WE DID IT!

Hi all! I am just surfacing from Wistock's cruise. Totally lost my voice and couldn't even make it to the after-party. (Which I heard was fun.) To be honest with you, I had no idea whether Wigstock on a boat was going to work or not. We had changed boats when the first one sold out and ended up with one with a much better stage. However, the dressing room was completely surrounded by observation deck with windows. But on the other boat, the dressing room was in the kitchen! I'd love to know your feedback because I didn't experience the event as a guest so I don't know if bartenders, boarding or whatever was problematic. For example, one friend said that either the stage should be higher--or that he should be taller. Was this an issue for others? Could you hear everything from both levels? If you have suggestions, please inbox me. If we do it again next year, we wanna it to be perfect

Performances ranged from electrifying to just plain insane, which is exactly how I like it. So much thanks to all the performers for their hard work: Princess Diandra​, David Ilku​, David Burgess​ aka Sugga Pie Koko, Sweetie Nyc​, Linda Simpson​, Kevin Aviance​, Flloyd, Flotilla Debarge, Sister Dimension and DJs Johnny Dynell​ and Ed Bailey. It felt like Wigstock to me and I've been to every one of them. One thing I noticed were all the times I heard "I love you" from the performers, who have all worked together for decades. Too often we're presented with images of drag queens as bitchy divas. And don't get me wrong--most of the gurls love to dish the dirt and our humor can be hateful. But most queens I know get along fine and feel a camaraderie because we happen to do the same job. Honestly, I feel like the typical drag queen is more likely to compare notes with other queens on which promoter ripped who off or who makes the best costumes than they are to sabotage another act. So the sisterhood of Wigstock seemed in tact. Or should that be the misterhood?

What I loved the most is that a great mix of people in the audience came dressed up. It makes for a carnival atmosphere and there were tons of great looks. (I'll be uploading pics soon.) I really miss partying with real women, transsexuals, all age groups and ethnicities. I'm not sure what happened to change this, but there was a club culture where you truly saw every kind of people--at clubs like Pyramid, Jackie 60, Limelight, Palladium, Tunnel, Roxy, etc. There is something about wearing a wig that makes you want to act a fool and foolishness is essential at any version of Pigstock. And no Linda, I know it looks like I gained weight but I haven't. There was a life pre sever under my dress, you bitch!

My Wigstock partner Scott Lifshutz​ deserves a special thanks--along with our "crew" Lauren Pine​, Dany Johnson​ and Pia Guccione​. And promoters Dougie Meyer​ and Michael Fesco. And Odyssey New York​, our media sponsor.

We didn't really promote this cruise as a fundraiser, but it was. Wigstock is a corporation and  I own 51% of it's worthless shares. When your corporation makes $0 in revenue because you've had no festivals in 10 years, you still have to pay a corporate accountant a fortune to do your taxes every one of those years and we also have to pay a lawyer and sometimes a trademark lawyer. But the good news is, I think we erased all of our debt with a little to spare. So we can now begin work on creating a book of photographs from all the years, update our website and edit some video footage to use as a part of our proposal  to bring Wigstock to outdoor festivals. Why can't we have a day at Summerstage or a tent at Coachella or Glastonbury? After a 10 year hiatus, our wigs didn't "curl up and dye." We just needed a break and now we are ready to bust back out! And your enthusiasm gave us the boost that we needed--so thank you all! Wigstock is officially back!