THE BOULET'S

The undisputed queens of fright, horror and Glam....the Boulet Brothers! How could we pass the hollowed Samhain, without a feature of these stunning ghouls! Creepy but stunning, bloody but gorgeous, these two have taken the scare drag to all new levels and their schtick has paid off for being different and breaking molds. The Boulet Brothers known as Dracmorda and Swanthula Boultet, are long time lovers actually and not brothers and are premiere drag artist, television personalities, writers, and producers of some of the best parties around. Since 2016, they threw their heads in the reality competition world for some healthy competition for RuPaul's Drag Race, and opened it to all and any drag performance artist who fancied being on. And it paid off, now in it's fourth season, and already picked up by AMC'S Shudder.  The duo are considered to be "modern day" horror hosts, and are infamous for the flawless wigs, on point precision make-up technique and their jaw dropping style. It's been years since I was at Queen Kong, but if anyone gets to LA, I strongly urge you to attend Queen King, a weekly Friday night dance party and live cabaret, that ran for years, but now a monthly party usually at one of the huge clubs. It's well worth a night out. I am all there for them showcasing non-traditional drag and I hope we can continue to see them and their monsters for years to come. Nothing wrong with some healthy competition I say.

THE BOULET'S

With so many queens bringing the spook and kook factor year round, I'd be remised if a didn't mention the fabulous Boulet Brothers, for which I'm a HUGE fan of.

  For more than 15 years, the Boulet Brothers—a duo of veteran drag artists, event promoters, and media wunderqueens—have been putting a spotlight on drag’s wildest, most challenging impulses in a way the queer world too rarely sees. In Los Angeles, they’re a queer nightlife powerhouse, responsible for events like Queen Kong, a weekly lineup of often boundary-pushing drag and queer performance, and Dragula, a formerly monthly “celebration of drag, filth, leather and glamour,” where queens were known to mud wrestle and attendees once walked out “covered in blood, fish guts and confetti. An event like that was always too awesome to happen solely once a month, and the Boulet's have always been too prolific to stay under the radar forever. So it makes sense that they’ve evolved Dragula from an event to a web series, where demonic, hell-born queens compete to become “The World’s Next Drag Supermonster” weekly.  It has since gone on to enter it's third season where a drag king won. I think what the show and the Boulet's are doing is vital for the queer community for exactly that reason: Nothing they do is safe. Sometimes literally, but always figuratively. Their movement is the opposite of bland, anesthetized, complacent queer culture, the kind that’s been toned down and made safe for the consumption of straight people. It’s unabashed and raw, and in a world where our rights are imperiled and queer people are dying, one where we need loud, unashamed queer visibility more than ever, the Boulet Brothers are doing something that feels incredible and ground breaking—both to people like me, and in the audience and to the queens they champion on the show, and competitions. That ethos was baked into Dragula from the very beginning, when it was a monthly party at an LA gay bar called Faultline. It was as unfiltered as the show, and the Boulet's aimed to make it “primal and refreshing,” as Swanthlua Boulet once said. “We felt deeply outcast growing up, so being able to provide a place like this for other disenfranchised gays put a smile on our faces,” added Dracmorda. I'm here for this!!!

GRANDE DAMES

The first time I saw The Boulet Brothers at one of their events I was in awe. These two towering figures with gorgeous, sinister, often horrific makeup, wearing layers of latex and  sky-high wigs had a firm hold over the crowd, in part due to the tray of shots they were about to pass out, but also most certainly thanks to their general presence

When you see The Boulet Brothers, known as Dracmorda and Swanthula, and who are actually a real life couple of 20 years, not really brothers at all... it’s clear that you’re looking at artiste completely sure of their point of view, who know how to execute their vision to a T. As the show they were hosting, Queen Kong, their weekly event in Downtown Los Angeles went on, act after act of massively talented, alternative performers took to the stage and showed the audience what’s really going on in Los Angeles’ creative scene. In addition to Queen Kong, The Boulet Brothers tour with their event Dragula, which has run in Los Angeles, San Francisco and NYC and Philly, and features a midnight pageant showcasing the best looks of the crowd. Every Boulet Brothers event has included crowd involvement, which as an audience member makes you feel very much included -  like you’re a participant rather than just a spectator. They challenge notions of masculinity and beauty, celebrate individuality and, well, filth and horror. This season the Boulet Brothers even started their own show polar opposite of RuPaul Drag Race. Their show showcased all the oddity and horrific images to drag, where they then crown a super monster of the world. They can be downright creepy, but this is after all their season, and how elegantly creepy they are.

 And for shit and giggles here was the trailer of season three of their version of drag, Dragula and the quite colorful contestants. Meet the Monsters......

Hat tip to the Boulet's for featuring the first ever drag king, Landon Cider, on a drag show!!!! 

GRANDE DAME, BOULET ANYONE?

 

A couple of years ago, I saw The Boulet Brothers at one of their events.... I was in awe. These two towering figures with gorgeous, sinister makeup wearing layers of latex and a sky-high wigs had a firm hold over the crowd, in part due to the tray of shots they were about to pass out, but also most certainly thanks to their general presence. When you see The Boulet Brothers it’s clear that you’re looking at artists completely sure of their point of view, who know how to execute their vision to a T. As the show they were hosting went on, act after act of massively talented, alternative performers took to the stage and showed the audience what’s really going on in the creative scene. In addition to Queen Kong, The Boulet Brothers tour with their event Dragula, which has run in Los Angeles, San Francisco and NYC, and features a midnight pageant showcasing the best looks of the crowd. Every Boulet Brothers event I’ve attended has included crowd involvement, which as an audience member makes you feel very much included - like you’re a participant rather than just a spectator. They challenge notions of masculinity and beauty, celebrate individuality and, well, filth.

with Morgan McMichaels

with Miss Fame