kings of detroit the motor city drag kings + confessions of a billy joel fan + white house down + pink gin + the world accordinG to Joan
dorothy checks out
cocktail chatter
soundcheck with
emii
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contents
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Confessions of emii keeps a Billy Joel fan moving on
kings of detroit
white house down
pink gin
the world according to joan
soundcheck
the Motor city drag kings
at the Movies with dorothy
cocktail chatter
“the hangover: Part iii” has done one thing for me. it re-ignited my inner Billy joel fan. ever since my mom brought home the stranger album, i have been a fan. in those days my mom rarely bought singles - 45’s, she would buy …
emii has taken the world by storm with her infectious beats and rocking style. she first gained attention on the gay dance floor with “Mr. romeo,” her smash collaboration with hip-hop legend, snoop dogg. next came last winter’s ode to …
the era in which the art of drag has only encompassed female impersonation is over. in recent years the art of male impersonation, or drag kings, has exploded. kings are everywhere in the nation, and far from the common misconception of ...
channing tatum and jamie Foxx team up for this total flight of fancy. our hero (tatum) is a plucky young man and divorced father of a teenage daughter. he’s a capitol Police officer who is the speaker of the house’s protective detail with aspirations to become a member of the …
straight gin has such a degenerate reputation that to drink it without mixing in some other ingredient is to invite either derision or an intervention. i have no idea why. straight up, on the rocks, or neat, asking for nothing but gin simply isn’t done in public, and …
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photos by tony lowe
JUly 2013
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flame // the world according to joan 6
Confessions of a Billy Joel fan (again) written by Joan Stevenson
“T
he Hangover: Part III” has done O’Grady’s) she would come home with a one thing for me. It re-ignited stack of albums, and one of those albums was for me, because she would always my inner Billy Joel fan. bring me one of Billy’s previous albums: Ever since my mom brought home The From Piano Man to Turnstiles (which gave Stranger album, I have been a fan. In us the classic New York State Of Mind). those days my mom rarely bought singles But from The Stranger on, I never missed - 45’s, she would buy an album for just an album - 52nd Street (My Life), Glass one song, and that’s it! That’s the only Houses (It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me/You song she would play on the album, really. May Be Right). Mom bought The Stranger because she liked the song Just The Way You Are. I That brings me to The Nylon Curtain. liked that song, too so I wanted to see That was a pretty significant album to what the rest of the album was like. So I me, and one of my favorites with hits like Allentown and Pressure, epic sonic played it; it was a masterpiece! canvases like Goodnight Saigon and Scenes From an Italian Restaurant was a Scandinavian Skies. Very heavy Beatles modern day Pictures At An Exhibition. influence here and that is always a great Vienna was a life anthem even before thing! I fell out of touch with The Bridge; I knew what all those emotions were back in the groove with Storm Front and about. Billy’s stories touched something River Of Dreams, but in recent years I in my teenage heart. They triggered steadily grew out of touch with Billy’s something in me that made me want music until I saw “The Hangover: Part more and my mom knew that. Every time III.” Before I went to see the third one she went to dig through stacks of records though, I watched the other two. What at Sam’s Jams (a used record store in ever problems Zach Galafinakis has, to Ferndale on the site of what is now Rosie
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him it’s nothing that Billy Joel’s music can’t fix. My heart actually rejoiced to see that his character was a big fan. Hearing Ed Helms covering Allentown in “The Hangover: Part II” was a riot and quite unexpected. Then in the final movie when he met Melissa Mccarthy’s character (who was also a fan) and strains of The Stranger started playing in the background as their eyes met… that was IT! It was a reckoning! As I stared at her Billy Joel tour shirt I realized (again) that I am and always have been a Billy Joel fan. I’m furiously trying to find my old CDs now, my vinyl long gone. Oh well, it is the modern age! I guess I can always stream from Spotify or YouTube or just outright download from iTunes, but I AM a fan again! Yes, I have backslid, but I’m back now! Thank you writers of “The Hangover” trilogy for reconnecting me to a joy that I had forgotten. I’m off to find some music now!
