Dancer, skatergrrl, Calvin & Hobbes enthusiast and Mx. Nobody finalist: Brooklyn’s Mt. Aloofa!
Thotyssey: Hi Aloofa! Thanks for chatting today! I see you recently performed at Pink Metal, how did that go?
Mt. Aloofa: Incredibly special; it feels like coming home! Pink Metal and Purgatory have become really special places to me. The open sets run by Miss Bussy and Xaddy Addy and TK The Kid mean so much to the Brooklyn drag scene. For years they have consistently given new talent a place to work on their acts in a space that embraces every aspect of what drag can be. Whenever I have a conversation with someone who wants to start doing drag, I always direct them to “Open (Bussy) Stage” and “Another One” open set. I’m always super excited to show them what I’m working on, and it gives me life to see new performers starting on their journey.
And you were just a “Mx. Nobody” finalist!
Such an incredible experience that I’m so grateful for! Doing drag on a big stage feels so powerful and energizing; you really get the chance to take big swings! When you have a big crowd cheering you on, it feels like anything is possible. I got to smash through a table to Darude’s “Sandstorm,” perform a tribute to my favorite wrestler Mankind, and hit a skateboard jump in heels!
The team at “Mx. Nobody” created a really supportive environment where it is safe to take risks and be vulnerable but also get super silly! I met some wonderful friends through this competition, and I can’t wait to see what next year brings. I will be in the audience cheering loudly for the next group coming up!
Do you like the open sets better than the weekly competition shows throughout the City and pageants?
More of everything! More open sets! More competitions! More experimental shows! More silly concepts! More drag in unconventional places! More performers! More audience members! More audience members who become performers!
Critiquing others is easy. We risk very little, and place ourselves in a position over those who offer up their work and themselves to our judgment. We all feed off the negative criticism, which is fun to hear about and to read. But the bitter truth we must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.
There are times when a drag performer truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the “new.” The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends.
Last month, I experienced something new: an extraordinary competition from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the hosts and performers have challenged my preconceptions about drag competitions is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core.
In the past, I have made no secret of my aversion to pageants and competitions, and the notion that, “Anyone can Cunt.” But I realize, only now do I truly understand what it means. Not everyone can become cunty; but serving cunt can come from anywhere.
It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the geniuses now performing at the open sets and weekly competitions all around New York, who are, in this queen’s humble opinion, nothing less than the finest in the world. I will be returning to the competition stage soon, hungry for more.
Can you tell us a bit about where you’re from, and what your early interests were in art, fashion, performance, etc.? And what ultimately brought you to Brooklyn?
I was born in New Jersey, and my family moved all around New England when I was growing up and now live on the seacoast of New Hampshire!
I was a really quiet kid, and the goths and scene kids adopted me and protected me ’cause I skateboarded. I got to try eyeliner and neon mesh finger gloves. We would listen to Screamo versions of pop songs and make out to horror movies.
I was obsessed with Calvin and Hobbes growing up and would read the anthology books cover to cover. My top 5: 1) It’s a Magical World; 2) Weirdos From Another Planet; 3) Scientific Progress Goes ‘Boink’; 4) There’s Treasure Everywhere; 5) Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat.
When I was growing up, there was a summer where my sister and I watched Grease every day. I always thought the Pink Ladies were so cool, especially Rizzo. I loved Flight of the Conchords, and my friend and I started our own musical comedy duo for talent shows in high school.
Important Aloofa Inspiration Characters: Anne Hathaway from Ella Enchanted, Frank N Furter from Rocky Horror, Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Chris Farley and Adam Sandler, Cher from Clueless, Winona Ryder in Heathers and Elizabeth Swan in Pirates of the Caribbean.
I loved dancing so much, and would watch Step Up 3 and the Queen Live Aid set on repeat at half speed to learn dance moves. I would always dance in talent shows, and loved it so much. I knew people were making fun of me for doing it, but honestly didn’t care it was what I wanted more than anything.
