Your Makeup Is Terrible...

So, shameless plug, for Pride! Portland...March 2nd RuPaul's Drag Race: Battle of the Seasons is coming to Portland, Maine.  If you haven't already bought your tickets, what are you waiting for?  Do it now, by clicking here!

Earlier in the week, it was posted that Yahoo was going to be doing a livestream of the Battle of the Seasons, from Chicago's House of Blues, on February 19th.  As soon as I saw the information, I knew that I had to watch.  Because, well, I wanted to know what I was going to be getting into in two weeks.

I went into it with minimal expectations, because, well, you know how it is. You go to a bunch of shows that have famous people in them, and because you're practically in Canada, they dumb the show down to the barebones basics, and don't really bring what you saw on the show.  So you go into things with low expectations, so as to not be let down.

Michelle Visage Hosts

Yahoo, at one time, was my source for everything, and now, is solely my source for email, kinda let me down tonight.  Then again, so did my laptop and the work WiFi...  I probably missed about a quarter of the show, due to "technical difficulties".  However, I can't complain too much, because what I did see hyped me up for whats going to be coming to me, in two weeks.

Alaska 5000, I Have Nothing

Since I had to watch this at work, I made sure that I got everything set up early.  And, became very frustrated with a co-worker who wouldn't leave, and decided to start talking about stuff I didn't care about before he left.  Fortunately, Michelle Visage started her monologue as he walked out the door.

Alaska 5000 started off the night with a Whitney Houston song,  I Have Nothing.  And, showed off her vocal talents...both with her actual singing voice, and her comedic Louis Armstrong voice.  She was great as an introduction for the night.

Ivy Winters, in one of many
tear away outfits

Ivy Winters came out, and performed My Strongest Suit, from Aida.  I loved it, because it's totally a Shaunna Rai, kind of song, and Ivy pulled out all the tear aways possible.  (It also made me homesick for Seacoast Rep, because when we were there with Joslyn Fox, she did the same song.)

Gotta Have a Gimmick

Michelle Visage, BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon were up next, with Gotta Have a Gimmick, from Gypsy.  Although, I knew that Michelle actually was part of an 80's girl group, I had forgotten.  And, so when the number started, and she started singing, I kinda fangirled out.  Partly, because I knew the song, and partly because it was Michelle Visage singing!

Manila Luzon

Manila Luzon was up next.  And, I again was reminded how much I missed the Seacoast Rep shows, that we did last summer.  She was so nice, and I loved her.  She did a couple of songs, one of which, was Buy My T-Shirt.  And, she brought someone out on the stage, with a rack of t-shirts, and literally sold them from the stage.  I loved it.  (The whole time, Dan and I were talking through my facebook page, about the show, and it was determined that we will be bringing money to the show.)

Sharon Needles 

Sharon Needles I knew of, mostly because she won Season 4, and because she and Alaska were a couple, once upon a time...and, well, she does the Salem, Massachusetts thing at Halloween.  But, I hadn't really seen her perform before.  When she started off her number, inside a coffin, and worked her way through the alphabet, with the audience shouting OUIJA Board, I decided that I need to really start watching her on Youtube.  My only complaint about Sharon was that the cameras were going in way too close on close ups, and apparently, when you're in HD, with close-ups, you can see wiglines, very well.  And, it distracted me from the actual talent...but that was my own issue.

Here, was where my frustration with the night started.  Michelle brought out three audience members, and three of the queens to make outfits from trash.  I just about died, because this morning we went to see Benni and he was making Shaunna Rai an outfit of Ivy's, which Ivy wore out for this.  And, then, my laptop overheated and shut down.  And, wouldn't start back up.  And, the work laptop wouldn't load it.  So, I missed the end of it.  (I'm currently re-watching it...)  The trash couture wasn't what I expected...but then again, it's hard to get something amazing in 3 minutes.  And, I was very much reminded of Vanila Honey-Bush, when Adriana came out...

