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Mr. Merlin

I want to speak to Mr. Merlin. Is that the right number?

About Me

A professional opera singer, I live alone in an unrepentantly old-fashioned garden apartment in the center of Hollywood surrounded by walls of books, paintings, victrolas, old-timey furniture, and a formidable pacific goose named Wally hanging sentinel over the sofa as though to terrify would-be intruders.

I'm always keen to meet new bridge partners, pretty boys and girls, and charming conversationalists for tea.

My consuming interests are bridge, bondage, ballroom dancing and buggery (all "B"s, all thoroughly Victorian). Also opera, silent film, books, history, travel, art, organ concerts, architecture, historic theatre preservation, trashy kindergoths, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

My career website: www.jessemerlin.com

My Interests

Duplicate Bridge, Waltzing, BDSM, Opera, History, Books, Politics, Classic & Silent Film, RHPS, Mighty Wurlitzers, Theatre & Church organs

I'd like to meet:

Quentin Crisp once more. And Ronald Colman, of course. And Oscar Wilde, George Wright, Evelyn Waugh, Klaus Nomi, John Kennedy Toole, Charles Gray, Gilbert & Sullivan, Verdi, Mozart, Puccini...And a few toothsome, charming young boys and girls in heavy eyeliner. Heavens yes.

Music:

Tom Jones, Legendary Pink Dots, Roger Waters, The Cure, Pink Floyd, Warren Zevon, Opera, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Operetta, Gilbert & Sullivan, Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, J.S. Bach, W.F. Bach, Purcell, Poulenc, Widor, Vierne, Leonce de Saint-Martin, Donizetti, Rossini, Beethoven, Prokofiev, Organ music, Klaus Nomi, George Wright

Movies:

Salo: The 120 Days of Sodom, The Naked Civil Servant, Santa Sangre, A Night at the Opera, John Waters, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Ronald Colman, Lon Chaney Sr., Douglas Fairbanks Sr., Luis Bunuel, El Topo, Holy Mountain, Lost Horizon, The Marx Brothers

Television:

Cinema Insomnia, The Prisoner, The League of Gentlemen, Dr. Who, The Singing Detective, Family Guy, The Simpsons, I Claudius, The Western Tradition, Prisoner: Cell Block H

Books:

The Naked Civil Servant, A Confederacy of Dunces, Moab is my Washpot, Darkness at Noon, La Bas, De Profundis, Scoop, Vile Bodies, The Invisible Writing, The Road to Terror, Men in Prison

Heroes:

Quentin Crisp, Oscar Wilde, Cesare Siepi, Stephen Fry, Klaus Nomi, Ronald Colman, George Wright, Evelyn Waugh, Arthur Koestler, Bill W. & Dr. Bob

My Blog

SHOW & TELL WITH JOHNNY KNOXVILLE

..Please watch! Leave comments.How Johnny Knoxville & I first fell in love....
Posted by Mr. Merlin on Thu, 08 May 2008 06:07:00 PST

My Savior Did Appear

For those of you who didn't get to see The Beastly Bombing, this is the show I starred in as President Sterling Dodgeson for over a year in LA, and took to New York twice.It's a light-hearte...
Posted by Mr. Merlin on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 05:09:00 PST

Thank Heaven for Little Girls

Here I am at my Maurice Chevalier best (worst?) singing one of my favorite songs.It was a memorable Rocky Horror pre-show at the Rialto. 1200 seats with no microphone-- home at last.Come to our FINA...
Posted by Mr. Merlin on Wed, 26 Dec 2007 05:30:00 PST

BREAKING NEWS: ROCKY AT THE RIALTO ONE LAST TIME DEC. 29!!!

In August of 2007, with no notice, the Rialto theater in South Pasadena was completely shut down. The cast of Dark Refrain, on the verge of completing 30 continuous years of Rocky Horror in the theate...
Posted by Mr. Merlin on Mon, 24 Dec 2007 01:20:00 PST

Making of Jackass: The Game (my first MTV cameo)

All four clips aired last night at midnight as a half-hour JACKASS reunion special.See if you don't recognize the face behind PJ on the wall of his office.  First appearance happens about a minut...
Posted by Mr. Merlin on Sun, 23 Sep 2007 05:38:00 PST

BROADWAY BULLET

During my last day in New York, I went with our producer to a recording studio near Times square and recorded a short interview for The Broadway Bullet podcast. All the Broadway & Off-Broadwa...
Posted by Mr. Merlin on Thu, 30 Aug 2007 05:00:00 PST

Presidential High Jinks

I posted a bunch of photos from my opening song in The Beastly Bombing.Click for high-larity....
Posted by Mr. Merlin on Thu, 10 May 2007 07:54:00 PST

Le Timewarp en Francais

Time Warp feat Jesse Merlin Add to My Profile |   More VideosIn the summer of 2005, I sang an opera in Paris which gave me six weeks to perform with the Fabulous Sweet Transvestites, ...
Posted by Mr. Merlin on Wed, 25 Apr 2007 12:28:00 PST

The Beastly Bombing: Musical of the Year

At the LA Weekly Theater Awards Ceremony on Monday, The Beastly Bombing was awarded Musical of the Year, 2006.  Hurrah!There's an imminent trip to NYC in early May to perform an Investor's Showca...
Posted by Mr. Merlin on Fri, 13 Apr 2007 12:28:00 PST

Beastly Bombing in the New York Times!

Today's Sunday NY Times arts & leisure section, above the fold:The very model of a modern meta-musical.For those of you who haven't been paying attention, this is the show I'm starring in as Presi...
Posted by Mr. Merlin on Sun, 07 Jan 2007 11:39:00 PST