Drag NYC by Hillary Scott

Drag nyc

Hillary Scott | Prof. Tom Dolle Type 2 | Fall 2010

Thanks| This has by far been my favorite project completed since beginning at Pratt. I’d like to thank the following people in no particular order:

Prof. Joe Jeffreys | Your immediate and detailed response to my random email was incredibly appreciated! Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge and experience with me. Antoine | Thank you so much for writing “Sahara With a HA!” It truly was an unexpected and enlightening journey into your life before New York. Your words of experience have more of an effect than you realize. Blue | I greatly enjoyed your performances and candor about your life. Your sassiness, truly electric personallity and determination will no doubt get you exactly where you envision yourself in the future. Frankie | Your willingness to tell me about your journey of self-discovery meant a lot, even though I did not include that information in the book. Thank you so much for your thoughts, positive feedback and advice not just with regard to drag, but with life. LaQuet | Thank you so so much for helping me get an interview with Sahara. You are the best! Shane | You are by far the most honest, open and genuine person I’ve met in a very long time. Thank you so much for being so positively responsive and inviting me into your apartment and your world, despite the fact that it all started when I stalked you on Facebook and Youtube. Joey | Your support this semester, particularly with my pursuit of completing this book and spending more time with drag queens than I have with you, has been immeasureable. I love you: all the time, every day.

All the NYC Drag Queens - past, present and future : Thank you so much for your creativity, fierceness and perseverence in making drag part of our culture in New York City.

“

We’re born naked, and the rest is drag. RuPaul

transgender terms

transgender, drag queen, transsexual, genderqueer, cross-dresser............................................10

history of drag origin of drag culture in NYC..........................................12 jargon..........................................18 famous nyc drag queens..........................................19

2010 : drag nightlife bars..........................................20

shows/events..........................................21

interviews

Thorgy..........................................22

Frankie Cocktail..........................................32

Lady B.L.U.E..........................................42

Sahara Davenport..........................................52

Sources Web images, books, articles...........................................74

he beginning 10

1700s

1900s

Edward Hyde, governor of New York & New Jersey from 1702 - 1708 • Notorious cross-dresser, allegedly to express his devotion to his Queen Anne • His behavior was rejected as vile, was pushed out of his position and eventually died in debtors’ prison.

Julian Eltinge, greatest drag performer of his day • Famous for being a female impersonator in Vaudeville • 42nd Street theatre named for him • Second higest paid Vaudeville performer In the 1920s and 1930s there was a great deal of openness regarding expression and art in New York City. It was a time of creativity, and poets, writers, musicians, artists and the like shared the city. Effeminacy in men was dismissed as foolishness, and the machismo that had dominated society before and during World War I seemed obsolete. The gay community, although kept underground, flourished.

11 13

At this time New York also became the center for Bohemian life, with Greenwich Village as a particular hub for artists and intellectuals to gather, exchanging ideas regarding philoshophy and politics. Speakeasies, communist bookstores and cabarets created a plethora of opportunities for those who were sexually curious to experiment. Unfortunately, the Depression and World War II demolished drag in New York City. An underground community remained in tact, but the combination of bankruptcy and war caused regression to traditional patriarchal American manliness. This forced gay and transgendered individuals to keep their identities to themselves. Views on effeminacy resorted back to weakness. As World War II came to an end, men returned to the States and opportunities quickly arose in the sex industry which covered everything from showgirls to cross-dressers to prostitutes and combinations of all three. In 1945, Pat Patillo decided to strike while the iron was hot and opened a handful of clubs which eventually were the catalysts for many drag careers. The Howdy opened on Third Street and Sixth Avenue that featured entirely cross-dressed entertainment. The first club of its kind, the Howdy gained popularty as news of the club spread among the military, looking for a place to welcome them home and pass the time. Determined to upgrade, Patillo moved his club uptown to 181 Second Avenue in 1950, where it was named 181 Club. 181 Club also featured drag performers and live musicians. However, Patillo was unyielding in his goal to expand the customer demongraphic, and not have a purely gay customer base. In fact, he demanded that the “girls” enter and leave the club in men’s clothing so as not to alienate heterosexual customers. He also played up the theatrical aspect of the club to appeal to heterosexual customers, especially with the Second Avenue Theatre within such close proximity. Three years later, Patillo moved again to a spot near the cross of Second Avenue and east Fourth Street, known as 82 Club. 82 Club became very well know, and the ideal starting place for anyone seriously interested in pursuing a career in drag. In fact, it remained a hotspot until 1978. By the mid 1960s it was a great tourist attraction, bringing in some famous individuals such as Liz Taylor, Eddie Fisher, Dinah Washington and Laurence Harvey.

