Cynthia Plaster Caster
Cynthia Plaster Caster is an American artist and self-described "recovering groupie" who gained fame for creating plaster casts of famous persons' erect penises.
Albritton began her career in 1968 by casting penises of rock musicians. She later expanded her subjects to include filmmakers and other types of artists, eventually amassing a collection of 50 plaster phalluses. In 2000 she added casting female artists' breasts.
Biography
Albritton was born in Chicago, Illinois. Shy as a young girl, Albritton sought out a way to make contact with the opposite sex. In the late 1960s she became caught up in free love and rock music. In college, when her art teacher gave the class an assignment to "plaster cast something solid that could retain its shape", she hit upon the idea of casting the temporarily-solid male genitalia, which would then soften and exit the mold. Finding a dental mold-making substance called alginate to be sufficient, she found her first celebrity client in Jimi Hendrix, the first of many to submit to the idea.Meeting Frank Zappa, who found the concept of "casting" both humorous and creative as an art form, Albritton found in him something of a patron. He moved her to Los Angeles, which she described as a veritable groupie heaven, with no lack of willing assistants eager to prepare the subjects for casting. In 1971, after her apartment was burglarized, Zappa and Albritton decided the casts should be preserved for a future exhibition, entrusting them to Zappa's legal partner, Herb Cohen, for safekeeping. The exhibition idea didn't take off however due to a sudden lack of famous rock stars willing to participate. She made no casts between 1971 and 1980. After years of wrangling, Albritton found herself in 1993 having to go to court in order to retrieve the 25 casts Cohen held. In 2000, Albritton finally held her first exhibition of the casts in New York City. She also decided to begin casting women's breasts as an egalitarian move.
In 2001 a film documentary, Plaster Caster, was made about her. She also contributed to the BBC Three documentary My Penis and I, made by British filmmaker Lawrence Barraclough about his anxiety over his 9 cm erect penis. She has inspired at least two songs: "Five Short Minutes" by Jim Croce and "Plaster Caster" by Kiss. She is also mentioned in Momus' song "The Penis Song" on his album Folktronic and the Le Tigre song "Nanny Nanny Boo Boo". In 1969 Pamela Des Barres, of Frank Zappa's group The GTOs, recorded a telephone conversation with Cynthia from Chicago for the GTOs album Permanent Damage.
In 2010, Albritton ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Chicago, Illinois on the "Hard Party" ticket.
List of castshttp://www.cynthiaplastercaster.com/flash/home.html
Males
- 0002 Joel Coplon, friend
- 0003 Al Hernandez, friend
- 0004 Jimi Hendrix, guitarist-The Jimi Hendrix Experience
- 0005 Noel Redding, bass player-The Jimi Hendrix Experience
- 0006 Don Ogilvie, road manager-Mandala
- 0007 Bob Pridden, road manager-The Who
- 0008 Eric Burdon, singer-The Animals
- 0009 Richard Cole, tour manager-Led Zeppelin
- 0010 Dennis Thompson, drummer-MC5
- 0011 Wayne Kramer, guitarist-MC5
- 0012 Frank Cook, drummer-Pacific Gas & Electric
- 0013 Fritz Richmond, washtub bass player-Jim Kweskin Jug Band
- 0014 Michael Vestey, record producer
- 0015 Bob Grant, conservative radio host
- 0016 Anthony Newley, singer/songwriter
- 0017 Danay West, manager-Iron Butterfly
- 0018 Eddie Brigati, singer-The Rascals
- 0019 Barry Bono, road manager-The Rascals
- 0020 Harvey Mandel, guitarist
- 0021 Lee Mallory, singer/songwriter
- 0022 Doug Dillard, banjo player-The Dillards
- 0023 John Barr, bass player-The Churls
- 0024 Tony Stevens, bass player-Foghat & Savoy Brown
- 0025 Keef Hartley, drummer-Keef Hartley Band, others
- 0026 Keith Webb, drummer-Terry Reid
- 0027 Bob Henrit, drummer-Argent & The Kinks
- 0028 Zal Yanovsky, singer/guitarist-The Lovin' Spoonful
- 0032 Aynsley Dunbar, drummer-The Mothers of Invention, Journey, others
- 0033 Ricky Fataar, drummer-Beach Boys, Bonnie Raitt, The Rutles
- 0034 Smutty Smiff , bass player-Levi and the Rockats
- 0035 John Smothers, bodyguard-Frank Zappa
- 0036 Ivan Karamazov , juggler-The Flying Karamazov Brothers
- 0037 Shane Eason, drummer-Loverboy
- 0038 Mary Byker , singer-Gaye Bykers on Acid
- 0039 Jon Langford, singer/guitarist-The Mekons, The Three Johns
- 0040 Chris Connelly, singer-Revolting Cocks, Ministry
- 0043 Clint Poppie singer-Pop Will Eat Itself
- 0044 Terryll Loffler, filmmaker
- 0045 Brian St. Clair, drummer-Rights of the Accused, Triple Fast Action
- 0047 Jello Biafra , singer-Dead Kennedys
- 0048 Pete Shelley , singer/songwriter/guitarist-Buzzcocks
- 0049 Bart Flores, drummer-Wreck, Pigface
- 0050 Ronnie Barnett bass player-The Muffs
- 0051 Richard Lloyd, guitarist-Television, Matthew Sweet
- 0052 Mike Diana, cartoonist
- 0054 Martin Atkins, drummer-Public Image Limited, Killing Joke, Pigface, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails
- 0057 Russ Forster, filmmaker, fanzine writer, label owner Underdog Records, multi-instrumentalist with Spongetunnel
- 0060 Momus , singer/songwriter
- 0062 Jake Shillingford, singer-My Life Story
- 0065 Danny Doll Rod , guitarist-Demolition Doll Rods
- 0067 Billy Dolan, guitarist-Five Style
- 0069 David Yow, actor, singer/bassist-The Jesus Lizard, Scratch Acid
- 0071 Bobby Conn , singer
- 0073 Lawrence Barraclough, filmmaker
- 0074 Lawrence Barraclough, filmmaker
- 0075 Ariel Pink , singer/songwriter
- 0077 Lias Kaci Saoudi, singer-Fat White Family
Females
- 00001 Suzi Gardner, singer/guitarist-L7
- 00002 Suzi Gardner, singer/guitarist-L7
- 00003 Christine Doll Rod , drummer-Demolition Doll Rods
- 00004 Christine Doll Rod , drummer-Demolition Doll Rods
- 00005 Margaret Doll Rod , singer/guitarist-Demolition Doll Rods
- 00006 Margaret Doll Rod , singer/guitarist-Demolition Doll Rods
- 00007 Monica BouBou, singer/guitarist-Bobby Conn
- 00008 Monica BouBou, singer/guitarist-Bobby Conn
- 00009 Lætitia Sadier, singer/keyboardist-Stereolab
- 00010 Lætitia Sadier, singer/keyboardist-Stereolab
- 00011 Peaches , singer
- 00012 Peaches , singer
- 00013 Sally Timms, singer-The Mekons
- 00014 Sally Timms, singer-The Mekons
- 00023 Stephanie Barber, artist
- 00024 Stephanie Barber, artist
- 00027 Karen O , singer-Yeah Yeah Yeahs
- 00028 Karen O , singer-Yeah Yeah Yeahs
- 00029 Cynthia Plaster Caster , artist
- 00030 Cynthia Plaster Caster , artist
- 00031 Cynthia Plaster Caster , artist
- 00032 Cynthia Plaster Caster , artist
- 00033 Jan Terri, singer/songwriter
- 00034 Jan Terri, singer/songwriter