The infamous Lady Bunny, drag royalty and star of the 1985 documentary film Wigstock has another performance coming up on August 2 at the Blue Moon.

With her glitzy outfits, sky-high wigs, and false eyelashes long enough to embarrass even Tammy Faye Bakker, Lady Bunny would turn heads even if looking glamorous was her only talent. But this isn’t just another man in a dress: Bunny is a successful comedienne, emcee, singer, songwriter, actress, DJ, and, most famously, the founder, organizer, and hostess of Wigstock, the outrageous festival of drag and music that delighted up to 40,000 New Yorkers every Labor Day for nearly 20 years.

Lady Bunny tours constantly, bringing down the house with her bawdy, Dusty Springfield - meets - Don Rickles mix of potty-mouthed humor, Southern charm, zany "Laugh-In"-style skits, and X-rated pop song parodies. Bunny has emceed events ranging from Absolut Vodka corporate parties to Los Angeles’ 2003 Gay Pride parade and has shared the stage with Cyndi Lauper, k.d. lang, and the B-52s.

She’s also made the leap to television and the movies, with cameo appearances in HBO’s Sex and the City; Britney Spears’ MTV special In the Zone & Up All Night; and the feature films Dragtime, Party Girl, and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar.

I got a chance to chat via e-mail and phone with Lady Bunny this week and here’s what she had to say:

FJ: Have you been to Rehoboth Beach before? What do you think of this town or what have you heard!!!

LB: I’ve never been! This will be my Rehoboth Beach debut!

FJ: Can you describe your club act for us and give us a little inside gossip about what’s in store for the audience?

LB: Well, my act could best be described as FILTH! It’s raunchy comedy with a lot of parodies of popular songs like "Don’t Let Your Son Go Down on Me" and a fast-paced, x-rated salute to Laugh-In. I sing as well, but the main emphasis is comedy.

FJ: Were you the very first one to say "The higher the hair, the closer to God"?

LB: No, I didn’t coin the phrase, but it’s kind of a mantra among gays down South, where I grew up. Bible belt Christians, George Bush’s widest fan base who conveniently replace THOU SHALT NOT KILL with THOU SHALT NOT KILL UNLESS THINE NEIGHBOR HATH OIL, probably are stupid enough to think that teasing their hair up high could elevate their stature in "His" eyes. People just always used that saying with me because my wigs are jacked up so big.

FJ: How many wigs do you presently own? Can you tell us where you get your wonderful outfits?

LB: About 50, but some of the bigger wigs contain several sewn together. The largest had 16 wigs total. Good thing I have strong neck muscles! I even do a specially-designed exercise to strengthen my neck—it’s a back and forth motion and I can often be found exercising in this manner in…well, never mind….

Unfortunately, this plus-sized diva can’t buy costumes "off the rack" so with most of my outfits, I design them and have a couple of great seamstresses whip them up.

FJ: Since Wigstock was such an awesome film and big deal back in the 80s, will there ever be a new Wigstock film starring Lady Bunny?

LB: We have filmed every year in the hopes of putting together such a documentary, so the material is there. But it’s a daunting project! For 16 years the festival was 8 hours long—how do you condense hundreds of hours into one two-hour movie? But I did take my performances from the last three Wigstock’s and edit them into my new comedy DVD—available at my live shows and on www.ladybunny.net. After playing some bit parts on Sex and The City and Comedy Central’s Pam Anderson Roast, I realized that it was high time for my own starring vehicle!

FJ: Tell us a little about the gay club scene in New York...what are we missing by staying in Delaware?

LB: Puerto Rican men! But I have a feeling that doesn’t bother you, does it?

FJ: Um…no.

LB: I didn’t think so. But New York City is the capitol of Puerto Rico and those are the sexiest men on earth! Well, except for the Dominicans. And Cubans. And Venezuelans. And Brazilians. And Costa Ricans....

Seriously, I think the NYC club scene has seen better days. The tripped-out circuit music played in the big clubs is so pitiful that I can drink a case of Red Bull and not even tap my toe to that crap. Gays used to have the best taste in dance music and set all the trends. What the hell happened? There are some fun drag performers in NY, but they often do their shows in restaurants or cabarets instead of clubs. Clubs are these big, druggy affairs where the audience is often so messy that they can’t find the stage, much less comprehend what’s happening on it!

FJ: I’m really not missing that! Can you tell us the names of some of the places you’ve performed. Have you traveled a lot?

LB: Well, I was the first dj to ever spin at the L’Opera Garnier, a huge concert hall in Paris. (OK, so I was the opening act, but I was still first, dammit!) I’ve also dj’ed at the Eiffel Tower, at a casbah outside of Marakesh in Morocco where they shot The Last Temptation of Christ, and in the penthouse club of the Mori Tower in Japan in February. I haven’t performed in as many glamorous places as I’ve dj’ed, but I did get the chance to introduce the B-52s at Madison Square Garden and to perform with my idol Patti Labelle at a MAC fundraiser in Toronto called Fashion Cares. And I just shared a bill with Jeff Stryker at Hustlaball in Berlin last October. A pic of his whopping "talent" dangling in front of my hungry mouth can be seen on my blog if you google "Lady Bunny" and "Jeff Stryker". So I’m a real international slut!

FJ: What’s the most fun gig you’ve every played?

LB: I got to sing a duet of "New York, New York" with Nina Hagen a year ago!

FJ: What’s the state of the art in drag these days...can you give readers some inside tips on looking fabulous????

LB: Yes! Listen carefully. This little secret will take years off your age, smooth out problem skin and make your eyes and teeth sparkling white...it’s called PHOTOSHOP!

Lady Bunny will return to the Blue Moon in Rehoboth Beach for one performance on Wednesday, August 2, 2006. For reservations, call the Moon at 302-227-6515.