12 14

Crazy Horse Cafe, NYC | Date: Unknown

Jack Smith was known as the “father of drag.” He was a filmmaker, famous for his controversial 1963 film, Flaming Creatures, which featured Mario Montez among other performers. Ambigous sexuality is a constant theme within this film, highlighted by many images of women and transvestites applying lipstick and sharing advice for the best application in a voiceover, as well as drug orgies between men, women, transvestites and hermaphrodites. Genital imagery is constantly on screen. Undoubtedly, of particular discomfort to many viewers is the cunnilingal rapist. It is 43 minutes long. Many who displayed the film were arrested, and the film was eventually confiscated by police. In 1968 Andy Warhol, an artist and filmmaker, combined the talents

of three drag queens who later became superstars: Jackie Curtis, Candy Darling and transsexual, Holly Woodlawn. Films Trash and Flesh were pivitol in bringing drag queens into the general public’s eye, as well as challenging the social constructs that determine what defines male and female. Additionally, their work made drag queens a “hip” and positive piece of society. At the same time Ronnie Tavel, John Vaccaro and Charles Ludlam were creating low budget films featuring cross-dressed individuals, and called themselves the Playhouse of the Ridiculous. Vaccaro kept productions conservative in comparison to that of Flaming Creatures, due to the fact that people were arrested for having screened the film. Ludlam was not agreeable to this level of conservative approach, and broke off to form his own group called Ridiclous Theatre Co. Ludlam brought many members of the Playhouse with him, and they succeeded in many productions with a greater edge. In June of 1968, one of the greatest events occurred in gay rights history known as the Stonewall Rebellion. This three day protest of civil disobedience and political protest resulted in frustrated patrons of Stonewall, the “dimly lit gay bar,” as well as their drag friends in a monumental fight with police during a raid. As a result of ten years of pent of frustration, the police were not the victors. The catalyst, no doubt, for this rebellion was the mourning of the death of Judy Garland, an icon in the gay community. The 1970’s were a time of great productivity and positive progression for the Gay Liberation Movement. At the time, laws in place prohibited men from wearing more than 3 articles of women’s clothing. Street queens shared food, shelter and tips among other things. They soon began to resemble hippies and vice versa. The Hot Peaches was a major institution founded by Jimmy Commencia that performed parodies of well known shows. Hot Peaches encompassed actors and street queens, housed in multiple locations in the Lower East Side. Jackie Curtis provided one of the first lofts to house these performers. Hot Peaches set the tone for other troupes that followed. As a result of all that was produced in the ‘70s, drag gained legitimate cultural potential. Unfortunately, at the end of the decade bankruptcy was on the brink for NYC, and there was a growing sense of

Jackie Curtis (top left), Candy Darling (right), Holly Woodlawn (bottom)

