LADY BUNNY

By all accounts, Lady Bunny is probably the most important living contributor to the art of irreverent drag in the USA.  But despite that, her serious side is less known.  Take a peek at Bunny’s deeper thoughts before her two shows in Wilton Manors this weekend.

PHOTOGRAPH BY STEVEN MENENDEZ

By Mike Jeknavorian 

Where did you grow up?  In Chattanooga, TennesseeWhat do you miss about it there?  Grits…?  My mom’s cooking…?  I don’t miss much, and I haven’t been back in a decade.  It was a stable environment to grow up in, but a little dull for a thrill seeker like me.  Where can you get the best southern food?  You can get it many places here in New York, but they never get the coleslaw right.  I like it with sweet pickle relish, mayonnaise and grated carrots.  Since you’ve been in New York City since 1984, do you consider yourself more a southerner or a New Yorker?  My mom claims that she must be very approachable, since strangers often stop her for directions.  I’m awful with directions, but I must be approachable like mom.  I don’t think that’s a bad thing.  In fact, Southerners are a lot of fun to be with.  Until they get into the voting booth!  I haven’t left New York City since I moved here in 1983, so I’m definitely a New Yorker—but with a Southern twang. 


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Although New York has changed a lot since the 1980s and 1990s, what’s still unique about it that most don’t realize?  It’s one of America’s few walking cities, with an outrageous street scene, and great people-watching.  I’ve always had a theory that passing by all kinds of people is very humanizing.  Every day I pass Muslims, Jews, trans people, handicapped people, straight jocks, homeless and tourists from all over.  Down South, we would get bottles thrown at us from cars as the drivers yelled anti-gay slurs.  Seeing people face-to-face opens your eyes and you realize things like, “Well, she has on a hijab, which I may not fully understand, but she is snatching that video game out of her kid’s hands just like any other mother would.”  What New York venue do you miss that’s gone?  Palladium, The World, Tunnel, Splash, Mars, Building, Limelight, BoyBar, Sound Factory Bar, Sally’s Hideaway and Jackie 60.  There are so many!  When you’re out of drag, where do you hang out in New York to unwind?  At a massage parlor!  Carrying those big wigs on your head, twisted up in girdles, and prancing in heels can really work up some kinks which need to be released regularly.  And no, I’m not talking about a massage with a “happy ending” (laughs).   

PHOTOGRAPH BY STEVEN MENENDEZ

Either living or dead, who’s your favorite New York queen?  Ethyl Eichelberger took her own life decades ago, but she was always so nurturing to others.  She taught me how to put on lashes and was a terrific performer.  She go-go danced on the bar at The Pyramid with the rest of us, but she would also put on original plays which the NY Times would review.  So she also taught us the possibilities of drag outside of nightclubs.  Who’s the most underrated drag performer?  In New York City?  Sugga Pie Koko.  She’s absolutely hysterical, but is sometimes overlooked because she’s not the prettiest.  But in my view, variety is key.  You can have ten glamazons in your cast who look astounding, but the comedy booger-queen can bring the house down in a $10 dress and sneakers.  Other than yourself, who do you think has made the biggest contribution to the art of drag?  Definitely DivineRuPaul is certainly up there.  And Bianca Del Rio is taking things to a whole new level with her sheer talent.  As long as the material is scripted, and not some Michael Richards-type rant, do you think that a comic can go too far?  I like it when comics go far, or I wouldn’t like Bianca!  And my own comedy is very raunchy and not suited for everyone.  But my attitude is that if you don’t like something, don’t watch it.  But don’t try to shut it down.  There’s such a thing as freedom of speech, so we can say whatever we like.  But there may be repercussions. 

PHOTOGRAPH BY STEVEN MENENDEZ

Should Kevin Hart have quit the Oscars?  I’m not a fan of Kevin or the Oscars, so I could care less.  Do I wish Kevin hadn’t made anti-gay slurs?  Sure.  But do I believe in his freedom of speech?  Sure.  The issue with him is that you can’t cross the line and get the big jobs.  Do you think that social media is doing more harm than good?  It’s lovely to share photos with your friends all over the world with a click, and it has many other benefits, like instant marketing.  But social media is like the new nightclub, and now clubs have closed because we keep in touch online.  I do think it’s important to see people face-to-face.  For those who refuse to even speak on the phone, all of their contact is electronic.  I don’t think that that’s healthy.  Who’s your favorite comic?  George Carlin, because he spoke hard truths and somehow made them funny.  Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now?  I worked at various fast food places and ice cream counters, so none of them were too big a help!  If God were to take you tomorrow, how would you like to be remembered?  As someone who was honest and loved to laugh and dance. 

