The World Famous *BOB* is a female burlesque dancer based in Brooklyn who is a central part of the neo burlesque movement that began in New York City in the 1990s. Raised on an isolated 115-acre farm in the California Valley, she renamed herself “Bob” after Robert Smith of The Cure when she was a teenager and was later crowned “The World Famous *BOB*”—now her legal name—by her drag mother, Jackie Beat, when she performed in her first Wigstock. Born female, she nevertheless aspired to be a drag queen from a young age, which led to years of searching for her true gender identity, drug abuse, hustling, and alienation from family. A self-described “female-female spiritual transsexual,” this intense, often painful personal journey eventually drew her to burlesque, which allowed her to embrace her femininity in a way that finally made her comfortable. She currently shares her life story with college students in a highly moving, theatrical one-person show, “One Man Show: The True Story of Miss World Famous *BOB*,” in order to spread a message of hope and survival to the younger queer and queer-friendly community.
Amy Touchette | Shoot the Arrow: A Portrait of The World Famous *BOB*
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The Limelight, Chelsea, No. 2
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Marquee Night Club, Chelsea
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Arriving Home
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Leaving Home
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Fez, Greenwich Village, No. 1
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The Glamazons
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Dollhaus Gallery Basement, Williamsburg
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The Limelight, Chelsea, No. 1
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Backstage with Protégées
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“Hollywood” Tribute to Dixie Evans
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With Bambi the Mermaid, Backstage at Deitch Projects
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Circus Sideshow Dressing Room, Coney Island
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Protégées
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Fishing for Martini Olives in Panties
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Shoot the Arrow
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East Village, No. 1
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Break
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With Karl Giant, No. 1
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To Ray, Love *BOB*
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Night Clubbing, No. 2
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Fez, Greenwich Village, No. 2
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Home, in Bikinis
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Cherry Grove, Fire Island No. 1
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With Mr. Means
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Home, in Panties
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Laundromat, Greenpoint
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Lorimer Street, Williamsburg
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Sutton Street
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Film Shoot, Chinatown, No. 3
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Backstage at Galapagos Art Space, Williamsburg
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Film Shoot, Chinatown, No. 1
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National Arts Club Drawing Class, Gramercy Park
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Tompkins Square Library Drawing Class, East Village
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Backstage, Times Square
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Backstage at Deitch Projects, SoHo
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Backstage Partition, The Tides, Fire Island
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French Sailors, The Knitting Factory, Tribeca
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Making the Bed
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Before Bed
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Waiting for Northside Car Service
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Home, No. 1
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Nighttime, with Movie Star
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Winter Morning
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Home, with Movie Star
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Salvation Army, Williamsburg
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9:30 a.m.
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Midtown
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With Pete
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Stage Entrance