Episode 1: Why Do Drag Performers Lip Sync?

Have you ever wondered how lip syncing became the default mode of performance for drag queens? It’s one of those things that’s so central to drag that it’s existence rarely gets called into question. On the first episode of Untucking the Past, I delve into the late 1960s nightclub drag scene and how changes in culture and the business of nightclubs contributed to the rise of lip syncing. Join me as I untuck the past to reveal where lip syncing arose from and why it’s both an asset and a problem for drag queens.

Theme Music: “One legged equilibrist polka” performed by Circus Homunculus, edited by Dr. Franz Schlagobers, sociomusicologist, music recorded between 1915-1930. More information on Circus Homunculus and Dr. Schlagobers at http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Circus_Homunculus/