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Just Out at 25 November 22, 2008
For this 25-year Just Out retrospective, we’ve tried to
address questions like:
Who have been the major queer players in the past quarter-century,
and why are their accomplishments important?
What are some signature stories for Just Out?
What challenges most shook the foundation of the Oregon queer
community, and how has Just Out kept pace with changing times?
Is Walt Curtis still sore about the paper not giving him props in a
1990 story about Mala Noche?
We’ve offered an answer to that first question by chronicling 25
game-changing gay, lesbian, bi and trans people—in activism, the arts,
business, politics, philanthropy and faith—from our earliest years to
today. We’ve written about why they’re worthy of attention, dug up some of
these leaders’ most memorable quips in Just Out and asked them
who’s next in their field. The editors went ahead and nominated some
additional emerging queers to keep your eyes on, too.
Kevin
Cook
That girl is Poison!
Claim to Fame:
Heiress apparent to Darcelle’s throne, Kevin
Cook (aka Rose Empress XLIV Poison Waters) is the man behind Portland’s
most visible drag personality.
So They Say:
“One of the girls goes, ‘I did not know until
that last day that you were a man. I’m like, ‘What are you—Helen Keller?
I’m enormous. I wear so much makeup. My hair is so big. Who walks around
in sequins and feathers?’ ” (Dec. 7, 2007)
Who’s Next:
Sabel Scities, aka Tim Byars, who’s “not only a
fabulous entertainer and talented makeup artist, he’s a darn nice fellow
who is mature and grounded beyond his years.”
This Cook has several irons in the fire: a full-time job at
Portland Monthly and Seattle Metropolitan magazines that
requires frequent travel from the Rose City to the Emerald City; diehard
volunteerism for Camp Starlight, an annual summer adventure for kids
affected by HIV/AIDS; and a packed calendar as the “hostess with the
mostest” for numerous charitable events. But it’s her weekend appearances
at Darcelle XV Showplace where Poison gets to display the quick wit and
sharp tongue that Portlanders have come to love for the past 20 years.
JUST
OUT FOR FUN: Just Out Publisher
Marty Davis really outdid herself at the big Boxxes/Brig
blowout for her publication’s much-deserved 25th
Anniversary. Not only did she attract every gay boy (including
Oregon Ballet Theatre’s Christopher Stowell, Poison
“looking fierce” Waters, author Marc Acito, porn king Pat
Lanagan, chefs Randal St. Clair and Christopher Israel)
and gay girls galore (former Cascade Aids Project director
Jean Ann Van Krevelen [who chatted up the new director Michael
Kaplan], Q Center’s Kendall Clawson and Basic Rights Oregon
Jeana Frazzini) she also managed to get her fair share of
politicos to join the jam-packed crowd. There’s nothing like
watching Lisa Naito wait in line at the bar for a drink
with Judy Shiprack at the same time our Mayor-elect Sam
Adams gets groped (well, more like man-handled) by every
gorgeous guy—gay or straight—in the room. It was also nice
to see Saltzman work the room (he stayed much longer
than I thought he would) alongside Mayor Tom Potter and
the queen of the night Darcelle XV. Marty was pretty
much the queen of that night, too.
Friday night no drag at OSU's Pride Week finale
Davis LaMuerta The Commuter
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Nine-year-old Milla Uriarte
enjoys her first drag experience with Poison Waters at the OSU Drag Show
last Friday, May 9. (photo by Davis LaMuerta)
May 9 wasn’t your typical Friday night, at least not for
those who attended the OSU Drag Show, the final
event in OSU’s Pride Week celebration.
The show featured performers from OSU’s Rainbow Continuum, as well as a
special appearance by Miss Poison Waters, a popular drag performer from
Portland.
The Memorial Union was packed with guests anticipating
the show, each dressed in their own colorful styles. The show was open to
all ages, and though it was a bit racy, I brought my 9-year-old daughter,
Milla, for her first drag experience. She complained beforehand about not
wanting to go, but once we arrived, she caught the plague of excitement
and declared, “This is so cool!”
According to the Daily Barometer, about 500 people were
in attendance. Tickets to the show were free, but “sold out” after the
first day of being available. My partner, my daughter and I didn’t have
tickets, but we were allowed in after the ticketed patrons were already
seated.
