Bartender, musical theater star, artist, nightlifer and more–Justin Carter-Van Pelt aka Justin Valentine is ready for new pursuits… but not before revisiting some old school horror.
Thotyssey: Hello Justin, thanks for chatting! How has the summer been treating you so far?
Justin Valentine: Hey hey! I’m at ‘Ty Tea,” so I’d say my summer has been fantastic so far. Busy, but so good.
You do lots of different stuff! You host nightlife events, sing and do musical theater… you also create pop art! The collection of kitschy magnets you’ve made in the image of iconic stars is so cool. What’s the story behind those, and when did you start making them?
It was very much a response to the dark times of the pandemic; I suddenly had time and money to give attention to parts of myself I’d been ignoring for so long. And anytime I’d worked in visual art in the past, it had always been very colorful and very graphic. So I turned to subjects that inspire me: drag queens, glamorous Hollywood stars, kitschy television personalities.
Where are you originally from, and were you always into all these different media?
I’m originally from Kansas City, Missouri. I’ve always been kind of an easily distracted magpie; I love shiny things, I love trying new stuff. I’m always throwing a party or putting on a show, or working on some ridiculously ambitious art project. I call artistic ADD.
That keeps life interesting! Did you have any favorite musicals that maybe drew you towards being a performer?
I have very strong memories of watching Into the Woods on PBS when I was younger. My grandma loves musical theater, so I think I had a strong foundation in it before I even knew what it was. My senior year of high school I got the title role in Pippin, which is what made me pursue musical theater in college.
It’s difficult to pick a favorite. I’ve performed the role of Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch seven times. A few years ago I finally got to perform Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar, which was a dream come true.
An iconic role! Did you come to NYC specifically to pursue theater?
I honestly came to New York City because the opportunity presented itself. I love Kansas City and I wasn’t so eager to leave, necessarily. But my lease was up at my apartment, I didn’t have a contract for a show, I wasn’t dating anybody, and some very close New York friends needed a roommate. So I came… with $600 in my pocket, by the way.
How did you discover the nightlife scene here?
I ended up doing a lot of cabaret at The Duplex. I produced a variety show called “The Girly Show” that did shows at Bar-Tini and Port 41 (which is now Red Eye).
I owe a lot of my discovery of nightlife to people like Emily McNamara. I went to Splash one night for “Musical Mondays” and saw her hosting the post-show, and realized that was something I wanted to do.
I would say that that type of performance: live music, cabaret style, jokes on the mic etc., is making a bit of a comeback in NYC after an arguable oversaturation of drag (which isn’t to say that NY’s drag scene is still top notch, of course)!
Listen, being able to host a two hour show without a script and speaking entirely from wits is very difficult. A strong, strong skill that not a lot of people have. It’s really not one of my strong points; I’m much better with a co-host. I landed in New York City nightlife with people like Bianca Del Rio and Bob the Drag Queen.
You’ve dabbled in drag yourself, right?
A little bit. I love drag; I find it fascinating. I could never do it myself professionally because I just don’t have the strength of commitment for it. I have some very, very close friends who do drag for a living, and I am constantly in awe of them.
Since the end of lockdown, you’ve been hosting / producing a Friday party at Barracuda (where you also currently tend bar) called “Nouveau Disco,” alongside DJ Max Rodriguez and queen Adrena Lin! Can you tell us a bit about what that nights been like, and how it came to be?
That happened because first of all, I love disco music. Second, Max is our regular Friday night DJ and was already playing a lot of disco, and Adrena is an up-and-coming queen who I appreciate and respect. All three of us have the same love of this music, so we created a party for people who don’t necessarily want to travel to Queens or Brooklyn for a big disco party. Some nights we have big party vibes, some nights it’s a really fun house party. I’m never quite sure what the night’s going to look like, and I always love the unexpectedness of that. Some nights Adrena performs, people stop and watch, sometimes they keep dancing… sometimes they dance with her.
Also, I’m always fascinated by the fact that there are certain songs that any generation is going to stop and scream sing. ABBA’s “Gimme Gimme Gimme” is on of those songs.
You’re also a horror buff, I see! What’s your favorite era of horror movies, if you have one?
It’s always 80’s horror for me. My favorite “good” horror film is Poltergeist; my favorite “bad” film is Return of the Living Dead. The campier the better.
My grandma was a big horror fan, so I watched many films long before I should have. I sometimes credit my fearlessness to that. So as a result, I watched A lot of those films with her on cable; my entire family is very horror / Halloween focused.
Nothing like a classic 80’s mix of cartoonish gore, creative practical effects, bad acting and boobs! I see that you’ll be screening The Gate via Red Eye’s “Movie Mausoleum” on Tuesday–a movie I loved when I was little, but kind of exists in that weird retro space between a kid’s adventure story and actual horror movie.
The Gate is a particular favorite because of the “Kids Adventure” aspect. It’s the same reason I love The Goonies and The Monster Squad. I’m also one is those weirdos who loved Return to Oz, so very little phases me.
I loved all the above! So what’s Red Eye’s The Gate viewing party gonna be like?
It’s equal parts Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, Pee Wee’s Playhouse (Elvira and Pee Wee Herman are personal heroes of mine) and Mystery Science Theatre 3000. It’s games, trivia, performance, monsters. It’s all very cheesy B-Movie USA Up All Night kinda stuff. And I preside over all of it as Horror Daddy, Justin Valentine!
Getting an early start on the spooky season sounds like a plan to me! What else is coming up for you?
October is also my birthday, and my wedding anniversary, so it’s a very special time of year for me. I’m on the precipice of a career change, but can’t imagine ever abandoning nightlife. I just have too many ideas I need to explore. I think at the end of the day, I just really like to create opportunities for people to have a good time and really enjoy themselves in a world that can be really tough.
Congratulations and have fun with new ventures!! Okay lastly, what do you believe in more: ghosts or UFOs?
Ghost for sure. Barracuda is full of them. And honestly, it sounds like a great way to spend the an afterlife.
Indeed! Thanks Justin!
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