The Changing Face of Drag
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/63009/the-changing-face-of-drag/Michael Abernethy
9/15/2008
Sissy Blake doesn't perform anymore. After breaking her back in a fall
two years ago, she has difficulty getting around. Her hands shake and
her step falters, although her pain medicines haven't dulled her sharp
wit. Now nearing 60, she hasn't been on stage in full drag in years.
But back in the day...
The lights are dim in the Downtowner, except for the spots on the tiny
stage. The opening strains of Della Reese's "You've Come a Long Way
from St. Louie" fill the room, and there she is, Sissy Blake holding
court center stage in stiletto heels, a glistening sequin dress, and a
red wig in a beehive that seems tall enough to scrape the ceiling. (In
fact, once on a smaller stage, a nail in a doorframe snatched her wig
off her head as she came onstage.)
