But you also have to take risks and step into the lions. Most of the kings only stay in Brooklyn because they feel safe.Īnd I can understand. I’ve also performed in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. I’m one of the few that regularly performs in Manhattan. Some of them get discouraged and they only perform in certain areas of the city and in certain clubs and they don’t branch out. We still haven’t gotten the opportunities to shine that much. I’ve been part of Bushwig.īut I’ve never had my own show, and I would think part of the reason why is that bar managers don’t think they would be able to make money off a drag king show because unfortunately drag kings are still fighting for acceptance. I’ve been booked in a lot of guest spots.
Even though I’ve been doing drag for seven years, I haven’t had my own show. JdB: What’s a Gary Carmichael show usually like? He’s always entertaining and he always gives 110% every time he steps on stage. Gary can also be whatever he wants to be, but he’s always polished. But Gary is the type of guy that could exist, and probably does exist. Drag queens celebrate women, but then drag kings usually what they wind up doing is making fun of men, and that doesn’t go over well with the general populace. Gary is the perfect guy without all the toxic traits. I was told by a queen that no one would be interested in seeing a woman dressed up like a man, and I looked at her and said, “Thank you for your support.”
And then I started doing my research and realized that there aren’t that many active kings in the city, at least at the time. I’m like, as much as I love this, no matter where you go in the city, it’s basically the same type of drag-the same songs being lip synched to. After a while I started thinking to myself, I could do this. Back around 2003, one place in particular, Boots and Saddle on Christopher Street, was where my love of drag was rekindled.Īround the time of the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, I met Venus D-Lite and I just fell in love with the artform again. Gary Carmichael: Well, I’ve been a longtime fan of drag and people like Lady Bunny, Mistress Formica, and I have a deep respect for drag as an art form. But first, how did you get into drag to begin with? JdB: I’m really curious to explore how the life of a drag king is different from that of a drag queen.
0 kommentar(er)
