Press

September 14,2001

Homo Dish (excerpt)

None of our drag escapades could compare to the real Wigstock. And we couldn’t have asked for a more gorgeous day. The weather was perfect for drinking beer and taking in the spectacle. The pier was packed as thousands of onlookers worshiped their favorite drag performers. There was the usual mix of serious art, irreverent numbers, legitimate musical acts and crass humor, presented by performers both glamour ours and grotesque. But the thing we truly admire about Wigstock id its social conciousness. That the performers aren’t afraid to tackle the big issues with tact, intelligence and glitter. (This was best illustrated four years ago when Princess Diana died right before Wigstock and everyone dresser up like her for the festival.) This year, we couldn’t help but applaud the Lizzi Grubman look-alikes. And the jokes! What does Lizzie Grubman call her SUV? A white trash compactor. Did you hear they raised the price to get in to Conscience Point? It now costs an arm and a leg! At one point a facsimile of Lizzie herself walked onstage to address the audience, only to be run down by a cardboard cut out of the Lizziemobile. Then there was the beer guzzling, burping Mariah Scary, who screamed her way through “Emotions” before having a nervous breakdown on stage. And during the infamous Laugh-In rip-off , er homage, there was this gem of a joke: “What’s the difference between Neil Armstrong and Michael Jackson? Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon, and Michael Jackson fucks little boys up the ass! And people brought children to the festival!
But seriously, it’s a great feeling to be part of the Wigstock experience – there’s something heartwarming about watching a 65 year old queen parade around in drag while all the cute young boys run up to her to get a photo. And of course there was some big time talent onstage too. Book Of Love pulled off a valiant set despite technical difficulties with their microphones, and before the night was thorough, Lady Bunny sang a hilarious medley of twisted pop songs, proving that she’s still got it. Of course, heaven forbid one drag queen acknowledge another’s talent. Jackie Beat, who was hosting that portion of the show, has this to say about the legendary Wigstock founder: Lady Bunny goes down faster than Ailiyah’s plane!
The comment brought tears to our eyes. Wigstock – we’ll miss you!

WIGSTOCK 2001 1. Sharin Needles and Cherry Jubilee 2. Destiny's Survivors 3. Lady Bunny 4. Caprice and Milan 5. Edie 6. Flotilla DeBarge 7. Jennifer Snackwell 8. Chad, Darren, Cole and Ben 9. Cashetta 10. Girlina 11. Jackie Beat 12. Laritza Dumont 13. Varla Jean Merman
photos: Brian Glikas