Most People think I swing from the ceiling with a candle, dripping hot wax over my lovers," says Downtown Julie Brown. But the world of this pop culture queen isn't quite so outrageous as some would believe. Her home in Los Angeles is filled with art objects from every continent. The effect is warm, sumptuous elegance. "I am a true romantic. I like pretty things, pretty smells, pretty dresses," she says. "I like to stay home and cook for my boyfriend. I enjoy doing things like watching a good football game, going bowling--but I'm not a beer-bottle bowler. I must have a glass, please."
Brown was reared in a strict military household, one of seven brothers and sisters. Her Jamaican father was an RAF flight sergeant, and her mother, from Birmingham, England, is the strongest woman Julie knows. Looking for an escape from her regimented childhood, Julie found one on the disco floor. In outfits she'd sewn herself, the 16-year-old would sneak out until dawn. "I loved to dance. I couldn't wait to go to the club after work."
Julie began competing in dance contests, and took first place at the World Disco Dancing Championship in 1979. Then she landed a dancing gig on Top of the Pops, which she describes as a funky, British version of American Bandstand. On the cable show Music Box, Julie caught the attention of MTV scouts and was summoned to New York. From 1986 to 1991, the network's dance program Club MTV showcased her high-speed chatter. "It was an incredible experience. When I was there, MTV took such good care of us veejays--with limos and concerts. Not a bad gig for anyone."
Following MTV came stints at Inside Edition and ESPN's Sunday Night Football. Then she headed west to join E Entertainment Television's Gossip Show. Julie now brings her cheeky wit to America On-Line's Entertainment Asylum, where she conducts her live celebrity interviews.
In the midst of all this activity, Julie found sufficient time for love--though it came late. ("I think I popped my own cherry while dancing. No man claimed that," she jokes.) Julie places an especially high priority on love. And she also expects a bit of romancing. "I've never gone down on somebody in an elevator. I'm not a quickie girl. Quickies are just for guys to brag to their mates about. A real man takes his time." She does, however, have her favorite lovemaking spots: "My pool--but only on Thursday nights; the pool man comes on Friday--the bathtubs at the Royalton Hotel and maybe under a waterfall."
Professionally, Julie is ready for some challenges. "I'd like to do drama and get serious or do a sitcom and laugh a lot."
One challenge turned out to be this Playboy shoot. "It was embarrassing at first," says Julie. "I mean, what was I supposed to do with my pubic hair? Brush it? Braid it? Weave it?
"This pictorial has totally changed me. In public I act all that, but I'm all mouth and no trousers behind closed doors. Playboy stripped me down to find the real Julie. If it weren't for that I would never have known I have a great ass. I've thought of myself as a fun girl, but sexy? No. Playboy allowed me to say, 'You're a woman, roar!"'
The former MTV VJ (who created the tagline "Wubba, wubba, wubba" to keep from swearing on the set) and host of The Gossip Show has made a career of being herself on camera, but posing in the nude was uncharted territory. "I'm very modest," she says in her British accent. "I don't show off my body. This was the most risqué thing I've ever done. It was hard but I discovered Julie, the woman."
