Insight Magazine at UNR interviewed me about an article they were drafting about drag queen culture and life. I think the author, Jessica Voss, did an excellent job with the piece. I think she was able to transform a dynamic and complex topic as drag queenary and allow audiences to relate to it. Also she starts the article with a quote from the one Miss Noxema Jackson from the movie "Too Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar" Here is an excerpt from the article

By the end of the night, Ginger is usually feeling the pain that most women are all too familiar with after a night out. The torturous high heels, the smeared makeup, and the restricting clothing (not to mention the corsets) all make a woman or a drag queen feel like she did her best to end her evening in pain.  All of the work seems to be worth it, though, because drag queens are “very beautiful and extremely well-dressed,” according to Pat Ponder, a sixty-seven-year-old Renoite. Others seem to feel similarly; many people say that they find drag queens to be beautiful and confident. Daniels’s female friends often tell him it’s unfair he makes a prettier woman than they do.

Here is a link to the full article. Thank you Jessica for allowing me to be a part of the article.  

This year has been a year of many firsts. My first Anything But Clothes party, writing my first murder mystery party, and winning first place for best group costume at this year's Erotic Ball. This also happened to be the year that I performed stand up for the very first time. 

I had toyed around with the idea of translating the absolute ridiculous antics of being a drag queen in some stand-up but never found the right opportunity to do it. When the Pioneer Underground approached me about doing some stand-up during their "Ladies Weekend of Comedy", it seemed like an ironically perfect time to debut my set. 

Here is a video of my set from the performance. I touched on the trials and tribulations of being a drag queen, of surviving a post-apocalyptic future and of one day being a parent. I was a little nervous to perform stand-up. I worried I would forget my entire set or stumble through it. I wondered what the audience would think of a drag queen performing stand-up; would they think it weird or not appreciate it?The audience was absolutely awesome! I think it showed that audiences at the end of the day want to be entertained. As long as you can do that, then it shouldn't matter your sexual orientation, race, gender, etc. I was thankful thought that my spanks and corset did not cut off my breathing thus causing me to pass out right there on stage. Enjoy the video!!!

I feel this past Halloween weekend, I fulfilled a dream of mine. I have had this dream ever since I saw the iconic Halloween cult classic film, Hocus Pocus. Ever since I saw the Sanderson Sisters bewitch the adults of Salem with their fabulous rendition of "I've Put a Spell on You", I have dreamed of one day dressing up as the Sanderson Sisters for Halloween. I remember sharing this dream with other gay male friends of mine but for one reason or another - usually because a) how would we even begin to construct such memorable costumes and b) no one wanted to be Mary Sanderson aka , the fat one - the plan did not pan out. 

This year, my friend and fellow Hocus Pocus enthusiast, Franz asked if I would help him achieve his dream of going as the Sanderson Sisters for Halloween. I gay gasped at the thought and then died when he told me he would take care of all of the costumes - all I had to provide was shoes. I was chosen to be the hilarious Mary Sanderson; she goes around barking and wanting to eat all the time, it works. The costumes were absolutely flawless. By sheer coincidence, I happened to be hosting the QSU drag show. We were able to perform the number as part of the show. I think people shat their pants when they us emerge and perfectly execute the number. I even sang the number with Mary's droopy lip. By the end of the night my face hurt.

After the drag show, we had made plans to go to the Silver Legacy's Erotic Ball, with aspirations of entering the costume contest and winning. I was unaware that it was an "Erotic Ball" upon entertaining, but learned quickly, when I was surrounded by attractive scantly-clad individuals. Everyone wanted to take their photo with us; it was fabulously ridiculous. I felt as if I was some celebrity getting stopped every few moments to take photos with fans. I had no idea that this movie had such a following with people; or at least it was a memorable enough movie that 18 some odd years later people still get the reference. We also played our roles perfectly; we had the mannerisms, facial expressions and tone of voice down. There was only one unfortunate incident that happened. We were having a drink at a restaurant and this rather drunk women who I guess was going as ... a lingerie model ... a lingerie model spilling out of her outfit approached us. She had no idea who we were but, unfortunate for us, bound and determined to figure out who we were. For a while she thought that we were from The Witches and our friend Aaron - who was not in costume - was the fat rat. No matter how much we tried to play off her ineptitude and tell her we were not from Witches, she would not believe us.

