I am a mermaid

And here is Micah in her truest state:

Our gorgeous and illuminating Q and A follows.

So what is the Mermaid Studio?
The Mermaid Studio is an online art gallery that sells mermaid-themed artwork, representing artists from around the world. Fine art of a wide variety, e.g. paintings, sculpture, drawings, photography, etc., is available for sale as well as custom commissions. Any artwork depicted in the online art gallery can be ordered as a print. In addition, The Mermaid Studio sells mermaid-themed merchandise.

The website, www.themermaidstudio.com, also provides links to all types of mermaid-related sites. In addition, up-to-the-moment information on where to find mermaids around the world is presented on The Mermaid Studio’s blog. And updates on current mermaid events are found on twitter. Plans are in the works to open a physical gallery in upstate New York.

Can you tell me about your artists?
The Mermaid Studio sells artwork and takes commissions for artists who create pieces in various styles and mediums. Here is some biographical information on four of our artists:

Ashley Benner is a painter and photographer who trained in Foundation Studies at Rhode Island School of Design and Art Education at SUNY New Paltz. Ashley’s forte is in dynamic color choices in her paintings and magnetic composition and image editing in her photography.

Garett Grassi is a self-taught artist who can create literally anything. Garett has turned client’s dreams into literal forms throughout the country. Garett is a renaissance artist who can work in any medium, but whose strengths lie in metalwork and drawing.

Melissa Murray went from a dual-degree in Physics and English Literature from the University of Colorado at Boulder to studying Sculpture in England. As a stone sculptor, she has her own studio in Cambridge, England and has exhibited and been commissioned for work worldwide.

Dani Leventhal works in a variety of mediums but has primarily created mermaids in clay. Dani’s work has been exhibited worldwide, including MOMA PS1. Dani received an MFA in Sculpture from the University of Illinois at Chicago, an MFA in film/video from Bard College and a BA in Art from Earlham College.

Can you share some examples of your favorite mermaid art—both that you represent and don’t represent?

Some of my favorite artwork includes the following:

Sacred Cow by Roberto Fabelo

Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid by Ashley Benner

Mermaid Gate by Garett Grassi

Blue Water by Kerry James Marshall (a study for Blue Water is in MOMA, NYC)

Mermaids by Boris Vallejo

Why mermaids? Have you always been interested in mermaids?
I grew up in a New Jersey shore town, Long Branch, where I swam in the ocean daily during the summer. Growing up, I often felt like a “fish out of water,” one who, under the guise of assimilation, donned a persona, which would allow me to exist in the “real world.” I always felt at home swimming in the ocean.

Have you noticed a rise in the popularity of mermaids/mermaid art in the past year?
Mermaids have risen in popularity recently. I attribute this shift to the increase in mermaid subject matter in movies and associated merchandise for young and old alike, e.g. Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides, Barbie in a Mermaid Tail, etc.

Can you tell me about your own mermaid art?
I have created mermaid art in various forms, namely paintings, drawings, sculpture, but have most recently been most interested in mermaid photography. I have photographed mermaids in Norfolk, Virginia, Beaufort, South Carolina and at the annual Mermaid Parade in Coney Island, New York.

So you were at the recent MerCon in Las Vegas. What did you think about it?
I attended the First World Mermaid Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada, August 12-13, 2011. I like the idea of mermaid enthusiasts gathering together and sharing their passion for and knowledge about mermaids with each other. I thought Mercon 2011 was a great first attempt. I thought the venue, the Silverton Lodge and Casino, was a natural fit for the convention, with its mermaid-themed lounge, art gallery and aquarium. Las Vegas was a convenient and affordable location. I appreciated the fact that the convention fees could be broken into the portions that one intended on attending rather than having to pay a single conference fee. I expected the vendor portion of the convention to be larger but was able to meet and find out about most, if not all of the vendors who attended. I would have liked to have seen more vendors who sold realistic-looking tails. The International Mermaid Pageant was a fantastic addition to the conference. My only suggestion would be to find a consistent method of transporting and presenting the contestants. I cannot comment on the VIP portion of the convention; I was unable to attend it because I had to fly out on Saturday.

