Promosexual

La Roux Serves SF Ed Grimley Realness

2009-10-19T07:30:56Z

By Pollo Del Mar
SF Bay Guardian Celebrity Blogger

"Bear with me tonight," said 21-year-old singing sensation Elly Jackson, lead vocalist for British act La Roux, to introduce the band's set at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall. "I've been really sick, so if you know the words, sing along." With that, the electro-synth act immediately launched into its international hit "Quicksand" with the sold out crowd joining in unison.

"I didn't want to cancel the show," Jackson said after the opening number, "But I didn't want anyone to leave here saying, 'She can't fucking sing!' either. I'm doing my best."

Jackson's best proved more than enough for those in attendance, many of whom were likely waiting for that moment since the group unexpectedly canceled a scheduled appearance at Cafe DuNord some two months before. And while at less-than-100-percent the singer has enough chops to carry a show even in such an intimate venue, I simply couldn't stop staring at her hair.

Watching Jackson dance around the stage serving Ed Grimley realness, I was forced to wonder, "What in the hell is this woman thinking?!"

SEPARATED AT BIRTH?
Martin Short's "Ed Grimley" (Left) & La Roux's Elly Jackson

In all fairness, Jackson and her posse served much more than a bad hair day. While coming across as a sugary little morsel of retro-80s New Wave in recorded form, La Roux's music is actually far more engaging live. And despite being admittedly hoarse (a fact only somewhat noticeable to the live audience), Jackson's pipes are still better than most of what the recording industry pawns off as "singers" these days. In fact, what sounds to be a coy, fairly frail voice in recorded form actually proves to be a powerful, emotive tool that Jackson handles with ease!

During the 30-minute performance, Jackson and crew blazed through a seven-song set taken from their self-titled debut, which hit U.S. retailers on Sept. 29. The crowd went wild for favorites like "In For the Kill," "I'm Not Your Toy" (reportedly the group's next single) and "Colourless Colour." As requested, the audience (mostly twenty-something hipsters) joined in on the chorus of each, allowing the singer to rest her already aching vocal chords. During ballad "Cover My Eyes," some audience members even produced lighters. Of course, to cap the evening, La Roux -- French for "the red-haired one," a reference to Jackson's fiery if bizarre hair -- performed their biggest Stateside hit, the Billboard Magazine "Hot Dance/Club Play Chart" #1 single "Bulletproof."

All that aside, though, I simply couldn't help but stare at Jackson's ridiculous upward-swept locks! Mark my words: One day -- hopefully sooner rather than later -- she is going to live to regret what has already become her trademark look.

As Jackson and her backing band performed, my thoughts turned to another British synth-pop act: A Flock of Seagulls. Despite an impressive body of work throughout the '80s, the Grammy-winning band is widely considered a one-hit wonder. While most anyone who lived through that era can name the group's sole U.S. Top 10 hit, the 1982 smash "I Ran (So Far Away), the majority also remember lead singer Mike Score's equally mortifying hairdo. When I interviewed Score nearly two decades after the group's hey-day, I still asked about that look, much to the singer's dismay.
Mike Score (Below)
Jackson should take serious note. No matter how many hits La Roux is able to string together, people are likely to still ask where her mind was when she first decided to sport that insane Lollipop Guild swirl. And, in the unthinkable (yet all-too-realistic) event that the group never lands on U.S. charts again, the hair -- not "Bulletproof" -- is going to be what she's remembered by.

Of course, I hope the universe has far more in store for this poor girl than being an unfortunate fashion footnote. It'll be a sad state of affairs if she's traveling the globe in 25 years, singing that one hit and still sporting or answering questions about her Ed Grimley.

Needless to say, Jackson certainly has more talent than this scenario might suggest, but talent doesn't always account for much in the recording industry. It certainly doesn't equate to longevity or success. And it might very well be what we see of an artist, not what we hear, that makes the most lasting of impressions.

Just ask A Flock of Seagulls.

Pollo Del Mar is a San Francisco drag personality, entertainer, celebrity journalist and columnist as well as the City's reigning Grand Duchess. Follow her at through her official Facebook or Twitter pages.

Live image of La Roux courtesy of Jason Villalobos.

Shine Up Your Disco Vagina!

2009-10-07T03:50:26Z

Brace Yourselves, America, Here Comes Lolene

"I'm too sexy for this club," declares Lolene before launching into her driving three-and-a-half minute club romp "Sexy People." Debuting on American club music charts in the October 10 issue of Billboard Magazine, the track should prove to be little more than a "warm up" for the multi-talented performer's 2010 debut The Electrick Hotel.

After cutting her teeth in her native England, Lolene set sail for the U.S., landing in Los Angeles. There the 24-year-old aspiring pop starlet was discovered by multi-platinum producer JR Rotem, the same man who discovered and produces chart-topping R&B act Sean Kingston. Initially signed as a songwriter, she worked with the industry's top hit-makers to write music for a who's who of today's biggest pop stars.

Now Lolene is ready to step into the spotlight herself. With her full-length album set for release early next year, and her debut single climbing the charts, she kicks of her Electrick Hotel Tour with back-to-back appearances in the Bay Area. On Thurs., Oct. 15, she performs at The Crib, an 18-and-over gay and lesbian hip-hop club, and follows the next night at Oakland's Bench & Bar.

Here Lolene expounds on her infatuation with Dynasty and The Love Boat, explains her nickname ("Miss Foo Foo") and gives me the skinny on exactly what the the hell a "disco vagina" is. (It's not half as gross as you might think.)

Tell me about this “disco vagina” you have.
Well, basically, I write my own songs, so my songs are like my babies. They’re usually disco, popped-out inspired songs, so, you know, my "disco vagina" is where all my creativity comes from. It’s just basically playing on the idea of life and birthing and things coming out.

I’m wondering if I have my own disco vagina of sorts.
(Laughing.) Everybody needs their own disco vagina to nurture each morning.

How did you get the nickname “Miss Foo Foo”?
I can be a little eccentric sometimes, a little fussy, a little “madame.” Miss Foo Foo is that side of me, the boujis [“bourgeoisie”] side of my existence.

I read that you said your music is “like the Love Boat.” What does that mean?
(Laughing.) Where did you read that?! (Singing.) The Love Boat . . . Yes. Oh my God, you have no idea how bad I want to make a video in a white suit, on the Love Boat with a cocktail! I’d just die to do that. In fact, I probably will someday. I also say I’m an “Ambassador of Love.” I like to do great love and things that are positive. The Love Boat just seems to encompass all of that and encapsulates that time. I was really, really young when that show came out, but I love Dynasty and Joan Collins and The Love Boat, anything that is just really over the top with glamour. It’s just playful to me. My music is like The Love Boat because you’re just riding along on love.

In the same interview, you talk about being a combination of “Joan Collins, glamour and disco balls.”
I’m obsessed with Joan Collins. I love her. Did you ever see the video I made where I recreate that bitch fight in the pool? I love that scene when they fight with each other in the lily pond, with the shoulderpads and their make-up all smeared. I decided to recreate that. I’ll show it to you sometime. We did it a while ago.

Hear Lolene's Hit Single "Sexy People"

“Sexy People” just debuted on Billboard's Hot Dance/Club Play charts. In America, we always think our charts are the world’s most important. So many artists do strive to make it here, though, so what’s it been like to break out in the U.S.?
My God, it really hasn’t sunk in yet. I’m just waiting for fireworks or something. I think I’ve just been working hard for so long, it feels like a natural progression for me. I feel very, very honored and blessed that the American public has adopted me somewhat. I call myself a “citizen of the world,” because I live here now. I live in America. I’ve lived here for 18 months. I love the people. I love the weather. So I feel somewhat adopted, though I love being British. If we were having this interview in Britain, they would be somewhat like, “Wow, some girl from Bristol -- which is my hometown – went away to Hollywood, and now she’s breaking into Billboard.” It would be a really big deal. I suppose, yeah, I kind of have to stop and think about it. It’s a big achievement, and I’m thrilled about it. This is only the beginning. I intend to be the brown Madonna.

Wait. Did you just say “the brown Madonna”?
Yeah.

OK, I was just making sure.
(Laughing.) “Brown” in kind of a caramel, yummy way, not “brown” in a kind of mucky way. I happen to be brown.

You've said your album is very musically diverse, but with your early success there, do you intend to say in the clubs with remixes?
No. I intend to be a commercial, pop radio artist. I’m really grateful for the clubs. It’s a great place to start and launchpad for me, coming from obscurity. Myself and my team thought it was a really great introduction to me. Being European, I grew up with dance music, so it felt like a good place to start before crossing over to radio and being a commercial artist.

I wondered. Some people are almost exclusively club artists.
No, I know what you mean, but no, no, no. I’m not an exclusively dance artist. As I said, “Sexy People” is a warm-up, an intro, an aperitif. It’s a good place to start, but I’m definitely going to be crossing over!

Lolene's official Facebook page.
Lolene's official MySpace page.

"The Queen of San Francisco Media" Pollo Del Mar is a Bay Area celebutante, journalist, columnist, blogger and the reigning Grand Duchess of San Francisco. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

More to (Loni) Love!

2009-10-05T02:43:25Z

By Pollo Del Mar
Guardian Celebrity Blogger

No disrespect intended, but Loni Love is one funny bitch!

Fans of Chelsea Lately know Love as a regular on the late night talk show’s roundtable. Many television viewers know her as one of the hilarious talking head on VH1 shows like I Love the 70s/80s/90s and Best Week Ever. And, of course, scores more know Love from the stand-up comedy circuit where she got her show business start.

On Friday, Oct. 16, Love joins Real Housewives of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes and Bay Area drag princess Sasha Soprano for Comedy in the Castro. The all-diva line-up kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at the historic Castro Theatre. General admission tickets cost $25-35; $75 VIP tickets include a meet-and-greet.

You’re coming to the Castro Theatre soon. What will it be like for you to play a largely gay audience?
Just a bunch of family and friends. We’ll just have a good time. You know, I love it, because they’re no different than a regular audience. To me, people are people. In fact, I believe with a largely gay audience it’s even more fun because they’re ready to party and have a good time. There’s no mean intentions or anything like that. We’re just laughing, having jokes and being supportive of one-another. It’s always a good time.