13 15

what Hattie Hathaway, notorious drag mother, called “Weltschmertz” (world weariness.) AIDS was recognized as an epidemic and the gay community crumbled, causing drag to become reclusive. The 1980’s sparked the rise of the drag once again. Particularly, Pyramid and Boy Bar were the top competing gay hotspots, and continued to do so for fifteen years. Practically every queen who made her mark ascended through the ranks of one or both of these two clubs. Pyramid is located on Avenue A, between 6th and 7th Avenues on the Lower East Side. Some of the alumni from Pyramid include Lady Bunny, RuPaul, Hapi Phace and Miss Understood, just to name a few. Some remained at Pyramid to become hosts, impersonators or managers while others merely used it as a beginning point. Pyramid had a very lax environment, with regard to what the girls were permitted to do. There was much drug use, people would come dressed in costumes, in paint or in nothing at all. In 1983, the Atlanta queens infiltrated Pyramid which included RuPaul, Lady Bunny and Flloyd. In the summer of 1984, a few bored queens created Wigstock: a makeshift drag festival, and the world’s largest drag celebration which featured countless parties, performances and productions. This was a spectacular event and opportunity for queens still climbing the ranks to be noticed. At this time on St. Mark’s Place a hair stylist named Matthew Kasten began a new drag club, called Boy Bar. Kasten wanted to create his own version of girls that greatly contrasted with those found at Pyramid. The story says that many girls “ran” to this club, applying to work there but only four made the cut: Connie Girl, Chandelier, Glammamore and Shannon. These four had talents outside of drag that allowed them to create better costumes, acts and entertainment. The bar became known as Boy Bar Beauties, and competed with Pyramid for 10 years. Unlike Pyramid, the environment at Boy Bar was not lax, and only Kasten was permitted to speak while the girls would lip-synch. Some of the famous graduates from Boy Bar are Raven-O, Miss Guy and Sweetie. As a result of this competition and hype drag queens became “cool” again and they were hired for higher-end business parties, functions and fundraisers. Copacabana was a popular spot for these events, especially in the late ‘80’s. Drag queens were especially foreign to this demographic (specifically areas above 14th St) so the exposure was very positive. Since then, drag has flourished in New York City and expanded to other well known bars such as Lips and Lucky Cheng’s where it’s all drag, all the time. Eventually, other areas of the country caught on to the idea, and it has been expanding ever since. 14 16

Crazy Horse Cafe, NYC | Date: Unknown

All photos: Crazy Horse Cafe, NYC | Date: Unknown

15 17

Paint

[verb]

To put on makeup.

Reading

[verb]

“It’s kind of like battling. It’s a witty remark towards a queen, but to physically insult them. And the reason why it’s witty then is if you do not retort with something that is also witty and poignant it’s kind of like not proving yourself. You’ve gotta have quick comebacks and if somebody’s going to step to you, they’re challenging you. And if they read you and you read them right back, instead of not liking you that can turn a relationship around, and they can actually respect you.”

Jargon Shade

[noun]

Divider page

A nonverbal display of disrespect. “If I look at you, and roll my eyes at you because I think you’re pathetic, I’m throwing you shade.”

Vogueing

[verb]

This term came from shade. It’s a dance that came from ball culture, which consisted of members of the LGBT community gathering in ballrooms, competing in their impersonations of specific genders and social classes. Vogueing was a dance people did if they did not like each other, as a means of ‘dancing it out.’ Whoever performed the best dance moves was perceived to throw the best shade. No touching is permitted in vogueing. The name for this came from Vogue magazine. Model poses were mimicked and incorporated into dance moves. These positions and movements come from hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt as well as some form of gymnastics, and include awkward body positions and the body moving in ways that maintains perfect lines.

16 18

FamousNYCQueens

Lady Bunny Joey Arias Miss Understood Raven O RuPaul Sherry Vine Miss Guy Rosewood Hedda Lettuce 17 Lypsinka Sweetie

{

Lips

Drag Restaurants/Bars

227 East 56th St. (between 3rd Ave & 2nd Ave) New York, NY (212) 675-7710 www.lipsusa.com

Lucky Chengâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 24 1st Ave. (between E 1st St. and E 2nd St.) New York, NY (212) 995-5500 www.planetluckychengs.com

{

Barracuda

275 W 22nd St. (between 7th Ave & 8th Ave) New York, NY (212) 645-8613

Pieces

8 Christopher St. (@Greenwich Ave) New York, NY 212-929-9291

Splash Bar

50 W 17th St. (between 5th & 6th Ave) New York, NY 212-691-0073

Sugarland

221 N 9th St. (betwen Driggs Ave & Roebling St.) Brooklyn, NY

Bars featuring Drag nights

Suite Bar & Lounge

992 Amsterdam Ave. (@109th St.) New York, NY (212) 222-4600

XES Lounge

157th West 24th St. (between 6th & 7th Ave) New York, NY 212-604-0212

Age: 26 Area of residence: Greenpoint, Brooklyn Occupation: Classical musician, Drag performance artist

