Meet an Old School New York City drag legend…sort of. I met Augusto through a friend about 15 years ago and every year he sends me a holiday card of himself in drag. It’s the best card I receive all year and always a treat to see him in a new look. I’m not even sure what year I took this, but it was for one of his holiday cards. We were in an East Village apartment that was filled to the gills with religious iconography…statues, pictures, candles…the works. I think Augusto was supposed to represent some kind of patron saint to drag queens, but I’m not sure.
Augusto is very active on the theatre and art scene. One night I randomly saw him on the Letterman Show singing back up (in drag) for Cyndi Lauper, but I was more impressed when I found out he made a film or two with wacko exploitation filmmaker Andy “Bloodthirsty Butchers” Milligan.
This is Adam. He is a musician here in Baltimore.
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It reminds me of a dragged out version of Santa Lucia. St. Lucia’s Day is the Swedish Festival of Lights. Lucia was a young Christian maiden in Syracuse in the early 4th century. She was engaged to a Pagan man. Her mother became ill and she promised to give her whole dowry to the church, if God would heal her mother. Her mother recovered, but her fiance became angry and had her persecuted. The authorities attempted to burn her at the stake. Though the flames enveloped her, she was not burned. Her fiance tried to stab her through the heart. Just before her eyes closed, she was transfixed by a bright white light. Her fiance and the authorities were temporarily paralyzed.
In the 16th century, during a great famine in Sweden, a boat appeared on Lake Vahern and at it’s helm stood a maiden in a gleaming white robe with a crown of light encircling her head. She carried food to the poor and brought the return of light to the dark winter months.
In Sweden, St. Lucia’s Day marks the beginning of the Christmas celebration.
That sounds so wonderful and fitting…maybe he was her!
Augusto reminds me of my grandmother’s wedding photo. Pained look on her face and everything!