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Who Does That Bitch Think She Is?: Doris Fish and the Rise of Drag
An exciting new history of drag told through the life of the remarkable, flawed, and singular Doris Fish
In the 1970s, gay men and lesbians were openly despised and drag queens scared the public. Yet that was the era when Doris Fish (born Philip Mills in 1952) painted and padded his way to stardom. He was a leader of the generation that prepared the world not just for drag queens on TV but for a society that welcomes and even celebrates queer people. How did we get from there to here? In Who Does That Bitch Think She Is? Craig Seligman looks at Doris’s short but overstuffed life as a way to provide some answers.
There were effectively three Dorises—the quiet visual artist, the glorious drag queen, and the hunky male prostitute who supported the other two. He started performing in Sydney in 1972 as a member of Sylvia and the Synthetics, a psycho troupe that represented the first anarchic flowering of queer creative energy in the post-Stonewall era. After moving to San Francisco in the mid-’70s, he became the driving force behind years of sidesplitting drag shows that were loved as much as you can love throwaway trash—which is what everybody thought they were. No one, Doris included, perceived them as political theater, when in fact they were accomplishing satire’s deepest not just to rail against society, but to change it.
Seligman recounts this dynamic period in queer history — from Stonewall to AIDS — giving insight into how our ideas about gender have broadened to make drag the phenomenon we know it as today. In a book filled with interviews and letters about a life that ricocheted between hilarity and tragedy, he revisits the places and people Doris knew in order to shed light on the multihued era that his remarkable life encapsulated.
In the 1970s, gay men and lesbians were openly despised and drag queens scared the public. Yet that was the era when Doris Fish (born Philip Mills in 1952) painted and padded his way to stardom. He was a leader of the generation that prepared the world not just for drag queens on TV but for a society that welcomes and even celebrates queer people. How did we get from there to here? In Who Does That Bitch Think She Is? Craig Seligman looks at Doris’s short but overstuffed life as a way to provide some answers.
There were effectively three Dorises—the quiet visual artist, the glorious drag queen, and the hunky male prostitute who supported the other two. He started performing in Sydney in 1972 as a member of Sylvia and the Synthetics, a psycho troupe that represented the first anarchic flowering of queer creative energy in the post-Stonewall era. After moving to San Francisco in the mid-’70s, he became the driving force behind years of sidesplitting drag shows that were loved as much as you can love throwaway trash—which is what everybody thought they were. No one, Doris included, perceived them as political theater, when in fact they were accomplishing satire’s deepest not just to rail against society, but to change it.
Seligman recounts this dynamic period in queer history — from Stonewall to AIDS — giving insight into how our ideas about gender have broadened to make drag the phenomenon we know it as today. In a book filled with interviews and letters about a life that ricocheted between hilarity and tragedy, he revisits the places and people Doris knew in order to shed light on the multihued era that his remarkable life encapsulated.
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Published February 28, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
March 8, 2023
Okay, it's kind of hard for me to be objective about this. I met Doris/Philip socially a few times, and I certainly saw a number of her shows, and was an assistant house manager for her benefit at the Victoria. So reading the book brought back so many memories of San Francisco in the 80's. Craig did an amazing job of chronicling that period.
June 12, 2023
This month's library book club pick!
A wonderful biography of drag performer Dorris Fish written by Craig Seligman, journalist and husband to another drag performer in Dorris's circle.
This book is both a biography of a prominent drag queen in both Sydney and San Francisco, but also a history of drag of the 1970s through the early 1990s. Unsurprisingly, the later part of the book deals with the AIDS crisis, and the pain of the community going through it is felt in the author's descriptions. And even through the sorrow, the community supported each other however they could.
Less than 300 pages, it was a quick read, and the story drew me in. Looking forward to the discussion about it at the end of the month, as I think it's going to be many's first introduction to drag!
A wonderful biography of drag performer Dorris Fish written by Craig Seligman, journalist and husband to another drag performer in Dorris's circle.
This book is both a biography of a prominent drag queen in both Sydney and San Francisco, but also a history of drag of the 1970s through the early 1990s. Unsurprisingly, the later part of the book deals with the AIDS crisis, and the pain of the community going through it is felt in the author's descriptions. And even through the sorrow, the community supported each other however they could.
