Hollywood Diary: Katy Perry

Dear Diary,

One time, my friend Johnny took me to see a Katy Perry concert. This is what Johnny looks like. Yes, he’s hot. Duh.

Johnny is Katy Perry’s stylist. Which means he dresses her for events and often custom designs her wardrobe for music videos and public appearances. He also does a ton of other celebs like Nikki Minaj, Zooey Deschanel, and Rachel Bilson. And pretty much every other big name out there. He’s a huge deal, he’s super talented, and he’s super sweet.

Johnny and I were talking about mustaches the other night and I’m digging this picture of him with the ‘stache. He can totally pull that one off. Whenever I grow a moustache I look like a weirdo Peeping Tom freak.

As much as I love Johnny, this post is supposed to be about his contributions to the amazing Katy Perry concert I attended on Wednesday. So I’ll stop celeb stalking him for now. Like the adorable uberfans below who screamed “Johnny! Johnny! Can we take a picture with you?!?” (He obliged).

Johnny, got us backstage, where they like eating candy to stay in line with the “Candyfornia” California Dreams Tour.

These are some of the gingerbread costumes, later to be worn by the cutest 19-year-old dancers on the planet.

And by “cutest 19-year-old dancers,” yes, I am referring to myself. Because I am 19, plus or minus ten years.

They threw these beach balls out in the audience at the end of the show for everyone to play with whilst Katy sprayed them with foam.

How much do you love these CatHeads? I want one.

The stage design was totally candy. Lots of pastels and neons. Basically the colors I’d like to wear every day if it didn’t make me feel like a member of New Kids On The Block gone wrong.

Katy playing guitar on a giant floating cloud. Double yay!

I’m a sucker for confetti. So beautiful.

Oh, and here’s a Secret From A Stylist I never knew. There’s a fake Hyde Lounge INSIDE the stupid Staples Center! Who knew? It’s like up in the boxes where rich people sit.

This is the conversation that happened when I realized the club we were at was Hyde:

Me: Wait, we’re at is “Hyde”?

Friend: We’re not at the Hollywood Hyde, but yes, we’re at Hyde. You know we didn’t leave the building, right?

Me: I realized we hadn’t left the building, I just didn’t realize there was a fake mini nightclub inside Staples Center based on the place Lindsay Lohan used to hang out in in 2006.

Friend: I hate you so much. I wish you were never born.

…Anyway, they had some crazy lighting in there. They look prettier in real life. I think.

The tour (which has been going on for over a year) ended with this concert, so the purpose of the Hyde party was to let the tour crew have one last hurrah. It was actually pretty awesome to see how much the people who work on that tour (lighting guys, dancers, makeup artists, stylists, set designers, etc) love their work and love Katy.

After the show was over, Katy had to film some additional close up shots for a 3D concert film being produced about the tour. It was kind of crazy, everyone else got to go party and homegirl had to keep working for two more hours. You can tell she’s a totally driven, hardworking person. Something that doesn’t always come across as her persona makes everything seem so effortless.

Here’s Katy and her dancers recreating one of their onstage dance moves (in which Katy is lifted above their heads).

It was a really educational, inspirational evening for so many reasons. Firstly, Johnny is an incredible artist, stylist, and designer. It seems like the artistry that goes into creating performances like the California Dreams Tour often goes overlooked. They are designed to seem flawlessly plastic, perfectly produced. But it takes a team of incredible people to create the outrageous costumes, the beautiful sets. Johnny has an eye for candy colors and iconic imagery (cupcakes, dot candies, whipped cream) that is definitely pop-art inspired.

For example, I can’t look at this dress…

…Without seeing this Damien Hirst painting:

Or this moment…

…Without thinking of this Takashi Murakami sculpture (parental discretion advised):

I mention this not to get off on a crazy tangent about how art influences popular culture, but just to note that a there is a connection between the two and I definitely sensed it seeing Johnny’s work and hearing him talk about it. That and seeing the book of Tim Burton drawings at his house paired with a big art collection. The moral of the story is that it was refreshing to see all the imagination and brilliance that goes into creating one of our country’s biggest pop acts. It’s an absolute inspiration to see someone like Johnny making such lovely, interesting, challenging, and fun creations.

Love,
Orlando