Sherry Vine, actor and drag queen

Sherry Vine is a drag legend. Over a thirty year career, she’s carved out a reputation for searing wit, spectacular performance, and filthy humour. 

Sherry joined me for this conversation as the second season of The Sherry Vine Variety Show was about to premiere – the show has just completed filming on it's third season, and you can catch it on Apple TV.

We discuss music by the Smiths, Soft Cell, and Blondie. You can follow Sherry on Instagram here.

Listen to all previous guest choices in one handy Spotify playlist, Selections from Tracks of Our Queers and follow the pod on Instagram.

Transcript

Sherry Vine
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AT2020USB+: [00:00:00] Hello, welcome back to Tracks of Our Queers. 

My name is Andy Gott and each episode I chat to a fascinating queer person about one song, one album, and one artist that have soundtrack that life. Nearly everyone has a connection with music, but the relationship that queer people share with it can be especially profound. And this show seeks to find out why. 

Sherry vine is a drag legend. Over 30 year career she's carved out a reputation for searing wet. Spectacular performance and filthy humor alongside the likes of Jackie beat, Joey Arias and Bianca Del Rio. 

The last year Sherry joined me for this conversation as the second season of the Sherry vine variety show was about to premiere. Inspired, by the variety shows of the seventies and storing the likes of Monet X Change, Tammie brown, Manila Luzon, and. The show is currently filming its third season for apple and out TV. Sherry. And I talk [00:01:00] about creating your own theatre company to become your own leading lady hanging out with Madonna and Marc Almond. And of course her hilarious variety show. Producing this podcast is very much a one queer band and listen to contributions. 

Go a huge way in keeping the lights switched on and the show at free. If you're interested in supporting me, you can do so by buying me a coffee through the link in the show notes, alternatively, leaving a rating or review is greatly appreciated and it's a free and easy way to help the podcast reach new listeners. Thank you in advance for your support. 

Let's get on with the show. Over to Sherry.

Andy Gott: Sherry Vine, welcome to Tracks of Our Queers.

Sherry Vine: Hi. Thank you.

Andy Gott: you. I would love to begin with knowing where did you grow up and what music was playing at home when you were,

Sherry Vine: I grew up in the suburbs of Baltimore and Maryland, kind of in between Baltimore and Washington DC very suburban, but had two really big cities [00:02:00] within 40 minute drive and there's a whole range of music in the house growing up. I mean, my dad was kind of like, he was a little too old to be a hippie, but he really loved the music.

So he, he was into all the music without, you know, the drugs and all that. Um, so there was lots of I remember his favorites were Stevie Wonder, the Beatles, lots of Beatles, led Zeppelin, Leon Russell, Arlo Guthrie Joe Cocker, led Zeppelin. So it was really this amazing range. And then my mom loved, she really had a good she loved like Michael Jackson, certainly in the eighties, she was really into Michael Jackson and they've always kind of had. Even in their eighties, my parents had their kind of pulse on what was going on. There was a lot of Broadway, Jesus Christ Superstar. I remember my parents would play that over and over and over. Both very non-religious, but just loved the music.

[00:03:00] And I would say Yellow Brick Road. I heard a Gajillion Times as a little kid.

Andy Gott: You were exposed to some amazing stuff. Then sometimes I get, my parents didn't really listen too much, so I had to go and find the records myself, and you were just given this incredible back catalog of legends.

Sherry Vine: Yes. I mean, I remember going through the albums and my dad had like every Zeppelin album, everything by Stevie Wonder, and so it's, yeah, this kind of Really cool exposure to music. Very young. His, his favorite, I would say is The Beatles, so I know every word to every Beatles song without having ever owned any of it myself.

Andy Gott: I love that Now that's, that sounds like a really special time, but do you remember when you were starting to seek out music yourself? Maybe when you were a little bit older, what you were gravitating towards, which was [00:04:00] your taste and not so much your parents?

Sherry Vine: Well, I kind of would dive in. Like 100% commitment to whatever was going on. Like I remember being before I could go out or anything, certainly, maybe like a young teen, I was obsessed. They had something here called Casey Kasem's. Top 100 that he would do every New Year's day, and they would play the top 100 hits of that year.

