Hi Deviants!
Welcome to Deviant Dispatch, your guide to culture that defies the norm. How are you doing? Oh that’s right, you’re probably filled with grief from all the things you’ve lost or are still worried you might loose. Welcome to the roaring twenties babes! Here’s several upcoming live streams to distract you from our trash government and give you something to look forward to each day. Pay special attention to timely the return of a batshit BK drag party at the end of the post, as well as a concert I’m working on!
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Club Quarantine
When: Every night, 9-12:00 EST
Where: Zoom, check @clubquarantine on Instagram at 9pm EST for the code
What: Club Quarantine is a queer-centric dance party. The whole appeal is dancing in front of everyone on Zoom, where you can click through the users dancing, sipping, and strutting. Last Friday I tuned into the party’s collaboration with IRL LA rave Heav3n and Paper Magazine. In between marveling at drag queen named Denim Pussy’s ability to whip her hair, I watched singer/producer HANA DJed an excellent set that included live vocals. Pop star Allie X also DJed, making good selections but mixing horribly. Charli XCX herself did a surprise set, playing rather obviously from her iTunes but making up for it with killer selection (she started with the Macarena!). Keep your eye on the party’s Instagram to keep up with their shenanigans. Even on an off night it’s a good thing to do after you’ve had a few glasses of wine.
How Much: Free
Goodnight Dump Truck
When: Tuesday 10pm EST
Where: Instagram Live @menthol.menthol.
What: Menthol, self-described as a Raggedy Ann on antidepressants, is part of a crew of especially clownish drag performers in Brooklyn right now. She, alongside the bog witch Esther and fashion jester Pinwheel, had a monthly show with the satanic king God Complex called Unforgivable Emotional Carnivore. Each show functioned as an extremely low-budget theatre piece with drag numbers spliced in. That show, while very collaborative, seemed like a Pinwheel organized affair, whereas Menthol drives the new show Dump Truck. There still seems to be a lot of connective tissue between the two. Pinwheel and Ester will be performing tonight alongside original Unforgivable DJ Foster playing the part of Rupaul’s Drag Race alumni Thorgy Thor. Describing tonight’s show on Instagram Menthol wrote “HOPE LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING! THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP! PHARMACEUTICALS!”It’s a caption that fits many past Unforgivable shows. It’s probably going to be messy, but out of all of the random drag shows happening on Instagram this one threatens to stand out by sheer strangeness.
How Much: free but tip the clowns if you can
Cabernet Cabret
When: Wednesday at 8pm EST
Where: @catccohen on Instagram live
What: Catherine Cohen is one of the best comedians out right now. The standup star also has a musical side to her. BQ (that’s before quarantine) she had a weekly cabaret show at Club Cumming. Now it’s digital, so tune in with a bottle of rose ready. Be careful not to spit wine all over your loungewear. Watch her perform her song “Look at me” if you need convincing.
How Much: free
Oops
When: Wednesday at 10pm EST
Where: Either @iamwestdakota, @harajukubk, or @itmagenta on Instagram.
What: Thankfully when the BK queens said last week would be their last time doing a virtual oops, they were playing an April Fool’s prank. We shouldn’t expect anything less from the only drag show fully taking advantage of Instagram live’s a unique setup. What started as a goofy night in Brooklyn is now pioneering what digital drag looks like. You’ll get all the glamour from other drag queen’s shows but with a twist. Expect lots of split-screen shenanigans and unexpected camera angles. Last week’s party also spawned the #fridgeselfie challenge (apparently refrigerators have good lighting) and the culture of the partygoers moving en mass from one live stream to the next once the official show is over.
How Much: free but you’ll wanna venmo @oopsgirls
BUBBLE_DIGI_T
When: Thursday 9pm EST
Where: Zoom, follow @bubble____t on Instagram for updates on the specifics
What: Bubble T is a Brooklyn based party “where asians rule but everyone is welcome” as the party’s tagline goes. Started to combat the lack of presence asains have in queer nightlife, Bubble T has grown from another party at The Rosemont to taking over the entirety of Brooklyn’s hottest club/venue Elsewhere. Their first virtual party has longtime DJs thelimitdoesnotexist (who plays PC Music and fluffy pop) and Bubble T’s founders Tito Vida (more reggaton and booty-poppin tunes) and Stevie Huynh. Performers include S1NA, who’s maybe the prettiest queen i’ve ever seen. Throw on your best Sailor Moon outfit and get ready to dance!
