By Karen Parr-Moody
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Drag queens are mainstays in metropolises like New York City and Los Angeles, their hair piled high for many a cocktail party. And in Clarksville, these performing artists are gaining ground, as evidenced by popular shows at Fusion Night Club here.
And then the glitter truly gets flying during the annual Drag Idol show, hosted by the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) of Austin Peay State University. It will take place at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6 at Clement Auditorium.
This event is a flamboyant feast of the eyes, during which drag queens stomp their stilettos while vying for the title. The winner gets to go on to perform in the GSA’s annual spring drag show.
Tickets can be purchased ahead of time for $4 at Lee’s Salon, 2201 Fort Campbell Boulevard, or through the APSU Gay-Straight Alliance at www.apsugsa.webs.com. They are $5 at the door.
This area’s iconic drag queen Anna Freeze will be hosting the show again. She is the brainchild of Matthew Combs, a hair stylist at Lee’s Salon, who says this year he will be performing “numbers I have never done (that are) out of my zone!”
Among those musical numbers? Stevie Nicks’ “On the Edge of Seventeen,” Christina Aguilera’s “Primadonna” and “Sledgehammer” by Fifth Harmony.
There is also a new “Lip Sync for Your Life” addition to Drag Idol this year, Combs says, during which, “We will get down to the final two to battle it out.”
Last year’s winner DixieNormus Garafalo – otherwise known as Tim Garafalo – will be guest-judging the competition, as well as performing alongside Tova Urivitch, another well-known drag queen.
It has been an amazing year for Garafalo as the 2014 Drag Idol winner, he says. While his foray into the art of drag began as something of a dare, he says it has led to his meeting great people and to performing at Fusion Night Club regularly.
Garafalo says, “I am looking forward to crowning the next winner and watching them make a difference in the community, as well. I also want to thank my husband, Joel, for being with me on this fantastic journey.”
Last year’s winner DixieNormus Garafalo – otherwise known as Tim Garafalo – will perform./Karen Parr-Moody
Karen Parr-Moody began a career as a New York journalist, working as a fashion reporter for Women’s Wear Daily, a beauty editor for Young Miss and a beauty and fashion writer for both In Style and People magazines. Regionally, she has been a writer at The Leaf-Chronicle newspaper and currently writes about arts and culture for Nashville Arts magazine each month.