MIKE JEKNAVORIAN National Interviews

PEACHES CHRIST

SF drag legend Peaches Christ kicks off her world tour of Mean Gays this month with dates on the West Coast

Where did you grow up?  In Annapolis, Maryland.  What’s special about that city that most people aren’t aware of?  It’s home to the best seafood in the country.  Where do you live now?  In San Francisco.  If you had to live somewhere else, where would you live?  In Los Angeles.  Other than Oasis, where do you hang out in San Francisco?  The Castro Theatre, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, the beach, the parks, and The Old Mint building.  What’s the difference between the East Coast drag performers and the West Coast ones?  The East Coast drag performers tend to have drag coats and more cold weather couture.  Either living or dead, who’s the most influential drag performer?  Divine—I think she re-defined what drag could be. 

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Carsick is the New York Times bestselling chronicle of a cross-country hitchhiking journey with America’s most beloved weirdo. John Waters is putting his life on the line. Armed with wit, a pencil-thin mustache, and a cardboard sign that reads “I’m Not Psycho,” he hitchhikes across America from Baltimore to San Francisco, braving lonely roads and treacherous drivers.

Who’s your favorite performer?  Elvira.  Who’s your favorite filmmaker?  John Waters.  What’s the craziest movie that you ever saw?  Happiness.  What’s your favorite horror film?  A Nightmare On Elm Street.  Who was your favorite celebrity guest at Trannyshack?  Clive Barker, because he was there on a night that I performed a gore number.  I didn’t know that he was there, but I found out afterward.  I also found out that he loved my number, and it meant the world to me.  What’s the craziest thing that you ever saw at Trannyshack?  I think it was when Vinsantos set a Christmas tree on fire and almost burned the place down.  If you had to choose one, which one do you enjoy better—filmmaking or performing?  It’s all the same to me, because for me, it’s storytelling.  And I really do enjoy them both equally. 

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBBIE SWEENY

What’s your dream role or project?  I’d love to create a proper musical someday.  Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now?  Probably working at a frozen yogurt shop.  If God were to take you tomorrow, how would you like to be remembered?  As someone who was kind, fair and funny.  What do you want to live long enough to see?  The end of Trump.  Will you ever retire?  Hopefully someday I’ll be able to happily retire.  What’s the weirdest question that a fan’s asked you?  “Will you ever retire?”  What other celebrity did you act like a “fan” around?  Mick Jagger.  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  A Tweet.  What’s the best place that you’ve visited?  Rio De Janeiro.  What’s your current state-of-mind?  I’m hopped-up on cold medicine.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MAGNUS HASTINGS

What were you doing before we spoke?  Working on a script.  What’s your idea of perfect happiness?  Being with my loved ones and enjoying each other’s company.  What’s your greatest fear?  Death.  Living or dead, who’s the greatest political figure in America?  Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older?  Not to sweat the small stuff.  What did you learn from your parents?  To follow your dreams.  What’s your best characteristic?  Kindness.  How do you enjoy spending your time?  Working.  What celebrity do you have a crush on?  Dan Levy.  Who do you admire?  John Waters.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be?  Divine.  Where would you go in a time machine?  To 1984.  What would your last meal be?  Crab cakes.

PHOTOGRAPH BY NICOLE FRASER-HERRON

What do you worry about?  Way too much (laughs).  What are you afraid of?  Natural disasters, war, and Trump.  If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?  A piano.  Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  A sheep.  Who depends on you?  I have no idea.  Who are you closest with?  My partner.  What would your autobiography be called?  A Wig and a Dream.  What’s on your bucket list?  To visit many travel destinations.  What’s your greatest regret in life?  I try not to have them.  What’s something secretive about you that people don’t know?  That I’m a bear.  Where can we see you?  On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, on tour, and on my website!

MIKE JEKNAVORIAN Local Events

TRIXIE MATTEL

Trixie Mattel played a sold-out show in Fort Lauderdale last Friday, where she entertained the audience with comedy and music 

SHADE-O-METER RATING

4 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “SHE GAVE GOOD FACE – SHE SERVED IT”

Who’s Trixie Mattel?  She’s a drag performer/musician who came in sixth-place on the seventh season of RuPaul’s Drag Race and who won the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.  She also had her own TV show, The Trixie and Katya Show, which aired on Viceland.  What’s the Amaturo Theater?  It’s a 590-seat theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.  How was the venue?  The venue is great, and there really isn’t a bad seat in the house.  It really should be utilized more by entertainers, but it seems that many would rather play, for example, at a half-empty Parker Playhouse instead of here.

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Trixie’s second album, featuring the single, “Moving Parts.”

How was the parking?  There’s a garage across the street, or you can valet.  Does the venue serve liquor?  Yes.  And child, those queens never laid off of it.  It seemed like there was always a line for da liquor.  A well drink and a glass of wine were both $9.  How were the drinks?  The well drink was strong enough.  At least they’re served in real glasses, which is a nice touch, and not those tacky plastic cups.  Does the venue serve food?  They only have a few snacks.  There’s no kitchen.

How much were the tickets?  $41.08.  Where were the seats?  On the side.  Unless you’re sitting right up in the front, the side seats actually seem better than the ones in the main section.  Was the show sold out?  Yes.  Was there an opening act?  If you can believe it, she actually had one.  Brandon James Gwinn, who also doubles as her on-stage assistant, did a short musical set.  How was it?  Completely not needed.  Gwinn performed from 8:10-8:30 p.m, and after that, the lights came on.

How was the show?  Trixie came on the stage at 8:45 p.m. to thunderous applause and proceeded to launch into her comedy routine.  Of which, the material itself was slightly better than Miss Mattel’s ability to deliver it.  Maybe as a backlash against her self-professed burgeoning appeal to teenage girls, the show also contained a proliferation of raunchiness, such as, “I used to get black-out drunk, and one time my friends wrote ‘faggot’ on the inside of my stomach in cum,” and, “Oh, you can laugh at the molesting jokes, but not the STD jokes?”  One of her better comedy lines cleverly utilized localism.  When one of the jokes didn’t go over as expected, Trixie explained that it’s new material, “[but] I’m a white misfit from a mid-west town.  If I wanted something to bomb, it would have been the local high school.”  The show was also punctuated with some musical numbers, where there was a fair amount of audience recognition a la singalongs.  In all, there was a 20-minute intermission, and the show ended at about 10:45.

How was the crowd?  Mostly gay, but peppered with some straight couples and some “bridal party” looking ones.  What could have improved the show?  Ditch the opening act.  If it ain’t a rock concert, and a rock concert this was not, then that foolishness ain’t needed.  Regarding the songs, it’s a shame that Trixie’s vocal ability wasn’t better, because of the two, the comedy and the music, it was the music that stood out.  The songs were all original compositions, and they were catchy.  Maybe she’ll have a career as a songwriter at some point.

What was surprising about the show?  The number of straight couples that were there.  Who would of ever thunk that we’d live to see that day that “drag” would become so mainstream.  It seems inevitable that one of these RuPaul girls will crossover into either Hollywood or pop music, but it’s anyone’s guess which one will do it first.  If only Divine could have lived to see all this.

The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is located at 201 S.W. 5th Ave., in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.