If you have gotten a chance to check out the amazing drag scene in New York City, then you have definitely checked out Honey Davenport. She is everywhere from Hell’s Kitchen to Christopher Street, with a little Philadelphia and Atlantic City in between (she is, after all, a former Miss’d America)! I managed to snag this busy gal for a chat, where we spoke about her entrance into the NYC drag scene and the legendary Davenport drag family, her thoughts on the powers of joy and love, and how she truly celebrates excellence!
For those that have never seen Honey Davenport on stage, how would you describe your performance style and “drag” as a whole? If Barbie and Michael Jackson had a baby, and Naomi Campbell entered into a civil union with Beyonce and they adopted a baby, I would be the love child of those two babies . Honey Davenport is my wacky reflection of beautiful women and talented performers… if they we drunk and smoked a ton of weed!
You are known to perform some pretty high energy moves on stage. How do you decide on your numbers and craft your performance style? My performances are not really crafted. What people see when I perform is just how my body reacts to great music; it’s just my art being expressed fully. Sometimes the latest Beyonce single is inspiring me. Other times it’s a hundred year old Ella Fitzgerald song that’s giving me life. In any case, my drag is always my authentic response to great art. I put in the time and work to make it as polished as the women I am inspired by, but it’s less about crafting a perfect performance, and more about celebrating excellence.
How did Honey Davenport get her start in the extremely competitive New York City drag scene? With a lot of help! I was a back up dancer for Peppemint (An NYC drag legend) for four years before breaking out on my own. I also danced in a bunch of Sherry Vine’s videos. It was Make-up-Artist-to–the-stars Deja Smith (AKA Lady Deja Davenport), and my drag auntie Sahara Davenport, that really honed and created my skill set. I couldn’t have asked for better mentors, and every day I honor and thank them for setting me on this path.
It’s so hard to stand out in New York City and in drag; how have you carved out your own niche? I have never tried to figure out a niche or a thing that would make me stand out. I have just always done what ever the hell I felt like doing and I have been lucky that those things have always kept people excited, inspired and entertained.
What are some of your career highlights so far? Miss’d America has to definitely be among them. Yes! I loved being Miss’d America. I have now held 14 titles in the last 3 years. My newest sparkly hat is the Miss Fire Island crown. But I’m not just a pageant queen. I released an album and 4 singles with 3 attached international tours. But my proudest moments have always been on the stage: I have had the pleasure of acting in off-Broadway shows, like “The Orion Experience”, or my one woman show “For The Love Of Honey”. Those were opportunities where I got to use all of my skill sets. I love drag, but acting really gets my panties wet, and I am hoping to incorporate more of it in my career in the future.
What is left that you want to achieve as Honey Davenport ? Any aspirations to be on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” perhaps? I really want to be on TV, dude! Lee Daniels (the director and creator of Empire) is my big cousin. When I moved here I got exposed early on to that grand, awesome Hollywood lifestyle. I would love to experience it as Honey Davenport. I love “RuPaul’s Drag Race”. I have applied four times. I think I would rock on that show, or any other one that would give me the chance. My next steps are definitely exposing Honey Davenport on a huge national level. And anyone who could help me with those dreams should know that I do put out and am no stranger to a casting couch… Kidding, not kidding.
Speaking of “Drag Race”several in NYC girls have won. How do you think the show as a whole has been for the drag community? “Drag Race” is an awesome introduction to the world of drag. It gives people the opportunity to experience something I think is so beautiful. However, the truly interesting things about this culture are happening in bars and clubs around the world, not just on a sound stage in L.A. It is my hope that as “Drag Race” continues to grow, it will allow drag itself to be regarded as its own legitimate artistic medium. There are queens who are turning it on a local level that don’t necessarily fit in the structure of the show. I want them to be able to showcase their art to the whole world too.
What does your male alter ego do when Honey Davenport is not on stage? Love on my husband John and my awesome Kitty (Her majesty, Princess Leiawyn Naomi Campbell Pumps); but that doesn’t happen very often! I work around the clock; I normally have between five and six nights of work a week, and on my off days, I have fittings and rehearsals and shopping to do. So on my down time, I like to sit back cook with my sister Sapphira Crystal and watch Disney t.v. shows with my family (Yaaaaas Gravity Falls!)
The gay community has had a very trying year. What do you think are the biggest issues facing our community and what do you see as your part in helping to address them? I think that isolating any community’s issues is a trap. Gay, Black, Trans, Muslim, Female… Our issues are all part of an international conversation about how we treat people that are different from us. I think that while each community’s individual struggles are different and important, and in need of their own special attention, they are all just facets of the same conversation.
I am not a very political person, but, as BS as it sounds, I do believe in the power of joy and love. I think everyone that strives to bring a little light to this world is a contributing to the solution of these problems. I am just letting my little light shine, boo.
What does “pride” mean to you? Pride is accepting exactly who you are, and exactly who you are not, and knowing that person has just as valid a place in this world as everybody else.
Most importantly’-where can people see you perform?! I am, like, everywhere right now, dude. In New York, I have weekly gigs at The Ritz on Tuesdays, Kazza every other Wednesday, The Monster on Thursdays and Saturdays, and I DJ at Posh on Fridays,. In the next four months I also have out of town gigs booked at Club Café in Boston, Tabu in Philadelphia, Cruz in Pittsburgh, and I will be traveling with my hit stripper party Spunk to Puerto Viarta, Mexico, Provincetown, Rhode island, and Key West… all before the end of January!
http://sirhoneydavenport.com/