Imperial Court royalty and a former theater owner, the prolific Katrina Slippery Slide also happens to be the host of “New York’s longest running monthly variety show!”
Thotyssey: Hello Katrina, thanks for chatting today! Tell us how your Pride Weekend was… did you perform or party anywhere?
Katrina Slippery Slide: Yes, I performed in Upstate New York, in Orange County–the Village of Greenwood Lake, at a straight dive bar called The Irish Whisper. I also was in the queer boat parade on Sunday. The owner [of the Irish Whisper] is trying to change the clientele to be more inclusive of the community. My husband and I just bought a house in the community last September. I became a patron of the bar and befriended the owner, therefore trying to help him with his mission to be more inclusive for the second time round this Pride weekend!
Love that! How long of a commute is that from NYC?
Two hours on bus (hour and fifteen minute express); 45-60 minutes by car.
So if I may ask, how long have you been a drag queen now?
32 years…ugh, haha!
Can you tell us where you are from, and how you first got into the drag biz?
I’m from Seattle, Washington. The Imperial Sovereign Court of the Evergreen Empire. I was the first drag queen to win Imperial Prince X and H.M.I.S.M Emperor XII all while attending Western Washington University.
So it’s always been about the Imperial Court for you!
Not always, just while I was in college… 30 years ago, I was studying acting in college, and my drag mother convinced me to run so that I could raise money for the 1990’s AIDS crisis.
What is the story behind your drag name?
People ask me how and why I came up with my drag name all the time. The answer is simple: family! My name represents a royal, slutty, loving, historical drag family born in Bellingham, Washington.
When I first started drag 32 years ago, I was an actor at Western Washington University. The first female character I ever played on stage was a little girl named Cathy, from the play Cloud Nine by Carol Churchill. So I of course, had to name my new drag persona– the “grown up” version of Cathy–and I chose Katrina (before the hurricane).
I created a middle name when my only drag sister, the infamous promiscuous hooker, Slippery Slide, passed away in 2008. My last name is hereditary, from my precious drag mother Celita Slide who passed away in February of 2018–leaving me the Matriarch of the Slide family name.
A lot has changed in the art and business of drag since you started. What are the biggest changes, from your point of view?
When I started drag, it was more of a political art form. We were pushing the boundaries of gender in ways that had never been seen before. Drag wasn’t popular, so when you saw us out and about, we were an oddity–stares for days. People would always ask “who / what are you, and why / what are you doing!?” This would always start a gender / queer conversation (if people were willing to have it). We pushed the buttons of heteronormativity., were challenging the marginalized, and visualized difference, pride and strength of an up-and-coming community.
And I guess today it is more mainstream entertainment, thanks in part to Drag Race and social media. But now, the conservatives are really pushing back against drag again. Doesn’t that seem so wild and random in 2023?
It’s really weird, and very disturbing. In my opinion, Trump was the cause of the reintroduction of racism, sexism and homophobia. First were woman (over turn of Roe vs Wade) brown and black people, queer and trans people… and now drag queens!? Insane.
How do you describe the sort of drag you like to do today?
I’m definitely “old school.” I love vintage clothing, and to host in addition to singing and lip syncing live on stage. I love to bring the straight, queer, trans and interracial communities together, to see that we are all the same regardless of our political differences. I’m a “love is love” queen. I’m not a death drop and flips, acrobatics girl. I perform three to five times a month in New York, always hosting at “Muffins In The Window” and “Drag Queen Bingo,” and any private parties or corporate events.
Tell us about “Muffins,” which has a long history in this city. How did you become involved in that show, and what’s the secret behind its longevity?
“Muffins” is a monthly variety show that started when I first started running a theater company in the West Village 16 years ago. It’s an opportunity for anyone and everyone to get on stage in front of a nonjudgmental and slightly tipsy (haha) audience. We have been in many venues throughout our 16 years, Sullivan Street to Stonewall–the C.O.W. (a 3000 square foot basement theater–the old living theater) that I owned in the LES from 2012-2019, to Dixon Place, and now Under St. Marks.
The secret to success was all the theaters that we have been performing in believed in the show more than the money it brought in. So some months we have two people in the audience, and others 50 to 60 people. Never consistent. The need for the art form in these venues overpowered the need to pay rent.
“Muffins in the Window” returns to Under St. Marks this Friday! What can we expect?
It is the Season 16 finale; we want to end Pride Month with a bang. I’m back hosting and performing, in addition to an outrageous comedic performances by the incomparable Andrea Alton and Jillian Thomas, drag by Temple Grandé, and live music by Jackson Sturkey and Maria Konnor. We have a throwback video to the gay 90s in NYC, and my very popular video of the month segment.
And the bingo you host is at a pub called Mary O’s.
We just finished our fourth season last Sunday, and we will be back every last Sunday of the month starting in September. I would go visit Mary O’s (a straight Irish pub in the LES) after closing my theater to have a drink, between 2012 and 2019.
Mary and I became close friends. She was looking for ways to boost her business. I came out to her as a drag queen and offered to host a Bingo night, and it was a huge success–so we just kept doing it. And now queers join the straight community once a month! We have regulars and new audience members every month. Another way Katrina has crossed the queer isle to foster and build a stronger community! I’m a community queen.
By the way… would you ever be interested in owning or running another theater?
I would, if rent in the city went down considerably… and I came into money again.
We’d love to go there when it happens! What else is coming up for you?
Coming up is Season 17 of “Muffins in the Window,” and Season 5 of “Drag Queen Bingo. “The Irish Whisper in Greenwood Lake also wants to do a quarterly show upstate.
Excellent! So lastly, what’s your favorite thing about drag… and your least favorite?
My favorite thing about to drag is the transformation, and bringing people together to witness and adore an important art form. My least favorite thing is seeing the “used to be community queens” get on Drag Race and forget about their roots.
Preach! Thanks, Katrina!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Katrina Slippery Slide’s upcoming appearances, and follow her on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Follow her show “Muffins in the Window” on Instagram.
Thotyssey 