When my brother and I were growing up and playing with gender, the term "drag" wasn't in our vocabulary, it was simply theater. I would be the pirate, with a painted on mustache, and my brother would be the damsel in distress. I was prince charming to my brother's Cinderella. But, after a certain age, the plays ended, and my pirate/prince/king passion was put on pause.
Soon after I "came out" as queer, I began to again celebrate the fluidity of gender identity. The first time I attempted drag kinging was Halloween of last year, at Castro Street (It seemed a safe time and place for my first attempt.) I used cotton from my pillow, colored black with a Sharpie, as a crude mustache, and filled in my sideburns and eyebrows with eye-liner
Dawning facial hair, binding, and sporting a suit and tie, suddenly I was a different person. It wasn't just a "costume." My mannerisms, facial expressions, style of walk, everything changed, and it both surprised and thrilled me. I was instantly addicted.
My first Drag performance was in Santa Clara University's First Annual Drag Show, a show that I instigated, organized and executed. Through organizing this show, I came to realize how much power art and entertainment can have in changing people's perceptions and opening minds. Prior to the show, I heard comments such as "How can they allow a drag show? This is a Jesuit University!" I would venture to say the drag show was the most talked about event on-campus last year. And it was a huge success.
The event took place in the on-campus bar (which is usually sparsely populated) and the venue was packed, so full they even had to make people wait outside until others left. The audience, consisting mostly of people who had never seen a drag show before in their lives, was the most supportive, energetic, positive and amazing I've ever experienced.
The show began with Shakira, included a number to "when I think about you I touch myself" and concluded with my boi band, *NTYSE, dancing to Dirty Pop. Entertaining while proving the fluidity of gender and becoming a rockstar drag king all in one night, it was almost too wonderful, and I was smiling for the next month. I look forward to organizing the next one. I don't know how we're going to get any more people in that venue, but we'll sure as hell try.
Far below: December 2000, Max Voltage (center) and his Flaming Blue balls (Mona Littlelauder left, and Eva Ning, right) perform Britney Slave 4U. Designed by Eva Ning.
I began doing drag in relative isolation. When I organized the SCU Drag Show, I had never even seen a full drag show before. The internet became an essential tool to my development as a king. I joined the livejournal drag kings community and found drag king websites with advice on binding, packing, facial hair, everything an up and coming king needs to know. I posted pictures of my latest drag attempts in my livejournal and got tons of helpful hints. As I began to perfect my look, I found such groups (online, of course) as the Chicago kings extremely sexy and inspiring.
Currently, I'd say my brother (drag queen name Eva Ning) is a huge inspiration to me in my kinging. For the first time since our theatrical days, we worked together and created Max Voltage and his Flaming Blue Balls, who performed at a local underage queer club in Portland. We spent the entire weekend prior to the show choreographing and designing costumes. His energy, enthusiasm and creativity inspires me to get increasingly grandiose in my performances.
How did you come up with your drag name?
I've always liked the name Max. It's sharp, rare enough without being obscure, and on the masculine side of androgynous. I wanted a first name that could stand on it's own, but also one that when combined with the last name was cheesy and pun-like (like Justin Kase). That's why the first name Max is so fantastic, it doubles as short for Maximum, which opens up a plethora of combinations.
Also, I wanted a name that represented some aspect of me, to tie together the king to the queer behind the king. I'm an electrical engineering major so i spend an insane amount of my time as school solving circuits. When I came up with the name Max, I immediately began thinking circuits, finding the Maximum Power, Resistance, Voltage and Current. Max Voltage is unquestionably the best sounding combination, plus, you know Max, he's all about the flow of electricity!
After I told a few friends my newly created Drag name, a couple referenced a Simpsons episode in which Homer comes to the conclusion that a name change will vastly improve his life, and thus changes him name to "Max Power" 'cause he reads it off a blow dryer. Even though that particular episode hadn't been in my mind when I came up with my drag name, I believe it must have seeped into my subconscious. Therefore, my drag name is partially a tribute to the comic genius that is The Simpsons (an accidental tribute, but a tribute no less)
One finishing cheesy touch I added to the name was to toy with the concept of a middle name. Max's full name is Danger Max Voltage (like one would read off a warning sign) but he goes by Max Voltage and tells people Danger is his middle name. Yes, pure cheese.
Max is definitely queer. He does not discriminate based on gender identity; he flirts with everyone in the room. He enjoys bad puns, and uses cheesy pick up lines like "come feel how deep my pockets are." Max is a winker. He is especially in awe of femme women and thinks they are spectacularly beautiful. He likes to be the center of attention and is a huge stage whore. He loves dancing sexually with anyone who can keep up. Max embraces his masculinity, but never represses his feminine side. He has enough confidence in his masculinity to perform to Britney Spears Slave 4U.
Max has quite an ego. He looks good and he knows it. Max takes hours to get ready before a night on the town and won't leave the house until he looks perfect. He enjoys looking at himself in the mirror for extended periods of time and can't walk 5 feet without checking his reflection in a car window.
Creating Max has definitely given me insight into myself, and helped me grow. Making Max a caricature of myself allows me to laugh at my own occasionally narcissistic tendencies. Max gives me the utmost freedom to play with my gender, which enables me to embrace my own gender fluidity while out of drag. Max is my inner rockstar.
What is planned for Max Voltage's future?
Early September, Max Voltage and his Flaming Blue Balls will be performing their own show at Klub-Z in Portland, OR. It will include such duets as Max Voltage and his sister Eva Ning performing Scream (by Michael and Janet Jackson) as well as Eva performing Christina Aguilera and an entire group of kings and queens dawning capes and performing Cartoon Heroes by Aqua. And of course, back down in California, mid way through Fall Quarter at Santa Clara University, Max will be starring in the 2nd Annual Santa Clara University Drag Show. Max would also love to break into the San Francisco Drag King scene and begin performing on a regular basis.