Less than 300 pages, it was a quick read, and the story drew me in. Looking forward to the discussion about it at the end of the month, as I think it's going to be many's first introduction to drag!
August 22, 2023
Interesting biography of a legendary figure. It provided some background on Australian LGBT history that I have been wondering about since I read Hannah Gadsby's autobiography.
April 6, 2023
I read Luda by Grant Morrison and couldn’t shake the feeling like I was missing something. Like my impressions of what the motivation for drag was were just a little too vague to make any clear sense of. So I did what I always do when I don’t understand something. I sought out another book to read...
I know that drag has been present in popular culture for a long time. But I led a very sheltered religious upbringing and so it wasn’t going to make much of an appearance in my life until I went to various gay bars in my late teens and throughout my twenties. And it is hard to really understand anything when you are taking as many drugs and drinking as much as I was during that time. The curiosity never materialised beyond that. It didn’t much matter as it was outside what I’d consider my own range of artistic interests.
This book really explained a lot of what I was missing about the art of drag. I can’t honestly say that I’m much drawn to it, but I think it is important to learn about things beyond your own interests occasionally - especially when it is such a large part of other people’s lives. It just helps you understand the world better. Prevents you inventing strange explanations for cultural practices outside your scene and thereby possibly insulting people, however unintentionally.
Tippi was the real focus of unpicking a lot of my misunderstandings when it came to drag. The inclusion of Tippi’s story was contextually important in Doris’ life, but also helpful in the sense that it made more obvious the diffuse border between gender identity and drag.
I thought the writing was clear and clipped along in a personable way. This is exactly the voice I look for when I want to read a biography. That sort of perspective of understanding and honesty is really important. Because it paints a true picture. Insecurities, inconsistencies, imperfections: those make a person of fragile beauty and that’s what is on offer here.
Such a sad life; but at the same time hugely joyful and full of the very stuff life is made of.
I loved the inclusion of photography at the start of each chapter too. It really sparked a visual context that served the book really well. Especially for me, I do like to see the people I read about. I can’t understand books that only have images of the subject on the cover... Anyway, if you are interested in drag or gay culture, you will get a lot out of this book.
I’d recommend it generally, but I do feel it would make a better documentary than a book. Not a criticism, just my own personal perspective.
I know that drag has been present in popular culture for a long time. But I led a very sheltered religious upbringing and so it wasn’t going to make much of an appearance in my life until I went to various gay bars in my late teens and throughout my twenties. And it is hard to really understand anything when you are taking as many drugs and drinking as much as I was during that time. The curiosity never materialised beyond that. It didn’t much matter as it was outside what I’d consider my own range of artistic interests.
This book really explained a lot of what I was missing about the art of drag. I can’t honestly say that I’m much drawn to it, but I think it is important to learn about things beyond your own interests occasionally - especially when it is such a large part of other people’s lives. It just helps you understand the world better. Prevents you inventing strange explanations for cultural practices outside your scene and thereby possibly insulting people, however unintentionally.
Tippi was the real focus of unpicking a lot of my misunderstandings when it came to drag. The inclusion of Tippi’s story was contextually important in Doris’ life, but also helpful in the sense that it made more obvious the diffuse border between gender identity and drag.
I thought the writing was clear and clipped along in a personable way. This is exactly the voice I look for when I want to read a biography. That sort of perspective of understanding and honesty is really important. Because it paints a true picture. Insecurities, inconsistencies, imperfections: those make a person of fragile beauty and that’s what is on offer here.
Such a sad life; but at the same time hugely joyful and full of the very stuff life is made of.
I loved the inclusion of photography at the start of each chapter too. It really sparked a visual context that served the book really well. Especially for me, I do like to see the people I read about. I can’t understand books that only have images of the subject on the cover... Anyway, if you are interested in drag or gay culture, you will get a lot out of this book.
I’d recommend it generally, but I do feel it would make a better documentary than a book. Not a criticism, just my own personal perspective.