Chelsea Handler, who you work with on a regular basis, has amassed a large gay following – to the point where she was the recent Celebrity Grand Marshall at the West Hollywood Pride. Do you feel you have a gay following as well?
Oh, yeah. I have a following with all people: females, gays. I think the thing is that most gays identify with me about the fact I am trying to stand up for something other people try to discriminate against. I’m saying that is wrong, so they can relate to that. In my shows, you will see the gays. You will see all kinds of people, and I really encourage that. You know, I really encourage that. When you do shows, and have all kind of people – like I may have gays, then I have the “urbans,” then I have women, I have older people, I have Republicans – that is the best type of show to me. I can present the message that I want to present, and I present jokes that fit everybody. That’s what makes my shows unique. People get to enjoy themselves, but I also try – not to “preach” to my audience – but give them a little message about how we’re all really the same. There’s no difference between you being gay and me being straight. You know we’re all lookin’ for love! It’s the same thing. That’s what I try to do with my shows, and I’m starting to get a large following as the result. I love it!

LONI LOVE PERFORMS ON JAY LENO

Little people frighten me, and you work with Chelsea's sidekick Chuy often. Is he scary?
(Laughing) Is he scary?!

Well, midgets frighten some people because they are different.
Midgets? (Laughing.) No, he’s not frightening at all. Everybody has stereotypes. Black women have stereotypes of being sassy. Midgets have stereotypes, because you don’t see a lot of them, of being different and odd. See, that’s the problem we have in this country. Because somebody is different than them, everybody wants to try to tag them with something. It’s what I’m trying to explain to you. You give people a chance! There are people who are assholes. There are people who are great people. There are all types of different people. Chuy is one of the sweetest people you could meet, and I don’t look at him as being anything different. You know I have to bend over sometimes, and my back be hurtin’, but that don’t make him any different. I just have to bend over when I hug him, you know.

I was on your website, and I read your whole bio and everything you have posted on there. When I saw that you are one of the stars of the “Weekend at the DL,” I immediately thought of men on the DL. Have you had any runs-in with that?
(Laughing.) No, I haven’t. My gaydar is pretty good with guys. It’s pretty good, so I usually don’t have problems with that. I haven’t ran into any of my friends who have had that issue either.

We hear about it all the time on talk shows, but then when I speak to people, nobody has really had any experience with it.
I think it’s kind of a local thing. I know that down in Atlanta, there seems to be a lot of that going on. I know it sounds bad, but it seems that when guys come out of prison, it seems for some reason, they get to be on the DL. With all my friends, if I feel something is going on, I have a talk with them. But personally, from a relationship level, I haven’t dealt with anything like that.

Personally, I think men that just come out of prison can be a little sexy! It’s like they can have sex with you and then steal your pocketbook afterward.
Yeah, it’s because they’ve been working out. They’ve got them muscles and all those kind of things. It’s sexy! (Laughing.) It’s a good thing!

For Ticket Information, Click Here.

“The Queen of San Francisco Media” Pollo Del Mar is a Bay Area drag personality, hostess, columnist, celebrity journalist and the City’s reigning Grand Duchess. Keep up with her escapades through Twitter or her official Facebook page.

These Boots Are Made for Rockin'!

2009-09-20T10:47:05Z

By Pollo Del Mar
Queen of San Francisco Media

Little Boots is the hottest thing going in the United Kingdom these days. Two weeks ago, the electro-pop act -- which is simply the stage name chosen by singer/songwriter Victoria Hesketh -- opened atop Great Britain's pop charts with "Remedy," the second release from her Top 5 debut Hands.

Now across The Pond, Little Boots is starting to pique fans' interests as well. After going viral through Facebook and MySpace, Hesketh released an EP (not quite a full album) titled Illuminations on June 9, 2009, the same day her full-length album launched at home.

To support the collection, which includes tracks like the U.K. Top 20 hit "New In Town," the Kylie-inspired "Stuck on Repeat" and her cover of Freddie Mercury's "Love Kills," Little Boots launched its first North American tour. After playing to sold-out crowds at smaller venues throughout the U.S., the tour wrapped at San Francisco's The Independent with a packed Sept. 19 show.

During the course of the 45-minute set, backed by a keyboardist and drummer, Little Boots ripped through a blazing eight-song collection of its most popular material. To the delight of fans, in addition to her international hits, she delivered "Meddle," "Earthquake," "Mathematics" and "Symmetry." As a special treat she previewed "Click," a sing-along hand-clapper set for release on an album not due until March 2010.

With influences ranging from '80 synth-pop to disco, her voice is alternately reminiscent of Kylie Minogue and Debbie Harry. Little Boots more frequently draws comparisons to her twenty-something peers, however. Critics around the globe frequently lump the act in with contemporaries like Ladyhawke, Le Roux and, possibly due to lack of direct American counterpart, Lady Gaga.

Perhaps a portion of the comparisons between Little Boots and Gaga comes from both collaborating with producer RedOne. In addition to guiding Gaga's chart-topping debut "Just Dance," the tastemaker-du-jour is responsible for crafting the Little Boots smash "Remedy." To the credit of each, though, there is little similarity in sound for either trademark hit.

To be honest, Hesketh delivers far fewer immediately catchy hooks than her American counterpart Gaga. Still, she is no less of a commanding performer. While lacking some of the over-the-top production aspects of Gaga, Hesketh has ample vocal chops and, with the skill of a seasoned artist, kept the audience engaged at all times.

Perhaps San Francisco proved too easy for the one-time Pop Idol contestant. From the opening strains, the audience was unquestionably in love with Hesketh -- and she returned the favor. After whipping audiences into a frothy fervor, she returned for two encores, then left with the promise of more in the future.

From the looks on people's faces as they streamed from the building after, they'll be waiting with baited breath.

Check out Little Boots' chart-topping international smash "Remedy" on YouTube.

Lynda Carter Is Still a Wonder!

2009-09-10T11:50:06Z

By Pollo Del Mar
Queen of San Francisco Media

The first time I interviewed Lynda Carter, I could barely breathe when she called. Using her back-to-back roles in Sky High and the big-screen adaptation of The Dukes of Hazzard as a reason to get my life-long idol on the phone, we spent a very uneventful 15 minutes talking about those films and, of course, her history as every gay man's absolute favorite super-heroine. When Carter proved to not only not be Wonder Woman but also somewhat distant, it was like a tiny piece of my childhood died.

Now some five years later, with the release of her new album At Last as an excuse, I thought I would try my hand again. This time, after impressing Carter with quotes from past interviews and even surprising her with a question she's never been asked, we connected! It felt like the ultimate pay-off for the many long years spent blindly following every news-release, tabloid mention and made-for-TV movie by this iconic actress!

For nearly 40 minutes we engaged in heart-to-heart conversation about her career, new album and very personal struggle with alcohol addiction. Turns out, even 30 years after the last time she slipped into those now-legendary star-spangled satin tights, Carter really is still a wonder!

How did you come to grips with the fact that, despite having this wonderful new album to promote, you know you’re going to be asked about Wonder Woman.
Well, yeah! There’s not one time in my life that I have ever been on an interview and have not been asked about Wonder Woman. If I made it a problem for myself, I would be wasting my time! Wonder Woman was great! It’s like, “Go with the flow, baby!” People love that character. It’s a way people want to communicate with me. It’s kind of like dissing them to say, “I don’t want to talk about that.” Then it’s like, “Well, get over yourself!” I’ve always found it a huge waste of time to be bitter over something you can’t change. Why not embrace it? I figured that out 30 years ago. I have two choices: try to run from it or embrace it.

How many times have you seen drag queens dressed as Wonder Woman?
You know, there are some that are really at the top of their . . . A lot. Let’s just say “a lot.” There’s an identification with the character and the secret self. I get it. I get the homage. I suppose they’re playing the character in no different way than I did. I’m not her either, but I’m known as playing her and identified with her. It’s a great thing to be identified with!

On a very personal note, you’ve talked openly about your struggles with alcohol addiction.
Right.

Statistics show gays and lesbians have a higher rate of drug and alcohol addiction than heterosexuals.
I did not know that.

Would you share a little of your experience, strength and hope around that subject?
Well, the statistics I was not aware of, and it’s not surprising actually. All it takes is to go to any AA meeting, and you see famous people, motorcycle riders, doctors, lawyers, guys who work for the CIA or FBI, a general in the military. You see men, women and young people of all ages, and once again, so much of it is trying to mask feelings. When you are trying to avoid facing yourself, your feelings and when others around you are asking you to behave in a certain way because of religion or whatever, it’s very frightening. Alcohol addiction, drug addiction and violent behavior are much more prevalent in societies where the government is a religious government because it’s a narrow road. There’s no way it can include or “rule” in a way where everyone fits into that narrow, narrow, narrow place. [There is] lack of tolerance for anyone deviating from a very narrow road. I would hope that within the gay and lesbian community, I know there are a lot of places for AA meetings. My own addiction, I was so predisposed. I didn’t really start drinking until my late 20s. It was so prevalent on my mother’s side. I just couldn’t believe it -- I was drinking differently than anybody I knew – but I didn’t believe it was something I couldn’t handle, because “I could handle anything.” We all need help in various ways.

I was particularly curious, because I’m personally a little over five years sober.
Congratulations!

Thank you! When I found out about your struggles with sobriety, I wanted your perspective.
Well, you know, each of us have to do it in our own way, but there is almost this secret community I discovered when I started going to [12-step] meetings. You feel so alone when you’re in the middle of it, then there are all these people willing to help you. It all still comes down to ourselves. That’s the thing I think I would encourage in our lives: take charge of your own life and be responsible for your own feelings and behavior. Don’t always blame everybody else.

So after nearly 30 years of wanting to record a new album, what’s it like to have it completed?
It’s fantastic! What’s interesting about it is that I did an album that sold three copies. (Giggles.) That was a joke. I did some recording work and started in the recording industry singing jingles when I moved to L.A. I was working as a low-paying background singer and working with these studio musicians I knew who had these little gigs and things. When I moved to L.A., they said, “Don’t tell anyone you’re a singer, because producers don’t want to hire singers who are trying to be actors.” So I didn’t tell anyone. Then I got famous and went back to singing. Then it was, “Recording people don’t want actors who think they can sing.” (Laughs.) And that was fine. I’ve achieved mostly everything I’ve ever set my mind on doing. More importantly than that, I just sent my youngest off to college. They’re happy, they’re healthy and I’m married to a great guy. When it came time and I went back into singing, the initial thought was not to make an album like I was deciding to record again. It was more to archive where I was when I came back to singing. As it progressed, and I began singing more things, I really wasn’t happy with some of the choices of music and the mixing. So I went to Tennessee, and I recorded new things. Then I decided it took a little bit of both to describe where I was at the time I completed the album. I think it’s the same for any person that has a creative work. It defines more about who they are when the project was finished than the person they are during the year or so it takes to get the work out, the film finished, the painting in the gallery, the album out to the public. That being said, I’m very happy with the finished product!

