L.A.'s living (and pushing, shoving and screaming) dolls
If you've never been to see the Derby Dolls in downtown L.A., you can't say you know the city. Just finding your way to the events where the roller queens extraordinaire rule is an education. And when you get there, you've entered another world, as our roving reporter, Scott Gold, recently learned:
The crowd, in overalls and bustiers, some with purple hair, some with no hair at all, is feverish. It's so loud you can barely hear yourself drink. One woman is in a full Mardi Gras headdress; her date is wearing a Cookie Monster costume. The VIP section is cordoned off with yellow police tape.
The heroes here are all women. Their uniforms are ripped stockings and knee socks. Their names are Eva Destruction and Tara Armov. Their passion is roller derby, which -- long after being swept into the dustbin of kitsch, alongside Evel Knievel and that movie where Clint Eastwood is pals with an orangutan -- is back.
Go back more than once (guilty), and you'll find the people-watching as much a grabber as the action on the rink. Punked-out couples mingle with the retro crowd, meticulously dressed in a '50s homage with skinny jeans and muscle shirts for the men, and edgy little skirts and dresses Donna Reed might find familiar. (Well, except for the peek-a-boo Technicolor tattoos.)
More about the game and the Dolls in Scott's full story here. And while you're on the page, check out the slide show by Francine Orr.
--Veronique de Turenne
Photo: Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times
