Sunday, December 4, 2011

The shadowy underworld of "Stairway to Stardom" fan art!


The faces of Stairway to Stardom

"On the Stairway to Stardom, we've got the other shows beat by a mile!" 

Those are the optimistic lyrics of the theme song of Stairway to Stardom, the notoriously low-budget TV talent show that ran on Manhattan public access from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. Much has been written about the show already, and there are more YouTube clips than you'll ever be able to watch. Even NPR did a piece about the show once. 

Information about Stairway's eccentric performers is tough to find these days, though there are occasional breakthroughs. In a way, part of the show's appeal lies in its utter mystery. Who were these people? Where did they come from? Where did they go? Even the program's affable host, Frank Masi, seems to have vanished. (Update: Mr. Masi died in 2013.)

Undaunted, the fans of Stairway to Stardom have expressed their admiration for the bizarre series in a time-honored fashion: fan art. I've tried to find every piece of Stairway-related fan art on the Internet, and here is what I have come up with so far. Make sure you click on the performers' names to see clips of them in action!

Toni Marie Terrano


Toni M. Terrano shows us what the door is for. (source)

Gloria Huddle


Gloria Huddle wants to speak to Jesus long distance. (source)

Wayne Rubin


Wayne Rubin raises money for dandruff. (source)

Precious Taft


Precious Taft, beautiful when she's angry. (source)

Lucille Cataldo


Lucille Cataldo is worried, tired, and late. (source)