For More Information, Visit Lynda's Website.

Jer Ber Jones Is a Transfixed Tranimal!

2009-07-23T08:11:36Z

Jer Ber Jones is eating an In & Out Burger when she calls from the long expanse of highway between her home in Los Angeles and San Francisco. With her friend and costar in Telekinesis - Transfixed Calpernia Addams behind the wheel, there is plenty of time for the drag star to chat.

Jones etched a reputation for herself locally over a dozen years ago as the first DJ for Trannyshack, the now-legendary and ground-breaking drag phenomenon led by San Francisco's pre-eminent drag hostess Heklina. In the years since, she has carved a reputation for being an off-beat talent in the L.A. drag scene as well as an accomplished independent recording artist.

Now partnered with Addams, a transsexual showgirl and one-time Tennessee Entertainer of the Year who gained notoriety after the brutal 1999 hate-crime murder of her military boyfriend as chronicled in the feature film A Soldier's Girl, Jones is starring in a new two-woman show Transfixed. After playing to enthusiastic response in her adopted home of L.A., the pair are bringing their show -- described as a bizarre behind-the-scenes look at a twisted, "alternate reality" version of a Sonny & Cher or Donnie & Marie-style musical variety act -- to San Francisco.

At what point did you start performing as a gender-queer person?
Jer Ber started in 2001. Before that, I wasn’t really doing it. I would only do it once in a blue moon. I hated dressing in drag when I DJ’ed at Trannyshack. I was doing a lot of DJ gigs, and it was too hard and high maintenance when I was DJ-ing. I’ve always been, you know, a club kid since I was 14. Boy George, you know?

You were around during the early stages of Trannyshack. It has become so legendary, especially with the club closed now. Tell me about those early days.
Well, she hates to admit it, but if it was just up to Heklina, there would be a little milk crate with a dish rag wrapped around it. It would be a tired gay bar and tranny club. So she hired me to be the DJ, and I was there from the very first one for almost four years. I was there every single night, every single week. I think, you know, she definitely did all the paperwork, but a lot of those people who came were coming because the music I was playing was totally kitsch. I was mixing Barbara Mandrell – because I literally played the Barbara Mandrell album – and a lot of Dolly Parton before the big Dolly Parton wave swept back around. I mixed that in with all the new, pre-electroclash stuff. I think a lot of people were coming because I was playing this crazy mix of music. I remember I was one of the only people who would perform live. I have nothing against lip syncs – I love lip syncs, I think they are like modern folk lore – but I was the only one at the pageants who would sing. It was fun. It was good. It wasn’t a place for singers, but it was really fun those first few years, at the beginning, because people were so bored. People were still dying of AIDS, so we were latching onto one-another for support and being crazy little punks together.

Jer Ber Jones Stars in "Model for Me"
Video by Austin Young

Tell me how you met Calpernia Addams, your partner in the show Telekinesis – Transfixed.
Calpernia and I were both being asked to host and perform at this electro-fetish club in Hollywood called Miss Kitty’s. I’d just met [Calpernia’s businesss partner] Andrea James at a World of Wonder party. Cali and I hit it right off. She told me she had this new song called “Stunning.” I thought she was a total woman. I had no idea she was trans. She’s so passable. When I found out she was trans, and that she was related to Andrea, I was transfixed. So I remixed “Stunning.” We became really good friends. We’re sort of in the same boat as far as doing really well with our art but having a really hard time paying the rent, so we commiserated on that a lot. I think we both have a lot of respect for each other. We were having a pizza night, and I was telling her how there was this guy in my gym class in 6th grade that wouldn’t ever wear his jock strap or underwear under his gym uniform. That was the first time I’d ever seen big balls and cock hanging out in front of me. For three years he sat in front of me, and I was just transfixed. Cali was like, ’Transfixed!’ Now we have a little suitcase show, and we’re ready to travel the world with it.

How did you get cast as the naïve, easily manipulated one in this two-woman show?
I always tend to go for that role. Cali is gorgeous, and Jer Ber is a monster. Even in reality, we’d set the date and she sent me her hi-res images, I was like, “How did a gorgeous woman like this get hooked up with this ‘tranimal’?” (Laughs) She’s telling me that’s nonsense, but it’s true. I’m this scary man who is like Dee Schneider dressed up a little bit. I think we make a good odd couple, though. It’s a little auto-biographical. I come from a – you know, I ran away when I was 13. I like to think I am a little neater and better presented than Jer Ber, but Cali and I grew up in the pageant circuit, so we took inspiration from our real life.

What has audience response been like to your show?
Really good. It’s been a little bit hard to get people to come out and see theatre in L.A. It’s been like pulling teeth. Everone’s just fed up in L.A. It’s been a bunch of our friends who are going to tell us they love it anyway, but even those who don’t know us really seem to get a kick out of it. We trash each other so hard onstage. We’re really pulling out all the tricks in it. We make it fun. The response has been awesome.

Why did you decide to bring it to San Francisco?
Because my heart is in San Francisco. You know, I spent six years there. I think I need to keep up a link with my friends there, who I hold so close. It’s always an excuse for me to travel. I’m usually too broke or too busy to do much traveling, so I try to kill two birds with one stone. I was going to do my solo show, but I get bored traveling by myself, so I was like, “Cali, let’s go to San Francisco!” Jer Ber has lots of fans there and friends, so it’s always like coming home!

Transfixed runs Fri.-Sat., July 24-25, 2009, at Finn's Funhouse, an historic Victorian located at 814 Grove St. in the heart of the Fillmore District. Tickets are $15 advance, $20 at the door.

For additional information, visit: http://www.Calpernia.com

Follow Pollo Del Mar on Twitter @TheGlamazonPDM

Pollo Del Mar's headshot provided by Jose Guzman Colon.

Move Over Nomi Malone...

2009-06-02T07:45:43Z

Shannel is Vegas' New Showgirl

Actually that's far from the truth. After more than 15 years in the business, RuPaul's Drag Race star and third runner-up Shannel is anything but new to the art of "female illusion." Honestly, it's little wonder she entered the search for the "World's Next Drag Superstar" thinking she had the competition in the bag.

As a matter of fact, Shannel has been a staple at such Sin City favorites as La Cage for years. There she honed her mastery of make-up, illusion, and -- as Shannel told us time and again on Season 1 of the hit LOGO reality television series -- 39 characters and impersonations. "I do everything from old Hollywood to Disney," she described when we met.

Of course, on the series Shannel came off about as shallow and cold as her piercing blue eyes. Upon meeting her recently before she performed at San Francisco's Thursday night, 18-and-over LGBT hotspot The Crib, she proved to be much more . . . three-dimensional . . . than her on-screen counterpart.

Witty, engaging and genuinely personable, she not only provided insight about her own experience on the show, she disses the only girl she "absolutely could not stand" on the show, explains why she says "Fuck RuPaul!" at every club gig, and offers insight which could prove invaluable for anyone considering throwing their wig in the ring for future editions of the series. [As 10th in the country of more than 800 hopefuls, vying for spots on Season 2 of the hit series, I'm certainly taking notes!!!]

Many reality TV stars say they were not accurately portrayed by those editing the show. How fairly were you depicted on RuPaul’s Drag Race?
Every show needs its villains, and they took my weak moments and really, really wanted to evolve on that. Having been in drag for 12-14 hours a day – because the reality is we filmed one episode every two days – they showed those moments of weakness, of being tired, frustrated, agitated. They didn’t show the kind side, helping people with their make-up, zipping people into their outfits. I felt I was kind of portrayed inaccurately. I don’t feel I was appreciated for what I brought to the table.

Since avidly watching the show, I’ve now met BeBe, Tammy, Ongina and you. Ongina told me he learned more from you than anybody else.
Yes, Ongina is just amazing. When he walked in, I thought, “Wow! You’re just the cutest little thing.” I also looked at him and thought, “But the make-up is really, really bad.” I was able to work with him, teach him, show him how to contour his face, get a foundation that would actually cover his beard and things like that. It was the same with Jade. I really helped Jade out, too, which is kind of funny. I’d been working a lot with Jade, and then he ended up winning the make-up challenge. It’s kind of interesting.

One thing they really emphasize with the application process is showing photos and video of yourself out of drag. Most of you are very attractive men. Was there any sexual tension?
There was no sexual tension at all, because I think we all knew we were there to do a job. I was very attracted to Jade. As a boy, I think he’s just the cutest thing in the world, but sexual tension? No. Nothing at all. The thing is, we were put up in a hotel and not allowed to converse with each other at all, under any circumstances, while filming was going on. It really wasn’t a situation which was conducive to going and chilling with each other at all. They wanted to save everything for on-film. That’s why I think this season, which is supposedly going have everyone in a house, will be a lot different.

Have you had work done on your butt? It’s so…full.
I have never had any work done, except some botox on my forehead. I’m completely natural. My mother is very overweight and my father is heavier set. They both have bubble butts, so I think it’s something I inherently have. My mother, when I was a little kid, would grab my legs and say I have “mashed potatoes.” All through my schooling years, I was very overweight. I got up to 217 lbs. I’ve always just had a big ass and large thighs. After having lost the weight, fortunately, my ass and thighs stayed. As a boy I’m kind of self-conscious about it, but for drag purposes it worked out well for me.

You wouldn’t have to worry about your weight so much if you wore clothes!
(Laughing) Probably not, but I find that the more naked illusion I give, the more money I make. The audience likes it because it’s a mind-fuck. For me, it’s a gag. I know I’m a man. When I look in the mirror, I still see Brian – even through the make-up.

On the reunion show, there was a lot of drama. You were part of it. How accurate was day portrayed?
You know, the reunion show was very accurately portrayed. I believe in holding people accountable. I believe in giving praise where praise is due. If someone asks me honestly for my opinion, I’m going to give it – not because my opinion means anything, but because if you’re going to ask, I’m going to tell you. Basically, I felt Santino was very shady toward me basically the entire show. I felt he criticized me more than anyone else. And I wanted to let Rebecca know she was very much a backstabber. I also wanted her to know, ‘I didn’t lose to you; I chose to go home.’ It comes across as very arrogant and very self-centered, but to me, it’s about being assertive. I’m not one to take a backseat. I will always put my opinions, my thoughts and my mind out there. I just wanted to be able to let the world know my feelings on the show when something was asked of me.

