If you’ve summered on Fire Island over the past few years, you’ve probably been served or encountered Cherry’s On The Bay’s bartender extraordinaire and musical theater wiz Austin Tracy. And if you’ve been particularly lucky, you’ve experienced Austin’s bearded and tattooed drag alter ego Ethel Furman. No? Well now’s your chance, care of a fun Brooklyn venue this season! [Cover photo: Elaine Rita]
Thotyssey: Hello Ethel, so happy to finally chat with you now!
Ethel Furman: Absolutely! Thanks for interviewing me. I’ve been a fan for years, so this is exciting!
Same! So it’s nearly Fire island season… are you ready for the madness to return?
I’m ready, but I’m not going back out to Fire Island to work this summer. I’ll be out galivanting around out of drag (especially since Bernadette Peters is performing at the Ice Palace!) and will of course show up when you least expect me. If glitter is the herpes of drag, I’m the herpes of Cherry Grove. Good luck getting rid of me!
You’re fans will miss you as a regular presence out there, but that leaves room for more exciting ventures! Much to discuss, so we better get right to the beginning of all things: where are you from originally, and what’s your inspiration and background as far as art and performance go?
I was born in Michigan, and grew up and went to college there. I went to Eastern Michigan for acting, stayed for directing and writing and left with a degree in Arts Management, which I’ve ironically used. Haha. Afterwards I Thoroughly Modern Millie’d myself and hopped onto a MegaBus with nothing but two bags and a dream. A few months in I got hired at Pieces. I was there back in the day when Vodka Stinger was the only drag queen there. I definitely got a huge chunk of my musical theatre education and inspiration from her.
Ethel didn’t show up until years later, but was born out of my intense obsession with musicals and my reverence for all the queens I’ve worked with over the last decade–and a half who always said I should just do it… and honestly, out of necessity.
Who is your number one all time Broadway diva? Is it Ethel Murman? Bernadette? Patti LuPone? Sutton Foster??
That’s like asking to pick one of my children! I’m notoriously known out of drag as “The Gay with the Hirschfeld Tattoos.” My whole back is covered with musical theatre divas from Broadway divas like Patti and Bernadette to the more niche like Hermione Gingold and the classic icons like Judy, Babs, and Bette. But if I had to pick, I’d say Liza. I sometimes perform as her, and know so much about her that I even know her social security number. Hope saying this doesn’t get me put on some sort of list!
If you got on Drag Race, would you do Liza in “Snatch Game?”
I don’t think I’ll ever audition; my kind of drag isn’t what they’re looking for. I’ve got a messy, old school style–I’m the girl with a torn slip and a mustache.
However, like all Drag Race fans I do have a “Snatch Game” answer: Angela Lansbury. I don’t know a single other person who can do an impression other than me. My bestie, Jack Aaronson, always asks me to sing “The Song” (aka “Beauty and the Beast”) when he’s playing on Fire Island, and the jaws are always on the floor. I’m not a great singer and have the memory of a goldfish when it comes to live lyrics, but impressions… my Angela is probably what I’m proudest of.
Looking back at your your long tenure on Fire Island as a bartender and performer, does anything stand out to you as a highlight moment, a crazy moment, etc.?
I’ve bartended out there on and off for years at Cherry’s, mostly up at Cherry Lane. I’ve been lucky enough to watch Boudoir LeFleur and The Assassins go from baby queens to a full force house of badassery.
Two years ago, slowly one by one every Assassin got injured or sick during post-season– so I stepped up to cover. It started as a series of Facebook joke posts of me “taking out the competition” using my stupid meme-making skills, but I ended up creating a hilariously, ridiculous nine minute number using all of those memes. It was so Cherry Grove-specific… and honestly, downright stupid. But the crowd loved it. I felt so at home;. I always feel at home on Fire Island. But to have the community feel that I’m not just one of their own, but that I’m the silly weirdo who is welcome not just as a person, but as a performer? That’s the magic of the island, and why both my asshole out of drag brother Austin and myself will always have a piece of our heart there.
We recently–and quite suddenly and tragically–lost Cherry’s DJ Stacy, another iconic Fire Island staple.
Working on Fire Island is so different than just visiting. All of the bartenders, performers, servers, DJs, owners, front desk workers, cleaners… we all know each other. The community is small, but the people that build the summer out there is even smaller.
I’ve known DJ Stacy for nearly a decade; I’ve worked with her at Cherry’s for years. I never worked a shift with Stacy where she didn’t give me a hug and a kiss. I’m sure she saw me as a thorn in her side sometimes, but there was always so much love there. Always.
When I heard the news, I was devastated. I can’t believe I’ll be going home to the Grove this summer and won’t see her. I’d say the music wouldn’t be playing as lively without her… but knowing Stacy, it’s going to be louder, more exciting, and the floors will be packed full of dancing. Her spirit will make sure of it. Her heart was on always on the dance floor, especially on the island. She used to yell at me for not dancing. If you can believe it, I don’t like dancing. But this summer, I promise to dance for her.
That’s lovely! She will be so missed. But there are inevitably new things on the horizon, such as “Furmented Mondays,” your new monthly venture at Someday Bar in Brooklyn that starts this coming week!
To say I’m excited about this is an understatement. I stumbled into Someday Bar about eight months ago, and instantly fell in love with the place so much so that I came back nearly every day that week. I met the owner, Megan, and instantly we bonded over my Death Becomes Her tattoos. I told her she was going to hire me, and she agreed.
A few months later and I was hired as a bartender, and she has given me this wonderful opportunity to have a monthly show! This place is a magical gem and I wanted in, and now… I’m all in! It’s not necessarily a gay bar, but it’s the queerest thing in Boerum Hill. There’s drag every Wednesday with “Flamboyance” starring Nancy NoGood and Reina Nobuena. Also, a Sunday drag brunch and bingo with Antonio Amor.
As for “Furmented Mondays,” it’ll be the fourth Monday of every month at 7pm. I’ll have a different guest every month, starting with my Cherry’s sister, Boudoir LeFleur! Expect showtunes and stupidity. It’s my first one, so I’m going big. The plan is to do eleven numbers! I’ve a tendency of getting carried away. Bad for my back, great for an audience. I’ll be doing some classic Ethel numbers including my cocaine mix and my Nintendo themed Greatest Showman mashup.
I’ve also put together three brand new mixes that I’m excited to throw in front of an audience. I love being vulgar and campy, and able to do whatever I want with esoteric musical theatre so that’ll be the vibe of this first show. I hope people stop in, grab a burger and a cocktail, and just laugh at how dumb this mustached lady can be. Spoiler alert: I may end with a specific singing teapot…
Should be an amazing addition to Brooklyn drag! What else is coming up for you?
I’ve got two different projects in the works that I can’t talk about just yet… but Ethel will be around. It’s hard bartending four nights a week as a boy, and being a full blown mess of a lady on the days off. But if I’m free, I’m always down to play around and be a silly catastrophe.
Any extra Ethel in our lives is a good thing! Okay, lastly… who should win this season of RuPaul’s Drag Race?
The moment this season was announced, I was Team Sapphira. I met her back when I worked at Pieces. She used to be a regular guest at Dusty Ray Bottoms‘ “Had It Happy Hour.” The artistry and skill she would give to a room, whether 2 or 60, was always the same. Always incredible. She’s the real deal: hardworking, talented, and so wonderful to be around. She may be a Philly queen ,but to me she’s still a hometown girl… and I’m rooting hard for them floppy titties!
Thanks, Ethel!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Ethel Furman’s upcoming appearances, and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
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