Modern incarnations of burlesque have been showing up everywhere lately, with varying degrees of success. While I certainly enjoy saucy performers and cheeky choreography, I have a hard time understanding why some "artists" either go straight for vapid confection (such as the yawn-inducing turns from Carmen Electra and Christina Aguilera in L.A.'s Pussycat Dolls) or even worse, all-out laziness, hidden under the guise of free-spirited punk rock ideals. Happily, neither is the case with Dita Von Teese, a '40s-inspired, edgy performer whose flirty, fetish-forward modeling work translates beautifully into a performance that's as sexy as it is smart.

Much of your performance, aesthetics, and general persona seems to be modeled on a deep affection and respect for burlesque artists and fetish models from several decades ago, but there is also a distinct contemporary element in what you do....

I think it comes from a lifetime of adoration for the Golden Age of Hollywood. I grew up watching the old musicals of WWII, Busby Berkeley films, and collecting photos of the stars of the past. My shows are not copies of burlesque shows past as much as a reflection of all of the things I have admired from all types of art, film, and books. I feel that in order for burlesque to live on, it is important to bring one's own ideas to it rather than try too hard to simply copy what has already been done.

[Boyfriend] Marilyn Manson cites you as a natural, positive influence on his current stage persona--has he influenced you as well?

He has encouraged me all along and helped me believe that there were no limits to where I could take burlesque. He's very knowledgeable about business and so on, and gives me good advice about all of that--and he also reminds me not to care about what people think.

Given the fact that the burlesque revival has gotten downright trendy, how do you feel about its prevalence? Are you pleased with its resurgence in popularity or are you concerned it's getting watered down now that everyone with a pair of pasties seems to be jumping on stage?

I have high hopes that more and more talented performers will emerge, and that burlesque will make a big comeback! The stiff competition will make all the performers want to perfect their acts, and therefore make it a better scene overall. And hey, I'm all for seeing all the young girls in the country romping around wearing pasties, aren't you?

Is there anything unusual audiences can look forward to at your Seattle performance?

This is my first performance in Seattle, so I am really looking forward to it. Burlesque revues such as this are the most fun, I enjoy performing with these girls, and the audiences from this type of show are the best! I will be bathing onstage in a gilded antique bathtub. The best shows are the ones where I end up getting wet!

Dita Von Teese appears Thurs Oct 30 at the Showbox, 8 pm, $17.50/$20.