Here earlier in the night, you said “Fuck RuPaul.
I said “Fuck RuPaul.” I felt like RuPaul had something against me from day 1. I don’t know if it’s egotistical to say maybe there’s a bit of jealousy there or maybe a bit of competition. I don’t know what it is. I say it not trying to be nasty. It ends up being fun. I say it at every club I go to because so many people come up to me and say, “I can’t believe you didn’t win. I think you should have won” or “It should have been you and Nena in the Top 2.” It’s more or less just a catty, stupid remark to say, but there were moments when I felt like RuPaul was not as fair with me. I felt he was a little more in tune with wanting to be friendly with a lot of the other girls, and he put me as the “outsider.” I don’t know why that is. I will never know why that is, but that was my feelings in the moment.

How do you feel about BeBe and Nena being the final two? What are your feelings about the outcome?
BeBe and Nena are absolutely amazing. They are amazing to me in my life as friends. They are both very dear friends of mine. BeBe had actually done my show three or four times over the years, so I knew BeBe. I’d heard or Nena. BeBe is absolutely amazing. She represents an entirely different type of drag from what I do – as well as Nena represents an entirely different type of drag from what I do. They are both exceptional in their fields. They both brought a great package. They brought professionalism. They are kind. They are both genuine people. They are not backstabbers. I really appreciate not only their friendship but what they have to offer in the world of drag.

Also in the final three was Rebecca, who was portrayed in a very specific way – one that was far less flattering than even you. Since you say you feel you were inaccurately portrayed, how do you feel she was shown?
I don’t think Rebecca was portrayed accurately at all. Rebecca was very two-faced and very fake and very shady! She would pace the floor before a competition. She would put her headphones on and just walk up and down 100-times, all in her own world. She would snap on a dime at certain things. I just felt she was the outsider of the group, but she ostracized herself. She put herself and made herself out to be that…That queen that everyone thought was so innocent, so sweet and so pretty – which I never understood, because I never thought she was any of those things. Off-camera, and when the cameras weren’t on her, she had a very villainous side to her. I don’t think – no, I know for a fact, that wasn’t shown. Later in the episodes, I think people could kind of start to see that other side of her start to come out when the pressure was one. I think she thought, “Everyone just thinks I’m so beautiful – and RuPaul and Santino think I’m so pretty – I’m just a shoo-in to win!” The thing everyone needs to understand is that is not a competition about being beautiful. I don’t even think it’s a competition about being a drag entertainer. It’s about being able to let all of your inhibitions go to a lot of things most of us never do – like sewing, singing. I don’t sew to save my life. I don’t sing. I’m an impersonator who lip syncs, but when you go on that show, you have to bank on the fact you’re going to be doing things you never thought you’d have to do. In reality, I don’t think the show actually means “What is the next drag superstar?” I don’t think you have to necessarily sew to be a drag superstar. The fact that Rebecca could sew, I think, made her feel like she had power. I just think it’s crazy. I loved everybody on that show. I loved Akashia! I loved everybody on that show, but I could not stand Rebecca. From Day 1, I did not like her!

"The Queen of San Francisco Media" Pollo Del Mar is presently ranked #10 in the country in her efforts to be cast on Season 2 of RuPaul's Drag Race. Vote for her HERE

Lady GaGa Joins the Obama-Nation: No More Bush!

2009-03-15T14:47:01Z

"Shows in most cities usually feel like a first date, but I love San Francisco. It’s always like a good fuck!”
-- Lady GaGa

By Pollo Del Mar
Queen of San Francisco Media

You've got to love Lady GaGa for loving the gays. Time and time again she's has told anyone who will listen it was the LGBT community who supported her career long before debut single "Just Dance" recently spent four weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. As she embarks on the "Fame Ball Tour," her first as a headlining act, it seems the New York-born diva is drawing further inspiration from gays or, more specifically, drag queens.

When GaGa played Mezzanine Saturday, March 14, she wisely borrowed a page from the drag queen playbook and incorporated shiny dancers’ tights under fishnets into her oh-so-fabulous, self-designed wardrobe. It's not a moment too soon either. During two of the first four Lady GaGa shows I attended, which included twice hosting her at venues around town (as seen above, taken at The Crib), the budding Pop Princess’ bikiniline was hidden by more bush than Dick Cheney!

“Lady GaGa has one hairy pussy,” my friend David Wichman told me via text message after last winter’s Energy 92.7 FM Energy Ball. Though he’s an avid Lady GaGa fan and a dog walker, which means he's clearly comfortable around our furry friends, he apparently found himself a little too up-close and personal with the “Poker Face” diva’s hairy tarantula that night when she went stage-diving at the San Francisco Regency Center.

Since she's as a bona fide top-of-the-marquee superstar now, maybe somebody called GaGa's attention to both these issues. Thank God! With not a single pube -- or stage dive -- included, audiences could focus on the show's immensely catchy hooks and fantastic performance rather than flailing bodies and her serious need for a Brazilian (and I'm not talking the sexy kind found in Kristen Bjorn videos, OK?!).

For two back-to-back, sold-out SF gigs, GaGa cut one back-up dancer, added two opening acts (Chester French, The White Tie Affair), built in multiple set and costume changes and more than doubled her set-list. During the hour-plus show, she performed the majority of her absolutely brilliant self-titled debut while introducing an entirely new track and serving a cabaret-style interpretation of current hit “Poker Face,” which I refer to as “the Razz Room rendition.”

Of course, the place was packed with enthusiastic GaGa fans. Still, even the most casual observer could see this girl has the stage presence, voice, talent and now following -– considering the line snaked the length of Jessie Street, wrapping around onto 6th Street -- to be in it for the long haul.

Even after experiencing her live five times, it was still as good as the first. With scene and set changes and a slew of spectacular costumes, GaGa put on a phenomenal stage show without making it feel clumsy or production heavy. And of course adding the tights helped.

It goes to prove she realizes when it comes to what you give audiences, sometimes less really is more.

Elvira Was 'Raised By a Pack of Wild Drag Queens'!

2009-01-22T07:49:22Z

By Pollo Del Mar
SFBG Celebrity Blogger

The first time I saw Elvira, I was maybe ten-years-old. Captivated by her beauty, bulging bosoms and campy responses to some of the worst movies we had ever seen, my sister and I would stay up every week to watch her midnight Movie Macabre, trying not to wake our parents as we giggled like naughty school girls late into the night at Elvira’s Valley girl-inspired commentary and bawdy sense of humor.

As a bona fide fan, I followed Elvira throughout my teen years. When she finally made her absolutely hysterical big-screen debut in Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, I rushed to see its 1988 theatrical debut. Later I owned the laugh-out-loud-funny feature on VHS (that was the video format that came before DVDs, for those too young to remember it first-hand). Throughout high school, I slept with the movie poster above my bed.

It's been 20 years since the release of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, and I've since interviewed Cassandra Peterson, the pretty redhead behind the gothy make-up and black bouffant. Peterson and I even met once, when her film screened last summer at San Francisco's Bridge Theatre. My first meeting with Elvira, though, came just this past weekend when drag superstar Peaches Christ debuted her Midnight Mass film series to Los Angeles.

Here Elvira shares about her career, role as a gay icon and why discussing Vampira makes her uncomfortable. She also talks about her upcoming star turn in All About Evil, the feature-length debut by Christ. (Find out how you can get cast as an extra in the film, too!)

I grew up watching you. It was quite shocking the first time I saw you out of Elvira “drag.”
Was that the day you “turned gay”?

No, but Elvira probably was my first drag icon.
It’s amazing how many gay guys tell me they watched me when they were little kids. Straight guys watched me, too, but the ones who would turn [out] gay later started wanting to be me. I grew up emulating drag queens, and I was around a lot of drag queens when I was a pre-teen and teenager. They really showed me how to walk, to dress, to do everything I do. I think that’s how I ended up being a showgirl by the time I was 17! I had all this drag sort of demeanor. What happened, eventually, is I find drag queens are emulating me. It’s so bizarre!

Back then, LGBT exposure was so minimal. Until I discovered Divine much later, you were the closest thing I had ever seen to “drag.”
That’s funny. I know Elvira is very much a drag queen in the things she says, the way I dress. It’s not surprising to me because I always tell people I was “raised by a pack of wild drag queens.” I was around so many drag queens and gay men when I was young. I was actually a drag queen at a bar in Colorado Springs, CO, at a bar called The Purple Cow. These other two drag queens, Mr. Bobby and Tawny Tan, had me dress up as a woman – which I was – and we’d do The Supremes. The scary part about that, though, was I also had to do blackface. Oh, my God! I was performing every night in a black light as The Supremes. Guys were always amazed by how much I looked like a woman, which, in fact, I was. (Laughing.)

I’m a huge fan of Elvira: Mistress of the Dark. One of my favorite scenes is when you finally debut your Vegas show. Did you incorporate a lot of your own experience into that scene?
I’ve kind figured out that Elvira is me as a teenager. When I was a teenager, my dream was to become a showgirl. I wanted to be like Ann-Margret in Viva Las Vegas. Since Elvira is me as a little kid, that would be her ultimate dream – to be a showgirl in Las Vegas, which is setting the bar pretty low. (Giggles) But to Elvira, that’s the pinnacle of fame and success, and we used that out of my real life.

You will star in All About Evil, the feature-length film debut by San Francisco drag star Peaches Christ. The cast mixes some real up-and-coming younger stars with performers who are simply iconic, especially to gay and lesbian fans. There’s you, of course, and Mink Stole…
Mink Stole, who I’ve known really well for many years.

Darren Stein, who wrote and directed Jawbreaker, is also on-board. It seems like a fun project.
Oh, yeah! I’m really looking forward to it. Just because Peaches is doing it, I know it’s going to be fun – not so serious and gross and weird.

You’ve developed a relationship with Peaches Christ through Midnight Mass, but what attracted you to All About Evil?
Well, mainly that Peaches is doing it, and I know it’s going to be campy and fun. It is also kind of…yuck…gruesome. Just the fact that Peaches is doing it, I know it will have excellent camp value. I like getting to do something as myself in an underground-y camp film. Peaches just sort of talked me into it. He can talk me into anything. I adore him!

