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Drag: Combing Through the Big Wigs of Show Business
Drag celebrates the fabulous current and historical influence of drag, and its talented and inspiring performers.
Since man first walked the Earth...in heels, no other art form has wielded as unique an influence on pop culture as Drag. Drag artists have now sashayed their way to snatch the crowns as the Queens of mainstream entertainment.
Through informative and witty essays chronicling over 100 years of drag, readers will embark on a Priscilla-like journey through pop culture, from television shows like The Milton Berle Show, Bosom Buddies, and RuPaul's Drag Race, films like Some Like It Hot, To Wong Foo..., and Tootsie, and Broadway shows like Hedwig and the Angry Inch, La Cage aux Folles, and Kinky Boots.
With stops in cities around the globe, and packed with interviews and commentaries on the dramas, joys, and love that "make-up" a life in wigs and heels, Drag features contributions from today's most groundbreaking and popular artists, including Bianca del Rio, Miss Coco Peru, Hedda Lettuce, Lypsinka, and Varla Jean Merman, as well as notable performers as Harvey Fierstein and Charles Busch. It includes more than 100 photos--many from performers' personal collections, and a comprehensive timeline of drag "herstory."
Since man first walked the Earth...in heels, no other art form has wielded as unique an influence on pop culture as Drag. Drag artists have now sashayed their way to snatch the crowns as the Queens of mainstream entertainment.
Through informative and witty essays chronicling over 100 years of drag, readers will embark on a Priscilla-like journey through pop culture, from television shows like The Milton Berle Show, Bosom Buddies, and RuPaul's Drag Race, films like Some Like It Hot, To Wong Foo..., and Tootsie, and Broadway shows like Hedwig and the Angry Inch, La Cage aux Folles, and Kinky Boots.
With stops in cities around the globe, and packed with interviews and commentaries on the dramas, joys, and love that "make-up" a life in wigs and heels, Drag features contributions from today's most groundbreaking and popular artists, including Bianca del Rio, Miss Coco Peru, Hedda Lettuce, Lypsinka, and Varla Jean Merman, as well as notable performers as Harvey Fierstein and Charles Busch. It includes more than 100 photos--many from performers' personal collections, and a comprehensive timeline of drag "herstory."
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First published April 30, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 18, 2019
My cat-sitter is a drag queen, although he hates that title - "drag artist" is the preferred wording. And he is a phenomenal artist. Since he appears on the back cover, as well as in an interview and elsewhere in the book, I had to get it. The author calls it an encyclopedia of drag, and while it's not that exhaustive, it is a fun book to flip through. What I most love about the drag world is the raging, raunchy humor, which you get the instant you open the book and look at the endpapers, covered with drag names: Flotilla DeBarge; Hedda Gobbler; Scarlett Letters; Emma Roid; Karen from Finance; Ida Slapter; Chi Chi La Rue; Shanda Lear.
May 26, 2020
A great resource that talks about queer (mainly drag) history in America. Lots of references to drag queens that don’t get talked about a lot anymore than deserve some credit. Gonna have a lot to look up and follow up on.
March 5, 2021
Wow! This is one of the most show-stopping, illuminating books on DRAG I've ever laid my eyes on.
This book covers a comprehensive and engaging history from the beginning of humanity about DRAG!
From Ancient theatre, to Broadway, Hollywood and Television, meet hundreds of Queens and Kings who not only embodied celebrity personalities, but created a revolution of gender identity through makeup, wigs, and wardrobes!
Concise interviews with celebrities and Queens alike, the history and timeline of Drag, as well as Queer activism and Gender Identity is showcased in dazzling honesty and heart.
Hundreds of photos and inspiring stories accompany this glittering guide to the colorful world of DRAG!
This book covers a comprehensive and engaging history from the beginning of humanity about DRAG!
From Ancient theatre, to Broadway, Hollywood and Television, meet hundreds of Queens and Kings who not only embodied celebrity personalities, but created a revolution of gender identity through makeup, wigs, and wardrobes!
