I Wanna Kiss You at Midnight

Each time that Shaunna Rai has a show out of state, it brings about a slew of new stressors for us both.  I have to be sure that the car is loaded and that I haven't forgotten anything.  I have to be sure that I have the time off from work.  I have to be sure that if we're bringing someone with us, that I have the time to get them before we have to leave for the venue.  Toll money, gas money, ID, all of it. 

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So, Miss E,on was part of the show, so Tuesday night, we drove to Lewiston to pick him up.  Any time with Benni is always fun.  And, it was nice to see him, since it's been a long time.  

Wednesday morning, I had to be at work at 7am, so I had to go to bed early Tuesday night.  And, I had to be up early Wednesday morning.  The day was long, and frustrating, because I wasn't really feeling it.  I wanted to be off from work.  And, finally, 3pm came, and my day was over...sort of.  The boring part was over.  The fun part still was a few hours away.

Miss E,on does a Weird Al Yankovic mix

I enjoy the process of dragging up when E,on is around, because (quite frankly) I don't have to help as much with the location of hips, butt, etc.  I get to pretty much goof off, and get dressed for the show.  Then I'm the bag boy, and chauffeur.  E,on does all the hard work, and given their history, Shaunna and E,on have worked together for a long time, and know how to deal with each other's bodies.

Bonita Katrina

The drive is always the worst part, when it's an out of state venue.  While I was waiting for the girls to come out, I'd run to the gas station, to fill up, and remembered to set the GPS for Fran's Place. This is huge, because I never remember to do either before going somewhere new.  So, yay, me.  

Upon arrival, I parked in a loading zone.  And, then panicked, because it was 15 minute parking, and I was going to be there from 8pm-2am.  We checked in with Asia, and met Dineen, the manager, who had invited Shaunna Rai and Miss E,on to come perform, and then I took Shaunna's suitcase upstairs, to the dressing area.  Asia told me that I could move to the rear of the building into the No Parking zone, and I would be fine for the night.  So, I went to move the car...and promptly got lost, because where I thought there should be a cross road, there was none.  So, I turned around, and then, very rebelliously, I parked in the no parking zone. And, then prayed like I have never prayed before, that I didn't find my car missing at the end of the night.

Asia Thavone

I had to go back through the bouncer, and tell him who I was, and explain that I was the photographer for the night, and my name was on a list.  I was a little annoyed, but, hey, I'm a new face, and how is he to know who I am?  Shaunna and I grabbed drinks, with our drink tickets, and then went to talk to Asia.  Dineen came over to talk to us, and let us know what to expect for the night.  She asked me about my plans for pictures, and whether I was going to be selling CD's of the night, or not.  Figuring that it wouldn't hurt to try selling them, I said I would, and then started what was a very stressful tour of the bar, during which I  

Shaunna Rai performs
to Proud Mary.

went around to random people asking if  I could take their pictures, explaining that I was selling the CD's of the night, and handing out business cards.  And, surprisingly, I actually managed to sell a couple of CD's.

After being able to hardly conceal my excitement of having sold the CD's, I ran back over to Shaunna, to share my excitement. Dineen came back over, and introduced us to the owner of Fran's Place (whose name I have since forgotten).  He told us that he was excited to work with some new queens.  He told us about a couple of queens who had come to work with Fran's before, who had since moved on, but he wanted to keep queens in the picture.  

Cindy and Candy got engaged.

And, then, it was almost show time.  Shaunna and E,on went upstairs to start getting ready for their numbers, and tasked me with letting Bonita Katrina and Dee-Lish know that the show was close to starting.  This was cool.  I always kind of like getting to interact with the queens I don't know.  Bonita, I had seen on Facebook, prior to the show, so I had no problem talking to her, because I knew exactly who she was and what she looked like.  Dee-Lish, I didn't know.  And, I'd heard her called Delicious.  I wasn't sure what she looked like, and so I hoped when I actually saw her that I would recognize her.  And, I lucked out and did.  Only, I had to bite my tongue, and not use her name, because I couldn't remember it, in the moment, and would have, more or less put my foot in my mouth.

Dee-Lish

Just before the show, Dineen had me go out on the stage with her, as she told everyone who I was, and that I was going to be selling pictures.  She plugged this blog, and told people who were interested in getting pictures, to see me.

The show finally started. Dee-Lish was first, E,on did a Weird Al Yankovic number that I always enjoy, then came Bonita.  Shaunna was supposed to be up next, but the DJ was having trouble with the music, so there was a last minute switch up, for Asia to go, and then Shaunna.  And, as usual, the audience was singing along with Tina Turner's "Proud Mary." And, the first half of the show was over.

