Get used to it
Oh you think you're dragged-out?
Well, apparently it's just starting. If you are not watching Drag Race (for whatever reason) and you don't browse YouTube (sure, Jan) and you don't have Hulu or Netflix, then you can move over to HBO (hey, I think Dish has it!) and watch the latest iteration of drag making the world better. One wig at a time.
This time it's Shangela, Bob the Drag Queen and Eureka the ones in charge of challenging small
So I watched the gals arrive, in very much Priscilla, Queen of the Desert style, to Gettysburg and proceed to change some minds and discover new talent in the premiere episode. The series does follow the formula of finding people who need the magic of Drag to let loose/learn something/embrace themselves but what's refreshing is that the results are like life: uneven. I think some of the locals are not too happy. And I like that. Because not everybody learns enough the first time around. It's not sure if the dose of Drag that's administered will be enough to rebuild the bridges that have been burned. Or to expect that towns and cities used to bigotry and hatred would become bastions of equality after our Drag warriors win a battle. But there's always hope, and that's one of the premises of the series.
I think the potential for this series for being awesome is there. The Fairy Dragmothers are fagtastic and have personality galore. The places they visit most probably have never had a dose of
fabulosity as high as the one they get when the gals land and some of the people in those towns will see their outlook changed forever with the help of these three very unlikely Musketeers.
I've pasted the full first episode below. HBO knows what they're doing and they posted it to YouTube as bait because they know we can resist everything but a good cry. There's intersectionality, there's family drama. There's fabulous lip syncing and there's shablam galore. And we may get some tears while watching the whole thing. Because of course we will. So get your popcorn and get ready for We're Here. I think some of you may like it...
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holy shit, they went to pennsyltucky first! outside of philly and pittsburgh, the rest of the state is fulla fucking dump dick-lickers.
ReplyDeleteit's a wonder the girls weren't shot dead by the ammosexuals (they cling to their guns and their religion). gettysburg is about 3 hours west of me; it's a civil war battlefield, and eisenhower used to have a house there that he used when he was president.
You forgot Harrisburg, we are very, very liberal.
DeleteI thought they got an overall good reception but there were some people there who most probably were not friendly at all. I know PA has very liberal pockets, but overall, remember Santorum was elected there...
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This looks good! And I get HBO, so I can watch it! Thanks for the tip!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was worth the watch. The first episode was very touching and the performances were good. I don't get HBO so I may not watch as the episodes come out, thugh.
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I worry that all these drag shows and drag offshoots are gonna saturate the market so much that it becomes ordinary.
ReplyDeleteDrag isn't ordinary; it's fab!
That is an excellent point!!!!! So days I think, and to quote Bernadette Bassinger " Believe me, Bob, these days gentlemen are an endangered species. Unlike bloody drag queens, who just keep breeding like rabbits.
DeleteI don't think drag will ever be 'ordinary'. Even among gay men, drag is still looked at with suspicion: it's female impersonation from their point of view. What this first installment of the show actually demonstrated to me is how incredibly charismatic, unique, brave and talented you need to be to call yourself a drag queen.
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We watched it. It was funny. They had a blast, But more importantly, I think (hope) they opened some eyes, minds, and hearts. The venue was packed but I did find myself wondering how many in the audience drove from afar... I hope the series continues - a little like Queer Eye - and manages to get a larger hetero audience to watch...and understand that LGBTQ are only people with the same wants and needs as the rest of the human race. Hey, we can dream, can't we? xoxo
ReplyDeleteI thought so too! I think the editing and the production are very good, the drag queen's talents are brought to the forefront and the human component of the show is put to good use. I think the people who went to see the show were, like you say, probably from neighboring towns. I think Dave pointed out that the gay bars are in Harrisburg. And yep, one can dream...
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When they were filming this, several of the crew stayed at my friend's house, who lives right off the battlefields. He's friends with one of the crew members . He and Shangela came to the Woods Campground before filming began, where we all have a site, and they were telling us about this.
ReplyDeleteI don't get HBO, and probably won't watch. And I love Eureka, adore her, and her big self, but a little of her goes a long way. I don't do very many shows considered reality.. I mean I love fashion, and have not seen, and very seldom watched one fashion reality show. I have seen PR, but not since season 3. I think when your sometime involved with the subject, you can get a little burnt out of it. I'm still surprised some days, I even watch drag race. I do get burnt out when the seasons come to fast. I also saw where TLC has a drag show called Draglificent. I tried to watch the celebrity drag race that aired....and that was painful. The concepts are all very cute though, and nice to see drag going even more full steam ahead. RuPaul tries a bit hard sometime. But she is another story.
I think Shangela is very talented. Eureka can be a tad too much in large doses. Bob is a riot. I think the concept of the show is well thought out, with a good balance of showing off the Drag queen's talents and a good dose of human interest topics (race, LGBTQ allies, small town lives) . Reality TV (the Housewives, the Bachelor, Love and Hip Hop, My 500 lbs life, etc.) does not call my attention per se, but I make exceptions. Drag Race is one of them. I watched one episode of the TLC show and it was charming. I think the trick is to enlist talented Drag artists.
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Upon your recommendation I will try to view both of these shows and see how they are. I hope you don't think I'm nuts to come back and read, but the banter with comments often make me rethink things, and the other comments give me some new views too.
DeleteI think you should try We're Here! That's why I posted the first episode here LOL.
DeleteI also watched the first episode of Dragnificent and I think Bebe, Thorgy and Alexis do a great job. Again, C.U.N.T in action.
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Back in the day, Shangela was my total favorite in her season. And, I still love ha!
ReplyDeleteOhh she has shown incredible growth. She can also perform the house down. I'm still torn about her losing the title to Trixie.
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I find all the shouting hard work
ReplyDeleteHaha. Drag IS hard work, dear John.
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Gettysburg, where the Yankees topped all those southern boys. The problem with Gettysburg is that it's 90% tourists. The town almost completely shuts down in the winter. On the weekends, all the gays come up to the bars in Harrisburg. It's not that far away.
ReplyDeleteOohh for a second there I thought you were describing a Southern Strokes video. But I agree with you: Gettysburg is very touristy. Still, the locals are good old boys and good old gals. Very salt of the earth (in their own eyes). Maybe that's why all the boys go for their milkshake to Harrisburg.
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