WELCOME FROM LINDA SIMPSON,
CREATOR OF THE DRAG EXPLOSION

Hello, thanks for visiting my photographic tribute to NYC’s drag scene of the 1980s and the 90s.

Here you’ll find some of the photos featured in my acclaimed slideshow, The Drag Explosion, which I’ve presented internationally at art spaces, theaters and colleges. The project first began in 2012 and has spawned two books, PAGES (Peradam, 2013) and The Drag Explosion (Domain, 2021).

During the years covered by The Drag Explosion I hobnobbed with a camera, which was a rare thing to do back then. Although I was a complete amateur, I got tons of great shots—wild nightlife, queer activism, pop-culture moments and all sorts of colorful characters. Ultimately, my photos document the rise and fall of a golden era that paved the way for today’s drag renaissance.

It’s a joy for me to share my photos with people of all ages. Please know that I’m available for you, too!

contact@lindasimpson.org


The Drag Explosion’s earliest photos date back to the gritty East Village where Linda joined a kooky and avant-garde underground scene that revolved around the Pyramid Club and the outdoor drag festival Wigstock.

Donald and Liz in Pyramid Club dressing room. April, 1991

Donald and Liz in Pyramid Club dressing room. (1991)

As drag’s popularity gained steam, drag queens galore and their club kid comrades went on to conquer NYC’s pulsating nightlife, including the Limelight, Palladium and other mega-clubs.

f

Francine and Thadeus at the Copacabana. (1992)

By 1992, the mass media came calling.  Gender-bending suddenly became the latest fad and Gotham’s drag sorority emerged as pop-culture darlings. Never before had drag culture reached such incredible heights. It was a Drag Explosion that still resonates today.

RuPaul on The Arsenio Hall Show. (March, 1993)

RuPaul on The Arsenio Hall Show. (1993)

EXPERIENCE
The Drag Explosion
AS A LIVE PRESENTATION
WITH LINDA SIMPSON

Linda Simpson is available in more ways than you know!

There's no better way to enjoy The Drag Explosion than Linda Simpson narrating slideshows of her many photos.

Book Linda for your Campus, Arts Festival, Conference, Museum, Gallery or other venue.
MEDIA KIT (PDF) 


Linda's Previous Appearances



BIOGRAPHY

Since the late 1980s, Linda has been one of New York's most multi-faceted drag queens. Known for her witty demeanor, fine-tuned camp sensibility and unique blend of sass and class, she enthusiastically embraces the role she was born to play—a reigning queen! Her website is LindaSimpson.org.

Linda says what?!?

Linda at Pyramid nightclub. (1991)

LINDA'S PRESS MENTIONS INCLUDE:

"A worldly wit… A kind of mother superior of the New York drag scene."
The New York Times

"The thinking woman's drag queen."
Paper Magazine

"Linda Simpson quotes and quips for the quality-seeking queer in all of us."
Genre

WANT TO ATTEND A PRESENTATION
OF THE DRAG EXPLOSION?
Sign the Guestbook to be informed of upcoming events!