The Best Possible Taste
© Sandy CarsonAustin, Texas, know world wide for being the live music capitol of the world, has it fair share of wild festivals year round. After hosting a third year of the International Drag Festival it can surely soon add ‘Drag Capitol of the World’ to it’s roster of keeping Austin Weird?
This 3 day weekend festival draws in and unites hundreds of drag king and queens, glamdrogynous artists and gender bending performers from all over the world, in an attempt to shine a light on the love of drag.
The gathering celebrates the hard work of drag craft with the mission to expose and promote the community to the largest audience possible.
Drag artists strut their creative styles at various showcases, transforming themselves into multiple character costumes with punderful persona stage names, lip-synching custom choreographed sets that are tipped dollar bills from the audience. The wilder the show the wilder the tips!
I photographed these zany artists’ showcases at a Holiday Inn with 70’s-esque carpets and fluorescent lighting, -a perfectly fitting scene then at late night clubs where it got fierce into the wee hours.
I was humbled each day by the communal vibe, hard work, personal transformation and dedication of these feisty kings and queens getting their voices out there.
As the late UK comedian Kenny Everett’s bearded drag Cupid Stunt used to say, “It was all done in the best possible taste.”
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