Do you yourself have a tail, or aspire to?
I have a “land tail,” which is basically a costume I wear to the annual Mermaid Parade in Coney Island, New York. Mercon has inspired me to aquire a tail that I can swim in. As I can sew quite well, I will probably make my own. In the future, though, I will most likely purchase a realistic-looking mer-tail!

Our Q and A follows.

So Michelle, I understand you have written a zombie mermaid story. Can you tell me about that?

Michelle's son Sammy

I wrote a story called “The True Story of the Little Mermaid (as written by Hans Christian Anderson)” that will be published in Feary Tales, an upcoming anthology from Library of the Living Dead Press. In it will be classic fairy tales… with an undead twist! I decided to take on The Little Mermaid for several reasons. Growing up, I was fascinated by mermaids, in part because of the movie Splash. That movie was on HBO forty times a day! At the same time, I stayed up late with my dad on Friday nights watching horror movies. It was how we spent time together—between mermaids and zombies, I should have known I was going to grow up to be weird. I also have a wonderful mom who has always encouraged my creativity, no matter what strange twists and turns it takes. When I was about fourteen, my sister Melissa, who is ten years younger than me, was obsessed with the Disney version of The Little Mermaid. She watched that movie so much I can still to this day quote it to you line for line. No joke. So when I heard that the publisher was looking for zombified fairy tales, I immediately thought of The Little Mermaid. The original story, written by Hans Christian Anderson, is not as happy and light-hearted as the Disney version. I wanted to play that up and add in a little gore. In my version, the mermaid rescues the prince, but when he kisses her… well, let’s just say that she gets a little more than she bargained for. She ends up not being the heroine of the story, but the horror of it. One of her sisters narrates, telling what really happened. I had fun taking a few jabs at the Disney movie, hoping a few readers would catch the jokes.

And you organize the Shreveport Zombie Walk. What is the zombie walk? How did this whole thing start?
The zombie walk happens on World Zombie Day in October. It began in Pittsburgh, PA which is the zombie capitol of the world. That is where George A. Romero filmed his classic movies Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead. The mall where the latter was filmed is a mecca for zombie fans like myself, and I even visited it a few years ago. In 2008, I wanted to attend a zombie walk on World Zombie Day, but the closest one was in Dallas, and my family had a lot going on that weekend and couldn’t go out of town. I decided one day that I would just organize one in Shreveport myself! On that day in October, people in our community show up at our walk event dressed as zombies, and we shamble around in a group. It is so much fun! Local businesses & best-selling authors donate door prizes, and I also give out prizes for best zombie costumes. One of the most important things we do is also collect food donations for our local food bank. Most zombie walks do something similar, figuring that if you have that many people together, you might as well do something good for your community. Last year, we had over 200 attendees and raised 872 pounds of food. This year, we have moved from having the walk at a local mall to having it outdoors downtown, with a street being closed off, vendors, sponsors, a musical performance, support from the Downtown Development Authority and the Shreveport-Bossier Tourism and Convention Bureau. With more community support and exposure, I hope we can raise over one thousand pounds of food at this year’s Shreveport Zombie Walk, which is October 8.

What is it about zombies and Shreveport?
It seems like I have opened up this whole new underground cult of zombie-lovers in Shreveport that no one knew about. Since I started the walk four years ago, Shreveport has had zombie proms, zombie crawls and a stage play of Night of the Living Dead that I starred in two years in a row. Lots of people have taken to calling me the Shreveport Zombie Queen. I can’t say I don’t like being called that…because I love it! Of course, there are some people that think it is strange, but once you tell them the walk is for a good cause, it usually smooths things over.

Why zombies?