BenDeLaCreme

BenDeLa was up next.  Her intro showed her song, Devil Made Me Do It, and I had no idea that she had a song...She did a burlesque number.  Not like, Christina Aguillera and Cher Burlesque, but actual burlesque.  The nude body suit, glitter in the crotch, and the stacked bras with tassles, and I was dying.  I was reminded again, of why I enjoyed her so much last season.

Jinkx Monsoon

Jinkx Monsoon, I really didn't like during Season 5.  So, when I saw that she was going to be in the cast, for both the Chicago and Portland shows, I was frustrated by it.  My friend Wendy has been talking for as long as I've known her, about how amazing Jinkx is.  And, I hadn't ever seen it.  And, then, she took the stage...with a dead mic.  Decked out in a Fairy Godmother looking outfit, and singing Radiohead's Creep, she, changed my mind.

Raja

Raja was up next.  I don't really know Raja.  So, I really didn't know what to expect from the performance.  I was a little disappointed by it.  The look reminded me of Jessica Wild (from when she did the Seacoast Rep show) only there was a lot less dancing.  The lip sync was on point though.

Sharon Needles as Dead Joan Rivers

Snatch Game was up next.  Well, sort of.  Snatch Game was kind of the turning point of my love/hate relationship with Jinkx, on Season 5.  And, I used to love Match Game, which its based on.  So, Sharon as Joan Rivers, Alaska as LaGanja Estranga, Jinkx as Alaska, BenDeLa as a Drag Race Superfan, and Manila as Madonna.  I was actually a little disappointed by this Snatch Game.  It wasn't really as funny as I'd hoped for...with the exception of Manila/Madonna's "Ugly Edna is so ugly that when she goes to the Makeup counter, they beat her face with......Photoshop."

Michelle stayed on stage as the queens all shuffled off, and did a tribute to Amy Winehouse, by singing You Know I'm No Good.  (I could totally listen to it all day long.)

Ivy came back out, in a jacket, with fringe made from old VHS tape, to a song by Little Mix, called Wings.  She didn't disappoint, with her butterfly wings (reminiscent of her appearance on Drag Race) and stilts.  And, I was reminded of how much respect that I have for some of these perormances.

Sharon Needles's Dragula

Sharon was back up next with Dragula.  The look screamed Marilyn Manson, to me.  Possibly just because that's the only thing that I had to compare the sound to... I loved it.  Actually, I was impressed with how often, during the show, the queens actually were singing live.  Given that on the show, they pretty much only lip sync, I didn't realize how many of them actually do have singing voices.

If I hadn't already been reminded of why BenDeLa was one of my favorites, her Ariel would've reminded me.  (My only complaint was that Ariel's a red-head...and she wore her trademark black hair...)  I can honestly say, that I probably won't be able to look at The Little Mermaid the same again, now that I've seen what's really in Ariel's treasure trove...And, the mixing in of ZZ Top's Legs was amazing.  (Although, with the "Finale" of the song, I'm not sure that I want to have my parents see it, if this is, in fact part of the Portland show...)

Alaska 5000

Alaska took the stage again, with This Is My Hair.  A number that I thoroughly enjoyed, especially, when the Hair Monster came out for battle.  (I know the battle well, because there are mini hair monsters all over the apartment.  I actually kind of want one of my own...)  She then moved into Your Makeup is Terrible.  And, the only thing that could've made it any better, would've been if Mathu Anderson had come out of the wings, and made an appearance for the end of the song, like he does in the video.

Jinkx's Meryl Streep witch from
Into the Woods

 Jinkx came out in full on hag drag.  And, a badly hidden under-wig.  And, started the witch's rap from Into the Woods.  And, then with a shout out to Roxxxy Andrews and her infamous wig change during a number, transformed into Meryl Streep...well, Meryl Streep's version of the beautified witch...for The Last Midnight.  And, this was the number, that solidified me as a new fan of Jinkx.