PHOTOGRAPH BY STEVEN MENENDEZ

What do you want to live long enough to see?  Medicare for all.  Will you ever retire?  It’s doubtful.  I can’t do anything else.  And with my limited skills, the tech world certainly won’t be calling.  What’s the weirdest question that a fan’s asked you? Someone once asked me if I wanted to “hump his stump.”  I asked, “With my pump?”  What other celebrity did you act like a “fan” around?  Patti Labelle!  I couldn’t help it.  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  Tickets to Puerto Rico, where I’ll vacation after my two gigs at The Pub.  What’s the best place that you’ve visited?  I love Amsterdam.  What’s the last thing that you watched on TV?  TCM.  What’s the craziest thing that you ever did?  Got drunk, lost my keys, and barreled through my window!  I woke up covered in blood.  What’s your favorite book?  Little Me.  What’s the best concert that you ever went to?  My first Patti Labelle concert in New York City.  She was wearing that hairdo ironed up into a crown shape.  Do you still have your childhood blanket or stuffed animal?  No, just some comic books, which my mom is dying to throw away.  What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older?  That high heels screw up your feet, knees, back, and sometimes hips (laughs).  What did you learn from your parents?  That war was usually wrong. 

Who’s your favorite performer?  Still Patti!  What’s your best characteristic?  I’m very loyal to friends. How do you enjoy spending your time?  I’m a news junkie who also loves sex!  What celebrity do you have a crush on?  Colin Kaepernick!  Who do you admire?  Charo.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be?  I really don’t think in those terms, because I don’t and won’t ever have that ability.  I loved Penny Marshall, though!  Where would you go in a time machine?  To London’s Carnaby Street in the swinging 60s.  What would your last meal be?  Probably fried shrimp!  What do you worry about?  The ignorance that our schools and news are feeding us.  What are you afraid of?  The actions of those who buy whatever they’re sold.  Critical thinking is dying.  If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?  The drums!  Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  I’m definitely not meek or a follower like a sheep, but I hope that I’m not as aggressive and frightening as a wolf.  Who are you closest with?  My mom.  What would your autobiography be called?  The Lady is a TrampWhat’s on your bucket list?  I’d love to see the pyramids of Egypt before I’m in a diaper.  Where can we see you?  On my website, or live and in person at The Pub on January 4 and January 6.  I can’t wait to be back there!

JOHN WATERS

John Waters debuted his new show, A Filthy World, in Fort Lauderdale last Saturday, to an almost sold-out crowd 

SHADE-O-METER RATING

OUTTA 5 WERKS: “10s ACROSS THE BOARD – LEGENDARY STATUS”

Who’s John WatersI think we all know who he is.  If you’re the one-in-a-million who doesn’t, look him up.  What’s Sunshine CathedralIt’s a predominately LGBT church/performing arts venue (yes, just like the original Ryman Auditorium, sans the LGBT part).  How was the venue?  For the most part, it looked like a modern church.  But there weren’t any wood pews (thank God).  The seats were comfortable.  The main décor on the stage were spotlight urns, which has sticks fanning out of them (very Blair Witch).  How was the parking?  Parking was available in various grass-lots, which only required a short walk to the venue.  Does the venue serve liquor?  I saw a few people with beer bottles in their hands, so there must be some type of cabaret license—probably for beer and wine only.  How were the drinks?  We didn’t get any.  Does the venue serve food?  Nope.  How much were the tickets?  $30.  Where were the seats?  Towards the back, but there really was no bad seat in the venue.  According to the website, it holds 450 people.  Was the show sold out?  Just about.  Who was the opening act?  Unless you count the one drag queen who sauntered up and down the aisle a few times as an “opening act,” there wasn’t any.


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How was the show?  To begin, Waters wasn’t quite the most natural or humanistic performer.  And for all intents and purposes, the show really was a scripted comedy show—it wasn’t simply him discussing his career.  Considering this, Waters wasn’t as proficient in this arena as, for example, Chris Rock or Gilbert Gottfried.  The show was loosely framed around several themes: Trump/politics (with Trump characterized as a “shithole in the White House” and an “orange anus”), a satirical look at what a “President Waters” administration would be like, the contradiction between being irreverent versus owning three houses, Hollywood directors and Hollywood itself, his film career (which took up half the show; Female Trouble probably got the loudest applause), and, finally, his desires for the future (i.e., open a store, have a fashion line, continue writing and touring).  As contained in Water’s films, he seemed to find the greatest glee in the off-beat and the absurdities of life.


