Drums are rolling in the suburbs of Philadelphia (PA, U.S.A.), as a crew of drag queens, called the Philly's Foxes, are awakening the relaxed town of Lansdale. The Philly’s Foxes performed at the Underground and I seized the moment to sneak an interview with Aloe Vera in order to understand better the differences between city and suburban nightlife.
The nightlife in suburbs
In the US, the life in suburbs is very different than in the city. The suburbs are primarily populated by families that love a relaxed lifestyle and actually, you don’t find many venues, because they are basically residential areas.
So imagine a town almost made up of houses, without shops and public transportation. Of course this is only an average, not every suburb is inside this bubble of tranquility.
Nevertheless, around Philadelphia, there are some places that keep the nightlife in the suburbs alive, like the Underground in Lansdale. The Underground is a brewery/pub where you can attend live music performances, shows and much more.
The ladies of Lansdale
I decided to visit this curious place during The Ladies of Lansdale event, a drag show performed by the Philly’s Foxes.
To understand better this difference between the people of the suburbs and the city, I interviewed Anthony Veltre, alias Aloe Vera.
Imagine the reaction of this audience of fathers and mothers when a bunch of drag queens burst into the place. Super fun. According to Aloe Vera, the public of the suburbs is warmer and can appreciate better these kind of performances. Drag queen shows are pretty common in the city, especially in the Gayborhood, where everybody is expecting to see a drag queen.
About Philly’s Foxes
That night, I also learned something more about a drag queen's life. I discovered they are gathered in groups and families. For example, Philly’s Foxes is a group that gathers all the drag queens that performed at the Underground.
Drag queens are also brought together by families. There is usually a “mother” who takes her "daughters" under her wing in order to teach and help them. The relationship among the members of the family, particularly among the drag mother and daughters, is very close and the drag queens usually take the mother's last name. The mother who hosted The Ladies of Lansdale is Derek Nightcap, alias Fanci DisMount Stratton, and for this reason the complete name of Aloe Vera becomes Aloe Vera Stratton.
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