In addition to the excellent drag kings and queens,
there were booths with little packages of condoms, dental dams, lubricant
of many flavors, and to top it off, a Hershey’s Kiss. Free rainbow pins
and an array of pamphlets were also given out.
Though we were stuck in the back, due to her small size,
Milla was able to navigate through the crowd, so she really enjoyed the
show. She was my photographer. This didn’t go unnoticed by Poison Waters,
however, and Milla was soon discovered as probably the youngest guest and
was put in the spotlight as she conversed with Miss Waters.
“Are you going to bring these photos to show-and-tell?”
Waters asked a star-struck Milla, who replied, “I don’t know…” with a
giggle.
The OSU performers did an
amazing job and gave a spectacular performance, with very creative dance
acts to songs such as “It’s Rainin’ Men,” and “Detachable Penis.”
The OSU Drag Show and Pride
Week was sponsored by the Rainbow Continuum, an educational
LGBTQQIA group at OSU
that works to support diversity on campus, according to the Rainbow
Continuum Web site at http://oregonstate.edu/groups/rcosu/index.php.
Commenting is closed for this article.
Ladies in Red..and the People Who Love Them
Last Friday Macy's
www.macys.com and Seattle Metropolitan Magazine
www.seattlemetmag.com
sponsored an event like no other. Emceed by the flamboyant
Poison Waters, it was called Project Red Dress and it was an evening
of fashion and fun to benefit the American Heart Association's Go Red
for Women Movement.
www.goredforwomen.org
Mel and I attended. It was a bit of a stretch for Mel
because he at first thought he was going to a "fashion show" which ..yes..he
was...but it was way more than that. It was a wake up call for women to
be aware that heart disease is not just for men.
Being the good sport that he is, he went with me. My
mom and dad died of heart attacks. My mom was never screened properly
back in the 90's. So, for me, this was very close to my heart. Mel
understood.
We went, we saw, and it was an event like no other.
There was an amazing array of talented designers who only had 18 hours
to create the red dress. The designers were from all over the country
and were judged by a distinguished panel of judges including: Luly Yang,
Heather Carney, Laura Cassidy, Martha Fuller, and Nick Verreos of
Project Runway.
Talk about stage fright!
Take a moment to think of the women you love and GO
RED.
Posted by Uptown Girlat January 29, 2008 5:17 p.m.
Pageantry par
excellence
On the Town
Special report
from Imperial Coronation 2008
San Francisco Bay Area Reporter
Published 02/28/2008
by Donna Sachet
Newly-crowned Empress Cher A Little (left),
with Poison Waters and Kyle at the Coronation, last Saturday
night at the
Gift Center. Photo: Steven Underhill
Imperial Coronation
Weekend began last Thursday with the In-Town Show and Awards at Encore
in the Polk neighborhood. Emcees Keith and Gladys Bumps kept things
rolling as the drinks flowed, the entertainment proceeded, and tongues
wagged with speculation over the results of the previous Saturday's
voting for Emperor and Empress. Friday began with a reception at
Marlena's honoring the monarchs celebrating anniversaries of their
reigns, followed by the Out-of-Town Show at the host hotel, Holiday Inn
Golden Gateway. This was the first chance for many to catch up with old
friends, and a great opportunity to sample the broad range of talent
within the International Court System. Afterwards, the bars in the
Castro certainly knew that there were thirsty visitors in town.
[Read the rest of the story
here]
Kevin Cook a.k.a. Poison Waters as featured in the
February 2008 issue of Portland Monthly Magazine.
Click here for a PDF
version of the story.
In October 2007, Portland’s favorite man in a dress joined
Stacey Lynn every
Friday for the So You Say Daily Poll at 5:20. Need advice? Who better
than a drag queen to set ya straight?!
After 20 years of entertaining audiences all over the country, Poison
Waters is more than ready to offer her unsolicited opinion on the goings
on in your lives! Never at a loss for words and always seeing the humor in
any situation, you won’t want to miss what she (he?) thinks about
EVERYTHING. (webmaster note - The Stacey Lynn Show ran until 2/7/08).
Girl About Town - Hey, Britney, what about your hair?
