Long live the Kings

>> A new generation of performers
fill Montreal’s drag king void

FLUSH WITH KINGS: (clockwise from bottom) Gary Dickinson,
Bo Stallion, Johnny Cox-Debonnaire, Rod Screwhart, Little Bighorn,
Billy King, Nat King Pole, Max A. Million, Tommy Boy

by ANDREA ZANIN

The whole world knows RuPaul, and most Montrealers would recognize famed local drag queen Mado on sight. But can most people name a famous drag king?

I didn’t think so.

These mysterious masculine creatures are often known only to an inner circle of queer cultural connoisseurs. Their movements are difficult to track, their performances underground, and their images buried in obscure textbooks rather than lauded in glitzy make-up ads.

However, if you explore this cultural underground, you might be surprised to learn that major cities all over the world are home to flourishing drag king scenes, with performance groups thrilling their fans everywhere from Toronto to New York to Berlin and beyond. Montreal has long been lagging behind, but today, we’re on the cusp of a major drag king revival.

On Saturday, April 28, at Café Cleopatra—one of Montreal’s oldest cabaret clubs, and a longstanding haven for gender-benders and the people who love them—the new guys on the block, King Size, will take to the stage with local veterans the Mambo Drag Kings.

The early monarchy

The Mambo Drag Kings were born in the early ’90s for an opening act in Miriam Ginestier’s annual lesbian cabaret event, Le Boudoir. “The very first Mambo Drag Kings number… in a way it was accidental,” recalls Max A. Million, aka landscape architecture grad student Cathrin Winkelmann, 38.

Julien St-Urbain, aka CEGEP teacher Julie Podmore, 41, agrees. “Everyone just asked their friends, it was very informal. But after about a couple of years, there were no other drag king troupes in town, and other things started to happen.”

“It was phenomenal,” reminisces Tommy Boy, aka career counsellor Cindy Mancuso, 41. “We were getting hired to perform in clubs, doing three-minute numbers for crazy amounts of money. We were asked to host events, to waiter events, to perform at birthday parties. It was just incredible, this instant kind of popularity. We had choreographers asking to work with us, and they never wanted to get paid, just to be a part of the drag kings.”

“In 1997 or ’98 we were in Mascara, the huge Divers/Cité drag show—that was the high point of our career, with an audience of 8,000 people,” says St-Urbain. “We got gigs at Sky and other nightclubs, and we modelled men’s underwear in the local gay glossy, Fugues. At that point we were all pretty full of ourselves too.”

But eventually the demands of life started to whittle away at the Mambo Drag Kings—full-time jobs, babies, artistic differences. “For the last seven or eight years, the only shows we’ve done have been for Le Boudoir, and now there are only three of us left,” says St-Urbain. For almost a decade now, Montreal has suffered from a dearth of drag kings.

Heirs to the throne

In May of 2006, Ginestier held a drag king contest at her monthly Meow Mix lesbian cabaret, with the Mambo Drag Kings as judges. The contest winner was Gary Dickinson, aka CEGEP anthropology teacher Nancy Leclerc, 34—a longhaired rocker with an attitude who performed to an Iron Maiden tune.

Almost immediately, Dickinson founded a group and pulled in every potential king he could think of. “In week three, there were 20-odd people on the list. Until then, we felt isolated, all of us,” says Dickinson. One of his first recruits was Nat King Pole, aka Nathalie Théoret, 45, licensed practical nurse by day and solo drag singer by night, whom the Mirror profiled in October 2006. “After the Mambo Kings stopped performing on a regular basis, even Nat felt like she was the only one. It was great to get together.”

In January 2007, King Size was officially born. The city was clearly thirsty for kings; in February, with minimal advertising, they took to the Meow Mix stage to perform for the biggest audience in the event’s 10-year history.

King Size member Billy King, aka restaurant manager Cory Bauer, 25, says, “Being in front of 400 women was possibly the most amazing feeling I could ever have. I went home with three pairs of underwear. I’m tempted to have them framed and put on my wall.”

Since then, King Size has swelled, with a deluge of budding new stars enthusiastic to don their moustaches, pack their pants and share the spotlight. “King Size is a very eclectic group,” says King. Their performances include live singing, skits, hip hop, native dance and more.

Much like the Mambo Kings in the past, the King Size guys are now the object of people’s fascination with women in drag. “It always surprises me that it keeps going,” says Nat King Pole. “I always think each performance will be the last one, that it will die down, that people will get bored. But it just keeps going—people want more!” Also like the MDK, “King Size has kinda happened by accident. But I’m proud to be the ones that picked up the slack after the Mambo Drag Kings.”

A historical meeting

These new kings are no usurpers; in fact, they’re thrilled to have the veteran Mambo Drag Kings joining them onstage this Saturday in what will be a historical meeting of veteran performers and rising stars.

Billy King is more than a little star-struck. “The Mambo Drag Kings are my heroes. They paved the way for us.”

“We’re feeling really honoured to share a stage with them,” adds Dickinson. “I mean, they’re legends!”

The Mambo Kings are more than a little excited themselves. “I thought most people forgot about us nine years ago,” admits Max A. Million.

“In many ways, we’re almost defunct, but at the same time, now we’re kind of having a renaissance,” says St-Urbain. “King Size is inspiring us again!”

That being said, as Tommy Boy explains, “King Size is very different. The Mambo Drag Kings, we’re classic debonair, suave, clean-cut drag kings. We thought we were raunchy at times, we’d strip and all, but they’re much raunchier than we ever were.”

Despite their reputation, King Size isn’t there for the shock value. “People are used to us whipping out our cocks, but this is gonna be a totally cock-free number,” says Dickinson. “Though I might grab my balls at some point.”

The trans connection

This Saturday’s show, which also features the visiting Kingz of Berlin, is in honour of the Trans Day of Pride (see sidebar). During the show, Christine Jorgensen awards—named after North America’s first well-known transsexual woman—will be given to two trans people for their contribution to the community.

So where’s the link between transsexual issues and drag performance?

“We all have very different reasons for doing drag,” says Dickinson. “For some it’s fun entertainment, for some it’s escapism, for some it’s about exploring alternate gender identity in our daily lives too. With that in mind, perhaps some of us find a connection with transsexuality at large.”

Billy King explains it best. “[Alter ego] Cory is a pretty androgynous-looking person. I have a really rough time with people’s reactions to me, trying to pigeonhole me. But as Billy, I have complete control over how people see me. I’m excited about doing Trans Pride because I think everyone should have that right to feel comfortable. We’re all part of the queer community, and it’s important to support each other.”

Trans Day of Pride

The fourth annual Trans Day of Pride will feature speakers on issues as diverse as trans people and aging, the academic definitions of transsexuality vs. transgenderism, the taboos against transsexuals who identify as lesbian or gay, and the administrative challenges facing trans folks who want to have their names legally changed. Marie-Marcelle Godbout, founder of the Association des Transsexuel(le)s du Québec, says, “Lectures are in French but a simultaneous translation will be provided, so bring small radio sets with ear listeners, English-speaking people!”

All activities are free, and take place at UQÀM (400 Ste-Catherine E.). For more information, visit www.fiertetrans.org.

The free show takes place at 9:30 p.m.
on Saturday, April 28 at Café Cleopatra
(1230 St-Laurent). Get more info at www.kingsize.ca