Drag's latest disguise

No Streisand impersonators need apply at San Francisco's punk-inflected drag shows.

Bill Picture

Drag has changed considerably since the Finocchio’s days, when “passable” beauties in sequin-drenched evening gowns tickled audiences with flirty double entendres and staid lip-synched renditions of show tunes and standards. The onstage goings-on at Trannyshack, the 11-year-old drag happening at the Stud, have always had more in common with performance art than traditional female impersonation. But lately, other bars and clubs are following suit, including the unpretentious Cinch on Polk Street. Former Miss Trannyshack Anna Conda’s drunken weekly drag spectacle, Charlie Horse, is the epitome of the alterna-drag movement’s DIY spirit. As both an MC and a performer, Anna Conda has become famous for combining drop-dead-gorgeous looks with camp sass and punk’s antiestablishment leanings.

She and cohostess-for-the-evening Kiddie recently staged a ’50s horror flick–inspired reinterpretation of the film Grease, and another night was devoted entirely to artists whose records have appeared on the seminal indie-rock label 4AD. Talent for such events is optional. “You don’t have to be good to be on our stage,” says Anna Conda. “You just have to want to be onstage.

The Cinch
12:06 a.m.

The scene
The Cinch’s long bar and makeshift stage are lined several people deep with alterna-queers, salty regulars, and fun-loving straight couples a few cocktails into their Friday-night Polk Street bar crawl.

The soundtrack
Charlie Horse’s DJs successfully set the tone with a cutting-edge mix of loud, way-out-of-the-mainstream sounds you’re unlikely to hear in the Castro.

Eavesdropping
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m afraid we can’t start the show until the paramedics remove the passed-out tranny from the patio,” announces Anna Conda, referring to a sobriety-challenged patron whose night on the town started with a bang and ended with a thud.

Every Friday, 1723 Polk St., S.F., 415-776-4162, thecinch.com

Elsewhere
Trannyshack: The grande dame of button-pushing drag shows no sign of slowing down. Every Tuesday, The Stud, 399 9th St., S.F., trannyshack.com

The Monster Show: Femme-cee Cookie Dough hosts this themed drag night, which for Halloween was devoted to “scary monsters and superfreaks.” Second and fourth Saturdays,
Harvey’s, 500 Castro St., S.F., cookievision.com/monster.html

SaLVaGe: This monthly drag night showcases the pastime’s many flavors, some too racy even for the Trannyshack stage. Third Fridays, Deco Lounge, 510 Larkin St., S.F., decosf.com