Miss E,on

Food was brought out, and a buffet set up.  People were dancing.  And, then, the countdown started.  10, 9, 8.... The clock struck midnight, and everyone kissed.  I got a rare kiss from Shaunna Rai.  And, then there was an announcement.  A pair of women were called out to the dance floor.  And, I witnessed my first proposal in person...and got to photograph it.  I just wished that I could've had a flash that recharged faster, so I could've gotten more pictures.  

Bonita Katrina

At some point in here, Dineen asked me to show myself again, while she let everyone know that I was going to be selling pictures from the night, and that anyone interested should see me. 

Dee-Lish again started off the second half of the show, E,on was "All About That Bass", Bonita did a number, that was mixed with clips of Miss Swan, from MAD TV (and I just about died, because I was laughing so much), then Shaunna and finally Asia.

Shaunna Rai

While my CD sales came to a grand total of two CD's, I had a lot of fun.   I started off the New Year, doing something that I love doing.  And, I started it off doing something that scared me.  Because, let's face it, I'm too shy for my own good, unless I'm hiding behind my blog.  By stepping out of my comfort zone, and actually talking to people I don't know, I proved to myself that I could do it.  I don't have to be the guy who hides in the background while Shaunna Rai mingles with her "adoring public."  Because, I can do that too, and get my name out there as someone who writes a silly blog about what it's like to go to all these drag shows, and hang out with drag queens, and as a photographer, who takes a ton of pictures.

I took more pictures throughout the rest of the evening, although, after the end of the show, things cleared out pretty quickly.  

Asia Thavone

Then, came the long trek back home.  The, "Oh crap, I hope I don't get stopped, because I don't know where I'm going, or which lane I need to be in..." moments.  The customary trip to pick up fast food for the way home.  And, finally, the minute we walk back through the door at home, and I more or less run to the bedroom and pass out on the bed.

In my history of 34 years worth of New Years Eves, I would say that this was, without a doubt top two.  The only rival, being the first year that Dan and I were together, when we went to Mainestreet, in Ogunquit.

Dineen, and Fran's Place, thank you so much for having us, and for having me, specifically.  I look forward to coming back in February, for Valentine's Day!

New Year's Eve Plans

So, it's inevitable.  Every year, I end up working New Year's Eve.  And, every year, I end up being so tired at the end of the night, that I struggle to make it to the ball dropping.  And, then, when it's all over, I conk out, and I'm not heard from again, until the following year... (haha).

Because I'm so flexible, and I worked Thanksgiving, and will be working both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, work decided to honor my request to have New Year's Eve evening, and New Year's Day off.  Which is a good thing, because Shaunna Rai booked a show in Lynn, MA, for New Year's Eve.

 I'm excited about this, because it's a New Year's Eve party with Shaunna and E,on, and that in itself should be a ton of fun.  But, along with seeing Asia again, and meeting some new girls, I'm going to be working the event.  This will be an opportunity for me to start off the New Year, by cracking my shell a little bit.  I'll be taking pictures of the event, the audience, and whatever I feel like taking them of, really.  And, I have the okay to actually sell photo cd's, which will be sent out in the days following the event, while I'm there.  So, just a heads up, if you're reading this, and will want to get a copy of the photo CD, it will be $10, you can email me here.  I'll need mailing info, and will be able to send you to my paypal.

My biggest nervousness, comes from the fact that the last few shows that I've done, my battery has run out before the end of the show.  So, I have to have a backup camera ready, just in case, because I generally am not taking pictures of the audience as well.

Anyhow, it should be an amazingly fun night.  I can honestly say that I've never spent New Year's Eve out of state with Drag Queens.  I encourage all my friends who are available to come and hang out with us and make this a night that we won't forget any time soon.

Also, I heard a rumor, that Shaunna may bring out some "Old School" (before I ever knew her) music for the night.  So, on top of getting to see a show, I get to see some numbers that, while not exactly new, are new to me.

And, I want to throw out a big thank you to Fran's Place, and Dineen Bartolo for having me as the photographer, and promoting me and my photography for your show!  I hope I can do it justice.

Covergirl Doesn't Cover Boy

Imagine walking into a room full of people you know, and realizing that you don't know them.

So, I've already written about the show on Saturday, at Hollywood Casino in Bangor.  And, I may be doing this a bit backwards, but, it's my blog, and I can write about what I want to, in whatever order I want to.  Really, I thought that the tribute to Topaz was a bit more important, than what it's like to watch a group of queens and kings paint for a show.

