fierce creativity. Determined to "live the mind-body-spirit thing, not just keep it as an abstract ideal," Angel is living an "existential experience that takes her on an adventure" through "lush music, bizarre elegance and sophisticated fun." 

- Karyn Gladstone


"A BITE OF THE BIG APPLE - Club Buzz"
Thursday, December 14, 2000 
By HIEDI SIEGMUND CUDA, Special to the Los Angeles Times

So much so that I left another message with Gary Hayes, the bar's designer, who invited me to the nightclub-restaurant called Guernica the following night to a record-release party for Angel Eyedealism and the Horney Spawn. 

I'd shown Hayes some southern Cali hospitality by taking him to Cherry(a night so memorable and scandalous, you find it only in my memoirs) and he repaid the favor. At Guernica, I fell head over heals into a scene of fun, I transformed into a dancing queen. 

Singer Angel Eyedealism dresses like a full-on drag queen, with madcap headdresses and the coolest pink, glitter eye shadow. She's like Nina Haage-dazs, two scoops of fun, voluptuous and campy. I danced like an insane fool with Hayes' insane clown posse, a fascinating collective of artists, actors and humanitarians. 

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