When it was time to declare the winner, we learned that we had made the cut for best tandem costume. We awaited in line with the rest of the competition - which included sexy Adam and Eve, sexy Avatar aliens, sexy little Red Riding Hood and Big Bad Wolf. Crap, I thought there is no way that three drag queens in heavy layers of rags and fabric can compete with a sculpted Adonis wearing a g-string with some fur for a costume. When they presented us to the audience, the crowd went absolutely nuts, ushering in as the clear winners. AHHHHH!! Are you kidding me?!?!?!  It was the perfect end to an amazing evening. 

The next day we hiked up our skirts and did the Zombie Crawl. The hightlight of which was going and standing on the vents outside of the Elderado and pretending that we were actually flying through the air. What ... I'm just saying ... wouldn't you?

I'm thrilled that I am able to scratch this off my gay bucket list ;) 

This Wednesday, September 28th, The Utility Players will venture to where no comedy troupe has gone before. The tantalizing and fast-paced atmosphere of a date auction. That's right. The Utility Players, along with a few local LGBT leaders, will shamelessly offer themselves to the general masses - in this case, in the form of a date - in order to raise money for Spectrum of Northern Nevada. Imagine the possibilities; a once and a lifetime opportunity to go on a date Reno's best drag queen - unless you are a tall refrigerator-like mans with a fancy for Broadway musicals and Buffet tables, then feel free to date me all you like. 

The Utility Players will perform their hilarious improv for an hour and then let your dollars bill fly. The show starts at 7:00pm at the Tree house Lounge - located off 4th street behind the Underground.  Here is a link to the facebook event for more information. Make sure to bring your friends and your money to come support a great cause and group in our community. 

A hard lesson to learn. One would assume that a drag queen that, for the most part, wears nothing but corsets, would have learned the limitations of such articles of clothing. Unfortunately I dared to test the gods and mow down on a Double Double with animal fries at In N Out. 

A few of us had just finished doing a photo shoot for a new building going up downtown. It was such an incredible experience:

"Oh what did you do this weekend Ginger?

"Oh not much. Just a few girlfriends and I dressed to the nines, worked with a professional photographer, and ended up with a photo that made my friends and I look like we were the Reno Sex and the City girls ... NBD"

Of course to prepare stuffing myself into my latest instrument of torture, I refused to eat or drink anything for hours leading up to the shoot. So, it was safe to say, that at the end of the photo shoot, I was ready to put up my heels and stuff my face.  We rush to In N Out, procure our guilty pleasures and then proceeded to drive around the corner to our usual hiding spot; a space we have called "The Fat Girl Spot"

Halfway through my Double Double, I noticed a pressure brewing in  my breastal region. I surveyed that the pressure was occurring at the intersection of my spanks and the corsets tightest part. I thought I could plow through the rest of my burger and animal fries and survive until I had returned to the safety and comfort of my home to release my fat rolls from their prison. However, I couldn't keep it in anymore and I had to unzip the corset and tear it from my body. It was at that point that a wave of relief and orgasmic pleasure rushed over me. It also happened to be the point when a couple and their two children decided to walk in front of our car. 

Oops. What? Haven't you seen a topless drag queen stuffing her face under the awning of a Chevron gas station? What? I'm just saying. 

It's that time again ladies and gentlemen. A surefire sign that summer has arrived in Reno, is when the Reno News and Review begins the intense "Best Of" competition for Northern Nevada. In the past I have received 3rd best drag queen in Reno and blogger - but now I have my sights on the gold. This year the category I am vying for is "Best Drag Queen".

Here is my case for why I am the best drag queen in Reno. One, a ginger attempting to rise to fame in a desert is a story of overcoming obstacles that stand in your path - like the sun. Secondly, I think to think of myself as an eclectic entertainer. No longer limited to simply lip-syncing to songs like many of my contemporaries, I can sing live, dance, host various events, and do stand-up. I have had the fortunate opportunity to use my drag queenary to perform in live musicals, improv shows, Golden Girls episodes, burlesque shows, and plays and cannot wait to see what the rest of the year brings my way. Also, I like to think I am not one of those scary drag queens. More often than not I transform myself in gorgeous women that confuses and appeals to both straight men and lesbians everywhere. Last but not last, did I mention I can drop down into the splits? 

Here is the link to event's page for the competition. Make sure to follow all of the directions so that your vote is not discounted. I promise that if I am sworn in as the best drag queen in Reno I will rule benevolently and not let the victory go to my head ... too much. 