Thorgy 20

Tell me about your current drag lifestyle/performances. I’m doing it a lot more this year than last. My dreams are now all about drag (they used to be about flying over black oceans with blimps.) I’m also a professional freelance musician which is hard, very hard to balance the two. Sometimes I have to stop and take a break because I’m running myself too thin. I see about 10 students a week. I teach more cellists than I do anything else. It’s funny, because I actually started on violin. I play cello for everything now. Cello is home. It’s the instrument that’s closest to the human voice. My least favorite thing to do is teach. I’d rather be performing any day of the week. Who were/are some of your biggest influences/heroes/heroines? Tilda Swinton is just gorgeous, and strange, and really odd, but she’s so fierce! Lucille Ball is really funny. When I was little I always looked up to Miss Understood. Miss Understood is a NYC drag queen who is still there, doing her thing. What are your favorite stores to shop for drag clothing and/ or makeup? Ooooh that’s a secret that I want to keep secret! I’ll tell you I’m a thrift store junkie. Are there any that are better than others? Oh of course, but I’m not going to tell you! (laughs) What does drag do for you? I’ll say this; I’ll be playing (and I’ve been playing music my whole life), and I’m sitting in an orchestra playing a Tchaikovsky symphony. All of a sudden this theme will come up and in my head, literally, I’ll just go ‘Wouldn’t this be a great one person stage adaptation?’ I kind of make my coo coo crazy fantasies a reality on the stage world. I love presenting a female, androgynous fashionable [version of himself.]

21 23

Have you faced any direct social conflicts/challenges as a result of doing drag? Have you lost any friends? No, never. I kept all my friends from high school, from junior high school…Of course I get called in the street, but all the queens that I hang out with now tell me, ‘There is no boundary between gay and straight with you. You talk to anybody. You’re just always comfy with everybody.’ And if people do fight with me, I feel like I’m pretty charming and I can charm my way out of any situation. How has your family reacted to your choice to pursue drag? My family is great. I’m really lucky to have a great and supportive family. My dad is chill, he just got married. I had a gay uncle that everyone loved, so it was never like the gay thing was an issue. When did you begin drag? The first time I ever did drag was Halloween, and I got dared to do it and I did it and it was terrible, but I had a great time doing it…Somebody at my college said, ‘We’re having a drag competition. You should perform.’ And I won, and it just kind of served as a catalyst to all these other drag things that happened in college. I had to host this show, and that show... How old were you when that happened? 19

22 24

When was your official first drag event/performance? The first time I ever did drag was Halloween, and I got dared to do it and I did it and it was terrible, but I had a great time doing it…Somebody at my college said, ‘We’re having a drag competition. You should perform.’ And I won, and it just kind of served as a catalyst to all these other drag things that happened in college. I had to host this show, and that show… How old were you when that happened? 19

Are there any misconceptions about drag/the drag lifestyle that you wish people better understood? The stigma, even in the gay community verses straight community, is that drag queens are these sassy, kind of catty, nasty, cut throat divas…I can be sassy and diva, but I kind of roll with the punches. I feel like I’m pretty cool, I’m not a bitch…I have not met any bitchy queens. What about the stigma that drag queens want to be women? I am not getting surgery any time soon. I like taking off everything at the end of the night and being a guy. I love it. It’s also part of the whole mystery of it. It’s just part of the transformation. Do you see yourself continuing drag in the long-term future? What do you envision drag to be in your future? Making money doing this is incredibly hard. I’ve met queens who do this for a living, but they’re working 4 parties a week, they’re working to the bone and they’re up all night long entertaining. They make maybe $500 a week. It’s about meeting the right promoters, and doing the right events, getting the right rates and just being really good at what you do. I’d love to keep changing my look....I’d like to just keep performing. I’d really like to have my own cafe night where I invite string artists to perform. It hasn’t happened yet because I don’t feel it’s something that’s ready to take off. I feel like it’s a really hard thing to do because it’s more cafe music, kind of chill. It’s not a reality because these two worlds are so different. Am I drag queen or a violinist? Am I both? I feel like my music would suffer because I’m focused on being a drag entertainer rather than a musician. It’s like a dualing life in my head because I take myself so seriously as a string and as a drag artist. It’s merging the two that’s really tough.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

I kind of make my coo-coo crazy fantasies a reality on the stage world.

