Imagine if John Waters tumbled down the rabbit hole instead of Alice, into a wonderland also inhabited by Franz Kafka, and they sipped on psilocybin tea together and watched Showgirls. That comes close to describing Pyrus Calleryana's delectable flavor of weirdness, like boardwalk funnel cake served with an extra generous sprinkling of fairy dust.
Fun fact: these weirdoes derive their name from the species of flora, whose distinct aroma earned its moniker "the cum tree." True to their name, Pyrus Callerina is an immersive exaltation of the outer limits, where beautiful nude bodies intersect with insect extremities, with the endearing campiness of a low budget horror movie VHS. Thoughtful but trashy, in the best of both ways.
Pyrus Calleryana is avant-garde through warped funhouse mirrors. A reflection of high art, laughing at its own absurdity. You'll laugh too! And soon, you too will beg your friends to join you for a whiff of that seductive stench. It's Pyrus Callerina!
Pyrus Calleryana is: Aaron Grievances, Airport Hojo, and Ouja Bordello.
See Pyrus Calleryanna perform next at their "Mall Goth" show on September 19 in Grand Rapids, MI.
Bio written by THE NECROSEXUAL.
1. How did you get the idea for Pyrus Calleryana?
Hojo: We all love weirdo burlesque. I think part of it was a dear friend told us she wanted to smash eggs on herself, and we very enthusiastically wanted to make that happen for her.
Ouija: We were taking classes together and had a shared desire to make a space for performers to gain experience and get freaky and weird. Another performer had an egg act that was too weird and messy for other shows so no one would take it, but we really wanted to see a beautiful woman smash eggs on her nearly nude body and couldn’t understand why anyone wouldn’t wanna see that!
2. You had your first show in June. What did you do to make your performance out stand out?
Aaron: We got messy.
Hojo: By the end of the show there were eggs, blood, and I think a little bit of mustard all over the floor, so that was pretty memorable for people. People were cheering for the tarp, which was memorable for me.
Ouija: We reached out to friends who perform to let them know they could bring their weirdest and nastiest, and those blessed beautiful freaks really delivered.
3. Describe each of your performance styles and personalities. Hojo: Gross, provocative, theatrical. I’m always eating stuff, smearing stuff all over myself, and bending myself into weird shapes. Usually the point is to dance to borderline unlistenable music and be a mess at the end of everything.
Ouija: We’re all on the dark side. I’m possessed. I have an innate fascination with sexuality, magic, and death, and I have a need to be simultaneously glamorous and extremely filthy.
Aaron: I like to come up with bizarre concepts, things that would make the audience uncomfortable if I wasn’t such a ham. For my most popular act, I pretend to f*** a corpse.
4. What are some of your biggest inspirations? It can be burlesque, music, movies or otherwise.Hojo: Performance art in general. Aesthetically, I’m partial to the Viennese Actionists. Um… Einstürzende Neubauten is a big influence, Alexander McQueen, David Bowie. 70’s glam and punk style. Monsters.
Aaron: Sam Raimi taught me slapstick. I don’t have a strong sense of aesthetic. I collage together what I’m attracted to. Fake blood, fire, nudity. You can find all of that at Pyrus Calleryana and through my other projects. I made a movie called Lobster Cabin that was heavily influenced by Psycho II and Hard Target.
Ouija: The Devil, filth and decadence, Venus, witchcraft, Deco period Egyptian revival, glamorous showgirls, horror and erotica, anatomical models and preserved specimens, vintage Halloween. I am sexually attracted to The Spooky.
5. What can we expect for your upcoming mall goth show on September 19?Hojo: Two different shows. One is a dance party and selection of burlesque from the core group featuring nu-metal, etc. on September 13, and the September 19 show is the full theatrical experience with guest performers.
Aaron: More eyeliner than you can fit in one pencil. More butts than an employees only entrance ashtray. More zippers on a pair of jeans than you would ever need to devastate 666 scrotums. And, more cringe-worthy music than you downloaded from Limewire before the family computer crashed.
Ouija: We’re celebrating not the cool things about the goth aesthetic, but what’s low-brow and cringey, and also deeply nostalgic. 6. Your troupe is named after a very specific tree with an even more specific smell. How did you get the idea to name your troupe after this?
Hojo: They’re beautiful yet upsetting, which is kind of our whole thing.
Aaron: When we were spitballing ideas, the stinkers were in full bloom.
Ouija: I wasn’t there, and I think the name stinks. “We’re not changing it” became a team motto though, when others had trouble pronouncing it. Figure it out.
7. As a new troupe, what are your goals for the future?Hojo: To generally help people in GR get weird because they need that sometimes. And to expand our network.
Aaron: WORLD TOUR
Ouija: What I enjoy is how we aren’t exactly a troupe, anyone can submit any act and if it fits the theme of the show we can fly our freak flags together. “Make your weird light shine bright so the other weirdos know where to find you” well, we’re trying to be a damn lighthouse.
