What's most impressive about www.suicidegirls.com (despite an overabundance of tits and ass) is the fact that you really don't feel as if you are browsing around an adult web site. For what it's worth, it could be as simple as an alternative version of My Space or Live Journal. Born in 2001, Suicide Girls is the alternative alternate to just about every other adult web site out there. No hardcore pornography and no 'spread shots' (if you know what I mean) Suicide Girls prides itself (justifiably so) on kitschy pin-up style photo shoots featuring pierced, tattooed and for lack of a better term cute 'alternative chicks.' Shedding clothes and inhibitions since 2001, Suicide Girls is now more than just a web site, it's a phenomenon. The site has spawned clothing, a coffee table book and most impressive of all, a traveling burlesque show. Which happens to be the subject matter of this DVD. I'm so jealous. When will we have a Monsters At Play burlesque show? ::shudder::

Performing 60 live shows (many, if not all of which were sold out) a selection of Suicide Girls took to stages all across this great land of ours. They packed up their sexiest bras and panties (and plenty of eyeliner), hopped in a van and hit the road. Suicide Girls: The First Tour DVD chronicles the events that followed, offering up candid moments with the girls, footage of their live performances and staged photo shoots. Complimenting the visuals is a heavy dose of audio accompaniment featuring around 30 or so of the girls' 'favorite' bands.

While I hesitate to call Suicide Girls: The First Tour DVD a documentary per say, essentially, it is. Each of the girls who participated in the tour is briefly profiled with footage from their live performances, photo shoots and interviews. In addition, there are some choice backstage clips and some expected silliness including a raucous midnight skinny dipping session at a motel and a late night nudie stunt in which the girls (unsuccessfully) try to gain the participation of local cab drivers.

The success of this DVD however, lies in the fact that it primarily delivers on exactly what it promises.

Cute Punk/Alternative/Goth chicks - in their birthday suits.

They strip, parade around wearing next to nothing all the while, managing to look cute without much effort. These are not silicone infested model types. These are real girls you'd see traipsing around the local mall or Tower Records. Their live performances range from old school burlesque to new school raunch with plenty of attitude. Whatever it is, the audience (and the girls themselves) seems to eat every last bit of it up. Likewise, the candid interviews range in tone from disgruntled and reckless to sweet and sultry, each of the girls seems to have their own unique spin on this elite club that they belong to. The one common thread amongst them seems to be their respective joy in the fact that they do indeed belong to 'something' and they each appear to relish every minute of their fame - both on and off the stage.

While we're certainly given a lot from each of these girls, I would have liked to see a bit of footage from the fans perspective. One of the things that got me thinking of this was footage of a local concert hall here in Philly called The Trocadero. I remember the local newspaper ads and the show that followed, but I had no idea as to the local crowd that the tour had attracted. People were apparently lined up around the block and foaming at the mouths to get in. Who are these people? Where do they each personally see the appeal? Is it just titillation to them, or is it more? In all fairness, the documentary never purports to seek to answer any of these questions, but it's still something I would have liked to see.

I guess I'll just have to be satisfied with the tits and ass then.

Generally speaking, the full frame image looks pretty good, although some scenes fare better than others. There are a few night shots or other low light situations that suffer a bit, and some of the performance footage is a bit jarring. The best of the best are in the staged photo shoots though, nothing to be missed there. Audio is presented in a decent stereo mix, although with all of that music, it would have been nice to have some kind of a surround alternative.

The DVD chapters essentially relate to each girl. And the format of the film is quite repetitive. Extras include a 'No Talking' version of the film that runs just under an hour. In some instances, this version is quite a blessing. While I found some of the girls comments to be genuinely affecting, there are a few moments of mumbo jumbo I could have lived without (and I'm looking in your direction Stormy) - It's like an hour long music video with lots of nekedness. It's just a cool option to have. Other extras include a practical joke retaliation called 'Van Attack,' a few interview outtakes from Missy Suicide, a music video from the band Probot and footage of one of the girls receiving a tattoo.

Also available from Epitaph is a CD collection entitled THE SUICIDE GIRLS BLACK HEART RETROSPECTIVE which features 15 tracks from artists like Ministry, Gene Loves Jezebel, Bauhaus and Love and Rockets to name a few. Fans of 'The Girls' and their taste in music will most likely want to give this collection a once over as well.

It doesn't matter what they're doing, The Suicide Girls will always come highly recommended from me. Fans and the morbidly curious alike, should ultimately leave the experience of this DVD completely 'satisfied' - you know who you are and you know what I mean. More info at www.suicidegirls.com and www.epitaph.com.