This Dental Drag Demon and mxtress of improv adds a very unique flavory to the Brooklyn nightlife landscape… let’s mix it up with Mx. Ology! [Cover photo: Joi Ryder]
Thotyssey: Hello Mx. Ology! How’s May treating you so far?
Mx. Ology: Hello, Thotyssey! May has been off the charts fab, and we’re only – what – less than a week in? I unchained myself from my sewing machine for a few days, got to reconnect with a lot of my divas… so many kickass projects on the horizon. And the windows are open in my apartment again! What more could you want?
All amazing! Do you sew largely your own drag looks, or do you do commissions for other drag folks as well?
I’m just starting to branch out into commissions (soft launch!), but have been sewing looks for myself for a while! Most notably this year, I got to make this over the top dress and accessory package for my friend Joi Ryder which was an homage to Harper Finkle’s marker dress from Wizards of Waverly Place. Wild string of all-nighters. Still haunted by flecks of glitter from that project every day. Unbelievably fun.
How might you describe your overall aesthetic, as well as performing style, in your drag today?
My drag’s on a continuum between two major points, for sure: I’m a maximalist through and through, but feel just as tapped-in when I’m in a crisp, button down pair of jeans and a pump as I do in my most elaborate, hand-sewn clown glam costumes. I have a huge affinity for my mug and commitment to being a chronic redhead, so keeping those parts of my look consistent are just as important to me as what I’m wearing. And jewelry… I’m such a stickler about it! Especially making my own pieces to take a look over the edge.
Performance-wise, my background is primarily in acting / writing / improv, so it’s meant a lot to create shows and numbers that center my skill set. I love working on a sketch or doing longform, improvised scene work as much as I love turning up to a song.
A lot of my drag–whether lip synched, live-sung, or spoken–is narrative-driven, ostentatious, detailed, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. I nerd out about making people laugh, sharing catharsis… and much to the chagrin of my friends who rag on my inability to shut the eff up, I genuinely feel the hottest in drag when I’m on a mic.
To recap: gutter-rotted, smart mouthed clown who always looks like something’s a little wrong with her. That’s where we’re sitting at the moment.
Where’s your place of origin, and how / when did you become a New Yorker and a drag performer?
Yes, let’s get into it! I’m from Rochester, New York and I’m genuinely so proud of where I’m from. IDGAF, I’ll turn up for Rochester! As of now, I’ve only been in the City for six months, although it’s a common Mandela Effect for a lot of my friends to believe I’ve secretly been here the whole time (and maybe I have… muahahaha).
I picked up drag in college at a time when I was creatively disempowered. Having this part of myself to turn to, and just getting to play and be deranged and unleash the inner evil genius, kept me going. Not to be one of those “drag saved my life” people, but it really did.
Growing up I always loved playing dress up, fantasized about making television shows, and drew countless pictures of divas in wild outfits. I was also a huge Ulta and Sephora rat as a teen (though nowhere near as bad as these Drunk Elephant kids, I’m assuming). Put that in a cocktail shaker with my theatre background, and the drag journey was as good as inevitable.
In terms of what pushed me to move to NYC: funny enough, [local drag performer and designer] Pinwheel Pinwheel and I went to the same undergrad years apart and shared a design mentor–shoutout Lynne, we love you! When she put the two of us in contact, we ended up having this wild three hour FaceTime; I remember being terrified, but Pinwheel really got me together (and gave me the push I needed to realize I had dreamt of moving to Brooklyn to join the drag scene here for a while). I’ve been fortunate so far; I’m incredibly grateful for how quickly I’ve been scooped up by the community.
In your young drag career, have you had something you consider a favorite or peak moment so far?
Definitely the inaugural “Shart Tank!” For sure, the peak of my drag career up until this point was transforming this passive thought: what if there was a drag show where performers pitched products to a panel of fake investors, also played by drag performers? into a full-fledged, immersive, and now I can say, recurring event! Getting to co-produce “Shart Tank” with Miss Woman (who, in the process, has become such a sister–like, separated at birth kind of sister) means the absolute world. Not to mention, it was one of the greatest, most rewarding nights of my life… no joke! It’s so wild to walk down the street and think, wow, this Shark Tank-themed longform improv roulette parody drag show is one of my proudest achievements. But it really is!
Congrats! How about, conversely, a most “ick” or bizarre drag / nightlife moment?
You’re messy… I love it! Not an “ick” moment… but there was one time back when I was doing shows in Buffalo where this performer and I were commuting back to Rochester in their electric car (and mind you, this is around midnight in rural Niagara Falls area) when their fully electric car ran out of charge. Like, zero percent battery. We had to pull into this car dealership to plug their car in, or risk not making it home. Full drag. Neither of us brought any makeup wipes… and though dead sober, must have been too out of it to at least take our wigs off. So you’ve got two drags walking along the side of these dark backroads somewhere way upstate, phones on low battery, trying to get fast food (unsuccessfully) while the car charged. We were stranded there for hours before the car started up again.
Looking back on it now… what were we doing?! Why did we need to get fast food? And what did the possum we saw on the side of the road have to say about any of this? Diva recognizes diva!
That sounds like a movie I’d definitely watch.
John Waters, eat your heart out!
Overall, how have you been enjoying New York drag life? Fun, messy, fulfilling, challenging, etc.?
I’ve been loving it here; I feel wildly at home, and deeply reassured knowing I’m in the right place. To know I’m just getting started is so electric, too. Fun, messy, fulfilling, and challenging are all words that encompass my drag! So I’m ready for whatever NYC nightlife throws at me.
