April 22nd, 2008
Queens of the Silver Screen – Fauxnique

Over these past twelve and a half years performers have used the Trannyshack stage for different reasons and purposes. Some see it as a platform to temper the outside world's daily frustrations; some as a shaky, but cheap proxy for their psychiatrist's couch; as an (un)safe space for serious (and often not-so-serious) catharsis; as a fluid-drenched dais on which to personify their pop idols, to smash them, or to do both at the same time; or lastly, as a bubbling laboratory, complete with sequined bell jars, enamel test tubes, dangerous goo, and a delicate order to all the steps involved. For several, it's all of these things combined, and much more. Such is the case with tonight's superstar co-hostess, Fauxnique. Trannyshack has been an ideal lab for pursuing her ever-evolving and always-fascinating drag art, and us fans and admirers couldn't have been happier all these years than in being the oh-so-willing test subjects.
If there's ever going to be a definitive film made about Trannyshack and its inevitably lasting influence, it'll be years from now. And though evidence of this amazing and vital creativity will be plentiful enough, Fauxnique's performances alone are one of the towering benchmarks in the club's history. From high art, to low drag, and all the fixed and ever-flowing tranny facets in-between, Fauxnique's injected indelible numbers into most of them. First performing back in late '98 (under her real name moniker), she conclusively burst onto the Trannyshack scene in early 2002 as Glory Wholesome. Eventually going on to a historic win at the 2003 Miss Trannyshack Pageant (and becoming the first faux queen to do so), Glory was, in the course of her winning performance, reborn as Fauxnique. To cite her greatest numbers is a daunting task indeed, as each one heralds at least a bit of genius or fierceness, or most often, both. From jaw-dropping impersonations of Morrissey, Julie Andrews, John Doe, Katharine Hepburn, Kajol, Yoko Ono, Catharine Deneuve and Veronica Klaus, to flawless re-envisionings of Rufus Wainwright, Kate Bush, Radiohead, Elton John, Adam Ant, Bowie, James Taylor, Roxy Music and Meredith Monk, nothing and no one is outside her range. My feeble words could not do the numbers justice, so do yourself the biggest favor and just watch the ones posted on You Tube (the one titled "Fauxnique in Five Minutes" says it all); like me, you'll be worshipping at her altar in no time.
Besides the past staging of tonight's theme, Queens of the Silver Screen, Fauxnique has co-hosted many other nights, including an installment of Duck 'n' Cover; her opulent opus Tearjerkers; and Friend or Faux, a hysterical and memorable night dedicated to all the bitter naysayers and backstabbers who thought a woman had no right being Miss Trannyshack… narrow-minded fools. A celebration of the time when movie stars we're literally just that – larger than life, untouchable, and brilliantly shown – Queens of the Silver Screen is bound to be a night filled with celebrating the rise and falls of all our favorite old-timers: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, Shirley Temple, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth, ad infinitum.
So join Heklina and Co. tonight in not only honoring the dead stars of yore, but in thanking Fauxnique, one of the brightest stars around today, for her years of tireless, flawless, and always-inspiring drag talent. Trannyshack would not have been the same without her.
And speaking of great drag talent, don't forget to be here next week for the return of legends Joey Arias and Sherry Vine, and a command performance of their show par excellence – Sinsation!

April 15th, 2008
Cher Tribute Night

"Until you're ready to look foolish, you'll never have the possibility of being great."