June 13, 2023
Drag and its antecedents have a long rich history. Prior to the 18th century it was uncommon for women to perform in theaters. Women’s roles were few, and those that existed such as in Shakespeare’s plays were performed by men. Often those male performers were prepubescent boys whose voices had not changed.
During the middle of the 20th century drag was well accepted. Families tuned in to a top-rated weekly television show during the 1950s, the Texaco Theater, to see Milton Berle perform in drag as Aunt Mildred. The jokes were baldy and quite risqué despite the censorship rules in place during that era. They went to the movies to see Tony Curtis and Jack Lemon perform in drag opposite Marilyn Monroe in the award winning movie, Some Like It Hot. It ended with comedian Joe E Brown suggesting to his date, Jack Lemon, who had revealed that she was a he, that he get gender aligning surgery.
Drag continued to be part of the popular culture in the 1960s, 70s and 80s with the performances of comedian Flip Wilson as Geraldine on his weekly family oriented television shows, Dustin Hoffman as Tootsie in the award winning movie of the same name, as well as others.
Unfortunately none of this is mentioned as background and context for the development of drag, and its importance in the LGBTQ community as the author presents the history of drag and its rise in the LGBTQ community as epitomised by the life of Doris Fish. Its inclusion might have created a better understanding of the history of drag, and comprehension of the anger inherent in the drag performances by Doris Fish and other members of the LGBTQ community, and the statement that they were conveying about rebelling against existing norms. It would also have provided a keener understanding of why opposition and hatred developed towards those performances over the years especially since the later part of the 20th century.
Nevertheless once the reader gets into the book, especially once they get towards the middle of the book and beyond, the story of Doris Fish’s life becomes enthralling especially when set against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis then enveloping the LGBTQ community.
Therefore, the book rates 3.5 stars.
During the middle of the 20th century drag was well accepted. Families tuned in to a top-rated weekly television show during the 1950s, the Texaco Theater, to see Milton Berle perform in drag as Aunt Mildred. The jokes were baldy and quite risqué despite the censorship rules in place during that era. They went to the movies to see Tony Curtis and Jack Lemon perform in drag opposite Marilyn Monroe in the award winning movie, Some Like It Hot. It ended with comedian Joe E Brown suggesting to his date, Jack Lemon, who had revealed that she was a he, that he get gender aligning surgery.
Drag continued to be part of the popular culture in the 1960s, 70s and 80s with the performances of comedian Flip Wilson as Geraldine on his weekly family oriented television shows, Dustin Hoffman as Tootsie in the award winning movie of the same name, as well as others.
Unfortunately none of this is mentioned as background and context for the development of drag, and its importance in the LGBTQ community as the author presents the history of drag and its rise in the LGBTQ community as epitomised by the life of Doris Fish. Its inclusion might have created a better understanding of the history of drag, and comprehension of the anger inherent in the drag performances by Doris Fish and other members of the LGBTQ community, and the statement that they were conveying about rebelling against existing norms. It would also have provided a keener understanding of why opposition and hatred developed towards those performances over the years especially since the later part of the 20th century.
Nevertheless once the reader gets into the book, especially once they get towards the middle of the book and beyond, the story of Doris Fish’s life becomes enthralling especially when set against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis then enveloping the LGBTQ community.
Therefore, the book rates 3.5 stars.
August 23, 2022
Phillip Mills was born in Sydney Australia and that’s also where his alter ego Doris fish was born but that wouldn’t be until 1972. The life they would lead would be an extraordinary one if she were on social media I’m sure she would have millions of followers. She was an artist a performer and a male prostitute and she wasn’t embarrassed to be any of them. This book was so entertaining from her life in San Francisco where she perform comedy shows in the audience would roar with the plus to the quiet moments by her self the one thing she was with original and although she came out with the hippie movement even the hippies couldn’t prepare the world for a person so authentic she made drag look easy in pave the way for those who came after. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I think if you’re against drag queens or transsexual people all you have to do is get to know one of them indoors fish is a great place to start. A truly great auto biography! I received this book from NetGalleyShelf and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
December 12, 2025
fascinating biography set amidst the backdrop of a pivotal period for gay civil rights & gay culture. loved the synthesis of performance reviews, personal experiences with doris, & doris’ own insights pulled from an earlier profile by seligman. lots and lots of details (about EVERYTHING from her outfits to her prostitution philosophies), but i enjoyed how dense it was. you just can’t do a biography of a drag queen if you’re not willing to go all in.
