Mr. Charlie Brown oral history interview, 2019-03-26

Partial Transcript: ADAM ALBRITE: So, good afternoon.

Partial Transcript: CHARLIE BROWN: I grew up on a missionary baptist community in northern Tennessee, called Westmoreland, Tennessee.

Partial Transcript: CHARLIE BROWN: I hadn't started drag at that point, but I was seeing drag. For the first--in Myrtle Beach, for the first time.

Partial Transcript: CHARLIE BROWN: And so, left, went to a gay club in Nashville, same place, same city. There for about two months and moved to Knoxville, Tennessee.

Partial Transcript: CHARLIE BROWN: Well, I mean, I've always given to the community. I mean, they gave to me, they gave me.

Partial Transcript: CHARLIE BROWN: But during the Gum Head days it, that was the developing of Atlanta, Georgia, and like, we moved here in like early '78 and I won Miss Georgia in 1980.

Partial Transcript: ADAM ALBRITE: Yeah, I was kind of wondering about that, about sort of, knowing that the way we talk about drag, or performing, or stuff, changes over time, and I was wondering how you, sort of, would describe your style --

Partial Transcript: CHARLIE BROWN: Backstreet was unreal. Some of the finest entertainers in the United States came through Backdoor, through Backstreet.

Partial Transcript: ADAM ALBRITE: Is that similar to houses in the way, and drag queens taking in, people to take care of them may have been put off by their families, or communities, or --

Partial Transcript: ADAM ALBRITE: So, aside from, like you said, it's clear that emceeing is -- you're pretty passionate about that.

Partial Transcript: ADAM ALBRITE: Did you actually grow up on a farm?

Partial Transcript: CHARLIE BROWN: Have you ever really seen a show?

Partial Transcript: CHARLIE BROWN: I just wish you could have been at Backstreet. Elton John used to come in and sit at the end of the bar.

Partial Transcript: ADAM ALBRITE: What's it like putting on -- oh, I was just giving you a moment, I didn't know if you were --

Partial Transcript: ADAM ALBRITE: (indistinguishable) strange sort of question, who -- and I'm curious about your answer, who, who can do drag in your opinion? It's kind of a big question.

Partial Transcript: ADAM ALBRITE: You said earlier about how, you described it as "seemed like things would line up", and you'd move -- go somewhere and this would be like it was meant to be and this was meant to be. I imagine there's also been challenges, struggles, certain along the way. What were some tough moments, you know, about being a drag queen?

Partial Transcript: ADAM ALBRITE: It sounds like that there were quite a few more clubs in Atlanta, how was that --

Partial Transcript: ADAM ALBRITE: What's your average time getting ready these days?

Partial Transcript: ADAM ALBRITE: It's kind of a family operation you've got here to some degree, like two partners working together.

Partial Transcript: ADAM ALBRITE: The one more thing, last thing I was thinking about, I'm really struck by this, you know, this idea of acceptance and how integral (?) you, specifically, and drag queens are in that, and how that's changed over time, and is it -- is it getting better?

Partial Transcript: CHARLIE BROWN: See why I like it? You saw me sitting here, old, bald-headed, fat man, didn't you?