Concise interviews with celebrities and Queens alike, the history and timeline of Drag, as well as Queer activism and Gender Identity is showcased in dazzling honesty and heart.
Hundreds of photos and inspiring stories accompany this glittering guide to the colorful world of DRAG!
June 15, 2023
I just love the art of drag so much, it does things for me that nothing else ever will. Discovering the art of drag is what led me to finally feel free enough to be my true, authentic queer self and I will never be able to accurately express how much it means to me because of this. Watching drag made me feel seen, not because of the makeup and dresses but because of the heart warming, behind the scenes stories that the queens shared. Hearing their coming out stories made me feel like I could open up about my truth. Not only did it change my life in that incredible way but it also just made my life so much more beautiful. Drag is such an art form, from the makeup to the costumes to the choreography to the acting and everything else you could possibly imagine. Drag performers can truly do it ALL with unparalleled skill and that will never fail to awe me. This book is such a beautiful representation of the history of drag and it’s evolution over the years into what it’s become today. I loved getting to know more of the history of the art form I’ve come to love so much and this little dip only made me want to learn more. Queer or straight, drag is for everyone and I highly recommend this beautiful book no matter which spectrum you fall under!
August 7, 2019
This coffee table book is gorgeous to look at and hilariously written. Lately, drag has become mainstream popular, but not everyone knows a lot about the non-Drag Race queens. It's great to read so much historical context -- I didn't realize that Tupperware Queens were a thing, for instance.
The "big wigs" are profiled and plenty of fab photos abound, and I'd recommend this regardless of if you are new to drag fandom or if you've been into it since the early days of Darcelle XV (the titleholder of World's Oldest Performing Drag Queen, according to the 2016 Guinness Book of World Records).
The "big wigs" are profiled and plenty of fab photos abound, and I'd recommend this regardless of if you are new to drag fandom or if you've been into it since the early days of Darcelle XV (the titleholder of World's Oldest Performing Drag Queen, according to the 2016 Guinness Book of World Records).
December 13, 2019
Loved this book! I thought I knew a fair amount about the history of drag, but there were so many things I learned from this collection of biographies and articles. The oddest, most surprising thing was that there is a group of drag queens that earnestly make a great living selling Tupperware. Who knew!?
December 24, 2022
Have been listening to this audio loan whilst crocheting my latest blanket. I like something to listen to while my hands are busy.
The narrative is witty, catty and suitably camp.
Whilst some of the chapters are dragulous (such as the chapter about RuPaul and the development of Drag Race and the chapters on down and dirty drag queens in some out of the way places), some are run of the mill and the stories can be a little repetitive.
Nevertheless, entertaining and whiles away a few glitter-tastic, besequinned hours!
The narrative is witty, catty and suitably camp.
Whilst some of the chapters are dragulous (such as the chapter about RuPaul and the development of Drag Race and the chapters on down and dirty drag queens in some out of the way places), some are run of the mill and the stories can be a little repetitive.
Nevertheless, entertaining and whiles away a few glitter-tastic, besequinned hours!
August 22, 2019
Pretty thorough dive into drag
August 24, 2023
I want to say a lot about this book. For now, I can say this: Queer history has far too often been buried, so I'm grateful for works like this that chronicle parts of queer culture. With that in mind, I wish DeCaro would have actually focused on *queer* culture. The operative definition of drag in this anthology is "men dressing up as women," which means a lot of space is given to talk about straight men cross-dressing in stage productions or on TV, and not a lot of space is given to the political movement of the 60s and 70s, to the club kid scene, ballroom culture, and other subcultures that gave rise to modern drag.
DeCaro seems sold on the idea that drag is entertaining because audiences find cross-dressing novel. He doesn't give a lot of space to talk about the political and community-building nature of genderf*ck performance art, or how trans and gender-non-conforming folks have made drag what it is. In the first half of the book, many of the public figures he chronicles - in their own words! - don't even identify as drag queens, but as actors who happen to cross-dress for certain roles. Modern drag certainly owes itself in part to this tradition of cross-dressing entertainment, but it *also* owes itself to the underground queer community of our past.