Manila and Raja did an anime themed song.  I won't even try to figure out what it is, because it's not really important.  I enjoyed Raja in this number, much more than I did in her first one.  And I love Manila.  Watching them "battle it out" on stage was fun.  Especially, with the projection screen in the back showing the "battle moves".  It was like watching a candy colored version of a Pokemon game...only without the Pokemon...so I guess more like Mortal Combat in drag.

 One last number, The Battle of the Seasons, and then Michelle came out to Dude Looks Like a Lady, for the finale.  The show itself was amazing, and I'm so looking forward to it coming to Portland in a couple of weeks.  It will be a different show, though, as there will be some different cast members.

Portland's cast will include: Michelle Visage, Jinkx Monsoon, Ivy Winters, Jiggly Caliente, Darienne Lake, Alaska 5000, BenDeLaCreme and Pandora Boxx.  So, while I have developed a new love for a couple of the girls who I was on the fence about before this show, I have a few others, that I'll have to do my homework before the 2nd of March, to make sure I know who I'm going to see.  I need to Youtube Darienne, Jiggly and Pandora, so I at least have something to compare them to.

2014: A Year in Drag

Each year, I realize that I'm getting older.  A thought that I am still not ready to succumb to.  This year, like every year before, has gone by faster than I would have liked for it to.  Some awesome things happened.  Some horrible things happened.  Some things that are really sad happened, and some things that I will never forget, (because I took the time to write about them, so when I get to be old and senile, I'll at least have some kind of record of what I have done).  Over all, I don't have a lot to complain about for the year.  And, yes, I know I still have 4 days, technically, before the year is over...but the news channels have been pushing this end of the year crap for a week now, already, even before Christmas...

Manila Luzon

I'll start with the sad stuff, first, and get it out of the way.  This year marked the passings of Crystal Eaton, Scott Randall, Chase Wakeling, and Mildred Poland.  These are all people who at some point have had some kind of impact on my life.  Only one did any kind of drag.  Evie Does-It/Scott, made an otherwise exciting day, less so, as his passing happened to coincide with Latrice Royale's appearance at Styxx.  Crystal, who got her own post at the beginning of the year, was my babysitter, when I was a kid.  Chase invited Dan to live with him and his husband, when Dan had to evacuate an apartment, with only days notice, and Dan was still living there, when we met.  Chase was a supporter of us as a couple, from the very beginning, and it's still a shock to me that he's gone.  And, Mildred was my ex's aunt.  She reminded me an awful lot of my grandmother, and even after the breakup, she kept in contact with me via Facebook.  Her passing was a shock, but, it wasn't unexpected, and she had already made plans that it was her time to go.  Out of respect to the family, I opted to not go, because I didn't want anything to be weird, nor did I want to make it about me.  

Jessica Wild

2014 also marked the passing of one of the first "drag queens" that I was exposed to...Robin Williams, as Mrs. Doubtfire.  When I first heard the news, I thought it was another hoax, like, Macaulay Culkin's three deaths.  When it turned out to be true, it brought up a lot of things, for the kids I work with, as well as myself.  If nothing else, Robin Williams, as Mrs. Doubtfire, taught me that there is sometimes a thin line between the place where Love is Everything, and Love just isn't enough.  And, his final teaching, was that life is short, and let the people who mean anything, and everything to you, know that, because you never know for sure, when you won't get the chance to tell them again.

Joslyn Fox

There, now that the sad stuff is out of the way, I'll focus on some of the big things that happened this year.

2014 brought about my biggest year in RuPaul girls, yet.  I will have met, by the end of tonight, seven different RuPaul girls... Jujubee, Joslyn Fox (twice), Manila Luzon, Jessica Wild, Alyssa Edwards, Latrice Royale, and Mimi Imfurst.  It also brought about the first time I've ever won any kind of contest.  It only took me 34 years to win something more than a participation ribbon... This was the year, that I accidentally won a VIP ticket to see Alyssa Edwards...accidentally, because I forgot that I had entered, and, given that it was a Facebook contest, I didn't actually expect to win...

