A name change, and stunning new look, for all things candle, soap and smell!
Brought to you by Drummer, Business Woman and Reality TV Star; Athena Bass.
Athena Lee
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Syc Skull
When couture designer Bucky Bakes made his break from small town USA to Hollywood to make noise with The SYC BOi$, there really was only music on his mind.
Unfortunately he had to diversify. Although the band was doing pretty well in the beginning, the fights started, the drummer went off to rehab, and the guitar player trying to shrug off habits, couldn’t take it anymore and killed himself.
During this turmoil, Bakes had started to realize that maybe music wasn’t the way to go. He did some behind the scenes management and video producing, but the custom clothing pieces he had started to make for his and other bands, started to become the prominent feature in his existence and he stopped doing everything else to concentrate on the clothing line. He started SYC FUK (Street Youth Couture From Unwanted Kids). A real up yours to all the backwoods bullies from back home. “They were so judgemental back there. This was my fuck you with no four letter words, something that they always preached against. Success really is the best revenge though.”
Bakes explains “I was a smaller kid, and I had an earring. I was a punk rocker, but of course in a town full of hicks and red necks that made me the town fag. I’d flip them off at the school dances or the football games. They would come after me and I could probably outrun them, but I was usually drunk and high so I’d end up face planting into a wall and getting a beating. It definitely toughened me up!”
Bakes had no idea back then that he would one day be compared to the likes of Punk Designers Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood. The two changed the face of Punk with their shop SEX, on Kings Road in London, fashioning garb for the likes of The Sex Pistols, whom McLaren also managed, along with Bow Wow Wow and Adam Ant.
“Of course back then I had no idea that these punk bands had a designer. We were ripping things, using safety pins, chains, spray paint, in fact anything we could access to make ourselves stand out. Back then the only time you had a shirt with a band name on it was from an actual show. I was not so much into the European bands. I loved The Sex Pistols, but I also loved Black Flag and The Dead Kennedys, Circle Jerks and TSOL to name just a few.”
So very far away from an ass kicking, Bakes is in Hollywood, making clothes and they are showing up on the backs of the rich and famous rockers he once aspired to be. That must have been better than a kick in the ass from Billy Ray Redneck?
“You know, I think it’s great that some of the bands I listened to and had pictures of on my wall when I was younger will wear my clothes, but a lot of these people want shit for free. It doesn’t happen now, but I’ve had people order items and I have made them, taken them to their house and handed them an invoice which barely covered the cost of materials, never mind, sourcing, hand cutting patches, the work of two others hand making the item and they have been offended that I would dare to charge them at all. I have sold a jacket that retails at $5,000 for $500 and still it’s not good enough for some of these people. They say ‘give it to me for free, its great advertising.’ This star thing doesn’t mean shit to me. If I would ask them to play a charity show at The Roxy or the like, they would ask how much I was paying them. I say play for free its great advertising. They say no way. I say exactly so…. FUK OFF AND PAY ME FOR MY WORK ! ”
This may seem unbelievable when the man hours on a leather jacket cannot even be calculated but it is an absolute fact!
Of course it can be down heartening, especially when they literally eat, sleep and live work, to be treated like shit and with so little respect, by those who should know better. Bakes explains this in real terms. “I take five steps from my house to my shop. I work, I eat, I go to the gym and I take five steps back home. Last night I worked until three am.”
That is true passion and a serious case of dedication. It is paying off…
A short while ago Bakes was featured on Slice Networks Ex-Wives of Rock, when Tobi Tyler Kottak and her musical mom Athena were present for a modelling assignment, giving him some great advertising in Canada. Bakes tells TiTT that, “I have no concrete plans on opening up a store in Canada, but I am looking for a good distributor that understands the SYC FUK Family and what we stand for. I really haven’t been that interested in stores until now, but I will make more money from opening stores, so 2013 is the year for that. I aim to have SYC FUK into 50-100 worldwide. Right now sales are mainly US, Canada, Australia, UK, Japan, Taiwan and a few places in Europe. Fans see people like The Scorpions wearing the clothes and they want some too. I will be diversifying a little for the stores. There will be more in the way of active wear, swimwear, athletic and Moto X also.”
TiTT thinks that Bakes needs to make XXL’s, but there is not an option online. Until the stores open can we only order teeny weeny sizes online?