The zombie walk's mascot, Bub, drawn by Michelle's 13-year-old son Michael

Why not? Zombies are the new vampires! You can’t go anywhere these days without seeing zombies. They have taken over popular culture. Books, movies, comics, music… heck, my husband even got me a zombie cupcake cookbook for Christmas. I think the thing that makes the zombie so popular is that it is so scary—it can be your husband, your wife, your child. And in most cases, they are unstoppable except for that quintessential headshot. They have no other motivation than to eat your flesh—they can’t be reasoned with. They can also be a social commentary. You can take almost any zombie-themed movie and take out the zombie, replace it with a relevant issue of our time, and it will most likely make sense. The zombies are just the antagonists. We really want to see how people survive; how the survivors relate to each other. Do I really think zombies could exist? Probably not. Dead people cannot rise and eat the living. But, hey, it’s fun to imagine that something so weird could happen. So why not…zombie mermaids!

And why mermaids?
Mermaids are mysterious, fascinating and most likely, impossible, just like zombies. But, in my heart, I would like to believe they are real. I don’t think the same about zombies in my heart.

Is there anything better than a zombie mermaid?

A zombie mermaid from Sean Adams, Michelle's friend's 16-year=old son

A zombie mermaid would probably be the coolest thing ever. Could you imagine if evil fisherman were pulling in their nets, eager to eye their spoils at sea, hoping for dolphins, only to be surprised by a beautiful yet deadly zombified mermaid? They would be so shocked that their slow reaction time would give her enough time to escape the net and eat them up. Yep, I can totally see it now!

Have you ever dressed as a zombie mermaid? Are you tempted to now?
I have never dressed as a zombie mermaid, but thank you for the idea! If I don’t dress up as one this year, I will certainly do it for a future walk because it is such a cool concept.

Do you have any special affection for mermaids?
I do have a special place in my heart for mermaids. You see, honestly, fish freak me out. Anything that breathes water, actually. I think it’s when they hit air and start flopping around is when I get all spazzy. But a mermaid… they don’t do that. Sometimes, like in Splash, they get legs! They aren’t “all the way” a fish, so they are okay with me. When I was little, I used to take a king-sized pillow case from my parent’s bed, one that was turquoise and covered in huge white flowers, and stick my legs inside of it. I would put a belt around the top part to keep it around my waist, and then tie a string around my ankles to make a fin. I would imagine I was Madison from Splash and flop all around the living room floor. It was probably quite a sight to see.

So how did you become a mermaid—and the head mermaid—at Dive Bar?
I was chatting with a friend, who asked me if I had heard about ‘that mermaid bar’ in Sacramento yet. She knew of my interest in mermaids and had seen my amateur mermaid videos and photos before. I was so excited that I rushed online and found the job postings for Dive Bar immediately. I applied to all of them with my mermaid resume (it’s sort of astounding that I had one). Dive Bar is an incredible place to work, and the folks there are all really close-knit—especially us mers. Dive Bar is the brainchild of George Karpaty, who is the owner of the successful nightclub Ruby Skye in San Fransisco. It is one of three new businesses he opened on K St in Sacramento last winter. Because of my experience and rabid enthusiasm, Lynda Karpaty—our mermom—promoted me to head mermaid. I’m in charge of scheduling, costume building and repair (our tails are by the Mertailor), props, hiring/training new mers etc. You know, regular manager duties, but with a mermaid tail!

Can you tell me what a typical night there is like?
Every night is a different experience at Dive; you never know what the crowd’s energy is going to be, if the fish are feeling frisky, what live music is going to be playing. It’s seriously a blast! Typically, a mermaid arrives an hour before she has to swim to put on her makeup and costume and get settled. Our makeup is waterproof, safe for our fish friends, and very, very sparkly! There’s an interview of me floating around the web where I have insane Cher-esque glitter all over my face, but we don’t go that far for our makeup anymore. After a mermaid is ready, she dives into our enormous fish tank and starts the show! We flirt with bar patrons, blow kisses, search for sunken treasure, comb our hair and primp in a mirror, write messages, ‘drink’ beer, do barrel rolls and generally have a lot of fun.

