When Loverboy was fourteen/fifteen, we became obsessed with buying photos of celebrities, you know, promo stills or paparazzi shots. They were always advertised in the back of Sky magazine. Then we moved on to posters – filling every inch of our bedroom walls with images. Then when we were eighteen we discovered the world of American gig posters – Blacklight posters. We had one for The Beastie Boys, all kinds of fluorescent colours. A work of art.
But now here we are, a few *cough* years later, and we’ve discovered the incredible technicolour world of Tiff McGinnis. Tiff is a one woman show who records music under the name Grande Dame, creates her own artwork and yes, her own posters too – if we had discovered these at eighteen, our minds would have been well and truly blown. Taking in references from Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill to Tammy Wynette, Tiff’s work is deep-rooted in kitsch Americana and we have fallen deeply in love with it.

You grew up in the Deep South in 70s. Can you describe that for us and how much of an influence that has had on your work?
Being a child of the 70s is very obvious in my work. This was a colorful time. A psychedelic time. In the 70s there were drug references even in kids shows – HR Pufnstuf for instance – things were wild and vibrant. It was before mass consumerism took hold in the 80s & turned everything grey & samey. So yes growing up then had a big influence on me. I tried to disassociate myself from the south, but I cannot, it’s in my blood. My last album was kind of a love letter to my childhood home.

I read that you loved those old Fillmore East posters. Did you have a favourite one?

No but my favourite 70’s blacklight poster is most def, ‘Ain’t Gonna Work On Dizzy Farm No More’ (1970) by Godawful Graphics. It’s Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck & Goofy smoking out of a hookah with bloodshot eyes. They got sued by Disney & had to stop printing it. My Dad had one in our music room when I was a kid. I stared at it for years with wonderment. It totally shaped my vision & I’m happy to report that I have my very own print framed above my mantle.

You release music under the name Crazy Girl. Why the alias?

My last release under that moniker was in 2008. Originally I called myself MC Crazy Girl, I wanted to be a rapper – ha! A dumb idea I had when I was young, wild and running around the London club scene. But I grew up and became old & boring, so I killed her off, had a Jazz Funeral and was reborn as Grande Dame.

How would you describe your music?
The last album was a collection of sounds I heard growing up in the South. It’s more like a soundtrack than a specific genre. My Dad was a hi-fi dealer and record collector. Music was the law and I had to listen to Roots Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues and Psychedelic Rock every single day. Even though I grew up in the South, my Dad HATED Country and it was banned in our house, but you could not escape the sounds of George Jones & Tammy Wynette blasting out of everyone’s transistor radios. My Grandfather was a New Orleans Jazz Band Leader so – the marching band track was influenced by him. I wanted the album to sound like what you might hear driving around the Mississippi delta circa 1973. (Hear/Order Tiff’s album here.)

Your piece High Tide Hell is all about LSD. Spill. Is that based on personal experience?
I have a friend, who has a friend, who has a friend, who once tried it and I heard it was quite wild, so I based it on that. Just kidding, of course it is! My dear friend Tim Love Lee of Tummy Touch Records, came to me in 2001 and asked me to write a spoken word anti-drug/ LSD PSA with a ‘My boyfriend’s’ back type feel. I said ‘Are you mad? I can’t do that!’ But somehow I did!
Soon after recording it, I went to him asking if there was anyway I could earn some money. He said he would give me £150 if I made a video for the track. I thought ‘Wow! £150! I’m going to be rich!’ Ha!
At the time I had been playing around with flash animation. I didn’t really know it at all. I sat down and for three weeks straight (up to 17 hours a day!) I learned the ins & outs of the program. Once I started, it sucked me in & I was hooked. And from that video I began my animation career. It was shown in many festivals around the world and one major high point of my career has been having it screened at the 100th birthday celebration of Albert Hoffman, the scientist who discovered LSD, in Basel, Switzerland 2006. That to me is mind blowing. To think he watched my little ol animation! Wild man! 🙂

We love your Faster Pussycat Kill Kill gif. Which other camp classics inspire you?
Thanx It’s a print as well. Many of my gifs are eventually turned into objects des art. I love everything vintage camp – the work of Russ Meyer, John Waters, Roger Corman. Too many to list – The Wild Wild World of Jayne Mansfield is a fave!

Can you tell us about working with Chris Bracey? We are obsessed with the piece you both worked on together.
Thanx! What a truly awesome human being! I met him through Terry de Havilland. I had some ideas to make light boxes and he was very keen to help me. For someone who was such a major force in the neon/ light world, he was one of the most down to earth, friendly and sweet people I have ever met. It was truly an honor to be able to work with him. And the world is a little less bright without him, but he continues to give us so much light in so many ways. (The piece – ‘Electric Crazyland’  is Limited Edition and there is one left.)

Your work has been featured in lots of places and worn by lots of people. Where are you most proud of so far?
Gosh, I don’t know! Burning Man last year was probably the most exciting experience I have been involved in thus far. It had always been on my bucket list to go – but to go as an artist was not even a possibility in my wildest dreams! I did some cushion, bandana, flag/ logo/ fabric designs for The Dang Gang Imperial Cruiser mutant vehicle. Words can’t really describe the experience. It was beyond amazing!

The footwear creations I did with the wonderful Terry de Havilland I am super proud of and will treasure for a lifetime.

Also having Legendary Spike & Mike’s Sick & Twisted Festival of Animation (the mount olympus of adult animation festivals!) license my videos, The Trip & Black Leather, was a major shining moment in my life.

But probably my top proud moment ever, would be my audio/visual installation, Grande Dame’s Voodoo On You, at Ink-d Gallery 2014. It was to celebrate the Grande Dame album release. I created an entire environment around the music. Each track on the album had a piece of art loosely illustrating the song’s meaning. Every bit of the room was connected to the album. The wallpaper, cushions, art, and more. I even had a customized listening station so people could hear the vinyl. As well as animated music video projections. I have never worked so hard in my life! But it was definitely worth it! It was a great experience to be able to show the world what I do and how much of my work is from my animations. I even got a write up in the esteemed art blog, People of Print, who said, ‘Everything you see is fantastically printed, illustrated and designed by Grande Dame, from the wallpaper and the curtains to the framed artwork, the candles and the vinyl on the record player.’ So yeah – pretty darn proud of that!

What plans do you have for 2016?
At the mo’ I am focusing on moving house. After that, who knows? Possibly a public works project, and some new lights, a new music project, and I am hoping to delve into the wild world of 3D printing! Stay tuned! oxo GD

For more information on Tiff see www.grandedame.co.uk