I am a drag queen genius. I love being a drag queen - what I don't love is the way my feet and body feel at the end of the night. I usually wear a corset; an ancient torture device designed to limit one's breathing and redistribute and reposition fat rolls to a more acceptable space (unfortunately for me gravity works against me and pushes my fat rolls down giving the appearance of a foupa). On top of that, I'm usually stuff my feet into some pair of obnoxious heels that were clearly not meant for men's feet.

However, Saturday night I had a breakthrough. I was getting ready for my friend Franz's birthday party. The theme for the party was an anything but clothes party. I went through an exhaustive list of non-clothing accessories and materials I had - which as a drag queen, is a lot - and found that nothing was speaking to me. A duck tape dress sounded painful, a newspaper miniskirt sounded potentially dangerous, and I didn't have enough bows to make my bathing suit. I was getting frantic and desperate. Then ... all of it sudden it hit me. Rummaging through my already messy room, I flung my snuggie across the room. I stared at it, laying there in all of its magnificent glory, and thought to myself I can work with this. I managed to fashion a kimono out of a snuggie and a vibrant blue scarf. I looked like a ginger geisha. To complete the ensemble, I decided that nothing could glam up this outfit more than a pair of crocs.

The party was absolutely fantastic. Know what's awesome? Having a professional photographer at a party full of people with ridiculous costumes and outfits ... oh did I mention that said party happens to be at the house of another professional photographer who just happens to have a studio in his garage. We decided to have a photo shoot where we took 1200 photos of ourselves. One would think that we would all eventually tire of having amazing photos taken of ourselves ... but we did not. I am hopefully going to use the shots as promo pictures for the new fashion line I hope to start - Snuggie Couture. Imagine ... snuggie dresses, coats, shirts (unfortunately no vests as that would be counteractive to the theory of the snuggie). Of course, the most terrifying part of the night was wearing the 5 inch stiletto heels that were made entirely out of tape ... I tried to move as little as possible and just be seen in them.

I've decided that I will never wear anything else to an anything but clothes party. I have never been so comfortable as a drag queen before. In fact, part of me wants to wear nothing but snuggies and crocs the rest of my life ... however I don't feel that will go over too well.

This is going to be me when I eventually become a motherI don't really talk about my family much in the confines of this blog. For the most part, I tend to focus on blogs and entries that are relatively impersonal to myself and the individuals in my life; rants about corrupt politicians, reviews of the latest Blockbuster films, and the extent of my gay gay life are typically the genres I work with. However, I was inspired by a recent conversation I had with my mother, so I felt the need to write.

I was talking to my mother on the phone the other day and she mentioned that she read my blog and has read every single entry ... oh god ... even the ones about my nights of drunken sluttery at the clubs .... oops. Then she mentioned "Oh Chris, your Aunt wanted me to tell you that you accidentally spelled Lewisville incorrectly in the biography on your blog". Wait ... what ... my Aunt now reads my blog. My mother nonvhalantly stated "of course we do, have been for a while, oh and when I saw your father the other day I told him all about your blog. He had no idea, so gave him the address to check it out". Wait, wait, wait .... now you're telling me that my father is potentially reading my blog now ... Hi Mom, Dad, Aunt Barb :)

When I began this blog, I didn't really advertise it to my family. I kept it on the down low, primarily in case I need to poke fun at my family (just kidding, but not really), but also because I didn't think my parents would appreciate or care to know the ridiculous adventures of their 25 year old gay drag queen son, striving for success and fame in the entertainment world. Perhaps I am not giving my parents enough credit and maybe in some respects they are waiting for me to broach the subject with them. Typically when I talk to my parents we discuss my job, improvements each of my parents are making on their respective homes, or my sister. We do not discuss my latest headdress or the ridiculous eye shadow I just got that is going to make me look like a 4th street hooker. For whatever reason, those topics don't come up.  

I think queer people in our society still to this day struggle with which aspects of their life that they are going to share with friends, lovers, employers, and family members. If you grew up in an area where you were closeted about your identity, you spent an exorbitant amount of energy maintaining the lie and ignoring or suppressing your true feelings. I found that even after I came out - and I CAME OUT by giving a speech to 700 people - that it was hard to talk about these facets of my identity and the parts of my life that I held guarded for so long. Both of my parents know that I am gay - and a drag queen as I came to learn later - but there is still something that holds me back from full disclosure. For so long you don't have the conversation with your parents because you fear their reaction; well now I am 25, a self-sufficient independent woman of the 21st century, and yet I still find myself paralyzed in conversation. I am blessed that all my parents want out of life for me is to be happy, and I can decide for myself, what that looks like.

