Before we announce the winner of the 2016 Miss WERRRK.com Pageant, our team at the site are sitting down with all of the contestants to learn a little more about them and the pageant experience. Next up, Crunk Panda’s interview with Blake Deadly….first, a word from Panda himself!
Coming off another successful Werrrk.com pageant, I decided to sit down with the amazing Blake Deadly. The competition answered a lot of questions, but, it may have created a couple of more, so, without further delay, here’s a winter’s chat with the lovely, Blake Deadly.
To start, for the two or three people who may not have seen you during the Miss WERRRK.com 2016 competition, tell us who you are, where you are from, how long you’ve been doing what you do, and just anything else you would like us to know!
Blake: I’m Blake Deadly! I’m a Jewish mother of 7 from Baltimore, MD and I love nothing more than the smell of Clorox in the morning. I’ve been standing uncomfortably at the appetizer table at my nieces and nephews Bar and Bat Mitzvahs for the past 13 years.
That sounds like my kind of party, hope the kids are well, I haven’t seen them in so long. Let’s talk name, one thing you kind of snuck past me initially was your name, I didn’t give it much thought, one day talking to Chiffon she mentioned the name, I had to have it explained, then…light bulb moment. How did that name come to mind?
Blake: My other name option was Aurora Boreanus and Blake Deadly is just easier to say. And it’s nice that people can just call me Blake all the time. I can’t say that Blake Lively is a huge influence or inspiration for me, I just love a stupid pun.
It’s a great pun, I’m not a Lively fan either, but, I’m not allowed to talk about that. Aside from names, we all have our inspirations, in one way or another, I feel our own personalities are just a giant mash up of so many other ways we view others personalities, so, who inspires you and has become part of your own personality?
Blake: Absolutely! I love grand old divas like Shirley Bassey and Patti Labelle who always give you 200%. Visually I’m giving you Barbarella meets Twiggy meets Ann Margaret meets Wendy Malick meets your drunk aunt. In terms of other queens, everything goes back to Lypsinka for me, and from there other crazy creative lipsyncers like Vicky Vox and Detox.
Solid resume! So those helped bring you to the stage, what keeps you going? Every time we take a stage, we do it for a reason, for me, it’s a great way to reach others for causes, and it’s always amazing to get instant feedback, so, I’m always curious as to what gets other people motivated. Why do you perform?
Blake: I’m a musical person, but I can’t sing. So lipsyncing is a performance outlet for me to get all those emotions out and feel the fantasy of songs I love but would never dream of singing. Being in drag also allows me to inhabit this outgoing body and not give a fuck in a way that’s not natural for me when I’m out of drag.
It’s a great outlet, so, what if anything, would you consider your signature song? What do you want people to talk about on their drive home after seeing you?
Blake: I love making mixes. I have a mix of Christina’s “Come On Over” with sound bites from the creepy old neighbor from Family Guy that’s a personal favorite.
That sounds amazing, that’s one thing I’ve enjoyed with your during the competition, you come with something a bit unexpected. Your videos were all unique in their own way too, but, I have to touch on a certain one. When you showed your talent, I was blown away. Stouffer’s has the world’s best mac and cheese in the world (Stouffer’s, we love you), and when I saw you reach for the meatloaf, I knew I was in for a treat. Explain to me how you got from idea for video took us on a journey that included a long and hilariously awkward look and wine chug.
Blake: Ha! I felt that it would be completely in character for my talent to be microwaving a TV dinner – the rest just happened. Also I can’t do splits or death drops, so this is what you get.
I literally laughed out loud, knowing that you just kind of rolled with it is even better. It was such a delight watching you week after week, and I truly look forward to seeing more from you in the future.
Tell everyone where they can find you online, upcoming dates, and just any other plugs you may have!
Blake: Thank you so much!! I’m on Instagram @blakedeadlynyc and Facebook.com/blakedeadly. I have a weekly show called Nasty Women every Monday at 10 at Vodka Soda/Bottoms Up and I’m currently competing in the Ultimate Drag Pageant at The West End.
