New Orleans wasn’t weird enough for Vinsantos.
The artist, whose real name is Vincent DeFonte, is also a drag queen. He began performing in San Francisco years ago, finally succumbing to the draw of the stage, lights and guffawing crowds after a trip to a drag club taught him it could be fun and artsy, maudlin and heartbreaking, a little bit rock and roll and, yeah, pretty darn weird.
So when he moved to New Orleans about nine years ago, he was bummed to find a bunch of queens playing it safe. That, Vinsantos knew, wasn’t what drag was for, but he kicked around for a couple years before being annoyed enough to do something about it. He figured he could teach men to be women, and women to be men, and you’re damn right he can draw on a shapely brow.
With a few friends and a lot of hustle, Vinsantos created the New Orleans Drag Workshop, a 10-week program designed to create queens.