8. This is a metal blog, so what's one album that changed your life? Hojo: Diamond Dogs by David Bowie. The imagery in those songs very much entertained my neuroses when I first heard it. I have fond memories of playing it on this shitty broken record player I had in college and just thinking wistfully about the end of the world. Not very metal, I apologize.
Ouija: Songs for the Deaf by Queens of the Stone Age as well as their self titled album unlocked the Eros to my Thanatos in adolescence, Witchcult Today by Electric Wizard reflects my default headspace, and both Taxidermy and Drink Me by Queen Adreena made me feel this really strong folie a deux with KatieJane.
Aaron: Hammerheart was a big turning point for me. Before that, I was all Rammstein and System of a Down. Everything Acid Witch puts out, I will never tire of listening too.
Ouija: Acid Witch!
9. Anything you'd like to add? Thank you for going one on one with the Grim 1! Hojo: Thanks!
Aaron: It's three on one, really.
Ouija: “Goodbye”
Ouija: We reached out to friends who perform to let them know they could bring their weirdest and nastiest, and those blessed beautiful freaks really delivered.
3. Describe each of your performance styles and personalities. Hojo: Gross, provocative, theatrical. I’m always eating stuff, smearing stuff all over myself, and bending myself into weird shapes. Usually the point is to dance to borderline unlistenable music and be a mess at the end of everything.
Ouija: We’re all on the dark side. I’m possessed. I have an innate fascination with sexuality, magic, and death, and I have a need to be simultaneously glamorous and extremely filthy.
Aaron: I like to come up with bizarre concepts, things that would make the audience uncomfortable if I wasn’t such a ham. For my most popular act, I pretend to f*** a corpse.
4. What are some of your biggest inspirations? It can be burlesque, music, movies or otherwise.Hojo: Performance art in general. Aesthetically, I’m partial to the Viennese Actionists. Um… Einstürzende Neubauten is a big influence, Alexander McQueen, David Bowie. 70’s glam and punk style. Monsters.
Aaron: Sam Raimi taught me slapstick. I don’t have a strong sense of aesthetic. I collage together what I’m attracted to. Fake blood, fire, nudity. You can find all of that at Pyrus Calleryana and through my other projects. I made a movie called Lobster Cabin that was heavily influenced by Psycho II and Hard Target.
Ouija: The Devil, filth and decadence, Venus, witchcraft, Deco period Egyptian revival, glamorous showgirls, horror and erotica, anatomical models and preserved specimens, vintage Halloween. I am sexually attracted to The Spooky.
5. What can we expect for your upcoming mall goth show on September 19?Hojo: Two different shows. One is a dance party and selection of burlesque from the core group featuring nu-metal, etc. on September 13, and the September 19 show is the full theatrical experience with guest performers.
Aaron: More eyeliner than you can fit in one pencil. More butts than an employees only entrance ashtray. More zippers on a pair of jeans than you would ever need to devastate 666 scrotums. And, more cringe-worthy music than you downloaded from Limewire before the family computer crashed.
Ouija: We’re celebrating not the cool things about the goth aesthetic, but what’s low-brow and cringey, and also deeply nostalgic. 6. Your troupe is named after a very specific tree with an even more specific smell. How did you get the idea to name your troupe after this?
Hojo: They’re beautiful yet upsetting, which is kind of our whole thing.
Aaron: When we were spitballing ideas, the stinkers were in full bloom.
Ouija: I wasn’t there, and I think the name stinks. “We’re not changing it” became a team motto though, when others had trouble pronouncing it. Figure it out.
7. As a new troupe, what are your goals for the future?Hojo: To generally help people in GR get weird because they need that sometimes. And to expand our network.
Aaron: WORLD TOUR
Ouija: What I enjoy is how we aren’t exactly a troupe, anyone can submit any act and if it fits the theme of the show we can fly our freak flags together. “Make your weird light shine bright so the other weirdos know where to find you” well, we’re trying to be a damn lighthouse.
8. This is a metal blog, so what's one album that changed your life? Hojo: Diamond Dogs by David Bowie. The imagery in those songs very much entertained my neuroses when I first heard it. I have fond memories of playing it on this shitty broken record player I had in college and just thinking wistfully about the end of the world. Not very metal, I apologize.
Ouija: Songs for the Deaf by Queens of the Stone Age as well as their self titled album unlocked the Eros to my Thanatos in adolescence, Witchcult Today by Electric Wizard reflects my default headspace, and both Taxidermy and Drink Me by Queen Adreena made me feel this really strong folie a deux with KatieJane.
Aaron: Hammerheart was a big turning point for me. Before that, I was all Rammstein and System of a Down. Everything Acid Witch puts out, I will never tire of listening too.
Ouija: Acid Witch!
9. Anything you'd like to add? Thank you for going one on one with the Grim 1! Hojo: Thanks!
Aaron: It's three on one, really.
Ouija: “Goodbye”
See more of Pyrus Calleryana at their Facebook page.
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