It's no fish story how we caught hold
of this Modern Femme Fatale. Her name is Marina the
Fire Eating Mermaid and she has been seen all around the US swimming
in such tourist joints as the legendary Wreck Bar in Florida. Yes, she
is a professional mermaid. And yes, she does eat fire. (But not at the
same time.) This sea-going siren was also featured (in and out of water)
in Bachelor Pad Magazine. Want to learn more about this gal?
(And yes, she knows that you want to know more about her mermaid tail and
shell bra.) Read on in this exclusive interview with the lovely Marina
the Fire Eating Mermaid! (Don't forget to check out her photos
at the bottom of the page.)
* * * * *
(Interview from July 2009)
Java's Bachelor Pad: I wish I could say you're the first mermaid
we've featured here, but that honor goes to Diane
Webber who played the Queen of the Mermaids in the film, "Mermaids
of Tiburon." That being said, mermaids are a rare catch indeed. (Sorry
about the pun...I have a feeling that's going to happen a lot here.) How
did you get started as a mermaid?
Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid: Woah~ to be even in the same
sentence as Diane Webber is fine by me! (Of course I have a copy
of the film 'Mermaids of Tiburon'!) I have been free diving since the age
of three, when my Dad & older brother would often take me on their
underwater excursions in the Caribbean.
That combined with my Polynesian and Belly
Dance background, add a generous dash of retro-entertainment and pop culture
(both HUGE interests of mine) and well it was an inevitable result.
JBP: Talk about your mermaid outfit. What the tail like? And
those shell bras. How does one go about shopping for shell bras?
MtFEM: The "tails" are made from a variety of materials, but
most often from swimsuit fabric. I make them myself. As for the bras, they
are pretty easy to come by. I mail-order them. Sizing is a challenge, but
I manage... *wink*
JBP: Why a mermaid? Did you just wake up one day and decide that's
what you wanted to do?
MtFEM: Why a mermaid? Well, it is indeed an identifiable figure.
The image of a mermaid has made itself quite a little niche in mid-century
culture and continues to endure so it seems. I do also perform underwater
pearl dives, dances and acrobatics without a fishtail, but I seem to get
a lot of interesting attention when the fin is on.
JBP: Who inspires you?
MtFEM: I'm inspired by anyone who takes the road less traveled.
Pioneers who are tagged "odd" or "unusual", but still persist in following
their artistic visions. Names? Eartha Kitt,
Bruce Lee, Freddy Mercury, Gene Kelly,
Esther Williams...to
name a few.
JBP: You also eat fire, walk on a ladder of swords, lay on a
bed of nails...wow...I'm getting tired just listing that all. Is there
anything you don't do?
MtFEM: For the moment- I won't hang suspended by hooks, or
cook. (Don't call me 'Ariel' either!)
JBP: Now, you appeared in Bachelor
Pad Magazine issue 5 and people got to see you in your human
form. And I have to say, it's a real shame you hide those legs in a mermaid
fin. How did you get interested in pin-ups?
MtFEM: Ah--I perform just about as often with the fin as without
it, so most folks have gotten a peek at the gams. My interest in pin-ups
stems from a desire to better connect with the audience or with the fans.
It allows the viewer an opportunity to feel like they can more closely
relate to the image. I find the idea that no two people thinking alike
when gazing at the image intriguing.
JBP:
Just
recently, the artist Thor painted your likeness. Tell us about that
painting. What's it like to be immortalized on canvas like that? (Click
thumbnail for larger version.)
MtFEM: To have my likeness appear on as revered a canvas as
THOR's for 'Perils & Pearls' is a thrill beyond words. He is such
an amazing visionary in his work--really captured the essence of undersea
adventure in that piece. I particularly enjoy how it resembles an illustration
from an old diving book or adventure novel.
JBP: What's the worst mermaid-based pick-up line you've heard?
I've bet you've heard "Nice tail" more times than you can count.
MtFEM: Worse pick up line: "You've got some nice shells."
(That's so cliché- Auwe!) And yes, there have been MANY others.
JBP: What's next for you?
MtFEM: I have a variety of projects in the works, from more
frequent appearances at different tanks and pools throughout the U.S. &
abroad, to DVD video projects & quite possibly a podcast. You will
have to check in on me often to find out!
