Ladies and Gentleman, your hostess, Linda Simpson!
Linda Simpson is the Fran Lebowitz of the NYC drag scene. Only less rumpled. She's the sharp wit, the smart cookie, the funny hostess, the savvy writer, the sly comedienne… And she's been doing it forever!
Somewhere between 1987 and 1992 Linda founded My Comrade magazine, "the revolutionary gay magazine," which was a compendium of art and words celebrating downtown NYC in all of it's twisted, draggy, hard-living, high-art, grungy pre-Giuliani hey-day. She cut her teeth in the NYC club scene alongside such talents as Lady Bunny, RuPaul, Sweetie and Misstress Formika, and Linda was also a cohost of the legendary gay cable show Party Talk in the mid-90s!
Basically, Linda's never stopped. MyComrade.com thrives now as a blog. And Linda also has found time to work as a magazine editor at Time Out New York, a playwright (her play The Bad Hostess recently debuted in NYC) and a bon vivant, a weekly bingo hostess and cultural superstar.
Paper Magazine even dubbed Linda "the thinking woman's drag queen." Such a brainy girl… But still very popular!
Please enjoy an interview with Linda after the jump. It's short! After all, brevity is the soul of wit. And so is Linda!
What does National Drag History Month mean to you personally?
Can I tell you next year? I’m still absorbing the excitement of its big debut.
How do you plan to celebrate?
Milk and cookies.
Just another day at the office for Ms. Simpson.
Can you tell us about what you recall about seeing drag for the first time? When was it? Who was it?
My earliest drag memories are of watching Bugs Bunny disguise himself as a flirty gal to charm menacing brutes. Worked every time!
What drag queen has had the most influence on you and your career?
It wasn’t just one queen, but the entire cast of kooky and imaginative queens who reigned supreme at the Pyramid Club in the East Village in the late 1980s—Sister Dimension, Hapi Phace, Lady Bunny, Billy Beyond, Tabboo!, etc. They made me want to join in the fun.
What drag queen deserves a "lifetime achievement" award?
Mother Flawless Sabrina, star of the incredible 1968 drag documentary The Queen. Starting in the 1950s, she traveled across throwing and hosting drag pageants at a time when dressing in drag was often illegal. Today, she’s still going strong and throws salons at her eccentric Upper East Side apartment.
Who do you think is or was the fiercest drag queen ever?
Divine—a fabulous actress and fashion plate.
What is the most crucial issue facing the drag community these days?
InNew York, it’s a lack of venues to perform. A queen can’t really shine without a good stage.
What advice would you give for a young, emerging drag queen who’s a little afraid about putting on that wig and stepping out on that stage?
Make sure your wig tightly secured so it doesn’t fall off when hit by rotten fruits and vegetables.
Linda Simpson: She's a prize!
Why is drag important?
Drag is wonderful way to transcend boundaries, and learn a lot about oneself in the process.
There are some powerful cultural and political slogans and quotes out there. "We shall overcome." "Yes, we can." "Remember the Alamo!" What should be the motto or battle cry for National Drag History Month?
Yes we Jan!
If you'd like to know more about the dynamic Linda and her work, check out MyComrade.com, visit Myspace.com/lindasimpson, or just visit LindaSimpson.org. Or just go catch her at Monday Night Bingo at the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City's East Village. It's a delight!
