bio

Peter Berkowitz is a reporter, critic, essayist, columnist and editor based in Louisville, Kentucky.

Since 2004, he has written, edited, created and/or managed stories about music, drag, comedy, theater, movies, TV, radio, journalism, books, visual art, food and drinks for LEO Weekly, The Louisville Courier-Journal, The Voice-Tribune, Insider Louisville, Louisville Magazine, Kentucky Monthly, Story, Lucky Peach, Spin, Thrillist, Bejeezus, and private clients.
Here are some tweets. Link in here.

He has written cover stories on Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, Food Network chef Damaris Phillips, local restaurants, the local DJ scene, public radio, My Morning Jacket, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Coliseum, Rodan and Slint.

He has also profiled everyone from Joan Rivers, Rick Moranis, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Patricia Arquette and Jerry Bruckheimer to the Arcade Fire, Black Sabbath, The Del McCoury Band, Insane Clown Posse, The Meters, Kacey Musgraves, The Soweto Gospel Choir, and several members of the "RuPaul's Drag Race" family (and many more characters).

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, with a concentration in writing, from Indiana University.

The Education of Sister Sweet Epiphany

As a novice sister in the Derby City Sisters, a group of “radical fun-loving nuns whose mission is to raise funds and spread joy throughout the LGBTQ community,” Shawn Wallace was tasked with creating a project that would benefit others. “I have so many names,” Wallace laughs, when asked how to identify him. “You can just call me by my Sister name if you want, Sister Sweet Epiphany.”

“Trans Awareness: United As One” is the event he organized, happening this Friday, July 31 at 7 p.m. at the Mercury Ballroom downtown. “I’m super, super excited about it,” says Wallace.

Wallace has acted as an informal consultant for parents confused about their children who have discussed transitioning. Many have wanted to be supportive but were scared and didn’t know where to start. Wallace is one who knows where they can go to get help and education.

“Of course, once Caitlyn Jenner came out, it really put the spotlight on the trans community,” Wallace says. “People are still uneducated – I was uneducated. There’s a lot of the LGB community that is uneducated, and this is a prime opportunity that’s in our face right now. We need to educate while we can. Because otherwise, the trans community’s going to be pushed to the side again.”

“It seems like it’s always been concentrated on the L, the G and the B – now it’s time to bring the T in and unite as one.”

The night will feature Phoenix, a drag queen from Atlanta who competed on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” as well as many local drag performers, speakers – including trans youth from the Louisville Youth Group – and booths for supportive businesses. Based on early positive response, Wallace hopes to make it an annual event.

Wallace, who grew up on a tobacco farm near Elizabethtown, has a close friend, Trista Ray, who transitioned several years ago. She and her wife had a baby in 2009, and Wallace says he acted as “the dad” for a period, visiting doctors with the women sometimes because they were afraid of how they would otherwise be perceived.

We’ve grown in leaps and bounds since then, he says, noting that trans-positive and educated physicians from the University of Louisville will be among the featured guests Friday. But Wallace was inspired to put this night together when he realized that he had never seen an event like this before here.

“Education saves lives. If people aren’t educated, they’re going to continue to hate without realizing that they’re hating…as odd as that sounds, that’s really how it is.”

Wallace has always felt comfortable in his regular performance character, whom he calls a “gay sideshow zombie performer,” testing limits and confusing people gleefully. “At Forecastle, I walked around as Shawna. Everybody – straight, gay, man, woman – when I got that eye contact, they were, like, ‘What is that?’ I’d give them a big hug. ‘You’re scary but you’re beautiful!’ A lot of the straight guys shocked me. They were, like, ‘You know, my girl’s been getting hit on all day long. You’re the first person to tell me I’m beautiful.’ It was a really cool experience.”

But when he was younger, it wasn’t always so cool. Around the time of the Columbine shootings, Wallace found his name on a hit list because he was gay. He and a few others were pulled out of school for a day but then returned. Nothing much came of the incident then, but Wallace says the person he is today would make sure local news organizations were made aware of such a situation.

“This has been an amazing journey for me, to walk around and meet the community and hear stories of what the trans community has gone through…If we don’t get out there and fight for them and tell them how much they’re loved – there’s so much suicide in the trans community right now. They don’t realize that they’re loved. They don’t realize that they’re supported. They’re struggling financially because it’s hard for them to be their selves at jobs. The idea of this event is to bring all of those organizations together that support the trans community, and will educate the rest of the community.”

c. 2015 The Voice-Tribune

Swift Boat

As Pride Month reaches its midpoint, I checked in with one of Louisville’s biggest drag stars, Jade Jolie, to see what’s going on in her world. The “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestant moved here after her time on the TV competition, and in the time since, has consistently improved upon her act and found her voice in one tall blonde.

Q: I’m eager to know more about your Taylor Swift. How did you realize that she’d be such a good fit for you?
Jade Jolie: I’ve always loved her music, but actually following her more and more, I’ve truly come to appreciate her as an artist and the similarities we share as being blonde, bubbly and ambitious. We’re two people working hard on our goals.

Q: How have you learned to finesse her character as she evolves?
JJ: With anything, the more you practice a subject – or in this case, a character illusion – the more overall time you spend in fine-tuning that illusion.

Q: You recently went to Vegas to audition as a Taylor. Can you tell me about that experience, and if you hope to pursue that type of Diva life?
JJ: A very positive experience. I loved the city and getting some time in with Coco Montrese, who has been a constant source of support for many years. I am grateful for the opportunity to have met and auditioned for Frank Marino. (Marino’s stage show) “Divas” is a dream I do greatly hope to experience at some point in my career. But I must say, however, that I love my Play family and am proud to be a part of this amazing establishment.

