Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Saint Peter D'Vil: Rock & Roll Glamour


California has a huge variety of drag performers with huge personalities and fun performances to match. Among these performers, one would find that there are a handful of whom strive to be outside the box and don't conform to expectations set by the drag community. Drag is an art, and is a way of expressing oneself. Saint Peter D'Vil is an experienced performer who strives to be different from the rest and loves seeing people have fun at the shows she hosts and puts together with her husband, Carlos. 


1. Who is Saint Peter D'Vil?

Saint Peter D'Vil is camp, horror and rock and roll. I have a saying, I never try and be natural I always aim to be supernatural. I am drag queen, entertainer, event promoter, producer, host and judge for competitions. A glamour ghoul death glam drag queen. I do practice witchcraft. It comes naturally I feel, but I keep on pushing to be more knowledgeable and push myself to do more. I never really label myself as "witch" or hash tag it. Seems dumb to me, I guess, I just know what I am and capable of. I love showing people a great time at my events and shows. 


2. When and why did you start doing drag?

I started dabbling in drag in high school going to clubs and shows. I started doing drag because it let's you be whoever you want to be and made me express myself with art, music and entertainment.


3. Where did you get your drag name?

I got my drag name because my name is Peter and I wanted to have a mixture of good Saint Peter and bad devil. Also, I have dyed my hair a lot black and white like Cruella Deville. I wanted to make my name an enigma like question yet and mix two genders and not have myself labeled as a girl or something.



4. How did the Haus Of D'Vil start and what do your teeth necklaces represent?

The Haus of D'Vil started with me of course and my husband, Carlos Gomez Aranda, working together doing my events with my drag daughters and members of my team and drag family. The tooth necklaces were actually gifts to the people that would help me with events and drag queens that would come and do an event with me. They are made out of howlite stone which is a magical and energy stone that blocks negativity to keep you centered and is good for your teeth and bones and help you sleep. I wanted them to be meaningful. They're basically a charm for protection.  And I thought the necklaces looking like fangs was a cute idea.



5. What has been your favorite number you've ever performed and why?

My favorite number I have ever performed...I don't know...I have so many. Dragula last year I performed "MacArthur Park" and the Boulet Brothers made it rain on me with a water hose so I was performing under rain and that was really cool at the club. But I have so many numbers that I love doing. I love rock and roll stuff usually. 



6. What is your favorite/least favorite parts about doing drag?

My favorite thing about drag is entertaining and showing people a good time. Also doing makeup and hair and being whatever I want to be. My least favorite part is putting on eyelashes and nails.



7. In your opinion, what has been your biggest accomplishment so far?

My biggest accomplishment so far is having my own events that I run myself and being able to perform what I want. Also being able to book other drag queens such as queens from RuPaul's Drag Race and having them actually work at my event and working with a lot of talented performers. Also being a part of Drag con was really cool.  Being in the book with my name in alphabetic order under RuPaul was really awesome as well. Also being invited to be there and being part of the World of Wonder blog a couple times was great! 



8. What is your favorite item of drag that you own?

My favorite drag item...I don't know I don't really have a favorite item. I have many. Oh! I have a certain pairs of heels that I like so I try to buy them like the same ones so people probably think I wear the same shoes but I have a lot in the same style! 



9. What is the most misunderstood thing about drag in your opinion?

Most misunderstood thing about drag to me is that we all want to be girls and just do girl numbers but I think drag is whatever you want it to be and it's art. It's the art of performance.



10. How do you deal with negative comments by other people who aren't so open minded?

How do I deal with negative comments by other people who are closed minded?  I just deal with it and sometimes make it around them and talk back and explain to them and sometimes it gets crazy.



11. What advice do you have for younger queens?

My advice two younger queens is listen, pay attention, and learn more about the craft. Know what kind of bars you go into and what crowd it is. That way your performance can be built around that so you have a good show. Also, it's good to take constructive criticism, there are lots of young drag queens that can't take it, but you have to learn from experiences. Also, you can step out of the bubble and do stuff that you aren't comfortable with and have fun with it.


12. What is the biggest lesson you've learned in the time you've been performing as a queen?

The biggest lesson I've learned is to know your crowd and to be careful and don't hurt yourself. 



13. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

If I could travel anywhere in the world it would be Germany and France. I love all the history about those places and they look beautiful.


14. What is something not many people know about you?

Something that may you know about me I'm a very motherly, I listen, and I'm actually very nice. My eyebrows are just drawn on that way. And that I'm old...I'm 34 years old and married to my husband. 



15. Which club do you like performing the most at? 

There are too many! I love all the clubs I work at. I love performing at Precinct, I have a night there every Thursday, Rock and Roll Gay Bar. I love Faultline bar and Eagle bar...funny those are all the leather type bars. And of course Mickey's! I love Mickey's for the lighting and the stage is great. Mickey's is like one of my home bars. I'm there every month and I love it there, it's like my home. It's where I started doing events. All the other bars I work at now are all like my second home. 




Follow Saint Peter D'Vil:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/saintpeterdvil?tsid=0.6587911352980882&source=typeahead
Instagram: @saintpeterd_vil

Buy Haus Of D'Vil fang necklaces!