Alyssa Edwards

While my attempt to create a graphic novel, featuring drag came to a screeching halt, due to a lack of interest (on my part), and an attack on my creativity and imagination, due to doing some actual research by interviewing some queens, I put it aside.  It hasn't been scrapped entirely.  But, it's not a main focus.  At this point, I'd do better, writing a book..."The Boyfriend's Guide to Drag Husbandry." While it wouldn't necessarily be a best seller (or maybe it would), it would give me an opportunity to write what I know, and then nobody could attack me based on a lack of creativity, or plagarizing stories, by using bits and pieces of someone else's life...

Latrice Royale

I learned just how much my parents love the drag.  I have to admit, when I first started dating Dan, the biggest fear, was how they would react to the drag.  I obviously had nothing to worry about, since my mom's goal for this year was to start getting picture

s of her with the RuPaul queens, and, she's now working on hunting down DVD's of all the seasons of Drag Race.  It's been through this whole process, that I realized just how cool my parents really are.  They probably always have been, but you never think that your parents are cool, when you're a kid.  

Mimi Imfurst 

The year has been a giant teaching experience for me. I started to take my blog seriously, as a soapbox of sorts. On top of teaching about the acceptance of drag as an art, and an understanding of trans issues, I have also tackled why drag is dying in Maine, why we need to continue to teach about AIDS, and I grew a beard for testicular cancer. 

My No-Shave November Beard

At work, I've also been able to teach more about acceptance as well.  We took the kids to Salem, Massachusetts back in October, just before Halloween.  While we were there, the (at the time) Duchess Gigi Gill was out and about taking pictures with the tourists.  The boys all saw her, and started saying really mean things about her. So, it was my job to talk about the fact that not all drag is RuPaul "grade". And that it is as much about playing a character, as it is about dressing in the opposite gender's clothes.

Cherry Lemonade

Over the course of the year, I made some friends, and lost some friends. The friendscape of my life is in a big time flux right now. People are moving away. Other people just have stopped making the effort. And, I've done the same. Yet other people have surprised me. Cherry Lemonade has become someone  I consider to be a good friend...and she's going to be famous now. Starting January 7th we'll get to see her journey on American Idol.  

I went to so many shows throughout the course of the year.  Two fundraisers in January, March Dragness,  Jujubee at Styxx, Joslyn Fox at Mainestreet,  the Frannie Peabody AIDS Walk weekend in Ogunquit, Dragapalooza,  Zumba Wekend at Point Sebago,  all the Pride events and fundraisers, the shows at Seacoast Rep with Manila Luzon, Jessica Wild and Joslyn Fox,  Alyssa Edwards at Paradym, Latrice Royale at Styxx, the Miss AIDS Awareness Pageant, and Mimi Imfurst at Styxx. And I'm sure I missed a few shows as well.

The year gave me a totally different view of RuPaul's Drag Race, as a show. While it is still one of my favorite shows on tv, I learned through listening to stories from some of the girls, just how much the show is edited. What you're seeing on air, likely is not necessarily the way things happened in reality. 

I learned that some people just don't get how to promote. If you're trying to get people to come support your venue with a show,  it's important to get the word out on the street as early as possible. A last minute, "I need a poster for tomorrow,"  is NEVER going to get you the same business that you would get if you let people know a month or more in advance. 

I'm looking forward to New Year's Eve in Lynn, Massachusetts. I'm hoping that this will be the beginning of a year when I finally step out of the role of silent photographer, and start mingling on my own. I've done it a couple times this year, but it's always awkward.  I just have to keep trying. You know, "Fake it til you make it."

And, here's to a great 2015,  to all of you, my readers. Thank you for your support!

Bring It!

"So, I volunteered you for taking pictures, for three weeks of shows."  Every so often, this happens to me. This time, it's important though. I'm the official photographer for three RuPaul's Drag Race girls, for the Midsummer Night Queens shows at Seacoast Rep Theater in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

As such, I get into the shows for free, and get to meet the girls.  And to put the icing on the cake, some of my pictures are going to be published in the newspaper.

