In praise of obscure gay icons.

One of the highlights of my 2014 was seeing  a performance of RuPaul's Battle of the Seasons tour, and one of the highlights of that show was seeing Jinkx Monsoon perform one of her original compositions, "What About Debbie?". She says that when she was growing up, she saw that every little gay boy [or girl] wanted to be Wednesday Addams or Morticia, but she always loved Joan Cusack's gold digging Debbie Jellinsky from Addams Family Values. So much so in fact, that she felt the need to write a gospel song singing her praises.

Jinkx very deservedly won Season 5 of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2013. She was something of an underdog, but her comedic talents, powerhouse singing voice, and big, big heart trumped the 13 other competitors. Since winning, Jinkx has toured with RuPaul's Battle of the Seasons, written and performed two installments of her Vaudevillians musical comedy, and played Little Edie in a drag version of Grey Gardens, with fellow drag icon Peaches Christ as her mother. She's at her best when she's bringing an over-the-top character to life, so here she is raising Debbie Jellinsky to her appropriate place in the pantheon of gay icons:

Next month Jinkx will truly be bringing her beloved Debbie to life when she portrays her in a live show at the Castro Theater in San Francisco, with Sharon Needles as Morticia Addams and Peaches Christ as Wednesday Addams. I would pretty much kill to be able to go see this, and you know I don't wanna hurt anybody. I don't enjoy hurting anybody. I don't like guns, or bombs, or electric chairs. But sometimes people just won't listen. And so I have to use persuasion. And slides. 

Until Jinkx reinvents Debbie next month, here's the original doing her crazy Debbie thing: