Ladies and Gentlemen and Children of all ages. My name is Marlowe B. West. Better known as the Ring Leader, in certain circles. Originally from New York, I spent my wild, gypsy, rock and roll youth on the West Coast, in the Hollywood Hills. Laurel Canyon to be precise. Had a high fashion couture boutique, called Let's Get Dressed, down in the ritzy, ditzy, glitzy Delray Beach, in Southern Florida. Where I took pleasure in gathering lovely ladies to model in my fashion shows and would paint the ever so glittering town with these gorgeous girls on my arms. The cameras were always watching. On the Avenue, if they didn't know my name, they would say "There goes the Ring Leader." and I morphed into this dazzling image and lifestyle.

I was once known, in New York City, as The Count, in my early sultry vampire nights working and playing at Max's Kansas City. I cannot assume anything, so I will take a moment to educate those uninformed. Max's Kansas City was the burning hot Rock and Roll Hell in Heaven on Earth, NYC. I later acquired a new moniker when I was sweating through a blazing number I wrote called Sweet Dynamite. I was onstage with my Heavy Metal Glam Rock band, Skintight, and someone yelled "Hey Marlowe B. West. What does the B. stand for?" I snapped back "Bombshell!" The reaction was cataclysmic I still get bombshells hurled at me from time to time. I Love it all.

Now, I am back, in New York City, under a whole different light. As a reporter for Punk Globe, I have gone undercover and changed my platform from The Life and Times of Marlowe B. West to Marlowe B. West Takes Manhattan. Which should, in itself, tell the whole story. It is my intention to bring to the world a peek into the deep dark private places where the heart of NYC pumps it's flourishing waves of creativity. The Underground. I am excited and proud to introduce to you, my first discovery. The Holy Trinity is not just a band. It is a force led by the golden voice of New York's own, legendary, Donna Destri. Combined with the undying power of Man Parrish and the City's latest heart throb, Steven Jones. Youch! The Trinity fills in all the empty spaces.with their own signature sizzling drive that pounds down the sound barriors. Where nothing else really matters. On the dance floor.

Three distinct entities emerge as one unique and powerful force of nature to encompass the mass void between Heaven and Hell.

Radiating sensual emotion with raw aboriginal grit and drive. Mesmerizing and passifying with an underlying defiance. We have all been subconsciously pulling the elements into ourselves. Instinctively vying for survival. Alive, with the first note, we float out into a dream stream. Unfasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride from deep inside. Throughout all Infinity, I bring you The Holy Trinity.

So here I am, languishly loving everything in sight, as the radiant Marquise de la Lillibridge and I slink and slide, and sink into one of the sexy, circular, high-back, flesh colored leather booths. This excellent location, at 13th and Washington St. above the lazy Hudson River, provides the most panoramic view, With the starlit Manhattan skyline all around us on the 18th floor Crows Nest Bar and Lounge. This architecturally stunning Standard Hotel is ironically anything but standard.

The, otherwise, very French and debonair, Maitre 'D frantically emerges from a fracas at the door and "Right this way!" escorts the stars of the evening to our reserved booth. Ms.Donna Destri's dazzling eyes mesmerize mine with a fiery first glance. We had not seen each other in years since Max's. She had, evidently, firmly taken time by it's starched white collar and breezed through in full charge. Completely at home in all this elegance and savoir faire. The DD Diva's countenance was storm-like, in her incredible indigo ensemble. She seemed to scream "Midnight in Manhattan!" as she introduced the dashing young man at her side. "This is Steven Jones!" was an understatement. No doubt! Marquise and I were equally taken aback by this Valentino boy with electronic diamond eyes and a diamond half smile to match. A presence, I do not want to say 'animalistic' but something instinctively striking, very sedate and confident. Sexy as hell and he knew it, the way he seemed to soak in and acknowledge all the obvious attention the dynamic couple had erupted into this ultra cool, sleek and jazzy atmosphere.

