I sit down with Corvette to discuss a rainbow of things:
– our past in Viewpoints, and Waldorf education
– how she feels she is first and foremost a performer, then an actor
-Being a member of The Bats at the Flea Theater, as well as an apprentice for the Williamstown Theater Festival
-the influence of RuPaul and later Drag Race on her
-the Godfather
-writing a TV pilot
-her pure, undeniable awesomeness!!!
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I learned the hard way last week that this show starts on time, or even a little early – right before 10pm.
Boo Bess introduced the show, dressed – her words – as a golden Barbie: “I promise I’ll be gentle. I never keep my promises.”
First up was Matthew Holtzclaw. I was standing too far back to see his tricks, but they went over well with the audience. Hazel Honeysuckle followed him, dressed in green and pink, performing a classic number to a sequence of two trumpet songs, leading us into the first break as Boo instructed us to go flirt with somebody’s mom.
Next up was Sydni Deveraux, 9 feet of legs, and flirting with the people standing behind the velvet rope, ending with her signature finishing move.
As is tradition at Bathtub Gin, the last act was performed in the aforementioned tub – and nobody does the tub better than Medianoche, who trashed sheets of water on both ends of the splash zone with her legs as well as her hair.
“Congratulations, you’re all pregnant now!” Boo informed us. Yes we all were. Let’s do it again sometime!
You have three more days to vote for your favorite NYBF performers for the awards that suit them the best! Nominations will be accepted August 11th – 25th. The top three nominees in each category will go on to compete for the cherished Golden Pastie Award!
I had not ever made it to a Sunday evening at The Slipper Room before, so it was high time I put in some effort.
Set 1
Our hostess/femcee for the evening was Fancy Feast, dressed in red.
First up: Seedy Edie, all in red as well, with what she was dancing to on her head: Horns.
Qualms Galore brought us Soul Bossa Nova with a hairbow tie. This was my first time seeing her perform, and the first and most obvious thought that came to mind was, “I wonder who’s taller, her or Sydni Deveraux?”
Michael Karas came out to juggle, prompting someone in the audience to yell out “Look at those balls!”. Things took a turn for the weird when the curtain opened up and a puppet joined the act to the tune of the song from the Muppets, showing off Michael’s perfect timing to the music as the puppet took a bite out of a few of the balls.
When the raucous bachelorette party in the back made a lot of noise during the dance contest, Fancy went “Y’all are not the balcony but you’re drunk enough to think you are and I love that about you!”
And then Fancy introduced herself for an act, on the crossroads of NPR, Judaism and BDSM – “fifty shades of Oy Vey” as she called it. Interestingly enough, Christian Gray’s voice sounded a lot like Satan’s from last Friday. She got undressed, chained herself to the back curtain, then broke free and threw herself on hands and knees on the gogo box.
Next up, Emily Shephard channeled Lana Del Rey, ending up with a painter’s palette with four colors, all of them glitter, for cover.
Qualms Galore was on the gogo box during intermission as Emily shepherded the tip bucket around the room.
Set 2
Fancy came back with an umbrella, dove into the audience to Eva Cassidy’s “Stormy Monday”, and as she checked the room for bachelorettes, birthdays, and first dates, she commented to someone pointing out another couple: “You’re ratting out a first date that you’re not even on.”
Seedy Edie followed as a black Raven, blending a soothing Lullaby Of Birdland with a Karen O-squawked Immigrant Song.
As a sex educator, Fancy opened up the floor to sex questions. After giving some sage advice on how to get your husband to go along with pegging to the visiting Burlesque dancer from Montana, she also introduced us to the proper technique for a back door visit. She started by having us all roll up our hand so we could practice the technique with her. Halfway through, as the room was breaking up with laughter, she berated us: “You all are dying and we’re not even in the asshole yet.”
A tough act to follow, and Fancy apologized in advance to the next performer. Emily came back as a pussycat with the help of Deee-Lite. Qualms Galore asked all the men in the audience why they don’t do right.
Finishing the second set is a thankless job, and doubly so if you’re a man and not the dancing girl the audience was hoping for. But Kanye was on the phone to raise the stakes, and Michael did his incredible Beyoncé number:
And with that, Fancy closed the night: “This is Slippery Sundays. That’s not a name, it’s a guarantee.” And as she said goodbye to the audience, a woman at a table threw a bouquet of flowers at her.
Emily Shephard came out for the second round of gogo dancing, which got a few women to come out and lie backwards on the gogo box with money on their face, ready for pickup. Not a bad way to finish a Sunday evening.
