The Drag King Book

Judith ‘Jack’ Halberstam; Del LaGrace Volcano

For a decade and more, the photographs of Del LaGrace Volcano (previously Della Grace) have set the agenda for intense discussions about gender and identity within the queer world and beyond. Volcano’s camera has most recently come to rest on the drag king phenomenon, primarily its incarnations in San Francisco, London, New York, Berlin and Paris. A drag king, according to Volcano, is ‘anyone (regardless of gender) who consciously makes a performance out of masculinity’, and his kings–ranging from butch dykes to transsexuals–ooze the kind of camp masculinity usually reserved for pimps, Las Vegas balladeers, gay porn icons and the more sartorially sussed end of gangland.

Here Volcano teams up with academic Halberstam, interviewing drag kings and essaying some provocative observations. But while both authors and subjects insist on the fun, fun, fun of it all, there’s often a seriousness in these incarnations that sits uncomfortably with Volcano’s notion of ‘fag camp’. The academic business of dissecting drag king and other trans-cultures has started with excellent work by Kate Bornstein, Halberstam and Jay Prosser, but here moves an important step further. While Halberstam’s complex questions seem to perplex some of the king interviewees, The Drag King Book stands as a shining example of what can be achieved in the edgy confrontation between academy, activism and scene. But Volcano’s photographs remain the raison d’être of this book–always striking, witty and, whatever you think your sexuality might be this week, ridiculously horny. —Alan Stewart

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Details

ISBN	1852426071
Genre	Arts & Photography
Publication Date	01-Aug-99
Publisher	Serpent’s Tail
Format	Softcover
No. of Pages	160
Language	English
Rating	NotRated
Photographer	Della Grace
BookID	3260

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The Drag King Book by Judith ‘Jack’ Halberstam; Del LaGrace Volcano