No, Timmy Spence did not say these wise and perceptive words. Rather, they belong to the honoree of tonight's tribute – CHER! Yes… I said Cher. As with Madonna Tribute Night, this evening's show is certain to be made up of equal parts 'admiration for' and 'condemnation against' everyone's favorite living mummy. Tonight is at least the third Cher Tribute Night that I can remember, and regardless of one's opinion about the Mackie-clad Armenian/Cherokee lady in question, Heklina and Co. have always put on a riotously entertaining show on her behalf.
So WHAT is it about Cher? She's had more comebacks than most of us have had hot meals, and yet she seems more energetic and youthful with each one. True, she has more money than God, and can afford the best surgeons, the best treatments, the most radical procedures to ensure said youthful appearance, but I think there must be something else to it all, something sinister and esoteric. A Hollywood-insider acquaintance once told me that the film "Death Becomes Her" is actually the thickly disguised biography of the female life form we now know as Cher. True or not, Cher is apparently a diva/icon/goddess/inspiration to many-a-queer, chiefly due to her rare talent for lasting as long as she has, and for surviving every kind of man: from a Republican control-freak, to a drug-riddled hippie, to a much-too-young pretty boy. And Cher has no more faithful of a follower than tonight's co-hostess, our own benevolent Botox beauty herself – Jason El Diablo!
El D. (as she is affectionately known) has been a part of the Trannyshack community since shortly after its first anniversary. Having already been a Club Kid mainstay amidst the Clubstitute and Club Uranus communities of the early and mid '90s, Jason moved away for a few years and returned to San Francisco in early 1997. Before the year was out, El D. was performing semi-regularly and co-hosted, for her first time, the original "Club Kid Night". Both Cher Tribute Night and Club Kid Night would become her regular co-hosting gigs, and these shows have always been a source of fantastic, show-stopping and inspired performances. In many ways, Jason El Diablo IS the Cher of Trannyshack: both are surgically altered and strikingly beautiful; both have had their fair share of comebacks; both have the long dark hair, the complexion and the 'can-you-guess-my mixed race' look; both can work the black leather jacket and blue jeans look like no one's business and then turn around and fierce us all to shame in a Mackie-inspired, plume-ridden, sequined gown; and both are extremely versatile in the music department. Whether it both '80s pop, '70s rock, Goth, Metal, Disco or Techno, Jason El Diablo can summon up a number for almost any occasion.
It's been a joy and a riot having Jason El Diablo be a part of Trannyshack all these years – from her sidesplitting heckling when in the audience, to her 'living the dream' performances when on stage. So come down to Trannyshack tonight and help us not only laud and lambaste Cher, but also to join El D. in what is likely to be a drunken debauch of a show.
Next week, it's the final night co-hosting for one of the true mega-stars of Trannyshack, faux queen supreme – Fauxnique! She's bringing back her ode to the Golden Age of Hollywood: "Queens of the Silver Screen". A night full of Bette, Joan, Marlene, Greta, and the Hepburns…sounds like Heaven to me.
- Bobby Barber

April 8th, 2008
Varla Jean Merman – One Woman Show!

Over the years, Trannyshack has dedicated many a night to out-of-town talent, Heklina always being ready, willing and excited in bringing her audience the best in drag-esque genius beyond the bubble-in-a-bubble confines that is San Francisco, California. Jackie Beat, Joey Arias, Sherry Vine, Hedda Lettuce, The Lady Bunny, and Chi Chi LaRue – they’ve all helped be a part of Trannyshack over the years, always delivering the best in what they do; even the likes of Avenue D and The Scissor Sisters have graced us with their immense talents. But one of Trannyshack’s most beloved houseguests has always been tonight’s gorgeous phenom, the legendary Varla Jean Merman!
Varla’s agreed to come back and grace us with her beauty, craft, and gifts one last time before Trannyshack’s end. If you’ve never witnessed the operatic magic and multi-media brilliance of Varla Jean, then I strongly suggest you do NOT miss tonight’s show – it’ll be the last time you’ll ever be able to see her for only $8! From Broadway to the Sydney Opera House, from Daytime TV to Feauture Films, from HBO to MTV, from performing in A-list fundraisers to co-starring in A-list theatre work, from the classiest of worldwide cabarets to, well… Trannyshack…Varla’s done it all, and we hope will continue to do so!
Imagine a show that combines the best of Grand Opera, Kabuki, QVC infomercials, classic stand-up, and irreverent, queer theatre, but performed by the lovechild of Betty Buckley and Russ Meyer, and you begin to get an understanding of what you’re in for when you go to see a Varla show. Also, her short films are impeccably naughty in their satire, and never cease to bring tears of joy to my eyes. Actor, singer, director, emcee and idol-extraordinaire – Varla Jean Merman never disappoints. Heklina and all of us here at Trannyshack are delighted in having Varla here with us one last time; we hope you’ll make it down for not only what is sure to be a side-splitting and high-sterical show, but also in thanking her for all her Trannyshack appearances over the years. We Love Varla!
Next week… IT’S BACK!!! Back to hypnotize you! Galvanize you! Enthrall! Drain you of your precious youth-bearing lifeblood! IT’S CHER TRIBUTE NIGHT! Sixty-two years in the making…Watch in death defying, albeit hilarious, awe as Heklina & Co. attempt to unravel the melatonic mystery of everyone’s favorite rhinoplastiché! Straight from his plastic surgeon’s O-R, Jason El Diablo will be on hand to supervise the mayhem…
- Bobby Barber

