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Kevin Aviance gives us 'MORE'...

Britney's GIMME MORE to be exact...






This month is National Drag History Month. Logo explains the month long fiesta by saying:
January 2010 marks the second annual celebration of National Drag History Month! This month-long event salutes the richness of drag culture and pays tribute to the courageous queens & kings who have fought for equality while inspiring, educating & entertaining us all.

Work!

Fierceness is always welcome.

When I first moved to NYC, I used to spend many a Saturday night at the Roxy with my friends Dan, Mikey and Jimmy. We always had a hell of a good time when we would go and dance until the weeeeee hours of the morning. Even the cab rides home, when the sun was just creeping up and the car was flying uptown, seems so distant yet amazing. There was something so awesome about staying up all night while the rest of the city slept, getting to hear the most incredible music that your ears had ever witnessed. I miss those days. I don't get out dancing half as often as I should. Many times they would have special guests perform, which were out of this world (Madonna!), and sometimes there were performers that we had never really heard of. Kevin Aviance was one of those performers. I had never heard of him but his stage show was fierce. He seemed like a giant, even though in actuality he was only 6 feet 2 inches tall. However, add 5 inches of heels and you get the picture. His shows were beyond energetic and I loved every minute. I was so pleased to read an article about him this past week in the Village Voice. Many non-Gay New Yorkers would likely not be familiar with Aviance before 2006. However, after the evening of June 10th, 2006, that would all change. He would now be in the spotlight for an awful physical attack and not for his incredible music or stage show.

Kevin was beaten and left for dead in the East Village by four teens in an unprovoked attack. Kevin said the guys were "kicking me in my head over and over again. They were wearing [Nike] Air Force sneakers. I can still hear their feet in my head." Witnesses on the street did nothing. Kevin lay in the middle of the street until an unknown person pulled him from where he lay and escorted him to Beth Israel Hospital where he received treatment. The weeks and months that followed were dark for Kevin. He sunk low into depression and drug use to escape the pain and difficulty he was facing. His life had been turned upside down. With the help of a friend, he was able to seek deeper within himself and escape from the depths of Crystal Meth addiction - recovery and realizations followed. The story is amazing and I'm so happy to hear that he has been able to rise above the attack that nearly took his life and the horrible addiction that followed. I'm only skimming the surface in regards to the detail of what he faced. You can read the entire article HERE. With a new women’s shoe line just recently released, there are exciting things ahead for the talented performer and to my surprise, fellow native Virginian. Born Eric Snead, Mr. Aviance was raised in Richmond, Virginia, where I am from. Here’s to much more success and fierceness to such a brave artist. Kevin's blog can be found here at kevinavianceworld.blogspot.com. xox.