By the way, regarding your name: can you bartend?
Everyone asks me! Literally earlier today, I said to Miss Woman that we’ve gotta break out her bartending flashcards so I can get this show on the road. Because!? Bartending in drag! Can you imagine the Category Five serve that would be!? Best I’ve got right now is the same St-Germain spritzes and weird little gin drinks I make myself at home. So watch this space. I am, however, a real dentist!
Wait, really?
On absolutely. Just a hot, local, very real dentist here who went to actual dental school and is hot about it (shameless plug, and this is not a joke: I’m offering pop up “dentistry” at shows all summer long and beyond! And some dental numbers to keep things fresh. Some may say, minty fresh!)
That’s fascinating! But I guess that shouldn’t surprise me that much… I know of a gogo boy who’s apparently also a doctor that administers Botox!
And when we link up, [we should] give shows together! For legal reasons, I am “not a certified dentist.” But this does end in a one woman dentist spectacular, and an honorary dental degree. Who said that!?
Lets talk about some shows! First off, this Tuesday you’ll be part of “Reblog,” Saint Sigh’s “very Tumblr birthday” show at Wonderville! That should be fun, right?
Yessssss! My Tumblr girl mix is such a mess. Very biblically accurate. Onecest mentioned.
Then this Thursday we have “Westboro Bad Bitch Church” at C’mon Everybody! Some might say the Brooklyn drag scene is getting too oversaturated with tribute shows… but, this is certainly something very different! You and a cast of funny out-of-the-box gworls will be paying homage to the hilariously hateful song parodies composed by members of the Westboro church, a whole meme subgenre that was common clickbait on social media not that long ago. It was red hot homophobia set to the rhythm of the time’s Top 40. This is a potentially risky sort of show, but all the buzz is there!
And let’s wake that up! Giving shows? We’re giving sermons! As someone with (shockingly) no religious trauma, I’m beyond ready to get blasphemous! Ahem, I mean, God fearing and devout. Let’s just say the big diva upstairs is keeping a personal record of whether or not you’ll be at church this week…
And then this Friday, you’ll be at Sandy Jack’s in Brooklyn.
It’s part of their “A Night Out With” series–8pm, no cover. All the Mx. Ology you know and love, only with more Mx. Ology per Mx. Ology. Sandy Jack’s has a super cozy, intimate feel. Someone brought their senior dog into the place once. Cricket, if you’re reading this… you’re a star, baby!
Then I see on Saturday the 18th, you’ll be at Sleepwalk for a party / show called “Necropolis,” care of Mr. E. Minx and Nxthing.
We’ll be giving Madhouse: all things clown, club kid, eclectic, colorful, outlandish, circus, very-core. I’m jumping out of my skin making preparations to sew something new for this one. Should be fab!
Looking ahead to Tuesday, May 28th, you’ll be part of the cast of a new competition “Big Sister” hosted by Groovy Bluez at Purgatory which promises to include some favorite reality TV tropes like wine throwing levels of drama and alliance formation! What’s this all about?
Oh, I can’t effing wait. You know I turn up for a non-traditional show format. For me? This is all about bringing something fresh to the competition sphere, and I’m so stoked to be a part of it (and I know for a fact known Big Brother superfan Joi Ryder is meticulously crafting their strategy to snatch the crown)! Without giving away too much, everyone’s coming to the table with a different plan of attack. Some of us are just happy to be there, want to win everyone’s hearts, play the games, and give cute shows. Some of us, on the other hand, came to kill. I won’t say which group I fall into. You’ll have to come see “Big Sister” to find out!
And that brings us to “Shart Tank 2,” the May 31st sequel to the improv show at Purgatory you mentioned earlier which you co-produce with Miss Woman the Woman. Improv seems like the scariest performance art to me! How’s this gonna go down?
A fun fact about this show is that the sharts (Miss Woman, special guest, and myself) also don’t know anything about what products the entrepreneurs are pitching, so we get to be just as surprised as the audience. Having those authentic reactions is so magical. Plus, we raffle off one of the products near the end of the show! Not to mention sketches, commercials, duets, numbers, and a whole lot of blow! We are business professionals! “Shart Tank 1” was described as “the most absurd hilarious experience I’ve had at a show maybe ever” (shoutout Juicy Stiff)! Sounds like something you wouldn’t want to miss, no? Come ring in Pride Month with us at Brooklyn’s tightest, wettest, most business casual summer kickoff!
Anything else coming up?
More details to be announced, but I’m currently workshopping a one woman show called “Night of a Couple Carlys” in which I’m trapped in the bar and not allowed to leave until I perform ten to twelve Carly Rae Jepsen songs back to back (featuring special guests)! A relentless Scorpio performing another Scorpio’s discography? Under threat of a Carly-induced limbo!? The stakes have possibly never been higher…
That’s sounds like a must see! Okay lastly: what’s your favorite item in your drag cosmetic bag?
Best question ever! I have a lot of workhorse products and staples (brown felt tip liner, sharp black and brown liquid liners, a good burgundy eyeshadow for shading, etc.), but my favorite “fun” product is the About Face matte fluid eye paints (for creating skin texture). I have verbatim described them as my “favorite sauce” in my makeup routine, and am always running out of the red and pink shades (so what I’m hearing is, you can always tip me in one of those, dot dot dot…) Genuinely, come find me at shows and I’ll corner you and talk your ear off about cosmetics. Promise.
We may take you up on that! Thanks, Mx.!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Mx. Ology’s upcoming appearances, and follow them on Instagram and Twitter.
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