Pleasant Gehman

Pleasant Gehman is a true renaissance woman: writer, dancer, actor, musician, visual artist and Tarot reader. A Hollywood icon, during the 1970's, she was one of the first punks in Los Angeles, documenting the scene she helped create in her fanzine "Lobotomy". During the 1980's, she toured across North America fronting her three bands, all of whom released multiple recordings: The Screaming Sirens, The Ringling Sisters and Honk If Yer Horny. She was also the booker for the seminal Los Angeles clubs Cathay De Grande and Raji's. Since the early 1990's, under the stage name Princess Farhana, she tours internationally as a professional belly dancer and burlesque performer and teacher. She has danced and acted in numerous motion pictures, in music videos and on television. She has appeared in many documentaries on belly dance, burlesque, performing and as an interview subject. In 2009, she was the star of Steve Balderson's film "Underbelly: A Year In The Life Of Princess Farhana" which was released worldwide in theaters as well as on DVD. From the age of sixteen, Pleasant worked as a journalist and cultural commentator with literally thousands of articles published on everything from rock 'n' roll to homeless teenagers, from magician and stunt people to transgendered prostitutes. From 1978 onwards, she founded the rock and club scene gossip column "LA Dee Dah" for LA Weekly, and wrote regularly for several mainstream publications, including The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Los Angeles Magazine, LA Weekly, as well as many music periodicals, such as Spin, Slash, New York Rocker, Request, and others. She has written socio-polical op-ed pieces and in-depth articles about pop culture, the arts and entertainment for national and international publications and websites. Her memoirs, short stories and poetry have been widely anthologized and many works were recorded on her spoken word CD Ruined. She is currently working on a paranormal memoir (Super)Natural Woman, and "walking The Tarot Path, co-authored with Crystal Ravenwolf. Her writing is featured in her own chapter of "Under The Big Black Sun: A Personal History Of L.A. Punk , by John Doe and Tom DeSavia, slated for publication April 26, 2016 Visit Pleasant's website: www.pleasantgehman.com Pleasant is the author and/or editor of eight books, including: "Senorita Sin", "Princess Of Hollywood" ( Incommunicado Press, 1994,1996) The Los Angeles Times Best Seller "The Underground Guide To Los Angeles" ( three volumes on Manic D Press) "Escape From Houdini Mountain" ( Manic D Press, 2001) "Showgirl Confidential: My Life Onstage, Backstage And On The Road" ( Punk Hostage Press 2013) "The Belly Dance Handbook: A Companion For The Serious Dancer" (2014)