Linda Simpson, the drag queen witness
"The Drag Explosion”- Courtesy of Linda Simpson
New York's Lower East Side was the center of underground art back in the early 80s when drag art was still not well received by many in society, and a competition show like RuPaul's Drag Race would have seemed impossible to reach the mainstream. In less than one decade, however, the media's perception of a man in a wig would change entirely, and the drag of LES would be on magazine covers and daytime television for the first time.
Drag queen Linda Simpson, who would unpretentiously carry a point-and-shoot camera in her bag wherever she'd go, accidentally ended up being not only part of this history but also the main responsible for telling it. "Back when I was taking photos of the drag scene in the 1980s and '90s, it was simply for fun. They were just ordinary snapshots. It wasn't until a couple of decades had passed that I realized I had created a time capsule of a very fascinating era. I was lucky—at the right place at the right time", says Linda.
Those far from ordinary snapshots are now part of an incredible coffee table book, The Drag Explosion, that Linda will be promoting in two exclusive events this week. The first one happens this Thursday, 21, at Fotografiska photo museum, with special guest Lady Bunny. The second is a party with drag shows and go-go dancers on Sunday, 24, at Parkside Lounge.
"In "The Drag Explosion," I chart how drag became a mainstream sensation for several years in the 1990s, but then the interest faded", recalls Linda, who witnessed RuPaul's ascendance into a national pop star, thanks to Supermodel (You Better Work) in 1992. The song charted at no. 45 in the US, catapulting RuPaul's career and opening doors to other queens. Suddenly, they were the subject of interviews and documentaries shown on TV nationwide.
Lady Bunny and RuPaul - Lisa Simpson
As soon as the media's ancient moguls lost interest, drag art went back to the underground. In 2009, RuPaul caught his second wind premiering RuPaul's Drag Race, which initiated a new era for drag queens worldwide. This time, Linda believes they have more control of the situation - thanks to Instagram.
"Back then, the media gatekeepers would decide when something was in or out. Nowadays, it's much easier to be in charge of your own public persona with social media. Even if the mainstream doesn't give you the attention you deserve, you can rack up tons of fans on your own. It's not uncommon nowadays for a drag queen to become an Internet phenomenon without ever having set foot on stage."
The return to the mainstream attracted a new crowd of performers and admirers who seems more concerned with popularity, and some can even afford to be apolitical. Linda is from a time when drag had no choice but to join the fight. "Because of the AIDS crisis, every queer person, drag queens included, was politicized to some degree. All LGBT people were under siege, and I found it very inspiring that so many people pulled together to combat this oppressive atmosphere. I think drag's big contribution was to offer laughs and joy during a very dark time."
Queens from Linda's generation also noticed a change in the audience's sense of humor. Recently a few young drag fans tried to "cancel" Coco Peru because of a joke on Bianca Del Rio's Facebook. Talking about the episode on Lady Bunny's podcast, Peaches Christ argued that fans raised by Drag Race "are not very sophisticated" to understand sarcasm. Linda, who has mastered sarcasm during her career, agrees with Peaches: "I think much of the Drag Race crowd is so young that they haven't had time to develop much of a personality, let alone an appreciation for the fine art of sarcasm. I hate the idea that drag is supposed to be all lovey-dovey and polite. I'd much rather enjoy a sarcastic and hilarious queen any day".
So what is the next chapter in drag queens history? The answer is unknown, but perhaps Linda's Instagram bio may give us a clue: "Drag Queens Come & Go, Few Survive the Test of Time." After four decades putting on makeup, dresses, high heels, and wigs, Linda Simpson seems to have done more than just survived. We may not know about the future of drag art, but without her work, there's a chance the past would have also been a mystery.
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