All hail this Accountant Drag King Nerdlesque extraordinaire! Our current reigning Mr. Starlite Royalty and (first ever) Mr. NerdNY, Fox Squire explains his unique role in nightlife and digital drag today.
Thotyssey: Hello, Fox! Thanks for talking to us during this Covid snowpocalypse! How are you holding up?
Fox Squire: I am doing well and survive like everyone. Trying to use this time as an opportunity for personal growth. Hope you are doing well also!
I am! Today is not much different than any other day this year, lol. So, I see that you participated in a digital panel with Avant Garbage regarding personal finance last week.
I work as an accountant, and had the opportunity to be a panelist for the third time. I love finance, and truly believe that understanding personal finance is important for everyone.
This is definitely a time for people to get their shit together with what little coins they have! Do you wish you invested in GameStop a few weeks ago?
Nope! I am a long term investor and Redditor, so I was informed of the movement to buy $GME… but that did not fit my investing profile. I want people to feel empowered to do what they think is right with their money, and know why.
That is true, practical wisdom!
Where are you from originally, and what were your early interests that would one day put you on this fascinating path of being a Draglesque King Accountant!?
So I was born in California, but grew up in Missouri. I have always done some form of theater. I started out in burlesque, and would create a character for many of my acts. At one point, I did an act the portrayed a masculine character; it received great reviews, so I started performing as masc characters more often. I decided to try out pageantry as a male illusionist. Quite a few pageants wouldn’t even take my application, so I keep going. Currently, I am Mr. Mr. Starlite Royalty 2021, and the first ever Mr. Nerd New York.
As far as accounting, I work as a chemist for under ten years and decided to do change industries to film production. Within a few years of working in media, I decided I wanted to use more brain than brawn and got an opportunity to work as an accountant for Love & Hip Hop. During my journey to this first gig, I survived cancer and needed to improve my relationship with money to afford a newer, healthy lifestyle. During my studies, I realized how much information I didn’t know I needed. So now my goals are to share information with folks and perform, whether it be pageants or shows.
What was it like working in your capacity for Love & Hip Hop? Was it a traditional corporate environment, or were there tea and drama?
All the drama of the show is with the talent–the crew was super professional, and I am ecstatic that they provided me with that option. Not everyone is happy to train a new person! And it was my first time dealing with “beef sheets”–up-to-date papers of which talent may not have friendly reactions with other talent.
Thotyssey needs to write up some of her own beef sheets! And that would make a great drag name, lol!
Tell us a bit about what types of numbers you like to do as Fox, and what your aesthetic is like.
Fox is a dapper gentleman that will charm his way into your hearts… and wherever else you consent to. Though his heroes are Nate King Cole and Sammy Davis Jr, he cosplays black masculine characters that can be overlooked in a fandom since they may be a “minor” character.
What were your presentations like for Mr. Starlite and Mr. Nerd?
So for Mr. Nerd NY, it was all cosplay. Lando Calrissian was my swimwear, Mr. Glass was my formal wear, Conway Stern was my performance. For Mr. Starlite Royalty, I used less cosplay since this was a different judging rubric. But my favorite was my coronation presentation, which involved an epaulet long cape with matching mask. My partner escorted me, and we wore matching ties.
The popularity of drag kings has come and gone over the years, but we are definitely in the middle of a big resurgence. What might you attribute this new rise of kinging to?
I cannot be sure, but my hope is that more people are blurring the ridged lines of binary performance–which has created more opportunities for kings to shine. There are some amazing, trailblazing kings like Dr. Wang, Mo B. Dick, Rasta Boi Punany and others that have been holding space for more to step into mainstream acknowledgement, like Landon Cider.
RuPaul’s Drag Race, which has been notoriously unwavering in its strictly cis male drag queen representation for over a decade, has finally shown signs of a growing inclusivity thanks to GottMik’s casting! Do you follow that show at all?
I used to, but have not for a few seasons–after missing a few episodes, it was bit hard for me to catch up.
There’s certainly more than enough time these days to do so if curiosity gets the best of you, lol! So we’ve got some virtual gigs coming up… are you liking digital drag?
Digital performing has been a great way to virtually connect with the audiences from all over the world.
February 3rd marks the premiere of GeekEnders‘ “Nerdlesque Wednesdays: Full Frontal Nerdity” on Zoom, which you will be partaking in as the current reigning Mr Nerd!
The event is an opportunity for mostly Canadian talent, with international acts mixed in. You can expect a lot of fandom love and fun nerdiness.
Then there is another digital showcase you’re partaking in on February 21st, care of Queen City Kings Drag.
Yes, it’s a Twitch stream show honoring black drag kings.
And there’s another geeky showcase for you at the end of this month!
I will be performing in the first ever “Revenge of the Blerds.” This was made by Mone’t HaSidi, who is beyond passionate about the advancement of Black Arts. She wanted to create a festival for black artists to reclaim their narrative, and through a lot of perseverance she has done it. This virtual blerd extravaganza will be a celebration of the true meaning of BLERD.
These will all be great shows! Okay, in closing: I finally caught up with The Mandalorian, and I can’t help but feel that Moff Gideon is screaming for a drag interpretation! Have you tried him yet?
Not yet, but I do love a good villain build.
You and me both! Thanks, Fox!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Fox Squire’s upcoming appearances, and follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
Thotyssey 