Photography by Brett Saari

The Drag Enthusiast
Twitter: @DragEnthusiast
Tumblr: dragenthusiast.tumblr.com
Instagram: @dragenthusiast
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Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Harvest Dubois: Australia's Sweetheart


Taking a lot of inspiration from Trixie Mattel, Havest Dubois is known for her campy style and lively personality. She is quite new to performing, but her aesthetic would tell you otherwise. She resides in Australia where drag isn't too much different, but the main focus of performances is the performance because performers don't actually get tipped like they do in the U.S. Either way, Harvest has already won the hearts of many and is set on winning many more hearts in the future. 


1. Who is Harvest Dubois?

Harvest Dubois is fun fun campy persona that is pretty much my boy self, honestly. I don't put on much of a character for Harvest, other than the boosted confidence that I get. She's loud, annoying, and always wants attention. I always have to put in a word whether it's shady or not!


2. Where did you get your drag name?

My drag name comes from a can of braised steak and onions! I'll find a photo for you! I originally wanted to be just Harvest and have a Milk queen aesthetic and be a dry harvest, wet harvest, midnight harvest, etc...but then my friend said I needed a last name and popped up has Dubois like French Dubois and I changed the pronouncing to the bois referencing that I'm a whore. ;)


3. When and why did you start performing in drag?

I started performing in drag in late July of last year. It was a good 4 months after I had seen my first drag show. I've always been interested in drag, I never thought I would ever actually do it...but after seeing that show, which was at our main gay night club in my city's birthday show, I fell in love and jumped right on the band wagon. Unlike a lot of queens, I stayed at home for good few months and practiced before I even left the house. For my performance, my good queen friend Kodi Pendant painted my face and gave me some tips before performing. I hadn't ever even left my house in drag, let alone perform, so being in heels in the middle of a night club was extremely new to me. 



4. How is Australian drag different from American drag?

Australian drag really embraces the different styles of drag. If you havesomething special and different, you will really get praised for it in Australia. We do not tip the queens, and I've heard we prefer it, as it takes away from the performance. In my opinion, it's performance art, not how much money you can grab. We are all very campy and costumy queens over here but we do have fishy girls as you would say, but all of our costuming is actually costumes. It's very rare to see a girl just wearing our costumes as everyday clothing. 


5. What has been your biggest accomplishment so far?

Shaving off my eyebrows! Nah, actually my biggest accomplishment in drag so far has been getting hired as a professional queen after such a short time of doing drag. I had only been doing drag for about 3 months before I got asked to star in a stage show at Connections Night Club for Pop Thursday's, which is run by the fabulous Barbie Q Coals. It's a drag queen night show with drag queen barmaids and the most camp music! I did Hairspray along with 3 other queens: Veronica Jean Jones, Barbie Q Coals, and Katya Kokov. After that, I was hired as a member of their drag queen staff and am constantly whirling around the club entertaining guests! 


6. What has been your biggest obstacle?

My biggest obstacle would have to be overcoming my shyness. I've always been a shy kid, mainly because when I was growing up, I wasn't really allowed much of an opinion and had to keep my mouth shut. I think that's why I'm such an opinionated asshole now. I remember one night in January, I had a man come up to me in the club who was one of my good friend's friends and he started talking to me asking me about my drag and such and then he said to me "you're  scared I can tell you are." I replied with "a little to be honest" and he made me grab his balls and said "look at that queen over there she's beautiful but she's boring as batshit. Do you want to be that?" I said "no", so he said "grab everyone by the balls and be a bitch. Be a big personality. You have the look. You  have an attitude to go with it..." and that has helped me so much and I thank this man from the bottom of my heart. 

 

7. Who would you say is your biggest inspiration and why?

My biggest inspiration is...you guessed it...Trixie Mattel. I've always loved big drag and as soon as I laid eyes on Trixie, I knew she was my favorite! I've been following her for a good time now I found her through the Neverland parties in Chicago, as another queen posted a video of Pearl around October of last year, and I watched it. The suggested videos came up as Trixie Mattel so I thought "hell let's see what we have here" and I instantly fell in love. She was performing "I Was Gonna Cancel" by Kylie Minogue. I really love the life like barbie doll aesthetic she does. I grew up playing barbies and being obsessed with everything girly so I really gravitated towards her. I also love the idea of not being able to recognize yourself. She has said "I utilize none of my natural features". When I first started following her, I was so obsessed that I kind of wanted to be her, so I was paintingvery similar for a good while. But then after thinking about it, I decided to take a few aspects of her makeup and make them my own so I wasn't stealing anyone's gig.


8. How long does it take you to get ready for a performance? 

For me to get ready it takes about 2-3 hours to do my makeup. I'll be prepping my music about a week in advance and learn the beats and words.


9. What is something you want to change about the drag community? Why would you change it?

The bitchiness. It's awful. I'm all for a good read, but when stuff gets that competitive, and people start crushing light globes and putting it in face powder or swapping wig glue for super glue or something, it needs to stop. I don't understand how things can get so out of hand. Everybody should just love and be shady when needed for humor. 



