In a festive jump on the Halloween season, the latest edition of the Los Angeles-based Dragula returns to the Eagle Tavern. Jamie Boulet, half of the Boulet Brothers drag duo, discussed his fangtastic drag night.
Dragula first premiered at LA's Faultline, a sort of sister leather bar to The Eagle.
"We've done all of them there, except for New Year's Eve, which we'll do elsewhere," said Boulet.
"We always intended to bring it to San Francisco, because we knew there would be a fun roving version," said Boulet. "There are different kinds of performers out there who don't get the opportunities to perform. We bring in people from different cities who may not be as famous as those who get on 'RuPaul's Drag Race.' Dragula celebrates everything that we love, and non-traditional forms of drag."
The Dragula crew does include some contestants from that show, like Laganja Estranga, as well as vocalist Prince Poppycock, who was also a fabulous contestant on another show, "America's Got Talent."
Boulet said that some of his fellow performers travel between cities, like Trannyshack MC Heklina, of course. St. Peter DeVille, one of the performers who's been to the SF shows, has helped establish the glam-ghoul "look" of the event.
The events at The Eagle have begun to take place every other month. "There's so much happening with our events, we have to space it out," said Boulet of he and his collaborator/co-producer's busy schedule.
For non-Los Angeles readers, The Boulet Brothers aren't actually brothers, but have become one of the more well-known nightlife promoters in Southern California.
"Usually people don't even refer to use us individually," said Boulet. "It's just a name we've been performing under forever, and it's just become our history."
The Boulets, most often dressed in matching couture drag and eerie glam makeup, which he dubbed "Sexra Terrestrial," host the Dragula pageant, introduce the performers, and the male strip contest. "We're sort of like a Siamese act together," said Boulet of their 14-year kinship.
The gender-bending spooky style is a combination of the Boulets' favorites, "Vampirella, Rocky Horror, and a little bit of camp," said Boulet. "When we first brought it to San Francisco, a lot of people thought it would be so serious. They didn't expect the camp aspect. All our shows are very silly and fun."
That the LA and SF events are both held in leather bars is no accident. "We want to combine our elements of drag, filth, leather and glamour," said Boulet. "We want it to feel like a John Waters movie, with leather daddies and queens. Some of the leather bars haven't really adapted to the new era of club-goers. I feel like our parties are what they need."
Along with the drag fun, Boulet placates the popularity for amateur beefcake with male strip and beer-chugging contests. "It's very collegiate," he chuckled. "It's always wild when we bring the sex and the fun out."
This time, Dragula's extra-special them takes on Disney, with a demented twist. Boulet suggests that guests with a creative spirit not limit themselves to classic villains, but "an undead Snow White, an evil Tinkerbell; people come up with some wild costumes."
Even if patrons don't don drag or leather, they can have and be part of the amusements. "There's no standing around at our club," said Boulet. "A coffin queen tells your fortune, lots goes on; queens really participate."
"We really try to celebrate the best of drag, both older queens and upcoming ones," said Boulet. As for the Bay Area link, "We really clicked with Heklina, and with queens who deserve their own space and don't need a TV show."
Heklina's Halloween Hip
One of the local hosts of Dragula is the irrepressible Heklina. Fresh from her and other queens' collective victory in the 'real name' controversy with Facebook, the Trannyshack guru answered a few questions.
You've brought Trannyshack to Los Angeles and other cities. What are some differences with the L.A. scene, specifically when you host events, and the kind of drag down in Southern California?
First off, I have to say I have never been one of those 'San Francisco versus L.A.' kind of people. I love L.A. and have a ton of friends there. Having said that, I noticed immediately that L.A. likes their stuff a bit slicker than S.F. I even had to tailor my marketing materials to be less "grungy."
The drag in Los Angeles has really grown in leaps and bounds. It used to seem there were no sick and twisted queens down there except for Squeaky Blonde and Fade Dra, but now there are a ton. The Boulet Brothers really cultivate that aesthetic, which I love.
You've done horror and Halloween-themed Trannyshack events, and sell-out shows with Peaches Christ. What's the appeal of drag and horror, and the combination?
I can only speak for myself. I have always been drawn to the darker side of things, or the "otherness." The occult, punk rock, horror movies, cult movies, and stuff like that have always been interesting to me, because they hold things up to be examined that most people don't want to look at or be reminded of. The only way to take power out of something, anything, is to embrace it and stare it straight in the face. I guess I tend to look at everything in an abstract way. I think the latest Drew Barrymore movie or whatever is way more frightening than any horror movie could be. From a purely drag standpoint, the appeal is obvious; dressing up like the Bride of Frankenstein, Elvira, or a drag version of Leatherface is just irresistible.
The upcoming Dragula has a Disney theme. Who are your favorite Disney characters, good or evil, and what might we expect from this Dragula?
My favorite Disney characters are, of course, the evil ones. Ursula the Sea Witch, Cruella de Ville, the evil queen from Snow White. What you can expect from this Dragula is me trying to come up with some sort of look! A bunch of these bitches have already stolen some of the best looks!
Since it reopened, The Eagle has been a great venue for drag and fun kink events. What is it about this combination that makes Dragula events fun?
Whenever you pool together people in "fringe" subcultures, it makes for a fun night. I've always thought drag queens bond well with leather queens, porn stars, hookers, etc. We fit in by the very act of not fitting in.
What's the strangest thing, or outfit you've seen at a Dragula event?
A brilliant queen named She wore one of the best outfits. Unbelievably, she did not win the midnight drag pageant that night!
Dragula invades the SF Eagle, Saturday, October 18. 9:30pm-2am. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com