Chicks, Dicks and Kicks

After 17 years, Dragstrip 66 ends its reign over L.A.’s club queendom

A A A Comments (0) By Lina Lecaro Thursday, Jan 7 2010

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Circa 1993, a masked Roseanne Barr and pals at Dragstrip

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With drag’s role in pop culture more prominent than ever, thanks to the quip-smart reality show RuPaul’s Drag Race (coming back for a second season on Logo and VH1, Feb. 1) and venues like San Francisco’s Trannyshack gaining national attention, some might be scratching their wigs in bewilderment thinking: Why is the club exiting, anyway?

“People are in disbelief, as if Dragstrip would last until the apocalypse or something. But that’s magic of what it means to everyone, which is a camaraderie so totally bigger than just having fun at a nightclub,” explains Paul V., best known in the straight world for radio show Neon Noise (on Indie 103.1 before it left the airwaves) and for his still-bustling Bootie LA party. V. and Dan are busy boys, and after 17 years, they seem ready to let a new slew of over-the-top soirees and gender-bending royalty take the reins. “Best friendships were forged there, longtime lovers and partners met there, and countless amazing and usually decadent memories were sealed there. All told, Dragstrip 66 and its patrons defined their own era, with a frenzied synergy and an everyone’s-invited spirit that connected all of us. That’s the legacy we’ll forever be the most proud of.”