“You know, that is just a glitch. I will make clothes for Samson and Goliath, or a leprechaun. Just get in touch and I can do it. I make everything custom, no matter your size or shape. We are all different.”
That is great news….
“Yes, all sizes are available to order from SYC. If you don’t see exactly what you want to order, just hit me up info@sycfuk.com and ask me for any size or color of any item. I love to do custom pieces for our SYC FUK family members!”
;
We are already surrounded by SYC FUKERS Criss Angel, Jacoby Shaddix, Josh Todd, DJ Ashba and Charlie Sheen. All have been eyeballed wearing Bakes merch.
It would seem that this SYC FUK is now coming for you.
By Karen Graham 14 January 2012
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Sharise, Bobbie, Blue and Athena
Any real 80’s rock fan from Canada has certainly already seen this show. Shown on the Slice Network during Summer 2012, the show has been critically acclaimed North of the border.
November 27th 2012 came the news that FUSE TV in the US, has picked up this very entertaining and very emotional reality show.
Episode One of Ex Wives Of Rock airs on Fuse in the US on Friday December 7th 2012
Following the lives of Athena, Bobbie Brown, Sharise Neil and Susan Blue Ashley, you will see anger, aggression,sorrow, smiles, boobs, bums and botox.
A wild ride and a MUST see for worshippers of hair metal and beautiful babes the world over!
Congratulations on your appointment to FUSE and a very Merry Christmas to all involved from Headbangerwoman.
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“It’s just not good to be full of shit, in either sense.” Susan Blue Ashley, shared with Headbangerwoman.com recently.
You just know that Ashley has encountered more than her fair share of constipated people, asshole connected or otherwise in her 40 some years.
The Ex-Wives Of Rock
Ashley, most recently known for her part in the Slice TV, Tricon production Ex-Wives of Rock, was asked to be a part of the cast because she was married to Warrant bassist Jerry Dixon. The two have a son together. Grady has just turned 19 and made his TV debut on the show.
Back in the late 80’s it was only right that a member of Warrant was with a hot looking girl. Hot looking girls wanted to bag a member of Warrant…..
Blue and Jerry. The early days!
Dixon and Ashley met in New York, away from the kafuffle that was Hollywoods infamous Sunset Strip. She was hot, still is in fact. He was in Warrant. He remains a part of the band. “You know, Warrant had just released their first single, they were starting to tour. Jerry had seen all the other kinds of women on the strip. It was different for us. I was working at MTV, we met in an elevator at ABC. I was a VJ on the show Remote Control. Recording six or seven shows a day, I had no time for anything else, other than grabbing a pizza at the end of the day and going home to sleep. For four months or so we had nothing more than a relationship by phone. He was amazed by the fact that he could call me from any time zone and I would be home at night!”
The relationship ended when Blue Saw Red after Dixon introduced additional boobs and butt into the relationship. Some would say he was a Dirty, Rotten, Filthy, Stinking, Bitch. Whatever the case, Ashley took their son and left Uncle Toms Cabin, headed for a different kind of Heaven.
Warrant bassist. Jerry Dixon.
“I totally removed myself from that lifestyle.” Ashley tells.
“Fortunately we were able to work things out as far as Grady is concerned. I give Jerry a lot of credit for being willing for us to work together and put Grady first. Grady is a sensitive, mindful and thoughtful, gosh darn nice person. You know, I was a single Mom for twelve years, we have a special bond. Even now if he calls me when shit has hit the fan, I will drop everything to be there for him. When your kids start to grow up, It’s hard to let go, but I want him to have a life, you know? I will go to concerts with him when I have no idea about the band. I don’t understand the music, these days! We have movie night. You know, a movie we have seen a thousand times, no cell phones. I see him pushing away from the dock, and becoming his own man, but it makes the transition easier when you make time to spend together.”
After twelve years as a single Mom, Ashley and Tripp became partners and Tripp became part of the family. Ashley describes Tripp as “An amazing person. Grady is a credit to Tripp too. They have a special bond. Tripp is a motivator, Grady is more of an old school lawnmower and he needs that extra push to get going. We recently went on a deep sea fishing trip. We love to do that kind of thing as a family.”
It seems though that Ashley is not as keen to share when it comes to organising her home.
