Gabbing With Gigi, Part 2

(From left: Paris, Gigi and Daph at the recent East Point Possums "Life Is A Drag" show.)

If you thought the first half of Atlanta Drag Idol Gigi Monroe's first tell-all interview was revealing, you haven't seen anything yet. Sit back, mix yourself a stiff cocktail and get ready for the dish!

Daph: Now for the personal questions.

Gigi: No comment. (laughs)

Daph: Are you single?

Gigi: Yes, absolutely and perpetually.

Daph: Perpetually?

Gigi: Yes, always and forever.

Daph: What is your idea of a perfect mate?

Gigi: This is really difficult. I’m such a freak. I don’t know. I like so many different kinds of people. Polyamory was the only way for me to figure it all out so that I could be with everybody that I liked: everything from appearance to gender to interests and zodiac signs. I like so many combinations of those things. I realized four or five years ago that I really couldn’t get all those things that I wanted with just one person. It just wouldn’t be fair for them or for me. I had all these kind of failed relationships because to some extent we both had that: we want to be everything to each other. I don’t think that’s really realistic for anybody. For me specifically, I realized that wasn’t going to work.

There are some things that I want regardless of all the other characteristics: someone who is also polyamorous is probably pretty import. I have tried to convert, but if they’re not there already or really want to be there it’s not going to work. That’s been the biggest barrier to finding anybody to even attempt to date. I feel that’s my first conversation with people that I might be interested in. There are a lot of different sides to me and for someone to only be attracted to one type of person, or one side of me, that’s not going to work. Now, I meet a lot of people who really like Gigi, but they might be straight men. Someone who doesn’t have a single sexual orientation is pretty important too.

And then, people who have similar political beliefs. I’ve tried to convert them too but that doesn’t seem to work. Even if they don’t do it in the community or as their job, as long as in their personal life, they’re committed to similar concepts of social justice that I am. If they’re someone who’s willing to be called out on their stuff or willing to learn that they have some f#cked up beliefs that maybe they were brought up with, that’s also something that’s really important to me.

They have to like dogs and animals and probably be vegetarian and a water sign. But, I’m not at all particular. That’s a good starting list.

Daph: What’s your idea of a good date?

Gigi: I love movie dates. I think they’re so funny because you’re so nervous the whole time. You’re sitting close, but you’re not really touching. Maybe you’re almost brushing up against them. It has all of that nervous tension that I probably like because I’m sadistic like that. I just had a really awesome movie date last week. It’s not a lot of pressure to tell your life story. There’s a lot of pressure about initial conversations with people. A lot of times people (and definitely me) try to learn as much about the other person as soon as possible. You don’t allow yourself to just enjoy doing something together. I kind of like not really knowing that much about someone right away and finding things out along the way.

Daph: What movie was it?

Gigi: You know the one with Reese Witherspoon, “Just Like Heaven”. It was kinda cheesy but kinda cute. It was a romantic comedy and those are always fun to go see when you’re with somebody new and there’s some kind of attraction there.

Daph: I always believe in horror movies on dates.

Gigi: I don’t like scary movies. I can’t watch them at all. I like monster movies, but I don’t like horror movies. I love old monster movies like “Frankenstein”.

Daph: They’re usually not really evil.

Gigi: They’re just misunderstood!

Daph: Who are you on “The Golden Girls”?

Gigi: I am Blanche, absolutely. Actually, and I believe this was my very, very, very first experience in drag. I was doing a Golden Girls look-alike contest in San Francisco that Beau Arthur judged in The Castro at this little bookstore. Me and my partner, he dressed up as Sofia and I was Blanche. I got this blue sequined gown at a thrift store somewhere; blue satin pumps; and this really funny short red hair that I sent him out on a wig mission to find for us. He went to all these wigs stores and he could only find these up-to-date styles and couldn’t really find old lady stuff. So he had to go to a real wig store, that people would wear during the day. The biggest challenge was transforming myself into this 60-year-old woman when I was a 19 or 20-year-old boy. It was fabulous and I think I looked pretty good for my first time. Beau said I had great legs, which was lovely to hear. But it turns out that there was this drag queen in town who was about 60 and one of her characters was Blanche and she kind of had her down to a T. She was my competition. If it weren’t for her, I would have won two tickets to Beau’s show. So, I’ve always felt this connection to Blanche. Even though I’m not southern, I still feel pretty much everything else.