What was it like working with Linden Wolbert?
Linden is an incredible woman, in and out of water. She’s sweet, caring, energetic and SO incredibly knowledgeable about all things mermaid. I honestly can’t say enough good things about her; she’s really taken the Dive Bar mers under her wing and been so supportive of us as we emerge as her little ‘sea stars.’ Linden helped us become more comfortable under the water, taught us how to take care of our tails, how to move and interact with our audience and most importantly, how to be safe!

Were you a mermaid before working at Dive Bar?
As I mentioned before, I had done a lot of amateur mermaid videos and photos before I was hired at Dive Bar, and I’m so glad I did. One of my first Halloween costumes was a pink mermaid fin, and I remember being sad that I couldn’t swim in it. I made my first swimmable tail my freshman year of high school out of swimsuit material, double flippers and a lot of glitter. I remember being physically unable to stop grinning when I took the tail for it’s test swim; it was so much fun. Now, I get to swim and entertain people doing something I had only done for fun before. It’s so cliche to say, but it really is a dream come true.

Have you always been interested in mermaids?
I’ve been interested in mermaids forever; but my story isn’t unique. Like most mers today, I loved Splash, The Little Mermaid (Anderson and Disney) and the brief mermaid part in Hook. When my mom was pregnant with me, she would swim up and down the shoreline at Ala Moana Beach Park on Oahu and I suppose that might have something to do with my love of water. I love the beach, rivers, lakes, pools, tubs, barrels, anything! Because of our connection to Hawaii, I have also been doing professional Polynesian dance since I was 12. I feel like being a mermaid is an extension of dance sometimes; the motions I have learned in yoga, ballet and hula all blend together to help me move through the water. I’m also an illustrator and mermaids have forever been a source of inspiration for me. There is so much to draw (literally) from life underwater, mermaids are open to imagination and interpretation. Recently, I did a few ink and watercolor drawings of the mermaids at Dive Bar, and we exhibited them right under the tank. It was so much fun to swim that night, knowing that my illustrations were showcased underneath me.

What do you think the allure of mermaids is? And why do you think they’re so popular right now?
There’s something in the collective consciousness that is returning us to the sea. I think for a long time, the ocean was so much more of an integral part of human life than it is today and humans are really missing it. We used to depend on our water sources a lot more than we do now; communities were build up and around water as sources of life, trade, and spirituality. Now, we just go to Safeway and buy water—the connection to water as our life-blood is quickly disappearing.

I also think that the mermaid represents something that many women wants to embody; the mermaid is aloof yet enchanting, dangerous and sweet, sexy and vulnerable. There is a certain amount of delicate awkwardness to mermaids; they can’t function as they should above land. Because they are unable to ‘fit in’ I think they appeal to everyone who has ever felt alone (so, everyone). I saw the SF Ballet do a production of The Little Mermaid this spring that was a perfect example of this side of mer-life. The mermaid was gangly, pained and tortured, but still captivating and lovely. To be utterly corny, the mermaid is a reflection of ourselves, on the surface of a wave.

How do people tend to react to you while you’re at work?
I never knew there could be so much screaming! Every time we appear in the tank, it sounds like a frenzy below. I feel a little bit like I’m being followed by the paparazzi, I can see camera flashes all over the bar when I am under the water. People absolutely gape, and if they catch me as I’m heading out of work, even though I have wet hair and usually look terrible, they beg for photos and love asking questions. It’s even more fun when we swim with our merman; everyone is always really excited for him. A few nights ago, I heard a grown man yelling, “She’s real! She’s a real mermaid!”.