i liked how seligman explored the delineation between doris & philip and how this dual-identity influenced her relationships and self-image. also appreciated the deeper dive into the lives of those within doris’ orbit bc it helped create a more robust portrait of doris AND showcased the variety of gay experience & expression during the 70s and 80s. ending is obviously very sad, but heartfelt.
looooove a good pop culture memoir/biography and would really recommend this! very quick (and oftentimes quite funny!) read about a queen who remained consistently influential & controversial throughout her life (and whose legacy continues to resonate today. i ♥️ sasha velour). repudiate respectability politics ! deliberate camp 4ever ! don’t bury me until i rot !
i liked how seligman explored the delineation between doris & philip and how this dual-identity influenced her relationships and self-image. also appreciated the deeper dive into the lives of those within doris’ orbit bc it helped create a more robust portrait of doris AND showcased the variety of gay experience & expression during the 70s and 80s. ending is obviously very sad, but heartfelt.
looooove a good pop culture memoir/biography and would really recommend this! very quick (and oftentimes quite funny!) read about a queen who remained consistently influential & controversial throughout her life (and whose legacy continues to resonate today. i ♥️ sasha velour). repudiate respectability politics ! deliberate camp 4ever ! don’t bury me until i rot !
August 17, 2023
If only all biographies were so lucidly written. A clear-eyed but tender-hearted look at the long-departed Doris Fish. Doris may have been gone for decades but the it's safe to say her influence remains everywhere. Seligman is kind when it comes to making sense of Doris's personality while also having a level sense of why her most famous work feels flat. Great if you're learning about drag history, camp, Australian gay life, the Tenderloin, shot on video movies, painting teeth--any of it, really. You really will laugh and cry--and once, I did it at the same time. Most of all, Doris would love seeing her face on the cover of a great book. Go read this.
March 21, 2023
A wonderful and powerful biography about Doris Fish and an entire community. The characters and history... the harsh reality that was the 70s and 80s LGBTQ generation's lives. Craig Seligman did a phenomenal job with the research and interviews to give the readers a gripping historical tapestry that went beyond Doris who is still spoken of in San Francisco as a legend.
This is definitely a book I want my book club to read!
I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.
This is definitely a book I want my book club to read!
I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.
June 21, 2023
I found reading about Doris and his existence and influence on so many moments of queer history fascinating. I learned a lot from this book. My biggest drawback was the writing style, especially in how it introduced so many people in a fashion that was hard to track. When documenting such a prolific life as Doris’s, it makes sense to share as many of those as he’s come into contact with as he did, yet as a reader, the way these people were captured within the narrative was confusing at points.
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June 29, 2023No Calificación
Creo que este libro no fue del todo para mí, fue interesante poder aprender un poco más acerca de la vida drag, pero creo que al ser concentrado a una persona y su experiencia general con el mundo hizo que sea una historia muy limitada al contexto.
A pesar de que si hubieron referencias y datos me fueron buenos de saber como historia queer, siento que el libro no me atrapó lo suficiente.
Creo que este libro no fue del todo para mí, fue interesante poder aprender un poco más acerca de la vida drag, pero creo que al ser concentrado a una persona y su experiencia general con el mundo hizo que sea una historia muy limitada al contexto.
A pesar de que si hubieron referencias y datos me fueron buenos de saber como historia queer, siento que el libro no me atrapó lo suficiente.
September 8, 2023
A beautifully tender and heartbreaking reflection of the rise/history of gay culture, the AIDs epidemic, drag and (the one and only) Doris Fish. At one point of the book one of Doris's performances is described as spanning "from funny, to catty, to bleak, to wise" which in turn perfectly sums up the range of feelings throughout the book. Not only is this a fascinating read, bit it also serves as a reminder that we (gay folks) have have always been here, and always will.