27 29

Franki

Cocktail Age: 57 Residing in: Upper West Side, New York Occupation: Bartender, Drag queen

30 32

How did you get started in drag? How long have you been doing it? I started working at Lips. Actually, today is my 14th anniversary, and when I started the bartenders weren’t required to dress up. I had been a bartender for many years before that and I am always used to being the center of attention because everybody wants you for your conversations and your cocktails. This was the first job I ever had where they didn’t pay attention to the bartenders. They would sit at the bar and face the floor, wherever the drag queens were. I learned within a month that I better start doing something different to attract attention. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, so the person who designed the restaurant made me this gigantic cocktail that sat on my head and everybody put tips in there. I was dressed just normally and then that wasn’t enough. Within a month I started wearing a little makeup. I decided I didn’t want to go all the way and become a full female, I wanted to be androgynous, like Rocky Horror drag and then it just evolved. Within a couple of months it was this. [Motions to a photo of him in drag.]

Who were/are some of your biggest influences/heroes/heroines? The first idol I had was Farah Faucet. I always liked her. My mother thought she was a turn on to me, but it was really admiration. What are your favorite stores to shop at for drag clothing and/or makeup? For makeup, MAC for sure. They always say, “Covergirl doesn’t cover boy.” Most makeups are really light and made for a real woman. [On clothing] Because I create an odd size of making a very small waist and big breasts I have everything made. Would/do you prefer to date a drag queen? Why or why not? I would probably rather date someone that does something different. To tell you the truth, it’s hard dating somebody because I do drag. Really? Why is that? I don’t know. Everybody loves a drag queen but no one wants to date one!

How has your family reacted to your lifestyle/choice to pursue Drag? Going back 14 years ago, my younger sister and I really weren’t close. She had two daughters who at the time were maybe 6 and 8 years old, and every year I used to Christmas cards that would have an image of me in drag…she didn’t want them to be exposed to that. She made it sound like it was a disease. Our relationship has evolved so we’ve come a long, long way. She doesn’t feel that way anymore. All her daughter’s friends from school come here for dinner. My sister and I got closer in other ways too because my father got sick and we both took care of him for 6 years. My father, before his Alzheimer’s kicked in, I showed him a book of photos of me in drag and he thought I looked really good. He said, “You look better than a lot of women I know.” In the beginning I felt awkward about telling them and now a lot of my family members come here for dinner. They really love it.

Are there any misconceptions about drag/the drag lifestyle that you wish people better understood? Some people have preconceived notions that you want to be a woman, or you want to dress like that all the time. People come to it in many different ways. I’m a gay man and I’m a bartender, and I started working in a job that’s fun. It made bartending much more fun, and it’s just more challenging and it’s great and theatrical. Do you find that one misconception people have is that they are all really bitchy? YES! How do you feel about that? Do you feel like there’s some truth to it? I remember like, 20 years ago being in a gay bar and drag queens were really nasty bitchy, and I was afraid of them! They scared the hell out of me, but I swore if I would do this I would be not like that. Its been fourteen years and I’m still friendly: that’s not bad!

34 36

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

You sort of erase your face,

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

and draw a face on.

Age: 29 Residing in: Bushwick, Brooklyn Occupation: Drag performer, MAC consultant

Lady B.L.U.E.

Tell me about your current Drag lifestyle. What is your day-to-day like? I’m doing this 100% right now. I do planning, mostly. I try to figure out music, and go over what numbers I want to do and what I can bring creatively. What I do as an artist is I take somebody else’s art and turn it into something that either means something for me or something that I can, hidden in there, relate to the audience. I think that’s kind of the gist of drag: developing this character…to let your creativity shine through, through the use of popular music which is our medium. It really does come down to the music, in my opinion. What does drag do for you? For me it’s 90% a creative outlet. When I was younger, because of my size, I was always kind of the nerd so to speak and the one that was always overlooked, so I have a desire to not be overlooked. That’s a huge personal thing for me. I deal with that in my personal life, that whole Napoleon thing. I completely understand…when you’re small, it’s hard, small when you’re a boy. It can be difficult.

