Any day that I am off before a show is a good one off. Usually. It's rare for me to not be stressed out before a show. Usually, these are the days that I'm off all day before the should can have some time to do whatever it is that I need to, to relax. Picking up Benni (Miss E,on) goes off without a hitch. So, the day is going to be awesome. How can it not be? I'm going to a show. I'm going to meet Jessica Wild. What can possibly go wrong?
We get the car packed up, and go on our way. We're supposed to pick up Vanila Honey-Bush,but nobody has heard from her. So, we swing by her work, and nobody there has heard from her in a couple of days. We now have a mystery on our hands, and I finally get to start stressing out, because now, "do we wait around and try to find her, or do we just go without her?
After a few minutes of speculation, and frustration, we decide to go without her, and hope that everything is okay.
We get there, Dan explains the situation to Bunny Wonderland, and the determination is made that the girls will just rearrange numbers, and/or do extra numbers, to fill time.
Up to this point, I have been writing out handwritten business cards, because, I'm planning to take audience pictures this time, at the suggestion of Dan, because pictures of people having fun, will make people more likely to want to see what they missed at the last show. Which, frankly, makes a lot of sense. So, writer's cramp and all, I get my 40 business cards made out, then head upstairs, to buy drinks.
There are two lines, which have thrown everyone off. One is for mixed drinks, the other for wine and beer. And, I spend five minutes explaining this to people. I order my drinks: a Creamsicle for me and a Rum Bucket for Shaunna Rai. Feeling all proud of myself, I scurry back to the changing room through the vomitorium, and get back without an issue...and then, BAM!
Miss E,on makes a grand gesture at just the right time, and the bucket goes flying. Christine, the stage (hand? manager? I'm not quite sure what her title actually is) person, takes the majority of thr spill...on her pants. It goes all ip my arm, and all over the floor. And, I just stanf there like a deer in the headlights, because I just can't believe that it happened.
Then I'm back in line, in a much longer line than I just left, now that people know where to get their booze. I get another Bucket for Shaunna, and make my way carefully back down, making sure to announce myself this time.
Then, I run back upstairs, and snap a few pictures of random people, some I know, some I don't. I hand out a few of my freshly made business cards, then I check on Shaunna one more time, before I stake out my seat.
Jessica arrives. She does a quick run through of the opening with Bunny. I'm introduced as Shaunna's partner, and photographer for the show. I go grab my seat, and the people I met last time are on either side of me. The lights go down, the spotlight comes up, and the show starts.
Jessica, who on Season 2 of RuPaul's Drag Race, had a language barrier, when it came to English, seems to have gotten a much better grip of it. She and Bunny chat it up on the microphone, and I'm surprised by how funny she is, and she's kinda dirty, but in a fun way.
Intermission starts, and again, I go up to get some pictures. And, Shaunna and I are bought drinks. Shaunna starts the show when intermission is over, so I get to guard both drinks (hers and mine) and give it to her after her number.
The audience tipped less well this show than with Manila, but, was extremely interactive. This was my kind of audience. They sang along, and really got into it, like I usually do.
Then, the show's over, far too soon, as far as I'm concerned. We head over to the Gas Light Co., for the After Party. Shaunna and E,on are given free Prozac Punch drinks by one of the alcohol sponsors. And, I start getting pictures of the girls with their fans.
When Jessica shows up, I end up snapping pictures like crazy. Before the end of the night,I've actually killed my battery. And, Jessica starts referring to me as her Paparazzi, because I'm getting annoying with asking her for other people if we can get a picture.
When the crowds have more or less disappeared, Jessica takes some time to talk to us about what it was like being on Drag Race. Long days. Sometimes, long periods of just standing around waiting on Ru. And, lots and lots of creative editing. Things said on the show may have been said, just not necessarilyin the context that they're portrayed to be in. Thus, how you get villains on a show like Drag Race. And, then she compliments Shaunna, E,on and Bunny on how good they are, and reminds them that just because you're not on Drag Race doesn't mean that you're bad. And, just because people get on the show, it doesn't necessarily mean that they're good...or at least better than anyone else. Because drag is a sisterhood, and "all the girls that I work with, wherther you, or Nina Flowers, are my sisters."
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