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Concert reviews Music

Christeene

CHRISTEENE at The Garrison, Saturday, June 30. Rating: NNN


Thanks to the reality show RuPaul’s Drag Race, the public has become much more aware of what goes into being a drag queen: the wigs, the concealer, the bitchiness. The show has essentially codified certain basic rules around the cross-dressing tradition, all of which Austin, Texas-based ‘drag terrorist’ Christeene mercilessly upends by generally looking and sounding like Beyonce on bath salts.

The headlining act for the Christmas-themed Pride edition of neo-drag party Hotnuts, Christeene appeared on stage as a grimy blur of gender confusion, smeared lipstick and butt grease – basically the drag act for anyone who feels that Pride (and gay culture in general) has become too corporate and sanitized.

Christeene’s music is aggressively repugnant in terms of lyrical subject matter (song titles include Fix My Dick, Bustin’ Brown and Tears From My Pussy) yet the songs are surprisingly polished rap/R&B productions. “This song is about dropping toast in the ocean,” she said in a raspy southern drawl before launching into the number Tropical Abortion.

Without her usual back-up dancers to interact with, Christeene’s set lacked any memorable gross-out moments, but fortunately her tongue-in-ass-cheek songs are as fun and fully-realized as her cracked-out image.

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