Robert Brink - Writer

Rachel Perry

July 1, 2005 | Skip To The Comments (0)

Rachel Perry was, by far, the most real and charismatic "celebrity" I have ever worked with. After we met for lunch and this interview, she took me up to VH1's wardrobe area to be fitted for an appearance and tried numerous outfits on (and removed them) in front of me.

Rachel Perry
By Rob Brink
Stance Magazine March 2003

Rachel Perry will eat food off your plate and has a mouth like a truck driver. She cuts the necks on her shirts down to show extra skin and isn't afraid to use toilet humor, talk about her boobs, or strip down in broad daylight in Manhattan to take photos. She'd probably do it even if the camera wasn't there, and that's what makes her fun. Rachel grew up in Canada, eh, and used to make skateboarding videos with her buddies and go to punk shows for fun. She has since left the motherland and relocated to New York City to work for VH-1 as host of All Access (in addition to whatever other random stuff they have her do), where we hear her voice more than we see her face, which sucks. But Rachel is a busy girl (she recently did commentary for the Gravity Games), and at only 26 years old, there's definitely more of her to come.

Your manager sent me a tape of you broadcasting from the Warped Tour a few years ago and getting pelted with bottles.

I was working for Much Music. It was the year that Blink 182 and Ice-T were on it. We wanted to go film from up on the ramp so that you could see the stage in the background. Every time we would go up there to do my read, bottles would come flying, and I had my back turned to the crowd. My cameraman could at least see them coming and dodge them. So we gave up for a minute and the bottles stopped. Then we went back out and it started again. So we gave up again, and then went out a third time and a bottle goes whizzing right by my head. At that point, I'd had enough.

I kind of like the irreverence of the crowd at an event like that. You would never see anyone throwing bottles at Carson Daly at the MTV beach house or something.

Yeah, they didn't do it because it was me or because I was the media. It was just because I was there and they had bottles—I was a victim.

How did you get the Gravity Games gig?

Well, I guess they saw my [Warped Tour] tape and liked my light, fun style. They asked me if I knew about skateboarding, and I told them, "I like that shit."

You looked so different on that tape than you do in person and in the Stuff magazine photos, I mean. Obviously there was some airbrushing...

Not really! What do you mean? That video was like four years ago. But they airbrush out any armpit stubble, and they airbrush under the boobs to make them took bigger. It's not that airbrushed, it really isn't.

Is it weird seeing yourself like that?

Not really, but it's weird that my grandmother saw it. She called me and told me how lovely my tattoos were because she never saw them before.

Now the same guys who pleasure themselves to Carmen Electra are pleasuring themselves to you.

I don't think of myself as this sexy chick like a Carmen Electra. I hope I attract a different kind of guy than that. I don't have those big old fake boobs-not that there's anything wrong with them. I like my boobs, and I think I have nice boobs. B-cups are good. And because I don't have big boobs it saves me a lot of the weeding-out process with the guys who go for big tits, but I still meet my share of jerks.

Its a bit strange with all these men's magazines out now. A girl can become famous just by being a hot chick. And not even be an actress or have talent or anything. Like Sharon Stone-does she even work anymore? All she does is show up at premieres and look good.

Oh, you mean like Paris and Nicky Hilton? Oops! Did I just say that? Those girls will show up to the opening of a phone book. Everyone knows who they are. They are everywhere. It's like a big joke.

So are you working your way into movies?

I hope so. That's how I got into all these other things in the first place. I've always been high energy, I like to have fun and play dress up. When I'm in the wardrobe room at VH-1, I'll run around in my underwear. I just like fucking with people, making them laugh, and entertaining people.

What kind of music are you into?

I go through phases. My staple music is punk and hardcore—Minor Threat, Black Flag. This summer I listened to a lot of hip-hop. I also like Tom Waits, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash.

You have different taste than most people your age.

When grew up, there was the first wave of boy bands. I was sort of a weird kid, and I didn't listen to New Kids On The Block—I was busy listening to Led Zeppelin, Elvis, The Doors, different stuff. Depeche Mode was the first concert I ever went to—I was thirteen. The second was Fugazi.

Are there any bands that you were a fan of, but once you met them you thought they were lame?

Weezer. They are a really difficult interview. They just gave one-word answers and were very purposefully difficult. It took me a long time to even listen to their music after that.

Who were you most excited to interview?

David Bowie. And he was awesome—the easiest, coolest interview I have ever done. I interviewed Johnny Knoxville once. I was kind of scared to interview him because I thought he might be a real jerk, but he was really nice, and I ripped his chest hair out.

Do you have a boyfriend?

I'm dating, seeing a couple guys, but it's nothing serious.

Ever date any famous people?

Yes.

Who?

Can't say.

Oh. Okay then. Which guys were you into at the Gravity Games?

T.J. Lavin is pretty hot. All those sports, that's the kind of guy I'm attracted to. I like guys who are a little dirtier, not the pretty boy type. In my opinion, those sports have the best-looking guys. But maybe that's because they like the music that I like, and they have the build that I like, and they're dirty and gnarly and have scars. You know, now that I think about it, Cory Nastazio is pretty hot, too.

Celebrities?

Owen Wilson. I loved him in Royal Tenenbaums when his shirt was off and his gut was showing. Johnny Knoxville is hot, too…but they're like dirty guys, you know? I don't care if a guy is out of shape or any of that stuff. I can't deal with pretty boys. Brandon Boyd of Incubus is hot, but he's too pretty.

What about skateboarders?

I don't know. I can't think of any.