A plaster cast of Jimi Hendrix's penis is to be unveiled at the Icelandic Phallological Museum in downtown Reykjavik.
The artefact was donated by the late Cynthia Albritton, otherwise known as Cynthia Plaster Caster, and is one of a few cast replicas of the legendary guitarist's genitalia. It will be displayed during a closed event at the museum which will take place in early June.
Former groupie Albritton gained fame for her plaster work of iconic rockstars' penises, after discovering in her art class that she could cast anything solid that could “retain its shape”. Some of her models include Jello Biafra, formerly of Dead Kennedys, Buzzcocks’ Pete Shelley, Television’s Richard Lloyd and MC5’s Wayne Kramer. She also casted the breasts of Stereolab's Laetitia, Mekons' Sally Timms, Peaches, Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and many others.
Jimi Hendrix was Albritton’s very first celebrity client; his cast was also considered to be her finest work.
Speaking of the process, Albritton said: “He was really laid back, relaxed, very quiet in the mould", although adding that “his pubes got stuck.”
In conversation with Rock Scene magazine ten years ago, she reflected on the result of the casting and on which mould, out of all the rockstars that modelled for her, was her favourite.
"Jimi Hendrix was coming to town. He was my first real rock star that dipped his dick and it was unbelievable" she explained.
"We were the groupies that got to the hotel first and we were the only groupies in Jimi Hendrix's room. It wasn't our very first cast. I had tried it on a few civilians first to be ready for Jimi.
"He's my biggest. No, he's not my biggest. There are 'bigger-ish' others. But I couldn't say whether or not he's my most exciting. Because they're my sweet babies and I am their mama and I'm very democratic with all my babies. I don't like to play favourites. I love them all. The experiences were equally exciting and weird and different from each other."
The work of Albritton, who made the plaster casts using a dental mould-making substance called alginate, was immortalised in the Kiss song Plaster Caster on their 1977 album Love Gun, and via a 2001 documentary of the same name that chronicled her artistic legacy.
Albritton passed away on April 21 this year, aged 74 years, after battling a long illness.