She appeared on TV as a quite controlling individual with a serious case of OCD. “It’s all about me knowing what is going on.” Ashley is quite jovial about her portrayal. “These days I am constantly running around, with a new business and taking care of my families needs! I need to plan and I like to know what’s happening. I do laundry every day; my clothes need to be in the right place. I teach and exercise so much that I have a bag for the gym, a bag for aerial classes and yet another one for the studio! I double check everything. My OCD actually means I function normally!”
Photograph by VeroFotoRock
In addition to her TV appearances Ashley is the owner of Metamorphosis; mind, body and pole, exercise facility in Los Angeles. “I was in my forties when I stated Polling.’ Ashley tells with the enthusiasm of a child with a shiny new toy. “I just knew it was for me.”
With the goal of empowering clients and helping them to be physically and mentally strong, Ashley describes her classes as, “Getting super fit and feeling sexy at the same time. We want to focus on the whole demeanour. People need to make time for themselves. We help them feel good about their body and it translates to the mind. Myself, I still attend at least three spinning classes a week. That is where I get my clarity of mind, I reach the zone. There is a rush, a high and then everything makes sense and becomes organised there. I’m not one for sitting in the back yard and trying to find my inner self!”
Blue shows her pole skills
Picture by VeroFotoRocks
SO…. what happened to clarity when the episodes of Ex-wives of Rock were being filmed at around the time of ex-Warrant singer/songwriter Jani Lanes death in August 2011? Ashley was seen to make allegations against Bobbie Brown and tempers appeared frayed.
“Jani was married to my best friend at the time of his death. I had the ear of two friends and was caught in the middle. It was a difficult time for everyone involved. We were all in a very different place then.
It was very hard to watch back, but Bobbie and I knew it was coming. People don’t know all the dynamics, but they just need to know that we are all much closer as a result of all we have been through and it wasn’t all plain sailing.”
Even Ashley and Sharise Neil, ex-wife of Motley Crue frontman Vince are in business together now. The Kandy Wrappers owner and designer finally said yes and is in development with Ashley for a line of exercise clothing in conjunction with Metamorphosis. “We are developing a great line of Pole & Aerial Wear!” Ashley reveals. “I am very excited about it! Sharise is an amazing designer!”
Ashley laughs as she tells, Sharise is also the queen of no. She is slowly teaching me to say no. Not to say yes to everyone, to only do it if there is time, if it is on the schedule!” Neil attends Pole classes regularly.
One thing Ashley will never say no to is a good diet. Even though her cast mates were seen joking about her poop talk and gas issues on the show, it makes a lot of sense when it is explained properly. “It is really important that I eat well and have a good poop daily. Really, when you have to spend half a day with your butt over your head half way up a pole it just makes sense! Of course a good diet aids sleep and better mind function too.”
Interestingly, Ashley had been spending a lot more time with her ass above her head recently as she prepared for the live show of Once upon a Pole. A live Ariel performance brought to life by Kelly Maglia Vertical Theatre.
“It is the first time for me to make a live performance and I was really nervous,” Ashley admitted. Not only that, but she was also in a lot of pain with a rib area injury as she spoke to Headbangerwoman. It didn’t stop her and the show went on!
Sharise, Bobbie, Athena and Blue
In closing this article it should probably be explained that giant tubes of lubricant can be used in maintain good condition of patent leather, which is why it would be easily found in the shoe closet!
We love Blue Poo!
Metamorphosis; mind, body and pole
Kandy Wrappers
Ex-Wives Of Rock
By Karen Graham 17 October 2012
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A line of Candles, Soaps and Lotions with an edge.
Scents that bring you home, wherever you may be.
PO Box 1462, Studio City, CA, USA, 91604
By Athena
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Girls Do Drum…. and This Goddess Hits Hard!
Have you ever wondered whether Athena (born Bass but often known as Lee) was the only chick on the strip in the 80’s not to fuck MOTLEY CRUE?
Well, the Answer is “Yes”, from the horses mouth….. So no more sleepless nights pondering that one.
Also, for the record Athena never had a bowl cut. That is almost a certainty!
Athena does have shiny ball syndrome.
Get your filthy heads out of the gutters people that is not where this article is going…. Well maybe a touch?
Athena admits “I am so easily distracted.”