The day of the show, I'm in a rush to get out of work, on time, which given that I do social work, is nearly impossible. I manage to get out only 10 minutes late. But, I'm still behind schedule.

I have to get Shaunna Rai packed into the trunk, pick up E,on and pick up Vanila. In the meantime, there's a bank trip, and I manage to get us onto the highway...headed the wrong direction. So, the night is off to a great start.

We get everyone, and start the trek to Portsmouth. Everything is good. I'm stressed out, because I have this ginormous responsibility for A) taking good pictures, B) making sure I don't kill my camera battery before the end of the show, and C) finding a spot to take the best possible pictures from.

I'm pretty sure (at this point) I have an inflated sense of my responsibility. Let's face it, at the end of the day, I'm really just a chauffeur with a camera, who occasionally takes an amazing picture or two.

I always enjoy the pre-show process, and even more, when the queens involved aren't queens I see on a regular basis, if only for the fact that the makeup is so much different. So, I watch the makeup go on, and then it becomes a waiting game for Manila Luzon to arrive. She's been at the hotel, waiting for her luggage to get there.

Suddenly, she's there. Apparently, this is one of the first times that she has had an airline lose her bags. And, unfortunately, it's not like a queen can just go to Wal-Mart, to get her makeup. I get to meet Manila before the show. I'm intoduced as both the show photographer and Shaunna's partner. And, I'm struck by how kind Manila is.

After a quick run through of the opening of the show, I'm in the audience, waiting for it to start. (And for the rest of the audience to arrive.)

A couple to my right, one row back is trying to recall who Manila is, and having gone over all the info about the girls who will be performing for the next three weeks, I get to pretend like I know what I'm talking about. I let them know that Manila was runner up in Season 3 of RuPaul's Drag Race.

The lights go down, the theater quiets, and the introduction starts. I start snapping pictures, for low light, no flash, and pretty much, pray that they're going to come out. Unfortunately, all the intro pictures came out unusable.

As I'm snapping away, the girls all start mugging for me. Which is perfect. With the no flash thing, the less they move, the better the pictures come out.

When the audience begins to really tip, Shaunna does a number, then finds me and throws her tips in my lap.

Suddenly, it's intermission. The lady sitting on my immediate right, (who I am now Facebook friends with) starts chatting with me about the show.  She at one point, says that I must be something special, because a) everyone was posing for me, and b) Shaunna threw her money at me...So I had to either be "her boyfriend, or her pimp." We had a little laugh about that. Then I was off to grab Shaunna a drink before the intermission was over.

The show starts back up. Bunny introduced Shaunna Rai as her "fairy drag mother." I didn't know Bunny when she and Shaunna used to hang out, because I wasn't in the Portland area then.  (And, this is the best part of everything,  as far as I'm concerned. I love hearing about the old days...even if those days are only a few years ago. )

Then, the show is over. And, it's time to head to the Gas Light Co. for the After Party.  This of course, is the part that I was dreading.  After parties mean socializing.  And socializing means people.

We get shown outside to the patio, where we get put in a back corner, where Manila was supposed to be signing things. Instead, she opted for mingling with the fans and taking pictures.

I'm struck again by how nice she is. I think a lot of this comes from the disbelief that I have with reality tv that says that nobody on a t.v. show can possibly be nice on purpose. (Although, Joslyn Fox, Raven and Jujubee had all already proven otherwise.)

While waiting around for it to be over, Shaunna and I started talking to a couple, who ended up buying us drinks.  The wife is a fan of drag, and the husband came because she wanted to. The wife is also the head of a support group for people who do cross dressing and/or drag. They were super sweet, and seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say, and not just what the drag side of things is like.

I fell behind with taking pictures at the party, so didn't get much...although, I did get my picture with Manila...which was my ultimate goal for the night.

Manila left, because she had an early flight to Florida the next morning. And the remaining girls, Shaunna, Vanila and E,on had a drink, then started talking to a table full of nurses...I did my usual stay in the background thing, and then it was time to head back home.