By
Pamela Sitt - Seattle Times columnist
(excerpt)
..."THE WOMAN JUST likes to throw a party," says an
editor at SeattleMetropolitanMagazine of her
boss, publisher Nicole Vogel. Vogel, dressed in a white
Rachel Roy gown, greeted guests at a packed bridal-themed luncheon at
Hotel 1000 on April 5 to celebrate the July launch of Seattle
Metropolitan Bride & Groom magazine. "It was tres elegant,"
reports a party guest. "We started on the terrace, drinking lemonade and
champagne." Vogel's executive assistant,
Kevin Cook,
appeared at the party dressed in drag as his alter ego, Ms. Poison
Waters, wearing a brilliant blue bridesmaid gown and enough costume
jewelry to choke a horse. Of course. ...
Girl About Town appears every Sunday in Northwest
Life. Pamela Sitt: 206-464-2376 or
psitt@seattletimes.com
Seattle Metropolitan
Bride & Groom magazine invited me to a luncheon at the elegant, modern and
distinctly urban Hotel 1000. Immediately I wondered
why Seattle might want a second Nuptial publication. We already have
Seattle
Bride. The answer came minutes after stepping off the
elevator into a sweet smelling foyer. I was enthusiastically greeted by
Poison Waters herself, in her bright, don’t miss me for
a moment, blue dress. Now would Seattle Bride have a drag queen host their
gala? No doubt things are shaking up here in the NW, so who knows what
tomorrow may bring for Seattle Bride. But today there’s Seattle
Metropolitan Bride & Groom. Notice the G word. My husband, formerly my
finance, was offended and surprised that so little was addressed to
Grooms. He was a huge part of our wedding planning. SMB&G recognizes and
encourages the Grooms involvement. Equally as (formerly) disappointing, I
have submitted images from my numerous gay and lesbian weddings, never to
be published in a bridal mag. SMB&G includes everyone’s nuptials in their
scope, which should be taken for granted, for goodness sake!
Seattle Metropolitan Magazine certainly did their
homework. Invited were some of my favorite wedding vendors.
Luly Yang,
John Gardner of Aria Style, Coordinators Merry
Beth Turpin of Aisle of View and Travis and Jesse
from
True Colors Events. Others I at least had the pleasure of
saying hello to: the ever helpful Me Ra Koh and
Jeff
LaPlante, Sharlane Chase, Grace and Hun of
GH Kim,
Michael Good, Katarina from
J Garner,
The Lulu
weddings gals, The
Junebug
weddings gals, the catering team at the elegant, waterfront
Woodmark
Hotel. If all of these quality Seattle wedding vendors sign
up with SMB&G, brides and grooms can be sure to find top wedding
professionals all in one publication. OK, that’s all for now. Ellie is
awake. It takes forever to create links so I have to stop right now!
At Steven Leider’s “tombstone” birthday party Monday night, neither the
humorous banter of Portland drag queen Poison Waters (resplendent in a
sparkly orange gown and feather boa), nor the excitement over winning
bingo prizes, nor the chance to raise money for local organizations
supportive of the gay community could
distract partygoers from one important question: How is it possible
that Leider is 50?
“I didn’t believe he was 50. I thought he was lying,” said Tom Johnston,
meeting facilitator for the Corvallis and Albany chapter of Parents,
Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
“I want to know what product he’s using,” added Bob Skinner, president of
Valley AIDS Information Network and local AIDS prevention educator and
activist.
Leider is the coordinator of LGBT Outreach and Services at Oregon State
University.
About 85 people turned out for Leider’s party, a “drag-bingo” event
drumming up support for Johnston’s and Skinner’s groups, as well as the
OSU Pride Center and Basic Rights Action Team, the local chapter of Basic
Rights Oregon. The festivities were held at the United Methodist Community
Center.
After expenses, the event raised between $1,100 and $1,200, which will be
divided among the four organizations.
Leider, who came to the party as his drag alter ego, LaVerne Lydell, said
his 50th birthday was just an opportune time to help groups important to
him and the community.
“My birthday was merely a convenient excuse for holding a fund-raiser for
the four organizations, all of which do incredible work in the community
on less than a shoestring budget,” he said.
