 |
|
• EROS CITIES •
EROTICA
/ ZINE•
MASTHEAD
•
ADVERTISE |
|
erotica fictiongallerylifestyles fetishbdsmqueer/bi/transswingersfeatures news
briefsarticlessexy
spreadsfree speech x-presseros bits sound
offtriviasexfessionsdiva's debaucherysexual intelligence
reviewsclubs sf
archiveslondon
archiveslos
angeles archivesnew
york archiveslas
vegas archiveseros photo classified ads about eros zine
Sponsored Links
|
Arty Fishal exploded on the San Francisco drag king scene in 1997 and now considers himself a "drag king mommy" to the community. Currently kicking back and letting the freshly-stubble-faced baby kings take the stages, Arty is "a retired pro who only comes out with gentle coaxing and some pay." But even in his comfortable "dotage," Arty helps performers of all genders get in touch with their inner stud during his fabulous "Inner Man" drag king workshops. Mr. Fishal took a few minutes out of his semi-retirement to chat with ErosZine about drag personas, Maury Povich, and fetishizing tomboys.
Arty Fishal: Though my presentation is decidedly girly, I have always been a bit suspicious of gender. From as far back as I remember I have played with gender, performing everything on the spectrum from Dolly Parton to Hulk Hogan. I love artificiality. When I moved to San Francisco, the Disneyland of gender, the character starting taking shape. I took any opportunity to dress in drag -- parties, Halloween, a trip to a strip club... I started with more of a hot rocker dude, kinda Axl Rose-ish, but he was too good looking and earnest. I wanted to be ridiculous and fully artificial. Arty surfaced in 1997. He's a Jewish swinger in a gold lame suit with a star of David necklace to match his gold tooth. EZ: What other kinds of performing do you do? AF: I was a theater major at Sarah Lawrence College, birthplace of all self-respecting drag kings. I dabble. I teach acting to kids and produce huge super-queer children's musical theater chock full of drag. EZ: You've appeared on a few TV shows. What was that like?
My favorite television experience was on a daytime talk-show on NBC called The Other Half. It was like The View, but with all male hosts including Dick Clark, Mario Lopez and Danny Bonaduce. I was interviewed as myself, then I got to dress a cute, tiny blonde girl up in drag, and then I was brought out as Arty. I loved it. Danny and Mario interviewed me. I had fun fucking with them. I actually felt like I could really be me. Well… kind of me… like a straight sanitized version of me who just thinks it's fun and kooky to dress like a guy. I actually had to sign a contract forbidding me from saying certain words. Included on the list was anything gay! It was hilarious.
AF: I talked a lot about what women can learn from men -- you know, how to take up more space and infuse our every thought with entitlement. Even Midwestern gals like that. EZ: What are your "Inner Man" workshops like? And what sorts of people take them? AF: The workshop focuses on creating a male persona from the inside out. We deconstruct what it means to be male and learn how to put those actions and feelings into our own bodies and minds. We do some voice exercises and work on how to walk like a man. Then I teach the basics on the external stuff. Students learn the best way to bind their breasts and pack their skivvies. We go over facial hair and important costuming tips. The class ends with students performing short manly scenes. All kinds of people take my workshops: curious housewives, straight actresses, trannies who want tips on passing, baby dykes who want to be on stage. I'd love to teach the class on a corporate level to business executives. EZ: So do you consider yourself a classically trained actor? AF: I'm no thespian. I don't over-enunciate my words or quote Edward Albee. But I did go to a performing arts high school and then Sarah Lawrence College. I had a great theater education.
AF: I really fetishized tomboys. I still do. I wanted to be one but I was too busy trying to feather my hair and find the perfect Bonne Belle lip gloss. I grew up in Indiana in the '70s. We spent afternoons and all summer long playing outside unsupervised. It was great. I tried to keep up with my older brother and his pack of friends. I pushed myself to be tough and fearless but it didn't come naturally. There was a really tough tomboy in the neighborhood named Jill. She could pee standing up. I was nothing like her, though I desperately wanted to be. EZ: San Francisco has a huge drag/queer/alt community. Where do you see yourself in that community? AF: A little documentary film was just made about a young local drag king named Jay Walker. They interviewed me and Leigh Crowe (formerly Elvis Herselvis). They presented us as the grand daddies of drag, which is pretty funny 'cause I'm only 34, and many kings have preceded me. But the community is so young. Really, you have to be pretty young to want to strap your tits down, cover your face with hair, perform on a stage the size of a loaf of bread and not get paid. Younger kings see Arty as a retired pro who only comes out with gentle coaxing and some pay.
EZ: Yummy! So how long have you lived in San Francisco? AF: I moved here in '93. EZ: And do you think living in SF influenced your drag persona? AF: Yes. Absolutely. There are drag queens at the laundromat here. Girls with goatees sell you coffee. It's fabulous. EZ: What's the history of your crossdressing/drag king experience? AF: I was living in New York one summer long ago. I was freshly out of the closet. I went to a new club called Club Casanova that was hosted by an amazing drag king named Mo B. Dick. I was completely mesmerized by him. I couldn't tell if I wanted to fuck him or be him. So I did both. I made my poor tired friends wait with me till the club closed so I could get my hands on Mo. We made out on the street corner and her soul patch came off in my mouth. She wrote her number on a postcard picked up off the street advertising an escort service. It was hot. Mo B. Dick was a big inspiration. Years later we ended up on the Maury Povich show together.
|
|
|
||
|
 |
|