The first time you put on the Elvira garb did you ever think that, more than 25 years later, it would be so iconic?
Oh, God no! When I first did it, I was like, “Oh, my God. I’ve got such a cheesy job.” I thought I’d make a few bucks a week. I couldn’t believe it would last 25 minutes, much less 25 years. I was kind of shocked when it started happening. I was like, “What’s going on?” It was weird. I certainly never approached this job like, “Well, now I’ve finally made the big time!” Not at all.

During your career you’ve done everything from WrestleMania to drag events. You seem to bridge gaps which would never, otherwise, be bridged.
Yeah! The first big show I went to that was a convention had like – no drag queens – but it had heavy metal rock stars, wrestlers, horror people. I was like “What the hell am I doing here? Are these people my audience?” I found out later they are. Elvira appeals to these different little niches. I’ve done lots of Harley conventions. People really into tattoos like me. I started getting invited to introduce all these rock bands – Motley Crue, Alice Cooper, of course. White Zombie. It’s funny how Elvira falls into all these weird categories.

You do plenty of meet and greet type events, where people ask you all kinds of questions. What is the most awkward question you’ve been asked?
(Laughing.) There are no “weird” questions for me. I don’t even care. The most common one, of course, is “Are they real?” I’m like, “Oh, yeah…Snore. Snore.” No, there are no awkward questions for me. I answer everything. Maybe there’s the Vampira thing. People ask me about that, and I feel sorry for Vampira, who is now deceased. I felt sorry for Vampira, because she never made any money or did anything with her character, which is a great, iconic character. She was very angry and blamed me, I guess, for her not getting famous. People ask about that, and I don’t want to be a total bitch about it, because I genuinely liked the Vampira character. That’s always a little bit uncomfortable, but nothing’s really off limits. I don’t have anything to hide!

San Francisco residents interested in being cast as "extras" in All About Evil are encouraged to visit Peaches Christ's Website for complete details.

MySpace's Brightest Star Is Ready to Shine

2008-12-15T10:40:29Z

By Pollo Del Mar
Guardian Celebrity Blogger

With a MySpace profile that has been viewed nearly 60 million times, the most popular merchandise line available through mall favorite Hot Topic and a summer spent on the Van's Warped Tour already under his jewel-encrusted belt, Jeffree Star has turned internet fame into international success. And to think, the multi-media mogul is barely drinking age!

Most recently, Star unveiled his hot new EP Cupcakes Taste Like Violence to retailers across the country. Days after its Dec. 2 release, the MySpace legend hit San Francisco 18-and-over hot spot The Crib as part of a major tour planned to promote the collection of electronic dance tracks. As the waifer-thin, tattooed (he has 75 and counting, if you must know) performer and his small entourage waited to take the stage by storm, we chatted casually backstage.

Though he doesn't consider himself a drag queen -- "I like to be a question mark," he told me -- we still connected girl to girl, glitter-to-glitter. From telling why he had to prove himself on the Warped Tour and explaining why he doesn't drink, Star shares about success, talks shit about Tila Tequila and explains why he thinks Paris Hilton is a role model for today's youth in this exclusive interview.

You’re riding this huge wave of performers who have emerged into celebrity status through MySpace. Was it something you planned?
No, it was very unplanned. Basically, it started with me being very bored in high school, lots of energy and no outlets. I’m from Orange County, and it’s so boring there, so I started going online when everybody else was out at softball games and shit. I was like, “This is so boring!” So I just started going on different websites to create profiles. This was before MySpace was ever made. I was on LiveJournal and all that shit. I would post really crazy pictures with make-up and shit and write really crazy blogs, talking shit about people, and expressing how I viewed life and stuff. I got this big cult following of people going, “Ooh, what’s Jeffree going to do next?” So MySpace sprung up, and I always go to the next new thing. Luckily, it’s the best thing ever, and it’s stayed around. So I moved all my following to MySpace, kind of like that whore Tila Tequila. I think she died of AIDS, but… But we both went there, and MySpace blew up really crazy. It was just kind of me, being myself, got really huge.

At what point did you take that from being this internet celebrity to doing personal appearances and performing?
Everyone was like, “You should selling T-shirts.” And I was like, “I don’t know.” All my friends are musicians, so as a joke, I wrote this song one day called “We Want Cunt.” I was talking about my nickname, which is “Cunt” -- not vagina. That’s just horrifying. It was kind of like, “We Want Jeffree.” We recorded that just to put on MySpace. It got way bigger than I ever expected. I was like, “Hmm. We should do something with this.” Then Hot Topic approached me. I started playing live shows, and I didn’t even know what I was doing. I was a good actor. (Giggles.) People were like, “We want to book you for this and this and this.” I was like, “Oh, yeah, I’ve played a million shows before!” So it was a lot of lying at the beginning. (Laughs.)

You just came off of the Van’s Warped Tour with Katy Perry.
Which was so fun!

What was that like for you?
It was really good to go on there and prove myself. There were a lot of shit-talkers. It’s funny, because I feel like because I’m gay and I look different, I was the only one people talked shit on. People were like, “You’re not punk rock enough to be on Warped Tour!” You know, it’s old-school back in the day, but that music’s not popular any more, so of course the Warped Tour’s going to go with what’s happening now. They’re not stupid! You know, Katy Perry’s not punk rock, and nobody said one thing about her. You know what I mean? I feel like I was kind of singled out in the beginning. Once I went onstage, and there were thousands of people there, and I was selling more merch than everyone there, everyone was like, “Well, you’re still a fag, but you’re cool.” But, whatever, it was really cool.

Did people actually say that to you – about being a “fag”?
Yeah.

Name names.
It was just random people. It wasn’t anyone in a band or anything. I would have had them killed. (Giggles.) It was like, “You’re still a freak, but it’s pretty cool what you’re doing here.” They can’t ever give you a 100-percent compliment. They always have to throw in that dig.

I can imagine those might be the same people who would be head-over-heels for Marilyn Manson, we’ll say, who’s doing something not entirely different.
Mmm-hmm.

How do you keep challenging yourself?
I’m always trying to do new things. First it was music. I just want to keep putting my hands in everything to see or prove to myself if I can do it – or if people will let me. At first people were like, you know, “I think you’re a niche” or “We don’t want to work with you.” Even Hot Topic was scared at first. They put in one shirt, and now there are 40 items, because I’m the #1 seller. That’s cool, though, because I’m not on radio or TV.

You mention Tila Tequila, a fellow internet success who turned that into a TV show. By the way, that show is ridiculous.
Oh, I know. The people they cast on there are the ones who are funny. She’s so boring. I think people tuned in to watch the cat fights or drama, obviously. I’m working on a TV show, but I don’t want it to be a joke where I’m like, “Oh, I’ll pretend to date people.” It’s obviously all scripted just to make you look like a joke. I want mine to be more real, candid, behind the scenes stuff.

If you had your choice, what kind of reality show would you want to do?
We’re pitching one where it’s like me and my family. It’s different than all that other “dating” crap or game shows, because I don’t want to do that. I feel like it’s a one-trick pony. I mean, Flava of Love and I Love New York? Where are they now? I want to come do one where I come in and fix my family. I might look a little crazy, but I’m the most grounded of all of them. They’re in and out of jail. They’re alcoholics. They’re crazy.

Are you sure we’re not related?
Right?! (Laughing.)

Isn’t that the way it always is? I just look insane, but I’m really not.
It’s true! Everyone thinks I do drugs and drink because I have orange hair. I don’t know. I don’t drink. I’m too crazy.

Without all that?
Oh, yeah. I’d like shoot up a preschool if I had a drink. (Laughing.)

When you’re out performing like this, what kind of response do you get? I mean, it’s one thing to MySpace with people, but it’s totally different to meet them live.
I do various things. I do appearance like this or the Warped Tour, where it’s 100 degrees, and everyone is fainting around you. It’s pretty cool to go onstage and think the songs I wrote in someone’s bedroom in a few hours can bring me all the way here.

Is this something you want to do for the rest of your life?
Now that I’m so involved with all the music, I’ve sort of fallen in love with performing. I didn’t really know what I was doing before, but my CD just came out on Tuesday. With that, I actually got the chance to go into the studio with real producers and real money instead of just fucking around and having it sound really low quality.

Is this performance part of the promotion of that?
Yeah, I’m playing a lot of shows this week to promote it and have some in-store [appearances] with Hot Topic. I’ve done a lot of press. I’m on the cover of MySpace today, Blender.com, MTV and all that stuff, so it’s fun.

That has to be insane. This started in your bedroom, from being bored…
Yeah, and then here we are. I want to be the Paris Hilton of the indie world. I’m working on a perfume. I’m pitching a TV show. I want to do everything.

I’m aghast that you used Paris Hilton as a role model.
Well, she turns herself into a brand, you know? Who else has done that?

I’m 35, so yes I’m aware that I’m old by your standards, but I come here to The Crib, and Paris Hilton is a role model to them. That scares the shit out of me! To me, she’s just tragic, really – with a lot of money.
The thing about her is, she’s really intelligent, and she has everyone fooled. I’ve hung out with her before, and she knows it’s all a character – just like Marilyn Manson. We all play off who we are. When there aren’t cameras around, she’s perfectly normal. She talks normal. She doesn’t have that little five-year-old voice act on. You know what I mean? She’s sitting there making millions of dollars while everyone is calling her stupid and ugly. She knows what she’s doing.

So how are you different when you’re not on-camera?
I think we’re all kind of our personas. When I’m out at a club, of course I’m going to act crazy. Everyone else is drunk around me, so it’s just funnier for me. But I sit at home in sweat pants and watch Cops. (Giggles.) I mean, we’re all normal sometimes, right?

For More Information, Visit Jeffree's Official MySpace Page.

Pollo Del Mar is San Francisco's reigning Miss Trannyshack and hottest new drag diva. Send her a Friend Request at her official MySpace Page.

Katherine Ellis Is One Smart Bimbo!

2008-12-02T08:15:13Z

After my first listen to Harlem 1 Stop, the new full-length release from international remix wizards Bimbo Jones, I called my friend Andy Reynolds, their publicist. I needed to know more about Katherine Ellis, the woman whose blazing vocals fill the 12-song set.

A week later, Ellis is on the phone, brewing a pot of coffee when she calls. Despite the fact it's midday in her native United Kingdom, the brand new voice of Bimbo Jones is struggling to stay awake. The night before she was out until the crack of dawn, performing for a wildly responsive crowd in Cologne, Germany. So goes the life of an international disco music sensation, I guess!

