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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 1998)
rrrrjïn news nrwfimhflr ?0, 1 MH » , QJ'" f she ever decided to change her image and become a Spice Girl, Linda Lee would def initely be Old Spice. A t 70, Linda is the oldest regularly performing female imper- N ow in her seventh decade, female illusionist Linda Lee JKL. sonator in Portland— and perhaps all of North America. continues to w o w Portland audiences by Robert Rusk Don’t let that fool you, though. You’ll never see her do songs like “Help Me Make It c to My Rockin’ Chair.” Linda easily has a the energy of a performer half her age ^ and appears several nights a week at § Embers Avenue in Old Town. £ She has quite a repertoire, but most- § ly lip-syncs country classics like “Harper * Valley P.T.A.” and “Why Haven’t I Heard from You.” And Linda really gets into it, bounc ing down from the stage and having fun with the audience, shaking a finger at one gentleman and blowing a kiss to another. “1 enjoy playing up to the audience," she says, flashing her luscious lashes. “I start off with the guys, teasing them and sitting on their laps." But, Linda jokingly adds in her Pol ish accent, “I’m really a lesbian at heart and also like to play with the ladies!” Once, a bride-to-be asked for Linda’s blue lace garter so she could wear it on her wedding day. Linda slipped the garter off and gave it to the soon-to-be newlywed, who then stuffed a $10 bill into Linda’s blouse. Giving up one garter didn’t put a dent in Linda’s extensive wardrobe, Linda Lee has wigs and outrageous fashion sense— what more could one ask of a straight, married father? Penne’s and saw the show. It was fun and inter In the mid-1980s, Linda began hosting a which, she says, includes more than 40 wigs and enough dresses to fill a rack the length of the esting, so we went back several more times. I got Wednesday night show at Embers and a few months later switched to Monday. She held Embers showroom. to know Vanessa, who was the hostess, and some down Mondays for 12 years, until 1997. of the other ‘ladies’ there. She definitely knows how to mix and match, "They were planning a fund-raiser for And for those who say you cannot find true too. One of her most colorful outfits is a blue Baloney Joe’s {a homeless shelter that was locat love in a bar, the Embers is where Zwolinski met miniskirt and a green silk blouse, set off by a ed at the east end of the Burnside Bridge] and the woman who is now his wife. two-tone neck scarf and over-the-knee black Zwolinski’s beloved, Shellie, who is bisexual, boots that reveal just a little leg— girlfriend, this were looking for some new faces. They asked me to join them, and I did,” Zwolinski continues recalls: “I went into Embers for the first time in lady has style! 1990. The third person on stage was Linda, and with a chuckle. “They did my makeup and I per While most of the entertainers in the Embers formed one number: ‘You’re Gonna Hear From I said, ‘I’m gonna marry her.’ ” cabaret shows are in their 20s and 30s, Linda Understandably, that statement caused a big Me’ by Dionne Warwick.” didn’t debut until she was in her 50s. And hear from Linda we have. Since that fight between Shellie and the girlfriend she had She was introduced to female impersonating come in with. in 1981 at the old Dahl and Penne’s at South premiere performance, she has appeared at nightspots throughout Portland, including Dar- Complicating the situation, at 23 Shellie was west Second Avenue and Alder Street, where less than half the age of Zwolinski— who, at celle XV, Dirty Duck and Three Sisters, as well the Bank of America building now stands. as long-gone establishments JR ’s West, Pa’s C el first, wasn’t interested in a relationship with Since that magic moment, Linda has been a lar and the Chocolate Moose. someone so young. “kept woman”— kept by A1 Zwolinski, the man Linda has taken her show on the road, too, Nevertheless, they were married two years who lives beneath the makeup. Unlike many female impersonators, Zwolin and has appeared throughout the region at fra later, on gay pride Sunday in 1993, in a ceremo ternal lodges such as the Elks and American ny at Embers. Zwolinski, dressed as Linda, wore ski is not only a husband and father, but is also a a bridal gown; Shellie wore a tuxedo. Legion. heterosexual. Following a divorce in 1980, Though she rarely uses it, her full stage name The minister said, “Do you Al, Linda Lee, friends introduced him to a different side of life. is Linda Lee Lawson. Zwolinski chose “Linda” take Shellie F “One of them liked to cross-dress, but the With a laugh Zwolinski says, “He wanted to because the name means “beautiful," and he others just liked to bounce around to different make sure it was legal.” liked the smooth sound and scroll of the l’s. bars,” Zwolinski explains. “We went to Dahl and Q ueen of C ountry For Shellie, the marriage meant she was now living the straight life. Zwolinski, however, encouraged Shellie to seek the Imperial Sover eign Rose Court position Ms. Gay Portland VI. Using the stage name Jasmine Rose Lee, the title was bestowed upon her in 1994. For Zwolinski, being so immersed in the Portland gay scene is, to say the least, far different from the life he led before mov ing to the Rose City 20 years ago. Zwolinski was bom in 1928 in Depew, N.Y., near Niagara Falls. Both of his par ents worked, so he spent a lot of time with his grandparents and quickly learned to speak their native Polish. He graduated from college in 1950, then served in a stateside U.S. Army Air borne Infantry unit during the Korean War. After being honorably discharged from the service, Zwolinski began his career in the aerospace industry. Various jobs took him to California, Texas and Virginia. He eventually settled in his favorite part of the country— Oregon— in 1978, when he decided to change careers. He went back to school and became a licensed insurance agent and tax preparer. It was shortly after that when Zwolin ski realized a lifelong dream to become an entertainer, and created Linda Lee. On a trip back home to New York, Zwolinski packed a dress and introduced his family to Linda. Much to his relief, the relatives were very supportive. Linda was even asked to do a show for the locals. The venue was a funeral home; she was good-naturedly dubbed the Madame of the Morgue and the Countess of the Crypt. Back in Portland, she’s never had any monikers quite as macabre. A t Dahl and Penne’s, Linda did songs from the 1940s and ’50s and was billed as the Lady of Nostalgia. These days she’s known as the Queen of Country. “She’s such a dear friend,” says Darcelle, Portland’s most famous female impersonator, who, at 68, is two years younger than Linda. The current Ms. Gay Oregon, Lady Redd, chimes: “I admire what Linda does for the gay community...and seeing her perform gives me inspiration to continue what I’m doing.” Maria, Rose Empress XXXVI, says of Linda: "Sh e’s taught us a lot about show business, about giving your all to the audience.” And Linda intends to keep giving her all, whether at a club, the annual Peacock in the Park benefit, or in a living room at a private party. “I have fun as Linda and enjoy seeing people have a good time at the shows,” Zwolinski says. “I’ll be doing this till I die.” Now, let's work on relocating you. Even if you’re still in the planning stage, our realtors and licensed tax consultant provide the facts and support you need to move through loan approval, home selection, inspections and appraisals, to clos ing on the prefect place to hang your hat. And w e’ll be there in per son, every step of the way. 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