What about when you tell people, outside of work, what you do?
When I am asked about what I do, I always say that I’m an illustrator first. If they seem of like mind, I mention the mermaid job as well. They are always incredulous as first, but come around when I explain about Dive Bar. I think having an establishment that we are based out of helps people to understand what we are doing, and except it a little more readily. I usually explain that Dive is sort of a re-write of the aquatic bars from the 1960’s, something that prompted a friend’s mother to ask, ‘What?! You mean you’re all topless?!?!”. I made sure to set the record straight.

As head mermaid, how do you keep all those other mermaids (and mermen?) in check?
Lots of love and bubbles! As I mentioned before, all of us mers are very close; we keep each other in check! I know that working at Dive wouldn’t be as much fun without my mersisters and brother, and we have an awesome manager too!

What’s a requirement for being a mermaid at Dive Bar, anyway?
The very first requirement is to be able to swim, and swim well! It’s so, so important to be safe whenever you are swimming, I cannot stress that enough. I also look at if you have had any acting, dance or modeling experience and if you can fit into our tails. You have to be able to entertain our patrons and be charming and playful. Stamina is a must! We currently have three full-time mermaids (myself, office manager Aimee Alejandre, and model Ellen Hancock), a merman (vegan chef Antwan Lashay) and two reserve mermaids (model Annie Alvarez and actress Teressa Freas) to fill in for any mers that can’t make it in that night. They are a great team!

Also, I would just like to mention that I am at this very minute at the Sheraton Hotel in Fort Lauderdale that used to be the fabled ship-shaped YANKEE CLIPPER hotel (pictured below) and that is home to the famous WRECK BAR where Marina MeduSirena performs with her pod of aquaticats every Friday evening at 6:30pm.

Said show is in two hours, and I am very excited. Expect many photos!

Also, I’m here with my mother and sister since tomorrow we’re heading out on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas cruise ship, upon which yours truly will be presenting two enrichment lectures. One on fairytales (I’ll be reading and discussing my books, too) on Sunday morning and one entitled: MODERN-DAY MERMAIDS: WHY WE LOVE THEM AND HOW YOU CAN BE ONE, which I’m giving next Thursday at 2:30pm. If you happen to be on this cruise, you should obviously come. It will even include an impressive PowerPoint presentation.

I recently spoke with Aiyana (aka Jacqueline Killey) about her Midwestern mermaiding ways. Our gorgeous Q and A follows.

So when did you become a mermaid, and what inspired you?
I became a mermaid in the womb. Just never realized it until a few years ago! It was a random epiphany that just occurred. I do not mermaid because I feel I really am one, but because the children believe I am. And that is the reward of a lifetime. The magic THEY believe in becomes my own.

I saw something about the Milwaukee Ghost Ships Fest (!) on your blog… Can you tell me about that? Do you dive? Have you ever dived down to the shipwrecks?
I do not dive just yet! This year I plan on becoming certified. My mermaid debut was at a local Pirate Festival and the local dive club allowed me to swim in the frigid marina on Lake Michigan and promote them. In return, I get free dive lessons. So it works out quite harmoniously! My boyfriend is a diver and cannot even describe to me what it is like to hover weightlessly in front of sunken history. I am so entranced by maritime history in our great lakes and I cannot WAIT to dive down there myself. I collect the pieces of porcelain and pottery that wash up now and then on our local beach as we have two shipwrecks that sunk right there! The “junk” and cargo still surfaces. Even though the wrecks occurred in the 1800s. THAT is amazing. I get to hold these fragile pieces of history and while people say porcelain is fragile… I call the bluff on that. These fully intact pieces survived under the waves and algae and rocks and found me. There is something magical about that.

