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38
WWW JUSTOUT COM
OCTOBER 15 2010
WHAT A DRAG!
brian.
mari<i
FRAMING
Where There's Smoke
L.A. transplants ChiChi and Chonga
seize Portland
Your home,
your style.
BY DANIEL BORGEN
WITH PHOTOS BY ERIC SELLERS
2236 NE Broadway | Portland. OR 97232
www.brianmarkiframing.com
Hendrix & McGuire
O P T I C A L
• Exams Available • On-Site Lab
Thousands of Frames • 1 Hour Service
925 SW Taylor Street
PDX, OR 97205
p h :5 0 3 2 2 8 2 1 5 4
www.hendrixmcguire.com
Centrally located in downtown,
Eyemed, Regence BC/BS, ODS
and most other insurance.
FAMILY-
fram es
m e n tio n tn
e restrictions
O c to b e r 28th, 2010
29 & under ONLY!
7pm
to Midnight
( m u s t b e a t le a s t 18)
Hosted by: DJ Twiggie
'
li70
f
6 M o n th M e m b e rs h ip $5
L o c ke rs $5
Spa R o o m s $10
R e c e iv e a "$5 A n y tim e L o c k e r" card
(v a lid a n y tim e inclu d in g w e e k e n d s a n d s p e c ia l e v e n ts )
“Shoot, we didn’t need teachers to teach us
drama, we learned that from the kids who
brought guns to school,” C hiC hi Pussyculo—
born Gilbert Montenegro— half o f drag duo
ChiC hi and Chonga, declares. “After eighth
grade I got sent to the continuation school
across the street. That’s where all the pregnant
cholas went.”
The nonstop hum or is only part o f their
charm. Even offstage, C hiC hi and her part­
ner, Chonga Bonga— aka Christopher
Sein— exhibit the effortless camaraderie and
comedic timing that have made them darlings
o f Portland’s queer night scene. In a city
known for its legendary drag, it’s no small
feat to get noticed, let alone take the place by
storm.
ChiC hi and Chonga embody Los Angeles
drag chic, challenging stereotypes— precon­
ceived cultural and ethnic notions be damned.
ChiChi, the quick-witted, “chola” perfection,
and Chonga, the hilarious, purposely slower
Mexican matriarch, wax enthusiastic about
Portland, its embrace and their roots. They
credit a chance encounter at Red Cap Garage
for their move to Stumptown.
D uring a visit this April with a then boy­
friend, Chonga was enamored o f the trees,
the food, the folks and the bikes. After the
drag duo moved here in early July, Chonga
sat at Red Cap, chatting with DJ Adam West.
She spotted a poster for Peep Show, asked
West about it and called ChiChi. West put
them in contact with hostess Artemis Chase,
and the rest is local history. Both remain
shocked by the reception— perhaps because
everyone seems to be gushing.
“Here is an act that is turning drag on its
head without making fun o f it [...] with equal
parts humor and wit,” wrote blogger Byron
Beck. “They can dust off ‘stoner’ comedy and
re-envision it as something fresh and new.
These boys aren’t so much lip-synching drag
queens as they are comic actors who dance,
sing and perform as fully realized characters.”
Even during the most casual o f interviews,
their one-two punch is thoroughly impressive.
They finish each other’s sentences, as funny
gabbing in a coffee shop as they are command­
ing the stage at Blow Pony or Miss Thing.
“Everyone’s been so nice to us, probably
because they know we’ll cut them otherwise,”
C hiC hi quips.
“Honestly, we’ve been surprised,” Chonga
says. “We did our thing in L.A. but the scene
was sort o f blase about it.”
Pressed about the distinctions between
queer L.A. and Portland, C hiC hi jumps in:
“Portland has room for us and they don’t just
toss you out when you do something differ­
ent. In L.A., you can be in this week and out
the next. I t’s all very Project Runway.”
Chonga elaborates: “L.A. is for queens;
we’re not queens, we’re homegurls,” she of­
fers. “I don’t know if I’ve ever cared for ‘diva,’
divas tend to be mean. M ean girls are the
most insecure. M y extra glamorous chola
cousins sang oldies and wore sweatpants, so
my ideas about what glamour is are a
bit different.”
“L.A. is for queens:
we re not queens, we re
homegurls. I don t know
if I've ever cored for
’diva.' divas tend to be
mean. Mean girls ore the
most insecure. M y extra
glamorous chola cousins
song oldies and wore
sweatpants, so my ideas
about what glamour is
ore o bit different.“
-CHONGA BONGA