“VAIN teaches hundreds annually about HIV and AIDS, while providing
support to those in our community living with these conditions. BRAT works
to improve the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
Oregonians by gaining civil equality for the community. PFLAG supports the
families and friends of LGBT people as they go through their own
coming-out process. And the Pride Center provides a safe and affirming
place in which OSU and Corvallis LGBT youth and their allies can come out,
access resources and make new friends.”
Leider came to OSU in late 2005, and he proved a welcome addition to the
campus and Corvallis, friends said.
“He’s been a real shot in the arm,” said Skinner. “Steven is always
incredibly energetic and positive, and he always
has an open door. As students, he’s always there for us if we need to
talk,” said Sam Leinen, external coordinator for the OSU Pride Center.
Leinen is a senior majoring in graphic design.
“Since Steven came to campus, he’s been an incredibly positive force of
change for campus and in this community. It’s an honor to be able to
celebrate his birthday in this way with the organizations he cares so much
about.”
Leider got all dolled up for his party, wearing a red dress, black high
heels, a blonde wig and sparkly makeup.
Ingrid Udd, an OSU sophomore majoring in English, had an important job at
the party. She helped Leider fasten the clasp on his strands of pearls.
Udd, an office assistant at the Pride Center, said fun events like drag
bingo — it’s played just like bingo, except that a drag queen calls out
the numbers — are what first got her involved in the campus LGBT
community.
“I’ve always looked up to Steven, and I think this is one of the most
unselfish things he could do, celebrating his 50th birthday in this way,”
Udd said.
Q
stands for quite a lot
Q Center’s offerings range from bingo nights to a Kid Korner. By
Eric Bartels - The Portland Tribune Dec 9, 2006
Host Poison Waters, aka Kevin Cook, says the Q Center’s bingo night
takes on a nightclub atmosphere — without the alcohol.
Members of Portland’s gay community have long been at home in local
society: in business, in politics, in the arts. What they haven’t
had, until the Q Center opened earlier this year, was a home of their own. Now the city’s LGBTQ community center – the acronym stands for lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning – is up and running, and
its supporters say it’s making up for lost time.
Center coordinator Gene de Haan says 30 organizations and 1,600
individuals were involved in a 2003 feasibility study that helped launch
the center, which opened in March. “The results came back overwhelmingly in favor of a center,” she says.
The list of priorities indicated by respondents was straightforward: arts
and culture, health and wellness, and programs for youths, families and
seniors. In other words, de Haan says, a place to access the kinds of resources
and amenities any community needs, and one similar to other centers
throughout America. “They’re popping up everywhere,” she says.
City Commissioner Sam Adams, who was a driving force behind the center,
says Portland had no business being without such a facility. “At
that time, 122 cities across the United States had one,” he says,
“including unlikely places like Salt Lake City and smaller places like
Ashland.” In Portland, Adams says, “there were very few services for
seniors. There were struggling services for youths. There were almost no
arts and culture venues dedicated to the queer community, and there wasn’t
a meeting place.”
Adams, who is gay, says that in recent years, Out magazine rated
Portland the third-best city in America for gays, citing the integration
of its gay community into the larger culture. “The downside was we
were so integrated there wasn’t a place we could call home,” Adams says.
“There’s a Native American community center at Portland State University.
There’s the Asian-American health and community center on 39th. The Q
Center is a place where the LGBT community and our supporters can go when
they want resources.
“The Native American Community Center is a good example. They have
really moved up with the building of the community center. It gives you
the confidence to be an active member of Portland.”
De Haan, naturally, agrees. “Portland’s funny because it’s a very
queer town, but there was no hub of queer activity. What the Q Center has
the potential to do is provide a sounding board and link people up to
resources. “I think there’s definitely a need because the community
– as indicated by the growing acronym – is incredibly diverse. We tend to
self-segregate. The center represents an amazing opportunity to be
proactive.” De Haan says 60 percent of the center’s funding – its
operating budget this year is $118,000 – comes from individual donations.
The rest is from foundation grants and fundraisers like the Red Dress
Party, a raucous annual soiree that this year kicked $6,000 into the
financing pot.
Amy S. Williams is grants and development coordinator at the Equity
Foundation, which supports LGBTQ efforts and enterprises. She says
her organization’s support for the Q Center didn’t end when it became its
first benefactor, providing a $6,500 grant. As Williams prepared for
a company meeting at the center one evening last week, members of a
writing group assembled for their regular get-together in another part of
the space.
