I am from the South, so I understand the use of 'she's draggin',' meaning 'tired,' or 'it's a drag,' referring to weight, I assume.
The documentary comes amidst what Wills refers to as a "zeitgeist" moment for drag, referring to the pop culture phenomena that is of RuPaul's Drag Race.
Friendless and miserable after her breakup with the movie star's husband, she comes off mostly as a drag (Pete refers to her as a "black hole"), which makes her appeal to others -- Helen, for example, who actively seeks out a friendship with Alice -- somewhat baffling.
The titles of his four albums for Drag City refer to films by Nicolas Roeg, one of his favorite directors.
Both drag queens and cross-dressers have experienced a history of persecution, as has the drag queen's antonym (the drag king), which refers to a woman in man's clothing, or a male impersonator.
"The younger drag queens all refer to art and the older drag queens talk about fitting in," Hastings tells me.
Warhol's influence is tangible in the provocative photo remixes which showcase the many faces (and outfit changes) of Pittsburgh-based drag performers, who Kost refers to as "a dysfunctional family".
Moby Dick came up several times, but Nantucket Sleighride by proto-heavy metal band Mountain takes it in an unexpected direction, with a title that refers to the dragging of a boat by a harpooned whale – although its protagonist has an easier time of it than Ahab and company.
Close-knit drag queen tribes literally refer to each other as "drag families" for a reason.
"We push it, tow it, drag it," he added, referring to the enemy -- the vehicle that refuses to function.
In discussions with Drag City, Oldham sometimes referred to "Lie Down in the Light" as "LIDL," or "the little record," partly because he knew that he wouldn't be doing much to promote it.
