Charm City

Channeling my muse June Carter backstage before the show.

Although I asked around all weekend, no one could really tell me why Baltimore is called “Charm City.” Not that I needed an exact story; Baltimore is pretty damn charming. Lots of little neighborhoods and that grittiness that I find so attractive in places and people *ahemthatIdatecough*. Baltimore reminds me of Brooklyn in certain ways; formerly industrial, now with evolving urban spaces and an appreciation for art and creativity. Philly also struck me as that kind of place, smaller versions of Brooklyn that have been on my radar for awhile now…sleeper cities just on the verge.


Backstage dressing room.

Thanks to being hosted by one of my BFFs, I got a whirlwind tour of Baltimore’s offerings. I learned to “crab pick,” which really just means ripping the little guy apart limb-by-limb with your bare, Old Bay smeared hands, and there’s a photo around here somewhere of me drinking a 40 of National Bohemian beer, or “Natty Bo,” as it’s called locally. I drank about two sips of it, being the lightweight that I am, and had to hold it with both hands because I boast the physical stature of a 12-year-old. Rad.



The Charm City Kitty Club produced a show stuffed with talented queer performers. I really liked having a 2-night show run, because it gave me a chance to get to know the people involved, the space, the audience, to tweak my performances…It gave me some food for thought for future ventures, as well.


SJ has to help me hold the 40 because my tiny hands cannot wrap around it. Thanks, SJ!

Also included in the evening were performers like Susana Cook, whose piece I didn’t get to actually see but was so good that just hearing it backstage had me laughing hysterically. Susana, being a fellow Taurus, exudes this magnetic charm. She has that unidentifiable “thing” that is a mash-up of sex appeal, confidence, and stage presence. Reina Williams did this incredibly sexy rendition of “Father Figure,” which I think you can see a video of on her Myspace page, and the very powerful activist/artist Ignacio Rivera was present as well. Happily, Ignacio and I seem to book ourselves for the same shows on a regular basis, and I enjoy the performance familiarity.


Backstage mess. Guess which bag is mine...

One of my favorite things about doing queer shows is the sheer range of gender expression and the ways they are showcased. Most of the time when I’m doing a show, sexiness is performed with a heavy feminine slant: lots of gorgeous cleavage and fishnets and long hair. I adore all of my Burly-Q girlies, but I also really love the opportunity to perform within a spectrum of varied gender expression. I love the fusion, the overlap, and I feel like what I do is read more accurately. In other words, I feel like my drag queen presentation is more appreciated in queer spaces. Other times, I feel like my burlesque self is simply read as hyper-feminized.

Thankfully, I survived the Chinatown bus trip back. But don’t anyone ever call me unadventurous.