the ballad of amanda lear

amanda lear photographed by willy vanderperre in collaboration with ricardo tisci for v#68. 

amanda lear was famous or more accurately infamous from the mid 1960s and 1970s. girlfriend of rolling stone brian jones & david bowie (she's in his "sorrow" video - one of my favorite bowie songs), fiancé of bryan ferry (she's on the cover of "for your pleasure") and muse to salvador dali, she also had & has a successful singing career.  her infamy stems from the rumors (of fact?) that she was a transsexual.  she posed for playboy fully nude to dispel rumors but never could.  what a fierce and fabulous woman who has led an amazing life!
one of my favorite stories about her is more recent - in 2002 she told new york's night magazine that she ran into model claudia schiffer in restaurant a few years earlier - a producer had optioned her book my life with dali  and wanted schiffer to play lear. shiffer said 'i love your book! who wrote it for you? lear said 'i did, darling. who read it to you?' the movie was never made.
she is in her 60s by the way....i hope i look & feel that great. love.