And I literally still have books of where I would write it down as it. Some reason I had to document it. And I was really into kind of the early seventies, like carpenters bread, that kind of easy listening, mellow. The first concert my parents ever took me to was the Carpenters 

and yeah, crazy. I'm that old.

[00:05:00] 

Sherry Vine: And then when disco came, Girl. I mean, you would have thought it was invented for me. I was like the disco queen. But then literally, I can remember the day sitting in this park with my friend Kevin, and he was like, I gotta play this for you. And at the moment I'm disco down and he played me two records.

One was Soft Cells, nonstop erotic Cabaret, and the other was Kraftwerk. 

Andy Gott: Uhhuh. 

Sherry Vine: changed my life. So I went, on Monday I was the disco queen, and on Tuesday I was like, new wave down.

Andy Gott: Okay, we're gonna come back to that. That's amazing. Was there a moment when let's say the, the drag light bulb switched. Do you recall the moment where you could foresee that being on that stage was the career choice you had to go down?

Sherry Vine: Yes. I mean that[00:06:00] was actually connected to music also. I had kind of dabbled with drag and was interested in it, but was like I. Didn't have any desire to perform to make it a a career choice. And I was in this play in LA in 1991, I wanna say 1991 and out of drag. And this woman named Robin would sing this torch song, black Coffee.

And every single show, I sat right in the wing on the floor watching her like, oh my God, I wanna sing that song so bad. But in my mind, I was like, no one wants to see some skinny queer sing this torch song. So I was like, well, maybe if I was in drag, I can create this character. It's kind of like, you know, ex [00:07:00] showgirl, little boozy singing this torch song.

And that's how Sherry by was born. But I literally, I'm not. Was the plan was to do it once and that was it. And it just kind of spiraled and it, it ignited something in me. And then I, I created this theater company where I would be the leading lady and stuff cuz it was still attached to acting. But the spark that started Sherry Vine was this torch song, black coffee.

Andy Gott: I love that. And I also love that you. Maybe without even being conscious of it, maybe you were, but you created the opportunity for yourself at such a young age. You just said that you started your own theater company with the idea that you would be the leading lady.

That sounds like that would be quite a ballsy move for someone to do in Los Angeles. [00:08:00] Quite young.

Sherry Vine: yeah, I mean, it's funny because I was in grad school for acting and that's all I've ever done my whole life. And I had an acting teacher named Anna DeVere Smith, who's a genius. She was on that show, nurse Jackie, and she's done a lot of acting. Anyway, she was our guest. Director for a s a semester, and she pulled me aside and she said, you know, you're gonna have a really hard time in Hollywood because you don't fit any type.

You're not Tom Cruise. Like you're not the leading man. You're not really weird enough, you're not nerdy enough. You don't really fall into one of the categories. You're gonna have to create your own path. And I really took those words to heart and was like, okay. And then when I started doing drag, it just kind of. My friend Doug, who was a playwright, was like, I'm gonna write this play and I want you to play the mother. And I'm like, are you outta your mind? And then we start, I moved to New York City and we started this theater company and I really [00:09:00] had this revelation where I was kind of fighting it cuz I was like, no, I don't wanna be a drag queen, I'm gonna be a movie star.

And I had this revelation of. I can create my own path and suppose to getting up at six in the morning and go stand in line to audition, to be in the course of the road, show of whatever. And so here I'm like, okay, I have been given this opportunity with, there's a writer, there's a director, there's other people that wanna work with us.

We have a costume designer. I'm like, girl. The universe is giving you a theater company, take it and be the star and not in the course. And so that's, that's what we did.

Andy Gott: I love that story. I love it. And, and so you moved from LA to New York and so much has been spoken about that kind of legendary period of New York nightlife, especially from the mid to late eighties through to the early nineties. And I don't wanna, [00:10:00] I. Go over ground, which has already been spoken about so much, but it really just seemed like there was something in the water at that time.

And you moved there and so many people moved there. And, and could you just summarize what was so special in those years? 

Sherry Vine: Well back then, first of all, with drag, you had to really. Want to do it, like it had to be a calling because it was still a fringe art form. It was not like legitimized, and now it's different. Now a lot of people, I mean, I don't even want to get in, like I'm not gonna get into names or whatever because who cares?