So, anyway, back to the hook.  Imagine that you've just walked into a room full of people that you know, only to realize that you don't know them.  It's a weird sensation.  Like, really, really weird.  You recognize the bodies before the faces, because normally the face that you're looking at, has a boatload of makeup on it. You hear the voice that you know, coming out of someone else's face.  It's jarring.  And, then, after a few minutes, of gathering yourself, you relax and just go with it.  Because, you know, that even though they look different, they're the same person.  I've lived with two queens for almost a year, so I know that there's always going to be a tiny bit of "WTF?" going on in my head.

The greetings start, and the catching up starts.  And, suddenly, it's all normal.  And then, the makeup makes its appearance.  If you've never seen the transformation from man to woman, I would recommend taking the opportunity if it ever presents itself.

You would think that living with two drag queens, I would have seen more than enough faces being painted.  Surprisingly, in the (almost) year and a half that I've been with Dan, I've only watched the full process four times.  Why have I only watched it a few times?  Part of it is that I tend to stare.  Which makes everyone uncomfortable.  And, part of it, is that I don't really want to know how it's done. It's more magical to just think that the queen goes into a room as a male, and comes out as a female.  You know, the whole caterpillar to a butterfly thing.  'Cause really, who wants to see what kind of scariness that transformation looks like?

It's interesting to see though, how each person "paints" differently.  For some, there's very little on the face, but, a ton of eye makeup.  For others, it's a lot all over the face.  And, for others, it's layer upon layer of makeup.  Foundation, highlights, shadows, contouring around the nose, cheek bones, and jawline, and then the eyes and lips.  Powder, powder, powder.  Contacts go in.  Mistakes get wiped off with baby wipes.

And, all the while, they're talking.  A lot of talk about the old times.  About back when this performer did this.  About how, "I remember back before you even started doing drag..." There's talk about which performers have sticky fingers, and, "How do they expect to get away with wearing that wig that they swiped, around here, knowing full well that everyone knows that they took it?"

Watching RuPaul's Drag Race, last season, with Alyssa Edwards and Coco Montrese, you kind of got the expectation that everyone was always at each other's throats.  Comments about how, "Gurl, look how orange you look!" are what you'd expect after watching the show.  As I sat and watched them all painting, there were certain people who I looked at like, "That color's way too dark for your skin." and things like that.  But, since nobody else was saying anything, I didn't figure it was my place.  Because, it's not. What do I know about makeup? I don't do drag. I just observe. I take it all in, and then write about it later.

And, just like that, the room goes from being a room with six men and a woman, to one king and six queens.  And, you're left wondering, how did super long drawn on eyelash lines, turn into a realistic looking eye? And, how did those sheet white highlights turn out to look natural?  And, how did that grease pencil turn into a beard full of stubble?

The truth of the matter, is that I don't really want to know all the tips and tricks that it takes to turn out a good face.  Once I know all of the pieces of putting it on, it'll lose it's magic for me.  Knowing all the secrets of drag, would take away from the experience for me.  It would be like taking in The Lord of The Rings series, and sitting through the entire 4 years of CGI creation, instead of the final 2 hour movie.  You don't need to know each step that it took over those 4 years to create that scene with 50,000 goblins, in a roller coaster of a cave. You just need to know that the 2 1/2 minutes of filming is amazing.  You don't need to know that it takes an hour and a half to put on a face, you just need to know that the face was put on for the 10 minutes or so that the performer's on stage, doing his or her thing.

I think what really surprised me the most, aside from how different they all look out of drag, was how close knit this little community is.  Everyone has known everyone for years.  They all know (more or less) everyone else's business.  And, they're like a family.  More like my actual family, than I ever would have expected.  They go long periods without seeing each other, but, thanks to Facebook, and other social media outlets, they keep up with what's going on.  And, they just pick up, and continue with conversations. And, they all say, "Oh, we should do this more often, instead of just when something bad happens."  In the moment, the sentiment is heartfelt, and everyone agrees.  But, with everyone's busy schedules, they know that it's pretty much just something that you say, because you can, not because it will actually change anything.

And, I really just need to thank all the queens who let me be a part of the process.  Being the odd one out, they could just as easily have sent me out to sit in the hallway the entire time, or sent me to the slot machines, to lose every penny that I have to my name.  But, they didn't.  And, they all know that I write the blog.  So, thank you to all of the queens and king who allowed me to be a part of the show that not many other people got to see.

When I Go, I'm Going Like Topaz

Lady Valerie

Miss Samantha

Saturday night, marked the 5th March Dragness, and it was a memorial of sorts, for a fallen queen, Topaz.  It was a hell of a show, and a night I'll never forget.  And, it's how I want to go out.  When I die, I'm going to beg for a drag show send off.  And, if I don't get one, I can always come back and haunt people until I get one...

