What ever happened to the Plaster Casters?

“The world of plaster is a crazy one,” confided the woman who would know, Cynthia Plaster Caster. In case you’re not familiar with her oeuvre, she became famous for making casts of the penises of rock stars. She had a variety of female accomplices, who concentrated on the job of keeping the star stimulated. “I’ve always been the mold mixer,” Plaster Caster told me. “This backfired on my original intent, which was to get laid.” Over the past 35 years, the Chicago native has accumulated an eclectic collection of units, including Jello Biafra (the Dead Kennedys), Wayne Kramer (the MC5), and Jimi Hendrix.

Plaster Caster had an ugly court case in the early ’90s over ownership of her molds, which she won (although some of the plaster originals are gone forever, she has bronze copies). She’s still mixing the plaster today–some of her recent acquisitions include David Yow of the Jesus Lizard and Suzi Gardner of L7 (she’s added boobs to her repertoire). Plaster Caster’s started a nonprofit foundation for non-mainstream artists; to raise money, she’s selling limited editions of some of her casts, including the Hendrix monolith. (For more information, see www.cynthiapcaster.org.) And she’s teaching classes for couples, which come with a plaster-casting diploma. “It’s bizarre to have people tell me I’m a legend,” said the cheerful Plaster Caster. “I think it’s time to pass on the gauntlet before it’s too late.”

(Excerpted from the 2006 book Is Tiny Dancer Really Elton’s Little John?: Music’s Most Enduring Mysteries, Myths, and Rumors Revealed, published by Three Rivers Press, written by Gavin Edwards.)