But I'm just saying now, I think that a lot of people think like, oh, I wanna be famous. I can do drag. Or maybe they're like, think it's gonna be fun and I can be famous. It's different now. You can make a lot of money doing drag and it's a legitimate art form, and they want you in TVs and movies.

Okay, well, in the early nineties, late eighties, early nineties, they did not, it was very fringe [00:11:00] and so you had to really want to do it. You're taking your life into your hands when you left the house. So it was, that's why it was different. But certainly when I moved to New York in 92, there was this renaissance.

You already had like the established queens of the eighties. Lady Bunny, sister Dimension, Lypsinka, uh RuPaul Mona, but then 92. Was the birth of all these queens that are still doing it. Me, Varla Jean Merman, Coco Peru, Jackie Beat maybe started a little earlier. Hedda lettuce shaquita. So it was like all of us started at the same time and it was just kind of fascinating to see that, how many of us are still 30 years later doing it?

Andy Gott: Yeah. Yeah. It's incredible. You were all drawn there. You're still doing it. But there was, there was something in there, like audiences wanted it, you know, and, and they still do, and

Sherry Vine: They wanted it and it was just, I can't even explain how. Fun and exciting. It was [00:12:00] cuz you had queens that lip sync flawlessly. You had Queens singing live, you had Queens dancing like Candis Cayne, like what is going on? That's Ann Margaret here at this bar. You had queens that could act, that could do comedy, that could do drama, that were glamorous, that were campy and funny.

It was just like, there were hundreds of drag queens in New York City at that time and it was just pretty exciting.

Andy Gott: I love that. So by the time this episode airs, the second season of the Sherry Vine variety show will be long out in the wild. You have to tell me about putting together your own variety show. Your inspirations, what have you learned? Tell me everything.

Sherry Vine: Well, it's, sorry. It's literally a dream come true because I grew up watching the Carol Burnett Show and all the variety shows of the seventies, like, I mean, Barbara Mandrell, the Osmonds, certainly Cher, whether it was Sonny and Cher, and then the Cher Show, I mean obsessed, but Carol Burnett [00:13:00] was kind of like ground zero for inspiration.

And it was just like, I always wanted to do the variety show format because I felt like, okay, I can apply my acting chops, my singing, my. Comical choreography sketches, parodies, like all of that can fit under this umbrella of the variety show format. So it was just like a perfect vehicle for me. This is technically like my fourth variety show season cause I had two seasons of, she's living for this and this is season two of the Sherry Vine variety show.

And I have learned a lot, certainly. From season one of this one for OutTV because we filmed it during the pandemic., I was wearing a lot more hats than I was where she's living for this. So I really learned a lot. So now season two, I felt like I could watch season one and be like, That's too long.

The sketches should be half that length. The we need more commercial [00:14:00] parodies. Let's do original songs. Season one I just bought music that was already made on pond five and wrote lyrics. And this time we're like, let's do five original songs. Each song celebrates a different genre of music. So that was challenging in the most fun way.

Andy Gott: Do you have a favorite song of the new batch that you've written for the show?

Sherry Vine: I'm kind of obsessed with this song we wrote called Elements, which is in the last episode. It's our House song. And I mean some people might be critical and be like, okay, bitch, you're, you know what? You're too old to white, whatever to know about how, I'm like, but that was my New York nightlife of the nineties was housed down and so. After watching Legendary on HBO, I was like, I need [00:15:00] to do a house song. I don't care if I'm too old or whatever for it. I wanna do it. And I love it. I just think it's funny cause I can comment on the fact that, okay, here's this, you know, older queen doing this, Vogue the House down song. But I think it's really funny and the music that Mark Aholic did is amazing.

So that might be my favorite. 

Andy Gott: So before we dive into the selections, I do have one last question. There was a time in my teens where I was absorbing any and everything, Madonna and I very clearly remember discovering the VMAs drag tribute in 1999 on YouTube, which I hear you may have played a part in.

Sherry Vine: I was like a virgin one.

Yeah. So this is the truth. This is a true story. It's, I. I kinda love telling this story. I was in Barcelona working for the summer, and I got, I, I don't remember an email or call, whatever about this. They were [00:16:00] asking me if I wanted to do it, and I was like, when is it? And they said, I'm like, oh, I think I'm still in Barcelona.

And I'm like, there's no way I'm missing out on that. So I came back early. To New York and we had to be sequestered there all day because allegedly it was gonna be a surprise for Madonna. I don't mean I kind of find that hard to imagine that there's anyone does anything as a surprise. But anyway, we had to go there in the morning, rehearse, get in drag, blah, blah, blah.

We weren't allowed to leave the building once we got there. And all of us queens were in this huge room and Todd Oldham made that wedding dress, which is pretty fucking amazing. the highlight, so we are sitting in the audience watching the rehearsal and sound check, like this was the year that Ricky Martin Lavita Loca 



Lauren Hill we're watching them sound check.

So that's pretty crazy. And we get in drag, we come down. It was funny during the rehearsal. I said, well, I have to roll across the stage like Madonna [00:17:00] did in the wedding dress. And they're like, no, no, don't, please don't do that. We won't have time. No, just come out, do your thing. And I'm like, okay. But in my mind I was like, fuck you.

I'm rolling across the stage, like at that point, what are you gonna do? Fire me? So I'm in the wings getting ready to go on, and it's me and Hedda Lettuce and Paul McCartney and Diana Ross. So I'm just standing there like. I'm in between Paul McCartney and Diana Ross, and they're both like gushing at us. Like, oh ladies, Paul McCartney's, like, ladies look so nice. And Diana Ross is literally like, girl, girl. And I was just like, this is surreal. And then the music starts and I ran out and rolled across the floor and that was that.

Andy Gott: And so she goes along the line upright and she shakes everyone's hands. 

Sherry Vine: I shook her hand and you know, she's like, good job. I think she would have appreciated me rolling across the floor. I met her a couple times and she was always like, really cool. I was in drag anytime, every [00:18:00] time. I met her three times and she loves Queens and so she was super, super cool.

I was with Joey Arias. We were walking into this restaurant in drag and she was walking out and she and Joey had known each other since, you know, the early eighties, and she stopped us and we talked for a second. I was like, hi.

Andy Gott: Okay, we're gonna jump in. So the, you picked a track and album and an artist for our chat and I can't wait to hear all about them. So let's kick off with your track. Can you tell us what you picked and why?

Sherry Vine: I picked how soon is now by the Smiths. I had kind of just come out of the closet. I was living downtown [00:19:00] Baltimore and. There was this like punk club called the Marble Bar, but that was just like, I wasn't into that hard punk. I really was a new wave poser. And there was this new club called Signal. And we would go there and I mean like tripping, don't do drugs.

We would go there. We couldn't afford drinks so we would just go like tripping. And anyway, that remember being on the dance floor and that song came on here like and I was like, what is that sound? Never heard anything like that. And it literally just like possessed me. And still now, like when I hear that first sound, the opening of that song, I'm just like, what is going on? It's, it just, it does something viscerally to me.

Andy Gott: [00:20:00] I can feel that myself for sure. So Baltimore, were you just a bit too young for the whole John Waters divine scene, or were there any kind of remnants of that left?

Sherry Vine: I mean, literally, I. Too young, and I rarely get to say that, but they were all gone by the time I started going out in Baltimore. So I never got to, I mean, I eventually did meet John Waters, but that was in New York City at Squeezebox, but never ever, ever got to see or meet Divine, which is a shame.

And Mink stole. I've done shows and stuff with Mink and I love her, but they were all out of Baltimore by then.

Andy Gott: This club signal, was it a queer friendly space or were you kind of being a bit brazen being

Sherry Vine: No, it was definitely queer friendly. The Marble Bar, which I had told you about, which was like a punk bar, I would've been not comfortable going there. There [00:21:00] was this other new wave bar in Baltimore called Gerard's, which I went to a lot because it was 18 and over instead of 21. And so I went there when I was like, you know, 19, 20, up until I was 21.

And Signal was not around long, but I remember it had opened and it was maybe like the summer before I was leaving to go to LA anyway, but it was just a little different. It was definitely queer friendly. I mean, I was a flaming queen, so, and I felt fine there.

Andy Gott: Well, I imagine a similar time period ish for your album selection. So I'd love to know about that one.

