Michael CooperLos Angeles was a top destination for drag even before RuPaul's Drag Race, but with the show filmed here, and many staying here after their big break, the queen quotient is off charts. And with the success of the 5th Annual RuPaul's DragCon at Los Angeles Convention Center this past Memorial Day weekend, even more so. We've been spotlighting queens who have been on the Emmy-Award winning show and some who haven't all weekend, and we're not done yet! Here, a look at the multi-talented L.A. wo-man named Pickle.
Drag Queen Story Hour; Credit: Sarah Ford
A native to Los Angeles (she grew up in the Miracle Mile area and then lived near Koreatown), Pickle, aka Joseph Marcellus Faragher, is not your average drag queen. Not only is she known for her live singing and comedy skills, but she also spreads the drag queen love to children. She's the organizer of the L.A. chapter of “Drag Queen Story Hour,” featuring drag queens reading storybooks to kids and parents at various libraries and bookstores.
“Drag Queen Story Hour is deeply important to me,” says Pickle, who took the readings to DragCon for the second year in a row. “We spread the magic of drag to all ages!”
Aside from seeing her at libraries or at DragCon, fans can also catch Pickle at Club Chico in East L.A. for “Quiz Queen,” which is based on Groucho Marx's You Bet Your Life. She also appears often at Chico's sister club, Cobra, in North Hollywood for “So You Think You Can Drag” on Saturdays.
“L.A. in my opinion [is] the most beautiful city in the world [and]…the L.A. drag scene is quite vibrant and fun. If you are willing to look, there are a good deal of fabulous and diverse shows throughout the city,” Pickle says. “Since I sing live and do a lot of live comedy, sometimes people say I'm very 'New York' and I have to clap back and remind them that I was born and raised in Los Angeles; everything I know about entertaining I learned here. I went to Hamilton Music Academy and saw movies at the Grove. I slept through the Northridge earthquake!”
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