The best of Blitz 2012

I had the opportunity to attend some great events and interview tons of fabulous people this year! Some RuPaul’s Drag Race bitches, Shangela and Sharon Needles; Canadian musician Rufus Wainwright; and one of my idols, Boy George. Here are some of the highlights of Blitz & Shitz 2012:

The Drag Race girls!

Raziel Reid with Shangela backstage at Celebrities Nightclub for Vancouver’s Next Drag Superstar Competition. Photo and video by Jonathan Schmidtgall.

One of my favourite nights of the year was seeing Madonna live during her MDNA tour at Rogers Arena. When it all comes down to it, I’m a big ol’ Madonna queen. You would be, too, if you tried to kill yourself and found Madonna. Check out my review of the show here!

Raziel Reid at the MDNA tour. Photo by Victor Bearpark.

Meeting Amanda Lepore was a thrill. There is something undeniably alluring about her. Her skin is so white and smooth, when she stepped into the room, I couldn’t help but think how she is otherworldly. And I want to be a part of that world!

 

The best of 2012 came to me at the very end of the year, when I got the opportunity to interview Boy George. He’s the original pretty boy and a defining figure in both pop culture and gay history. When I called him in London for our interview with his DJ partner, Marc Vedo, he was gracious and articulate. I definitely found the new age of Boy George inspirational.

I also got to interview him on film backstage at Celebrities before he took the DJ decks. It was, without a doubt, my most thrilling moment of the year. It’s not every day you get to meet a legend. The video will be up on xtra.ca soon!

Happy new year!

Keep Reading

The cover of Work to Do by Jules Wernersbach; Jules Wernersbach

‘Work to Do’ shows just how dramatic a grocery store can get

Jules Wernersbach’s energetic novel delves into the intricacies of queer entrepreneurship, climate change—and class revolt
Side-by-side images of author Sara Ahmed holding her dog, wearing pink sparkles with dark hair, and the cover of her book "No! The Art and Activism of Complaining." The book cover is light pink with black text on a white background.

Sara Ahmed says we need more complainers, not less

Whether it’s queer community, academic or government institutions, the feminist scholar says there's value in complaints
Nini Coco with an up arrow behind her; Juicy Love Dion with a down arrow behind her

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 18, Episode 14 power ranking: The final three

Who can win? Who will win?
Zane Phillips

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 18, Episode 14 recap: Top of the morning to Ru

We’ve finally reached the end of in-season play, with just a LaLaPaRuZa and finale to go
Advertisement