American drag legend Lady Bunny is heading back to our shores and will appear at the Court on Thursday, 2 May.
With a career that started in the queer scene in Atlanta in the 1980s, Lady Bunny moved to New York City alongside friend RuPaul in 1983. Both were part of the club kid scene and went on to rule the drag world.
The performer is famous for her big hair, big personality and a big mouth. You never know what will come out of it next… but we love a surprise.
Leigh Andrew Hill caught up with the scandalous, sensational performer to find out if the poster’s tagline “don’t bring the kids” is a warning or a threat.
Newer audiences will know you as a comedian, but you really are a queen whose done it all.
Take Me Up High was one of our favourites to play on All Things Queer – can we expect any more big disco tunes from Lady Bunny?
Actually, I just finished a new song and will send it to you!
It’s called Our Love (Is The Way It’s Supposed To Be) and it was co-written and produced by Swedish producer Petter Wallenberg.
It’s not just music either – you’ve built an incredible legacy with Wigstock festival. It’s hard to imagine the spectacle of a drag event of that scale. What made you start up the festival?
The bandshell in the local park booked bands to play almost every weekend, and plenty of them were awful. I thought “I can do better than that!” and for once, I was right.
The festival ran for 20 years and was the subject of two documentaries. I also loved the Pyramid Club, my home bar, so I wanted to showcase all the talent there to a larger, outdoor audience.
Your show warns of offensive content, citing critics who’ve groaned with disgust. You must have had some unsuspecting audience members react to your shows quite spectacularly?
The full quote from the New York Times was ““Lady Bunny made me weep with laughter, often while groaning with disgust. And isn’t that what the best low comedy is all about?”
So that was actually a rave review from the sometimes stodgy Times. I’ve always loved vulgar humour, and my goal has always been to laugh on stage about things I laugh about with friends in private.
There’s no shame in laughter. But some folks are more prudish than others, so my comedy isn’t for the easily offended. I always put a warning on my ticket links that this show is not for prudes.
And I have no desire to read stories to children. While plenty of drag is appropriate for kids, mine isn’t. Honing my craft in front of late night, drunken audiences for decades, I was encouraged to be as outrageous and twisted as possible.
In the immortal words of Michael Jackson “Fuck them kids!”
So, we have been warned! What can first-timers expect from your Australian tour?
I perform a lot of song parodies, from Dua Lipa to Adele and Bruno Mars. I love to dish Drag Race and RuPaul, and I also do an original song or too – including one about Ozempic and weight loss which was the surprise hit of my recent NYC show.
My song choices run the gamut between Peggy Lee to Cardi B. And there’s a new song about how Trixie Mattel stole my look!
This is not your first Australian tour – what is it about Australia that keeps you coming back?
Money! And always having fun down under.
On my first trip to Melbourne, I blew some guy in my dressing room while the promoter filmed it! Y’all are crazy down there. And your humour can be quite raucous, so it’s a great fit for me.
I’m going to Townsville for the first time. Some people are trying to warn me that Townsville is very redneck. But honey, I just live in NYC. I grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which is also quite redneck and in the Bible belt. So Townsville might be scared of me instead of vice versa!
What is the key to longevity in a drag career?
Talent helps, but originality is also important. The queens of Drag Race, after so many seasons, are starting to blur together. Many queens just copy what they see on the show.
I love Sapphira Cristal, but in her first talent number, she jiggled her fake boobs as a gimmick twice in one song, and did the splits. If everyone is doing the same moves, no matter how much physical dexterity is involved, the gimmicks become boring.
So develop your own thing—don’t just copy everyone else is doing.
Also, I think Drag Race queens often do incredible looks. But then sometimes the queens at the local bars are better performers than the ones cast on the show.
So, if you enter the stage looking dynamite, I’ll clap and cheer. But if all you have is more look and less talent, I won’t be clapping at the end of your song.
Get tickets to Lady Bunny’s show at The Court this Thursday 2 May.
OUTinPerth can confirm that Lady Bunny’s upcoming release My Love (The Way It’s Supposed To Be) is a total banger and is now on high rotation at our private disco.
Images: Steven Menendez