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flame // sound check
emii keeps movin’ on written by Trent Davis
E
mii has taken the world by storm with her infectious beats and rocking style. She first gained attention on the gay dance floor with “Mr. Romeo,” her smash collaboration with hip-hop legend, Snoop Dogg. Next came last winter’s ode to the sixinch pump, “Stillettos,” a track that remains a favorite among drag queens and fierce runway fashionistas. Even Logo continues to run its music video on its countdown show, alongside the latest videos from Rihanna and Beyoncé. In addition to music, Emii has taken the plunge into film. She’ll star in the upcoming sci-fi/thriller Starship: Rising, playing the sharp and opinionated Jolli, a young girl forced to leave her home planet to embark on an unforgettable journey into space and beyond. Music fans can get a sneak peek of some of the film’s action in Emii’s next two music videos. “Freakier Freak” and “Time to Move On,” her next two tracks to hit clubs this spring, were both filmed on the movie’s set. But it’s the lesbian action in “Freakier Freak” that’s sure to catch the attention of her gay fans. In the video, Emii gets her freak on with a girl, kissing her and yes, very much liking it.
Who is one famous chick you might It’s no one else’s business what two or three, or even more consenting adults try experimenting with? I haven’t met any incredibly geeky decide to do with their naughty bits. We all have varied beliefs on sexuality, famous girls yet. But when I do… but we have no right to judge others Would you describe yourself as the based on differences of opinion. And girl next door? just because you don’t agree with No, that label is usually reserved for someone else’s lifestyle doesn’t mean the cute, kind, and unassuming girls you have to let it turn into hatred or we all went to school with. I’m sure I violence. Live and let live. have my cute and kind moments, but if Is there anything you won’t do to I’m not doing something music, movie, please a guy? or martial arts-related then I’m playing video games or reading comic books. I definitely have my limits, as most I’ve tried baking pies but I don’t want to people do. But I’m definitely not vanilla. burn my house down so I stick to what Do you jam to your own music? I know. I’ll jam to my own music with my friends
Let’s cut to the chase, Emii. What’s up with the lesbian kiss in “Freakier Is “Freakier Freak” encouraging fans Freak?” to be gentlemen in the streets but It will soon be revealed. The video for freaks in the sheets? “Time To Move On” is actually a prequel Yes! Love the one you’re with in the to “Freakier Freak.” It will provide a sexiest way possible and drive them little bit of insight to the chaos of the absolutely wild in bed. Gotta let that “Freakier Freak” video. freakier freak flag fly! Are two girls kissing still considered Do you think people need to lighten taboo? up when it comes to what other Not for me! people do behind closed doors?
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when they decide to blast my music in my presence. Hey, why not? But I’ve really been on a Bruno Mars kick lately. I listen to everything from Cake to Akon to Foo Fighters. Why are you releasing “Freakier Freak” and “Time to Move On” at the same time? I call them the odd couple. They’re so different but they’re also two of my
favorite songs. It’s a flashback to the early nineties when artists would release record singles with an A and B side. You got it! The A is the track that matters, the one that has the most commercial appeal. Which track is the A and which one is the B? Don’t make me choose. I love them both. They’re two sides of the same coin. How so? We all have our naughty and nice sides. Even you? Sure. I just love combining a lot of naughty with a little nice. What’s “Time to Move On” about? We all get into situations where we end up trapped in a comfort zone. We’re not happy but not willing to do anything about it. Although it might not be the easy choice, we have to let go of the things that hold us back or hurt us. Life is too short to get stuck. It’s often hard to tell the right time to move on. When you know that something isn’t right, you gotta go. Even if it’s just in the back of your mind, you have to listen to your gut because sometimes we push our feelings back. Make a change before regret kicks in. Are you always moving on? I guess you could say that. My friends are always surprised at how quickly I let things go. If something doesn’t work out or I have a bad experience, I don’t let it get to me. There’s no point. I suppose that means I am constantly moving on and forward. What’s next? That’s a loaded question! More music, more touring, more filming, more everything! I’m ready to rock and I’m not slowing down. “Time to Move On” and “Freakier Freak” and their remixes are available on iTunes now. Visit www.emii.net
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kings of detroit the motor city drag kings written by Tony Lowe
july 2013
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photos by tony lowe
T
he era in which the art of drag has only encompassed female impersonation is over. In recent years the art of male impersonation, or drag kings, has exploded. Kings are everywhere in the nation, and far from the common misconception of butch lesbians, baggy pants, and bad attitudes. These new kings are by and large performers of many sorts performing to music by artists across genres such as Adam Lambert, Pitbull, Michael Bublé, and Luke Bryan. Drag Kings are a newer phenomenon to which this local group has been at the leading edge and so have gained recognition from across the nation, known as the Motor City Drag Kings, or MCDK. Started by Michael Christian (Mr. GrandDiva), and King Teddy (Mr. Heart of Detroit, Ohio AllStar), the group also includes Spacee Kadett (National King Entertainer of the Year), Dirty Johnny (“DJ”) (Mr. Birdcage), and newly joined Dante Gabbana (Stilettos King of Kings).