“We have a meeting space in our building, but we prefer to meet here
for two reasons,” she says. “One is to support the Q Center; one is to
support the community. “There’s hustle, there’s bustle, it’s a great
way to engage with what’s happening,” Williams says. “The more people that
come to the center, the more events there are at the center. That’s
beneficial to everyone.”
‘Almost a nightclub’ - Apart from simply renting space at
their roomy ground-floor quarters on the central east side – not always to
gay-oriented groups – center organizers are building a steady platform of
events and activities.
There are information and referral services, prevention and wellness
activities, and materials on Oregon’s LGBTQ history. There are
regular meetings for young men, older folks and queer parents and
families, as evidenced by the tiny chairs and smattering of toys in the
Kid Korner. And regular art installations are generated by the art
collective QuArt PDX. “They have work from artists all across the
queer community,” de Haan says. “One program that has been successful in
breaking down barriers is the arts and culture. When we have an art
opening, it appeals to a whole broad population of the community. If a
photograph is taken by a 20-year-old lesbian, you don’t have to be a
20-year-old lesbian to appreciate it.”
The center’s most flamboyant event is a monthly
bingo game hosted by the popular female impersonator Poison Waters,
who is elsewhere known as Kevin Cook. “It turns into almost a
nightclub atmosphere,” Cook says. “It’s kind of loud and obnoxious.”
Cook says the bingo party gets going just fine without the benefit of
smoke and drink – which is not allowed – possibly even benefiting from its
absence. “There are a lot of guys in recovery, or who have a partner
in recovery or just work in the morning,” he says. “If they’re homebodies,
they can come, have fun and then go home.”
Family affairs - De Haan says the center’s outreach to
families both illustrates and addresses the challenges faced by some LGBTQ
individuals in mainstream society. She says some Portlanders might
underestimate their connection to the queer community until crossing
orbits with the straight parents of a gay child, or a child’s classmate
who has two moms. “There are some issues that don’t even come to
mind immediately,” she says. “One of the women brought up ‘Is my child
allowed to say “My mom’s a lesbian” without being reprimanded?’ ”
Most people, de Haan says, “probably don’t have the ‘in’ to know that
there’s a lesbian parenting group.”
Adams says LGBTQ issues touch everyone in Portland. “Every
Portlander interacts with a member of the queer community every day,” he
says. “At a minimum, they have to put up with me. The queer community
should not be undervalued.”
De Haan says the LGBTQ community will both prosper and galvanize
support as it brings its disparate elements together. “There are so
many people involved with the center that the center has many different
faces,” she says. “I do think it’s always a struggle to realize that we
are all part of a similar fight. “Queer folks in Portland are
everywhere, and they’re enriching everything that goes on in this city.
We’re also fighting for our basic rights. What the center gives us is an
opportunity to celebrate this part of our community.” And, she says,
“it gives straight allies access to the community.”
Cook, aka Poison Waters, says he’s watched
the center open its arms to Portland. All of it. “We’ve had a lot of
straight folks coming in, more than I thought,” he says. “It is a Q
center, a queer center, but it’s definitely open to everyone. As time goes
by, we’ll get more people on board.”
When: Drop-in hours 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Monday-Wednesday; for a calendar of events, see www.pdxqcenter.org.
Where: 69 S.E. Taylor St. Contact: 503-234-7837,
info@pdxqcenter.org
Curbside Catwalk: Portland, OR - December 12, 2006
We caught Kevin C. in a rare dry moment outside the offices of
Portland Monthly Magazine where the 38-year-old is an assistant to the publisher. A well-known drag
performer by night, Kevin's workday attire is considerably more muted than
his alter-ego, Poison Waters.
Kevin's wearing:
grey raincoat: Gap
black-and-grey striped Alfani sweater: "I don a
uniform of black and grey
in the winter months. There are so many events
right after work, it's easy to
appear 'dressed up' while in my signature
black."
black Kenneth Cole slacks: "I bought every color and
pattern at a recent sale
when Macy's took over
our downtown Meier & Frank store."
black Cole Haan shoes: "Today I'm in one of my many
pairs of black.
Who needs so many? I do!"
Argyle socks: "I found the missing mate to this
favorite argyle pair this
morning in my underwear drawer."