Rest in Peace, Doris
Rest in Peace, Doris
January 10, 2024
I'm not one for memoirs a lot of the time, so take my review with a grain of salt. While I appreciated the depiction of the punk/drag scene through from the 70s on, especially Fish's early life in Australia and San Francisco in the 70s, I found the book went on and on about characters that I had little interest in. To be fair, Dorish Fish is a hoot in many situations, but overall I could have skipped the book (this was a book group selection).
February 16, 2024
Long and rambling at times, a little hard to keep all the characters straight especially since the queens kept changing their names. But this is a very important piece of queer history that needs to be remembered. Doris Fish is probably one of the most important drag queens and queer figures of modern times. And this book is a beautiful snapshot of life for the gay community during the beginning of the AIDS crisis.
March 7, 2023
Awful narrator for the audiobook.
A book written by a man about a gay man who is also a drag queen...so why choose a woman with a whispery old lady voice for the narration?
Makes zero sense.
And one of the worst attempts at an Australian accent I've ever heard.
It almost made me give up on the book, Doris deserved a fabulous & gloriously camp narration.
A book written by a man about a gay man who is also a drag queen...so why choose a woman with a whispery old lady voice for the narration?
Makes zero sense.
And one of the worst attempts at an Australian accent I've ever heard.
It almost made me give up on the book, Doris deserved a fabulous & gloriously camp narration.
April 5, 2023
According to the author, Doris Fish was a key figure in the development of modern drag. I did not get that from listening to this book. I am not downplaying Fish's contributions or talent, it's just that (as portrayed here), Fish was just another in a long line of drag performers who was taken much too soon by AIDS.
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June 28, 2023Craig is a dear friend, so I can't be objective, but read this book for the wild characters, and the deft way he captures queer and drag life in Sydney and San Francisco, before and during the AIDS crisis. It's a love letter to a lost world, and as witty, insightful and delicious as the author himself.
March 30, 2024
Maybe I would have enjoyed this book more if I knew more about who Doris Fish was or any of the other characters mentioned, for that matter. I picked up this book to fulfill the prompt in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge to read a book about drag queen history. The story was entertaining, but I had some trouble following what was going on and the larger context behind why I should care. I would probably give this book another half a star for the concluding chapter on the AIDS crisis.
February 1, 2025
a beautifully written biography about a pillar in the drag community that some people may not know about in this day and age. I struggled a bit with the many names of friends coming and going, but I do believe this to be a showing of just how loved doris was. this book was a great glimpse into queer culture of the 80s and 90s, and shows the true and real rawness of the AIDS crisis.
November 4, 2025
I finished reading the Doris Fish biography. Partly a celebration of Fish’s colorful life, but also a picture of the AIDS pandekic and how it killed so many, funny and sad, as we learn of an iconic life. I highly recommend also watching Vegas in Space, the movie Fish made and released after their death, which shows their energy and charisma at full display
February 27, 2023
Lunatic drag queens, hustlers, junkies, and art-damaged weirdoes abound in this charmingly written and meticulously researched bio. Anyone interested in the social history of gender bending and queer culture is advised to read this ASAP. It's not just wildly entertaining, but insightful!
November 29, 2023
Did not enjoy the writing style, wasn't much of a story. Too much "she was a degenerate and broke and did all these drugs but was somehow also rich and fabulous". Boring read when I should have really enjoyed the history of drag.
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January 19, 2024Gave up on it in the middle. There was nothing technically wrong with it, I just lost interest, and I'm not sure how - the person and the life and the times are interesting, and yet the book just didn't click.
April 11, 2023
More like 3.5 but I’ll round up. This was interesting, but at times felt tedious. For someone who lived such a colorful life, I shouldn’t have been bored reading about it.
April 24, 2023
This just did not bring the reader along with it. It read like an encyclopedia and I never connected to it.
June 22, 2023
I stayed up way too late to finish this so my review will be short. This book was fascinating, informative, heart-breaking yet humorous; and I loved the photos, of course.
July 11, 2023
Well, that was a history I didn't expect to read...
November 26, 2023
This was a solid 3.5 for me but I’m gonna round up to a 4!
February 28, 2024
read harder challenge 2024: read a book about drag or queer artistry
November 3, 2024
Fascinating history of drag in San Francisco and the rise of the AIDS epidemic.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews