My Night With Brittany Lynn

So to kick off Drag History Month I decided to start off with a sit down with, the Madonna of the PhillyDragopolis, Miss Brittany Lynn!  There have been queens before her and definitely queens after her but no matter how the industry changes in the city she still remains on every one's mind.  Brittany has had so major ups and some minor lows but she is coming back with a vengeance this year.  With so many monthly shows (like "Half & Half" at Raven Lounge and "Show Us Your Tunes" at Tavern on Camac) and a weekly "Drag Your Ass Out of Bed" Sunday brunch show (which I just went too and will have a review to come) it is clear Brittany is not going anywhere! 

Brittany recently invited me over for some drinks, some tapas, and a peek into the world that is and was Brittany Lynn.  I will tell you, this queen has EVERYTHING in her archives!  Pictures align her walls of past shows that she is most proud of, including a picture with Sandra Berhard (her idol), and classic black and white photos of her getting into drag.  She has scrapbooks filled with fliers from shows both past and present, and her coloring book which was published in the 90's.  She even pulled out the old VCR and played me video tapes of her early shows.  After many laughs and reminiscing here is what I learned about this iconic drag queen.

PD:What year did you start doing drag?

BL:Summer of 96' professionally-but I toured as Frank-N-Furter in the live stage production of Rocky Horror in 1991 & played Alice in the live production of "The Brady Bunch" in 1993 so I had some drag roles before Brittany was born.

PD:What was your inspiration and reasons you started?

BL:My inspiration is Miss Sandra Bernhard-anything that comes out of her mouth is brilliant! I wanted to do what she did-tell stories, sing, and share the thoughts in my head with those who would listen-but clubs in Philly would not allow me to follow my dreams as a gay comic-but if I put on a dress and some hair, then I could get booked anywhere I wanted.

PD:Where was your first performance as Brittany Lynn? And How did you feel about it?

BL:My first show was at 12th Air Command-I wore a black and white 60's dress and lip-synched to Celine Dion's "River Deep, Mountain High". I did it as a favor to the host at the time, Tinsel Garland, who needed some girls for the Thursday night contest-I was hooked after the first night! I quickly switched to comedy, and after two months the offers started coming in for me to host my own shows.

PD: What was your thought process behind starting the now infamous "Drag Mafia"?

BL:Girls were working for free, or for a few drinks, and no one was handling the business aspect of their work. Many club owners saw drag queens as jesters or clowns, and I thought that was awful-even worse was the fact that the girls didn't seem to mind jumping through hoops for a jack n coke. If drag was going to be my career choice or a gateway to my comedy career, then I had to start a way for the community to take what me and my girls do seriously. Having graduated from Temple University with a degree in PR and marketing, I created my own brand-clubs could call Mr and know they were getting quality entertainment at a set price, and all the performers knew if they worked with me, they would get fair pay, a dressing room, security, and their cocktails. It quickly became a household name throughout Philly and we went all over the country touring-and it still continues...

PD:Where did the Drag Mafia usually perform?

BL: My first home base was of course 12th Air, then Studio Six in Atlantic City, but my first Friday show at Shampoo was a Philadelphia staple that lasted 10 years from 1996-2007. We were all also regulars at Bob & Barbara's

PD:Who were the Drag Queens in the original Drag Mafia?

BL:I was the don, Brenda LaMour was the secretary, Salotta Tee, Feressa, on occasion Sandy Beach and Ginger Snaps (now he goes by Stephen Andrade), Andrea Lamour, P.C. Mansfield, Melanie Banks, Donna St. John, and Joey Joesephs were among the first crew.  Aeryanah Von Moi, Lisa Lisa, Marissa Devine, Ginger Alley, Sylvia Del Rio, and  Natasha joined on later, and list goes on and on...

PD:Tell me a little bit about the hay day of the Drag Mafia.

BL:We did everywhere-we were regulars  at Kurfew NYC, Renegade in Rehoboth-a slow night at Shampoo meant less than 1,300 or 1,400 people. I was the first girl to have a show at Woody's-it was Tuesday nights and the place would be packed -it lasted almost two years. Around 1999, I broke the Delaware Avenue barrier and brought the gays to the straight clubs. My friend Justin had parties at Evoloution, Glam, Deco-and Brittany Lynn became the first drag queen to host and perform for all the straight mafioso parties-and that was gayyyyy! I worked with Rendell on his election campaigns, the Mummers, MTV, the Philadelphia Convention Center opening, Streisand's last televised concert, and had the time of my damn life doing it all...

PD:Then what broke up the Drag Mafia?

BL:People always came and left the group, some stopped doing drag or moved away-but we never disbanded-alot of clubs just stopped putting out money for shows or stopped having them altogether. But all my girls know we have a bond from the experiences we shared and from being lucky enough to have worked in the years that drag was at it's zenith here in Philly.

PD:Why do you feel that drag virtually disappeared for while?

BL:I think it was the fact that the era of track artists and Dj's that produced tracks for those divas ended-Kim English, Mia Cox, Deborah Cox-hell even Whitney, Cher, and Madonna were still pumping hot dance tracks with the help of Razor & Guido, Robbie Tronco, Eddie Baez, Thunderpuss-that music brought people out to dance-and estacy was big too-but when hip hop came around, clubs stopped having the house music parties and late night events, which led to clubs not charging $20-$25 as a cover, and in turn made them stop featuring over the top entertainment.

PD:So why do you feel like it has made such a comeback in the last year or so?

BL:I think it's something in the water or the phase of the moon, cuz honey, queens are popping out of every hole in Philly-and with a city full of so many bottoms-you practically trip over a new gal every five seconds lately.

PD:So what do you feel is the biggest difference between the drag scene now and then?

BL:The performers had a level of professionalism that will never be topped-everyone had a specific talent that allowed us all to work together in a "drag symbiosis" that clicked and kept our shows fresh and innovative. Many of the shows were contests but were held with the highest regard-I was in lashes every night with a full nail set on. We were some hard working bitches  and we earned our community's respect-working together like that was like being in a family-we all  looked out for each other and brought new performers in with open arms to share our stage with them-there is alot of cliquey bullshit and "trying to climb the ladder" nonsense that many girls today have to deal with, and that's sad. I won't even get into the shitty pay these girls accept for a day's work-it's goes against everything I worked for with my Drag Mafia standards.

PD:What do you feel is your greatest memory or achievement?

BL:Alot of the stuff I mentioned before-but performing for Sandra Bernhard as Sandra Bernhard-it doesn't get any better than that for me.

PD:Here's just a fun question that my readers would love to know.  What are your true feelings about the playful feud between you and Mimi Imfurst?

BL:Some people say that Mimi is a huge piece of untalented shit-vomit that audiences stare at like a car crash...
But now getting to your question-it's all good. In New York and other cities, alot of hosts pick on the other well known and popular hosts-so when Mimi came to Philly she chose me as her target. If she made jokes about people like Cherry Pop, Satine, or Diana Dharling, then people wouldn't get the joke until years later when they did some intensive research and found out who these queens were-I'm kidding but you get the point-so we go back and forth with the "feud" and it makes things fun.

PD:What would you like to say to all your loyal fans?

BL:You kids have stuck with me and have given me amazing support for 15 wonderful years chock full of kiki, and I  promise I'll always do my best to keep you all laughing hard and truly gagging, and when I can no longer do that-then figure out what your problem is and came back and see me again-I'll be waiting...
Love & lashes!!!

So as you can see, my little drag hags, a lot of drag history here in Philly is rooted with Brittany Lynn!  I don't think there is a queen in the city past or present who has not worked with her or been a part of her Drag Mafia.  I am so excited to see everything new she has to offer us in 2012!  And I will be there to report about every bit of it!

A LITTLE SIDE NOTE

Brittany is currently searching for a new, fresh faced, girl to join her ranks!  Starting this Friday at ICANDY's all ages night!  If you are interested contact her on facebook!  The Drag Mafia is on its way back up to the top!