What kind of events/performances/parties do you attend as a mermaid? How do people react?
I love to show up at maritime heritage events around Lake Michigan. We are very proud of our nautical past here! I love doing children’s parties or events for the community! While I look to broaden my performing areas, I do like it here in the Midwest! They deserve this fun mermaid stuff! Other than talking about shipwrecks, I like to chat about conservation of our great lakes and waterways, awareness and protection of species within them, etc! But the best part…The kids. I just sit there and chat with them like they are my best friends. They are so baffled and amused by me, but what they do not know is that while they think I am making THEIR day, their reactions and smiles are actually making MY day. The questions I get from the little believers are SO FLIPPIN’ CUTE. It’s practically poetry. There is something to be said about how phenomenally observant and simple children are when confronted with something strange or otherworldly like a mermaid! They just plop down beside me, help dump water on the tail and ask me to describe in detail, every aspect of my mermaidy life.

The adults are just as fun. With an extensive list of all the cheesy nautical jokes I get, I could write a book of them! Whether I am telling jokes and cuddling with the kiddies, or discussing our great lakes, people listen. Moreso than if I had legs. I do not yet know what it truly is about mermaids, but people respond so well to it. I get through to them and it is a connection like no other!

What does it mean to be a Lake Michigan mermaid?
Being a Lake Michigan mermaid is indescribable! I have a blast doing what I do. If it is a planned event, or I just hop into the lake along the beach or the breakwater to our lighthouse, I do it with an undefeated sense of contentment and joy. The people make it happen for me. Their support, guidance, questions, challenges, and love, help push me farther. The thing about my mermaid life is that…unlike most, I do not really know my goal. I do not have a goal to reach with this. I figure we have today. We have now. This life. We have now to make it the best and I just want to add a memory or two to others’ lives. Maybe I can. Maybe I already have. What is certain is that I have just begun. I just have a strange and overwhelming need to give them all something to believe in in this topsy turvy world we all live in. I believe in people as they believe in me. Oh, and..Lake Michigan? COLD. All year round! It takes some gusto, that is for sure. But I love it. So many mermaids out there! They can have their salty ocean water. I will happily have the cool fresh waters of my home. : )

Mermaids in Vegas: The Mermaid Convention
By Carolyn Turgeon @ 5:00 pm

Two weekends ago I went to Las Vegas for the first annual Mermaid Convention and World Mermaid Awards at the Silverton Hotel and Casino, because not only are there enough mermaids in the world to gather for a convention, there are enough to get awards.

The con part lasted all day, and the highlight was a full-on mermaid pageant called International Mermaid. The reigning International Mermaid, who is also Mrs. Weeki Wachee and a current Weeki Wachee mermaid, Kylee Troche, was there in a gown, tiara, and gleaming International Mermaid sash to crown the new winners. I was a guest judge at said pageant, along with my fellow authors Tera Lynn Childs and Timothy Schaffert, who had (along with poetess Matthea Harvey) all come to do a “mermaid author” reading at Barnes and Noble the night before in an attempt to add some literary flair to the happenings.

The judges’ panel, hard at work.

Here’s what a mermaid pageant is like: Strong men from the audience carry each contestant out, since as everyone knows mermaids cannot walk and there were no wheelchairs for them to roll themselves out in. Each mermaid was luminous in her tail, and there were tails of all kinds: tails made of fabric or silicone, tails covered in sequins, shiny spandex-y tails, and super-realistic scaled tales in a variety of shimmering colors. Some mermaids flapped their fins as they were delicately placed on the stage, others positioned their tails alluringly to the side, fluke standing straight up, and everyone smiled and waved at the audience. One mermaid chose to hop on stage, another to be carried up piggy-back style. All age groups were represented, as well as both genders. There was even a merbaby who was carried out on stage by his mother and who sat there grinning in his bright blue sparkling tail before attempting to crawl off out of the limelight. There were several little girls, too, including two Australian sisters, ages two and four. The four-year-old won for her age group and apparently the two-year-old was very upset by this.

It’s not an easy thing, scoring mermaids and mermen on scales of one to 25. In the “formal wear” section of the competition, I did dock that baby merman several points for showing up in a polo shirt. I mean, what was he thinking? But we judges soldiered on and diligently scored every contestant, and new international mermen, mermaids, and merbabies were crowned, and at the end, every contestant came out on stage to sit on chairs or stretch out on the floor. The little girls were sucking on lollipops as crowns slipped off their heads, and that baby was crawling and smiling in his bright blue fish tail, and all those gorgeous mermaids were posing and smiling, and it was all ridiculous and wonderful and awesome, and I was proud to have lent my services and done my part. I thought, This is why I became an author.

