I have always loved Drag, even as a little bro-mo on the streets of San Diego; I have always been captivated by the power of people to transform themselves, right before your very eyes, into someone else all together. And I have always always loved Ru Paul. And for the last three and a half seasons I have watched (with varying degrees of faithfulness, though i have seen RPDR on tour) as epic talents and titanic egos met and clashed in a quest to become America's Next Drag Superstar. And I have lived! With but one complaint/question, Where are all the San Francisco Queens?
I'm not the first person to ask this question, though I've been asking it for a while. I've heard reasons ranging from RuPaul doesn't look kindly on the SF School of drag, to the notion that SF Queens don't apply to RPDR because they aren't interested that kind of attention. Well last night the call went out, there will be a fifth season of switch games and drag queens lip-synching for their lives. And I have one request for the Queens of San Francisco.
(and yes, I'm talking to you, and you, and you, and you, and you and all of you. If anyone has an "overabundance of charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent" it's you ladies)
You say you don't want to be famous? I say "fame" will give you the profile and the connection to make the art that you want to make, and to put on the shows you want to put on. Even if you think it's not "your kinda thing," or that that isn't a particular hill that you want to be king err... QUEEN of, I don't care. Think of what you could do with all that money, think about THE GOOD you could do with that money. And finally, San Francisco has a beyond belief Drag Cabaret sceen that deserves a little attention.
So hop to it, Queens. Send in those videos. Because RuPaul needs you, America needs you, and I need you to be up there on that screen every week, because a couple of times a month just isn't enough.
Crazy love.
2 comments:
Young man, LOVE that u speak of people not wanting to be famous.
Fab5 Freddie, in 'The Radiant Child' docu abut JP Basquiat: "we were like fuck being famous, that shit is wack"--in noting how JPB struggled with it--comes to mind. Drag queens being often seen as dregs for attention makes this extra refreshing to hear you say. Defense mech! some might cry, about a qween claiming not to aspire to fame, in the event of her not achieving it. But whatever, let's not delve into questions of 15 mins vs. seconds of fame these days, "everybody's (famous) nowadays" to bastardize a Smiths bit (clever nowadays, the actual sampled movie dialogue). Refreshing, i repeat.
i'd like to just ad that Rupaul's drag race for some of us is also a treat in how it showcases the girls countrywide, not just the meccas or "2nd tier" cities. i love seeing the girls from Bunf*** Idaho or wherever. That's about it from me, except to add that as i'm sort of a sidekick or duncecapped old friend, nutter, etc. of illustrious cantankerous BusstationJohn of San Fiasco, as it's no secret what a critic he can be: it's a quiet kick to watch Drag Race at Midnight Sun (Scum, la la la, etc.) there with him and his sagely longtime roommate Mark Ganter, but i have to say, what's with the dull names though, i/we've wondered, of many Dragrace contestants. Really, a real zinger of a crazy name half the allure, or a key draw of drag people...maybe they're downplaying that, in striving for the realness, as well as avoiding truly blurring lines of gender satire + such, shying away from anything scabrous in the quest for big time traditional female illusionism. And yes, do not outshine the blonde one formerly known as Star Booty herself.
As new waves of characters embrace + mix in bold or subtle bits or what was once punk rock or preppy or such, kids always tend to come up with new twists, sometimes surprisingly adroit at assimulating attitudes, quirks or postures before their time...or playing with sweet vs. nasty or edgier vaudeville (the ever brilliant old + new school antics of Ms Jackie Beat! being a prime example) well these are other chapters, but just a part of the appreciation we may feel toward drag + its attempts to bolster our fighting spirit or just need to laugh...whatever the case, to fend off the dreaded tiredness.
Horrors, that i have written way more words here than Mr. Brenden, but hey, it feels good, to enter this fray/isn't that what blogs are for, delving in more than the snippets + often lack of follow thru + such of le facefook. Thanx 4 yr time, i promise in the future to keep it snappier, tess jr aka tommy psue.
So now having read both your & SFist/Brock + SF trannies astute takes on this subject + variant drag aesthetics, one ripple none mention is the AGE.
Unlike size, they'll allow big girls on the Dragrace, but not old, "old" or too old.
Isn't the emphasis typical,like AmerIdol, on the freshest young meat for the tarted up reality tv competition momentary celebrity grist mill; big kudos for Ms. Juanita More for just opting out...to keep on doin what she does so well. Hollywood may call, but not evry1 heeds it, Thank Gawd!
ps
i'm not posting this to kiss her butt (i'd rather lick it) or call attn to my blogger cuz it's from like 2006; if u need somethng to kno who the heck this is, www dot tompedi dot tumblr is ow currant, or berry fresh. thanx
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