It doesn’t matter what line of work you’re in, or what you do for fun, or how you choose to express yourself. There was always someone who did it before you, and there will always be people who do it better than you. The key is to respect those people, because they made it possible to do what you do. This even applies to the drag world. Drag has been around for centuries, in the form of cross-dressers, fetishists and theatre. We have William Shakespeare to thank for both amazing works of literature and for bringing drag (Dressed As A Girl) into the mainstream. Women weren’t allowed to act on stage, so rather than simply rolling over, he found younger men to play the roles of Juliet, Ophelia, and the other heroines of his plays. Drag went on from there to be so much more than a boy in a dress…
I started doing drag almost seven years ago, and it took a little time to get into it. My “aha!” moment was at Tucson Pride eight or so years ago when I was watching a local king up on stage. I’ll be honest, I was less than impressed. The song choice bored me, and he was up there doing the whole “look at me, I’m hot” sort of thing. But the crowd seemed to love it, even though he wasn’t really wearing any sort of costume and wasn’t really doing anything interesting. I looked at that and thought, “I could totally do that!” And then after reading the book ‘Tipping the Velvet’ and watching the movie, I had a better idea of what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. It took a couple more years before I was able to get my start with Dragstar Cabaret. I didn’t really have a mentor, in regards to doing drag. I just watched and did a lot of experimenting with things like sprit gum and facial hair. I made my mark in a top hat and tails, which has since sort of been my signature look.
After leaving Dragstar, there wasn’t a lot of drag in Tucson for me, so I started performing in Phoenix more. I joined Reigning Men, and then Sisterzz Twisted, the whole time learning and growing. When I decided to make the trek to Oklahoma in 2008 for the very first USofA MI Nationals Pageant, I was totally clueless. But that year I met some incredible people who helped me grow even more as a king and as an entertainer. I remember one of the judges’ comments during my interview, and it was said again on my score sheets: “Now that we see you out of drag, you have a great face. Don’t hide it behind so much facial hair!” So I started changing up my facial hair. I still talk to many of the kings, entertainers and promoters I met that year. Many I saw the next year I went back as Mister Arizona USofA MI. I’m still learning, and I’m still growing. I have my own style, it’s usually very different from many of the kings I see, but it’s how I’m comfortable. I can still push the envelope and step out of my box, but Freddy will always be the Freddy who started back in 2005. Just an older, wiser, more mature version. And I will continue to ask advice, get feedback and listen to my colleagues. I may not always agree with what they do or how they do it, but it’s always good to pick the brains of people who have been doing this longer. Why? Because obviously what they’ve been doing has been working.
I’ve been around for a while now, I’ve won several titles and awards. Granted, I’m not competing in major national competitions, but that’s mainly because my work schedule won’t allow it. I’ve managed to build up a good reputation as a professional, entertaining male illusionist, both at home in Arizona and in various parts of the country. And I’m grateful. This didn’t happen overnight. It took hard work, networking and a mentality that no matter what I was doing, I could always do it better. I will never become complacent in regards to my drag. If you want to go on stage in shorts and a t-shirt, or jeans and a skate shirt, fine. You do you, but all you’re doing is making the king after you, who took the time to make it look like he didn’t walk in off the street straight to the stage, look better.
And the second someone says, “I’m tired of the veterans telling me what to do! That was then, this is now, and I’m going to do it however I want” you insult every single person who has busted their butt to get kings recognized, who upped their game so the queens would see that we weren’t just women in men’s clothing, who set out to prove that we are just as entertaining (sometimes more so) than the queens so that we could get booked in shows. What we, and everyone before us, have done has been working, obviously, or you wouldn’t be performing in a bar, or competing for titles or performing at major events alongside queens. Just like I respect those entertainers who came before me, I expect the next generation of kings to respect us. The effort that we continue to put into this craft isn’t so that we can retire in style, it’s so that those who are coming up will have a place to entertain, and to help bring up the generation after them. And this isn’t just Arizona, it’s everywhere. All across the country (the world, even) kings are stepping up their game and ditching the jeans and polos. Why? Because they see, they understand, that to be an entertainer, you have to be entertaining.
So listen to your veterans, they don’t tell you things or give advice because they’re bossy, bitchy or want to turn you into a little mini them. We do it because we give a damn about what we’re doing and have poured our hearts into it, and hate seeing other newer performers fall short. And don’t EVER say that you don’t care what we’ve done, or what those who came before us have done. My generation of kings, and the generation before me, and the generation before them, etc are the reason you CAN do this. So show some respect.