Putting the penis on a pedestal.

April 23, 2022 3:11 PM

Cynthia "Plaster Caster" Albritton died this week. Her life included many activities, including making original art [mostly broken links], helping to shape the contemporary art and club scenes in Chicago, and running for mayor on a platform that defies easy summary. But, she's most widely known for making plaster casts of the intimate parts of more than one hundred popular musicians. (previously)

For the benefit of those of us who have not been paying close attention to the casting community of the '70s, it's worth pointing out that the caster who appears in W.R.: Mysteries of an Organism, Nancy Godfrey, is a different artist who seems to be alive but is no longer engaged in the manufacture of this particular product.

posted by eotvos (19 comments total)

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Cynthia has been an inspiration, and the plaster casts form only a part of her legacy. Thank you for this post.
posted by lasagnaboy at 3:27 PM on April 23, 2022

.,.
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 3:34 PM on April 23, 2022 [2 favorites]

3==}
posted by snuffleupagus at 3:51 PM on April 23, 2022 [3 favorites]

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posted by acb at 4:12 PM on April 23, 2022

. I met her on two occasions and we just exchanged a few brief pleasantries, she seemed like a really nice person.
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 4:47 PM on April 23, 2022 [4 favorites]

"In 2000 she added casting female artists' breasts." I don't believe I'd like her self made job, but I'm so happy she created it.
posted by firstdaffodils at 4:56 PM on April 23, 2022 [2 favorites]

. for her, who went about her life as she wanted, and made the world a weirder place.
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 6:55 PM on April 23, 2022 [3 favorites]

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posted by Lawn Beaver at 7:23 PM on April 23, 2022

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I thought this woman was just of those urban legends about what musicians did in the ‘60s.
posted by Countess Elena at 8:32 PM on April 23, 2022 [3 favorites]

KISS has a song about her, so there's that.
posted by Beholder at 8:35 PM on April 23, 2022

Came to mention the Kiss song, beat by one comment. Here's a live version. The Plaster Casters were also featured in the 1970 documentary "Groupies".
posted by 445supermag at 8:51 PM on April 23, 2022 [1 favorite]

Le Tigre had a song that namechecked her, too!
posted by infinitewindow at 9:25 PM on April 23, 2022 [1 favorite]

I'm too straightforward a human to be a groupie (I would consider accepting some groupies,) but she's next level.


She's like.. a penis agent.
Or an agent for breasts.
posted by firstdaffodils at 9:26 PM on April 23, 2022

Momus namechecks her in The Penis Song.
posted by acb at 6:00 AM on April 24, 2022 [1 favorite]

There was a spoof/tribute to her in a cutaway scene on Family Guy. My wife thought it was funny but didn't know it was based on a real thing. He jaw dropped.
posted by Webbster at 7:05 AM on April 24, 2022

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posted by evilDoug at 10:48 AM on April 24, 2022

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posted by lapolla at 1:14 PM on April 24, 2022

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posted by ahimsakid at 2:33 PM on April 24, 2022

We were introduced at a party once, before her artistic endeavors were widely known. She was pleasant, nice. Our generation is dropping like flies. damn.
posted by Chitownfats at 10:57 AM on April 27, 2022 [1 favorite]