Like many these days, Eugene burlesque performer Peaches Von Killingsworth recently had a close call with fentanyl. Unlike far too many, Von Killingsworth, who identifies by that stage name, survived the incident.
Helping to address the fentanyl issue, on July 26, The Wax Poetry Revue, Von Killingsworth’s Eugene-based burlesque collective, presents Cure for Pain, a tribute to the music of Morphine and a fundraiser for HIV Alliance.
The show will feature five artists, including Von Killingsworth, performing burlesque, contortionism and aerial acts, choreographed to Morphine backing tracks. Meanwhile, HIV Alliance will provide information on naloxone, or Narcan, a medicine crucial to saving lives in overdose situations. All proceeds from the show benefit the organization.
Von Killingsworth says she chose HIV Alliance for the many services it provides to the community, including drug use harm reduction. The fentanyl epidemic is an important discussion to talk about without shame and stigma, she adds.
“We have, within the entertainment industry, lost so many of our friends to fentanyl-related harm,” Von Killingsworth tells Eugene Weekly in a phone call. And the risk is not just isolated to heavy substance abusers, but recreational drug users as well, she says.
Von Killingsworth says Morphine’s music suits the show because of the band’s sensuality. Morphine was a distinctive ’90s trio, featuring singer and bass player Mark Sandman, an outspoken critic of drug use.
Sandman’s custom-made two-string bass added a bluesy rumble to the low end of the songs, backed by the unique instrumentation of baritone saxophone and drums. In 1999, Sandman died on stage of a heart attack, unrelated to substance use issues.
As part of her burlesque performance, Von Killingsworth will sing the Morphine song “I Know You Part III.” She will also dance to the Morphine song “Buena,” off the band’s 1993 album Cure for Pain.
Other performers at the HIV Alliance benefit include Baad Betty, The Lu Harlow, Pixie Kat and Azalea Jade, an aerial, hoop and pole performer on tour from South Korea. (All burlesque performers are identified by their stage names). Sugar Top Buddery, Pearl Day Spa and Charles Little & Company, a flower farm, are sponsoring the event.
Frankie Live, a burlesque performer from Eugene, hosts the show. “This little brain child has blossomed into a beautiful event showcasing performance artists, moving to music from the music of Morphine,” Live says in an email.
“As the host,” Live writes, “I hope to shine a light on the efforts of the HIV Alliance in testing, needle exchange and overall harm reduction while celebrating the art and artists in the height of the AIDs epidemic.”
Live adds, “As a performer of nearly a decade in Eugene, I hope to use the ‘soapbox of sultry’ that is burlesque to better our communities and raise money and awareness for vulnerable populations.”