Trannyshack this week, in the words of Bobby Barber.

There are now 20 Trannyshack’s left.

April 1st, 2008
Filth Factor II – Renttecca

Where would Trannyshack be without the occasional, healthy dose of filth? Between Heklina’s blind rimming, Precious Moments’ dirty diapers, Raya Light’s entomological obsessions and Peaches Christ’s blood addiction, Trannyshack has seen more than its fair share of buns, germs and kneels. Though perhaps no other performer personifies this gloriously reprehensible side of Trannyshack’s reputation better than tonight’s host, The Filthiest Person Alive – Renttecca.
First arriving at Trannyshack in mid-’97, Renttecca (who acquired her name while working at the now-defunct apartment-finding serving Rent Tech) was so spellbound by the performances she saw that her second visit was as a performer! Within a year Renttecca was co-hosting shows, and by November ’98 she was a contestant in the 3rd Annual Miss Trannyshack Pageant, along with Princess Kennedy and Peaches Christ. It was during her pageant number (blissfully receiving a golden shower to "I’m Only Happy When It Rains") that Renttecca recognized her true calling – to shock and disturb the general public. With five solid years to her name of getting covered in (or scouring on others) piss, cum, blood and shit, Renttecca beat the stiff competition at Peaches’ "Filthiest Person Alive" Contest in 2003. After drinking some guy’s piss, spitting the piss back into an enema bottle, using the enema, shooting the piss back onto a bowl of French Vanilla ice cream, and then eating the ice cream while dancing on a gay pride flag to "Young Girl" by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap, Renttecca was deservedly crowned; it’s a life-long title…
Aside from co-hosting Trannyshack’s "Dating Game", an "Imposter Night", and Tributes to Depeche Mode, Riot Girls, Smashing Pumpkins, and the Jackson Family, Renttecca has co-hosted some of the most infamous shows in Trannyshack history: "Suck Of The Irish", "Public Sex Night", and tonight’s regurgitation, "Filth Factor" (the host of trannies terrorizing you tonight are pulling out all the sewage stops in honor of Renttecca, so you are warned in advance – don’t wear your Gucci and then bitch about it later). "Suck of the Irish" is famous in my book for being the only show that got so out of hand (in the ridiculous, keel over laughing, superfluity of smut way) that Heklina actually collapsed onto the go-go box and had to spend a good 10 minutes comically reflecting on the pride of the moment (or the lack thereof), and whether or not it was worth it to get up and finish the show; thankfully she did…somewhere there’s a video, and I’d pay good money for it. "Public Sex Night" is notorious for being the absolute alcoholic-nadir of Pippi Lovestocking’s life (she was filling in for Heklina that night), and Renttecca was left doing damage control and most of the hosting herself – it was the real performance of the evening. Again, if anybody has a recording of this night, it’s The Holy Grail of Trannyshack…I’d sell my soul to see it all one more time.
The performance Renttecca’s most proud of is her number to Korn’s "Faget", with its always-disturbing mix of catharsis, violence, rage, jolting body language and that unblinking look in her eyes that screams "I’M GONNA EAT YOU ALIVE!" Other legendary numbers include Renttecca’s pool ball/anal bead mix-up to Crystal Gayle’s "Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue", her so-real-it’s-creepy impersonation of Nikki Starr to Vickie Winan’s "Long As I Got King Jesus", and most recently, her crowd-slaying interpretation of Kelis’ "What’s That Right Here?" involving a hapless, underwear-clad Bear Cub and a rather large carrot. And speaking of Bears (some strange, unbeknownst-to-me sub-culture of gays that involves hairy bodies, baseball caps, being overweight, and a fondness for ’80s music, computers, and The Scissor Sisters), Renttecca’s is also the founder and organizer of Bearracuda, the now bi-weekly Bear club that has pretty much taken over the scene, and rightfully so.
Tonight is truly a night NOT to be missed! Renttecca is one of the legends of Trannyshack, certainly one of its most loyal and stalwart performers, and any show she puts on is always one for the Trannyshack history books. So come down and help us in not only thanking Renntecca for all her filthiness, but also in making it a night she’ll never forget – the sick bitch has it coming!
And next week, all the way from New Orleans, it’s the return of the mega-beautiful, multi-talented phenomenon – Varla Jean Merman! Her one-woman shows are ALWAYS a laugh-riot…be here for her final Trannyshack appearance.