How Much: Free
Digital Drag 4.0
When: Friday 10pm EST
Where:twitch.tv/biqtchpuddin
What: Biqtch Puddin has made her Twitch show a weekly affair. This is good, as the Dragula winner is seamlessly mixing big names in alternative drag with well-deserving up and comers. Atlanta drag king Mystery Meat, nightmare creature Yovska, and Rapper Dai Burger are some of this week’s up and comers. The barrage of different skillsets and production values can be dizzying. One queen might writhe on her bed while another will dance through a full stage production. Others send in pre-recorded videos. Sometimes you can hear the queens urgently whisper to helpers off-camera. The best way to take it all in is pull up Twitch on a laptop and connect it to a TV. Chaotic drag theatre awaits (although it’s getting slicker all the time).
How Much: $10 suggested donation.
Booked By Grandma presents: Mallrat / Florry / Long Neck
When: Saturday 8pm EST
Where: Zoom, venmo @grandmashannon for the access code
What: If you didn’t know, I book shows under the name Booked By Grandma with my friends Katie and Shannon. We’re based in Brooklyn, and focus on booking independent artists (mostly women/queer folks). Our shows can be anything from hardcore punk to folksy indie. The show this Saturday will be the latter sort. We’ve got Melo from Brooklyn’s own Mallrat (not the Australian one) who plays heart-wrenching emo about the queer experience and is always quick with a joke. Playing as well is Lily from the New Jersey band Long Neck, longtime scene fixtures who play earnest indie rock songs. From Philidelphia we’ve got Francie Medosh, the teenage leader of the creaky rock band Florry. By the time Saturday comes around we might have added even more! This is a sneak peak: we haven’t even announced the show yet.
How Much: $1-5 suggested donation but if you have a job pay more!
Nethermeant
When: Saturday 6pm EST
Where: Minecraft (check out this post on how to get there) or Twitch
What: Elsewhere, the aforementioned club in Brooklyn, is having a festival on Minecraft. I’ve never played the game but from what I imagine you can build places in the game. Elsewhere constructed a version of their club called Nethermeant, and have pulled out a lineup of real life stars to play a mini festival. Highlights include the retro video game sounds of Anamanguchi, the alien post-club music of Iglooghost, and the alt-pop tunes of Hana and Planet 1999. They’re also selling VIP passes to the concert, which offers “special VIP areas in-game” and in-game merch. Proceeds from the VIP passes will go to Good360’s COVID–19 relief efforts.
How much: free for general admission
Bathsalts: Isolation Makes the Fart Grow Stronger
When: Monday 10pm EST
Where: tbd, keep an eye on @macyrodman and @severelymame on Instagram for details
What: Bathsalts is the party that got me into drag. 5 years ago when I first moved to Brooklyn, I was wandering around BK Monday night when I got a Scruff message from a stranger. The stranger (who later became drag queen Mini Horrorwitz) said that since I was new to the city that I should come hang out with his friends. They were going to a weekly party that I dimly recalled reading about in Dazed Magazine. It was billed as “a drag show for fuckups” and while I didn’t get the appeal of drag at the time I certainly identified as a fuckup.
I don’t remember what the theme was (past ones included “Night of 100 Christine McVies” and “I’m A Very Sexy Baby,”) but I do remember Macy Rodman getting onstage and singing a mashup of Nirvanna’s “Rape Me’ with Robin Thick’s “Blurred Lines.” I remember dancing to Miss Kitten and Bratmobile songs and Severely Mame’s salty current events commentary at the start of each show. Macy and Mame stopped producing the party in 2015 after 3 years of shenanigans, so it’s high time we had another hit. I can’t wait to see what madness is unleashed.
How Much: free but tip the girls mama
Okay, that’s it for this dispatch! If you liked this email forward it to a pal! If you’re the pal and you liked what you saw, subscribe!!! <3 <3 <3