Halloween is a good time to get in the casket with this unholy yet opulent Brooklyn drag star on the rise: Luxury Bones!
Thotyssey: Hi Luxury, Happy October! Are you satisfied with the amount of Spooky Season drag you have so far?
Luxury Bones: Boo! I mean, hi Thotyssey…thanks for summoning me from the shadows for an interview! I love October, and this year I’m blessed with a variety of different bookings–from an experimental performance art and opera show at Green-Wood Cemetery, to some benefit shows for friends. But there could always be more, so to all those producers out there: book drag kings! Or we’ll haunt you!
There’s a lot to say about those gigs! But first off: congrats on winning “Mx. Congeniality” at the grand finale of this years “Mx. Nobody” competition at Mercury Lounge! How did you enjoy that whole experience, and what sort of things did you learn about yourself, or the art and business of drag, etc. during the whole competition?
Thank you so much! What an honor to join the Nobodies fam! I totally didn’t expect to win anything–I was just happy to be there, so Mx. Congeniality was an amazing surprise. Huge shoutout to Nancy NoGood and all of the Nobodies for putting together a very smooth, fun, cute, and welcoming experience. It felt like a creative hub for the freaks I generally want to be surrounded by! Mx. Nobody is the competition for weird, queer, and genre-defying drag, and that’s what I’m aiming for!
It was definitely educational, too: I entered with an act description of a totally different thing, and decided to do an older act that didn’t get much play last year instead. The older act, “Holy Diver,” (yes, the Dio song!) ended up being really fun, because it showed me (and everyone else) how much I’d grown as an artist from the time I made it until now.
That whole process reminded me to trust my instincts, and keep looking for more inspiration in my own back catalogue. There’s usually more than I think.. and it’s often really worth revisiting!
Can you tell us a bit of your origin story: where are you from, and what was your early creative background prior to drag?
Well, Luxury Bones is the manifestation of an ancient trickster god, who inhabits a man with potent jester spirit every few centuries. I just happened to get lucky.
I have always been a performer, though, with or without possession via drag. I’ve been dancing since I was four; I started with classical ballet, and added other styles (modern, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, compositional improvisation) as the years went on. Story ballets always fascinated me, and I was on pointe for about six years. This contributed to my faggotry a great deal before I understood what that was… I attended the University of Iowa and earned a BFA in Dance Performance and a BA in English Literature. I still perform in experimental dance contexts, and cherish that world as my other home. But nothing fits quite like drag: the DIY spirit and the rich, genderfucked storytelling are totally unique.
How did Luxury Bones–the drag persona and name–come about?
Haha! Great question. As it turns out, I was at Callen Lorde and I asked them if they did dental, to which they replied, “those are luxury bones.” I couldn’t let that one get away.
The persona found me: a more confident, more masculine archetype that’s a composite of all the characters I loved growing up, and the fantastical men I dreamed of becoming. He keeps changing shape as I learn more about drag.
How might you describe your own looks and numbers to the Unknowing?
Lux is either wearing a suit, looking sporty, or somewhat naked and covered in vines. But his classic silhouette is a suit. His music choices range from full-throttle 80’s metal to deep-cut Bjork and Justin Timberlake; he can often be found flinging himself into drastic jump-splits and isolating the drama of a particular lyric. Critics have called him “precise,” “elegant,” “sexy,” and “so dumb he’s smart.”
In addition to all the various shows and competitions you partake in Brooklyn nightlife, you’ve also served as one third of an event production team called Big Drama with Andie Sleaze and Selena Surreal.
Big Drama is an ongoing experiment; we started producing shows together at the beginning of the year, and tried for one show per month. We nearly hit that goal, and turned out some exciting and bizarre content that we’re really proud of. We’re on a hiatus now to recoup our energy. Producing is exhausting, but artistically very rewarding.
Which brings us back to all your upcoming frightfests this month! It all starts with I’m Baby’s show “Dyke Drag” at Ginger’s Bar on Tuesday, October 8th.
Well, yes! I’m thrilled to be at Ginger’s with God Complex and Nico Nasty. It’s going to be a helluva show.
Then October 12th Andie Sleaze and I are hosting a season-closing party for my buds’ new restaurant in Rockaway called Panino Bozza.
On October 15th, Mx. Ology, Miss Woman, Andie Sleaze and I debut a new show at All Night Skate called “Metrowomanology”–a surrealist swingers fantasy packed with drag duets and couple swapping galore.
On the 17th and 18th, I’ll be at Green-Wood for “Nightfall,” a haunting and atmospheric takeover of the historic cemetery organized by Death of Classical featuring experimental opera, performance art, sideshow, and dance.
Anything else?
October 24th is a fundraiser for I’m Baby’s partner, Amir. Then the 26th is another fundraiser for Mayday Space on Mr. Slut’s birthday.
Sounds like a busy month of shows, and lots of chances for folks to get the full Luxury experience! So here’s the final question: what is your favorite Halloween candy?
Hm, what a question. Sour Skittles?
Watch out for those Bones! Thanks, Luxury!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Luxury Bones’ upcoming appearances, and follow him on Instagram.
Thotyssey 