"It's Showtime Synergy!"

Kids growing up now, have very little imagination. Everything comes to them immediately.  And, what doesn't, is taken care of by their (insert name of electronic device here.)  

Growing up in the '80's, there were a lot fewer electronics, and a lot more imagination.  For one, you had to come up with things to do, because my parents made us go outside and play.  Sometimes, for me, playing meant taking a book outside, climbing a tree, and reading, high up in the branches, until supper was ready.  But, a lot of times, that time was spent imagining that I was someone else, doing something more interesting. 

Why wouldn't this be the case?  

The '80's brought us Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari doing drag on network tv in Bosom Buddies.  And, Dustin Hoffman in drag in Tootsie.  As a kid, I was inundated with alter egos.  Superman/Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne/Batman, Bruce Banner/The Hulk, Jerrica Benton/Jem, Prince Adam/He-Man, just to name a few. And, then one of my favorite books: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  Alter egos, are just cool. 

Somewhere along the lines, I lost that in myself.  I went from being Steve, who led adventures through the jungle, in the neighbor's field, where the grass grew taller than I was (where we always ran the chance of being yelled at by a wicked witch for being there), to who I am now. Steve, who speaks little, listens a lot, and wishes that some day his mutant power will show itself, so that I can be cool.  The likelihood of that actually happening is about zilch.  But, it doesn't mean that I can't hope.

So, you're probably wondering what my point is in all of this?  For whatever reason, the drag community gets me back in touch with that part of my childhood.  The part that makes it so that everything is possible, and I don't have to be a boring adult forever.  In a way, I'm lucky, in that I don't have to stand outside the phone booth to watch the transformation happen, or be in the bat cave.  It takes much longer than the cartoons make it out to, but I get to watch the transformation in the same room, if I choose to.  Maybe we're not out saving the world, but every so often, I get to be a part of something, where I can feel like I am making a difference.  Shaunna Rai does a lot of things for AIDS Awareness, through the Frannie Peabody Center, and has taken up the Pride Portland cause as well.  These have become my causes as well, in part because they're hers, but in part, because I need to feel like I'm doing something good for the world.  (See how I fall back to the kid of the '80's? Good must always prevail over evil.  And, knowing, is half the battle.)

So, maybe I'm not a getaway driver for a bank robber.  And, maybe I'm not a superhero in a speedo and blue tights.  But, every so often, I get to be the chauffeur, for one of the best known drag performers in the state of Maine.  Pair that with the fact that at the end of the night, Shaunna Rai or Dan, is going home with me, and that's all I need.  Who needs an alter ego? Although, I'm still not opposed to mutant powers.  Just sayin', if anyone knows anyone who can make that happen for me...