After nearly 20 years as a dance music favorite, Ellis joined fellow Bimbos Lee Dagger and Mark JB. The result is Harlem 1 Stop, available now through Tommy Boy Records. Between the three, they claim more than 30 chart-topping hits around the globe -- including the album's lead single and first Billboard #1 club smash "And I Try." Not only does the multi-talented Ellis glide seamlessly from belting house diva to jazz-inflected chanteuse on the 12 tracks, she cowrote the entire album.

No stranger to the LGBT community (Ellis not only employs a gaggle of gays to style, dress and design for her, she says her "long-suffering assistant" Stewie is out, loud and proud...well, not in those exact words!), the singer and I recently enjoyed a diva-to-diva chat. While sharing her philosophy about writing hit records, she also drops a few secret nuggets -- including one of her favorite hits to jam to on the dance floor and how a particularly delicious sandwich helped cement her place as the voice of Bimbo Jones.

In the U.S., Bimbo Jones is known for remixing hits for superstars from Pink to Mariah Carey. How did you become the official diva voice for the group?
I went for a round of meetings quite a while back. One of the people I met was our manager, and one of the people he hooked me up with was Mark of the Bimbos. We really just hit it off. I just really liked him. He makes a kind of wicked sandwich, cut with lots of nice cheese and salad dressing and things, which is always good, because I’m a hungry diva. I don’t know. We just really liked working together. It’s always been very relaxed and easy to create music with each other. We’ve always liked what we’re doing. It’s a project which has grown organically, really. It just sort of ended up that I was “The Chosen One.”

It must feel good as a performer. One would imagine that with the success they’ve had around the world, many people would have loved to become “the voice” of Bimbo Jones.
Yes, but you could also say the reverse. I’ve had much success around the world with many of the top dance producers such as Roger Sanchez, Joey Negro, Tom Stephan. I’ve been making records since ’91, so I’m one of the biggest voices in house [music]. I think it’s a good match.

You’ve recorded and written for other artists before Bimbo Jones, and you cowrote all of the tracks on Harlem 1 Stop. Is it different when you’re writing for yourself?
No, not really. I don’t do commercial writing for other people in that sense at the moment. It pretty much is all for me. My writing methods [is] I stick the track on and the first time I listen to it, I set my studio up and just start singing over it. I have a ‘jam’ and see what comes out. My writing is very instinctive. I very much respond to the music and see how it grabs me. In the case of working with Mark and Lee, I have written some of the tracks like that. In some cases, I’ve given them a capellas and they’ve built the track around them. Some of them, Mark and I sat down. He played guitar and we worked it out. For “Come On” we did that, with him on the guitar, and then finished it off with Lee. That has been nice. It has been very varied, lots of different approaches to it.

I wondered if when you’re writing, you think, “This is going to be a huge hit, and I’m saving it for me.”
(Laughing.) I never really have those thoughts, like it’s going to be a hit. I spent years working on an album with Paul Inda, who is the son of Lemy from Motorhead. He’s an amazing guitarist. We had a big record deal. We had The Eurythmics’ management. We put everything into it, and it was a fantastic album. For one reason or another, it never came out. I think it’s some of my best work. Equally, there have been things I’ve done really quickly, like “Dreaming,” which I did with the Ruff Riders. It was a huge hit over here. It was #1 in Spain and the biggest Ibiza hit of ’98. I performed the song last night in Cologne [Germany], and everyone went crazy. It’s kind of an anthem. Who knows what is going to be a hit isn’t? I just do them and see where they fall, really.

Dance music groups seldom bodies of work like Harlem 1 Stop. How did you decide to release an entire album?
I think we just kept writing songs, really, because we enjoyed working together…What has been fantastic for me personally, in the past, trying to get deals and stuff, people have been like, “Who are you? What’s your sound?” As you can hear, I’m a versatile singer and writer…With some albums, if you’ve heard one track, you’ve heard them all. It’s like, “What’s the point? You’ve just rewritten the same song ten times.” Some of [our songs] don’t even sound like the same singer, but it’s very cohesive. It hangs together with the same thread of quality and there’s a sort of depth and feeling to it which ties it all together.

This has become my new favorite album to get in drag to. The CD starts with “And I Try,” and by the time I get to “Fuq U,” I’m painted and ready to go.
(Laughing.) That’s fantastic! You should make a video of that, of you getting ready to the album. “And now I’m ready! ‘Fuq U’! I’m off.” I think it is strident. My writing is clear. Some of it has ambiguity, but I’m a very clear communicator. I like to be understood. I like to be precise in what I mean and what I’m saying and what I mean and what I’m talking about. When I’m writing my songs, I try to hone in on a particular point, emotion or word and distill that. I try not to cover too much ground in one song. It’s quite dramatic, I suppose. Each one is a little story.

“And I Try” has been such a huge success here in the U.S. Was the song going #1 in the U.S. expected?
Personally, I don’t expect anything any more. Having said that, I think Tommy Boy [Records] is doing really great things for us. We’re just expressing ourselves and enjoying our talents. So was I expecting it? No. I know that the album is good, and I know that the song is good. Like I said before, it doesn’t always figure it’s going to do well. There are so many other factors involved beyond your control, so I was delighted to watch it every week going up and up and up. It’s fantastic, really, watching it go #1. Thrilling, really.

Sometimes success is disproportionate to how good a project is.
There’s a lot to be said for having the money to promote things. I think if you’ve got enough money, you can get anything to do anything. It’s nice when something makes it on its own merits and everyone really loves it. Like you said, it comes on, everyone shrieks and runs to the dance floor. I have songs like that myself. “Precious Love” by Barbara Tucker. That’s one where I can really get on the floor and strut and sing. I can have fun with other people on the floor, singing, throwing shapes and just being silly. I like that. That’s what I’m into. That’s what I figure I do. I write to please me. I figure if I like it, maybe other people will like it. (Laughing.) Everybody has their opinions, and mine is as valid as anyone else’s. So if I’m writing it, then I need to please myself. I can never set out to please everybody else. Nobody knows what other people want. I know what appeals to me, so I’ll just write for me. If I’m satisfied with it, then I’ll let it go. And if other people like it, then I can genuinely think, “Good! Because I did something I liked and am happy with it!”

For More Information, Visit: http://www.BimboJones.com

Pollo Del Mar is San Francisco's reigning "Miss Trannyshack" & SF Bay Guardian's Celebrity Blogger. She can be found most Weds. nights hosting BRAIN FARTS, the "2008 Best of the Bay" award-winning "Best Trivia Show" at Lookout Bar, 16th & Market, in The Castro. Send her a MySpace Friend Request.

Giving You a Fever for the Flava

2008-11-26T06:45:10Z

When I first met Mark Martinez – nee, performance artist extraordinaire Flava to the gay circuit party set – I couldn’t take my eyes off him. As a matter of fact, nobody could. Dressed as dearly-departed disco legend Sylvester, who he portrays in the upcoming MILK movie, all eyes were on him at the recent Castro Theatre “people’s premiere” of the Gus Van Sant film.

As we later partied into the night, my skillfully trained eyes could see through the glitter, lashes and silver sequin. It was obvious to me at least that beneath all the bedazzlement was one incredibly sexy, strapping young man . . . and now, sitting across the booth from me in a diner in downtown San Francisco, next to his mom nonetheless, there he was.

For as fierce as Martinez is as Flava, lip-syncing to high-energy remixes of dancefloor divas for circuit parties, gay cruises and Pride festivals around the world, he’s equally charming, friendly and captivating out of drag. Here we talk about his role in the biopic about slain San Francisco Supervisor and gay rights activist Harvey Milk, hitting local theatres this week, chat about the iconic Sylvester and gossip about James Franco’s butt and kissing Sean Penn!

How did you get cast as Sylvester in MILK?
The producer is a really good friend of mine. He called me up and said, “I have this role for you. Do you have any video where Gus can see you do your thing?” I was like, “Gus who?” He said, “Gus Van Sant.” Basically, I sent everything I have. Gus actually called me himself to offer the job.

What kind of research did you do to prepare?
There’s a book called The Fabulous Life of Sylvester that was sent to me by all my friends when I got the role. I literally had a week to pull it together, but I was also turning 40 and had a big, huge gala I was putting together. Then they also sent Sylvester’s 40th birthday video. It was so monumental to me.

What did you find out about Sylvester that you never knew?
I never knew he lived in L.A. (Laughing.) Going back to your previous question, Jeanie Tracy was a big, big part of the information. I basically interviewed her on the last days of Sylvester. I didn’t know how it happened, how he died. I really didn’t know Patti LaBelle was a big part of his [life]. I didn’t know she actually went to his house the last couple months he was alive. I didn’t know he had a lot of close, very, very influential friends who supported him.

You worked very closely with Sean Penn. What is he like?
The actual taping day, I literally had to put out of my head that it was Sean. He is so committed. He’s 1,000-percent committed, and he’s very internal. He doesn’t talk a lot, but he looks a lot. During the whole taping, Sean kept staring at me. I didn’t know what was going on. The assistant director came up and said, “Sean has decided he’s going to kiss you in this scene. Just be excited about it.” That’s when I got nervous! That scene got cut.

This wasn’t like a full-on tongue kiss, right?
No, no, no! He grabs my cheeks and kisses me. As soon as I got the information, I knew my heart could go like crazy. I could get really nervous. I didn’t even let it enter my head until he’d actually grabbed me and kissed me. When we were done, I said, “We need to tape it again.” Gus was like, “You were fine.” I said, “No, I really don’t think I was any good. We should tape it again.” And I turned to Sean and was like, “What do you think?” He started laughing.

The film is amazing. You completely believe Sean Penn is Harvey Milk. It’s so inspiring. The thing I took way from it most, though, is how unbelievably hot James Franco is.
I was into James Franco in all the Spiderman movies. I was infatuated with his ass. When Gus was introducing me to everyone on the set, James was in a conversation at a table. I literally made James Franco stand up and show me his ass in front of everybody – just because he was so cute! I didn’t want to be like I didn’t want to be like “Oh, my God! He’s so cute!” and just stand there and be stunned. So I thought, “What would Sylvester do?”

Well, everyone gets to see it in the movie. He’s got a great butt!
It is great. He’s so beautiful. Then at the premiere, he asked what I thought, and I said, “Honey, I didn’t even have to look at your butt to tell you it’s good, although you have lost a little weight. You need to put that weight back on.” (Laughing.)