"Manny couldn't make it!", Donna apologized. "Poor baby's on a cruise." She was referring, of course, to the mysteriously elusive third party in The Holy Trinity. Man Parrish. Earlier, on the phone, Donna had mentioned they had a Brooklyn gig, so the Standard's usually casual pace was abruptly parlayed. We found ourselves stepped up against the laid back and waining grain."So how do you possibly do a gig without Man Parrish?" "It isn't easy!", she smirked. "Believe me! Manny's absence has to be filled in with a bunch of technician and musician friends of ours who are like family. Manny's main job has already been done in the studio, where he labors endlessly over the mixing board. Sweating out beats and syncs. Creating these paranormal tracks that provide the background to our show and vocals."

"I am well aware of Man's musical genius.", I contended. "Whirling in his Twilight Zone world hey get lost on the dance floor. Sexual bumping echoes that take over your feet, giving even the lamest lame the beat. Junior Vasquez has always put me in semi-similar delirious trances. I Love it. Marquise cut in. "I'm really disappointed. I was looking forward to meeting him."" "Next time!", Donna, the vixen, winked. "He's gonna love you too, Doll!

Think back a minute and tell me when and what it was that made you decide you were going to do music? Any musical training, formal education music courses, school plays, earliest musical involvement publicly?

I've always had a strong connection to music. I can remember certain songs making an impression on me in my very early childhood. Anyone Who Had A Heart by Cilla Black. My Love, My Life by ABBA, my parents playing country music at their late night parties. As I grew up I became fixated with buying records. Singles by obscure European pop acts like Alphaville and Desireless. Albums by Fleetwood Mac, Human League and Kate Bush. I was listening to music everyday through headphones while staring at artwork and reading the lyrics. When I wasn't listening to music I was thinking about it. Music was it's own world, an emotional landscape with infinite possibilities. It was natural to imagine making music, performing it, using this powerful mode of expression to express myself. I scribbled lyrics, played around on rudimentary synths, made primitive demos in cheap recording studios. There's something amazing about recording. It's like captured time. Recently a friend sent me some demos we'd made together when we were 19. He'd digitized them from the original tapes and sent them as MP3s. It's amazing to hear my young self singing. I could instantly recall the room we were in, the day we went to the studio, the ideas we had for the track. That's the power of recording your own ideas! Captured time. So there was no moment of decision to do music. It's just always been a key aspect of my life. It's a soundtrack to everything that's happened to me and completely natural to seek to add to that soundtrack with my own stuff.

Traditionally, I was in the Christmas plays in my grade school.I was also part of the choir.Something I have in common with Steven, though I think that he'll be loathe to tell you he was a choirboy. From the age of seven, I remember being bathed in blue light on stage. I love being on stage, though I have to say I do experience anxiety beforehand. I once had a major anxiety attack at Limelight before a big Downtown Divas show. However, I think that it was sort of a Freudian setback due to the fact that Limelight was a converted Church and I was raised Catholic. I'm in recovery from Catholicism now, however.

I have to laugh, but it's not very funny. When I first went to Limelight and the DJ was on the altar and the statues were gargoyles it was scary.

As far as music goes, I grew up in a musical household. My uncle, who lived downstairs from us was the original drummer in Joey Dee and the Starlighters. There were always musicians in and out of my house. My uncle would take Jimmy and me to the Peppermint Lounge in the afternoon to get us out of my mother's hair. (Donna's brother, Jimmy Destri, is keyboardist in Blondie). Sometimes he would leave us there in the excellent care of bee hived B girls and jazz musicians. I got quite a musical education in my early years. My mother sent me for piano lessons when I was quite young. My piano teacher, a staunch Sicilian called Mary Taglierr, had a son who was a prodigy and played Carnegie Hall at five years old. Needless to say, she was extremely strict and operated under the assumption that everyone was as talented as her little Frankie. Incidentally, Frankie Taglierri was Bette Midler's accompanist before Barry Manilow or Mark Shaiman. After about the fifth lesson, Mrs. Taglierri caught on to the fact that I wasn't practicing and took me by the shirt collar to the window to look at the kids playing stick ball in the street. She proclaimed "See those brats down there? That's where you belong. That was my last piano lesson.