41 43

What is your favorite music to perform to? I love independent women and I love more of a rock sound, but I do love dance music. I have been known to do pretty off-the-wall things, like Marilyn Manson. I’ve even done Nine Inch Nails. I’ve done Duran Duran. I don’t need it to be a woman’s voice. It’s more about the music and the message and all of that rather than being an impersonator of that particular artist. It’s about taking their art and then making it your own…or at least attempting to! Do you have any particular drag events/bars that you particularly like? I don’t like big clubs. It’s more about the venue and the party itself rather than the show. I’m not a comedy queen whatsoever. I love going to see comedy queens. I’ll go more for the lower, kind of more intimate gigs rather than going to bigger clubs and seeing big big events and things of that nature. Growing up, were you always interested in drag? I started when I was 17, and I’m 29 now. I have off/on love/hate relationship with drag. About 2 years ago I decided to actually cut the bullshit and do it professionally. So I’ve only been a professional drag queen, meaning going out and really hunting down gigs and really putting myself out there and really trying to do events...and really trying to professionally get my name out there, for 2 years. It was all training, essentially, until then. Who were/are some of your biggest influences/heroes/heroines? When it comes down to it, especially with people that live in New York City, it’s a huge hub for drag and drag activity. Essentially, your influences quickly become your peers. As far as big names, Sherry Vine is by the far the number one, best amazing, kindest person. Never in a million years going to say anything bad about her. She really takes in new queens.

43 45

What are your favorite stores to shop at for drag clothing and/ or makeup? More recently we’ve found Myrtle-Wyckoff, in the middle of Queens, is the best drag shop. It’s on the L. It’s considered Ridgewood, Queens. It’s on the border of Bushwick, Brooklyn and Ridgewood, Queens so just right in the middle of nowhere. Makeup? That’s a completely different story. Of course you have to have certain necessities like pan stick. It’s a foundation that’s really, really, really thick in a stick form. It’s like pancake makeup. I’m a freelancer for MAC, so a lot of my stuff is MAC. Anything with a pallet is really great. Will you continue drag for the long-term future? I want to do this as a career. I know some people think I’m crazy for doing it, but I get so much satisfaction entertaining someone. A lot of times I’ll go after a gig and they loved it because I loved it. If you’re really having a good time and you’re doing it for yourself, people can feel that. I’m gonna do this until people stop giving me gigs. Are there any misconceptions about drag/the drag lifestyle that you wish people better understood? Yeah, that we’re talentless and that it’s really easy to do this because it’s not! Lip-synching is not an easy thing to do, it really isn’t…Any professional actor that really knows their craft knows that lip-synching is hard. The biggest misconception is that we’re all drug addicts and drunks. I know plenty of queens that don’t even drink!

“

It’s just like the paparazzi. There’s always pictures everywhere, photo ops, this that and the other, which is part of the allure. I like that part. In a small way I can be a celebrity, so to speak. It’s fun. I enjoy it. 45

“

[On the assumption that drag queens want to be women.] I think just as a general rule, people are so complicated that it’s impossible to put anybody in a box. I am very very very very happy to be a boy. I’ve very happy to be a pretty girl. I have a boyfriend, he is not a tranny chaser. He likes me for being a boy. He sometimes refuses to kiss me or be overly affectionate with me if I’m in drag. It’s completely separate, but he fully supports me at the same time. How has your family reacted to your lifestyle/choice to pursue drag? I don’t talk about it with my family. My dad has absolutely no idea that I do drag. I had a rough patch with him, and I’m just sort of now building the relationship again. My mom knows and has seen pictures, but we just don’t talk about it. They know what I do and that’s about it. And I have a boyfriend of 2 years, and we support each other. He’s at 99% of all my shows; he’s very supportive.

How did you acquire your drag name? It’s actually really simple. I changed it a few times, but the general idea is B.L.U.E. It was something I created because I’m all about gender roles and social gender roles, and blue is typically the color that would describe a boy, but I always thought that it was so delicate. The word, to me, has always seemed delicate like the sky. And then one day I was doing one of those word generators…I was bored and I put in my name and it generated, ‘beautiful, loud, unique, explosive’ and I felt like as a performance style that covered all my bases to promote myself, but also to describe me as a performer.

ahara avenport 50

Age: 28 Residing in: Harlem, NY Occupation: Female impersonator, Drag performer, Professional dancer