This book is an important addition to the library of queer history, but because it is titled "Drag" and not "Cross-Dressing for Entertainment," it's really only telling half the story it claims to tell.
EDIT: Coming back to this because the first chapter of The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag by Sasha Velour is a great follow-up to this book for the very reasons I mentioned. In that chapter, Sasha manages to trace the history of modern drag performance as a descendant of both crossdressing-for-entertainment AND ballroom culture and revolutionary gender noncomformists. She also suggests that one of the reasons RuPaul has made such a mainstream impact is because of the way he incorporates all those various traditions into his brand. Just wanted to recommend that as a follow-up read to anyone who sees this.
DeCaro seems sold on the idea that drag is entertaining because audiences find cross-dressing novel. He doesn't give a lot of space to talk about the political and community-building nature of genderf*ck performance art, or how trans and gender-non-conforming folks have made drag what it is. In the first half of the book, many of the public figures he chronicles - in their own words! - don't even identify as drag queens, but as actors who happen to cross-dress for certain roles. Modern drag certainly owes itself in part to this tradition of cross-dressing entertainment, but it *also* owes itself to the underground queer community of our past.
This book is an important addition to the library of queer history, but because it is titled "Drag" and not "Cross-Dressing for Entertainment," it's really only telling half the story it claims to tell.
EDIT: Coming back to this because the first chapter of The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag by Sasha Velour is a great follow-up to this book for the very reasons I mentioned. In that chapter, Sasha manages to trace the history of modern drag performance as a descendant of both crossdressing-for-entertainment AND ballroom culture and revolutionary gender noncomformists. She also suggests that one of the reasons RuPaul has made such a mainstream impact is because of the way he incorporates all those various traditions into his brand. Just wanted to recommend that as a follow-up read to anyone who sees this.
August 21, 2022
Frank DeCaro (2019) DRAG - COMBING THROUGH THE BIG WIGS OF SHOW BUSINESS (AUDIOBOOK)
BorrowBox - Audible Inc.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 out of 5 stars
BorrowBox writes, "Drag celebrates the fabulous current and historical influence of drag, and its talented and inspiring performers. Since man first walked the Earth...in heels, no other art form has wielded as unique an influence on pop culture as drag. Drag artists have now sashayed their way to snatch the crowns as the queens of mainstream entertainment. Through informative and witty essays chronicling over 100 years of drag, listeners will embark on a Priscilla-like journey through pop culture, from television shows like The Milton Berle Show, Bosom Buddies, and RuPaul's Drag Race, to films like Some Like It Hot, To Wong Foo..., and Tootsie, and Broadway shows like Hedwig and the Angry Inch, La Cage aux Folles, and Kinky Boots. With stops in cities around the globe, and packed with interviews and commentaries on the dramas, joys, and love that 'make-up' a life in wigs and heels, Drag features contributions from today's most groundbreaking and popular artists, including Bianca del Rio, Miss Coco Peru, Hedda Lettuce, Lypsinka, and Varla Jean Merman, as well as notable performers as Harvey Fierstein and Charles Busch."
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Possibly the most ultimate of ultimate drag history books I've either read or listened to yet. Really interesting. You almost want more time spent on each queen but if you did that this would've been about 2 years long! It just goes to show that RPDR is a mere drop in the the ocean when it comes to stars and personalities behind the many drag personas. Loved listening to this.
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#FrankDeCaro #Drag #Book #Books #Read #Reads #Reading #Review #Reviews #BookReview #BookReviews #GoodReads #Audiobook #Audiobooks #BorrowBox
BorrowBox - Audible Inc.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 out of 5 stars
BorrowBox writes, "Drag celebrates the fabulous current and historical influence of drag, and its talented and inspiring performers. Since man first walked the Earth...in heels, no other art form has wielded as unique an influence on pop culture as drag. Drag artists have now sashayed their way to snatch the crowns as the queens of mainstream entertainment. Through informative and witty essays chronicling over 100 years of drag, listeners will embark on a Priscilla-like journey through pop culture, from television shows like The Milton Berle Show, Bosom Buddies, and RuPaul's Drag Race, to films like Some Like It Hot, To Wong Foo..., and Tootsie, and Broadway shows like Hedwig and the Angry Inch, La Cage aux Folles, and Kinky Boots. With stops in cities around the globe, and packed with interviews and commentaries on the dramas, joys, and love that 'make-up' a life in wigs and heels, Drag features contributions from today's most groundbreaking and popular artists, including Bianca del Rio, Miss Coco Peru, Hedda Lettuce, Lypsinka, and Varla Jean Merman, as well as notable performers as Harvey Fierstein and Charles Busch."