Sherry Vine: Yeah, I mentioned that briefly, but that was nonstop erotic cabarets by soft cell, which is still one of my favorites. And. That record, that [00:22:00] album was literally my bridge between disco and NuWave. And you know, everyone, you know, if you look at the timeline, you're like, well, 1980 or whatever it was, might be a little late to discover NuWave and leave disco.

But I know I was a teenager and in the suburbs,

you know what I mean? So it wasn't like I was in New York City, I was in the suburbs, and then I kind of backtracked and really got hard into like Susan the Banshees and stuff. But I kind of had to backtrack on that. I just hadn't been exposed to any of that.

But once I was, I was like, oh, bye disco.

Andy Gott: And I do think there's something really interesting to unpack in that relationship between disco and NuWave because the reasons why disco fell from favor are quite complicated. But NuWave, I can imagine there were many people like you, you were surely not alone in your.[00:23:00] Transition from moving from Team Disco to Team NuWave, because while the genres might seem like they're very different, they share things like, you know, an appreciation for an incredible pop melody.

It's, it's almost like there's many similarities in different clothes to me. And it was also a very different visual aesthetic, but where people could still be flamboyant and colorful

Sherry Vine: and I was just gonna, Say they both shared a really strong queer connection also. I certainly disco, but even if you kind of look at the new wave, not maybe punk, but new wave, it was very queer and even if they weren't gay, you had like Duran Duran gorgeous men wearing makeup. And that it was just so, I know you had that with the New York Dolls and like punk and stuff, the seventies, but it was just so, like Nick Rhoads would paint his face like a queen.

I mean, it was just [00:24:00] painted. Boy, George, Adam, and even, you know, it was just like a real queer. You know, I look at Billy Idol, I remember being obsessed with Billy Idol and he wasn't wearing like makeup like that, and he was kind of giving you this punk attitude, but he was so sexy.

It, I don't know, they both also had a very strong queer connection. Even if you read about like Susie's history and biography. When she first started going out at like 14 or 15, it was the gay bars.

Andy Gott: Because they're also a safe place for misfits and outcasts, and that's what they've always been. Now, I'm curious you mentioned people like Boy George and Duran Duran. All of these noted, you know, Makeup where is at that time. But in the UK at least, they were massively, massively commercially successful.

And I've always been fascinated by the idea that in that specific time period, men dressed so flamboyantly and painted like a [00:25:00] queen were, you know, number one, number two in the charts. So there was clearly something that the, you know, that ha. That takes more than queer people listening to have that kind of commercial success.

So someone was responding there. So how was that in America then? Was there a similar level of commercial success or was it a little bit different?

Sherry Vine: Well, certainly, I mean, Duran Duran was massive, huge, and culture club also. I, I don't think Adam Ant was like, I. Chart topping here the way he was, certainly, even Banana Rama wasn't, and they're so huge in the uk. It's funny, I remember walking around and, you know, , I looked, it was obviously gay people would yell like, boy, George.

So they weren't calling you faggot anymore, they were yelling, calling you boy George. Like it was an insult or something. I don't know. It was very weird. But even Soft cell was just so queer. And that album is so. Queer, without being like, Hey, it's a [00:26:00] queer band.

Kind of like what they, they did with Bronski Beat. It, they were just like this band. And Marc Almond was, you know, Marc Almond. I mean, but if you really go back and even now listen to the words, it's, I love that record cause it was so theatrical, campy, but sometimes dark. It's, it's an amazing album. 

Andy Gott: There's, there's darkness that runs through the whole album as this thread, which is that other side to queer life. Then as you mentioned, as opposed to some other bands that were out at the time, but even the song titles, Seedy films, sex Dwarf, youth, secret Life, they all speak to, I can see how. Many queer people would've looked at that track list and listened and found themselves reflected in at least one or two aspects of that album there.

Sherry Vine: and I don't think that they're, and I feel like they're [00:27:00] celebrating. Kind of perversion and laziness and not criticizing it.

Andy Gott: Agreed. Marc Almond what a fascinating person and.

Sherry Vine: adore him.