Going into this show, I believed that every drag show was pretty much the same thing.  Queen A performs, Queen B performs, Queen C performs, and then the show is pretty much over.  I know that some queens put feeling into their lip syncs, and some perform their own songs.  And, in my head, this is just how shows go.  This show, showed me that you can't always just jump to conclusions that every show is going to be the same.  Because, they are decidedly not all the same.

Asia

Emma

The crowd in Bangor is different than that of Portland.  For one, the crowd in Portland, tends to be a gay crowd, and we're all packed into Blackstones or Styxx.  In Bangor, I would say, that the homos were the minority.  The crowd at Hollywood Casino was a decidedly mixed crowd.  To the left was an older (50-60 year old) straight couple, behind me was a group of girls (barely 21's) who could have used a mute button.  And, spattered throughout the crowd, were faces I recognized.  Some from "home" (read as Portland area), others, who I know from Facebook.

Miss Joanne

Paris Lynne

The show was on a tight schedule, and had to be over in exactly two hours.  None of the usual "We'll start when there's a good enough crowd to start," that plagues a lot of drag shows.  Once the show started, it was banged out act after act.  As usual, I got caught up in taking pictures, which is my MO, at shows.  I know that there's music, but rarely, can I tell you at the end of the night, which performer performed to what song.  But, there were a few acts that I don't know if I'll ever be able to forget.

Shaunna Rai

Candy Cayne

Shaunna Rai gets her usual shout outs, because I live with her, and I wouldn't hear the end of it if I didn't.  But, she's always amazing, so it's to be expected.  Her first performance was a mix of songs by Pink, that I've seen a few times.  She looked like Pink.  And, she surprised the audience.  The whispers at the beginning, of "What the..." quickly turned to whispers of "Oh my God, she actually looks like Pink," as the rip away came off.  When she did her second number, Tina Turner's Proud Mary, there were ripples again, through the audience of "She's not seriously going to..." By the end of the song, any doubt that she could pull it off was gone, and a good majority of the audience was actually singing along to the song.  (Something that I always do anyway, without thinking about it, but haven't seen happen before.)

Justin Case

Mikayla Loveheart

Asia Thavone, who I had met once before at Mama's Cabaret, last summer, was another standout performer.  If I remember correctly, she did a Whitney number for her first number.  But, the standout performance, was her second number.  She dedicated Bette Midler's Wind Beneath My Wings to Topaz.  And, I got a bit choked up.  The song itself, in combination with a memorial of any sort, is just enough to get the tears flowing.  Combine that with an amazing performance, which looked like it got to Asia herself (I couldn't tell for sure, as I was all the way in the back row, fighting to see over a woman whose head I swear was bigger than a watermelon).

Miss Samantha

Valerie

Paris Lynne, another queen who I met through Mama's Cabaret, last fall, performed Stacy Q's Two of Hearts, for her first number, and alternated co-hosting with Lady Valerie Honeywell.  But, her standout number, was Christina Perry's Human.  It was a song that I hadn't actually heard prior to the show, and one that I have added to my iPod, after seeing her perform to it.  She was one of the last numbers of the night, and you could tell at the beginning of the song, that the night was getting to her. By the end of the song, I really just wanted to go hug her, and tell her that it was going to be okay, and that Topaz would've been proud of her.  The amount of emotion that went into the performance again, choked me up.

Emma

Asia

And, then came the finale.  Valerie gathered all the queens on the stage.  Shaunna Rai, Candy Cayne, Asia, Justin, Emma, Paris, Samantha, Joanne, Mikayla, Paris and Valerie.  The dedication of the final number to both Topaz and Amanda Kelley, and their families, who were in the audience was touching.  When Valerie picked up one of Topaz's costumes, from the corner of the stage, and lay it on the stage, and sang to it, and then invited the family to pay their respects to the costume, it made it hard to not get emotional, whether you knew them or not.

Miss Joanne

As the show itself was a fund raiser, I'm curious to find out how much was actually made.  The show sold out of early tickets, and at the end of the night, it was standing room only.

Paris Lynne

Anyway, as I was driving (most of the way home) I told Dan, that's what I want, if I happen to die before he does.  I want to have a show in my honor.  Selfish? Maybe. But, in a way, it's for them.  A sentiment, that I generally hear more from my own family, that I heard last night was, "We really need to stop meeting this way." Because, in general, sickness and death are the two things that bring people together.  But, life goes on.  And, if it gives a group of performers a reason to perform, why not let it be known?  Because, as I'm coming to realize, life is too short to be unhappy.  I know I was smiling at the end of the night, and I'm sure that Topaz was as well, knowing that she brought together a group of her friends, who put on one hell of a show.

Shaunna Rai

Justin Case

Mikayla Loveheart

Candy Cayne

The Final Number, all the queens and half the audience