Daph: If you could invite five people to dinner, living or dead, who would they be?

Gigi: I’ve met her once, but Kate Bornstein. She’s so brilliant, but she is so humble and just wants to learn everything else from other people. We had such a great exchange.

Johnny Depp, I think I could make him come out and finally admit to the world he is like ultra queer.

I think I’d have to include Bob Dylan just because he’s been my favorite forever and I’ve always wanted to meet him. And he’s another one that has so many walls up and he has so much mystery about him. I’d want to get into that a little.

Not alive anymore: Gloria Anzaldua, the author. She used borders as metaphors for all these different things in her life that she struggled with: especially identity. She’s someone I would have wanted to have a conversation about that with.

One of my friends Nathan, so that I’d be able to talk to one of my friends about the conversations after it happened. And he would enjoy it at the same level I would. We’d keep the conversation going from both ends when each other were shocked or speechless about something. We’d be able to prove to our friends that we actually did it.

Daph: Ya, like Johnny Depp was totally hitting on me.

Gigi: Totally. And if we used a strategy of double-teaming we could probably get some things out of some people. Oh, and Nathan loves to eat, so I wouldn’t be the only just pigging out.

Daph: A lot of people have said that Drag Idol changed the face of drag in the city. Is there anything you think the Atlanta drag scene needs more of?

Gigi: We really desperately need more organization as a community. There are ample places to perform and ample shows for people to perform at. But I feel that there’s not a good sense of one entryway into that community. It’s very informal and I think if we work together a little bit more there’s plenty of room for people here. A lot of folks complain and say, “There’s so many queens and not enough places to work.” I just don’t see that being true. We’ve got to come up with standards we want to work with.

I really want to see a drag queen union. Some of the conditions are so wretched, the sh!t people have to put up with. I mean, I’ve been pretty lucky with my experiences so far in the places I’ve gotten to work. But, some of the places that you have to get dressed and the treatment that you get from bar staff or from the clientele that you’re not really protected from. It’s pretty unacceptable but people just accept it as standard behavior. I think we need a little more formalization for some of the shows.

Not everything be would like that because it would be really exclusive and shut off to new people. That’s one of the things I really like about Atlanta. There are several places that you can go and try it and be seen by some people.

There’s so much racism here in the drag community that it really brings me down. When I see how people are treating each other under the guise of joking around or living up to that image of the drag queen who’s bitch and catty. When really it’s just people’s stereotypes coming out. It’s about how divided the clubs are. It’s very blatant that people use that to discredit each other. They call each other sellouts for going to one or the other; or for just sticking to their comfort zone. It’s just gross.

The drug stuff is overwhelming. I feel like the only one a lot of times that doesn’t do drugs. Do whatever you want recreationally. But, I take drag seriously when I’m working at a bar. I wouldn’t go to my office job high. When people do it, it’s tough to work with, or work around. The hardest part is to know why the people are using them in the first place: it being their coping mechanism. We all have our coping mechanisms. That’s just one I feel strongly about. There are other ways, like mine are so healthy! But, I think they might be just a smidge healthier.

Daph: I’ve seen your schedule, if you don’t take drugs, where do you get all your energy?

Gigi: I don’t have much. I’m exhausted. Caffeine! The adrenaline of doing it and being out there. I really like if I’m making or a costume or working on a dance number that I’m choreographing. I love those parts and I get really jazzed about that. Even if I’m up for six hours working on the same costume, and it’s coming together the way I want it to, that will just fill me. The feeling is pretty incredible to make you own stuff. A lot of times I’m like, “Oh my god, I can’t believe I did that.” Or, “I don’t know how to do this, but I’m just going to start. And if it comes out, cool.” Plus, I have no other life. Last week’s date was the first one in a loooong time.

Daph: Do you have any health and beauty tips?

Gigi: Yes, become a vegetarian. Drink lots of water. Don’t do drugs and don’t drink a whole lot. Dancing is my exercise. If I’m working a lot, which I have been lately, I tend to get my exercise by performing. I’d say sleep, but it would be a little hypocritical. I don’t get nearly enough sleep, but I know it’s really important. All of these things are going to benefit me 20 or 30 years from now. I’m going to drink water for then. I’m going to exfoliate for then. You’ve gotta take care of your face. I don’t have great skin, but if I didn’t take care of it at all: wear all that make-up and scrub it off and put it all back on the next day and scrub it off; it’s a lot. Don’t smoke! Dancing and sex, but I don’t have time for that, those are the best exercises for the body and spirit.

Daph: What one song would you ban from drag performance, beside “Don’t Cha” (it’s too obvious)?

Gigi: “My Lumps” by the Black Eyed Pees. I hate it; it kills me. I don’t understand when “hump” and “lump” became sexy words. I don’t get it; they have very unsexy connotations to me. I’m not impressed and I really don’t want to hear about lady lumps. I’ve tried to spread the word about that as much as possible. I let people know that they might like the beat or might not have really listened to the words closely enough but they really need to before they consider doing that song. And I think I’ve discouraged a friend of mine from doing it, which is huge. When she does a song, she does it everywhere, every night, every performance for a month. So, I think we just saved the whole community from torture.

Daph: Is there a song that you would love to do but you’ve never pulled together.

Gigi: I have a whole book. I have this notebook where I write down the songs I want to do when I think of them. But, most of them, I’ve never done. I want to eventually get around to all of them.

I listened to this remix yesterday of Madonna’s “Nobody Knows Me” that I just love so much. But, I try to make a distinction between songs I love and songs I can perform to. That one never really crossed over to the performing songs. I hadn’t listened to it in a year and I’ve always wanted to do it. I have this costume in mind.

There’s circuit kind of stuff I want to do should I ever work at a circuit party; more like androgynous; more non-traditional than what I usually do.

I always want to do Bette Midler’s “Stay With Me” from “The Rose”. That’s just kind of like “the one”. Sometimes I think I could do it just like she does it: the end of the movie kind of thing where she dies at the end. Sometimes I think that that would stand on it’s own and then other times I think that I couldn’t pull it off because I don’t look like her necessarily. I just love the song so much and if there was a way to make me look like her a little more… It’s hard to know if the audience will know your song, like your song, just not be in the mood for it, or totally get into it and sing every word. You just don’t know. I’m kinda holding off on that one for a while.

Daph: What fact about yourself would most surprise your fans?

Gigi: I think actually that people would be really surprised that I really want to do more androgynous stuff. I just like very different stuff. When I started, I thought I wanted to be a camp queen. I think they’d be surprised about that. A lot of the things that I think of have camp elements to them, but I tone it down a little bit to kinda fit into this glamour role.

Sometimes they’ll try to bring me in if there’s a more traditional glamour queen who’s trying to read someone who doesn’t follow the traditional rules to back them up. I’m like, no, you can’t define their character for them, whatever it is. Even if you may personally not like it or be entertained by it, that’s different than being allowed to do it.

Daph: How would you describe your musical tastes?

Gigi: All over the board. I was joking around with a friend of mine the other day and we decided that we were only going to be doing 80’s pop songs from now on because they’re the best. Currently, there’s clearly no pop music to do. There’s nothing worthwhile. We have Black Eyed Pees.

Lately I’ve been looking back on things that I listened to and wanting to emulate growing up. It was really fun doing The Bangles. I never got to wear my hair this big; I watched my sister do it. Now it's my turn!

I hope you enjoyed this peek into the most personal thoughts of a rising drag superstar. I know I had an absolute blast getting to know Gigi better during our talk. It was wonderful discovering a human being of true substance beneath all that glamour.

Smooches,
Daph