Lady Bunny Returns to Oasis
Lady Bunny is demented, and she'll be the first one to admit it.
"I love to laugh," the entertainer said in her most recent Bay Area Reporter interview. "What makes me laugh most is everything I shouldn't be laughing about, according to the PC police: Caitlin Jenner, pop culture, politics; nothing is safe. And my humor often includes sexual situations, bodily functions and gross-out humor. I'm more likely to reference offbeat divas like Kate Bush, Bobbie Gentry or Shirley Bassey than 'Wicked' or 'Glee.' Is that demented or just old with old references?"
Bunny should be proud of her longevity. As part of the legendary Atlanta drag crew that moved from Georgia to New York City, along with RuPaul, La Homa Van Zant and others, Bunny captivated 1980s nightlife with a wild, irreverent style.
She's the cocreator and longtime host of Wigstock, the outdoor drag-themed festival of "love and hair piece" that started in Tompkins Square Park in Manhattan's East Village back in 1984. The event's popularity led to larger versions in Union Square Park and later at the West Side piers, and two documentaries (Tom Rubnitz's 1987 vintage film, and the 1995 film, both titled 'Wigstock: The Movie').
Bunny has continued to DJ and perform at events worldwide. Decades after the Lady debuted at San Francisco's still-missed Josie's Cabaret and Juice Joint, audiences keep coming back for more.
"Lypsinka was headlining at Josie's in the '80s, and she let me tag along and do a few one wo-man shows of my own," Bunny recalled, offering a bit of a history lesson as she spoke.
"Josie's was a special clubhouse right in the heart of the Castro when it was still mostly gay," she said. "Great vibes abounded at Josie's. It wasn't a pretentious, upscale cabaret; it was a funky juke joint. I feel lucky to bond with many treasured San Francisco queens by virtue of performing there so often for so long."
Bunny named local icons Juanita More, Peaches Christ, Sister Roma, D'Arcy Drollinger, Honey Mahogany, Bionka Stevens and Justin Vivian Bond as friends and sisters. "And I call Heklina my ugly sister," she said. "Or should that be Ugly Mister?"
Lady Bunny now calls Oasis her San Francisco home away from her New York City home. She'll return to Oasis on November 19 for the outrageously titled "Pig In A Wig."
"This may shock you, but I wear a wig!" she explained. "And I have seen slimmer days. But 'pig' also refers to my sluttish ways. One of the things I discuss in 'Pig In a Wig' is the identity crisis I'm going through now that my jets have cooled with age. Being a whore was always such a big part of my life, I barely know who I am anymore."
Bunny added that she has yet to get the hang of Grindr. "But I do very well on Blindr!" she said.
Pig In a Wig will also include some of Lady Bunny's legendary song parodies.
"I change the lyrics to popular songs," she said. "New targets include Katy Perry and Bruno Mars, and I've just done a Kim Davis smack-down video called "Going to the Chapel" (of Kim Davis); it's just out on YouTube and was called hilarious by RawStory.com."
She'll also be doing a parody of the hilarious 1960s sketch comedy series "Laugh In."
" 'Laugh-In' prided itself on being zany," she said. "Each week they'd have a scene where wacky guests at a cocktail party would dance, then freeze while one of them told a one-liner. I love a good old-fashioned punchline."
You can celebrate with Lady Bunny when she brings "Pig In a Wig" to Oasis on Thursday, November 19 at 7:30 PM. Must be 21 and over, two drink minimum, $20-30.
Lady Bunny hopes you'll purchase a Lady Bunny T-shirt, which she'll be hawking after the show. And Bunny wants you to know that she's also a songwriter: look for the new single "Blast Off!," a collaboration with Ursula 1000, now out at iTunes.
Bunny promises to also show her serious side. She'll be lamenting the loss of the Queer San Francisco of old.
"It's the same thing we're going through in New York City," she said. "High rents are driving out creative types, chains overrun local businesses and a city eventually loses its unique character. I'm told that the freaks who green-lit raunchy festivals like the Folsom Street Fair are now living outside of New York City and are no longer on the boards granting permits. We need to celebrate the debauchery while we can!"
Lady Bunny @ Oasis: The statuesque Wigstock founder returns with a new raunchy comic drag show, 'Pig in a Wig!' $20-$30 (two-drink min.). 7:30pm. Nov. 19, 20 & 21. 298 11th St. at Folsom. 795-3180. www.ladybunny.net www.sfoasis.com