Overcoming a conservative background and limiting theater rigidity for free spirited Brooklyn drag stardom, Fappell Moan is your hot to go prom date this weekend. [Cover photo: Michael Rios]
Thotyssey: Hello Fappell, thanks for chatting today! OMG summer is almost over, how has the treated you so far?
Fappell Moan: Hi! Whew! What a summer; it took me all of July to recover from June. But last night I had a beautiful show [at Good Judy] with my drag fam, Ella Fartzgerald and my drag mother Thee Suburbia. We laughed, sang and shouted, and got some much needed family love!
Fab! You, like your mom and sis, are a live singer, correct? And what are other ways you might describe your drag as far as looks and numbers go?
Yes! My mission is to indulge the scene with some sexy dad rock vocals. while providing the type of feral he / him lesbianism that only a Catholic turned Clown can give. Looks-wise, I’m endlessly inspired by Chappell Roan’s artistic team and my own lifelong passion for clowning.
What is it about Chappell’s style that particularly appeals to you?
There’s this hot cheek, vengeful glamour at the core of all her looks that I just really f*ck with! And I really just sit at the altar of Andrew Dahling, Dee, and of course Sterling Tull, the creators of her most iconic mugs. I’m not an impersonator and hardly do her songs. But I’m really inspired by the queer people that build her fantasies, and look to them and to her general attitude for inspiration.
Can you share a bit about where you’re from, what some of your early artistic pursuits were, and then how you ultimately discovered and started drag?
I’m a Philly boy from a huge working class Catholic family–nine kids! My earliest pursuits were theatrical; I’ve been obsessed with Shakespeare since middle school, and have been an actor since adulthood. I decided to transition knowing that it would affect my career as an actor… but I had no idea how much opportunity it would really strip away. I knew that even when I was let into rooms they weren’t really considering me for male roles.
In the depth of that grief (and quarantine), I was living with Ella at the time; she was producing virtual drag shows. I was so inspired by her artistry that I started using my unemployment money on some makeup, borrowed her ring light, and tried out some looks. Drag is my primary art form now because it’s really, for better or worse, all in your own hands! That really helps me distance myself from the powerlessness of being an actor.
Do you have a favorite number that you do / have done?
I produced a Men in Black show in May and sang “Crash Into Me” by Dave Matthews Band as the Earth, with Salaam Kitty playing a UFO. It was sublimely stupid!
Do you have any general observations or critiques about the drag scene today, from your POV? What’s good, and what needs some work?
Yeah! Why are we having shows that are all white cis gay men making smelly vagina jokes? Wake up! My origins in the Philly scene have imbued me with an insistence for equitable casting. Casts with more than 50% white performers are disappointingly the norm. There are so many complex conversations to navigate around racism in the scene: we’ve got to engage in them, and be working cast by cast to make the scene more habitable and prosperous for our BIPOC performers.
There’s a diverse drag experience in your immediate future! A sapphic nightlife collective called Pearl Diver is presenting a queer prom at The Wandering Barman in Brooklyn this Friday night, where you will be performing.
Pearl Diver rocks! I met them at a gig–and after recovering from horny shock at the name, I said “count me in the next time y’all do something sapphic.” It’s gonna be a fun night! The WLW / FLINTA collective is throwing a “redo” prom night for the queers, since most of us didn’t get to do it right the first time!
Sounds lovely! What else is coming up for you?
“Masc at The Movies” at Nitehawk Cinema! It’s a king centered drag show and film screening series that I produce. I’ll be announcing the film soon! Or should I say, (ZOO)n? Lol!
Here’s your final question: what is the most essential item in your drag bag?
The holy rosary. My very conservative father gifted me a rainbow rosary this year, and it absolutely shocked me. I don it to embrace the complexity of my heritage and upbringing… because all the abuse, violence, religious oppression, and constant hunger has transformed me into the hungry, horny, yearning menace I am today. It has all led me to Fappell.
Beautiful! Thanks, Fappell!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Fappell Moan’s upcoming appearances, and follow him on Instagram.
Thotyssey 