Andy Gott: I kind of grew up when I was. Learning my own, like, you know, UK queer recent history. His name would come up so often, but he always, he seemed distinct from people like Boy George, like very different in his own way. Similar maybe in androgyny and sometimes singing styles, but A very unique, distinct person.

And I remember when I was at school there was the, the mum of one of my friends was obsessed with Marc Almond and she had every possible solo album or obscure thing he'd ever done. And again, I think that he holds this thing for some people in you know, attracting people who feel a little bit different from everyone else.

You know, misfits were attracted to Marc Almond for sure.

Yeah, and he, I mean, [00:28:00] I've been very lucky. I've gotten to meet and hang out with Mark Almond and boy George, and they both have an incredible sense. But, you know, I don't know if people like would get that Marc Almond's incredible sense of humor from his records, but he's hilarious. 

Sherry Vine: Oh my God. There was just this weird period in New York in the mid nineties where he, I don't know if he was living there, but he, I was doing this performing at Bardot and we would do with the show three nights a week. It was me, Joey, Harrison, and Raven now, and he would come every night and we watched a show and then we'd all go out.

And so there was this weird summer in New York that I spent. Hanging out, going out, drinking and stuff are hopping with Mark Almond. And it was just so funny. He was just so chill and cool and I mean, he could be bitchy, but he was really funny and he's [00:29:00] sweet, like I haven't seen him in so many years, but anytime I go through London, I text send him a message like, Hey, I'm gonna be here going, oh my God, I can't believe I'm not gonna be there.

So I'm not seeing him in a while.

Andy Gott: I love that. Well, thank you for picking this album. I, of course know Tainted Love, who doesn't know Tainted love. But it was a pleasure to listen to the rest of the album,

Sherry Vine: Good. 

Andy Gott: SHerry Vine. Which artist did you pick and why?

Sherry Vine: it's very difficult to pick one, and I kind of went back and forth between Susie Sue or Debbie Harry, and I knew I had to pick a. Cisgender Woman because I just had, my walls were covered in posters and I went with Debbie Harry because I have pictures of me being like 14 lying on my bed and you behind me.

It's just like a, an ocean of Debbie Harry [00:30:00] Blondie pictures and the music. It's like every single song. It's all so different. I mean, there's like rap. There's

punk, there's rock, there's disco. It's just like you can't really pin them down and, and then no one has ever been as gorgeous as Debbie Harry. 

Andy Gott: And, the core influence you could say on who was to follow. You know, if you ever unpack who Madonna's inspiration was, it was probably Debbie Harry for sure. And then further on down the line an incredible woman [00:31:00] and deserving of words that got thrown around far too much like icon and legend.

Sherry Vine: Is for sure. Legend. Yeah.

Andy Gott: You mentioned that you have all the posters on your bedroom wall, and I'd just love to know, can you remember, how did Debbie Harry make you feel?

Sherry Vine: Well, I mean, I loved the music. So that's one. And then just to watch her, like if you watch her live stuff of the time when Heart of Glass came out, she looks so like bored. And so it just see, and she makes it look so easy, like, mm-hmm. And she's wearing like Steven Sprouse and she always looked so gorgeous, but cool and rock and roll like, You know what I mean?

Like you can't, like I said, it's really hard to like put her in a category. Like she's, she was a Playboy bunny at one time, so you could kind of see this sex goddess, you know,

in her, but she's also like a rock and roll [00:32:00] star. 

It's like putting all of these things together. And then she was loved finding, you know, kind of younger.

Cool designers like Steven Sprouse and Michael Schmidt and yeah, I could just watch her videos over and over and she always looked so gorgeous and cool, like the epitome of cool.

Andy Gott: Was there ever a through line from Debbie Harry to your own drag once you were performing, or were your two styles quite distinctive?

Sherry Vine: Oh my God. No, I wish, I mean, I, for 100% have taken inspiration from looks of hers, but I kind of have to tweak it to make me, I'm not, I'm not an impersonator. I don't wanna walk on the stage and have people be like, oh my God, she's doing Debbie Harry. But I've certainly, I. Have like taken photos of her and sent it to people saying, oh my God, what about this?

Let's do this eyeshadow for this, or can I have this, actually this whole dress that I just wore yesterday, that Steven Sprouse knockoff of [00:33:00] something that she wore. I have used her videos. Hundreds of times for reference points of other things that I've done. Like I like this lighting. She's just lying on the bed and the camera's over her, you know?