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Some of the better lines in the show were: “Old chickens make good soup.  Hunting isn’t a sport if the animals aren’t trained to shoot back.  I was at a party, and they handed poppers to a young person, and they drank them.  I feel bad for drag queens today; who would want to be Melania Trump?  Wouldn’t Hairpie be a great title for a porn spoof of Hairspray?  We’re [me and my actors] all going to be buried in plots near Divine; it’ll be called Disgraceland.  The only way that kids can rebel today is to tell their parents that they don’t want a phone.  We have too many gays already; new ones should have to ‘audition’ on a reality show.  Can you imagine a scatological porn version of Schindler’s List called Shitler’s List?  Everything is so PC today; you can’t even call someone a ‘cocksucker’ anymore.”  Waters closed the formal part of the show with a kind of poetic discourse about how his dreams came true because of “you, the audience,” but he urged them to stay on the “other side of dreamland,” like in Fort Lauderdale, which always had—among other things—the best hustlers.

How was the crowd?  They laughed, but there wasn’t any on-the-floor guffawing going on or any displays of uncontrollable stitches.  What could have improved the show?  The venue needs to teach some of the ushers some manners.  The producer made a pre-show announcement that no video recording was allowed.  I tried to take a picture when Waters came on the stage, but I barely had the phone up before an usher slammed his hand down on my shoulder, informing that no video was allowed.  When I clarified that I wasn’t taking video, he said that “no pictures were allowed, either.”  That’s all fine and dandy, but you need to tell the audience that first.  Very rude behavior, if you ask me.

What was surprising about the show?  Waters did a Q&A for a good 20 minutes at the end, with the house lights up, and, although it wasn’t necessarily shocking that he did it, I certainly wasn’t expecting it.  It was during this section that the full personality—more or less—was on display, and what Waters might have previously lacked in performance acumen during the formal set, he made up for during this segment.  The Q&A was prefaced with, “I’ll answer anything.”  During it, he discussed how the internet has hooked up the world to the point where you can create anywhere, but there are still a few cities left that have “local color” (for example, Baltimore).  How his books sell better than his last film did.  How one of his favorite recent films was Mom and Dad.  How “no’s” are free, but you only need one “yes” to make it in show business.  How dogs have been sentenced to a lifetime of “human caresses.”  That after he met Clint Eastwood, the press coined the meeting as, “The Odd Couple.”  How Divine could make it today, since it’s even easier to make “underground” films now.  His thoughts on glory holes (he likes them).  And, lastly, Waters urged the audience to keep creating.  For, “It’s easy to shock.  But it’s much harder to make people laugh at what they’re uncomfortable with—that’s what I always tried to do.”

Sunshine Cathedral is located at 1480 Southwest 9th Ave., in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

SHELLEY NOVAK

South Beach legend Shelley Novak talks about Chinese food, what’s unique about Miami Beach, and how drag can change the world

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN FORTEZA

Where did you grow up?  In a little town called Saugus, which is just south of Boston.  I think the name is Native-American for “I have to move the fuck out of here.”  But it was the perfect Currier-and-Ives-type childhood.  How long have you lived in South Florida?  Since 1992.  Why did you move here?  After my first long-term relationship broke up, I had to reinvent myself.  All of my friends from home had moved to South Beach, and they told me that if I had to start all over, that Miami Beach was the place to do it.  When I first moved here, we all ended up living in the same building, and we joked that it was our very own little Melrose Place.  New England is a great place to be a kid, but Miami is a great place to be an adult.  What part of South Florida do you live in?  South Beach—I’ve always lived in South Beach.  What do you like most about living here?  I love being immersed in the diverse culture, and I love the weather.  I also love the gay community in South Beach.  It’s really just a small town, since it’s only a few blocks long.  We all have each other’s backs.  What South Florida venue do you miss that’s gone?  Well, I’ve watched them all come and go.  Off the top of my head, it would have to be Crobar.  I worked at the door there for the run of the club; it was seven years.  Where do you hang out in South Florida, and why?  when I want some down and “me” time, I sneak away to Twist.  What’s something that’s unique about South Florida?  I’ve lived in LA and Boston, and Miami, to me, has the perfect balance.  It has the weather, interesting people, the beach and available transportation.  I can walk everywhere.  In LA, for example, a trip to the ATM is a four-hour event there.

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