My earliest public musical thing was to sing Ye Banks And Braes, a Scottish folk song, at a Christmas party. I was 8 years old. I was also a choirboy and sang in church everyday including an appearance on Songs Of Praise, a BBC religious show. I have no formal musical training but the performance bug was there from the beginning and I was drawn to theater and film making. At university I studied Drama and Literature, acting in German Expressionist plays and improvised performance art. The pinnacle of my acting career was to appear a as Dracula in a bisexually themed production of Stoker's Vampire yarn. All dry ice and blood and people in various states of undress,

Any encouragement or discouragement regarding your musical ambition?

My parents honestly couldn't care less what I did. Being the middle child and sandwiched between the golden firstborn, Jimmy, and his baby brother Louis, I was largely invisible for much of my youth. I left home at an early age and became the quintessential Rebel Punk. Well you know, Marlowe, what I was like at Max's.

Yeah! Drop dead gorgeous and in complete control..

I try to go my own way and not give too much importance to the opinion of others. I love recording the tracks and if some people are discouraging, I simply disregard what they say. We've had lots of really positive reactions to the music from all over the world and that's so encouraging. But I'd make music even if no one listened. I love the process of recording. The way a song evolves and comes to life. The way it kind of lives 'out there' somewhere

I understand you are both songwriters. Any personal method or rather, how do you set about the task of songwriting? Any preliminary guidelines you might share with potential songwriters? I know I'm a songwriter myself and I would say as a songwriter you would always need to have on you at all times at least a piece of paper folded in your back pocket and a pen or pencil for when that inspiration hits. Be ready for inspiration I would say. What would you add?

Melody haunts me.When I get a new melody in my head it becomes all like a demonic possession until I work it out on the piano and then still I cannot get it out of my head. I call it musical schizophrenia. Instead of the voices, I hear tunes. I've just written the most perfect melody. It's so good in fact that I have to question if it's all mine. But then I say that about all my songs.

I'd suggest putting down a baseline and some beats and then singing across them, totally improvising. Be sure to record it! It's amazing what comes up and exciting to record something so spontaneous. I often find myself singing about fires in shrines which is interesting. Once you've recorded a chunk of improvised material, play it back and you'll find the basis of a new song. The key is to experiment, to let it all out and record it. I'm not so into guidelines and rules. The process of evolving and shaping a track can come later. Step one is to hear the voice of your muse, get the creative vibes flowing and get something on tape. Collaboration is important too. Donna and I have been fortunate to connect some really creative DJ's and producers to have remixed and remade our tracks in really dynamic ways. Phenobar; the guys from Costume, Owen Tate, Adam Newman of The Battle Siren. It's good to be open to input from other people. To allow a song to evolve and not get too precious about it. Our track, Fire for example, exists in so many forms now. So many mixes, and I think that's a great evolution from the rainy afternoon when I wrote it.

Music is used in many ways. I know I love to dance so that is what I look for. A good dance record. Some people like music to alter their emotions or just to distract them from reality. All good examples. How about you?

I use music for dancing, For distraction. For the expression of intense or difficult emotions and to raise my energy. I also use it to face reality. To heal in moments of sadness. As a mirror to my own emotions and as a way of making sense of complex scenarios. Music has been playing in the background of every significant moment in my life. Songs can be old friends or be piercing nostalgic. It is an emotional landscape and all human experience can find expression there. Music lets you swagger and perform. It gives you a space for your glamor and a rhythm for your heat. A transcendent 5 minute pop song has the power to throw glitter all over a dull afternoon. .

Remarkable answer. This sounds pretty morbid but if you were on a sinking ship or some other dilemma where you only had a few minutes to live, what song would you chose to hear for the last time?

(laughingly) Definitely Such A Shame by Talk Talk.

If the ship was really going down and I knew my number was up, I might choose to listen to Troy by Sinead O'Connor, which is one of the most moving and viscerally emotional songs I've ever heard. Or I might opt for It's My Life by Talk Talk which is something of an anthem for me. Or I might lighten things up with something appropriate like Oceans Of Fantasy by Boney M.

