Chris Moukarbel's guest appearances

Chris Moukarbel

Think Again – a Big Think Podcast

BUILD Series

Everyone's Gay

Terry Gilliam

Jonathan Van Ness

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Caitlin Kinnunen

Ethan Hawke

Van Jones

Michael Engler

Daniel Franzese

Noël Wells

DeVon Franklin

Norman Lear

Eve Ensler

Gail Collins

Alexis Bloom

Jake Johnson

OwlTail

When I was in middle school in the suburbs of Maryland, a man—let’s call him Robert—started doing some occasional gardening and housecleaning for my parents. By high school, Robert was our full-time housekeeper and a nanny for me and my sister, a family member, really. And he had become a she—let’s call her Tina. My sister and I learned to use her new pronouns and we watched as her clothes and then, with the help of hormones and surgery, her body changed to that of a woman. At the same time, the transition we went through with Tina at home was playing out in American popular culture. Homosexuality and drag and other queer lives and identities came out of the closet and onto the stage, screen, and streets. In 1984, in Mahattan’s Tompkins Square Park, Wigstock was born. It started as a kind of afterparty and evolved into a DIY, outrageous, funny, and fabulous annual drag festival that by the 90’s was drawing crowds in the thousands.It’s hard even to think back to the time when Robert who became Tina had to hide who she was for fear of upsetting her religious mother or—who knows—maybe not getting that job with my folks. In a world where RuPaul’s Drag Race is going into its 12th smash season, It’s easy to forget the courage it took, and still takes, for so many people to live on the outside what they know they are on the inside. My guest today is documentary filmmaker Chris Moukarbel, the director of Lady Gaga biopic GAGA FIVE FOOT TWO. In his new HBO documentary WIG, Chris and his stars—including Lady Bunny, Charlene Incarnate, and many more—take us back through the history of drag in New York City. And they show that now more than ever we need public spaces like Wigstock where we can perform, amplify, and celebrate our differences. Surprise conversation starters in this episode: Bill Eddy on “toxic people”John Cameron Mitchell on online communication and miscommunication Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When I was in middle school in the suburbs of Maryland, a man—let’s call him Robert—started doing some occasional gardening and housecleaning for my parents. By high school, Robert was our full-time housekeeper and a nanny for me and my sister, a family member, really. And he had become a she—let’s call her Tina. My sister and I learned to use her new pronouns and we watched as her clothes and then, with the help of hormones and surgery, her body changed to that of a woman. At the same time, the transition we went through with Tina at home was playing out in American popular culture. Homosexuality and drag and other queer lives and identities came out of the closet and onto the stage, screen, and streets. In 1984, in Mahattan’s Tompkins Square Park, Wigstock was born. It started as a kind of afterparty and evolved into a DIY, outrageous, funny, and fabulous annual drag festival that by the 90’s was drawing crowds in the thousands.It’s hard even to think back to the time when Robert who became Tina had to hide who she was for fear of upsetting her religious mother or—who knows—maybe not getting that job with my folks. In a world where RuPaul’s Drag Race is going into its 12th smash season, It’s easy to forget the courage it took, and still takes, for so many people to live on the outside what they know they are on the inside. My guest today is documentary filmmaker Chris Moukarbel, the director of Lady Gaga biopic GAGA FIVE FOOT TWO. In his new HBO documentary WIG, Chris and his stars—including Lady Bunny, Charlene Incarnate, and many more—take us back through the history of drag in New York City. And they show that now more than ever we need public spaces like Wigstock where we can perform, amplify, and celebrate our differences. Surprise conversation starters in this episode: <a href="https://bigthink.com/videos/toxic-people" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bill Eddy on “toxic people”</a><a href="https://bigthink.com/videos/fascism-and-conspiracy-theories-the-symptoms-of-broken-communication" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John Cameron Mitchell on online communication and miscommunication</a> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a>

201. Chris Moukarbel (WIG and GAGA FIVE FOOT TWO filmmaker) – The closest thing to actual magic 

Bryan and Chris start the show with a reaction to the new Taylor Swift video. Are we okay with her using LGBTQ icons to promote her song? At 10:00 they dive into a conversation about drag culture, and Chris tells the story of how he first started out as a drag performer. At 18:50 they’re joined by drag icon Lady Bunny and director Chris Moukarbel to talk about their new documentary “Wig” on HBO. Bunny tells us how the Wigstock festival first started and explains how the drag scene is different today. They discuss the origin of the documentary, recent revival of the festival, and the current place drag holds in the LGBTQ community. Plus, Bunny talks about getting banned from Twitter and Chis tells them about working with Lady Gaga. At 53:45 they close the show with a listener email about whether or not you should come out to your family on a birthday. Is there a right and wrong time to come out? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bryan and Chris start the show with a reaction to the new Taylor Swift video. Are we okay with her using LGBTQ icons to promote her song? At 10:00 they dive into a conversation about drag culture, and Chris tells the story of how he first started out as a drag performer. At 18:50 they’re joined by drag icon Lady Bunny and director Chris Moukarbel to talk about their new documentary “Wig” on HBO. Bunny tells us how the Wigstock festival first started and explains how the drag scene is different today. They discuss the origin of the documentary, recent revival of the festival, and the current place drag holds in the LGBTQ community. Plus, Bunny talks about getting banned from Twitter and Chis tells them about working with Lady Gaga. At 53:45 they close the show with a listener email about whether or not you should come out to your family on a birthday. Is there a right and wrong time to come out? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

All The Sh*t You Didn’t Know About Drag Ft. Lady Bunny & Chris Moukarbel

Late one night, in 1984, Lady Bunny and a few friends drunkenly wandered from the Pyramid Club in the East Village to Tompkins Square Park and staged an impromptu drag show in the bandshell. This would soon become an annual drag bacchanal, which lasted until 2001. In 2018, Lady Bunny resurrected the festival, bringing together legendary queens with some of the new children of drag, creating one of the largest drag performances ever staged. The documentary, "Wig," directed by Chris Moukarbel, explores the origins and the influence of the historic festival through rich archival footage, and provides a look into the contemporary drag movement for which the festival served as a foundation.

Lady Bunny & Chris Moukarbel Speak On The Documentary, "Wig"