Drag Time with Heklina – Details, episodes & analysis

Actor, writer, producer and drag artist John Epperson joins us to discuss the genesis of the singular Lypsinka. The multi-talented John Epperson is known for his meticulously rehearsed and performed works featuring the Dolores Gray inspired Lypsinka shows -- first workshopped and debuted in San Francisco at Josie's Cabaret & Juice Joint.

John gives us just a glimpse of the process involved in researching, writing, and producing the mixed media elements featuring, oftentimes, the voice of Barbara Feldon. Then we discuss his work on many performances of stage and film, including his experiences working with George Michael, Thierry Mugler, Joel Schumacher, and Charles Busch - to name just a few.

We love you and we love Lypsinka!

Episode Artwork by Nancy French. Photo of Lypsinka by Steven Menendez.

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D’Arcy Drollinger is back and right away we get real about the HBO mini-series “And Just Like That…”. Then we find out what’s going on in San Francisco, including the 23rd Annual Mother Star Search Competition, Mothership to Reno, and my very own one-woman show which debuted to sold out crowds at Oasis this weekend. 

We talk about D’Arcy’s film Shit & Champagne (2021), which is streaming practically everywhere, and she tells us all about the sequel in the works, Shit & Champagne: Temple of Poon. 

Then we remember the genius of Betty Davis (July 26, 1945 – February 9, 2022), the controversial and groundbreaking singer, songwriter, and model.

This episode was recorded in February 2022.

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We are back with another episode of Drag Time with Heklina the podcast! This time we got a chance to catch up with New York nightlife impresario and maestro of legends, Daniel Nardicio! He tells us all about working with Carol Channing, Chita Rivera, and Nina Hagen. He shares about producing ‘Love Letter to Liza, Celebrating Liza Minnelli's 75th Birthday’ with appearances by Parker Posey, Sandra Bernhard, John Cameron Mitchell, Coco Peru, Nathan Lane, and more! Then we get Daniel to spill the shocking secret of getting a good Liza story.

We had to ask Daniel about working with Levi Johnston for Playgirl (that’s the former GOP-candidate for Vice President Sarah Palin’s twice-former future son-in-law? we think we got that right…) What matters is whether or not Levi is potentially gay-for-pay? Asked and answered.

We find out what Daniel is most looking forward to when we finally go “post-COVID” — spoiler alert, it’s listening to Drag Time with Heklina! Don’t miss this episode.

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Hello from Iceland! Our very special guest this week is none other than celebutante-turned-celebrated author James St. James! He is bringing us real life behind-the-scenes story time about the New York Club Kids scene of the late 1980’s-1990’s. We find out all about the inspiration behind some of his fascinating looks including Leigh Bowery, Divine, John Sex, Diane Brill, John Waters, Billy Beyond, Sister Dimension, to name a few. As it turns out, James St. James is the originator of the indelible lunch box as an accessory….so thank you James. We ask him all about his book Disco Bloodbath, which became the movie Party Monster (2003) starring Macaulay Culkin as Club Kid King Michael Alig… and Seth Green portraying James St. James. The book and film are all about James’ relationship with Michael, and the culmination of Michael’s undoing resulting in the death of his roommate and drug supplier, Angel Melendez. Listen in to find out all about Culkin and Green’s process in the making of Party Monster (2003) and get a master class from James St. James on authoring your own great works! We love James St. James! 

Drag Time with Heklina is back! I’m on my way to Reykjavík for Pride but we spent some time with producer, actress, vocalist, musician, and author Calpernia Addams! 

We get into the weeds about how language can change, casual activism, and reflect on fighting and surviving the queer liberation. Calpernia shares some of her experiences growing up in a strict fundamentalist Christian cult and her journey coming to adulthood serving in the military as a combat medic in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. Then she tells us all about how Navy lesbians contributed to her post-service glow up! 

Calpernia gives us an insider perspective on Hollywood casting of transgender, gay, and lesbian roles and she tell us about the work of her production company Deep Stealth Productions with Andrea James. We ask her about the film Soldier’s Girl (2003) which portrayed the 1999 hate crime murder of her real life boyfriend PFC Barry Winchell at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, USA. 

We ask her all about her very fun and irreverent podcast with Alec Mapa and Rachel True called Nooner. The podcast is on a hiatus but you can still catch the gang dishing with some of Hollywood’s most interesting people in all of the past episodes! But you will have to listen-in to this very sweet episode of Drag Time with Heklina to find out what’s next from Calpernia Addams! 

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Episode Notes

This episode has it all: sex, murder, splatter, gore… and Hollywood lore! We ask Bruce all about Death Book, a shocking selection of LaBruce's performances, actions, film production stills and photography. He tells us about a new retrospective he has in the works. We discuss several of Bruce’s films including his new release “Saint-Narcisse” (2020), and spoiler alert, it’s a twincest re-telling of the Narcissus myth, with very recent showings in Berlin and Munich and we can’t wait to see it. We find out more about the vision and process behind Hustler White (1996), a film co-created with Rick Castro which explores the seedy underbelly of the world of sex for hire and taboo fetish, or what Bruce calls a cut rate version of Sunset Boulevard. We talk about the origin of the queercore movement and the punk zine “J.D.’s” and the queer zine scene. Bruce shares some hot inspirational memories from The Stud and Club Uranus days. This episode is not to be missed!