What made you want to start the Motor City Drag Kings? What does it do to help you as performers?
photos by tony lowe
we have a great time in the dressing room. Drag is fun again. There’s a balance in my world now. I am not alone in the dressing rooms or on the stages. I am never the little fool with Michael Christian: When I began a big dream in the corner looking for doing drag and performing in 1999 his place anymore. there were very few kings. It was a kind of a quiet thing kept in one local King Teddy: When I started bar, really unknown, and even less performing at 18, I had no clue where respected if you stepped outside the to look for help I didn’t even have a walls of this particular bar. There was a drag family to guide me on how to constant battle for inclusion. Finally in be a king. I taught myself techniques 2004, Royal King of Kings of Michigan and picked up others along the way. was added and there was a platform In 2010 I linked up with Michael opened for me. PowerDiva followed Christian, a local drag king who had in 2005 which opened West Michigan. already accomplished many titles I jumped at these opportunities and within the state of Michigan. When we never looked back. I wanted to be started working together we booked on more stages, meet more people, all king shows from amateur to pro; and be as involved in the community if someone wanted to try it we were as my queen friends I looked up to. there to build the population of kings. However, the stigma of kings seemed As we continued to do our monthly to remain no matter what I did. Some, shows at different venues from Gigi’s not all, queens wanted to hold tight to what was Rainbow Room we were to their old school ideas of “baggy building a whole new evolution for jeans and wife beaters” without really male illusion. A lot of local upcoming looking at me and taking the chance. kings looked to us for guidance and Other kings seemed to want to stay that’s what we are about - helping in their bar and not demand more and building as a community. bookings and equality throughout the city. They didn’t want to leave their comfort, learn, and grow. I was How well known across the alone for a long time. Finally, Teddy country are the MCDK? began to come across stages. He was MC: I think we are pretty well out to make a name for himself and known. We all have our personal do big things. His vision seemed to backgrounds and accomplishments be the same as mine for the Kings behind us. Spacee Kadett is a national of Detroit and nationally. Everyone titleholder for goodness sake. It has was looking at the two of us as if we all come together in a newer way were supposed to become super more about supporting each other competitive and have hate for each and less about competition that other. So, the logical solution was to people are seeing and appreciating. share the stage in a duet at Motor We get countless emails asking for City Pride (it was still in Ferndale). advice and thoughts. We get all kinds We worked really well together and of YouTube and website hits and had a blast. From there we kind of fell comments daily. I think our name is into MCDK. We started using both out there at least a little bit. our names and different styles to promote a well-rounded show. Gigi’s KT: We’re known in Australia? opened up for us to host a ladies (Laughter). That’s the power of night and The Birdcage (formerly networking! I have received several Rainbow Room) followed. We just emails from people that found our channel on YouTube and say thank keep moving forward. you and they love the movement that For me as a performer/entertainer we have started for drag kings and it has been amazing to have Teddy tell us that we have inspired “bois” and the boys with me now. There from California, Nevada, Florida, is someone to call and ask about Texas, Illinois, New York, Canada and costumes, run stage ideas by, and of course, the Motor City, Detroit. share frustrations and good times with. The dream is the same. We don’t compete with each other and
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What makes Drag Kings They make movies about them and they’re the stars, but I’ve encountered different from Drag Queens? MC: A male voice comes across the speakers when kings step on stage. Kings tuck the top and enhance the bottom. Queens tuck the bottom and enhance the top. The contour in make up for stage is different. Queens wear way more eye make-up and kings focus the jaw line. That’s about it as far as I can see. Spacee Kadett: Fundamentally, drag is drag. A king who does his job right works just as hard, if not harder, than a queen. But I will say that king and queen culture are different. Queen culture is largely driven by pageants (and “RuPaul’s Drag Race!”). Kings either do pageants, or perform in troupes – and the two worlds rarely intersect. Troupes can include a variety of gender benders who are not necessarily kings, and they always perform in a group. MCDK is unique because we’re pageant kings – we perform as individuals and support each other in competition. KT: We kings had to work twice as hard to earn the respect that the queens already have paved for them. Everyone’s heard of a drag queen.
