We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Typhoid Mary. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Typhoid below.

Typhoid, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Like most other drag artists living in a post RPDR (That’s Rupauls Drag Race) world, I learned from youtube tutorial– but that wasn’t the only place I learned how to paint my face. I had friends that were make up artists and I made sure that as I was going out in drag I was making connections, asking questions and learning techniques from other drag artists!

There are so many techniques I wish I knew how to do sooner. Things that would cut my time in half in those early years. But you live and you learn! I went from taking 4 hours to paint my face to now painting in about 2/2 1/2 hours. I think what’s truly essential when learning how to do drag make up is community, you learn so much from other people and how they do things you might not know how to do — and brows. Learn how to make some c*nty looking brows as soon as possible. I don’t want to comment on my ‘No-Brow’ Era.

I think the obstacles that stood in the way of me learning more was my own stubbornness, especially in those early years. As drag artists, we get to define what ‘drag’ means to us and for me in the beginning it meant harsh contours, no lashes, no brows, more uncanny valley-girl vibes. It was fun and it was great! But! When I started learning more make up skills and techniques and started applying them to my paint I found a new creative direction I wanted to head in.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

For those who don’t know now, now you know! I am Typhoid Mary, not to be confused with the first asymptomatic carrier of Typhoid fever in the US, is your local friendly neighborhood drag cryptid and host of the iconic Typhoids Takeover. Ive been dubbed the ‘One and Only Bearded Punk Rock Princess of Albany Drag’ — a title I humbly… Well, politely decline even if there is some truth in it!

The art of Drag was something I was introduced to on TV at first. Like a lot of young queer people my age, Rupauls Drag Race was our first exposure to Drag and that aspect of Gay Culture. It wasn’t until I started going out to the local bars that I discovered our local drag scene and really fell in love with the art. I’m really glad that I did discover my local scene because my advice is always don’t let your only frame of reference for drag be what you see on TV. Find your local scene, Enjoy the local scene. Drag is more than just the splits and dips you see on TV. I officially started doing drag around the beginning of 2019. Before that, I would go out to the local bars in a little makeup here and there, maybe pull a look or two; but I didn’t actively start performing until the spring of 2019.

Being a drag artist is being multifaceted. I am a performer, a host, stage manager, producer, graphic designer, girlboss CEO, stylist, I pretty much do it all. My performances are known for being theatrical and genuine, performances that are based on how I am feeling or an experience that I care to share on stage. For most people that is the draw of Typhoid. Not only am I a beautiful punk glam rock goth princess, but when I am on stage, I am performing something I want to perform. There is a genuine connection between performer and audience member when the performer is doing something they love; thats the moment that makes drag so creatively fulfilling to me.

From brunches, trivia and bingo, to happy hours, my goal has always been creating a show that provides a safe and inclusive space for the queer community. I started Typhoids Takeover with the intent on creating shows that take over a primarily straight space for queer people just for one night. Surprisingly, that has allowed us to carve out more queer friendly spaces in Albany in the last three years and I think thats what I am most proud of! Oh, and creating this mindset that queer art, specifically drag, doesn’t solely have to exist at night.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Lately the most rewarding part of doing drag has been being able to create a space for myself and other performers. Community and found family is something that not only so important to me, but to the queer experience as a whole I believe. Community plays a major part into the success of Typhoid Mary and Typhoids Takeover. You cant have a show with out an audience, right? But it’s not just the audience that deserves the flowers. It’s the all the performers I’ve been able to work with, the venues who have opened their doors to let us do our thing and have been supporting us.

But also the performance aspect has become so rewarding. Ive mentioned it before but the connection from me to the audience is so important. I want my performances to be entertaining to myself and the audience. I want them to feel what I am feeling when I am performing. Performing songs that speak to me is what is very important to me as an artist and a performer. But I am also a clown. I’ve even been known to perform the occasional meme mix and keep up with trends.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Originally I started doing drag as a form of therapy. It was a way for me to express some of the emotional trauma I was going through at the time, along with giving me a new creative medium to play with. But now its evolved into this form of radical self expression that has allowed me to explore my own identity — really be able to play and figure out what ‘masculine’ and ‘femininity’ mean to me. The original goal is still there, to express myself, but its evolved into so much more. Changing peoples perspective on drag, opening doors that would normally be closed for queer individuals and creating community by having fun, safe and inclusive spaces. I think those are my new missions and goals.

Contact Info:

• Website: linktr.ee/typhoid.maryxx
• Instagram: instagram.com/typhoid.maryxx
• Facebook: facebook.com/typhoid.maryxx
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjAHTfNPnfVspmGkaoMtbFw
• Other: Check out my sick merch! https://typhoidmary.threadless.com/

Image Credits
Dan Lee // @danielplee