Another full weekend, busy with traveling to visit family. Last week we drove to Hernando to see Mom and Dad, this week we drove to Atlanta to see Jerry, Scott and Jeremy. It was a nice visit, a thankfully uneventful drive up and back. Not really a noteworthy trip except for the main reason we chose THIS weekend to make the drive.
Unless you include my minor excursions into the side-shows of New Orleans and Myrtle Beach, this was only my second drag show. The first was a year and a half ago and I’m not sure it counted. I didn’t know what to expect, their friends saw me as an ‘outsider’ and possibly a threat so I was left alone; but not this time. This trip, I was one of the friends, just one of the crowd, another supporter.
When we went up the November before last, Jerry was competing for Miss Dixie. It was his first competition and he didn’t win but I was so excited for him. It was something new for me to see him dressed like that. The really freaky thing though was he wore a dress similar to Teresa’s prom dress and his wig was made up the same way Teresa used to wear her hair. From the back he looked like Teresa and when he turned he looked like all of the early pictures I’ve seen of Lada. People have said that I look like my mom but this was a whole other realm. I was very glad we drove up for the competition to support him that time.
I remember we actually left festival for it. I drummed all night Friday, Teresa drove out at dawn Saturday; I cooked breakfast, started lunch, caught a plane and landed in Atlanta in time to meet Teresa for the show. We saw the show and drove straight back in time to cook breakfast Sunday morning and pack up camp. It was a hellish trip (and dangerous!) but I would do it again. It was the first time that Jerry invited Teresa and me to join in that part of his life and it was his first competition. I always thought it would take a death in the family to get me to leave festival site but it turned out there are other things that have that power as well. Love and support can do it too!
So, last November the contest fell over the festival dates again and we didn’t go that time. I wish I could have because he won! He (I’m still learning drag-etiquette, It’s supposed to be ‘she’ but I’m not sure how comfortable he is with me revealing his stage name on-line so, I’ll just keep the ‘he’ for now) is the reigning Miss Dixie 2007. Yeah!
So this show was just a fund raiser and without all the competition, everyone had a blast! All of the friends have gotten to know me a little bit now and know that I’m not “That straight guy that got dragged to the gay bar”; I’m here because I want to be here and what a show it was. Funny and talented too. There were a few performers that really put everything they had into it. There were seasoned professionals and amateurs. There were a few that did the ‘over the top’ presentation with HUGE boobs and butts and others that dressed for real but still looked like Ned Beatty. Everyone had fun and there was even one that made me look twice (if only for a second…)
I told Jerry that all of this is not good for my competitive streak. I’m sitting there and thinking to myself, “You know I would do it this way, wear the dress that way, perfect my stage presentation, etc, etc.” We laughed about it because I’d never actually go on stage but Jerry seems to think I’ll give in and do it one day. Never going to happen! Although, I imagine myself with full beard and a cigar with a curly blond wig and I’ve got a few songs picked out that would be just perfect…
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