The Baron and Missy Macabre

For freak show performance, you probably couldn’t find a more prolific pair of artists. Baawo and Becki, known as The Baron And Missy Macabre, perform regularly to very appreciative audiences across the UK and further afield. Both have a healthy interest in body modification, including tattoos; these have a part in their performances, bringing all their body mods in as props in the freak shows.

Missy Macabre

Tell us something about your  life prior to moving to London.

I produced satirical, misshapen sculptures and 3D installations using old derelict antiques. It was when I moved to London that my interest in making fine art sculpture was replaced by an intense interest for performing.

Tell us about your Burlesque performances…   

I perform quality comedy-burlesque that relies heavily on satire. I usually perform as a character rather than as myself. These characters are not sexy or ‘retro’ but slightly disturbing, theatrical and very funny. I have been described as a pioneer of grotesque burlesque, which I think is nice!

Why don’t you perform ‘regular’ Burlesque?   

I don’t feel comfortable doing it. I’d probably make lots of mistakes and be rubbish! I prefer to bring my personality into things and to cause a little mischief.

How is performing with Baawo different to performing solo? 

The performances are completely different. With Baawo, things have to be more structured, as it can be difficult to improvise when so much is happening in one show. When performing alone, I have a lot more personal influence.

How would you define your current performance style?   

My Burlesque, as I have mentioned before, is slightly grotesque, theatrical and funny. I enjoy making people laugh whilst showing them that burlesque doesn’t just have to mean feather fans and rhinestones! Daring could be a good word for it. The Misadventures (Our double act) is mostly based on slapstick-comedy in a modern day setting. The freak show tricks are part of the slapstick. So…in short, I suppose I’m a comedienne.

Who, or what are your influences and inspirations?   

I love drag performances, comedy, sarcasm, impersonation, costume and those who are not afraid to be different when creating. I also get a lot of my inspiration from my interests in day-to-day life, these change frequently. For The Misadventures, the influences are more select and can involve a lot of research, and the freak show stunts are based on traditional sideshows; we are currently trying to intensify each stunt  to bring it up to speed with  our characters.

When creating a performance, how do you do it, and how do your roles differ?  

In the Misadventures I do the choreography and come up with a lot of the ideas, where Baawo will spend ages making the engineering of each stunt perfect, so everything runs smoothly on stage. Of course, these roles can crossover sometimes. The ideas usually come out of a shot of inspiration that’s left to fester  for a while.

You have performed all over Europe, what has been your best experience and why?   

 Baawo has mentioned the open House Festival - that was fun. I also had a lot of fun performing with our good friends at the Fetish Guerrilla in Berlin.

At what point did you decide to perform together?  

Baawo asked me if I wanted to do a spooky double act with him, I said yes. And the act has been developing ever since. He taught me all the freak show skills, and I taught him many show and performance skills. A pretty good combination!

Talk us through the tattoos you have, what is the inspiration behind them and who are the tattooists that have done the work?    

The most recent tattoo I got is of a monkey in a fez banging cymbals together, I love it and it was tattooed by Demian (King’s Cross Tattoo). On my arm I have some cartoon anatomy pieces - they are inspired by my obsession with body parts tattooed at Allan Graves (Haunted Tattoo). I have a Cherry Pie on my neck, inspired by my love for Twin Peaks, done by Andy Baxter at London Tattoo

How do you feel that your tattoos contribute to your general sense of style and  body image?   

Tattoos can be a way of turning your body into a thing of positivity and can help develop self-esteem. Being a tattooed woman can be quite a nice feeling! Maybe having tattoos has contributed to my personal style - I don’t know… But I think that style sometimes can come from confidence.

BAAWO 

You are originally from  Finland, when and why did you decide to relocate to England?

I moved to England to become an international performance artist, because it is easier to do this from England, rather than Finland.

When did you first begin performing and how has you performance style developed since the early days?     

I did my first performance with my friends, it was called ‘Sirkus Tapaturma’ the performance style was a freak show with fetish. I continued to perform in this style until Psycho Cyborgs, when the style changed a lot and became very intense, too intense! Since leaving Psycho Cyborgs, I had a desire to perform comedy and have done so as part of The Fire Tusk Pain Proof Circus and especially in the show I do with Missy, it’s a comedy freak show that pays homage to slapstick comedy and traditional freak shows. My style has definitely changed for the better, as I have more fun now!

You were at one time heavily involved with Psycho Cyborgs,probably the most extreme freak show in the world. How did you become involved, and what were the highlights of your time with them?    

Samppa Von Cyborg asked me if I was interested in starting a new show that would contain the most extreme ‘tricks’ ever performed by any freak show. We did a performance with Ginger and the Sonic Circus at Download and I went to many other places.

When performing such extreme feats, how did you cope with the stress to your body?   

I couldn’t cope! That is why I don’t do it anymore.

How different is your new show with Missy, compared to what you have done in the past?

It is much more creative than any of my other past performances. It also pushes my skills as a performer, as Missy is a perfectionist! I act a lot more and am more inventive when it comes to the freak show ‘tricks’. We take standard ‘tricks’ and re-invent them; I really like to do that.

You have performed all over the Europe, what has been your best experience and why?  

When I performed at the Open House Festival in Belfast with Missy and Gypsy Hotel. Our performance went very well, the crowd was excellent. After the club night ended I went out and partied with my good friends!

What plans do you have for future shows?   

To develop The Baron and Missy’s Misadventures further; we still have many excellent ideas to come… And this summer we will tour the UK doing a street show version of our double-act. We also plan bring our show to theatre venues and galleries and to do more European and international shows.

In the past, you have had some rather extreme Body modifications. Tell us about them and  how your appearance has changed over the years.

 I have had some sub-dermal implant work done on my arms and head; I have since taken the head ones out for personal reasons. I have had scarification, piercings and many tattoos. My physical appearance stays pretty much the same now, apart from getting a few more new tattoos.

Please tell us about your tattoos and the artists who have done them. What was the idea behind the honeycomb design?        

I wanted to create an original one-piece tattoo to fit around my already existing ones, it just grew and grew, and now it covers most of my body! I have had many tattooists working on me; Jarno in Tatuata Helsinki has done the majority of them. In London I have been worked on by Allan Graves and Demian.

Are you still keen to accumulate more tattoos in the future?    

Yeah, I am planning to cover some suspension-scarred tribal on my back with a giant two-headed vulture. I want it to be as realistic as possible! I want to have a collection of scavenger animals on me. And more hexagons too…