Would you say that’s being on Ru Paul’s Drag Race has been the most influential experience thus far for your drag career? It has had the greatest impact on my career. Its been amazing only because it gave me a voice and I’m on this, now, international platform… it’s definitely, by far, been the biggest catalyst in my career…it’s just been amazing. I can say it’s been the biggest thing. Have you always been interested in drag? I think I initially fell in love with the idea of glamour and drag from my grandma. You know, watching her get ready for church on Sundays, and just the smell of her perfume, putting on the rouge and the pantyhose and all the layering. I was raised in a house of 4 women. I’ve always been around these feminine images and just that feminine energy, so I think I got that naturally. Are there any misconceptions about drag/the drag lifestyle that you wish people better understood? We’re not just men, frolicking around in dresses with these psycho issues. That’s the biggest misconception is that we’re sick, we’re mentally unaware, unavailable…living in New York is such a bubble because we’re so accepted here, and people want to see it. They pack bars just to see it. We’re not just going after our dreams: we’re going after them in heels and wigs. [On drag in NYC verses drag in other parts of the U.S.] There’s a handful of us who do more of the performance art… As far as there being a gap there is a gap, but there’s always been these amazing performance artists who seem to get a voice and that’s what I think the struggle with a lot of the entertainers here in New York is: to get a voice because you know how important that is, as opposed to other places in the country where it’s just, ‘I’ll lip synch to Brittany Spears.’ I think that’s the biggest privilege of being an entertainer in New York City.

51 53

[On hosting drag nights at bars] I’ve been doing this for 10 years, and I never thought I’d be just a nightclub entertainer. That was never my goal, it still isn’t my goal…it’s a starting point, it’s a necessity to build a fan base. I do love it, but after 5 years in one bar it’s like, this is not what my life is destined to be. I’m much bigger than this, I dream bigger than this…That being said, I travel the country but this single has given me a reason to travel. I’m not traveling to lip synch Brittany Spears. What’s currently going on in your drag performance/career? The opening song (for ‘Sahara with a HA!’)is actually a single that I recorded with this amazing DJ that should be out some time next month and we’re just waiting for the paperwork to go through. I shot the video already: it’s all done. Look for that on Logo. So now I’m going through this recording artist phase. Of course I dreamed of it, but I didn’t know it was accessible so that’s what’s next. I’m taking to the road again to promote this song and then probably I’ll come back and pick up the show again, and then take that on the road. Did you write the script for ‘Sahara with a HA?’ How did that come about? I wrote the work and all the songs. I wrote that maybe 2 years ago, and then after being on Ru Paul’s Drag Race there was a huge response just from that little bit that was given on the show about my life story so I just did it, and the music came after. I have a fierce resume as a man, but going into this realm as an impersonator I’m seen kind of like a doll. The review of Sahara: ‘Oh the pretty, tall dancing girl. That’s all she is,’ but I want people to know that you have no idea where I come from or what I’ve been through. You have no idea. [On the public eye’s limited view of Drag queens.] I think that definitely does get missed, especially when you go to drag bars or events or anything like that. You see these people and you see a show, but you don’t really get that much of a concrete feeling of who they are. A lot of times in my field and my profession there is no depth; it’s all a façade. Even with the girls I work with around the country I sometimes wonder, you’re so beautiful and your work is so glamorous, but when you wipe your face and you go home, what are you going home to? You know what I mean? What did you come here from? What is the baggage? What are the joys? What makes you tick? You never get that, you get an image…a pop star or anybody in the public eye, you take that on. You trust what you see, never knowing what’s going on behind it.

“

I think that’s what happens in New York City; we have all these gimmicks that we do, and it ends up being our empire.

“

We can conquer the world in wigs and heels as artists.

“

...we are driving things and we’re just trying to live, and we want the same love that everybody’s looking for in this damn city.

we are driving things, and we’re just trying to live and we want the same love that everybody’s looking for in this damn city.

“

Everybody wants to leave something behind them: some

impression, some mark upon the world. And then you think, ‘You’ve left a mark on the world if you get through it.’ And if a few people remember your name, then you’ve left a mark. You don’t have to bend the whole world. I think it’s better to just enjoy it; pay your dues, and enjoy it.

72 74

Dorian Corey