I got to The Slipper Room slightly late, thinking it started at 10pm instead of 9.30pm
9.30pm Set 1
Fancy Feast hosted the 9.30pm show.
Jason Mejias did a super-elegant and perfectly controlled rope aerial act to “Ne me quitte pas”.
Matthew Holtzclaw came up juggling lemons, which he dropped, sending them into the audience. After that he asked for money, and someone gave him a two dollar bill. Matthew asked him to write down his name on the bill, and then burnt the bill. He did some other tricks, then asked for any of the lemons that had rolled into the audience. He sliced it open with a stiletto, and lo and behold – a crumpled two dollar bill with the owner’s name on it!
Penny Wren put Danzig’s “Mother” to good use, starting with a helmet that was too warm to keep on for long.
12am
Bastard Keith hosted the midnight show, and called on someone at the bar who explained he was an ex-boyfriend of someone who works the bar, which got awkward fairly quickly, but BK is not one to shy away from awkward. He asked Fancy, sitting in the front row, for advice, but she shrugged and said “It’s your show now”. He asked, “but what do you do in a situation like this?” “I flop out a boob.” “Hm, I can’t do that. But I have a nut!” Some people don’t need a lot of convincing.
I had never seen Alisa Fendley before, but doing an aerial act in a yellow chemical suit was hot in all the right and the wrong ways, and made all the more subtly funny given that she’s form Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Jelly Boy swallowed a few swords in his first set, then swung a beer can from a hook attached to his eyelid in his second set, causing Penny Wren in the first row to bend her legs up to cover her eyes.
The night closed with Ula Uberbusen getting political.
An In-Depth Conversation with porn star, burlesque star, actor, director, writer, producer, and all around amazing person Chris Harder.
We discuss a variety of things from Chris’ new show #BigBrightStar, the aspects of a Live Sex Show, what it means to be the “best porn star you can be”, producing one’s body, the evolution of Chris Harder, Nancy Drew and Nasty Drew, as well as our love of theater.
Enjoy!
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I sit down with Lux in her NYC apartment to discuss a range of topics including her school life, her career as a choreographer, how her parents met (spoiler, it’s amazing) and many more things such as:
– growing up in BedStuy
– going to school at UC Santa Cruz (banana slugs anyone?)
– being mixed race
-her super cool parents…Barbara is my new hero!
– studying documentary film and her almost life as a lawyer
-working with Debbie Allen
– the pitfalls of FaceBook activism
-GOOGLE A THING!!!!
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This interview has a slice of many parts of my father’s life so far, but does not even begin to cover all of it. I will just list moments it encapsulates…
He Stood in for a Dog in a Dog Food Commercial
His stories of the original KFC Colonel
Movies: Network, Godfather, Airplane 1&2, Movie, Movie
People: Art Carney, George C. Scott, Dom Deluise, The Kool Aid Man
His Radio Sketch Comedy Show with Joel Surnow(creator of 24)
1990s sitcoms
SNL and Lawyers!!!
Ross G Brown the writer vs Ross Brown the Casting Director
The Mississippi
Being a father
Favorite Jokes!
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I sit down over a plate of meat and cheese with the extraordinary performer Ivory Fox as we discuss her childhood in gymnastics and ballet and moving in to NYU dance school and auditions and our thoughts on musical theater and beyond.
Ivory is an uber talented performer in many arenas including theater, burlesque, circus, and beyond. She commands a stage and her recent performance art BHOF supports my statements.
Knowing your dream is one thing, but persevering no matter what is something I am most interested in and Ivory does that in spades. Come listen to our laughs and moments!
Ivory Fox is a teacher at Body and Pole in NYC
She performs regularly with Wasabassco Burlesque, at Duane Park, and was recently in the Bindlestiff Family Circus show!
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A candid conversation with the multi-talented Bettina May. As an artist and activist, Bettina talks about what it is like to be a Canadian Greencard holder in this “new America”, the reason failure isn’t a bad thing, and the joys of ride sharing among a bevy of other fun and interesting topics.
Most importantly we discuss making your own art and working towards different goals. In coming weeks I am hoping to discuss more with people about what the triumphs and pitfalls of being a working artist is and what failures and successes can teach us!
If you are interested in supporting Bettina and her work, this is the link to her Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bettinamay
For general information and show/tour dates: bettina.ca
The Tarantino movie we are referring to is: GrindHouse, DeathProof, Act Two
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