Category Archive for People + Pets
We met Bianca del Rio at Trannyshack, San Francisco! Rupaul’s Drag Race season 6 winner.
San Francisco… where do we begin? How about with the fab Bianca Del Rio, current champion of RuPaul’s Drag Race!
Organizer Heklina (left) invited my friends and me to Trannyshack – the longest-running drag queen show in San Fran. (The name will soon be rebranded to T-Shack, since the “t-word” has taken on different meaning since the event started in 1996.)
We were in for a treat… it was Madonna Tribute night, and the headliner was The Bianca Del Rio. Backstage, Die Schwarze Frau embraces the RuPaul season six winner. Read on, to be blown away by the feisty performance photos!
Die Schwarze Frau is Yukiro’s Gothic drag-queen persona. Before the show, she spooked up the San Fran streets. Those long nail-gloves nearly took out my eye…
Sucking on the blood of young cute boys. That’s the secret to staying forever young.
That night, Trannyshack was dedicated to Madonna (they have various themes each time). The show began at 11:30pm with a Megaman drag act, performed to “True Blue”.
We were impressed by the elaborate staging and choreography of each act — some had a dozen people on stage, prancing around with handmade props. The makeup and outfits were “top quality,” such as this glittering sugar skull trio.
The sold-out audience went ballistic when Bianca Del Rio took the microphone. Heklina brought Die Schwarze Frau on stage, and introduced her to the crowd!
Bianca is one funny bitch. I was falling over laughing at her crowd observations, and witty repartee.
Trannyshack usually takes place at DNA Lounge (375 Eleventh St, San Francisco). There’s a DNA pizza parlor next door, covered in alt posters. Drag queens and pizza = best combo ever.
Outside, we tottered around with these fabulous yet friendly people. Styles ranged from low-brow to avantgarde to punk, and everything in between.
How about this divine hand-flip in motion?
We went back in for more intense theatrics. T-Shack is an institution, and brings in the top drag queen performers from all over the country.
Doesn’t this photo remind you of the “Time Warp” dancers on the upper levels, in the Rocky Horror Picture Show?
We met Holy McGrail, a celebrated San Francisco performer who calls herself a “Faux Queen Diva”.
Bianca returned, as the stunning Evita. She waved manically, while lip-syncing to “Don’t cry for me Argentina” partly in Spanish. Oh, what a moment!
During the instrumental break, she pretended to be bored and sat down on the floor. You can see how much the crowd adores her.
The show went on, with more incarnations of Madonna. “Hey, Mr DJ put a record on I wanna dance with my baby. Music!”
“Strike a pose, Vogue. Let your body move…”
Even the backup dancers went all out with makeup and wigs. (All photos in this post by yours truly, La Carmina.)
Heklina announces the last performer, and a White Rabbit darts out…
… to do a naughty Alice in Wonderland romp. Can you name all the characters represented?
When it rains rainbow confetti all over, you know you’re in the right place. Travelers to San Francisco, you simply must experience Trannyshack (or now, T-Shack). Get tickets well in advance, since they sell out, and check their site for upcoming special events. Try to see the annual “Star Search”, a fierce smackdown to find the next “Big-Wig” of SF drag!
And congrats to Bianca Del Rio, for taking the RuPaul’s Drag Race crown. Did you watch this season, and cheer for her?
This dark queen surely did. Die Schwarze Frau is performing her drag show in Tokyo, on June 15 and 22 — mark the dates in blood. Details to come on her blog.
Stay tuned for more of our ridiculous San Francisco escapades. Preview photos are on my La Carmina Instagram and Tumblr. And my next destinations are to be announced soon… any guesses?
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Pirate Cat: custom iPhone case & laptop sleeve from Caseable! Designer cell phone cases, Scottish Fold in bow tie.
Ok, this is a ridiculously cute post featuring my Scottish Fold kitten in a bow tie…
Yes, I’m a cat-lady. I take a zillion photos of Basil Farrow, and his round head graces the logo of my TV / coolhunting company, La Carmina & The Pirates.
My iPhone’s on/off button stopped working, so I recently upgraded to an iPhone 5. When Caseable invited me to design my own cellphone case, I took this opportunity to hoist my ship’s flag, designed by First Mate Naomi.
I also custom-designed a laptop sleeve, with Joanna’s winning design from my La Carmina Goth Travel contest.
It was fun and easy to make custom designs using Caseable’s website. I selected the iPhone 5 template, then uploaded the high-res images and moved them around until I was satisfied with the layout. There are also options to change the background color and add text.
You could save and share the designs before placing your order. If you’re not feeling creative, you can choose a pre-made design by a modern artist (see examples above).
And then the goods are delivered to your door. As you can see, the printing job was spot-on, with no color mismatches or blurriness. Everything’s hand-crafted in Brooklyn, from recycled materials. The materials and stitching are solid; I can tell they’ll last through my journeys.
Ah, the joys of having a one-of-a-kind mobile phone case! Thanks Caseable for providing this treat; they’re on Facebook and Twitter too.
I haven’t been doing many DIY or home decor projects recently, since I’m always on the road. Luckily, Basil Farrow’s grandma is picking up the slack — and made him this special bow tie for his birthday.
Aren’t the colors and style a perfect fit for this gentleman?
Basil doesn’t mind wearing costumes or hats, or even cat wigs.
The bow-tie had to be extra, extra large to accommodate his fat neck… I think it suits his personality perfectly.
As for home decoration, do you remember the pop printmaking lesson I had in Arizona? Artist David Manje sent me a few of the prints we made together. You can spot angry Basil in the mix.
I also arranged the stencils into a pattern, and pasted them on these boards. To see how we achieve these colors, watch my pochoir print-making video tutorial.
For daily photos of my dapper, folded-eared cat, follow me on Twitter and Instagram (@lacarmina).
Have you done any crafts or sewing lately? How do you decorate your home and cell phone?
PS: I updated my press page with the latest clips, magazine covers and interviews. View it here.
PPS: Off to the Maldives and Middle East! Be sure to follow my Instagram for plentiful updates.
LA CARMINA