=====
Possibly the most ultimate of ultimate drag history books I've either read or listened to yet. Really interesting. You almost want more time spent on each queen but if you did that this would've been about 2 years long! It just goes to show that RPDR is a mere drop in the the ocean when it comes to stars and personalities behind the many drag personas. Loved listening to this.
=====
#FrankDeCaro #Drag #Book #Books #Read #Reads #Reading #Review #Reviews #BookReview #BookReviews #GoodReads #Audiobook #Audiobooks #BorrowBox
January 17, 2021
I’m rather less than impressed by the author’s dismissal of transgender drag artists. Yes, they are included, but are always referred to as such with the term “transsexual” like in the sentence, “...the film served as inspiration for the hit FX TV series Pose starring Tony Award-winner Billy Porter (Kinky Boots) and a bevy of transsexual actresses.” The author sure does respectfully feature trans women like the Lady Chablis, but the general framing of the book came off like a cis gay retelling of drag history and left a question mark over the question of whether they thought trans (or cis) women could in fact be serious mentions in the world of drag. Drag kings are almost entirely forgotten, save for a last minute mention of Murray Hill...
There is, however, a plethora of good information, and I certainly learned more about local legendary mainstays and the connection between drag and Tupperware. It is worth a read (in many senses of the word).
There is, however, a plethora of good information, and I certainly learned more about local legendary mainstays and the connection between drag and Tupperware. It is worth a read (in many senses of the word).
March 5, 2020
Casually run across this and immediately loved, adored it!
Before RuPaul became the Beyoncé of Drag, before she created a reality tvshow, before she was even born Drags were already all over American show biz panorama.
This was an incredibly exuberant journey, I quite enjoyed delving in their lives and finding out their inspiring stories; I couldn't help but shedding a couple of tear at all of them, bowling at some, laughing hard at all of them...
I was amazed by the Drag Kings section, though pretty small, still as entertaining as the previous chapters.
Thank you RuPaul and Valentina. Thank youn Chico's Angels and all the others! This was an incredibly useful way to tackle my reading slump.
Before RuPaul became the Beyoncé of Drag, before she created a reality tvshow, before she was even born Drags were already all over American show biz panorama.
This was an incredibly exuberant journey, I quite enjoyed delving in their lives and finding out their inspiring stories; I couldn't help but shedding a couple of tear at all of them, bowling at some, laughing hard at all of them...
I was amazed by the Drag Kings section, though pretty small, still as entertaining as the previous chapters.
Thank you RuPaul and Valentina. Thank youn Chico's Angels and all the others! This was an incredibly useful way to tackle my reading slump.
July 19, 2020
This book is a whistle-stop tour of the must know who’s who of drag and is absolutely fabulous. I loved it. It is possibly the first book I’ve listened to that I wish I’d read in print though just because I would have loved to have seen the imagery that went with it! I hear the photos are fantastic!
It’s a quick, funny and also fascinating read, despite there only being a short amount spent on each Queen. There’s lots of names I did and didn’t recognise but it didn’t matter at all. Each had their own story to tell, which was wonderful.
I’d definitely recommend this to anyone who has a remote interest in drag. Or even those who don’t. So basically I’d recommend it to everyone!! Brilliant book so a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 for me!
It’s a quick, funny and also fascinating read, despite there only being a short amount spent on each Queen. There’s lots of names I did and didn’t recognise but it didn’t matter at all. Each had their own story to tell, which was wonderful.