PILLOW FIGHTS, WINS While urban pillow fights have
struck around the world Portland experienced the soft, fluffy
phenomenon for the first time last Friday in Pioneer Square.
About 200 down-warriors and another 200 onlookers (including 20
police officers who just hung out and watched) created a giant cloud
of feathers within the first few seconds of an event that lasted over
an hour. The fight was organized through an anonymous MySpace profile
and word of mouth (but our bets are on the merry pranksters of the
Portland Cacophony Society). It wasn't sanctioned by Pioneer
Courthouse Square Incorporated (the company that books events at the
space), which had to call in a special crew to get the ankle-deep
feathers removed after the battle ended. Scoop swears some of the
pillow fighters helped clean up, too.
WORK IT "You got to get to me if you want to get to her,"
says Kevin Cook, a.k.a. Poison Waters. One of P-town's
most popular female impersonators, Cook is leaving his position as the
Special Event Associate for Cascade AIDS Project (after only
four months) to become the executive assistant to peripatetic Portland
Monthlypublisher Nicole Vogel. "I've asked that they
put me on the masthead as the official drag queen of Portland
Monthly," says Cook, 37. Don't expect Cook to hang up his ball
gowns for his new day job, though. He'll still be performing at
Darcelle XV on Friday and Saturday nights.
Just Out - November 18, 2005
Poison Waters
Joins CAP
After working for 12 years with the state Department of
Environmental Quality, Kevin Cook, aka Poison Waters, has accepted a new
position with Cascade AIDS Project’s development department, reporting to
special events manager Roma Peyser.
“As you can imagine, it’s tough to leave such a comfortable and secure
experience, but this new position is such a great fit for my personality,
experience and skills as well as the personal desire to continuously grow
and challenge myself,” he said. “It’s crazy and genius all at once, and I
couldn’t be more thrilled!”
The job began as special events assistant and morphed into special events
development associate. Duties include fund raising, soliciting and event
planning—all major aspects of Cook’s 17 years of community involvement,
including his 10 years as a member of the board and planning committee for
Peacock in the Park.
Performance listings for the week of Wednesday, August 3 thru Tuesday, August 9. STAGE BY Johanna Droubay, CLASSICAL MUSIC BY James Bash, DANCE BY Johanna
Droubay 243-2122.
Faust. Us. (Version 2.0)
[NEW REVIEW, CLOSES SATURDAY] Why in hell-or in heaven or especially on
earth-can't there be more theater like this? Director Matthew Zrebski has
struck gold a second time with this supercharged remount of local
playwright Joseph Fisher's Faust parody. Set to sexy original music, and
at lightning fast pace, Satan (Neal Starbird), Michael the Archangel
(April Magnusson), Tom Moorman the atheist (as himself!) and Becky Sue the
fairy princess (Julie Starbird) vie for the soul of virtual reality
inventor Faust (Patrick Wohlmut). The role of God is played by a different
guest star every night. (The evening I visited, Darcelle's drag queen
Poison Waters- "the prettiest lord we've ever had"-donned an enormous
feathered Kentucky Derby hat to play the part.) This time around the cast
welcomes three newbies-Wohlmut, Melissa Kaiser, and Camille Cettina-and
there's a hilarious new bit in which a couple of angels conduct a
demographics poll. (Be prepared to fess up if you take it up the ass.)
Bravo, Stark Raving, for burning up another tepid summer theater season.
JOHANNA DROUBAY. Stark Raving Theatre at CoHo Theatre, 2257 NW Raleigh
St., 232-7072. 8 pm Thursday-Saturday. Closes Aug. 6. $10-$20. Thursdays
are "pay what you can."
Friday, December 03, 2004
The Oregonian - Richard Wattenberg Special to The
Oregonian
"PAGEANT": This fun-filled musical entertainment is more than a glitzy
drag show: It's a devilishly playful send-up of old-time, overproduced
beauty contests. Conceived by Robert Longbottom, with book and lyrics by
Bill Russell and Frank Kelly, and music by Albert Evans, this hilarious
extravaganza parodies a world in which a woman's sole function is to
look pretty for her man.
