Michelle Ann Starr and Thotyssey go way back to when she was an entirely different drag queen… and here we celebrate her grand return, catch up on what she’s been doing, and the new monthly competition she’s about to launch! [Cover photo: @jonas.fashionfiles]
Thotyssey: Michelle, hello! It’s great talking to you!
Michelle Ann Starr: Hello to you, old friend! Thank you for your interest in lil ol’ me…emphasis on the old! Lol.
Happy St. Patty’s! Are you celebrating tonight?
Happy St. Patty’s Day to you as well! I am not…laying low at home, working on some projects…there’s always something to tend to here. How are you spending yours?
Still undecided! You and I do go way back, and I’ll get to that in a bit. But first, I wanted to address the breaking news of the day… Barracuda Bar is closing, after 30 years. I know you’ve done a few “Star Search” competitions there recently… what are your thoughts?
Yes, it’s super sad to hear. Barracuda was one of the first gay bars I visited when I moved here from Philly in 2005. I was bright eyed and bushy tailed albeit shy, and I felt right at home there. I hadn’t attended a “Star Search” night until it was taken over by the amazing Miss Tina Burner, and I was enthralled by the talent, the turnout, and the history! There have been quite some divalicious divas that passed the torch over the years. It took until last year to finally get up the gumption to compete, and I won my first time! It was an amazing experience, and something that will be so deeply missed by many. That stage gave birth to a gaggle of girls that went on to do some pretty major league things. Truly the end of an era.
Absolutely, and well said! Can you tell us a bit about life in Philly, and what brought you here to NYC?
Philly is like NY Light: a fraction of the people, and things close earlier. The hospitality and nightlife scenes are booming now more than ever, and after a very recent visit for a family gathering I am happy to report it is immaculately cleaner than I’ve seen it in years. My mother is a New York native who relocated right before I was born, and I have always been an artsy, creative type. So when I got a taste of the vast culture and next level energy of NYC, I guess my inner GPS compelled me to return to where I probably should’ve been in the first place!
We met about *gasp* a decade ago at the now defunct Boots & Saddle in the West Village, then a tiny dive on Christopher Street… even before you started drag!
Yes, we did! Feels like only yesterday…
In fact, that bar was just then becoming a drag hub in the city before every bar was doing it. I was a regular customer turned staffer. It’s hard for me to articulate what the environment of that time and space was like… what was it like for you?
As we the people liked to joke, [the bar] was held up by duct tape and toothpicks. But in actuality, it was a concrete platform for the girls to twirl as pros and get their feet wet as newbies. [Future queens would] dream of perhaps one day realizing themselves in their heels, taking turns in a drag suicide or a monthly guest spot or a competition like I did. [Boots head queen] Victoria Chase doesn’t get enough credit for how much she organized the lineups, staging, and the everything in between to make it all possible. Boots was a place where everyone felt welcomed and supported–no matter what walk of life–by the entire establishment. Truly some of my best baby queen memories!
I have to say you were integral in all of that good juju as well.
Thank you ma’am, they were great times! And yes, it was an extremely unique situation because all the bar staffers, queens and patrons were like this wonderfully fucked up extended family!
So many people who are meeting Michelle for the first time nowadays are unaware that she had a previous life: Jessica Payge! That was your first drag name, and you eventually had your own show at Boots as Jessica. You had a great start because you were well respected in your “day job life” within the service industry, and your colleagues often came out in droves to support you.
Indeed, I did have a former life! My drag career began with a monthly guest spot with the NYC icon, Miss Holly Dae–and I had a wonderful support system from my life in hospitality. After some time I competed for a weekly show–and much like Simon Cowell’s prowess to take talented individuals and create a superpower, it was decided by the house that I would headline a show called “Mistress” on Tuesday nights alongside my sisters Honey Davenport and Detoxx Busti-ae. Though it was a dream realized to get that opportunity there, as well as my debut in [weekly drag revue] “Queen” at [Barracuda sister bar] Industry, Jessica was a bit of a Messica.
Fate would have me leave NYC for a bit to tend to personal family matters, and I decided to hang up the wigs, heels and lashes and focus on a more mundane career path. Jessica died in childbirth last year, and is now my drag mother–as oddball as that may seem (go with me here)–that I keep not behind me, but beside me to remind me of the lessons I needed to learn to eventually revisit and excel at my craft and this beautiful artform. I am sober for quite some time now, and I like to think that Jessica would be proud of my metamorphosis.
