Jackie Beat, She of the Corn Syrup Spoofs, Comes to SF
You may recall L.A.-based drag queen Jackie Beat's corn syrup ad parodies which we aired here on SFist a few months back. Well, the LA-based Ms. Beat is coming to town next weekend with her band Dirty Sanchez to perform aboard the S.S. Trannyshack during Folsom Street Fair weekend (buy tickets for this drunken boat cruise now, we hear they're almost sold out).
Jackie Beat gave an interview with new local gay blog Dorothy Is Dead, talking about the origin of her drag name, her history with Heklina, and the difference between L.A. audiences and SF audiences.
Tell us about your drag debut. Was it as Jackie Beat, or under another name?
Jackie Beat: My first drag performance was doing stand-up comedy in the guise of Beat poetry. I wore all black: a black page boy wig, black skirt, black turtleneck, black beret, black leggings and black boots. My makeup was AWFUL! I wanted to come up with the most '60s sounding name I could think of and I almost went with Amanda Haight. But I am not a big fan of play-on-word drag names, so I decided on Jackie Beat. And I'm glad I chose a relatively unisex name, because now everyone calls me Jackie whether I'm in drag or not!
...
How long have you known Heklina? When did you first meet/work together?
I don't wanna talk about that bitch! Just kidding! We met many years ago when she brought me out from LA to perform at Trannyshack and we have been girlfriends ever since. Please understand that we are neither really "girls" nor "friends," but legally we've got to call each other that. It's a union thing.
What do you see as the difference between San Francisco and Los Angeles audiences?
I was shocked at how touchy SF audiences can be! I know that sometimes hippies can have irony-poor blood, but if I'm singing a song that you consider "racist" or "homophobic" please do not embarrass yourself or essentially announce to the entire room just how stupid and ignorant you really are by expressing your outrage. It's called IRONY -- Google it, bitch!
Read the rest here, and if you're down in L.A. in November be sure to check out "Whatever Happened to Busty Jane?", a new comedy thriller Jackie wrote with collaborator Mario Diaz.
PREVIOUSLY: Drag Queen Spoofs Those Pro-Corn Syrup Ads
Get Your Tickets for SS Trannyshack 2009