10. Where did you learn to do your makeup?

I learned a majority of my makeup from YouTube and studying photos and practicing. I did get a bit of help from a friend who is a makeup artist, and she helped me figure where to put things, cover my brows and all that jazz!


11. In your opinion, what is the most misunderstood thing about drag?

Not all of us want to actaully be women or want to always look like a woman. I like to look pretty but unnatural pretty.  There is so much stress on drag queens to always be beautiful. I like to get dirty and try different looks and not always be pretty.


12. What is your favorite thing about performing?

The crowd response. I love seeing smiles in the audience and seeing people enjoying me on stage. I love when people have a laugh and can't take their eyes off you. It makes you feel amazing having people filming so they can watch it again...just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside that people appreciate what I'm doing. Of course, once I'm done, the applause! The things for confidence an amazing applause can do to you! 



13. What advice do you have for other queens who want to become great performers in the future? 
Always be humble and accept advice. Don't be afraid to try new things, and be out of the box. If you have something special, show it, don't just blend in the crowd. Drag is forever changing, so don't ever feel like you have mastered it, because no one can master art.


14. Who has been your favorite queen to meet and why? 

My favourite queen I have met would have to be Adore Delano. She is the sweetest thing I have ever met and so very talented. She was the first Rupaul's Drag Race queen I had met, and I loved her so much that I went back for her second show to meet her again! Such a kind soul.


15. Marry, Kai Kai, Kill: Latrice Royale, Phi Phi O'Hara, Trixie Mattel!

I would marry Trixie because she's good wife material. I would Kai Kai Latrice because I've always wanted to be with a woman of color and kill Phi Phi...I do love Phi Phi but not as much as the other girls!



Follow Harvest:
Instagram: @harvest_dubois

Photos by:
Claire Alexander
Instagram- @claire.alexander

Tobey Black
Instagram- @tobeyblackphotographer


The Drag Enthusiast:
Twitter: @DragEnthusiast
Tumblr: dragenthusiast.tumblr.com
Instagram: @dragenthusiast

 
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Monday, October 5, 2015

Being Queen: A Mile In My Heels - A Documentary by Honey Golightly

There's many performers in this day in age that want to have a wall built between their persona in front of a camera and their real self. Meanwhile, one should realize that behind all the glitz and glamour of being a performer, specifically a drag performer, sometimes it can be a real struggle to keep afloat and live comfortably. Honey Golightly is in the midst of filming her second documentary titled "Being Queen: A Mile In My Heels", which will showcase not only Honey, but the man behind the makeup, Kyle, as he lives his everyday life and tries balancing his home life with being a drag queen. Life isn't always easy, but to devote so much effort into living a dream is definitely inspiring and this documentary will be worth the watch. 


1. What can people expect while watching your new documentary? 

HG: It's going to be a totally new experience. To begin with these next few months are going to be a whirlwind for me, and packed with big events. I'm giving everyone a front row seat. Also, I've changed so much and it's time to debut the new me. I'm hanging all of my struggles and dirty laundry out to dry - nothing will be held back. Expect bigger and better things, more drag, and more excitement. It's going to be a lot different from the last one. 


2. What are the biggest challenges you've faced since your last documentary ended?

HG: Adjusting to an entirely new life! Where we left off last time I was bored, unemployed and still living at home. Now I barely have a spare second to think!  


3. Since you've moved out on your own, do you enjoy living on your own more than you did living with family?

HG: Absolutely. Of course there are days that I miss it, and the bills sure as hell aren't fun, but I need room to breathe. My parents, like me, are strong personalities and it's hard to squeeze all that under one roof. Our relationship has totally improved since I left. 


4. What's the story behind the title "A Mile In My Heels"? 

HG: In the tradition of "Keep Calm and Golightly", it's a spin on a popular phrase. I keep feeling like I'm in motion - on my way to new things, on my way to adulthood - and I wanted the title to reflect that. Not to mention I will literally be putting some mileage on my platforms at the Milan Zombie Walk, a local event I'll be a part of.



5. What has been the biggest lesson you've learned this year? 

HG: I've learned to be way more careful when it comes to trust. People can be evil. And you won't know it until it's too late.


6. What do you want people to get from your documentary? 

HG: I want people to understand who I am, given the context of where I come from, and the things I deal with. Most people know me as Honey, a totally made up character who I can sometimes get too comfortable hiding behind. I want to tear those walls away and allow the ones who care to get to know me on a much more personal, more human level.

7. What was your favorite part of filming?

HG: So far, it's simply been seeing the improvement in quality over the last one. I've done a lot of growing up as a filmmaker and editor, and I'll be putting a thousand percent of my effort into this project.



Check out the new documentary trailer here:


Check out Honey's first documentary here:


Follow Honey Golightly:
Instagram: @thehoneygolightly 
Twitter: @Honey_Golightly 

The Drag Enthusiast: 
Instagram: @dragenthusiast
Twitter: @DragEnthusiast
Tumblr: dragenthusiast.tumblr.com
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