I'm gonna put you on the spot here. Top three Blondy, Debbie Harry songs that you would give to someone who's listening and thinking, I just need to go and listen to some Blonie now. What would be Sherry Vine's top three?

Sherry Vine: Okay. Number one. Dreaming is my favorite

song. 

Andy Gott: Yes, me

Sherry Vine: That's my favorite. And I love Ex-Offender

cuz it's kind of like taking the sixties girl group sound, but making it punk. And there's a song if there's a lot of people don't know that I really love, I'm not living in the real world. Love.

Andy Gott: Amazing. 

Solo career backfired, I think is [00:34:00] an incredible song, and I love the artwork of that solo album where she has the spikes going through her head.

Sherry Vine: What's it called? Coco

something? Yeah, it's, I wanted to do that once at Squeezebox. I knew she was gonna be there and I was like, I wanted to do that and I just couldn't find anyone to help me make it and put it together.

But I was 100% obsessed with that. 

Andy Gott: Have you had the opportunity to let Debbie know the impression that she made on you?

Sherry Vine: Yes. She came to see a play that we did at the theater company in New York, and it was like 93, I think. Michael Schmidt brought her and she came, they came backstage and she's like, oh, hi, I'm Debbie.

I'm like, duh. And we actually became friends we'd go out to lunch together a lot with Ms. Guy and Lady Bunny. Mr. We'd all go to lunch together and hang out. She came to all the shows. She was so cool. She was, she still is [00:35:00] kind of like involved, like she likes to go out. So she will go see drag shows.

I was doing a drag show once in Berlin with Joey Arias and she showed up. She's like, oh yeah, we were doing a concert. I heard you guys were over here. So she's super cool. I text her every year on her birthday and she'll be like, oh, thank you, honey. So she's, yeah, the real deal.

Andy Gott: I love that. I love that so much. And also I think it is really important that we do give these people their flowers while we have them.

You know, I kind of think about people like Debbie and many others, and I think we just need to make sure that we are appreciating them while we have them.

Sherry Vine: Well, absolutely 100%. 

Andy Gott: That was really special. Thank you for sharing those stories, Sherry. And I'd love to know what is next for Sherry Vine.

I start June 11th I leave to go on tour with my new solo show called Everybody's Girl Doing on the East Coast, and then I'm booked all summer.

Sherry Vine: We're doing the Golden Girls in [00:36:00] New York City. I'm doing some pride shows in Europe, like for Iceland. Show in Berlin. I'm doing Euro Pride in Malta, so blah blah. The summer is booked out. And then I produced an co-star in Dr. Jackie, which is Jackie Beats show for out tv. And we just wrapped season two, so then we'll be moving on to editing and all of that for that show.

And Yeah, hopefully season three of the variety show. Fingers crossed. But I mean, the easiest way to find out where I am and what I'm doing, if they want links to watch the show, if they want to hear any of the music from the show or see the videos or know where I might be performing near them, go to sherry von.com.

Cause it has everything and all the links. And God, I would love to get back down to Australia.

Andy Gott: Yes, please. Let's make it happen. Finally, is there a queer charity or initiative or social media account that you'd like to give a shout out to?

Sherry Vine: Yes, there were a lot that I was trying to do stuff [00:37:00] for during the pandemic, I would just do shows in my lip and be like, okay. This to show today all the money is going to black Lives mattered. This one's going to project angel food, so I kind of would've would pick Project Angel food.

In New York, I did a lot of stuff for God's love We deliver in, in LA it's, they're project angel food and they deliver food and help feed people who can't feed themselves

Beautiful. Sherry Vine, you are queer and thank you very much for your tracks.

Sherry Vine: I'm happy to be queer and thank you.

AT2020USB+-1: You can find Sherry vine online at, at miss Sherry. Fine. While the Sherry vine variety show is available on apple TV. Tracks of Our Queers is presented and produced by me. Andy got entirely on unseated Gadigal and the Ngarigo Aboriginal land. You can email me your thoughts, recommendations or gay ramblings. 

Two tracks of our careers@gmail.com. See you next time.