All photos courtesy of Heklina. Used with permission.
Back in 1996, I attended the very first occurrence
of San Francisco's soon-to-be-legendary Trannyshack and covered it
for a little rag called Taste of Latex, then published out
of Arizona by way of Seattle. Since you asked, yes, your intrepid
correspondent was just barely legal back then, or would prefer that
you believe that he was. Trannyshack, too, is barely legal, pushing
the boundaries of art and expression with ten years of lighting up
the nights of this hazy hamlet with acts so fabulous they'd make bitchy
old Brecht pack up his hammer and run home to Mutti.
Each fall, the performers who've graced the Trannyshack stage over the past year line up to compete in the legendary Miss Trannyshack Pageant. The prize? Every boy's childhood dream -- the silver tiara those high school snatches always said you'd never wear.
We at Eros Zine recently planted our tuchuses in the virtual saloon and knocked back some imaginary libations with Heklina, the hairdo and headlock behind the weekly wrangling of SF's favorite herd of cats (ie, drag community).
Eros Zine: Trannyshack was founded in 1996 as an offshoot of Klubstitute. It's hard to believe that was ten years ago! How has the club changed? over that decade and what do you see for the future?
Heklina: Well, it's changed a great deal over ten years; from being an underground destination for those in the know to being a world famous destination for people visiting SF... it's become one of those things you have to do when you visit the City. In the future I'd like to stop doing the club on a weekly basis, and start doing it once a month at a much bigger venue with a bigger stage, better lighting, sound, etc. I love the Stud but after 10 years of doing shows there I have my frustrations.
Eros Zine: Have you been hosting Trannyshack since the beginning? Who else has been the most involved in the production in addition to you?
Heklina: It's really been me from the beginning -- I organize the shows, book them, promote them, host them. Peaches Christ is a big help because she steps in to host for me whenever I need a vacation!
Eros Zine: What are some of the most memorable performances that have happened at Trannyshack over the years? Performances that really blew the top off and freaked people out?
Heklina: Ones that stand out for me? Hmmmm... there was the time that DEER performed the Star Spangled Banner and then pulled an American flag out of her asshole. Then there was the time Vinsantos was performing a Christmas piece and doused a Christmas tree with lighter fluid and set it on fire -- the whole place almost burned down. There was a lot of drama around that one, the Stud owners were not happy.
One of my favorite memories was from very early on: there was a performance where this person had a hot plate on the top of his head and during their number they popped popcorn on it! I didn't know it at the time but he actually got third degree burns from doing the piece and had to be rushed to the hospital afterwards...
Eros Zine: Like I said...art is a hammer, ja wohl?
Trannyshack is often spoken of as being groundbreaking among drag shows in that it disdains "traditional" ball-and-gown, diva-style, lip-synching drag shows in favor of performance art and truly innovative, freaky, fun insanity. What do you think contributes to Trannyshack's ability to be on the cutting edge (and way beyond it!) of drag performance, gender, and art?
Heklina: First of all I think it's because when I started Trannyshack I had no rules in mind for starting a drag show -- I had come from a real punk rock, amateur theater background and when I started the club it was really anything goes -- there was no bullshit about you have to look like this and perform a certain type of music, etc.
Also I think it's a sensibility from people having left whatever stifling home town they came from to come to SF to be able to be themselves. There have been several Trannyshack performers over the years who were old-school, ball-and-gown type drag performers in their home towns simply because they wanted to do drag and that was the only avenue open for them where they came from. Kennedy and Suppositori Spelling are both examples of this -- they really came into their own when they moved to SF and discovered Trannyshack -- they could be themselves and develop their own personalities -- that's what Trannyshack is, is personalities.
Eros Zine: Damn straight! Er... that is to say...
Another thing in which Trannyshack is groundbreaking is the mixing up of all gender outlaw communities. Was it that way from the start? Is there drama or friction between the groups of people who call Trannyshack home?
Heklina: It's always been that way -- everyone is naturally accepted as they are at Trannyshack. I know it sounds hokey, but everyone seems to really get along with one another backstage, which is all that matters. If you can't stand someone, keep the drama to yourself at least until you leave the club!
