International House of Drag Kings | 1pm, Sunday, June 21
At The Cutting Room (44 East 32nd St. NYC)
$20 General Admission
$35, VIP (admission, front seating, meet/greet w/the Kings)
$25 food/drink minimum (full brunch menu available)
Boozy Brunch option (bottomless Mimosas, Prosecco, Bloody Marys, Margaritas) for $29 plus purchase of entrée
For tickets and info, visit SpinCycleNCY.com
Visit Murray at mistershowbiz.com
BY SCOTT STIFFLER | Beloved drag king, comedian, newly minted memoirist, and onetime NYC mayoral candidate Murray Hill builds upon his longtime love affair with live performance, as the affable, unflappable host of International House of Drag Kings (IHDK). Fueled by sexy/satirical performances, the rush that comes from flapjacks soaked in syrup, and a ticket option designed with the day drinker in mind, the second entry in this new series is set for 1pm on Sunday, June 21, at NYC’s Cutting Room.
Timed to take place inside that rule-bending sliver of time skirting the line between breakfast and lunch, the show boasts a line-up hand-picked by Murray Hill. Expect “chest-hair-raising, hilarious, gender-defying performances” from newcomer Haute Cocoa, reigning Mr. Bushwig Myster E Mel Kiki, performance artist Show Ponii, and Silver Tusk Burlesque Awards’ 2021 Entertainer of the Year, Uncle Freak, along with DJ Half ‘N Half (a dead ringer for Murray).
We recently posed a few questions to Hill—the rightly lauded “hardest working middle-aged man in show business,” whose media profile was recently raised by his acclaimed turn as Fred Rococo on HBO’s Somebody Somewhere.
Scott Stiffler, for LGBTQCommunityNews.NYC (Scott): You recently completed work on your memoir (Showbiz! My Life as a Middle-Aged Man), set for release on October 6, by Simon & Schuster’s Gallery Books. Did all of that looking back and reflecting validate or cause you to question any long-held beliefs or behaviors?
Murray Hill (Murray): I still kinda think of myself as just starting. So when I started writing and making an outline of my career, I couldn’t believe I’ve been in showbiz for almost thirty years now. It took so much longer for me to go back in time and try to recount the early days. If I ever felt any validation, I probably wouldn’t have ended up in showbiz. I still feel like I’m swimming against the tide on most days. I’ve always believed that I needed to keep going, and now that I’m a senior king, I’m glad that I did.
Scott: Talk about your hand-picked lineup of talent for the June 21 show.
Murray: These are young kings whom I love watching when I go to shows in Brooklyn. And when I say young, well, they are younger than me…and at this point, who isn’t, besides Lady Bunny. The guys are so unique, and they really bring it. Their energy and charisma are infectious.
Scott: With the event’s brunch setting in mind: What’s on the menu, when Murray makes a plate for himself to nosh on throughout, or dive into after the curtain call?
Murray: They should call me “Mr. Carbload” rather than “Mr. Showbiz.” I’m a pancake guy, or French toast if it’s on the table. After curtain call, I’m jumping in a cab back to Brooklyn and going right back to bed.
Scott: What’s you answer to the Sophie’s Choice question of, “Blueberry, Banana, or Chocolate Chip pancakes?”
Murray: Coffee.
Simon & Schuster’s Gallery Books will release Murray’s memoir (“Showbiz! My Life as a Middle-Aged Man”) on October 6, in hardcover, eBook, and unabridged audio form. It is currently available for pre-order via Audible, Google Play, Spotify, Apple Books, and other retailers.
Note: Portions of this intervidew were published in previous previews of the IHDK series.
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