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Sherry Vine
Chanteuse Extraordinaire!
Sherry Vine
is the epitome of glamour. Slender and statuesque, blonde and
beautiful, with a dazzling 300-watt smile, this performer has graced
both stage and screen. From Los Angeles to Berlin and now back “home”
to Manhattan, for the divine Ms. Vine, life really is a cabaret! Eros
Zine had a few words with Sherry about her inspirations and her art.
ErosZine: Tell us all about Berlin! How does it compare to New York?
Sherry Vine: Berlin was great. It's just a completely different
lifestyle than New York City. There was time to have coffee and read
the paper in the morning, spend several hours over dinner with friends,
and I really loved the dedication and commitment of artists. When they
say sound check is at 6pm, it's at 6pm! The nightlife is similar to New
York pre-Giuliani but even more "anything goes." There is a very strong
electro-punk scene.
EZ: Are clubs segregated into gay and straight, etc.?
SV: Most of the big dance clubs are mixed, which I love! Even at the
gayest boy parties there are lots of girls. Unfortunately, there aren't
so many parties with gay men and lesbians. My favorite party is
GayHane, a gay Turkish party at SO36.
EZ: They have wild fetish parties there. Did you attended any?
SV: I honestly never went to Kit Kat, which is the most famous fetish
party. Mostly because I’m always in bed by 3am and those parties are
after hours. There is a huge gay fetish and leather scene with lots of
sex parties in warehouses, but they don't like drags or sissy boys and
I don't like poppers and poop potpourri!
EZ: Those Germans sure are kinky. Any unusual experiences?
SV: Well, of course, you have many Germans that are vanilla sexually
and many that are kinky. Kinky for me is a blowjob in the toilet, so I
was very popular with the Turkish and Eastern European boys! Believe
me, as far as drag goes, there were more freaks here who wanted to be
beaten or lick your dirty stilettos. Or, my favorite, the human foot
cushion!
EZ: What made you leave Manhattan for Berlin?
SV: I originally moved to Berlin because I had been working in Europe
eight months out of the year with Joey Arias and there is a cabaret
culture that we really don't have here. I was working all over Europe,
but Berlin was the only city I thought I could live in. The first time
I was there I thought, "I will live here one day." It was an amazing
experience that I will always cherish. I made so many friends,
"sisters," and I met my husband, who came back with me.
EZ: When did you return to Manhattan?
SV: I came back in December because my theatre company, Theatre
Couture, was ready to start pre-production work on our next show,
“Carrie.”
EZ: You have an MFA from USC. That's pretty impressive! I'm assuming you've learned a lot from your fellow entertainers as well?
SV: I do have an MFA from USC, but the best experience is just doing it and I learned a lot very quickly! Sink or swim, honey!
EZ: You're a star of stage and screen. Tell us about your experiences with movies.
SV: I have a little experience with movies, from big budget to very
small. Film acting was always my biggest dream and still is. I love
it! It's the only thing I have patience with!
EZ: And about your cabaret creations with Theatre Couture.
SV: Well, Theatre Couture is my heart. I have invested 12 years into
this company and never really made any money. We have a strong,
incredibly talented family (Josh Rosenzweig, Erik Jackson, David
Dalrymple, Kevin Adams, Basil Twist and more) who have all dedicated
their time, money and creativity. I hope we can always do shows that
are entertaining and affordable and bring in audiences that don't
usually go to the theatre.
EZ: What was it like working with Joey Arias?
SV: I learned so much from working with Miss Arias. She is a true
goddess in every sense of the word. We have been all over the world
together and she never snaps or breaks. No matter what's going on, when
Joey hits the stage, she is there 100%! And the stories, I wouldn't
know where to begin. She is insatiable!
EZ: Your show with Joey, StarLust, traveled a lot. How was it received in those cities?
SV: We were lucky to have success everywhere. There aren't that many
drag artists out there who sing live. We had that show down; costumes,
duets, solos, audience interaction. People would freak out! And the
post show antics helped the notoriety.
EZ: I see you were "born" in 1991 in LA. What brought that about?
SV: Sherry was born in 1991 while I was living in LA. It really started
as a lark. I was out in drag for the first time just for fun and
someone said, "You have to perform at my party.” I was like, "No,
honey, I do not do drag!" But then I thought if I'm going to do this,
then I'll do something I haven't seen here in LA. I'll sing this torch
song live. Then Sherry just kind of took off. When I met Jackie Beat,
that was a big turning point. We clicked immediately and started
working together. Enter Candis Cayne and the rest is herstory.
EZ: What inspired you?
SV: I have always connected with the strong female roles. I don't know
why or care why, I'm not transsexual. I think it's just the actor in me
has always craved drama! Even in acting school, when we would read
“Streetcar,” I wanted to be Blanche. I mean, please, that's the part!
EZ: What inspires you today?
SV: I’m still influenced by talent. Just when you think you've seen it
all, someone comes along or you see a movie or a puppet show that rocks
your world! That turns me on. I was just in Montreal and saw a show
where the queens do 10 costume/wig changes. From Celine to rock to
camp—I was freaking out. It reminded me of Boy Bar and also made me
realize there is nothing like that now in New York City. We need a
Matthew Kasden!
EZ: How have things in New York changed since you left? Stayed the same?
SV: The biggest change I’ve noticed, and I don't think I'm imagining
it, is that people are nicer. Maybe it's post 9/11, but there is less
hostility on the street. When I was living here before I would be
verbally assaulted every night I went out. But that hasn't happened so
much, and I live in the same neighborhood. At times, there seems to be
a swing in the club scene back to the left, but then it stalls. Still,
I can hope. The days of Jackie 60, Squeezebox and even Bar d'O are
sadly gone.
EZ: Where's the fun really happening?
SV: My highlights since returning: Stevie [Night of 1,000 Stevies]—what
a trip and what a treat!—Motherfucker—my first—was gorgeous and Area
10009, every Friday night at Opaline, is crazy and fun.
EZ: Any glamour tips or hints?
SV: Now that it’s summer, spritz that face before you leave the house.
It's hard to not be a sweaty, dripping drag queen in this humidity, so
we must lacquer our mugs!
EZ: Any dirty dish on anyone?
SV: I love to listen to gossip but never repeat it!
EZ: What are you working on currently?
SV: Look for “Carrie” by Theatre Couture coming soon. And anyone who
wants to see me or is interested in CDs can check out my web site.
Thanks!
EZ: Thank you, Miss Vine! You can catch Sherry online at www.SherryVine.com.
[Written June 2005]
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