My Pride: Lady Bunny’s New York

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GayCities New York editor JJ Keyes came across Lady Bunny while she was getting ready for New York’s Gay Pride festival. Lady Bunny is an accomplished actress, deejay, singer/ songwriter, comedienne and co-founder of the infamous outdoor drag festival, Wigstock. She performs all over the city and can be seen djing at Amalia on Friday nights and at Splash on Sundays from 7-11. Lady Bunny will be performing at many prides this summer, so if you miss her in New York, check her website to see if she’s coming to your city.

JJK: When was New York graced with the presence of a bombshell of a Southern showgirl such as yourself?

LB: You must mean bombed shell! I arrived at the Pyramid Club (which is still open) on Avenue A in the summer of 1984. I rode up with some friends whose band, The Now Explosion was booked there and they had me ride along in drag to amuse them. And they did get quite a kick out of the seeing me shaving through my foundation in a gas station rest room during the 20 hour drive from Atlanta.

JJK: What was the first New York bar/club Lady Bunny performed in? What was it like to perform there for the first time?

LB: The Pyramid. I haven’t been in years but I think I luckily arrived at it’s zenith. It was totally mixed gay and straight crowd with an amazing vibe and incredible performers which could range from Diamanda Galas to a kick-ass rockabilly band to lip-synching drag acts. You really never knew what to expect, but Deee-Lite, Antony and The Johnsons, RuPaul and many other acts went on to become nationally known.

JJK: Is there anything comparable now?

LB: If there is a comparable bar, I don’t know of it. Many performers have gravitated to doing one-offs at performance venues like Joe’s Pub, though these venues are nowhere near as cheap as the Pyramid.

couch-potato-high-resJJK: Where is Lady Bunny’s favorite place to meet friends for a few drinks? Anywhere you like to go after a few drinks?

LB: I normally have enough drinks at work so on my nights off my liver is recovering. Right now I’m dj’ing at Rockit! at Amalia on 55th Street every Friday night and at Splash’s Free Tea spinning disco classics and 80’s every Sunday from 7-11. After a few drinks I’ll still hit Port Authority’s mens room, stall #3 for a little “action.” And just to aggravate “the girls” at Lips, a drag-themed restaurant, I’ll often pop in for a nightcap and have a giggle at bridal parties from Jersey singing s-karaoke.

JJK: Does Lady Bunny have a favorite brunch place in New York?

LB: I really love the food at Elephant and Castle in the West Village–their hash browns can’t be matched. But I HATE their horrible kiss-ass service so much that I haven’t been in years. The grand waiters act like you are in a 5-star eatery and then give you rotten service. Delicious imaginative food, but with a very odd vibe.

I live on the same block as Tea and Sympathy and although you don’t normally think of English cuisine as being the world’s tastiest, the food here is delicious. The tastiest brown bread I’ve ever eaten. And they offer a classic English tea on a three-tiered china tray bursting with confections like cake, scones and cucumber sandwiches. Luckily, I have managed to avoid their A Salt and Battery, their fish and chips shoppe. I don’t need a fried food fix on the block where I live–though I’m told that their deep-fried Mars bars are a treat. And the proprietress, Nicky, is always good for a salty joke!

JJK: How does Lady Bunny like to spend her NYC Pride? Where, in your opinion, are the best places to hit during Pride Week?

LB: I say run wild in the streets and pop into every bar along Christopher Street. Stonewall, the site of the original Stonewall Riots is still in business, so that’s worth a gander. It still draws a–shall we say?–colorful crowd. Unfortunately, for the last several years the police have blocked Christopher Street with police barricades so that you can’t actually walk on the street. Everyone is barricaded onto the sidewalks and it’s so crowded that it’s actually dangerous. Ideal for pickpockets, it could take you 5 minutes to walk 10 feet. It’s a real shame. If you’re hungry after marching, Cowgirl Hall of Fame on Hudson Street has divine Tex-Mex food but you’ll need a reservation for most nights.

JJK: What’s your favorite store?

LB: My fav shop is Earrings Plaza on 32nd and Broadway. Dirt cheap accessories! This is where those earring vendors you see on street corners go to buy their wares and just mark them up 300%. I say go to the source!

JJK: Least favorite?

LB: I wear a specific brand of Danskin hose which is primarily available at a store up past Columbus Circle. Now I’ll admit that I wear a large size–don’t say Bunny has a large hose!–but for some reason, they stock so poorly, that I always have to call prior to making the nose-bleed inducing trek up there to make sure that my item is available. I assume that online sales have forced their more conveniently located outlets to close. But if you’re gonna have a flagship Danskin store don’t keep me waiting for one month for my item, dammit!

JJK: Wigstock aside, what is your favorite New York LGBT event?

LB: I dj at every year at the Empire State Pride Agenda‘s annual Hamptons fundraiser which is on July 11th this year. I ain’t fancy folk, but it’s fun to see a dance floor filled with pink polo shirts and madras shorts boogieing down!

JJK: How can everyone get their hands on the Lady Bunny Smash Hit DVD RATED X and sign up for Lady Bunny She-Mail?

LB: Well, it’s waaaay too scandalous to be sold in stores. So folks can simply visit my web site and don’t forget to check out my demented blog! And you can also view the trailer–not the one I grew up in–the trailer for my dvd.

JJK: Where can we see Lady Bunny this summer?

LB: Rockit! on Fridays and Splash on Sundays from 7-11. I’m also being honored, along with Patricia Field and former Harvey Milk associate Cleve Jones of the AIDS quilt fame at an amFAR fundraiser at the Edison Ballroom on June 11th. Debbie Harry and others are performing. The tickets aren’t cheap. but charities have really been hit hard by the recession, so if you can make it please do!

JJK: You’re on the road again this summer, aren’t you?

LB: I’m also on the road a lot and will be doing gay pride events in Portland, Cleveland, Columbus, Nashville, Vancouver, and Huntsville, Alabama. My full schedule is listed on my myspace page.

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Photos courtesy of Lady Bunny

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