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Episode Notes

We’re back in Palm Springs and bringing you Deven Green! She tells us all about working with her partner Ned Douglas to keep people connected and entertained bringing live streaming shows to the public during the pandemic. Deven and Ned are high-end smartypants funny-people and they have a TV show on Revery called “Versus: The Gameshow”  - a lighthearted but hilarious show that pits two celebrity contestants against one another in a series of mini-games as they square off on trivia skills, memory, and knowledge of their own social media content. We find out all about their Supper Club Music show coming up on July 30th at Wilma & Frieda’s in Palm Springs, CA. Deven gets us up to date on her new comedy music show with Handsome Ned, “WATCH THIN PEOPLE EAT - Tasty Songs of Food and Drink” which you can catch on August 6th and 7th at the Art House Theater in Provincetown, MA. Marc has to find out...what’s going on with Deven Green and Andrew Bradley’s “Mrs. Betty Bowers” and it turns out the Tr*mp years have been kind of intense for ‘America’s Best Christian’. Heklina and Deven theorize about how the pandemic has changed our wants, needs, and focus… and what kind of new revelations the future has in store for us after what has frankly been a really weird time! You can find out all about how to see Deven and Ned by visiting DevenGreen.com! Don’t miss this episode of Drag Time!

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Episode Notes

We caught up with Chi Chi LaRue for a very special Pride episode. Chi Chi is coming out to California for a special residency engagement DJ’s at Palm Springs’ own Oscar’s. She’ll be playing her own style mix of disco, pop, 80’s, women vocalists, and more! “Chi Chi’s T” will be (mostly) held the first Sunday of every month but be sure to check Oscar’s event page for details.

We ask Chi Chi all about her assent to greatness in the porn industry over the past 38 years, including her first lesbian sex inquiry and her secret process for the difficult work of capturing boners on film long before computers OR Viagra! We spend some time talking about those we have loved and those we have lost, including Joey Stefano and his lasting resonance and the sheer obsession that many still hold for the beauty boy. This episode is a bit of a sweet tribute to our loved ones in the adult film industry and to the future of porn!

Chi Chi tells us about her recovery and we find out what Heklina would do for $2,000,000. This is an episode not to be missed. Happy Pride!

TW: this episode contains discussion of weight loss.

BarryManilow #BellaThorne #Calpernia #Catalina #CherieCurrie #CoCoPeru #CrystalCrawford #DannySummers #DavidGeffen #EddyStone #ErikRhodes #Falcon #Foxes #Hand-in-Hand #Heklina #JeannaFine #JeffStyrker #JoanJett #JoeyStefano #JohnEnos #JohnRutherford #JohnnyDeppClones #JoshWeston #KarenDior #KimFowley #LadyGaga #LannyBarby #LenaFord #LucaDiCorso #Madonna #MarilynKagenShow #MoniqueAlexander #NakedSword #OnlyFans #RomanHeart #Roxbury #SandyWest #SexBook #SharonKane #TheFluffer #TheRunaways #TimValenti #TomFord #TraciLords #VividGirls #WonderBread&Ecstasy

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On our latest episode we talked to Jinkx Monsoon and she tells us all about marrying her very charming sweetheart and living in her forever home of Portland, Oregon. Jinkx recollects our first meeting and explains exactly how I am responsible for her entire drag career! We do actually dig into the creation of Jinkx Monsoon and let me just say it is Absolutely Fabulous! If you were wondering about how Jinkx and Dela came to create the best holiday show of 2020 (in the middle of a pandemic, when we all really needed one) definitely check this one out to hear about the vision and execution of an awesome (independent) movie now under @televisionacad #FYC campaign. We get the whole Jinkx and Dela story including an exciting announcement about the 2021 holidays. Marc nerds out on Jinkx’s voice acting career and he asks her about her work on Steven Universe, Helluva Boss, and more! Listen in because Jinkx Monsoon’s Favorite Memory of Heklina is a classic!

We catch up with Pandora Boxx and give our predictions for the re-opening of drag and the quest for coin! She tells us about her debut on RuPaul’s Drag Race back in 2009 and the popularity of drag then and now. We ask her all about coming out in Rochester, New York — the drag hometown of Miss Darienne Lake and Mrs. Kasha Davis. She tells us all about working Club Marcella and gives us a history lesson on the happenings of Rochester’s Midtown Plaza. We ask her all about her writing including the theatrical fan favorite murder mystery/b-horror comedy, “The Lipstick Massacre” — and we talk about her heartwarming piece “My Queer Trek” recently published by StarTrek.com. We get way into the weeds on what we are watching including some of our favorite horror movies. There are so many that I love, but listen in to find out! We love Pandora Boxx!