Asbury Park’s current Fresh Face winner is turning it out in his home state and beyond this season. Fall under the spell of Magic Dyke!
Thotyssey: Hello Magic Dyke! Actually, let’s start with that… what do friends call you? Magic? Dyke? MD? Lol!
Magic Dyke: Hello hello! Yes, Magic Dyke… but most people call me Magic. I like how “MD” sounds too, so maybe we’re onto a new nickname!
You were at Georgie’s in Asbury Park recently, performing in Tastie’s show. How did that go?
The show was a lot of fun, and great vibes. It was pretty iconic… we did a little Haus of Ganja (which is the house I’m in) and Haus of Gatita takeover at Tastie’s “Cabinet of Curiosities” with a 420 theme, in honor of the holidaze. My drag mom Mary Jane Monroe–who funny enough is my blood sibling out of drag–won fresh face in 2023. Tastie is also a “Freeh Face” crown holder as well as myself, so it was a fierce lineup for sure.
Wow! That’s quite unique that your real life sibling is your drag mom.
She is the one who gave me the push to perform as a drag king; I never thought I’d perform in front of people. I originally would slap on a lil’ glitter beard or have others do my makeup, and I’d teach workshops to kids on drag kings and drag history, etc. But Mary Jane kept pushing me to do it. I made a deal with her that I’d compete in Paradise’s “Drag Wars” just to try it out. The night I competed, I was the first drag king that ever won at “Drag Wars.” Now a year and a half later, I’m here doing the dang thing… loving every minute of it, too! Watching her journey [has inspired me] me to take the leap and finally do it.
Are you a Jersey native by the way, and did you have any performing experience before starting drag?
I was born in Jersey–first generation, and parents are immigrants. Proud to say that, especially because of what’s going on with immigrants right now in our country.
I had no experience with performing before starting drag and winning Fresh Face. I started Mid August of 2023, which was my performance at “Drag Wars.” My only performing experience was dancing behind closed doors with my sibling MJ as kids, lol. We’d pretend we were our favorite celebrities, dancing and reenacting their music videos. We just did one of our first duo performances together last month, so that was a full circle moment for us. Drag definitely brought us closer than before.
For those who might be unfamiliar, can you talk a little about what” Fresh Face” is, and what the experience was like for you to compete and win?
Sure, I’d be happy to. “Fresh Face” began in 2016, and was created by Rhedd Rhumm with the assistance of Lady Celestina and Kinsey Spectrum as an educational program of Project REAL. The pageant was designed to help, teach, and uplift the next generation of drag performers. Contestants begin their journey in June–meeting monthly for workshops that center on the fundamentals of drag–leading up to the grand event in November.
After being interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, “Fresh Face” was revived by Lady Celestina–no longer a program of Project REAL, but an independent entity and it’s now the biggest amateur pageant in the region.
Competing in “Fresh Face” helped me grow in so many ways as a performer. I had only performed a few times before entering the pageant, but it helped me to develop my drag persona more and refine certain elements of my drag and performances. It also is a great way to gain exposure, and gain more opportunities outside of the pageant, as well.
This cycle, I was very lucky because a lot of my fellow competitors were people I knew and had met from “Drag Wars,” so we really cultivated a sense of community and family. It definitely helped me heal and grow a lot in my own personal journey as a trans person as well. So it’s been very liberating and rewarding in a lot of ways.
You will be part of a special show at Princeton University this Saturday with Rhedd Rhumm, Vanity Ray, Victoria Courtez and the enchanting Drag Race S14 winner Willow Pill!
Yasssss! Very excited about this opportunity. We will be performing for the annual “Princeton University Gender and Sexuality Resource Center Drag Show.” It’s a part of their Pridefest celebration, so I’m very excited and honored to be performing alongside such talented queens. I’m especially excited to be reppin’ the kings as the only king in the lineup, too! College is a very influential time in terms of exploring and discovering your identity, so to know that there might be someone in the audience that feels affirmed or seen just from watching me perform is a really an empowering feeling.
Are you also gonna take part in Paradise’s “Drag Queen Visibility Day” on May 7?”
I will be there in attendance and to offer help to Ryan if needed! I wanna show support for my queens that day. I’ve already signed the petition too, so hopefully “Drag Visbility Day” will soon be a national holiday.
And you’re also involved with Project REAL.
The community part [of being a drag performer] is extremely important to me. I’m a chef outside of drag, so I love to connect my passion of food with bringing people together. I’m collabing with Project REAL, which is a local organization in Asbury that offers free social events that bring together the local young LGBTQ+ and provides sexual health advocacy. We’ll be hosting a Trans Potluck on May 16th. All trans folks and trans allies are welcome to come.
Then we will see you on the stage again for May 22’s “Iconika” at 3 Dollar Bill, serving some Bad Bunny action!
Yes, I am extremely excited for this because Bad Bunny is my favorite artist and lends a lot of inspiration to me. This will be my Brooklyn premiere too, so trust–Magic has some surprises in store for this one.
What else is coming up for you?
Booked and blessed for sure, and loving every minute of it! I will be hosting some of my own shows. I just formed a partnership with the City of Carteret’s GSA Performing Arts and Cultural Center, so there will be a big Haus of Ganja show in July. Stay tuned for that. And I’m continuing to collab and host shows with all kings and diverse lineups. Hire kings, things and BIPOC performers… now and always!
I’ll be opening the show for the “Fresh Face 2025” pageant in November, so I’m already planning the performance; it’s something you won’t want to miss. And I’m hosting the first ever all drag kings show in NJ and more, cuz the Magic is always happening.
All amazing! And finally: what’s the most essential item in your drag bag?
My biodegradable glitter, of course! And my glitter glue. lol. Always gotta have my glitter beard and glue on deck, in case I ever need to touch it up.
Thanks, MD!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Magic Dyke’s upcoming appearances, and follow him on Instagram.
Thotyssey 