It’s been a few days since I returned from L.A. for RuPaul’s Drag Con… And it’s time I reported on the grand affair!
So what were my impressions?
*Ultimately, the event was all about promoting and celebrating RuPaul’s Drag Race. Violet & Latrice & Courtney & Manila and dozens of other stars from the show were holed up in booths, with long lines of adoring fans waiting for photo-ops in exchange for purchasing some sort of merchandise (glossy photos, postcards, T-shirts, etc). At $20 a pop, those queens must have been raking in the bucks! There were also a lot of merchants selling stuff—makeup, wigs, fake boobs, unicorn magnets, etc. but I didn’t really see people buying much.
*Similarly, if you weren’t a Drag Race girl, no one really gave a shit. One of the most pathetic sights was some poor queen, a Madonna impersonator who rented a booth, being completely ignored by the masses. Sorry, Madge, you’re yesterday’s news. The Drag Con attendees were mostly quite young, and their interest and knowledge of drag stops and starts with Drag Race.
*However, the “New York Legends” panel managed to get a big turn-out despite being devoid of DR queens. Moderated by former club-kid James St. James, the event focused on nightlife in the 1990s, and featured me, Sherry Vine (who mentioned that I was the first person to give her a gig in NYC—I deeply apologize to everyone!), Michael Schmidt (who founded the drag & rock party Squeezebox) and Constance (who also recalled partying away in the 1970s!) It was a lively discussion, with plenty of laughs, especially at the sight of Sherry’s comical orange clown suit, er, dress.
*The crowd wasn’t as large for my slideshow presentation, The Drag Explosion. (I told the audience that there was another panel scheduled at the same time on how to tuck—So it was stiff competition! Ba-da-bump!) But the event went well, and I was delighted that media & radio personality Frank DeCaro was in attendance. He’s a sweetheart!
*I also attended RuPaul’s keynote address. The crowd hung on every word, even though it wasn’t exactly new material. But I’d have to be a bitter bitch not to recognize that Ru’s signature message about loving yourself, striving for the stars, etc. is certainly sweet. And I’m not a bitter bitch, am I? Actually, don’t answer that…
*Drag Con 2017 has already been announced! So start shopping for some comfy shoes. I’ve never seen so many queens limping around in impractical heels in my life. Maybe I should set up a foot-massage booth. Who says you’ve got to be on TV to be successful?!
BIG THANKS to World of Wonder for bringing me to Drag Con, including the special efforts of Thairin, Rudy and Tony. Big Kiss!
P.S.
On my flight back to NYC, I ended up sitting right next to former-club kid Sushi (and his partner Artie), who is featured in my Drag Explosion slideshow. What are the odds? CON you believe it?