so many people who said they never heard of a drag king or a male illusionist, but when I say queen they instantly know a male cross dresser.
Do you think there is a stigma in LGBT Culture about Kings? MC: I think there is still a stigma. It seems to still be a bit of an unknown. I lived in Chicago last year and when I tried to get bookings people actually said they never heard of Kings/Male Impersonators. I really had to fight to be seen and heard. In the end I was able to work a few times, but still when I got in the dressing rooms I ran into a few queens thinking I was bringing no value to the show and not understanding. They really had the misconception of “angry lesbian/ transman in jeans.” Based on that misconception there aren’t as many bookings, pageants, or opportunities to follow your dreams to the heights that the queens can. KT: 5 years ago, yes. Now, not so much, depending where you are. Kings have been coming out of nowhere and it really has turned into a lesbian trend. Its more accepted in the LGBT community. SK: I don’t think I know! When people hear “king,” they picture a girl in a t-shirt and jeans with a patch of hair glued to her chin. And truly, this is not uncommon. It’s hard to figure out the theatrical transformation from woman to man. Men don’t wear makeup…so how do you paint like a king? We have to look inside ourselves to end the stigma. We have to make it the norm to wear make-up, have fantastic costumes, and deliver quality entertainment, and MCDK is dedicated to that.
Should Kings have their own version of “RuPaul’s Drag Race?” MC: I have seen “RuPaul’s Drag Race” maybe three times, so I am not fully sure what it is about to answer. However, I will say I think there should be something for the kings, an opportunity for people to see what goes into our shows. The dressing room is where we begin to knock down walls. People see that we wear layers of make-up and duct
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tape. They see us pull rhinestones, accessories, shoes, and full costumes out of garment bags. They begin to feel better about sharing the stage with us and giving us the opportunity to entertain and follow our dreams as they are following theirs. For me it’s never the crowd I have to pull. That’s the easy part of the night. People love to see others having fun on stage and dream of it being them. It’s the other entertainers and people in charge I have to convince on the value of kings. I think something on a KT: They’re different in their music, televised national level would do well facial hair techniques, binding (some in reaching these people. use duct tape and some don’t bind KT: Of course! Why shouldn’t we? We at all), style, and type of performance do everything the girls do, except we (ranging from superstar drag, to are transforming to a male instead of dramatic, to comedic, to live vocals). We are all different. female. SK: Absolutely! Viewers would be surprised at how entertaining a show about kings could be, and producers would be surprised at the number of people who would actually watch us.
How are Kings country different?
across
the
MC: Kings are different across the country simply based on local. What is popular there is based on the music and culture of that part of the country. There are cultural differences in how they bind or apply facial hair. Sadly, they may not have the opportunity to work as much as others. Some parts of the country have yet to see a king. Hopefully that will change soon. I hope that people will start to recognize and want to help the kings. People like Revue, Andrea Rush, Natalie Cole, Nickki Stevens, Hailey Charles, and Dymond Denae have really helped kings in Detroit. Whether we have butt heads and had to puff up to prove them wrong and get our chance or they have taken the time to show us makeup and costuming. Some parts of the country just need a king or queen with vision to maybe see MCDK on YouTube and want that in their city or want to be that. Kings need to step up and take chances. Develop your thoughts on where you want to be and do whatever it takes to get there. Reach out and ask other kings via social networking or ask your local queens for help. Push until you are where you want to be.