-Bobby Barber

There are now 21 Trannyshack’s left...here is the next in our countdown, thanks once again to Bobby Barber:

March 25th, 2008
As Seen On T.V. – Bea Dazzler

In a continuation of honoring ALL the inspirations of Trannyshack, the run would certainly not be complete, or accurate, without a night dedicated to glorifying the True Evil God Of Us All – TELEVISION!

Despite the "Glam-Metal-Arty-SoulMama-Broadway-Hollywood-Goth-Rock-Cabaret-Bloodsport-Firebreathing-’80s Damaged-Rim Palace" moniker often attributed to Trannyshack, T.V. culture has also been an influential source of innumerably wild performances over the years. And no queen has been, or is, more obsessed with all things T.V. then tonight’s co-hostess, Faux Queen extraordinaire – Bea Dazzler! And tonight’s her birthday too, so bring her a bag of microwave popcorn…she needs something to eat while she’s glued to the couch!
Along with Mr. David, Bea Dazzler is one of the supreme couturières of Trannyshack, having made dresses and costumes for a bevy of queens over the years. Her gowns for Peaches Christ are true ART, and Bea’s work with P.C. was honored with a retrospective at the DeYoung Museum last year.
Bea got her drag-start way back in late ’97, being the second Faux Queen to originate from Trannyshack after Miz Ana Matronic. Quickly garnering a reputation for her striking and glamtastic fashion sense, her incredible performance versatility, and un-ending inventiveness, Bea Dazzler went on to place 1st-runner up in the 2002 Miss Trannyshack Pageant (but she was already no stranger to title holding having been crowned winner of the Klubstitute Collective’s Faux Queen Pageant back in 1998). I must admit that Bea’s performance at the Miss Trannyshack Pageant is one of my unsurpassed favorites – an audacious and miraculous, Time Machine thrill-ride that began in the Paleolithic, journeyed on to 18th-century France, ’50s America, and then eventually into the near future, where Bea Dazzler found herself crowned Miss Trannyshack 2002, complete with Peaches Christ as Heklina! I’m probably forgetting one of the eras where Bea time-traveled to, but you get the impressive picture. With half a dozen costume changes, scene changes, a bevy of back-up dancers, and a fantastic medley of songs representative of each time, Bea Dazzler’s number was truly awe-inspiring.
When Bea hosted one of her T.V. Nights back in 2001, she created a hilarious and frenzied Destiny’s Child number in reverence of her then-favorite obsession "Survivor" – complete with life raft and oars, competing for flags, voting off her backup dancers, etc. But her canonical performance is arguably the "how-did-she-do-that" Barbie doll number to what else, but Aqua’s "Barbie Girl", with her and Ken stripping one another through almost every look they’ve had over the decades.
So come down to Trannyshack tonight and help us celebrate not just the twisted worlds of Three’s Company, Mork & Mindy, Desperate Housewives, Survivor, Dynasty (or god knows what else these crazy queens are going to do), but also to wish a Happy B-Day to one of the great, stalwart queens of Trannyshack – Bea Dazzler! And don’t forget about April Fools’Day, when Heklina nervously presents the return of Renttecca’s legendary Filth Factor night – the filthiest queen alive hosting a night dedicated to all things filthy? Yes…Be afraid. Be VERY afraid.
- Bobby Barber

March 18th, 2008
Madonna Tribute Night

So let me the one-billionth person to ask, what is it about Madonna? I suppose it’s like trying to figure out the meaning of life, whether or not there is a God, or just how old Miss Chocolate really is? Chances are that any real answers or truths behind such questions will never be known. But of course, despite the enigma of Madonna, every queen and queer has an opinion about her, good, bad or indifferent – and Trannyshack has never been one to steer clear of voicing its high-volume opinions on such matters. And when Trannyshack has a Tribute Night, you can be sure it isn’t always a straightforward endorsement and celebration of the artist’s(?) music. The only thing all the Tribute Nights have in common is that said honorees are famous, iconic and/or influential. Certainly the Kylie Minogue and Jackson Family nights were rife with jabs as well as praises, and Madonna Tribute Nights are no different. You have been warned…
I can’t remember how many Madonna Nights this makes now – five? six? seven!?!? But one thing is true – for better or worse, it’s going to be the last, but no doubt the biggest and best! Madonna has been the source of so many high-sterical and lowbrow numbers of the years at Trannyshack it’s very difficult to recall them all, but let’s try…
Of course, there’s the canonical, beyond-legendary "20 Years of Madonna in Twenty Minutes" number performed by Miss Ciccone’s ’number one fan’, Kimo. Whether in its entirety, or in its abridged version, Kimo’s über-kinetic, electrifying condensation of Madonna’s career is a sight to behold. Most recently, Raya Light’s step-down night catharsis to, of course, "Ray of Light" was touching, glorious, and a wonderful re-materialization of the "scary" Raya we all first fell in love with. But the medals of legend no doubt rest with Teenya, The Lady Sergio, and Putanesca. Teenya (whose constant, tear-inducing hollers of "HELL-O!" on Tired Night I’ll never forget) brought to life a shockingly uncomfortable Ob-Gyn appointment via "Erotica", which (un?)fortunately left the entire audience doused in a milky-Mylar female ejaculation – the glitoris is an unpredictable organ to be sure! The Lady Sergio, on her infamous Wetback Night, schooled us all on the dangers of coming into America by way of "Borderline", complete with chain-link fence, sexy Border Patrol guards, and body search. And Putanesca literally took us all to church for her interpretation of "Like a Prayer", including fully robed choir, billowing frankincense, swaying faithful, and a visitation by the ultimate superstar – Jesus Christ himself!
As Nikki Starr so pointedly made clear in the documentary Filthy Gorgeous, "All individual desires and flavors are satisfied at Trannyshack," and no club dedicated to the irreverence, iconoclasm, and idiosyncrasy of Queerness would be complete without its own individual stamp on the Cult of Madonna. For better or worse, the ex-Material Girl has been a point of reference for us all these last 12 years, so come down to The Stud and join in on the celebration of, or the attack against, the Queen of Pop ’n’ Slop herself –
MADONNA.
And next week is the VERY special return of a Trannyshack Star we all know and love: Faux Queen Supreme – Bea Dazzler! Bea has always been a fun, energetic and highly inventive performer, and being a hardcore BoobTube junky she’s bringing back her classic theme night – As Seen On T.V., a celebration and condemnation of all things small-screen! Next Tuesday will be a night packed with Trannyshack stars, so don’t miss out!
-Bobby Barber

Jesus Christ, can there really only be 23 Trannyshack's left?

The next in our countdown is one of the most legendary themes ever! Once again, Bobby Barber's bulletin:

March 11th, 2008
Bollywood & Beyond – Cricket Bardot

Faux Queens, they're not just for Trannyshack anymore…

But strangely enough, there was a time when The Stud on a Tuesday night was pretty much the only drag club left in the world where one could see a woman (trapped in a drag queen's body) perform on even an irregular basis. Glorious, but unfortunately short-lived institutions like Klubstitue (who had amazing faux queens in Deena Davenport, Coca Dietetica, Windy Plains) and The Cockettes (with the indomitable likes of Fayette Hauser, Sweet Pam, Dusty Dawn) unarguably originated the faux queen. But perhaps Trannyshack's contribution to the faux queen legacy will be that it shattered, once and for all, the often-derogatory "anomaly" label such talented performers had to deal with over the years. No one in San Francisco bats an eye anymore when a faux queen performs (regardless of the club whose stage they traverse), and I'd like to think that Trannyshack, and in particular Heklina, has been a big part of such integration. Without faux queens, Klubstitute and The Cockettes would've still been highly inspired, groundbreaking, but only less so; Trannyshack without faux queens probably wouldn't have been the same at all.

And of all the faux queens legends at Trannyshack these last twelve years, Cricket Bardot is truly among those most remarkable. A regular Trannyshack audience member since its first year, Cricket originally performed (under the moniker Kandy Korn) back in 1997. But it wasn't until early 2000 when she re-emerged as Cricket Bardot, and quickly rose to the ranks of Trannyshack star with her marvelous "French-Pop Boudoir" number in the 2001 Miss Trannyshack Pageant, placing 1st-runner up. Cricket has also hosted some of the most memorable nights at Trannyshack, including Cricket in Wonderland, Cricket's Buggin' Out!, two nights of Cricket's Maternity Leave, and perhaps most memorably Bollywood & Beyond.
Aside from her legendary number from Bollywood night (which I hope & pray for us all that she'll be reprising this Tuesday), Cricket's past moments of drag legend are innumerable. Ones I remember the most include her color-popping, Alice in Wonderland dreamscape-vignette, with Pippi Lovestocking and Bea Dazzler, from Cricket in Wonderland; her galvanizing, hypnotic and beyond-ironic rendition of Cibo Matto's "Artichoke" as, you guessed it, a large artichoke; her most recent conquest (while actually 9 months pregnant) as a worn-out Britney Spears during her last Maternity Leave show; but along with her Bollywood number, my personal favorite has to be her super-charged but highly emotive rendition of "Sweet Child O' Mine" in honor of Metal Patricia's then-broken leg (yes, Heklina once had a whole night in honor of Metal's broken leg).
Always a sweetheart. Always professional. Always there to help a fellow tranny out. Always a joy to watch perform. A tired faggot can say all he wants about a faux queen not being real drag, but believe me honey, without the likes of true queens like Cricket Bardot, Fauxnique, Miz Ana Matronic, Trixxie Carr, Bea Dazzler, Holy McGrail, Hoku Mama Swamp, Windy Plains, Deena Davenport, ad infinitum all these years, Trannyshack could've been a real drag indeed.
Speaking of fags, if you've been looking for one don't fret, they'll all be here next week. It's the return of the Mother of all Tribute Nights…MADONNA! If you want to see this always-notorious show, I suggest you show up early…rumor has it that Madonna has quite the fan club among the gays. Who knew?

And, the countdown continues......


March 4th, 2008
Rock, Bitch! – Metal Patricia

Rock 'n' Roll! – It's been an essential ingredient (if not THE essential ingredient) in what made Trannyshack different from most other drag shows/clubs back when it started in 1996. There's always been a place here for Liza, Babs & Judy (yes?), but the true idols and influences of Trannyshack are Bowie, Debbie Harry, Kate Bush, Nina Hagen, Klaus Nomi, Lou Reed, Siouxsie Sioux, the New York Dolls…you get the picture. Well tonight's hostess, Metal Patricia, is just one of many stiletto heeled examples of what's kept Trannyshack iconoclastic and diverse all these years. Where else are you gonna see a teeny-tittied queen in a Joan Jett wig wearing black leather hip-huggers and a Sammy Hagar T-shirt held together with safety pins lip-synch to Skid Row, or Poison? If you're not a fan of the music, Metal P. will make you one for those three and a half minutes; even the most reserved often find themselves headbanging along to her addictive charms.
Despite this classic look of hers, Metal P. is one of the more versatile queens at Trannyshack, having hosted Old School Diva Night (where she got to impersonate her guilty pleasure, Mariah Carey), as well as Tribute Nights to both ABBA and Duran Duran. However, Metal's true milieu is flat-out balls-to-the-wall Rock 'n' Roll, and one of her most legendary shows was back in the summer of 2002 when she brought us Rock, Bitch! for the first time. That night, her rousing and breathtaking seven-minute-plus number to Metallica's "Metal Militia" was proof that a queen didn't need a gimmick, big concept, or tons of props to keep the audience's interest past three-minutes – just tons of charisma and a helluva lot of Aqua Net.
Metal first performed at Trannyshack back at the original Miss Star Search Pageant in December 1999, debuting her signature number "I Love Rock 'n' Roll". She also ran in the 5th Miss Trannyshack Pageant back in November 2000, mounting a truly awesome hard rock spectacular (complete with confetti canons, smoke, lasers, strobes, etc.) to Guns 'n' Roses' "Paradise City". With her anything-goes showmanship and energetic stage presence, Metal Patricia is our very own Miss Guy (a moniker I'm sure she'd be proud to own), and her artistic contributions these past nine years could not be overstated.
Speaking of Barbra Streisand (the Babs I mentioned above in case you don't know your old school lingo), one of Metal's most popular numbers was impersonating Barbra on a past Duck 'n' Cover night. Miss Streisand actually covered Bowie's "Life on Mars" on one of her ill-attempted crossover albums in the early '70s, and Metal fierced it with full on Babs wig and nose, and a shockingly body-tight mauve unitard, complete with cape, bubble bracelets, and other Barbarella-inspired accouterment (some day Mercy Fuque will put it on YouTube for us all to relive again, and again, and again…) But without a doubt Metal Patricia's most famous performance, if not one of the best numbers ever done at Trannyshack, is her reenactment of the Jonestown Massacre to Bowie's "Memory of a Free Festival". I won't even attempt to describe this magnum opus of Metal's, as I'm sure I couldn't do it any justice, but something tells me that it'll likely be performed once more before Trannyshack's end in August.
Next week is the long-awaited return of Bollywood And Beyond, Cricket Bardot's legendary celebration of difficult lip-synchs, fan-blown saris, bad man-wigs, and highly kinetic synchronized dances! Kuch Kuch Hota Hai…!
-Bobby Barber

