MIKE JEKNAVORIAN National Interviews

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 Vallarta.  What’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 Janeiro.  What 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 Bowie.  What’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 Evans!  Who 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 Martin.  What 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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!