Q: You’ve been in Louisville for around two years now, right? Did Play pursue you, or did you audition? Why did you want to move here from Florida? And how do you like life here?
JJ: It’s hard to imagine that amount of time has truly flown by (laughs), but it has been almost two years and two wonderful ones at that. I actually heard of the opportunity through a friend and fellow entertainer, Dee Ranged, who had been a cast member of Play for several years. I like to think the interest was mutual (laughs), but either way, I was on cloud nine when I was offered the position. Since then, life in Louisville has been one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life. It’s nice to be treated with genuine care by our neighbors and friends, as well as being treated as a valued entertainer new to the city. Play will always be family.

Q: How much time do you spend on the road these days as a touring headliner?
JJ: Part of my motivation for coming to Play Louisville was not only to be in an incredible cast, but (also) to be able to work regularly and have the leisure of traveling without having out-of-town bookings being an absolute necessity. I am quite the homebody, and I love being with my hubby and kitty as much as I can.

Q: How does it feel to be featured one night in, say, Columbus, and then return to the cast at Play?
JJ: I just love what I’m doing. I feel elated that I’m still able to share my craft in or out of town with such respected and talented entertainers. The feeling is just appreciative.

Q: Another season of “RuPaul's Drag Race” has ended. How did you feel about this season? Did the right queen win? I assume the picture you posted recently in a very tight corset was a tribute to Violet?
JJ: I’ve really thought Violet was stunning since the first trailer, and I couldn’t be more thrilled for her. I think Ru knows what she’s doing, so I’ll leave it at that (laughs). Regarding the corset, you gotta love a good cinch!

Q: How is Pride Month different for you than other months? Do you get more bookings, more money, or have more fun than usual?
JJ: Pride is always a popular time of the year. I like to think I’m having the most fun whenever and wherever I am, but Pride can really bring the community together, which just creates more fun to be had by all.

c. 2015 The Voice-Tribune

King of Queens

Promoter Daniel Cole introduced his “Hard Candy” series seven years ago, and it has recently expanded beyond just Louisville, adding events in five other cities: Lexington, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Baltimore and Huntington, West Virginia. The current season is headlined by several drag queens that have competed on the hit TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Q: Who will win season 7 of RuPaul’s Drag Race? Who should win?

Daniel Cole: I see Ginger Minj as the winner – she’s kind of the sure thing in my eyes. The show has definitely leaned towards fan favorites over the last few years, and she is very deserving in my eyes, just like Bianca Del Rio last year. She’s funny, (has) great stage presence, and anyone who calls themselves a "glamour toad" has to be appreciated.

My favorite, hands down, is Violet Chachki. She’s the youngest queen on the show but has such a specific identity of what kind of aesthetic she wants - Bettie Paige and Dita Von Teese come to mind - and is so incredibly on-point with it. Her runways are consistently jaw dropping. She’s not nailing acting challenges just yet, but I know she has incredible performance elements that have yet to be seen on the show, like aerial stunts, etc.

It’s incredibly hard for some queens like that to be given justice when the gals like Ginger, Bianca, who are incredible MCs, can improv in nearly every situation. I think if you’re looking for the next drag superstar, Violet just might be it.

Q: How does booking shows work for you now – do you approach other cities or vice-versa?

DC: In some instances, it’s been where I had a friend who managed a nightclub who had interest in having me bring entertainment to their venue. Penny Tration in Cincinnati has been a great friend over the years – she was actually the first queen I ever booked at “Hard Candy” – so I love working with her at The Cabaret. It’s a similar situation with Cadillac Seville at The Bar Complex in Lexington.

I’ve also had a couple of markets like St. Louis and Huntington where I reached out because one of my favorite queens, Willam Belli, wanted to work that particular market. Willam had been burned by a venue in St. Louis last year for a Pride booking, and all the fans there were super disappointed. I was already doing a gig with her in Louisville, so we put together a pop-up show at this great spot called Attitudes. It was so successful that I’ve made St. Louis a regular city for the event series.

Same with West Virginia. It’s one of the very few states Willam had never performed in, so I reached out to Stonewall in Huntington and we did an event there. It was fantastic.

Q: Tell us about your new “Drag Brunch” series.

DC: Well, it’s not a series just yet. Here’s to hoping, though! I worked in the past with a benefit drag brunch a couple years back, and it was so fun. There’s such a desire for fun daytime events, and it opens up to a whole new crowd. We had people ranging from 21-75 in the audience.

The first event is going to be Sunday, May 31st at 8UP Elevated Drinkery and Kitchen. It’s one of the most gorgeous spots in Louisville and a perfect fit for this type of event: a great brunch that flows seamlessly into a great Sunday Funday on the patio. Add drag queens into that, and it’s a memorable event in the making!

One of my all-time favorite gals, Delta Work, is the featured performer. She’s incredibly funny and so polished as a queen. Her celebrity impersonations are incredible, yet she still has her own identity as Delta outside that element. Also, two Entertainer of the Year titleholders will be with us: Trinity Taylor and Vanessa Demornay.

Q: What will be different about this versus a night at a club like Play?

DC: I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from people who can’t do late night events like the “Hard Candy” series. They have job or family responsibilities, and I understand that. I’m really excited to offer a daytime event as an alternative and still offer the same high quality entertainment.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/HardCandyKY.

c. 2015 The Voice-Tribune