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see the faces of Detroit smile back at me in appreciation. I love those moments.
KT: Yes, you get to go on stage in front of a room full of people and be free to do what you can’t do when you’re out of character. I can turn into SK: I’ve found in my travels and quite a few different characters and networking that at the heart of still be myself because they’re all a it all, we’re quite the same. But part of who I am. communities are different. Some communities are big on king troupes. Others love pageants. In SK: I think so, for sure. Drag is some places the kings and queens all about exaggerating gender I intermingle, other places they’re still stereotypes into a caricature. very segregated…in some places, feel it works the same way with our personalities, whether we realize it or kings are almost non-existent. not – especially because our art form is completely self-produced.
Is Drag an extension of your own personalities?
MC: Drag started as a way for me to be comfortable with who I am. Before I even knew what being transgender was I was doing drag and it was the only in those four hours of the week which I was fully comfortable. It was an expression of everything I wanted the world to see. Now that I live completely as a male without thought or question in the day, drag has become a way to live everyone’s dream of being a rock star. I have no real musical talent, but for 5 minutes on stage you can’t tell me that I am not some sort of famous person live in concert. For me it’s my Peter Pan - my rock star moments. I never have to grow up. I go out on the weekends and have all kinds of laughs with my brothers and friends. We wear very fancy clothes and the stage becomes our adult playground. We create live music videos and moments that are remembered. I get to put all kinds of work into music learning, makeup applying, and costume making that my Virgo personality loves, then
What are you guys working on next? MC: National Entertainer of the Year. We are headed down to Louisville as a group. Spacee is returning as a past national titleholder so of course we will be there to support him. We will also be entering the pageant hoping to bring the crown back to Detroit. After that the plan is to just keep doing what we do; entertain and have some fun along the way. Hopefully travel and meet new people. Show the country that kings don’t have to compete all the time. You can book and work together. Help each other along the way and get kings to the national and mainstream recognition that our queens have. KT: National Entertainer of the Year! The boys are head down as a group to participate in Nationals. However, being that we just added an additional member to the group we have a lot coming up. As group, we’ll be traveling to visit kings and different venues across the States
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3 / 5 stars
in theaters June 28, 2013 written by Dorothy “Joan” Stevenson
C
hanning Tatum and Jamie Foxx team up for this total flight of fancy. Our hero (Tatum) is a plucky young man and divorced father of a teenage daughter. He’s a Capitol Police Officer who is the speaker of the house’s protective detail with aspirations to become a member of the Presidential protective detail. That aspiration is shot down by the supervisor of the Secret Service (Gyllenhaal), who sees him as not being sufficient enough for the task. He is disappointed, but keeps up a brave face in front of his daughter who has accompanied him to the White House (her favorite place in the whole wide world) to take a tour. Somewhere in the middle of this tour, the White House gets infiltrated and taken by a group of mercenaries who take hostages. John’s daughter is of course separated from the group before that happens, so he has to go find her. Along the way he meets the President (Foxx) and together they fight their way through all the baddies - for America.
Down should really be called “Die Hard at the White House” with a little “24” thrown in for good measure. Channing pulls his best Jack Bauer/John McClane impression. Complete with a dirty wife beater and guns strapped to his chest. If Channing is Bruce Willis, Jamie is his Samuel L. Jackson sidekick. By his demeanor alone, Jamie gives a good “imprint” of Obama even while spouting cute one-liners and male bonding their way through the siege that results in practically destroying the building. The reason for this siege and who is responsible bring in the “24” aspect. There’s backstabbing and skullduggery going on in the administration that triggered all of this. It’s a tangled web, but ultimately becomes unraveled because of the ministrations of our hero.
“
...“white house down should really be called “die hard at the white house” with a little “24” thrown in for good measure.....