That’s very poetic!
Thank you! It has been quite the journey, and a most beautiful one at that. I am a lucky gal!
Tell us about the birth of Michelle, and how she is different from Jessica.
I was ready to jump back in the pool after the love grew inside me again, and I wanted a fresh start completely. My name is Michael Anthony, and so “Michelle” started jumping around in my head. Then Ann….I worked for restaurants when my drag life began; my best friend and I have quippy work games (we like to feel very word conjunctionationary) so… “Michelin Star”… holy shit! That’s genius! I just knew some queen already had it, so I searched high and low–and I always say when something is kismet and meant for you, it’s yours. The name wasn’t anywhere, so there she was… and it felt more perfect than anything ever!
Michelle is a more evolved, 2.0 version of Jessica…I have never tried to create a character; I’m not a BFA trained performer, or had a schtick so to speak. My drag has always been a love letter to the fierce trans women from the ballroom scene of Philly that helped raise me, keep me far away from the wrong shit, and showed me what it was to be uber feminine and fun. Michelle is a hwoman, fully realized and diversified. In terms of who Michelle is, I like to refer to her as the doll that brings more to the table.
You’re mixing it up with the city’s new girls in the competitions… do they seem a lot different than the girls Jessica started out with?
Yes and no. Drag has been and will always be an irreverent, mixed bag display of artists who are / were inspired by their favorite figures, mostly female celebrities, pop stars, comediennes, etc. The frontier has changed in terms of look and stage presence for the youngins, with the evolution of YouTube tutorials and the Drag Race effect. Girls now have a plethora of resources to draw from, and can hone themselves faster and more furious than the dolls of yesteryear.
Most of the kids (which I refer to with love) now are super talented, educated, and hungry, and have had excellent drag role models to mentor them in the myriad competitions around the city, or by example. It’s great to see things moving forward this way.
Which brings us to… a competition of your own! You and the legendary Lailah Lancing will be hosting the first ever “Miss Cheesecake” at El Santo in Brooklyn on March 25th! What can you tell us about this?
Yes! It’s super exciting! “Miss Cheesecake: Come Get You A Taste” is a monthly drag competition and talent showcase that will be on every third Tuesday of the month. My best friend Jason Walker (some may know his name) and I have a 20 year history of cutting up and kikis at home, and we wondered how we could translate both of our passions for drag and music, the nightlife vibe and energy of the Twilo, Palladium, Tunnel, Roxy, Sound Factory, and Limelight days with a sprinkle of Paris Is Burning ballroom flavor, and “Miss Cheesecake” was born. One of our favorite parts of Paris is when the commentator says, “When I say ‘Miss Cheesecake,’ not only must you have a body, but you must be sexy!” Jason always makes good natured fun of Michelle’s lower assets, so it just made sense.
It will be a competition of ten performers with a set performed by Jason Walker–a five time Billboard #1 dance music recording artist–in between, opening numbers by Lailah and myself, and then a winner’s announcement–not necessarily in that order, lol. The criteria is poised, planned performance…girls that strive more and more to sharpen their skill sets and improve; improv is for the dancefloor, performance is for the stage.
The winner’s package is a sash, trophy, and more with a cash prize of $200 sponsored by Qwik Pack and Ship in Williamsburg. The format will be very different than the shows that John Q Public is accustomed to, and in order to get that bit of information, you’ll have to come get you a taste.
Lailah is a dear sister and friend, and there was no one else I could think of to get in bed with me on this. DJ Cloudy Van Sunny is making their nightlife debut as well!
Sounds very exciting, have a great debut! Is there anything else you wanna plug or mention?
Thank you so much, love! I think that’s it for now…looking forward to making some noise in Brooklyn as I love the drag scene here, and I thank you so very much for having me on the amazing Thotyssey platform!
I would like to send a shout out and some love to the beautiful memory of The Vivienne, who was and will always be my favorite queen of all time…retire the name.
A true queen! So lastly… what is currently the most essential item in your drag bag, cosmetic or otherwise?
Oh, good one! This is so hard…I am a cosmetic girl from birth to infinity, and Aucoin! Cosmetic item: Rare Beauty blushes and highighters. Non-cosmetic: a warm and authentic heart. These three things have brought Michelle and Michael’s faces so far!
Enjoy your delicious cheesecake, Michelle!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Michelle Ann Starr’s upcoming appearances, and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
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