There were also a bunch of vendors, photographers, and artists around, as well as the aforementioned authors, who did an impromptu reading on stage after the mermaid pageant, but, I’m not going to lie, didn’t get quite the same response. (We had had the reading and mermaid ball the night before, which you have to admit might be the coolest literary event ever. I mean how often have you entered a bookstore and seen this?

or this?)

But anyway, the con ended and that night was the main event: the big pool party and World Mermaid Awards. Which meant that for the first time ever, tons and tons of mermaids and mermen jumped in a pool together and swam around in their tails. Many mermaids changed in nearby cabanas and were carried out by strong men, who delicately placed them poolside. Stars of the mermaid world, like Hannah Fraser, who swims with whales and sharks, and Marina MeduSirena, who performs with her pod of aquaticats at the retro Wreck Bar in Fort Lauderdale, were there, along with tons of reporters and journalists and photographers, and suddenly that pool was full of people in tails that stretched out of the water and splashed all around, and you knew that at least some of those creatures in that pool felt like they had finally, at long last, come home.

Speaking of journalists, Joel Stein of Time magazine was there at the Silverton, wondering what to make of the whole thing. “I kind of feel like I’m at a taping of Real Sex,” he said to me at one point, and for a moment I was taken aback — I mean, mermaids! splashing about delicately in the waves! — until I looked in front of us and realized we were in fact looking at tons of dripping-wet girls in shell bras and tight tails posing for a not-unsubstantial crowd of mostly male photographers and admitted he might have a point.

And then all those mermaids and mermen got out of the water and sat poolside, their tails dangling down, and the shimmering, light-haired, luminous Hannah Fraser did this gorgeous, mesmerizing performance, undulating with fire and then diving gracefully into the water, and then MeduSirena camped it up, all masses of black hair and curves and a deep red tail, and splashed through that pool to the other end and sat there and ate some fire, and Mermaid Sora bellydanced and later Maluhia Kawai did hula by the side of the pool, and there was swimming and splashing as awards were announced, and Sita Lange, who put on the whole thing — which was huge and crazy and at one point was rumored to be attracting Daryl Hannah and Johnny Depp, and at another point not going to happen at all — got a ton of applause, and I could barely hear, but it was all beautiful and ridiculous, which all the best things are, especially when you’re in Las Vegas.

Previously: Mermaid Camp.

Here is their third single, “Onkel Klaus,” the story about a guy who’s very sentimental about the old DDR (communist East Germany), forgetting what he hated about it now that it’s gone and remembering the days when he used to illegally hunt eel. The song idea was thought up by Lorelei’s friend Lucy, who wrote the basic lyrics.

Look:

I recently spoke with Jessica about her play, and our illuminating Q and A follows.

So what is your play, The Average-Sized Mermaid, about?
The Average-Sized Mermaid is a comedy about an outspoken kindergarten teacher who magically transforms into a mermaid and unexpectedly finds herself the figurehead of a feminist movement. But when she begins to fall for a school administrator (a man who may or may not put the “Prince” in “Principal”), she soon learns that you need to be careful what you fish for…

Have you always been attracted to mermaids? How do you explain their allure?
I’ve always had a fascination with them. I really can’t explain it. When I was little, my family took a trip to Copenhagen and we visited the Little Mermaid Statue, and I remember my dad lifting me up so that I could touch the mermaid’s tail. I was entranced because it looked like it was already beginning to split in two, like she was immortalized at the very moment when she’s exactly halfway between mermaid and human, land and sea… my five-year-old self found that to be very profound.