Six finalists -- Miss West Coast, Miss Deep South, Miss Great Plains,
Miss Industrial Northeast, Miss Texas and Miss Bible Belt
-- vie for the coveted honor of being chosen Miss Glamouresse, the
official spokesgirl for a line of bizarrely tacky beauty products.
Adding zest is the fact that "Pageant" is interactive: At each show
different judges are selected from the audience, and a different winner
is crowned.
Director Donald Horn keeps the energy high, and the company members all
seem to have a blast. Kevin Cook (aka Poison Waters) as Miss
Texas won on opening night, perhaps because of his rollicking
Texas cowgirl-themed tap dance. Pepe Raphael (pictured) as the
pursed-lipped, spicy Latina Miss Industrial Northeast, and Ammon Morris
as the ever-spacey, New Age Miss West Coast were runners-up, but each of
the six "girls" was something special. Rick Lewis was wonderfully cocky
and cool as the Las-Vegas-style lounge singer Emcee. Bill Wells managed
the musical direction and the keyboards with finesse, but perhaps most
fun were Elizabeth Wright's outrageously garish costumes.
Continues 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays
and 5 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 23. Triangle Productions at Theater!
Theatre!, 3430 S.E. Belmont St.; $17-$23, 503-239-5919, 224-8499 or
www.tripro.org.
... “We’re
exploring that interface between straight and gay, because Darcelle really
serves as a bridge between those groups. So the club is a segue, a little
peek into the gay community. In the film, Poison Waters (a local
drag entertainer) describes the performers as eye candy for straights, a
way for them to see that gays aren’t so scary.”...
Monday, November 01, 2004
Oregonian; Jonathan Nicholas
His production of "W" with a singing, dancing George Bush was so timely
Don Horn had a TV crew from Japan in the house Saturday to catch a
presidential two-step. Up next from Horn's Triangle Productions is
"Pageant," for which Pepe, of Bottle Blonde fame, will be wearing roller
skates, and drag monarch Poison Waters will be tap dancing. Will Miss
Great Plains flatten the pride of Texas? Or will Miss Bible belt her?
Click here to watch videos of a few recent
performance of Poison Waters. (Please download the files to your own
computer before viewing.)
Just Out
Friday, January 23, 2004
VOL.21 NO.6
The week of Jan. 26 history will be made in Portland. No Fish! Go Fish! -
that casual little dining establishment on Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard -
will premiere the first locally produced commercial starring a drag queen.
(Not that I have to tell you, but it's Poison Waters)...
BLACK BEAUTY
by Wendy Dyer
Published: Wednesday, March 12, 2003 in the Portland Observer
There aren't many African American men who can say they've never
experienced racism. There aren't many openly homosexual men who can say
they've never dealt with homophobia. But there is one - and he wears a
dress...
Valentines Day 2003 -
Poison Waters judges the 94.7
KNRK Valentines Day letter contest February 14, 2003. (Audio files require
a media player such as "Window Media" or "Real Player".)
TIPPECANOE
AND TRANNIES, TOO
by Byron Beck
Published: Wednesday, January 15, 2003
...community. Now, I could really go for that. Just think of
it. Poison Waters and Darcelle could moderate a panel of local
queers...
STUFF THAT
STOCKING!
by Byron Beck
Published: Wednesday, December 18, 2002
...Transvestites Drip Happy: Drag Empress Poison Waters knows how to
raise money. Radiance knows how to make...
HELL ON
WHEELS!
by Byron Beck
Published: Wednesday, November 20, 2002
...Portland. Thank God at that juncture my co-hostess, Miss Poison
Waters, jumped on. Not only did our beloved Sterling Rose Empress...
MURMURS
Published: Wednesday, September, 2002
...the festival's party and was so smitten with the hostess, Empress
Poison Waters, that he "proposed marriage" to the popular drag...
In-depth look into the life of Poison Waters
by the authors of
www.mygayweb.com published in 2002.
STAND BY
YOUR HOMO
by Byron Beck
Published: Wednesday, June 19, 2002
...pm Mondays. Empress Week 2002 Poison Waters devotes an entire
week to her own fine self, June 23-29. Check...
COUNTRY
BEAR JAMMIE-BOREE!
by Byron Beck
Published: Wednesday, January 16, 2002
...Gender Bender Variety Show Poison Waters is your hostess for this
notorious, and no legendary, night...