Okay! Now Steven brought up an interesting point. He wanted to discuss sex in the music. In the music itself and in the performer. Great angle. Where do you guys stand on that format?

Oh baby! Music and sex are so completely intertwined. As a performer, the whole act of being on stage is like having an orgasm, because the minute you walk off that stage it's so so anti-climactic. Can you really have music without having had a sexual experience/reference or vice-versa? I guess you could, but it would be dreadfully boring. I'd love to think that someday millions of people will be having sex to my music! And of course, "Everyone feels sexier on the dance floor!"

The propulsive energy of dance and rock music arises out of sexual desire. Losing yourself in hypnotic rhythms is the ritualised expression of sexuality. Good dance tracks should contain an ache of longing, a cry for fulfillment, a spark of something dangerously seductive.

And what about your image? How important is a performers image or how relevant do you think it is?

Baby, image is everything. Just examine pop culture in America in the last fifty years. In certain cases, it seems that America rewards mediocrity, that talent is secondary to a provocative image or a pleasing countenance. I'm not going to name names here. You can figure it out!

I've always felt that image plays an important part in music. I admire artists who visually embody their songs. Bowie, Kate Bush, Madonna, Bjork. Pop stars should be extraordinary shouldn't they? They should look otherworldly in some way. I'm not talking about fashion or the industry's obsession with 'stylists'. The image should emanate naturally from the artist. For myself, I like to smoulder! So think lots of carbon eye makeup, some cool European threads, perhaps an old leather jacket that's seen better days. Nothing that's trying too hard, though. I've always been mesmerized by ideas of glamor, of heightened reality. A sheen of artificiality can, ironically, reveal something very real and authentic about someone .

Who are your NYC underground heroes and what is it that you admire and/or can identify with?

I think my NYC underground hero would have to be Man Parrish. He's really an architect of the NY club scene, turning out so many cool tracks over so many years. Who could forget the iconic Male Stripper? It's obviously responsible to the go-go careers of many an innocent boy and it resonates today as a seminal club moment. And I want to give a special mention here to the smouldering Paul Zone for adding his own brand of sexiness to the song. Donna and I have been fortunate to have worked with these guys recently on remixes of "Fire". Man Parrish also produced our recent cover version of Strangelove by Depeche Mode and so he's the third component of our Holy Trinity.

Donna, I know this could be a page long in itself. People are dying to hear what it is like on the inside looking out. Up close and out front.

Well. I'd be lying if I said Debby Harry wasn't a large influence on me. I remember seeing her when I was just a teenager, in the early incarnations of Blondie and thinking that she was just the coolest girl ever. I loved her vocal style. I always thought Debby was kind of like the punk rock Peggy Lee. Icy hot, tough and vulnerable all at the same time. A living oxymoron. I remember being in a club called Mothers with Jerry Nolan. We were there to see Mink DeVille. Jerry put a quarter in the jukebox and played the Chiffon's One Fine Day. He declared that in his opinion, Debby Harry was the only singer around who could come close to that girl group sound that was so special to him. I agreed with him entirely, not that there were many other female singers around at the time mind you. Another huge influence on me was Miki Zone. He was a master craftsmen as far as writing pop music songs was concerned. It was because of Miki that I started to write songs in earnest. He told me that I had an amazing sense of melody and also directed me towards a rather formulaic but effective method of writing pop songs. Before Miki, my only experience with bridges was crossing the Manhattan and Brooklyn on a daily basis. Wow! That sounded really corny but I promise you it's true. I was adept at writing verses and choruses but let's face it, sometimes that middle eight is what can make or break a pop song. Some of the early FAST songs were masterpieces. I always try to emulate Miki's sense of style and structure in my own songs. Still, sometimes it's nice to go off on a tangent and do something completely divergent from the pop formula. It's important to have that option, but you have to know the formulas before you can tamper with them I think. Miki showed me that. I'd have to agree with Steven and say that Manny Parrish is another of my hero's. I mean Hip Hop Be Bop was a milestone in pop culture! I've forgiven him for the gnome voices in Rebel Rebel because of that contribution! I also greatly admire Madonna for her sheer drive and force of will in the early days.