I didn’t have fashion icons. I had a trash bag of clothes gifted to me from friends in the back corner of my closet. I don’t know about style, but I know how to make myself feel beautiful. My favorites are form-fitting, comfortable fabric and fringes. When I first started [performing], it was my friend Natalie who gave me all the lingerie I perform in today. She hosted open sets out of her apartment and we would all share whatever we were working on. She believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself! I’m the product of hand me downs and a whole lot of love.
I became a Brooklyn Gworlie so I could have access to trans healthcare on my own terms. I have been helped and loved by so many incredible friends along the way.
Everything that comes after that is a special bonus of getting to live a happy life.
Let’s talk about some things coming up for you. First up, “Puppets Most Wanted” at Purgatory on October 19! That appears to be a puppet / drag mashup care of Vape Kid Jr.
Vape kid Jr. is a genius transfem drag king, and you should absolutely do an interview with him asap! I have a small circle of people I send cryptic links and wild ideas to when I’m still cooking, and Vape Kid Jr. is someone who always knows how to make an idea cooler. I can message them “What if puppet baguette?” and they will know exactly what I’m talking about and how to translate it into a fully formed concept.
I grew up with the original Muppet Show on a DVD box set, and it has had a chokehold on my sense of humor ever since. I am a true believer in the Jim Henson creative process, and have been applying it to how I like to put on drag shows. I was working the merch table for We Wiggle Dolls the night Vape Kid was performing, and through them met so many talented puppeteers that it made perfect sense for these worlds to collide onstage!
“Puppets Most Wanted” is an epic tale of a group of puppets and drag performers re-uniting for one last big heist! There is an overarching plot where all of the music and numbers tie into the story with lots of room for comedic bits! I will be playing the antagonist, an incompetent inspector named “The Transvestigator” who is trying to catch our team of noble thieves who always seem to be one step ahead. Expect a Les Mis style mid-show confrontation mid-show, a safe that is also a puppet (made by the super talented Ky-Why) and lots of tripwire laser beams! Come through to Purgatory Bar October 19th 10:30pm! Tickets are available now! Crime! Do Gay!
And on the 22nd you’ll be at All Night Skate for Coco the Pup’s “Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun.”
It’s gonna be so fun! Coco and I met thru Siobhan The Third at” Freakshow” where I DJ (which you can see every first Thursday of the month at All Night Skate), and they have been a huge inspiration to me ever since. I may jump from high places, but Coco can do a backbend off the balcony! During the Halloween season I feel like I’m at the height of my powers. Looking forward to being really hot in a like, a scary way.
And then October 27, you’ll be Under the K Bridge for a drag skateboarding event called “Drag Park” with Cammie Slammie and Mr. Slut!
Yes! Major shoutout Mr. Slut for putting this show together! This one is super special to me because skateboarding was a big part of my childhood. Before I was jumping in trash cans I was bombing down hills at max speed. It was something I felt had fallen to the wayside after I transitioned, and it brought me so much joy to re-introduce that world into my drag. The feeling I get when leaping off the bar top feels just like when you are about to drop in from a tall halfpipe. A lot of my experience with doing safe landings comes from what I learned skateboarding, and the combination of the two gets me so hyped up. Bring your skates of any kind! Bring a friend! Spaces don’t become queer friendly by accident, and making a visible presence in the skate park in drag hopefully gives everyone permission to be themselves and opens up new communities to what we do best.
What else is coming up for you?
Anyone who likes haunted houses should come see me all this month scaring people at the Ridgewood Asylum! Located at Vacations BK and run by The Deep End NYC, It’s part escape room and part haunted house, and this year’s will be the biggest version the team has ever built! This will be my second year scaring with the Ridgewood Asylum and I will be giving shows! Ridgewood Asylum was just listed at the top of “The Best Haunted Houses in NYC” for 2024 by Time Out and is running from October 11th through November 1st!
And then here’s my final, seasonal question: what is more believable to you, ghosts or UFOs?
I believe in the Space Ghost From Coast to Coast/
Happy Halloween, Aloofa!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Mt. Aloofa’s upcoming appearances, and follow her on Instagram.
Thotyssey 