What a great thing then that the new show Athena will be co-starring in, Ex-Wives of Rock with Susan Blue Britt, Sharise Neil and Bobbie Brown, co-produced by Femme Fatale front woman Lorraine Lewis and Lisa Brucker, is fast paced and changing on a daily basis. “No writers on this show,” the long legged blond share with Headbangerwoman just recently. “It would have been impossible, there were so many different things happening every day. Of course there are things I haven’t even seen yet. There were days the others were there and I was not!” Filming of the first season of the new and eagerly awaited show has now concluded.
Athena is a proud Mom to three children and though she filed on December 31st 2010, she is not yet divorced… that makes her the only ex-wife that does not have the all-important legal document, but it is fairly obvious that she is ecstatic to be well away from her former room-mate.
Her inclusion into Ex-Wives Of Rock, a show that will be brought to Canada by Slice and Tri Con, can only add to the entertainment. Athena is well known for her energy. “I am really very active, always on the go. But I’m also pretty good at lying around in my undies, watching movies and being a lazy-ass too when I can.”
This then could be a surprise that Athena only quit smoking in early 2012. “I was starting to feel it, even walking up a few flights of stairs. Of course watching my Mom sick for so long from smoking, finally made me make the decision to quit. I wanted her to see that I could; that I had. It was such a horrible way to die. I will never ever watch anyone go through that again, OR let anyone who loves me watch that happen to me. You know, I continued to smoke after I was sick with Breast Cancer, how fucking STUPID is that? That’s how EVIL it is. We all seem to think we are indestructible and that it could never happen to us.”
When asked about the Sunset Strip and her personal experience Athena is very candid. “When I was much younger I was out on the strip every night. Because I was a musician I had like thirty big brothers from the other bands we played and hung out, it was great. You really did not have to be all that tough. It was not nearly as hard being a female musician as people made it out to be back then. Of course I didn’t really hang out with my brothers girlfriends or band wives back then. I didn’t need to though. I was out there doing my own thing. I didn’t meet the other cast members of the show until a little after the strip scene and they were pretty much already ex-wives, but we all knew each other for a long time before the show, so we fit in really well. There was definitely no awkwardness on set.”
Athena is hoping for another season of the show and screening in the US too. “I’m up for whatever life throws at me, BRING IT! Once the show airs there will be much more going on. My book is also being completed right now. It was going to be titled Coming In Second, but it wasn’t about being second best, not about feeling sorry for myself because I was the younger child, less famous. It was a personal thing. I realised the public might not realise that, so I have changed it to Girls Don’t Play Drums. My Mom would say it all the time when Tommy (Lee; Musician, DJ, Drummer for Motley Crue and Athena’s older brother by two years) and me were kids. Boy’s drum, not girls!” Seemingly not satisfied with a book and TV show Athena added, “I have a few really cool things I’ve been up to as well, but I have been focusing mostly on the show and my book, but I have some fun surprises coming soon too!”
Athena’s Mom may have been very smart, but fortunately she was wrong about her daughter not being a drummer! Athena has been a part of many successful projects and was the first woman to be nominated best drummer at the LA music awards. Recently she became affiliated with http://www.rockettdrumworks.com/ headed by Poison drummer Rikki Rockett. The company makes made to order, finely crafted, handmade drum kits. Each kit is made specific to requirements, each very individual. You can hear the pride in Athenas voice when the Rikki and his company are mentioned. “Rikki and I have been friends for a long time, he really is the best. It is great how he has managed to have this amazing drum company while keeping up his touring schedule with Poison. The company really is great. Rikki has specialists for each particular job. You can’t just pick them out and go home, they are custom. That is what makes them better than the rest.”
With the entire hectic goings on in her already full and fast paced life, you will probably be surprised to know that Athena is also working out furiously in the gym to get the butt she always wanted. Of course she already has the butt that many guys want…..
Catch up with Athena and her butt on Twitter @Athenamintpatty
Ex-Wives of Rock will air double episodes on Fridays @ 10pm starting August 31st on the Slice Network in Canada
Support Ex-Wives Of Rock by visiting here…. http://www.facebook.com/ExWivesOfRock
AND here…. https://twitter.com/ExWivesofRock
by Karen Graham and Athena
Turn It Up To Twelve 