The other morning at breakfast you said you’d been a Chippendales dancer. Let’s face it, Chippendales is super gay -- right or wrong?
No, you’re wrong. (Laughing.)

What?!? Those people are straight?!
There were a couple who knocked on my door, but pretty much I would say 85-percent are straight. Trust me, I’ve done my homework. I’ve tried to make them cross over or be a little curious. It was the best years of my life. I did it for about ten years. I traveled all over the world for Chippendales. That’s how I started Flava. That’s how I started my whole performance artist career.

Straight. Hmm…That explains the bad hair. Fantastic bodies . . . bad hair.
They do have bad hair. Uhm…Yeah. (Laughing.) Chippendales were that: great body, bad hair. I haven’t been involved with Chippendales for quite some time, but the boys in Vegas are pretty cute. They’re tall, gorgeous and have good hair. They can’t dance, but they’ve got good hair.

Even out of drag, you’re tall. Did you dwarf everybody on the set?
I did overpower Emile Hirsch. I didn’t even know where he was. So finally one day, Emile was on his Blackberry to my left, and he literally looked like a kid. He was like 4’1”, and I was like, “Where’s Emile Hirsch?” He grabs me, pulls me by my kimono, and was like, “I’m right here!” He was pretty small. Even Sean wasn’t that small.

It’s been over 20 years, but I admit I still think of Sean Penn as “Madonna’s husband.”
I think a lot of people do, too. It got on E! News that Sean and I kissed. People heard that and were like, “Oh, my God! You kissed Madonna.” I was like, “No, I kissed Sean.” They were like, “Yeah, so you kissed Madonna because Sean kissed Madonna.” I was like, “Ohh…” I look at him as the father from Mystic River who loses his daughter and just cries. That’s who I see him as, because that was a very, very good movie. It moved me.

Even before you started performing, you knew you never wanted to do “traditional drag” – female impersonation like I do. Describe your drag.
It’s definitely performance art. I love to shock people. I recently painted myself silver and put mirrors all over my body, coming out as this sort of mirrored ball with all these laser effects coming off of me while I performed this great, big circuit song. I love that, “What is that? Is it a man or a woman?” I love the androgynous factor. I call it performance art. Sometimes I will give you a big ponytail with hair on my head. Sometimes I’ll put a lampshade on my head. Somedays I’ll put chopsticks on my head. It all depends on whatever mood I’m in.

You mentioned Jeanie Tracy. Flava is moving more into performing original material, your own songs. One of those, you said, will be with Jeanie?
I’ve been so afraid to throw my vocals out. I have three songs. They’re great but not phenomenal. Jeanie has been a catalyst. She’s been, basically, pushing me forward. I’ve been working on my vocals, taking lessons. I had a meeting with DJ Manny Lehman and DJ Wayne G. We’re going to work on my next two singles. I’m really excited about it. It’s a scary scene. I’ve been so safe lip-syncing to a black, female. I knew she could carry it away. Now my vocals have to carry it. Jeanie said she would be on vocals with me. She said, “I believe in you that much as an entertainer.” We’ve got our first performance Thanksgiving weekend.

You not only play Sylvester, now you’re taking a page out of his book with Jeanie Tracy, one of his back-up singers, at your side.
I feel like everything has been pushing me forward to play this character and bring him back. They could have cast anyone in the world to play Sylvester in this movie, and they cast me. I feel so honored, so blessed and so chosen to play this person who laid down the pavement for me to do what I do. I’m excited to see where we go from here.

Mark Martinez brings “Flava” to San Francisco Weds., Nov. 25, for a performance at Club Papi, 550 Barneveld. For more information, visit: http://www.ClubPapi.com

Add Pollo Del Mar on either MySpace or Facebook. Pollo_DelMar@yahoo.com

Jack Mackenroth Is a Tranny-Hating Republican!

2008-11-07T04:26:01Z

OK, so I’m lying. Jack Mackenroth and I actually hit it off immediately, even before our paths randomly crossed one recent night in The Castro.

In town for Project Inform's Evening of Hope Condom Couture benefit and fashion show, in which he crafted a wedding dress from more than 2,500 condom wrappers, the muscular, HIV-positive designer sent home early by staph infection two seasons ago on Project Runway remembered our telephone interview months before. Hell, before the night was out we even swapped a little spit! Totally hot!

Hours later, he was off to Atlanta for the AIDS Walk and to promote his relationship with HIV/AIDS education program Living Positive by Design. With Season 4 cohort Kevin Christiana (the totally hot straight Italian), Jack is now shopping a new TV series which combines elements of popular redesign shows, Queer Eye's make-overs and even Project Runway.

Between traveling the country as an HIV/AIDS educational and inspirational speaker, dressing celebrities from The Young & The Restless star Heather Tom and transsexual Dirty Sexy Money star and close friend Candis Cayne and writing a sarcastic new autobiography, Jack the Mack called me for a long, long chat. In addition to giving the low-down on his Runway castmates, for nearly an hour we swapped drag horror stories. Be sure to stop by Cliff's Variety in The Castro to see Jackie's fabulous condom couture wedding gown, on display through Sun., Nov. 9, and read the best -- and bitchiest -- of our conversation.

Does talking for my blog make you nervous? After your interview with The Advocate, people on the internet weren’t so nice.
It’s not really bloggers, it’s primarily commenters. It’s easy to be cold and make negative comments when you’re sitting alone behind your computer screen and don’t have to divulge who you are. Anonymous critiques are very easy – and kind of cowardly. I guess I kind of made some negative comments about Chris March, and they weren’t even really negative. I just said that all the New York people [from that season of Project Runway] aren’t really friends with him. We’re not. Television editing is a really powerful tool. Chris March has some really funny, hilarious sides – but he also has some really negative, annoying sides. Feel free to print that! People totally jumped on me. None of us are perfect. On Project Runway, they make you into two-dimensional, heightened characters. If they want you to be the funny, jolly guy, that’s what they make you. I was portrayed as nice and always helpful, which I am to a certain degree, but I also have shitty days. I can be bitchy. I can be insecure, all those things. I think people watch TV and follow editing like it’s God’s word, but I think it’s ultimately what the editors and producers want you to believe. As far as bloggers and commenters, I don’t read my own media any more because of that. I’m actually quite sensitive when people talk shit about me. I don’t need that energy in my life. They don’t know me.

Well, you’d better read this, bitch! I’m going to write awful things about you.
[Laughing.] Oh, I hope so! Terrible things get so much more press than anything nice, so write that you hate me. I’m a terrible bitch. That you’ve hated me from the moment you met me!

Before you knew I did drag, you explained Chris March by saying, “Well he’s a drag queen. That’s kind of hard to be around all the time.” I understood what you meant. Drag is expected to be funny, bitchy and catty. If that’s how I am everyday – and my friends reading this will probably say, “But you are, Blanche!” -- it would get tiring quick!
Right. I think Chris has some great qualities, but I think deep down, he is insecure about a lot of things. I think he is a performer. He has all these one-liners. On the show, you see 18-24 hours of footage condensed into 40 minutes on TV. So when he cracks a joke, it’s hilarious. But if you’re living with that, and you’re stressed and exhausted, you’re like, “Really?” There are parts of Chris I really like. There are parts of other people from the show I really like. I just don’t hang out with him, and I don't know anyone from the show who does. I think that says more than anything I could do or say.

I thought Rami was super hot!
When I first saw him, I was like, “Mmm…” I remember thinking, before I got to know anyone, “Wow! Our season’s hot!” I thought Rami was good looking. Stephen from Chicago was handsome in his own way.

Kevin is hot too!
Kevin is adorable in the straight, Italian way. Carmen, the black girl, used to be a model. Alissa, the crazy girl who spit on her fabric, was 43 and still looked really good. Sweet Pea was really adorable. Vyctoria is pretty. Jillian was cute. I think Kit is adorable. I just love her. Rami is really hot. Then you get to know people. Rami and I just have very different personalities. He’s got this whole . . . he’s from Jerusalem. I’m a big ol’ queen, and he’s not. I think for a while he was even trying to pretend that he wasn’t even gay. We wouldn’t be friends. I’m friendly with him. When I see him out, I give him a big ol’ hug and say “Hey.” When I go to L.A., though, I call Kit and Sweet Pea. He’s just not someone I’d be close friends with, but I still like him.

I could care less about his fashion. To be honest, I’d prefer to see him without anything on at all.
We all got to go to the gym together once. I was working out with Rami, and he has a good body.

So Vyctoria is not the bitch they made her out to be?
No, no, no. If anyone was cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs on our season, it was Carmen. I mean, she’s bat shit crazy in real life! I’m scared of her, and I know so are a lot of the cast! If anyone is a bitch on that season… Oh, my God. That’ll probably come back to haunt me. She’ll probably come stab me! Vyctoria, she just has a side of her that’s very, very stubborn. She’s really, really smart – like genius smart. She used to be a journalist.

Journalists are totally smart. I mean, always.
Always! [Laughing.] She’s just very cerebral. She has a blog where she writes these really intense critiques of people’s collections. They just made her out to be an opinionated bitch. She is opinionated. And she is stubborn. But she’s also one of the nicest people, if you want to grade someone. She’s totally sweet.

It sounds like if I watch the show Kevin and you are shopping, I’ll be up at 2 a.m. trying to redecorate my kitchen with scraps of an old dress.
For the pitch meeting, I had to go down to 14th Street and go into one of those hideous store where they sell dresses for like Puerto Rican prom…

Quincineras?
Yeah! They’re like $50. I had to buy two identical ones, then remake one. I dyed it. I completely took it apart. The before and after is shocking. Anything that is remotely similar to a Project Runway challenge gives me hives.

My first drag outfits were catastrophic, fabric-glued messes of sequin and feathers.
When I first moved to New York, for about eight years, I would do drag every Halloween and Wigstock. I have scary pictures. For my very first pictures, I bought two silver lame dresses in Size 14 that were so hideous. Then I took pink feather boas and basically glued them all over. My friend and I went to the Roxy Halloween party, and Donna Karan was there. I have this picture of the two of us and Donna Karan in the middle.

That could have ended your design career before it ever started!
I started making my own clothes when I was in high school. I was a little club kid. I would go into the bathroom and cut my hair for like two hours straight. When I came out, my mom would be like, “Oh, my God!” I’d have a total Flock of Seagulls hair. Scary. I was always destined to be a little freak.