February 26th, 2008
Ain't Misbehavin' – Juanita More! & The House of More

If the San Francisco LGBT Community of the last fifteen years were to have a fairy godmother it would be, unarguably, Miss Juanita More. No one else has been able to keep all the distinctive facets of our genderfucked, bohemian, multi-cultured, and at times, overwhelmingly multifarious scenes together like the incomparable Miss More – at times I feel we're all just individually sequined and sparkling stars & gemstones that line the hem of her ever-twirling, silk & crinoline Mr. David poodle skirt.
A tireless supporter of and fundraiser for queer communities in the Bay Area (including TARC, Visual Aid, Magnet, Lyric, among numerous others), Miss More deservedly served as a SF Gay Pride Grand Marshall in 2005. Proof that a life and how he or she lives it can BE their own greatest work of art, Juanita More's stimulating style, talents, and beauty are the closest thing we have today which resemble the classic muses of yore. Retrospectives of artistic work inspired by Miss More have been widely held in San Francisco for many years now, from Mr. David's fashion shows at the De Young and Catherine Clark Gallery, to fine art and graphic design installations at the LGBT Center and the MOMA. (For a more comprehensive list of all Miss More's accomplishments, which are too many to list her, I suggest you check out her website at juanitamore.com)
However, I'd like to think despite that nomadic, benefactress night-lifestyle, Miss More has considered Trannyshack her San Francisco home over the years. A vital part of the club since shortly after its inception in 1996, Miss More has been the co-producer of the Trannyshack pageant every single year. A sort of den mother to many performers at the club, Miss More has the respect of all at Trannyshack, not just for being a brilliant beacon of dirty-glamour and one-diamond-studded-pump-in-the-gutter refinement, but also for being one of the tightest and most flawless lip-synch artists ever to stride along The Stud's death-defying stage. Nothing is ever half thought out or lazily put together in a Juanita More number, and few nights at Trannyshack ever reach the sheer opulence and grandiose design of a House of More show. There have been many 'House' shows over the years, but given the opportunity to restage one of them for her last time hosting Trannyshack, Miss More was quick to choose Ain't Misbehavin', her smash-hit show celebrating the glorious sounds of ragtime, jazz and be-bop.
Come down to Trannyshack this night, and help us all in thanking Juanita More for her art, her passion, her stalwart encouragement, and most of all, for her ferocious BVLGARI. Okay, maybe not for THAT most of all, but you have to admit, The Lady More always looks fierce.
Next week, another final night hosting for one of the biggest stars of Trannyshack, the Hard Rock High Priestess herself – Metal Patricia! It's the return of Metal's signature night: "ROCK, BITCH!"
- Bobby Barber

February 19th, 2008
Trannyshack 12-Year Anniversary Show

More than any other night at Trannyshack, the Anniversary shows pretty much sell themselves. For those who can only make it out once in awhile, (i.e. people with real lives, real jobs, etc.) tonight truly is the best way to play catch-up with our glamorously draggled goings-on.
2007 was full of some startling and star-making performances, and Heklina has skimmed off the best her club offered last year for tonight's show. From the inspired and jaw-dropping concepts of Kim Burly and Becky Motorlodge, to the unarguable and unbounded sick-genius of Precious Moments, Renttecca and Peaches Christ, and all the other worship-deserving, talent-clogged queens in between, Heklina's Anniversary Bashes are always made of more fabulousness than a mere eight dollars would normally supply.

Also, if you have an affinity for the epic, as I do myself, then this is certainly a night NOT to be missed. For if Holy McGrail is 'reproducing' the number I think she is, you're not only going to see her best performances at Trannyshack last year, but I think one of the best EVER! And high-art priestess Kiddie, who can run the gamut from heat-packin' chola to snow-globe-imprisoned ballerina to bloodthirsty weretranny, will be on hand as well, remounting her most impressive and controversial spectacle-extraordinaire. Rock Goddess Metal Patricia is also in attendance, with a hysterical, two-steppin' roasting of a classic Cher song that left all who initially saw it in stitches. The best of last year also includes phenomenal numbers from Trannyshack legends Putanesca, Vinsantos, Ethylina Canne, Miz Ana Matronic, and our beloved Heklina herself!
Twelve years comes to around 625 shows. My god, that's a lot of eyeliner…and a lot of laughs. So come down to Trannyshack tonight and help us put a cap (albeit a heavily padded, lightly shellacked and often bloodstained one), on not just another wonderful year of genderfucking & rim jobs, but on twelve years of the best drag this town's ever seen!
Next week, in accordance with these final shows of Trannyshack, Heklina has dedicated the whole night to celebrating the undisputed, epicurean, dowager drag queen of San Francisco, Miss Juanita More! Renowned for her highly stylized spectacles that showcase the entire House of More, Miss Juanita has decided to revamp what we consider perhaps the best show in her entire oeuvre – Ain't Misbehavin', a celebration of the glorious jazz ages of the '20s and '30s! Heklina will be in Hawaii this week spreading the holy gospel of lip-synching, so goth-svengali and cult leader Peaches Christ will be stepping in as emcee. All Hail Miss Christ!