Any juicy tales involving a NYC pop star or pop stars and how have they influenced your own careers?

I've got a million juicy tales! NY is a hive of creativity and it's a city that's produced so many unforgettable figures. But can I dish the juice in such a public forum without risking a scandal? That's really the question. Persuade me! Perfect segue Marlowe. Talk about juicy tales! When Manny and I were managed by Mainman, it was about the same time that Madonna was up and coming and looking for new management.. Well Jamie Andrews, who was a Mainman exec, brought her up to the office to meet Tony Defries and what transpired that day was absolutely mindblowing. It was a rock and roll moment that I'll not forget for the rest of my life. Ms.Thing said to Tony in a very arrogant manner, "I'm gonna make you a fortune; what are you gonna do for me? I remember Tony as a sort of deadpan fellow. His emotions usually ran the gamut from A to B, but he was really rather put off by her remark and he let it show in his face. I was sitting in the living room of the Mainman Suite and I could plainly see him roll his eyes. I might add that at that time I was into a sort of bolero look and had on a gaucho hat and embroidered jacket. Ms.Thing looked into the living room, pointed at me and asked "Who's that?" Shortly after, she copped my bolero look on one of her album covers. When Madonna left the office, Tony proclaimed that he would never work with such an arrogant female artist. I bet he's kicking himself now!

Let's talk about the music. Material? Where does it come from? Input? Engineering etc.

I've been writing and recording songs and sketches of songs for years. So when Donna and I started working together I already had several tracks I thought would be perfect for her. We recorded Fire and it turned out really well so I suggested Donna sing a vocal on another of my tracks, Some Of Your Time. We shot a cool video for this too. Donna is a brilliant song writer and so we've also been working on some of her compositions. We also work with a variety of DJ's and Producers who remix our tracks for clubs all over the world: Phenobar from UK, Adam Newman also from the UK. Costume from Italy, plus NY's Owen Tate. I think there's a shared vision, a certain vibe in the music we make. It's nocturnal, romantic, an element of gothicism perhaps. There's a streak of moody melancholy. A sense of yearning. All good themes for electronic music!

Technique. Your personal style. How it has developed from where to where?

I think my personal style has grown out of my own somewhat maverick vision of the world. I love individuals with a unique glamor and voice. I spent my youth reading European novels and listening to every kind of music. So perhaps this has fed into how I express myself. When I'm singing I'm thinking of a synthesis of myself. Bryan Ferry, Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode and a drop of Mark Hollis from Talk Talk. That louche melancholy has really influenced me. I'm seeking to improve my voice, to make my singing more expressive.

I've always been into glamor and the whole Hollywood movie star trip. When I was with Mainman, one of the things that Tony Defries always impressed on me was to never go out of the house unless I was completely "Done." He believed that you should always have the star persona going on because you never know who you are going to run into when you're out and about in Manhattan. It's a rule I still live by today. I wouldn't be caught dead on the streets of Manhattan without makeup on. I love fashion and I love people who bend the rules with fashion. I remember once I had nothing to wear to a party and my friend Anthony wrapped me in this gorgeous bronze taffeta taken from a bolt he had laying around his house. A few pins and tucks and Voila, I was the best dressed girl at the party. I love when people make statements like that. I admire that kind of statement more than head to toe Chanel. As far as singing style, my biggest influences were people like Julie London, Dusty Springfield, Sandy Shaw and Shirley Bassey. All technically great singers. However, I don't mind a wrong note or two when the passion is there. Mark Hollis's voice is so filled with passion, it can bring me to tears. Such a Shame (pun intended) that he is retiring and depriving his fans of that. I adore when a singer can touch me on such a visceral level. That's the kind of style I most aspire to.