I’d definitely recommend this to anyone who has a remote interest in drag. Or even those who don’t. So basically I’d recommend it to everyone!! Brilliant book so a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 for me!
March 26, 2020
My exposure to drag began when we discussed Shakespeare in school (Year 2004).
Hearing about guys DRessed As Girls (DRAG!) really made me curious. Since then, I've practically seen every movie that had drag queens and probably watched every documentary.
However, I haven't seen a book that really tackled drag herstory--up to now!
Drag by Frank DeCaro is THE encyclopedia of drag!
It really discussed how drag started and features so many drag legends.
I'm glad that it showcased so many underrated drag queens and not just queens from RuPaul's Drag Race.
I really learned a lot of drag herstory from this book!
A must-have for any drag fan!
Hearing about guys DRessed As Girls (DRAG!) really made me curious. Since then, I've practically seen every movie that had drag queens and probably watched every documentary.
However, I haven't seen a book that really tackled drag herstory--up to now!
Drag by Frank DeCaro is THE encyclopedia of drag!
It really discussed how drag started and features so many drag legends.
I'm glad that it showcased so many underrated drag queens and not just queens from RuPaul's Drag Race.
I really learned a lot of drag herstory from this book!
A must-have for any drag fan!
January 5, 2021
What an amazing celebration of Drag this book has been! It really captures the history of drag from the earliest/most famous recorded instances of drag to drag in present day. So detailed and entertaining.
My only complaints are that there isn't an index, and that not all of those featured get a full page photo spread! Hopefully there'll be an updated edition with more photos and the evolution of drag since the book was first published!
I also listened to the audiobook version by Frank DeCaro and Lady Bunny. Never a dull moment! I love this book so much 😍
My only complaints are that there isn't an index, and that not all of those featured get a full page photo spread! Hopefully there'll be an updated edition with more photos and the evolution of drag since the book was first published!
I also listened to the audiobook version by Frank DeCaro and Lady Bunny. Never a dull moment! I love this book so much 😍
July 29, 2019
Great compilation of drag from its start to the present time. The audio book makes it hard for me to remember which drag queen is currently discussed, I will definitely come back to this multiple times re-reading single chapters. Calling it an encyclopedia is maybe a bit far fatched. Narrative by Lady bunny is fine, I wish she would have brought some of her personality into it, then it would have been hilarious.
January 30, 2022
What a fantastic read. 100 witty, informative essays written about the Drag Artist world, its history and how it's going today. It covers so many well known and not as well known performers, this book is rich in details and information about these performers and what inspires them. An addictive read. ⭐⭐⭐⭐#drag #frankdecaro #tea_sipping_bookworm #goodreads #thestorygraph #litsy #amazonkindle #bookqueen #bookstagram
November 5, 2019
A fun read for those who love all things drag. If you aren't deep into drag culture already, this might be a bit dry. The interviews with a good variety of queens were interesting. I also appreciated the early history of drag.
March 6, 2020
I happened to catch the author when he moderated a local panel of drag king/queens while promoting the book. Nicely done. Of course it includes our local celeb Miss Richfield 1981, who was also on the panel.
July 14, 2020
If you love drag queens you will love this book. It discusses all the drag queens through the ages.
It really is a good book and has awesome pictures.
It was an easy and relaxing read.
I truly enjoyed it, but then again I love drag queens.
It really is a good book and has awesome pictures.
It was an easy and relaxing read.
I truly enjoyed it, but then again I love drag queens.
February 23, 2021
A rich and fascinating herstory of Drag. Loved it!
March 2, 2021
Great fun to listen to on audio - if you’re a newbie drag fan this is a decent place to start.
March 21, 2021
A fun combination of cultural history, social commentary, and sassy comedy - this book really is like an encyclopedia of drag.
August 23, 2021
Entertaining and engaging. A good history of the art of drag and a good stepping off platform for a deeper exploration of the art form.
November 25, 2023
The historical aspects were interesting. The rest of the book was very brief Q&A's with what appeared to be Frank's Drag Queen friends.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews