Let The Battle of The Seasons Begin...

We bought tickets for the RuPaul BOTS (Battle of the Seasons) show, at the State Theatre, as soon as the tickets were available.  It was almost a no brainer, that we would go, and get the VIP tickets.  And, literally, since the day that we bought them, I'd been looking forward to the show.  We had printed out our tickets, and they had a place of honor on the fridge, so that I wouldn't forget that the show was going to happen.  Finally, the wait was over and we were going to get to make use of the tickets.

The night before, Facebook started blowing up with announcements that the girls were in town (and on Grindr.)  Which only heightened my excitement.  It meant that it was almost time.  

Finally, the afternoon of the show, Shaunna started getting ready.  The outfit was made, and matched the shoes perfectly.  The hair, which had been a question, looked perfect with the outfit.  And, so it was finally time to walk out the door, and head to the theater.  Foolishly, because I didn't think that we could afford it, we didn't take a taxi, so I had to drive.  With my love hate of parallel parking, let's just say it wasn't fun.  Or, it was about as fun as standing outside in 10 degree weather, with a wind chill for half an hour, waiting for the door to open.

Me, Michelle Visage and Shaunna Rai

The wait was actually pretty interesting.  We'd seen Wendy (at the front of the line) and the boys (from New Hampshire) we'd invited.  And, we took our place in line, letting them know that we'd meet up with them, after we got inside.  At this point, the Famous Drag Queens of Maine Facebook page was only about a week or so old, and was still being talked about a lot.  And, I got to meet someone from it.  Cheeta, a queen from before my time, and his partner and a friend were in line right behind us.  So, the page was discussed extensively on the trek to the inside of the theater.  

Cheeta hyping up the audience

Once we got inside, it was time for the meet and greet with the queens, and Michelle Visage.

First in line was Mimi Imfurst, who had texted Dan earlier in the evening asking if he had anything that she could use to look like Maya Angelou  (which I had misheard as more like May-a Ann Jello and thought must be a new drag queen).  The search was on, and nothing but a couple hats could be found in Shaunna's extensive closet.  We talked to her for a couple minutes, and I thanked her for retweeting my blog about her Christmas show at Styxx.  

Then, came the pictures.  Ivy Winters, Darienne Lake, Jiggly Caliente, Alaska Thunderfuck, Michelle Visage, and Jinkx Monsoon.  Jinkx would only do selfies, and I didn't quite know what to do...but I got my selfie with her.

Michelle Visage starts the show.

If I'd died right after I got my last picture with the girls, I would have died happy.

Walking into the theater, I remembered, that the last time I was at the State Theater, I was there with my ex, and we saw Ellen Degeneres.  It was a fleeting thought, and I came back to the present.  Getting to our seats, it dawned on me, that I was surrounded by pretty much everyone that I know.  The majority of the Pride committee was in the row in front of us, Wendy and the boys were in the row behind us.

While waiting for the show to start, I was reminded that "local" queens have a little spark that not all queens have.  Cheeta, who was there as his male self, stood up, and tried to get the audience involved in a bit of a warm up for the show.


And then, the show started.  Michelle Visage came out, and introduced the show.

Dress has always been Ivy Winters's
Strongest Suit

Alaska was the first act, with Whitney Huston's "I Have Nothing," which morphed into a discussion about what was allowed during the show...tipping, photos, drinking, and a reminder that if you don't want to be there, LEAVE.  Oh, and I can't forget the ever famous:   HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

BenDeLaCreme performs a
burlesque number.

Ivy Winters was up next, with one of my favorite songs/acts of all time.  "My Strongest Suit," from Disney's Aida, with her bajillion costume changes. After having seen the act from the livestream in Chicago, I spent most of the time trying to figure out for myself how she managed to accomplish 3/4 of the costume changes that she did.  Because, it totally didn't seem possible that she could have done it all in the amount of time that she had...

Next up was BenDeLaCreme.   Ben was one of my favorites during season 6 of the show, and I was really upset with the fact that she didn't make it further.  Her burlesque number showed me that I was right.  She's hilarious.  From the acting, to the lack of a lip sync, to the tassles, to the hidden stash of glitter (I won't say where), it was amazing.  The first time she sprinkled her glitter on the front row, I lost it.  (And, I'm pretty sure, I didn't recover until well after the show was over.)

Darienne Lake

Darienne Lake was up next.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect from her.  She wasn't part of the show in Chicago, and I hadn't really seen much of her, aside from on Drag Race.  She blew me away.  While a majority of the acts were live singing, Darienne did a killer lip sync of "Total Eclipse of the Heart."  (I was glad to hear many of the people around me singing along with it, so that I didn't feel like a total fool, like I usually do, when I'm singing or lip syncing, myself.)

Jinkx Monsoon 

After Darienne, was Meryl Streep's witch from Into The Woods...er....Jinkx Monsoon.  The mash-up of the garden rap and The Last Midnight, was amazing.  While I was disappointed in the transition on the video from the Chicago show, due to the fact that it was in HD, and there was no blending of the two wigs, in real life, it was much better.  There were places where you could tell that the tear away was there, but it wasn't like it was a glaring, LOOK WHAT'S COMING, like I had half expected it to be.  And, she sang it live.  Her performances in Chicago put me #teamjinkx.  If there was any question, the performance here in Portland made me wonder what it was about her on Season 5 of Drag Race that I didn't like.  She is amazing!

James in the Fashion Design
Challenge

The weakest part of the show, although, one of the funniest, as long as you knew who James was, was the design challenge.  I get that Battle of the Seasons was supposed to be a "beginner's guide to Drag Race," sort of.  And, during every show, there's the design/makeover challenge.  Taking three random people from the audience, and bringing them up on stage and making a look out of trash...well, it was interesting.  BenDeLaCreme, Ivy Winters and Jiggly Caliente were the "contestants" and they had 3 minutes to make some kind of outfit, and the audience would choose a winner.  James, who is a bartender at Styxx, got to be one of the makeovers.  From what I hear, people were upset that he was really drunk when he got up on stage...but, it made for good viewing.  He kind of stole the show, and displayed major amounts of attitude...and photobombed most of my pictures of the other two contestants.  In the end, though, his personality lost to Jiggly's design asthetic...causing the first LOSS for Ivy (who designs clothing in real life).  By the end of the act though, my face hurt from laughing so hard.  In spite of what other people thought, I thought it was hilarious.

Pandora Boxx, was up next.  With the Hunger Games Captiol/Showgirl look, I had really high hopes for her.  She's one of those queens that I just liked watching on the show.  She lip synced to one of her own songs (which one, though, I can't remember.)  Nothing really stood out about this performance.  I was disappointed by this, because it felt a bit like what sometimes happens here in the Northeast with RuGirls...like, "I'm in Maine, I don't have to be at the top of my game."  Whatever it was, this act just didn't quite do it for me.

Gotta Have A Gimmick

Next up was "Gotta Have A Gimmick".  Jinkx, Bendela, and Michelle.  Can I just say, that these three made my night that night?  Michelle with her horn, Bendela with her light up costume, and Jinkx with her wings.  And, they all sang it live.  I loved it.

Jiggly Caliente as
The Queen of Hearts

Next up was Jiggly.  I really didn't know anything about Jiggly.  What I did know, was that she was famous for jump splits.  She came out, dressed as the Queen of Hearts, and did a mash-up of Gaga's "Poker Face" and "Heads Will Roll".  While she didn't do any of her famous splits (for medical reasons, which I later found out), she turned it out.  High kicks, and dancing.  I loved it.

Snatch Game was up next.  I was supremely fearful of this, because in Chicago, I hated it.  I didn't really feel like it was all that funny.  Alaska as LaGanja, Darienne as Adore Delano, Jinkx as Bette Davis and Pandora as Alaska, thankfully saved this version.  I don't even know how to describe how funny this act was. The best I can do, is let you watch for yourself.  Thanks to Chris Merrill, for posting the video from the show, so that I could share it.  Just watch.  You'll want to thank Mr. Merrill too.

Michelle Visage does
Amy Winehouse

At the end of Snatch Game, Michelle took a seat, and sang us an Amy Winehouse song.  Someone from the audience brought her a shot, which she thanked them for, but, didn't drink.  She then explained that she doesn't drink alcohol, and never has.  I'm not sure why this surprised me, but it did.  And, it leaves me a little in awe of her.

Ivy Winters

Ivy came back out for her next number, and I was super excited.  She was doing her stilts/butterfly number again.  I'd seen it before on the livestream.  And, it was amazing.  It was even better in person.  The couple of times that she came close to the edge of the stage, it was a little scary, because, in order to keep her balance, her feet were always moving...and there was always the question of, is she going to step too far forward?  She didn't.  Thank God.

Mimi from Titanic

Mimi was up next.  Again, I'm at a loss for words about how to describe her act.  Mimi pretty much acted out the entire movie of Titanic.  From the Old Rose, on the video screen behind her, to the giant hat, boarding outfit, to the outfit that she wore on the bow of the boat when Leo was King of the World, to the nude "Draw me like one of your French girls, Jack" body suit.  This was one of my favorite parts of the evening, because it was Mimi's birthday, and she was "home" for it.  They brought out a cake on the stage, and Mimi made a speech about how it was good to be home.  (And, it was kind of good to hear, again, that she's admitting to being a girl from Maine...even if it's only when she's home.)  Either way, she has cemented a place in my mind as one of the best queens I've seen.

Pandora Boxx as Elsa

Pandora came back out for her final number, a mix of Let it Go and Try Some Blow.  This one had me cracking up.  I felt a little bad, because, literally, as a part of her Titanic act, Mimi had done Let it Go, and so I was kind of like, why didn't they check against each other's music before hand?  She came out with a bag of blow glitter snow, that she would sprinkle around the stage, and then later in the act, would "snort".  And, I think my favorite part, was when she accidentally dropped the bag into the audience. My only issue with this, was that she still didn't seem to have the level of energy as the rest of the cast.  So, her Alaska Thunderfuck, was the best of her acts during the show.  And, I wish that they would have showcased a little more of her comedic timing than her lip sync.

Jinkx Monsoon performs Creep

Jinkx was back for her "Creep" number.  With the amount of live singing that she did during the night, I was surprised that she could sing.  And, I was reminded of how much I loved this song, when I was a kid.  At the end of the song, she showed us what she had to go through to get the dress to look the way it does...with an under-bustle (if that's a thing...)  And, then, she sat down on the stage, and took some time to talk to us.  She proceeded to tell us how 10% of us would talk about how drunk she was, and how bad the show was.  She pretty much wrote off that 10%.  She then reminded the rest of us that these girls are the ones who care.  They're the ones who made the trek cross country to be here.  And, that it does them good to see that we care, and want to see them, to be there to support them.  It was the most heartfelt thing that I've heard, and I'm not sure whether that was actually part of the show "storyline" or if that was something special that we in Portland, Maine got that nobody else did.  Either way, it was awesome.

Alaska battles the Hair Monster

The show ended with Alaska and "This is my Hair", and her epic battle with the Hair Monster. (I kinda want a hair monster of my own...)  I was trying to conserve my camera battery at this point, because just before Jinkx's last number, my battery started screaming that it was dying.  And, then, I realized that I still had battery power in my phone, and took pictures that way.  I still missed out on a lot of pictures, because the phone camera doesn't make up for shaky hands...

The show got over, and Wendy went home, since she had to be in Boston the following day.  The boys went back to their hotel, and we (Shaunna Rai and I) went to Styxx for the After Party.  The hope was that the girls from the show would come down and raise some hell.  And, we weren't denied that.  Mimi, Alaska and Bendela came down, out of drag, and spent the rest of the night at the bar.  I, as usual, felt a little odd, because I didn't know Alaska or Ben and I only know Mimi a little.  But, I was happy that I got to be a part of the after party, and the after after party.  Now, what I need to do is learn to stop being the listener, and start being a talker.  Because, otherwise, (in the words of Radiohead), "I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo, What the Hell am I doing here? I don't belong here."

You're Kinda Famous, You Know?

Shaunna Rai: Photo by Jason Poulin

I've never been what you would call popular.  I keep mostly to myself.  And, I have a hard time letting people get close to me.  I have issues with speaking.  I don't stutter, or anything like that.  But, I just have a hard time, stringing words together on the fly, when I speak.  You might not know that, reading what I write, because, generally, I do much better writing than I do speaking.  It's a thing, you know?

Having lived with both Shaunna Rai, and Vanila Honey-Bush for a year, I learned quickly, that keeping to myself is boring.  People wonder what's wrong.  And, I often wonder what's wrong with me.  Since I started the blog, I've had a number of people come to me, while I'm out, and tell me how much they love it.  This is always an awkward situation for me, because on the one hand, I'm all like, "Go on, tell me how much you love it," and on the other hand, "I'm like, you read my blog?  Really? And, you think it's good!? What's wrong with you?"

I find it funny, sometimes, to know that Dan feels the same way about Shaunna Rai as I do about the blog.  Shaunna Rai has been around for two decades.  She's worked all over the Northeast.  She's worked with some big names...Joslyn Fox, Manila Luzon, Latrice Royale...She's performing with Mimi Imfurst this coming weekend...And I remind him, often that Shaunna Rai, is famous in her own right.

Dan went to get his hair cut, by his daughter, and while I was there, she was telling us that she had cut someone's hair, and told him that she was Shaunna Rai's daughter.  According to the story, the guy went wild! He couldn't believe that she knew Shaunna Rai, much less, that she was his daughter.  These are the kind of stories that I try to remind him of.

Why?

Drag in Maine, is on the decline.  There are shows on a semi-regular basis, but those have been trickling away.  This is a sad thing, because people love it.  Dragapalooza sells out every year, as well as the Royal Majesty Drag Show.  People want the drag...but they don't want to pay for it.  And the performers don't want to do it, if they're not getting paid for it.  It's kind of a vicious cycle.  Why would I work for free, when other queens have a booking fee of $2000 or more, plus transportation, lodging and free drinks on the house?

The truth of the matter is, though, that the only way to get that kind of recognition, aside from being on RuPaul's Drag Race, is to put yourself through all the free benefit shows, and the "you're working for tips, and the door", and the, "Hey, you wanna work with a Ru Girl?" shows.  Because the Ru Girls talk.  Joslyn remembered Shaunna from the AIDS Walk weekend in Ogunquit, and recommended her by name to do the shows at the Seacoast Rep over the summer (if memory serves correctly).  

Shaunna really is, the "IT Girl" of Maine. If there's a show, she's usually there.  If there's a show she's doing, it's promoted more than anything has ever been promoted in the history of promotion.  Dan promotes it, Shaunna promotes it, and I usually promote it both on my Facebook page, and here, either with a poster, or a shout out to it.  This is really how to make yourself famous.  Because it works.  Everyone knows what Shaunna is doing when.

This became most apparent, after the announcement of the RuPaul's Drag Race Battle of the Seasons's announcement that it was coming to the State Theater, here in Portland, in March.  As soon as it was announced, Shaunna and Dan were both promoting it like crazy.  And, it paid off.

During the Drag at Sea cruise, which Dan/Shaunna have been dying to get on for the last two years, a friend of ours went.  He was hobknobbing with Michelle Visage, one of the judges (my favorite, aside from Ru) of RuPaul's Drag Race.  He was talking to her about the upcoming Battle of the Seasons in Portland.  She told him that she didn't really "know much about Maine, other than it's cold, it's near Canada, it's pretty redneck, and there is this one queen there, Shaunna Rai, who comes across my feed all the time."

If Michelle Visage knows who you are, and talks about you to people, then you're definitely doing something right.  With a following of over 2,700 people, you're doing something right.

 Meanwhile, I'm limping along on Facebook, with a following of 137 people.  But, it's enough people to remind me that in my own little way, I'm a little famous too.

'Cause We Need A Little Controversy

When I was a kid, the idea of Political Correctness was just coming to fruition.  It's goal was to make things "safer." Nobody would feel left out.  Nobody would feel bullied, or picked on.  And, we would all be able to get along.  But, somewhere along the way, things got a little out of hand.  See HERE and HERE for some examples of what I'm talking about.

Since the late '80's and early '90's, political correctness has become yet another way of whitewashing freedom of speech to the point, where we might as well all be speaking jibberish to each other, because honestly, if you're different (in any way shape or form, you're going to get some flack for it).

Over the past few months, there has been a huge push to bring the PC agenda to the Transgender forefront. Gabourey Sidibe came under fire for use of the term "tranny" on a late night TV show, and was asked to make a retraction to apologize for what she had said.  Katie Couric came under fire, after asking Carmen Carerra if she'd (my words, not Katie's) "had the chop."  And, most recently, Logo TV and RuPaul have come under fire, for using the terms "She-Male" and "Tranny".

While I understand, from doing the type of work that I do (direct care of people with mental and or physical disabilities) the importance of keeping things PC, I have an issue with the forum that the sudden venom from the Trans-community has begun spewing.  I understand how hurtful words can be, and I have a few of my own words that I would spew venom at people for using (for the record, they're pansy, faggot and homosexual). Ask me in comments if you'd like to hear more about the reasoning behind those words...
Both the terms, "she-male" and "tranny" run rampant, with other words, in the porn industry, and because of their strong association with that industry, it makes it harder for people who are not porn stars, who ARE transgender to be taken seriously.  And, I get that that's what the fight it about. It's about being respected, and not being treated like a third class citizen.  Because, let's face it, even the gay community bashes on the trans community...

I can't give RuPaul full credit for bringing the trans community to the forefront of people's minds, because she doesn't deserve full credit.  There are plenty of other people who deserve as much, if not more credit for the sudden "visibility."  But, Ru's show is the catalyst for the post, so I want to talk about it for a little bit.  Over the six season the show has been on the air, Ru has cast transgendered people.  She has given them the chance to tell their stories, and given them a public forum to show that they're still people, who love, laugh, and hurt, just like everyone else.

So, why now?  Why if it's such an issue of disrespect, was this not brought to Logo's attention during season one?  I mean, really, the introduction of every week's challenge since the first season, has been, "Wooooo, Gurl....You've got she-mail."   Why was this not squashed during any of the previous 5 seasons?  Because, it was seen as a play on words.  Drag Race, is a tongue in cheek show.  The shoe that dropped, and apparently hit RuPaul and Logo in the face, was the Female or She-Male segment.  In a forum like Drag Race, you're always going to wonder, upon seeing a random body part that looks like a (cisgender) biological female, is it a biological female or not?  Because, let's face it, some of these drag queens are prettier looking than some of the women I know.  So, throwing a game like that in makes sense to me.  But, as has come up in many of the comments in articles that I've read online about the controversy, I am not trans.  I don't know what it's like to be trans.  And, I didn't feel disrespected by the choice of words used.

Could they have been (in Carmen Carerra's words) "a little smarter about the terms they use"? Definitely.  We all could be a bit smarter about the terms that we use, so that we don't disrespect anyone, or make them feel like they're less than us.  These terms are going to be taken out of my every day vocabulary, like so many other words have been.  But, at the same time, I just have to put it out there: I know people who are transgender, who refer to themselves as trannies.  So, while I get that the fight is an overall, general fight for acceptance, I don't want to forget those in the minority, who may or may not think that the entire fight over whether Ru removed a few words and/or a segment from the show, is a waste of energy, because, is it really worth that much of a fight?  Because, let's face it, this is still top news, and this all came to a head over a month ago.  We're spending an awful lot of time and energy fighting over something, that was brought to the network's attention, has been removed from the program, and all future airings of the program.  What more needs to be done?  What more is there to fight about that hasn't already been done?

Let me go back to watching my show.  You know, the one with a bunch of men, who dress up in dresses and make-up, and ultimately, make fun of each other, until one of them gets a crown?  The one that now says, "Woooo Gurl...." that is always going to be finished with the unmentionable words in my head, because they're a staple of the show. Let the controversy be over something else, like how Darienne Lake needs to be a little nicer, before she follows Roxxxy Andrews' route to a downfall, or how Joselyn Fox has worn the same necklace in every episode this season...  Let's get back to the fun Monday night opportunity to forget that crappy stuff happens in the real world, because there's drag queens taking over the tv.

"We're Born Naked, the Rest is Just Drag." --RuPaul

Robin Williams as Mrs. Doubtfire.

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been in training for two new jobs.  In the two weeks that I've been training, I've gotten to know some of the people I've had classes with well.  In some cases, to the point of being slightly uncomfortable... I mean, when you're talking about doing restraints, you get really up close and personal with them, physically.  Thus, the uncomfortability.

How many times has Bugs done drag?

Anyway, given the fact that I've been going to the fundraisers for Portland Pride, there were a few days that I felt exhausted, while I was in class.  One of the ladies in my class, asked me yesterday what the fundraisers were for.  So, I told her.  They're for Pride, and I'd attended to support the fundraising effort, but more importantly to support Shaunna Rai.

Spongebob does drag.

And, Manilla Luzon, a drag queen,
does Spongebob.

Through the course of the discussion, a few things came up.  She knew nothing of Pride, aside from the parade, so I gave her a rundown, of my understanding of the events of the past year, and why it's no longer called Southern Maine Pride, and now called Pride Portland.  (I pretty much glossed over it, because I don't personally know everything that has gone on with it.  I just know that the name change is for legal reasons.)  Anyway, one of the events that I've heard talk of, is a drag bowling event.  Just bowling, and Drag queens.  Personally, I can't see why a person would not allow their kid to bowl with drag queens.  It's just another way to prove that you're accepting of everyone.

Robin Williams shows up a second time, as Genie "cheers" for Jafar,
in Aladdin

Divine IS Ursula. Just sayin'...

What followed, was "Well, how do I explain drag to my kids? They're young, and I just don't know how to get them to understand it."  My gut response, which was unfortunately, not the response that I gave, was "Why do you need to explain it to them?"  Kids, in general, have a better grasp of what Drag is, and what it means, than most adults that I know.  I mean, think about it: Mrs. Doubtfire: Robin Williams in drag.  Aladdin: Genie and Iago BOTH impersonate women.  The Lion King: Timon literally says he's going to "Dress in drag and do the hula, OY!"  Looney Tunes: Bugs Bunny has been dressing in drag for well over 50 years.  The Little Mermaid: The Sea Witch, Ursula's character is based on the drag queen Divine. And, that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to places where kids have seen drag, and it hasn't had any kind of negative impact on their lives.

My actual response was a quote from To Wong Foo, Thank You For Everything, Julie Newmar. Wesley Snipes's character Noxeema Jones said, "When a gay man has way too much fashion sense for one gender, he is a drag queen."  My thinking was that a kid could understand that. But, I realized after talking to Dan about it later, that I am not a parent, and I have a much more open mind to things that aren't necessarily "normal," than your average person does.

When I explained the situation to Dan, he reminded me that kids usually don't have an issue with drag.  Given the exposure that they get from both cartoons, and shows on the Disney Channel, or Nickelodeon, it doesn't require a lot of explanation.  The issue is not with the children, but rather with the parents who are closed minded.  He also reminded me of the title quote from RuPaul.  "We're born naked, the rest is just drag."

Dan says, "Every person, no matter who they are, does some form of drag.  Every piece of clothing that you put on, you're putting on to impress someone.  Every bit of makeup a person puts on is to impress someone.  That's drag.  That's what drag is all about.  It's when a man dresses as a woman, or a woman as a man, to entertain another person, in an attempt to get some attention.

With that explanation, you really don't need anything else.  There's no reason to have to explain drag.  Drag just is. It always has been.  Back in the day, male actors played female characters, because there were no actresses, with the exception of those who played in drag.  In more recent times, drag has been a part of society that was solely for entertainment...take Cabaret, for example, or Victor/Victoria...

I was reminded that I was being ageist, when I tried to "defend" the asker, stating that she appeared to be an older woman.  And, I was reminded, that this was a personal issue, not necessarily an age issue, as some of the best tippers, at shows, and biggest fans of drag queens, are people over the age of 50.

So, after all that, my revised answer of how to explain drag to your kids?  Expose them to it. If they have questions answer honestly. There's nothing weird about someone who does drag. If you don't have any experience with drag, do some research.  Drag queens are people too, and more often than not, they're willing to answer any questions that you may have.

Drag Race: Episode 2 (There may be Spoilers)

I have yet to make it to Taffy Pulls's Watch Drag Race show at Styxx.  Hopefully, soon.  But, anyway.

So, the first episode bugged me, because I would rather know all my queens all at once, so I can pick and choose who I like, and who I don't.  Because I'm judgmental like that, and I prefer all my eggs in one basket, so to speak.  That being said, it made it harder for me to pick, because I have people from each group that I want to see do well.  And, if I don't narrow the two groups down, to, say, a Final Four, RuPaul will do it for me.

I've been debating how to proceed from here with the Drag Race stuff.  Part of me wants to keep people updated on how my ladyboys are doing, but I don't necessarily want to go into a fully in-depth breakdown of each episode.  Other bloggers who've been doing it from the beginning have that market.  So, I'll just see from here, how it goes.  It might be a breakdown, it might just be a skimming of the girls I liked this episode.

So, the second set of girls:

Bianca Del Rio:  This one has had me hooked since the previews started for the show.  I'm not sure if it's the makeup or what, but she is one of my top girls.  And, became even more so, once I actually got to hear her. I love that she's an insult comic. I hope that she goes right up to the end.  But, I refuse to speculate, because when I picked my top group last year, I got only one right.

Trinity K Bonet: From what I hear, she's beautiful. I'm not really digging her.  I didn't get the wire around her head in her walk-in outfit.  Although, her Queen Amidala realness was good.  A little too geisha for my liking, but whatever. Having seen the episode a few times, it's growing on me.

Joslyn Fox:  She's from Massachusetts, so she's a hometown(ish) girl.  She dresses like Shaunna Rai does.  She's goofy and cute, and she's coming to Ogunquit in May.  And I'm going to be there too! I'm going to be a little bit fangirl-ish the week of the Southern Maine AIDS Walk/Run, because I get that way with new queens that I don't know...especially if they've been on TV.  Like Joslyn herself was, when Courtney Act walked in. She's one of my people to watch.

Milk:  Milk scares me a little bit.  She's so tall, and thin, and, the gap in her teeth makes me fear that if she were to take a deep breath, I would get sucked through the tooth gap...even though, I know that it's a drawn on gap.  It's not real. It still scares me though.

Magnolia Crawford: Oh, Magnolia...Attitude is everything.  But, a bad attitude, well, it doesn't get you anywhere.  I liked her interview as a boy, during her walk-in, when she was like "The sexiest...I'm not sexy." It was funny.  And, it gave me hope for her.  Unfortunately, because she just wanted to use Drag Race to get her name out there, and didn't care that she was going to be deemed a bitchy queen, we didn't get to really see the fun/funny side of her.

Courtney Act: "Is this America's Next Top Model?" If I didn't know better, I would have believed that she was actually a woman.  A lot of drag queens, you can tell that they're actually male.  Not this one.  She's beautiful. And, when you put both of her personas next to each other, they come off as brother and sister, NOT the same person in drag. That takes talent.

Darienne Lake:  She actually liked a fan art drawing that I did of her.  (Because I wanted to, and her hair is awesomely huge.)  And, she's following me on Twitter.  So, obviously, I want her to do well. And, Mike Ruiz long distance motorboated her. Was I crazy about her runway outfit? Not really.  But, her personality was great. And her lip sync was dead on.

I loved the pillow fight photo shoot, for all of them, except Magnolia.  It was like she didn't even WANT to be a part of the shoot.  I have to say, with the Pit Crew in nothing but Scruff undies, I would be all over doing whatever Mike Ruiz told me to do...wait, what? Was I daydreaming? Crap...

The Mystery Box outfit challenge: I love it when they show that either the contestants know exactly what they're going to do, or when they have no idea what they're going to do.  What I hate, is when they take a box personally.  You can get a horrible box, and make something awesome out of it.  You can get a great box and make something horrible out of it.  It all depends on your talent and creativity.  But, when the box itself becomes a zone of contention, between not only the queen and the box, but, Ru too, you might as well give up and leave the workroom, and save Ru from eliminating anyone... Just sayin'.

Play to your strengths

"She's not a very pretty queen..."
That was me, last episode of RuPaul's Drag Race: The Lost Season, of Tammie Brown.
"She isn't supposed to be.  She's not like a lot of the queens that have been on the more recent seasons.  She sings live, and does stand up.  And, she's herself."
That was Dan.

This of course, launched a conversation about characters.  And a realization that doing drag, you actually have to know yourself quite well.  Because, all of it, is about who you are.  You take the parts of you that are the best, mush them all up together, and put on the costume, and you're most of the way there.  This of course, is a condensed version of what really happens.  Because, let's face it.  You can't just throw on a pair of heels, a wig, and a dress, and have a ready made drag queen. It just doesn't work that way. And, even if it did, from what I've seen, a drag queen is a constantly shifting work of art.

There is no cookie cutter mold to form a drag queen.  What makes this person amazing may not make the next person as amazing.  Do drag queens have to be beautiful? No.  Do they have to be ugly? No.  Do they have to shave all their body hair off? No.  Some do, but others, proudly display the fact that they're a man in a dress, complete with a beard.  It's all part of a persona that they're creating.

This persona, in my mind, is the most important piece of the whole process.  Like anything, it can be a work in progress, for the entire length of the alter ego's life.  But, it's the piece that takes the most work.  The reason for doing drag in the first place may or may not be a part of the character building.  (Shaunna Rai, for example, was originally brought to life as a way to get into bars, because drag performers weren't asked to show ID's.)  Over time, she has made a name for herself, throughout the state of Maine, and into New Hampshire and Massachusetts.  She has developed a reputation as being, "a bitch," a title which she sometimes will display proudly, like in her last show, titled: "The Bitch is Back".  She doesn't mind taking the mic, but she won't sing live. From time to time, she may say bitchy things, but, generally, it's all said in fun.  Shaunna Rai is known for her drinking.  Hell, she even has a drink named after her at Blackstone's, and whatever name Mama's Cabaret is going by these days...I think it's Rumorz(?)

As I have previously established here, the outfits, the wigs, and the shoes are important as well.  And, a lot of thought goes into the outfits that get worn.  I can't even begin to tell you how many times that I've gone into a place like Hot Topic, or Spencer's, and Dan has been at work, thinking about, "I could buy two pairs of these stretchy pants, and make them into a body suit." Or, walking through Marden's, looking at fringe, hearing him say, "I think I want a dress made out of that."  This is not always, but sometimes a daily occurrence.

Now that the outfit's picked out, it's time for the hair.  Which hair goes best with this outfit?  (This is the hardest for me to understand...because I think any hair looks good with anything.  But, that's why I'm not the one doing drag.) And, so, the part of the dressing process that every "husband" (drag or otherwise) dreads: "How does this look?" "Would I look better if I wore this other hair with this?" Sometimes my opinion is taken into consideration.  Sometimes, it's not.  Occasionally, the part where I have to give an opinion is skipped altogether.  (I.e.: the outfit was chosen around the hair, instead of the other way around.)


And, finally, which shoes look better?  The question I hate the most.  My stock answer, is "Those look fine."  But, then again, there's question among my gay friends if I'm really gay, because (although I have about 10 pair of shoes), I'm not very good at matching boy shoes with what I'm wearing. Hell, until last year, I didn't know that it was wrong to wear white socks with dress shoes...although, I found that out in a hurry.

Anyway.

My point here, is that while it may look to an outsider like drag is just throwing on a dress, makeup, a wig and those killer heels,it's not as easy as that.  Dan/Shaunna Rai have been asked on occasion to contribute drag wisdom to a "Drag Boot Camp" program that someone Dan knows has been trying to put in place.  While the idea is great, it relies too heavily on the idea that you can pick a queen out of a box, and every queen is going to be the same.

A question that Dan told me about what, "What 5 items should every queen have in their purse?"  Well, it depends on the queen.  I know a queen, who would carry around a rubber chicken, probably, because she uses it on stage in her act.  Shaunna Rai, on the other hand, wouldn't be caught dead with a rubber chicken...she would more than likely have a bottle of Jaegermeister, a bottle of Vodka, and some Red Bull, or have it all pre-mixed in a flask.  (Actually, more likely, she would have a pair of flip flops, a tank top and a pair of shorts, for after the show.)  Sure, hairspray, and makeup would show up in MOST purses, but not every drag queen is going to carry the same things.

Another question that he told me about was something along the lines of "where did your character/alter ego come from?"  Paraphrasing the question, I can get the point across better. How do you know who your character should be?

Let me tell you, the answer that I got when he told me about the question...wooooah....You don't create a character from a box.  You don't just get blessed by the drag fairy, and all of a sudden, you're a queen.  You have to have some idea, starting out, what you want to be.  Choose a genre: Horror, Comedy, Beauty, Musician, whatever.  Choose a character type: if you're going for comedy: Are you stand up? Are you sarcastic humor? Are you going to go for singing dirty parodies of pop songs?

Ok, so you're going for Stand up Comedy queen:  Who are you?  Is your character crazy?  Is your character a single drunk woman, who will sleep with anything with a pulse?  Are you the old lady full of one liners, like Sophia from the Golden Girls?

These are the things you need to know, in order for your character to develop.  Without a backstory for your character, you'll never have the right information for your stand up, for one.  And, by the same token, if you don't know the character, how are you going to find the right outfits?  If you're going for Mama Sophia, a lady in her 80's, more than likely, you're not going to be wearing prom gowns, or bikinis.  You're going to want to camp up the old lady purple hair, and wear the cardigans, and pants pulled up to right under your boobs.  By the same token, if you're going for the drunk single woman, you're going to want to play up the part of being drunk, and single, so you're going to dress a lot sluttier.

Anyway, my point being, drag is a learning process, throughout the lifetime of your character.  You have to have a bit of creativity, to be able to pick out what you're actually good at, and play to your strengths.  Don't try to be RuPaul, or any other queen that you've seen on tv (or in person).  Be yourself.  Know yourself well enough to know what you'll excel with.  And, bring it!  Just remember that you're the only one who will be able to bring out your inner drag queen.

Tell Me a Story?

So, last week was a busy week. Taffy's RuPaul's Drag Race Viewing Party was Monday. Wednesday, was the Blackstones' Valentine's Day show, Thursday was Taffy's show at Geno's, and Friday night was Andrew Christian Models and Kenya Michaels at Machine in Boston.

Needless to say, by the end of the weekend, I was a bit exhausted. And, with a bit of personal drama that stemmed from the night at Geno's, my mind was in a place of complete and utter chaos. And, I needed a distraction, stat. So, Monday, I asked Dan to tell me about Shaunna Rai. When and why she made her first appearance, and how she was "born".

I was surprised to learn that Shaunna Rai's birth came at about the same time as Dan's coming out. She was born to a former roommate. She only went out for an hour, the first time she went out. And, originally, she was a way of getting into bars without being ID'ed.

As time went on, Shaunna Rai started being asked to participate in shows around the state, and eventually, even out of state.

Back when Shaunna Rai first hit the scene, drag was bigger than it is now. The "cities" in Maine all had their own queens. Or, the queens claimed their city. Shaunna Rai saw every show as a way to get her name out, so, she didn't claim one city over another.

Over time, Shaunna Rai got involved in events. She was one of the first performers at the Portland Pride Pier Dance. She has been involved with the Frannie Peabody Center, and was named Miss AIDS Awareness. She has been a part of the Screaming Queens show, in Waterville, which is another fundraiser for the Eastern Maine AIDS Network. She promotes the First Friday Art walks, here in Portland, along with some friends. And, I know there is a ton of stuff I've forgotten.

Anyway, as he told me Shaunna Rai's story, I got lost in it.  Though she's applied multiple times for RuPaul's Drag Race, and made it quite far in the process, she has yet to make it to the show. In my eyes though, the glitz and glamour of that life is already there. And, I look forward to being there for the next chapter in both Dan and Shaunna Rai's life.

So, That Makes You a Cross Dresser, Right?

The One and Only RuPaul

Over the weekend, while Dan and I were snowed in, we watched a lot of Netflix.  (And, some Youtube.)  In all of the viewing that we did, I got a few answers to questions that I had. Namely, what is the difference between a Cross Dresser, a Drag Queen, a Transgender, and a Transvestite?  Because all in all, they all have similar elements to them.

The only thing that really ties all of the above together, is the fact that someone is wearing the clothing of the opposite gender. The reasoning, though, is what makes them different.

I'll go in the order of least amount of research for finding the definitions.

Drag Queen/Drag King: In either case, a man or woman dresses up as a member of the opposite sex, for performance/entertainment purposes. The clothing helps create a character. And, the costume does not mean that the person wearing it wants to actually be the opposite sex.

Transgender/Transsexual: This is probably the easiest for me to explain, (and hardest to understand in my head), and I don't really even have to look it up, only because I know at least two people who identify as transpeople. A transgendered person, is a person who feels that they were born of the wrong gender, and is likely to seek medical attention to correct their physical gender to match that of their mental gender.

Cross Dressing: According to urban dictionary, a cross dresser is a man (generally heterosexual) who wears women's clothes. According to wikipedia, just the act of putting on the clothing of the opposite sex is the definition. And, it's the overall name for the entire category of all people who dress gender opposite.

Transvestite: Anyone who has seen Rocky Horror Picture Show, has some idea of what a transvestite is. A transvestite, again, according to Wiki, is a person who dresses in the clothing of the opposite gender, for some kind of sexual gratification.

What does all this really mean? To me, not much. It's just a bunch of words, really. But, to people who fall into some of these categories, they mean a whole hell of a lot. Just because you're a drag queen, does not mean that you're a transwoman.  And, being a transwoman, doesn't make you a transvestite.  RuPaul, for example is a Drag Queen, but not a tranny (short for transgendered person).

For clarification, transwoman is a male to female gender reassignment, and, likewise, a transman, is a female to male.

Carmen Carerra, before and after

There are always exceptions to the rule, though.  Carmen Carerra, and Monica Beverly Hillz, both contestants on RuPaul's Drag Race, come to mind. Carmen Carerra came to the show as a male, for his season, but now, lives as a woman, and is gorgeous.  And, Monica Beverly Hillz, is currently on Drag Race, and just came out as a transwoman.

As I said before, transgender is very difficult for me to fathom. I just cannot make it ever make sense in my mind, how a person could just give up their identity that they were born with, to create a brand new identity, that will stick with them for the rest of their lives.I just wonder, if you were uncomfortable with a penis before because you felt like you were  really a woman, what makes you think that once you become a woman that you're going to be totally happy without it?  And, by all means, if you or anyone you know, can help me understand it, please explain it to me?  The goal here is for me to educate myself, as much as anyone else who reads this, instead of airing what may appear to be prejudices.

I am not a Drag Queen

I'm not a drag queen. I don't play one on tv. I have only dressed in drag twice in my life. At some point, you will see the pictures, I'm sure.

That being said, I have found myself embraced by the Portland drag community. I come from a small town on the coast of Maine, where drag is only done by high school jocks, on Halloween, because: a) They have  the bodies for it, and b) they're the only ones who can come out of it, unscathed.

RuPaul is not a common topic of conversation, back home. Drag is not spoken of. Being gay is something you hide, and nobody would ever be caught dead impersonating the opposite gender.

My goal, with this blog, is to open up the Drag Closet, so to speak. I want to try to answer some questions that I have about drag in general. I want to do some interviews with some drag queens. I want to explain what its like to date a drag queen, from my own experiences. I hope to promote venues, and shows, and the Queens who have taken me under their wings, without trying to "recruit" me. I want to give some exposure to the business side of a community that is most often treated like clowns.

I know, I'm hoping for a lot, from a blog. And, we'll see what happens. Anyway, thanks for joining me for the ride.