New York City's Underground has given birth to some of the mightiest musicians world over. What do you think it is that keeps the edge on an artists reflection on living, working and playing in the city of New York'? There is a certain mood. An attitude. Rebelliousness. What do you feel inspires this in an individual here in Manhattan?

New York has a special dynamism. It's really the definition of the modern metropolis. It encompasses every aspect of human life an is an infinity of possibilities, a rush of humanity. Perhaps it's the towering buildings reflecting the blue sky, the reek of traffic at street level, that 24/7 up all night vibe. The feeling that absolutely everything that can happen happens in New York.

From early childhood, I've had a love affair with Manhattan. I love the lights, the buildings, the eclectic architecture. One of my favorite things to do is to drive around late at night when the streets are deserted and blast my music. New York can be very festive and fun, but it can also be very cold and bleak at times. It's the perfect backdrop for creative inspiration. I was fortunate enough to have been part of a music scene that has never been rivaled here in the city. The Max's Kansas City and CBGB years were NY's golden years as far as music goes. That has never happened again, nor do I think it ever will.

What do you strive for when you get to the point of recording?

I don't strive. It's an intuitive process. I can immediately feel when something is gonna turn out right. It develops an energy, a life of it's own. really, I just let things happen. I lay down a bass line and some beats, improvise on some lyrics from my notebook and pretty soon something takes shape. Something clicks and the songs there. Mix in Donna's vocals and there's a whole new vibe. I like there to be an atmosphere, a mood. Something that might live in the minds of anyone listening. We're about to record a track with Angie Bowie. I'm very intrigued to hear how thats gonna turn out.

I agree with Steven as far as the recording being an intuitive process. When we recorded Sugar Me, I think we both felt immediately that the song was going to be a good one and that was before any of the remixes. It was an exhilarating and inspiring process to build the tune from the bottom up.

To me, I see and feel a unique chemistry in your band that reeks Gothic, only upbeat and with some almost hypnotic trance drive which I crave, especially played extremely loud. What would you say contributes to my assessment? Or do you disagree?

I totally agree with you, Marlowe! But I always agree with everything you say, as you know. Upbeat yes, but shot through with a darker element perhaps. A smouldering ember of darkness! An element of Fire.

Yes! I'm the Godmother of Goth.

What's on the agenda?

There's a whole lot on the agenda. We're recording a whole lot of new material and producing lots of very cool remixes with our DJ friends. The boys from Costume, Marco Mauss Cozza and Tommy box, have produced six amazing remixes of our tracks which will be available soon on an EP called 'Empire State Neon.' We're shooting some great video as well as planning some more live dates. The album Element of Fire is nearly complete and we're gonna release it...then do another. I love recording music. We're also planning a documentary about our music within the larger context of the NY underground. That's gonna be really interesting.

When I first met Steven Jones, I thought that he should be in movies. He is, after all, quite stunning. I've always felt that I should be in movies. I love shooting the video because I get to feel the frustrated actor in me who's just dying to be recognized. I'd also like to learn more about the technical aspects of recording so that I could do more of it on this end.

This is going back some time, but I remember visiting my pal, Steve Sprouse, the designer. He lived down in the Bowery on the floor above Deborah Harry and Blondie. Looking out his window i observed Debbie and her guys piling into an already jam packed car being driven by the Ramones. They apparently had a mutual gig in Brooklyn. Neither band was famous yet but they were already hot as fire in New York. Sorry to say it's too short a notice for Marquise and I to catch your Brooklyn gig tonight.. I dig your vids like mad. When are you playing again?

We're planning to do more live stuff during the summer. So you'll get a good feel for the vibe! It's going to be a very multi-media show encompassing video and live performance. So, you see us on VId and you get to see us in the flesh. What could be better than that?

Yes I want to eat Europe! London, Milan, Paris, Barcelona Baby!

Does anyone have anything you would like to say to the world from this NYC underground?

I''d like to advise everyone to wear more eyeliner. Everyone is more beautiful with eyeliner so lets have more please. That's coming straight from the NY underground.

Yes a smoky, well blended eye is the epitome of cool