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?
SHARE & COMMENT
I floated in the Dead Sea! Mud masks, Masada fortress & modern Mamilla hotel Jerusalem.
What’s your “happy place”? For me, it’s a combination of gentle sun, friends, travel, exploring cultures, the ocean, and my Scottish Fold cat. I got all of the above (minus the kitty, and with a salt lake instead) on one of my most memorable days in Israel.
Read on for my floaty, muddy adventure in the Dead Sea… (And apologies for the lack of posts over Memorial Day weekend – I’ve been in San Francisco with my friends. Tons of new material coming up; you can see previews of Bianca Del Rio at Trannyshack, oddities at Loved to Death and more on my @lacarmina Instagram.)
My film team and I woke up early at the Mamilla Hotel, a 5-star modern hotel on King Solomon Street. It’s the work of Israeli-born architect Moshe Safdie (who did the Vancouver Downtown Library) and designer Piero Lissoni.
Mamilla is a perfect blend of new and old: witness Jerusalem stone walls next to a sculpted metal staircase. I wish we had time to experience their Akasha Wellbeing Center, celebrated for its organic bar and holistic classes.
I personally love stark, modern hotels. They tend to be ultra-clean with inspiring design, and have fast and free Wi-Fi. (Ideal for germophobic, design-freak, plugged-in millennial travelers like me.)
Photography by Eric Bergemann, Melissa Rundle and La Carmina.
The Mamilla hotel’s facade was built from historic Jerusalem stone (similar to sandstone). Each one was numbered, to mark its proper place in the arch.
Today I’m wearing a lion t-shirt and blue sandals from Izzue Hong Kong, a black and white skirt from Algonquins Tokyo, and sunglasses by Marc Jacobs Dot.
The rooftop gave us a magnificent view of Jerusalem’s Old City walls, the Tower of David and Jaffa Gate.
Perfect for a panorama shot. (My two filmmakers travel with me, and shoot the videos and photos. So far, we’ve been sent to the Maldives, Abu Dhabi, Mazatlan, Maui, Dubai, Portland, around Eastern Europe, and more!)
Time to hit the road. Our trusty driver and Israel guide, Uri Golani, took us for an hour and a half ride to Masada. Along the way, the sand scenery was straight out of Frank Herbert’s Dune (a must-read sci fi novel).
We took a short cable car ride up to Masada, the isolated mountain fortress built by Herod the Great around 37-31 BC. This is the site of the famous siege, where Jewish rebels fought back the attacking Romans after Jerusalem fell. Finally overtaken, the 960 Masada Jews supposedly committed mass suicide.
The rock plateau overlooks the Dead Sea, which we’ll visit after. Up the cliffs, ingenious water cisterns divert water from nearby wadis (ravines), which allowed the rebels to store as much as 10 million gallons of water.
See this black line? It shows the height of the walls before they were reconstructed, since much of Masada was in ruins when it was re-discovered in 1828.
We ducked into the bath houses, which still had remnants of mosaics and painted wall plasters.
Imagining the homes, synagogue and store rooms that stood here ages ago.
We saw a number of these noisy birds. I found out they are Tristram’s Starling, a bird native to this region. The males have orange marks on their wings.
I remember reading about Masada years ago, but history lessons often don’t sink in until you’re actually on the ground where they took place. I think it’s important to see both the old and new sides of a destination, to better understand it.
Alas, the wind is beckoning us to the water. We took a short drive to the Dead Sea, one of the world’s saltiest lakes. No living creatures can thrive in the waters, hence the very Gothic name.
Bathers can grab handfuls of mud from a bucket, to cover their faces and bodies. Dead Sea mud is full of minerals and known for its therapeutic properties.
Why not engage in some Gothic body-painting at the same time? I drew monster scars, crosses, and a Star of David on myself. Tip: wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty, as they’ll inevitably pick up some sand and mud.
The Ein Gedi public beach also has change rooms, and a sulphur-water pool.
I saw some people doing standing-board paddling. Make sure you don’t put your head under water or try to swim, unless you want your eyes to burn!
Slowly sit back, and you’ll float. Such a strange feeling. Watch out for the sharp salt formations on the floor, though… they cut my butt!
What a blessing, to be able to experience the Dead Sea. Thank you to Israel Tourism for the experience.
I leave you with my protein-and-veg packed breakfast at the Mamilla Hotel (including shakshuka, eggs poached with tomatoes). What is your happy place?
LA CARMINA
