HEKLINA

What does a tambourine, rats, Iceland, and a Halloween party in San Francisco have in common?  Answer: Heklina!

By Mike Jeknavorian

Where did you grow up?  Iceland, Minnesota, New York, and Boston.  What do you miss about any of those places?  I miss Iceland, because it’s the one place I can relax.  What’s something special about San Francisco that’s not common knowledge?  This is a hard question, as the city is a mess right now.  A lot of the special things have been drained away, but it’s still the city I look forward to getting back to whenever I travel.  If you had to live somewhere other than San Francisco, where would you live?  Well, I bought a house in Palm Springs, so there for sure (laughs).  Also, Iceland, and perhaps Puerta VallartaWhat’s the most outrageous thing that you’ve ever seen at Trannshack?  Oh my god, there were so many things, it’s impossible to narrow one down.  But perhaps the first most shocking thing was when the club first opened in 1996.  A queen named RunRig popped popcorn off a hot-plate on her head, and immediately after her performance had to be rushed to the hospital for life-threatening burns to her scalp! 


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Who’s the most underrated drag queen?  Anyone not on RuPaul’s Drag Race.  Has drag become too mainstream and lost its send of the irreverent?  Yes.  Of all the films spoofs that you’ve been in, which one was your favorite?  The favorite thing I do is our Golden Girls LIVE production!  Who’s your favorite film performer?  Wow.  I guess Elizabeth Taylor…  Or Divine.  What’s your favorite film?  The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a film I can watch over and over.  It’s clichéd, but true.  Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now?  Data processor in the navy.  If God were to take you tomorrow, how would you like to be remembered?  For the things that I’ve created—Trannyshack and Oasis—and the fact that I never fucked anyone over or was dishonest in getting where I am.

What do you want to live long enough to see?  The death of Donald Trump of course!  Will you ever retire?  Yes.  What’s the weirdest question that a fan’s asked you?  Nothing seems weird to me.  What other celebrity did you act like a “fan” around?  Bjork.  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  Porn.  What’s the best place that you’ve visited?  Rio De JaneiroWhat politician don’t you like?  I don’t like any of them!  What’s your favorite drink?  Coffee.  What’s your most treasured possession?  My cat, Dexter.  Do you believe in ghosts?  Absolutely.  Either living or dead, who would you love to have lunch with?  Judy Garland.  What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older?  Don’t sweat the small stuff, and—for god’s sake—don’t try and solve arguments online.

What did you learn from your parents?  What not to do.  Who’s your favorite performer?  David BowieWhat’s your best characteristic?  I’m loyal, if you don’t fuck me over.  How do you enjoy spending your time?  Going to shows—concerts, theater and films—and traveling.  What celebrity do you have crush on?  Chris EvansWho do you admire?  David Bowie.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be?  David Bowie (laughs).  I love Bowie.  Where would you go in a time machine?  Back to 1975.  I was just a baby, but I’d like to be an adult during that era.  Glam rock, disco, and punk!  What would your last meal be?  Barbecue!  What do you worry about?  Climate change.  What are you afraid of?  Rats and heights.  If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?  A tambourine.  I don’t wanna be bothered too much.

Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  A wolf, for sure.  Many boys who cross my path can vouch for that.  Who depends on you, and for what?  My cat Dexter does, for the obvious things.  My employees do, for a livelihood.  My audience…?  Who are you closest with?  Pippi Lovestocking, Peaches Christ, and Matthew MartinWhat would your autobiography be called?  That’s It?  What’s on your bucket list?  An African safari.  What’s your greatest regret in life?  Wasting all my time as a youth taking drugs and clubbing.  But it’s also the thing I remember most fondly.  What’s something secretive about you that people don’t know?  I’m actually a really nice person.  Never trust anyone who is not a cunt.  Where can we see you?  At Oasis!  Also, at the Victoria Theatre this December for Golden Girls LIVE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KATE DAVIS

Multi-instrumentalist, singer and recording artist Kate Davis discusses the guilt of enjoying BBQ, before heading to her show with Angela Lansbury this Friday in West Palm Beach

Where did you grow up?  In West Linn, OregonWhat do you miss about it there?  Burgerville, and the nice weather from July through September.  Where do you live now?  In New York City.  If you have to live somewhere else, where would it be?  Somewhere that’s warm!  What’s one of your favorite New York venues, and why?  The Rockwood Music Hall.  It’s a great space, it has a great sound, and it always has a handful of new musicians to check out.  What’s your claim-to-fame?  That I once met Paul McCartney.  Who’s your favorite female vocalist?  Joni Mitchell.  Who’s your favorite male vocalist?  Jeff BuckleyWho’s your favorite jazz composer?  Leonard Bernstein.  What musician do you think is under-rated?  Ringo Starr.  What’s one of your most cherished collaboration experiences?  That I get to work with incredible dancers and musicians through Damian Woetzel pretty often.


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What’s your dream gig?  Any gig where I sing my own songs and people listen.  What do you do to let your hair down?  I remove my hair-tie.  If you could only do one, would you rather be a recording artist or a live performer?  A recording artist.
What’s the weirdest question that a fan has asked?  “Can I have your shoes?”  What celebrity did you act like a “fan” around?  Ben FoldsWhat’s your favorite musical?  West Side StoryWhat’s your favorite movie?  The Elephant ManWhat drives you crazy?  Public fingernail-clipping.  How would you feel if your pet was the master in heaven, and you were the pet?  I think I’d feel fine (I had three different cats as a kid).  Would you give a kidney to a relative or close friend?  Yes.  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  A Google-image-search for Gregory PeckWhat’s the best place that you’ve visited, and why?  The Oregon coast, because it’s a spectacular gift of nature.  What did you learn from your parents?  Perseverance.

What performer do you admire, and why?  Bjork, because she’s prolific, unique, and does what she wants!  What’s your best characteristic?  That I don’t think about what I say before I say it.  How do you enjoy spending your time?  Listening to music, cooking, and watching first-rate crime TV.  What celebrity do you have a crush on?  I haven’t had a celebrity crush since Jeremy Sumpter played “Peter Pan” in 2003.  Who do you admire, and why?  My grandfather, because he was the first person to teach me not to care what other people think.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be?  I don’t know…  That’s the hardest question.  Where would you go in a time machine?  I would like to go back in time and be a fly-on-the-wall for the making of the Magical Mystery Tour.

What would your last meal be?  If I truly didn’t have to suffer the consequences, it would be BBQ.  What do you worry about?  Just the usual existential anxiety.  If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?  A lute.  Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  I’m a wolf in sheep’s clothing.  Who depends on you, and for what?  My family, and for the obvious reasons.  Who are you closest with?  My boyfriend, because he’s my best friend, and he loves all the same weird stuff!  What would your autobiography be called?  Kert DervisWhat music do you listen to when you’re upset?  Bad BrainsWhat’s on your bucket list?  To live in a beach house.  What’s your greatest regret in life?  I have no regrets.  What’s something that you never told anyone else?  I’m not sure.  That I blab…?  Where can we see you?  I play regularly in New York City at the Rockwood Music Hall, or at my website.

You can see Kate Davis this Friday at the Kravitz Center in West Palm Beach in a “Night of Stars”: A Broadway Celebration!.