So now my entire family are fans of my blog, which is completely awesome, however now I am going to be a little more cognizant of my entries in the future. A girl has to keep some mystery about her and like I said, I don't need to have my mother know that sometimes I find myself ass up in strange locations not really quite sure how I got there ... or something like that.

You'll love the train of thought on this one.

One of my near and dear friends is currently living it up in Mexico at the moment. While logging onto facebook this morning I noticed that he had tagged me in a photo; which is odd, because unless I am mistaken I haven't traveled to Mexico in the past couple of weeks. Intrigued, I open up the photo. What displayed on my screen was a little Mexican figurine. He aptly titled the photo "Miss Ginger Devine, Día de los Muertos style!". First I noticed how the figurine and I looked oddly similar. Then I noticed that me, as a figurine, is ridiculously skinny - praise Jesus - even if it is because she is a skeleton.  

So then I had a random thought that eventually played out into a fantasy and now is my new business venture; Ginger dolls! Imagine an entire line of my very own barbie-like dolls. I thought about the collector's editions that I would periodically release. Here are some of my favorite themes that I would have as part of my line.

1. Burlesque Ginger - complete with pop-off corset

2. Soccer Mom Ginger - complete with cooler full of margarita mix, a microphone to shout disparaging comments at other children. Bedazzled mini-van sold separately.

3. First Lady Ginger - features either blue or red power suits.

4. Croutching Tiger Hidden Drag Queen Ginger - the ninja Ginger. Accessories for this Ginger include Press on Nails Ninja Stars and her stilleto katana

5. Ghetto Ginger - complete with vocal sound bytes. Ghetto Ginger will intermittently say such things as "why are you getting all bijigady in my grill", "oh no he didn't", and "security!"

6. Autobot Ginger - aid Ginger as she tried to stop the Deceptacons and make the world a safer place.

On top of many of the variates of dolls that I would offer, I would also periodically release collector's editions like "Ginger Does her Favorite Divas" with me dressed up as Bette, Cher, Celine, Mariah, and Tina. There would also be the "Wizard of Oz" collector's edition with Ginger as the magnificent Glinda - with only a limited amount of flying pink bubbles available for sale. I think I could be on to something here; imagine the ridiculous and fabulous wardrobe options for a drag queen barbie doll.

Best part is that if I actually got a Ginger doll, then I would be able to break out my NSYNC dolls and have "play dates" - I'm just saying - and then break out my Cher doll and have Ginger and Cher play "dress up". My life would be complete ;)

I have many grandiose fantasies about my future career in the entertainment arena; a touring drag show with Lady Gaga, an academy award winning performance with Meryl Streep, and being in a hit Broadway show with all the performers from GLEE just to name a few. Another one of my dreams is to have a theater showcase episodes from the Golden Girls and I would have the chance to don a pair of cushioney orthepedic tennis shoes, as myself and three other drag queens attempted to parody the iconic girls. That dream has finally come to fruition for me.

Bruka Theatre to close out their late night television show series wisely decided to put on the still ever popular Golden Girls, only with a slight twist; the "girls" would all be played by men. I came to learn that a number of major metropolitan cities including San Francisco, Chicago, and New York also do a version of "Golden Girls" live, so in some respects we are modeling ourselves after what other cities are doing. On the other hand, drag queens are few and far between in the Biggest Little City in the World and in some of those areas they are a dime a dozen.

I was cast to play the simple-minded Rose Nylund. What she lacks in higher cognitive functioning she makes up for in her kind heart and generous spirit. Rose Nylund was of course played by the infamous Betty White, who is the only living Golden Girl.

The episode Bruka decided to pick is called "The Artist". Lazzlo, a Hungarian artist shocwasing an exhibit at Blanche's museum, decided to ask Blanche to pose for him naked in order for him to sculpt the perfect woman. Throughout the episode, Lazzlo asks Rose and Dorothy to pose for him as well causing a ridiculous feud to occur.

We had a read through last night and it was absolutely ridiculous. The show does not lose anything with replacing the title roles with men; in fact we all thought it added an additional layer of humour to the episode. My hope is that this will do so well at Bruka that they will bring it back for their next season and do a run of it with maybe three or four episode instead of just the one.