“There weren’t very many drag-king-friendly places, and so for, it was about providing a space for kings and that visibility.” “Dukes of Dallas had stopped around 2009, so there wasn’t anywhere for drag kings at all,” she says. Its co-founder and executive producer, Cher Musico, got involved with the drag scene after taking photos for a former group, Dukes of Dallas. Mustache Envy, a drag and queerlesque group founded in 2010, performs throughout North Texas, particularly at Sue Ellen’s. “We don’t really display any kind of toxic masculinity unless we are doing it in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way, where we are poking fun at the patriarchy, and everyone in the audience is in on the joke,” says Mortis. Mortis invokes one of Dick’s quotes when thinking about her own work: “Instead of becoming an angry woman, I became a funny man.” That is, their dismay with the patriarchy helped fuel their drag king ethos.īuck Wylde represents a particular masculinity. Dick, who is cited as one of the founding fathers of today’s Drag King movement. Mortis takes inspiration from New York City drag-king legend Mo B. When I am Buck, that is a totally different person.” “I love being able to be a completely different person. 'He’s got all of the good parts of the perfect man and none of the bad parts,” Mortis says of the character. Buck Wylde is a concoction of pop culture excellence, invoking the likes of John Travolta, Brian Seltzer, Elvis Presley and Little Richard. “I was in my grandfather’s shirt and tie, and my mom’s blazer, and I had this terrible wig and terrible mustache - all forms of drag are valid, so whatever - but I’ve progressed since then,” she says.Īnd, for the past 12 years, the artist has performed as Buck Wylde across the local drag and burlesque landscape.

Mortis entered the drag-king scene after dressing up as Morris Day to sing “Jungle Love” for a friend’s wedding.

“There is a lot of people who don’t even know we exist,” says Trigger Mortis, who performs as drag king Buck Wylde. The drag king scene in Dallas-Fort Worth is far reaching, but there still aren’t enough stages for all the local kings.

Move over drag kings