MURMURS
Published: Wednesday, November 14, 2001
...stage names can get you in trouble. Just ask local drag queen
Poison Waters. A couple of weeks ago, Alyce Cornyn-Selby, a...
QUEER
FORCES
by Byron Beck
Published: Wednesday, October 17, 2001
...Rose Empress to replace the (always) Lovely Suzanne. I'm picking
Waters... and you should too. Vote at Darcelle XV's, 208 NW 3rd...
LET'S GET
PHYSICAL
by Byron Beck
Published: Wednesday, August 15, 2001
...get the ball out of my face... Hot August Nights Poison Waters is
heating things up for August. Not only is she hosting her...
MIX AND
MATCH
Poison Waters plays dress up with Hedwig in mind by Stephen
Blair
Issue date: 8/10/2001
KNOCK ON
WOOD
by Byron Beck
Published: Wednesday, May 30, 2001
...review. Once Jason joined in, that hostess with the moistness,
Poison Waters, started dragging the contestants' asses across the stage...
BIG TOWN,
LITTLE PEOPLE
by Byron Beck
Published: Wednesday, January 24, 2001
...every time you step outside the city limits. QUEER ABOUT TOWN
Poison Waters' Church of the Poison Mind continues this Sunday afternoon
at...
Don't let your advertising be a
drag!!
Call Poison Waters the next time
you need a SUPER MODEL to
show off your products or services.
Click on the pictures below to
see
some examples of Poison's
previous advertising features.
L'Mu
The Portland Spirit
Willamette Week
On Broadway Photography
Media photo from the 1997 Z100 Morning Zoo Starlight
Parade Float which included drag queens Rene' Fontain, Madonna, DJ Dano,
Poison Waters and Jasmine Summers
Cover of the Z100 CD which includes a track featuring
Poison Waters.
JUST
OUT FOR FUN:
Just Out Publisher
Marty Davis really outdid herself at the big Boxxes/Brig
blowout for her publication’s much-deserved 25th
Anniversary. Not only did she attract every gay boy (including
Oregon Ballet Theatre’s Christopher Stowell, Poison
“looking fierce” Waters, author Marc Acito, porn king Pat
Lanagan, chefs Randal St. Clair and Christopher Israel)
and gay girls galore (former Cascade Aids Project director
Jean Ann Van Krevelen [who chatted up the new director Michael
Kaplan], Q Center’s Kendall Clawson and Basic Rights Oregon
Jeana Frazzini) she also managed to get her fair share of
politicos to join the jam-packed crowd. There’s nothing like
watching Lisa Naito wait in line at the bar for a drink
with Judy Shiprack at the same time our Mayor-elect Sam
Adams gets groped (well, more like man-handled) by every
gorgeous guy—gay or straight—in the room. It was also nice
to see Saltzman work the room (he stayed much longer
than I thought he would) alongside Mayor Tom Potter and
the queen of the night Darcelle XV. Marty was pretty
much the queen of that night, too.
Poison Waters is spreading her "Poisonality" around
the world with these fabulous internet and Youtube videos. Check them out
here!!
Kevin
Cook
By
Mary Ann Albright
Q
stands for quite a lot
We caught Kevin C. in a rare dry moment outside the offices of
Portland Monthly Magazine where the 38-year-old is an assistant to the publisher. A well-known drag
performer by night, Kevin's workday attire is considerably more muted than
his alter-ego, Poison Waters.
Kevin's wearing:
PILLOW FIGHTS, WINS While urban pillow fights have
struck around the world Portland experienced the soft, fluffy
phenomenon for the first time last Friday in Pioneer Square.
About 200 down-warriors and another 200 onlookers (including 20
police officers who just hung out and watched) created a giant cloud
of feathers within the first few seconds of an event that lasted over
an hour. The fight was organized through an anonymous MySpace profile
and word of mouth (but our bets are on the merry pranksters of the
Portland Cacophony Society). It wasn't sanctioned by Pioneer
Courthouse Square Incorporated (the company that books events at the
space), which had to call in a special crew to get the ankle-deep
feathers removed after the battle ended. Scoop swears some of the
pillow fighters helped clean up, too. 
By
JILL SPITZNASS Issue date: Tue, Nov 9, 2004 
©
Poisonwaters.com ~ Established January 31, 2002