„
The action and suspense do keep things moving forward. There is no “downtime” here. The movie progresses at a fabulous No great drama pace, which is a blessing. It doesn’t give here at all. You you time to think about the huge plot have to suspend holes. a great deal of disbelief, This is strictly a popcorn movie. No especially in meaningful deep content here. It’s strictly the all too thin a time-waster. If you’re a Channing Tatum fact how a watcher, you should like this film. If you’re small group of a fan of the original “Die Hard” films, you m e r c e n a r i e s could sit though this no problem can actually infiltrate and secure the white house. “White House
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channinG tatum as john cale Jamie foxx as pResident esident james sawyeR maGGie ie Gyllenhaal as caRol finneRty inneRty inne Justin ustin bartha as doug James woods oods as maRtin walkeR walke w
photos couRtesy of columbia pictuRes
flame // at the movies with dorothy
white house down
flame // cocktail chatter
pink gin written by Ed Sikov
S
traight gin has such a degenerate reputation that to drink it without mixing in some other ingredient is to invite either deris¬ion or an intervention. I have no idea why. Straight up, on the rocks, or neat, asking for nothing but gin simply isn’t done in public, and pouring a glass at home makes many people so self-conscious that they begin to think they can actually feel the cirrhosis nodules beginning to grow in their livers. D¬rinking straight gin is the kind of thing folks do with the blinds drawn. This is sad and quite needless. Juniperflavored alcohol has a long, formerly proud history as a tonic. Monks made it, for God’s sake – literally. People in the Dark Ages made that drab era a little lighter with it; they drank it as a way of warding off the Plague. Of course it didn’t really work to that end, but gin did make one’s buboes seem a great deal less repulsive for the brief period between their onset and the drinker’s unpleasant and smelly demise. Buboes are best experienced through a gin haze – on that I think we can all agree. The 17th century, when gin was flavored with turpentine, will not be elaborated upon here except to note that the phase didn’t last long. Juniper berries returned as the primary flavoring soon thereafter, though today’s premium brands often feature such an array of secondary essences that the roster resembles
the ingredients in high-end organic shampoo. Beefeater gin, for example, features not only juniper but also eight other botanicals: the seeds and root of angelica, licorice, almonds, oranges, lemon peel and everybody’s favorite, orris root. What the hell is orris root? Orris happens to be one of the “notes” in Yves Saint Laurent’s perfume Opium. It’s flowery, and heavily so when sniffed on its own. And apparently witches use it to pry into other people’s subconscious. (Note to readers: If someone you know – say, your mother – wears Opium, be very wary of having even the slightest contact with her, or else your wonderfully filthy fantasy life will be an open book.) Which brings us to the subject of this column: Pink Gin. Tailor made for lesbian and gay drinkers, Pink Gin is even closer to straight gin than a martini is. Even the driest martinis have something in them besides the main ingredient. Pink Gin, on the other hand, contains nothing but straight gin that is faintly colored by the addition of Angostura bitters. What’s in Angostura bitters? According to Rachel Maddow, who knows everything worth knowing, the recipe is such a secret that only five people on the planet know it. All the rest of us know is that it’s a tincture of herbs and spices that originated in Venezuela in the 19th century. One of the great Latin American liberator
Simon Bolivar’s doctors cooked it up; he may have based his highly guarded recipe on the local Amerindians’ folk medicine. It does not – repeat, not – contain angostura bark, which is poisonous. Angostura bitters have a very complex taste, one that’s difficult to describe beyond “herbal and spicy.” Easier to describe is the feeling one gets while drinking a Pink Gin – delightful! The botanicals of the gin are well complemented by the bitters. But don’t overdo it. The following recipe creates exactly the right proportion of gin to bitters. And the color is lovely
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Pink gin 5 dashes Angostura bitters 4 tbsp Beefeater gin, chilled + Lemon Peel (garish optional)
shake 5 dashes of bitters into a chilled cocktail glass. (Bitters bottles have caps similar to tabasco sauce so you can’t overdo it.) swirl the bitters around until the glass is coated with it, then toss the excess in the sink. Fill the glass with chilled gin and serve.
Ed Sikov is the author of the e-book, The Boys’ and Girls’ Little Book of Alcohol, a novel with recipes based on his Cocktail Chatter column.
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8:30 A.M. On site Registration
ONLINE www.aidswalkdetroit.org
9:30 A.M. The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt opening
PHONE 248-399-WALK (9255)
10:00 A.M. AIDS Walk Detroit opening ceremony 10:30 A.M. AIDS Walk Detroit begins
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