Meet The Technicolor, Psychopathic Sex Clown Drag Queen of NYC
There is no shortage of drag queens in NYC. You can’t throw a rock without hitting some twink in a dress who thinks he’s got what it takes to shantay down the runway just because he’s seen every season of Ru Paul’s Drag Race while practicing YouTube makeup tutorials. There’s a difference, though, between learning how to just paint your face and turning that face into a work of fucking art. This interview series highlights the New York queens that stand out from the crowd, work their assess off and rock those heels til they bleed.
Meet Maddelynn Hatter.
Describe your look.
I’m a technicolor, psychopathic sex clown.
What does your family think about you doing drag?
My dad and my stepmom are the best parents in the world. They love and support me in everything that I do. I would not be able to exist the way that I do had they not been my parents.
Have they seen you perform?
They haven’t because I get really sexual during my shows. I talk about busting a nut and swallowing loads and I don’t want to do that in front of my father.
Drag Race is now on it’s eleventh season. What are the good and bad results of this shows success on local drag queens?
The good thing for local drag queens is that it’s opened up doors. Drag Race made drag super accessible for a lot of people. If you’re a good drag queen and you know what you’re doing and you have a marketable look it can take you somewhere. For me, I’ve traveled and performed in every major city in the U.S and Canada. On the downside now there’s just so many drag queens, and so many are getting into it for the wrong reasons. They’re in it because they want to be pretty. They’re not in it for the art of it.
So you’re in it for the right reasons?
I’ve been doing this for twelve years now and if I didn’t absolutely eat, breathe and shit this stuff I wouldn’t be doing it for as long as I have.
What’s a drawback of having so many new queens on the scene?
A lot of girls are disappearing and they’re not doing drag as much because there’s over-saturation which makes local girls less desirable to clubs. They’re getting a smaller and smaller booking rate whereas they used to get a lot more. They’re too fucking stupid to demand the kind of money they deserve.
Does Drag Race create unrealistic expectations for audiences at local drag shows?
People neglect to understand that those girls don’t make their looks. These designers are putting these incredible looks on them, for free, to get that exposure. I think the Drag Race fan base has a hard time understanding the reality of it. Maybe 5% of the girls make their own looks and that’s being generous.
How does the Brooklyn drag scene compare to other cities where you’re performed?
The thing is the money is Brooklyn comes from the tips. The booking rates are a little bit lower than Manhattan so it forces you to be a little bit more creative. Brooklyn girls are straight up artists. They’re not scared to be deliberately rough around the edges. These girls are really fucking turning it. It goes beyond drag almost.
With all the makeup, outfits and accessories options how do you know when your look is done?
When I’m going to be late to the gig if I don’t stop. I had to do that the other night and my gig was downstairs. I literally have to talk myself away from the mirror.
You posted a Facebook video of you getting ready for a gig and that video was shared in an anti gay Facebook group in the middle east. What kind of responses did you get?
People were sending me death threats for a week. I had to contact Facebook. I feel bad for them because they live in a society that doesn’t let them do whatever they want or love whoever they want. That kind of hatred for any single person or group doesn’t come from a genuine source of hate. It comes from a place where they are envious and they’re very hurt inside because they see us living our full truths. I think that’s why a lot of people don’t care for our community because, despite how much we’ve endured, we still find a way to live our true lives and live the happiest way that we know how despite all the odds stacked against us. That’s why our community is the coolest community because we’re unwilling to waver in our own pursuit of happiness.