The Stop AIDS Project just published these photos taken two years ago, when I first started drag. I’m in a handmade dress with the safety pins showing. At the time, I thought it was fabulous!
One year for Halloween, we were majorettes in New Orleans. There were four of us. All together, we had six batons each – two in our wigs and two in each hand. I made these 1970s majorettes outfits. That was the Halloween where I got so drunk, and it was raining. On the way back into the hotel at 4 a.m., I slipped across the marble foyer in front of 50 queens dressed as G.I. Joe. I was like, “Oh…That’s…not…really…cute.” I crawled into the elevator, pushed my floor and that was that.

[Both are laughing.]

A few weeks ago, I was leaving a party wearing 8-inch platforms. The heat inside the party unsealed one heel. As I was running across the street, it came loose. I totally took a nosedive in the middle of four lanes of oncoming traffic. It was horrifying.
Oh, another drag mishap I had was with latex. I developed an allergy to latex when I was like 25. I hadn’t really identified it yet, until I was putting on eyelashes. The glue is latex, and it got in my eye. So my eye swelled shut! So I’m trying to take like 17 Benadryl and still put on my make-up with my eye swelled shut. I was like the malformed, Bell’s Palsy drag queen that year. It was so not cute.

People don’t realize drag is a dangerous occupation.
It should be an Olympic sport! Well, they have synchronized swimming, so that’s basically the same thing. [Giggling.] I don’t think there are any insurance plans which cover that!

For More Information, Visit Jack's Website.

Michelle Williams Is Unexpected Treat for Dance Music Fans

2008-11-06T20:26:59Z

“Did you expect me?” Michelle Williams asks precociously to introduce her new Columbia Records release Unexpected. The answer, of course, is absolutely not. Content until now with Grammy-winning solo success in the gospel market, many wrote Williams off as little more than window dressing for Beyonce and Kelly Rowland in the world’s best-selling girl group, Destiny’s Child.

All that changed with chart-topping first single “We Break the Dawn,” a staple on San Francisco’s KNGY Energy 92.7 and dance radio around the world, and Williams’ new, shockingly good full-length collection of dance/pop tracks. Not only has the Chicago-born singer found her voice, she seems to poke fun at stepping from her famous bandmates’ massive shadows with the album’s title.

Now Williams is preparing a one-two punch of follow-up singles – ballad “The Greatest,” which has already landed on Billboard club charts in remix form, and instantly familiar up-beat confection “Hello Heartbreak.” Just before the multi-hyphenated (singer-actress-HIV-activist--Broadway star) performer returned to San Francisco for an Oct. 31 performance at the Adonis circuit party -- hosted by yours truly -- she called in for a delicious phone chat.

The first time we connected several months ago, the diva and I gabbed as if we were old girlfriends. The second time around, exhausted by a 4 a.m. wake up call and series of interviews promoting the stellar new collection of solo work, things got off to a slow start. Luckily, she was her playful, peppy, absolutely flawless self by Halloween night. Here we chat about the album's success, the gay men she has met throughout her career and the best part of performing in the club scene.

What made you decide to move away from the gospel of your early solo work toward dance/pop and R&B for your album Unexpected?
It’s something I have wanted to do. I always tell people, since Michelle was in her early teens, she’s always done what she wants to do. It’s just something fun. I wanted to have fun this time around. I wanted to do something new and try to find my niche.

“We Break the Dawn” has turned you into quite the dance diva, which you tasted, of course, with Destiny’s Child. What is it like being out there on your own, with everyone knowing your song?
It’s exhilarating. It’s very, very exciting. I can’t wait for the coming months when more and more people start knowing the songs.

One of your two follow-up songs “Hello Heartbreak” is a great spin on the break-up song. It’s that optimistic, “So I fell in love and got hurt. That’s not the end of the story.”
“Hello Heartbreak,” to me, is about that first step to admitting… The first step to solving a problem is admitting you’ve got one. To me, “Hello Heartbreak” is analyzing you. On “Hello Heartbreak” I analyze myself. It’s like, “I have a strange connection to pain. I can’t seem to walk away from harm. I’m always running into danger’s arms.” You take those first few lines, and you’re like, “Why do I always do that? Why do I always pick the wrong one?” Then “Hello Heartbreak” talks about when that relationship might just be going a little too good, and you already know it’s not going to last. We’ll be in a relationship, and it’s going good, but we ruin it with the negative thoughts that it’s not going to last.

Is it hard as a performer to find songs, especially if someone else writes them, that you connect to and feel really give the voice you want to have?
With my last – actually, all my solo projects – I’ve never had that problem. I’ve built such a good chemistry with my producers. If I don’t feel a chemistry with you, I don’t work with you.

Maybe I’m misinterpreting here, but you say with all your “solo” work that wasn’t a problem. Does that mean there were times with Destiny’s Child when you didn’t feel a connection to the music?
Oh, no. If we’re talking about my solo work, you know. But with Destiny’s Child, this last album was when we really worked with the producers hands-on. The last album [before that], we just took a lot of tracks, and it was written. This time it was the three of us writing and working with the producers. With my solo project, I was more hands-on.

In addition to your music career, you’re a long-time supporter of HIV/AIDS awareness and testing. Part of that involved Camp Heartland, a group for children infected with and affected by the disease. Tell me about that experience.
It was an awesome, awesome, awesome experience! Now you’re dealing with innocent children who got it because it was transfused to them. There were even children at the camp who did not have it but whose parents died from it or who are dealing with someone close to them who has it. It was awesome to see all those children there. They were still running around. They were so, so strong – and they’re still optimistic about life.

You were there with Lance Bass, at approximately the time he was coming out. Are the two of you friends?
Mmm-hmm. N’ Sync and Destiny’s Child, we were all kind of rising up together. As for how close we are, there were times when we would go over to his house. He would have us over to his house for dinner. I know Lance and Kelly were really close. We exchanged information and would sometimes text each other. I don’t remember who changed numbers first, but we kind of lost touch for a while, but whenever we see each other, it’s always love. We have mutual friends, so it’s always love when we see each other.

When he came out, I can’t imagine the pressure he felt. You were out there making music, because that’s what you love, and then had to make his personal life very public.
Right, right! I understand. You’ve got people who are scared to come out because they’re afraid to come out because they’re thinking it’s going to affect their career. It’s a shame people have to think about that based on who they love.

On UPN series Half & Half, you costarred with gay San Franciscan Alec Mapa. He’s just so funny and sweet. What was your experience like with him?
He was Huh-LARIOUS! I mean, he was one of the ones who just put me at ease when I was on the set. I just love, love, loved working with him. If I could work with him again on something, that would be great. He’s just great! He’s such a natural. He’s so quick with his wit. He’s just great.

When we first agreed to speak, I was trying to figure out what we’d talk about – other than the appeal of your music to gays. Then I read your bio. When you did Celebrity Duets, you were paired with Jai Rodriguez. You have gay men scattered throughout your career!
(Laughing.) Yes. That was fun, and Jai is so cute! (Laughing.) He told me of all the times straight women tried to hit on him. He’d be like, “Uhm, I’m not quite on your team.” You know you’re hot when people know you’re gay and still hit on you, thinking they can “convert you.” (Laughing.)

What is your favorite part of club appearances like your Halloween night performance at the Gus Presents…Adonis Party?
Just how everybody is always up and they’re dancing. Everybody’s always excited. Everybody’s like, “Wow! Michelle is coming!” They know my music. It’s been the best. I just feel so much love all the time. Nobody’s judgmental. Everybody’s excited. I’m really appreciative of that.

For More Information Michelle, visit: http://www.MichelleWilliamsOnline.com

Pollo Del Mar is a San Francisco drag celebrity, journalist, columnist, blogger and party hostess. She returns to The Crib Weds., Nov. 25, to host the girls from hip-hop/pop group Danity Kane and Making of the Band 4. For more information, visit Pollo's MySpace.

Photos Courtesy of Plezures Photography.

I Flipped My Wig at The Crib

2008-09-27T00:29:16Z

By Pollo Del Mar

According to Jim Croce, there are a few things in this world you just don’t do. Don’t tug on Superman’s cape. Don’t spit into the wind. Don’t take the mask off the ol’ Lone Ranger. And you definitely do not fuck with a drag queen’s wig. Actually, I added that last one myself, but one pathetic creature almost learned this fact of life the hard way last night at The Crib’s Pussycat Dolls CD release party!

Waiting to make my hostessing debut at the Gus Presents 18-and-over Thursday night club at 715 Harrison at 3rd Street, one minute I was looking gorgeous, dancing and enjoying the company of a couple very sweet lesbians. The next thing I know, I was bald, furious and on the verge of assault-and-battery, honey!

What made that wafer-thin, bleach blond bitch decide to snatch my wig off, I’ll never know, but I damn sure bet he’ll think twice before pulling that shit again! I pounced on that nasty Chris Crocker knock-off faster than you can say “super-tranny-beatdown.”

With my favorite hair at my feet, and the culprit shaking like a leaf in my opera glove-covered hands, I was ready to deliver a serious WWE-style smackdown. Luckily, I came to my senses before snapping his malnourished ass in half like a spaghetti noodle. After all, nothing ruins a party like tran-handling an obnoxious little East Bay refugee in the middle a crowded dancefloor –- or getting carted off to 850 Bryant for homo-cide!

Once I’d put myself back together and actually apologized to my attacker for an aggressive response to his transgression -- or was it tranny-aggression!? –- it was back to business-as-usual. After all, hunger can drive a person to insanity, I thought, and that silly manorexic had obviously existed on a diet of nicotine and vodka for far too long.

Boy, am I glad I was able to regain my peace of mind. I really had a fantastic time with those kids! The place was packed with the Bay Area’s 18-to-25 set shaking their asses to DJ Twist on the club’s huge main dance floor and DJ Kidd Sysko in the front room, which they call Disco 3000.

Later in the night, I hosted a dance competition to give away copies of the new PCD album Doll Domination. As a sign of goodwill and forgiveness, I even allowed that peroxided poof to enter. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit a twinge of pleasure watching the crowd’s blank stares as the overly-intoxicated travesty flailed around centerstage.

Other than a smattering of pity claps, the audience went completely dead when I brought him up for our applause-o-meter judging. Guess I wasn’t the only one to think she outstayed her welcome.

Ahhh… Sweet revenge!

SF BayGuardian "Promosexual" blogger Pollo Del Mar returns to The Crib Thurs., Oct. 16, to host Energy 92.7FM favorite Lady GaGa who performs her #1 dance single "Just Dance."