Dancin' Ain't A Drag

Clockwise: Divine; Sylvester; Jimmy Somerville; and RuPaul.

Friday nights are a time to be finished with work and ready to go out on the town. First you gotta get your hair did, pick out just the right outfit, and be ready to make an entrance into the club, and be noticed by that cutie you have had your eye on. No one knows that better than a drag queen, how works that wig, and pounds the pancake into a near frenzy to have just the right look. Once they are out on the town, those girls know how to have fun, and just what it takes to make a girl hit the dance floor. Tonight, we will let our drag mothers be our guide, starting off with the magnificent Divine, Baltimore's greatest gift to the world, as she sings You Think You're A Man.



At a time when the only drag queens out there were the female impersonators in night clubs doing Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, and Judy Garland, Sista Sylvester James was singing in the San Fransisco clubs before heading into the studio to cut some amazing songs. Sylvester would perform in drag, and was unapologetic just being big, black and beautiful. Here is Sylvester asking the immortal question, Do You Wanna Funk?



In many ways, it seems like RuPaul has be the Queen of Drag for many years now, on television, in movies, and in the studio. RuPaul has her own talk show for a while, and now has been a franchise for LOGO, with RuPaul's Drag Race, as well as RuPaul's Drag U. But nothing could compare to the great music she made, and one of her best was Supermodel (Of The World).



Now, to the best of my knowledge and memory, Jimmy Somerville has not gone out of his way to perform in drag, but he did cover a song by the great Sylvester, and just wanted to include it tonight. When he went solo, after successful stints in The Bronski Beat and The Communards, he remade the great song You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real). If there was anyone who could honor a Sylvester song with a great cover, it would be Jimmy. This is a clip of him singing it live last year, still sounding as incredible as ever.



Dance the night away, my friends!

Fridays Can Be A Drag!

Clockwise: Divine, Jim Bailey, RuPaul and Jackie Beat.

I remember when there was nothing more fun than to go out on a Friday night, and catch a drag show. Hell, I remember when going home after working in Greenwich Village and the subway trip home would be a drag show!I also remember a time when there was no greater drag queen, or female impersonator as he was known. He appeared on television shows, and would perform as Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, or Barbra Streisand. Here, he plays Miss Peggy Lee and sings Fever.



And thanks for John Waters, the world got to know and love a drag queen named Divine. After appearing in cult classics like Pink Flamingos and Females Troubles, Divine, born Harris Glenn Milstead, scored a career with bravura performances on Hi N-R-G dance songs like You Think You're A Man.



The next in a long line of great drag superstars is our first real supermodel, RuPaul. I remember RuPaul in the 80s, playing around town. I had worked on some corporate gigs with an adorable Randy Barbato, who spoke of this new act he was working with. Later, I would see RuPaul performing in the Village. Randy went on to be a producer on Ru's early projects, including SuperModel (You Better Work). Later, Ru would have another hit with Cover Girl.



Roseanne Barr thinks "Jackie Beat is the greatest drag queen on earth." Who are we to argue? Jackie certainly has her own style, Here is a 2007 video of Jackie with her own very particular take on the Sir-Mix-A-Lot mega-hit, Baby Got Back. Only, with Jackie on the microphone, it is Baby Got Front. This video might not be appropriate for viewing in your office, or with children.



Enjoy your Friday night!

Divine Is So Beautiful

Before RuPaul was the Supermodel of the World, it was only because of trailblazers like Jim Bailey, Charles Pierce and Divine. Baltimore resident Harris Glenn Milstead became known to the world through his work in cult films by John Waters, better known as drag queen Divine. In addition to working both in movies and on stage, Divine also made several records, performing Hi N-R-G dance songs for the clubs. When you have an icon like Divine, once described by People magazine as the 'Drag Queen of the [20th] Century,' there will be no lip-synching for anyone's life. Give a listen to the 1982 hit, Native Love (Step By Step).



That song was followed up in 1983 with the catchy Love Reaction. Once again, you can clearly see the character of Divine, the large-living wife with more self-confidence than self-awareness. She would only vary the economic range of the woman, from trailer trash to middle-aged soccer mom.



In 1984, Divine once again proved that self-confidence is indeed intoxicating. When she sings I'm So Beautiful, it is tough not to smile and feel good.



In 1985, Divine had a feature role in the Paul Bartel's Western melodrama, Lust In The Dust. The film reunited Divine with costar Tab Hunter, a major heartthrob in the 50s and 60s. Hunter, who openly acknowledged his homosexuality in a 2005 autobiography, also shared the screen with Divine in Polyester, a John Waters film. Coincidentally while working on that Western, Divine released a remake of the song Walk Like A Man, also featuring the Western motif.



Unfortunately, Divine passed away in 1988, a week after the opening of Hairspary, for which he received great praise. But he certainly left a legacy of great films and some fun music, and is still remembered today.