Eros Zine: There was a controversy in 2003 when Fauxnique (a biological female!) won the Miss Trannyshack Pageant. Can you say a little about that controversy, what it felt like, and what its lasting effect (if any) has been?
Heklina: Yes, there was some fallout. The thing about the Miss Trannyshack Pageant is that it was started as a parody of traditional drag pageants, so we -- again -- never had any rules. Drag Queens, Drag Kings, Faux Queens, etc. -- they all entered. Trannyshack is first and foremost about performance -- it doesn't matter what genitalia you have as long as you bring it on once you set foot on that stage. But yes, I was shocked from all the controversy when Fauxnique won the title... I even went on NPR to talk about it! Drag shouldn't have all these rules, everything else has changed over the years, and drag should, too...
Eros Zine: I've heard tell of an annual Trannyshack bus trip to Reno over Easter Weekend. What's that like? Any fabulous stories from what must be an amazing weekend?
Heklina: We've been doing this trip every year at Easter since 1998. Fabulous stories? Well, it's just shocking that no one's ever been killed in Reno -- believe me, when 100 drag queens walk around that town we get a lot of looks! I also had one of my best all time tranny chaser experiences there after a show -- thank God I had my own hotel room...
Eros Zine: There was also an SS Trannyshack chartered boat cruise for a time -- will that likely be happening in the future?
Heklina: Yes, we'll bring it back -- we did it four years in a row, and it always killed me because it was right before the Pageant. I had to cancel it the past few years -- but everyone keeps asking for it, so maybe next year?
Eros Zine: When did the Miss Trannyshack event begin and whose brainchild was it? Were you trying to expand the field of Trannyshack events, was it just a tool in your plan for eventual world domination?
Heklina: I did the first one back in 1996 as an in-joke response to traditional drag contests. Like the club itself it's evolved over the years. The Miss Trannyshack Pageant is now this huge spectacle that gets bigger every year. The contestants really see it as a chance to do these huge performances they can't do on the Trannyshack stage, so they go all out!
Eros Zine: The political field in the US and locally has changed an incredible amount since 1996 (nationally, the obvious; in SF, the dot-com, dot-bomb and the out-flow of so many from the local artist community). How has Trannyshack survived all that upheaval and stayed vibrant? Is what's going on in the country and the world outside reflected in the performances given at Trannyshack?
Heklina: Myself, I try no to be too political at Trannyshack -- my feeling is that people are coming there to be entertained not preached to. That said, the other performers are free to do what they want and of course they use the stage as a platform to work out frustrations on how fucked this country is at the moment. The problems SF has faced -- the dot.com bust specifically -- have drained a lot of the energy out of the City, there's no denying that. Many of my best performers have been driven out or have moved on, but we will endure! Ooooh, that sounds a bit dramatic, doesn't it?
Eros Zine: You recently made your Theater Rhino debut in Trog!, a "deliciously wicked parody of Joan Crawford's last film." Who did you play, what was that like and do you want to do more of that kind of work? Have you acted in plays before?
Heklina: I played Ann, the daughter of Joan Crawford in the film. It was a great experience; I loved working with Matthew Martin (who played Joan), and Mike Finn (who played Trog). The three of us are talking about taking Trog! To LA in the spring, then possibly doing productions of Valley of the Dolls and The Bad Seed as well. I got my start in theater, doing crazy shows with the Sick & Twisted Players back in the early Nineties.
Eros Zine: Do you have any special projects coming up that you'd like to talk about? Any personal projects you're involved in? Any new developments at Trannyshack that we can look forward to?
Heklina: As Sylvia Miles, the Academy Award-nominated actress always says when asked: What is your favorite show that you have done? "It's the one I'm working on right now!" Get your tickets to the 2006 Miss Trannyshack Pageant!
Eros Zine: I couldn't have said it better myself! Find out more about the Miss Trannyshack Pageant at Heklina's website, and get your tickets early -- it's guaranteed to sell out!
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