Press

September 10,1999

Perms of Endearment

By Nora Burns

Walking down Fairfax Ave. in L.A. one morning, I passed an overly made-up woman of a certain age wearing faux Gucci and a rhinestone brooch. In that less then glamorous neighborhood, the grande dame before me seemed a we bit out of place, so I intensified my scrutiny. Only then did I realize the misplaced matron was actually former New York City Drag Queen Alexis Del Lago. Now the scene made more sense. But my encounter with this apparition – the ghost of Wigstock past – got ma thinking: As this very special time of year rolls around again, I wondered, where are the early Wigstockers now?

BOY BAR BEAUTIES IN THEIR HEYDAY
Miss Guy, Glamamore, Shannon, Connie and Perfidia
photo: Sandy Rower

Many are still performing at the Most Fabulous Festival Ever Held, making it an annual ritual whether or not the rest of their year includes Max Faxtor, while for others, Wigstock has become a pilgrimage of the past. It seems most everyone who topped a toupee’ on the many well-worn stages of Wigstock is still carrying on creatively somewhere or another. The Lady Bunny, of course, still puts the whole drag marathon together every year. Ebony Jett is touring with RENT. Perfidia, after caring for coifs for years, is now DJ’ing and doing shows in the Asian Rim. Glamamore and Anaconda have moved on to San Francisco. Princess Diandra and Sister Cody Ravioli are frequently drunk and disorderly at Lucky Chengs. Paige was at Jackie 60 last week looking as lovely as ever, ‘till she decided to weave the cotton batting from her bra into her mohawk. And when not strolling Fairfax, Alexis Del Lago is sewing up bundles of beaded gowns in her lushly decorated L.A. pad.
I caught up with a few of the festivals’ fine-feathered fixtures to see what they’re up to now and reminisce about Wigstock’s early years.

JOHN EPPERSON
Best known for: Mouthing songs and priceless snippets of dialogue from campy films as his classic creation, Lypsinka
What’s he up to now: “I just finished doing a play, Messages for Gary [As part of the Fringe Festival], to prove I can perform out of drag, but I’m also thinking of doing a full length Lypsinka show again.”
His first Wigstock: “Lady Bunny called me one day to say they were doing an outdoor drag show, and I jumped at the chance. I had a huge wig, which was made of 10 wigs, and I did a Judy Canova song. The most exciting thing was that there were lots of cameras. I was much less self conscious then about how I looked in daylight.”
A Favorite Wigstock memory: “The second year there were even more cameras and I would just stand on the stage and pose. I had a ridiculous dress and awful wig, and I took a friend’s newborn baby onstage and sang it the Rosemary’s Baby Theme – Lalalalalalal.
It was something. We knew we were a part of a movement, something unique. At the same time, it had an innocence to it.”
For This Year’s Show: I don’t know if I’ll do it this year. It’s hard to top myself every year.

JOEY ARIAS
Best Known For: Channeling Billie Holiday
What’s He Up To Now?: I’m currently doing some films. A recording project with (designer) Thierry Mugler, my show at Bar d’O and touring.
His First Wigstock: “I started doing Wigstock the second year. The east Village was full of immigrants so I did my Justine Character singing “Immigrant Song” by Led Zeppelin.
A Favorite Wigstock Memory: “It wasn’t until Wigstock moved to Union Square when Bunny said, “do something different” that I put on a yellow chiffon dress and started doing Billie Holiday – And Lady Day came alive! I had

performed with my band, Mermaids On Heroin, but I hadn’t performed in full on drag before that.
For This Year’s Show: “I’m touring now, but I’ll be here to do Wigstock. I do it every year, it’s a tradition.”

MATTHEW KASTEN
Best Known For: Kasten was the mastermind behind The Boy Bar Beauties. Along with Pyramid, Boy Bar was the primary breeding ground for the late 80’s East Village drag explosion the fueled Wigstock.
What He’s Up To Now: Currently living in LA with video genius Len Whitney and doing hair for film and TV, Kasten was just nominated for an Emmy for his work on MAD-TV.
His First Wigstock:”The Boy Bar Queens started doing Wigstock the second or third year. We did huge production numbers to get everyone in, and we did things like ‘Afternoon Delight’ to stay with the happy, daytime theme.”
A Favorite Wigstock Memory: “My big memory was Shannon , Diandra and Glamamore dressed as republican women from Nashville with Hair 4 feet-tall, singing a medley of American folk songs. But the best part was getting ready at Boy Bar. One time it was so hot, I had Jackie in the walk-in freezer while I did her hair. They would open up the bar and everyone would get fucked up, so the best part was the walk to [Thomkins Square] Park. Wigstock was OUR day, that was it. It wasn’t a competition; it was fun, funny and daft.”

NASHOM BENJAMIN
Best Known For: Reading other queens to filth as that sassy linebacker in a dress. Mona Foot, longtime host of Starsearch at Crowbar and Barracuda.
What’s He Up To Now?: Hosting Faggot Fued as Mona every Wednesday at Blu and appearing in Joel Schumacher’s “Flawless” with Robert De Niro this fall.
His First Wigstock: ‘My first Wigstock was in ’89 with The Boy Bar Beauties. I did Aretha and my look was a very blonde beehive; my drag has gotten younger as I have gotten older.”
A Favorite Wigstock Memory: “ My Favorite Wigstock was doing Wonderwoman [in 1992] I’ve always loved superheroes, so it was everything I’ve ever wanted to do.”
For This Year’s Show: ‘This year I’m not doing drag at Wigstock because I’ll be performing with my group ‘The Ones’, which is Jojo, Paul Alexander and me. We’re doing our single that’s coming out in November called Flawless, I thought “I need to work this’ Joel Schumacher said we could submit songs for the soundtrack, so Paul and I wrote the lyrics and then got Jojo. We’re a good team. We’re doing a cyber sex look –buy guy.”

JOHN KELLY
Best Known For: The accomplished performance artist closes every Wigstock as Joni Mitchell.
What He’s Up To Now: “I’ve been performing in P-Town all summer, and I just got a part in the musical version of The Dead, starring Christopher Walkin and Blair Brown; I’m playing the tenor.”
His First Wigstock: “I was at the first one. I’d always wanted to sing as Joni, so I thought this would be the perfect place. I’ve done every year except one. It’s my only connection with a certain strata of gay culture that only sees me at this one thing.”
A Favorite Wigstock Memory: “Since I always close the show, A couple of times when it’s running late, it’s come down to Bunny telling the cops she’ll give them a blow job if they’ll let us go on.”
For This Year’s Show: Joni.