I also grew up in northern California, and there’s a great fountain in Ghirardelli Square featuring mermaids nursing mer-babies. Seriously, it’s awesome. I loved it. I loved it so much, in fact, that when my sixth grade teacher asked us all to write mystery stories for a class assignment, I was like, “Screw that. I’m going to write about what would happen if that mermaid fountain in Ghirardelli Square came alive at night!” So I guess the story ended up being a mystery in that it mysteriously had no relation to the assignment, but I still happen to think that it’s a pretty decent piece of writing!

My sister and I also used to sing a song in the pool that went a little something like this: “Swim like a mermaid/jump very high/jump like a dolphin/until you reach the sky!” We had a water-ballet worked out that went along with it and everything. We found ourselves delightful.

Mermaids have always been a presence in my life, so I guess it was inevitable that I’d eventually write a play about a mermaid!

How the play came into being?
I was taking a class in college that was called something like “Children’s Literature in Theory” but could have been more accurately titled, “Remember That Story You Enjoyed As A Child? Yeah, It’s Actually About How Women Should Learn Their Place/Female Sexuality Leads to Chaos and Destruction.” Being the twisted playwright I am, I saw comedic potential there: what if someone taught these stories to children while illuminating these themes in a completely inappropriate manner? I simply applied feminist theory, set Miriam in a kindergarten classroom, and viola! The opening scene was born.

After writing the opening, it seemed clear to me that Miriam had to reject Hans Christian Anderson’s story to the point that she pulls a reversal on the events in the plot: instead of giving up her tail to be with her love like the mermaid, Miriam acquires a tail in order to free herself from the desire from men.

You’ll have to see the play to see how it works out!

What made you write about a mermaid?
Honestly, I just kind of love the idea of a mermaid on stage. Except for the mermaid, the play actually lives in a fairly realistic world, so there’s something kind of wonderful to me about the fact that there’s this very intelligent woman who just happens to develop a fish tail, and what that does to her life and the lives of those around her.

Mermaids seem to be especially popular right now. Do you have any thoughts about why?
It’s so funny that you ask this question, because when Lady Gaga performed at a recent concert as a wheelchair-bound mermaid, about 500 people sent me the link saying “You started a trend!” Really, that credit goes to Bette Midler, but since we ALSO have a dance number from a wheelchair-bound mermaid, we’re definitely in good company!

Anyway, here is another pic of Kylee as one International Mermaid.

Admit that deep down, you feel that sash and that crown should be yours.

So Stephanie, what is the International Mermaid Pageant?
It’s the first and only “Mermaid-Themed” pageant event! This is the first one in Vegas. We will be doing these events all over the country for Mermaid enthusiasts, along with online-only events.

How will the contestants be judged?
This is a pageant, so contestants will be judged on personal style and stage presence…Audience appeal will also weigh heavily!

How can an aspiring mermaid pageant queen enter? What does she need?
We have all the information and sign-up forms on our web site, InternationalMermaid.com. There are two divisions, one being regular “pageant” or dressy attire and one for “Mermaid” wear. We are also allowing boys and men, should they want to compete!

What makes a pageant-worthy mermaid anyway?
Someone who loves the camera! The main prize the pageant offers is exposure, exposure and more exposure! Mermaids in advertising and in modeling is such a hot thing right now…

Can you tell me about your pageants at Weeki Wachee Springs?
Yes – We’ve been doing the Weeki Wachee Pageant since 1998 and have crowned many great queens and kings of all ages. They get to attend the functions that happen at Weeki as royalty. It’s a cool title to have!

What about Gasparilla?
Gasparilla, which is Pirate themed, is a HUGE DEAL. This year, becuse of my re-discovered love of Mermaid things, I am sure Mermaids will be infused heavily!

Have you always been a fan of mermaids?
Yes, especially since the birth of my older daughter. For the first several years of her life, she would play the VHS tape of The Little Mermaid (Disney’s version) at least once daily. Ariel was a part of our everyday vocabulary!