Miss Foozie
Encyclopedia
Lucy Foozie better known as simply Miss Foozie, is a character
from Chicago
. Today, Miss Foozie is not a “drag queen
”. She is a “personality.” Time Out Chicago calls her a “drag hostess and entertainer”, consistently awarded her The Pressie for “best female impersonator”.
In 1997, Miss Foozie was “born” at her portrayer’s birthday party. Since then, her career has included parades, four films, and live performances throughout the United States
.
Her influence extends internationally as publications featuring her are available in both the United States and Canada
.
As his birthday came up, there was a new bar opening on North Halsted Street called Circuit. Very few people knew about it. “Can I have my birthday party here?” he asked. He had no shortage of friends, so they all pulled together. He passed out invitations to everyone he knew, and even some people that he did not know. He taped a thousand fliers that had happy faces all over Boystown
announcing the party: “Bring your friends. If you like ‘em...I like ‘em.”
On Friday, April 6, 1997, he got to the celebration early, and pretty soon some friends pulled him into a back area and said “Perform something!” and presented shoes, jewelry, a dress and a wig. He told them,“Well, I don’t do that sort of thing. I don’t dress like a woman...” While they were trying to talk him into it, another friend ran in and yelled “Do something and I mean fast! There are over four hundred people out there! You’d better hurry up Foozie!” Dumbfounded, he thought about the four hundred people and replied, “That’s Miss Foozie to you!”
The birthday party was a huge success, and all of Miss Foozie's friends had a great time. Miss Foozie was never the same again, having found something that made her happy, and she had found something truly special that made people laugh.
magazine her first paid gig was the weekly stage show “Miss Foozie and Her Floozies” at age 37 for US$
30 per show, however, Chicago published he was 48 at this time, possibly mistakenly, since Miss Foozie’s first gig was indeed at age 37, and before his 37th birthday on April 6, 1997, Miss Foozie did not exist. That would have made Miss Foozie 46 or 47 in April 2007. Miss Foozie also told Chicago her alter ego works full-time at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
, and her fantasy job is to be Miss Foozie full-time, although she takes working vacations roughly every other month to cities including Washington, D.C. and New York.
In April 2007, Boystown pizzeria Pie Hole named a pie after her: “Miss Foozie’s Signature Pie”. “She’s a ham
, and she calls everyone pineapple... so it was only a matter of time. Full ¼ lb
of ham
and big chunks of pineapple, plus we pull out a $1 donation for Foozie Charity in honor of all the work she does in the community.” In addition to Foozie Charity, she was Miss December in the “Glamour Of Boystown Chicago” Charity Calendar.
Miss Foozie had the opportunity to be hostess of the 2009 13th Annual Triangle Neighbors' Northalsted Halloween Parade, and she did indeed emcee the parade as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
’s Queen of Hearts
, following that year's theme of the parade, “Mad Hatter’s Ball”. This was her third year as emcee for this huge event in Boystown.
, a dark comedy written and directed by Scott Grenke, starring Brent Corrigan
, Bruce Vilanch
, and producer James Vallo who plays Mark Rima, a homophobic
Detective who must “partner” up with the very Gay and flamboyant Detective Chris Riant (Shawn Quinlan) to stop a serial killing Nun (Judy Tenuta
) from offing 5 band members otherwise known as “The Ex Choir Boys”, but when it is determined that the Detectives cannot solve the case on their own, expert F.B.I. profiler Agent Peccant (Ant
) is assigned to the case. As the details of the case slowly emerge the police determine that the “nun” may only be a silent witness to the grisly murders. The task force then turns its attention on the Catholic Church and a suspect group of Priests that have had a propensity for “cleansing the souls” of innocent young choir boys. On May 25, 2011, Connie de Bie spent “A Night with Miss Foozie” in Chicago with the Windy City celebrity for 1st Look Chicago on Life/Style Television
, a division of NBCUniversal, describing, “She's a character artist with a supersized personality and when Miss Foozie enters a room, you'll know it! She's extremely well-known and supportive of Chicago's gay community. Watch as the two paint the town as Miss Foozie gears up for The program broadcast on June 19, 2011 on NBC
nationwide after
, the city’s oldest Gay newspaper. Artwork of her appeared on the cover on May 1, 2005, and she appeared on the cover again in April 2007. In November 2002, she appeared on the cover of BoystownChicago, and she appeared on the cover again in 2005 as “Chicago's Most Loved Host”.
For North Halsted Market Days
in 2003, Chicago artist Lee Kay created a characture of her in the window of Boystown adult shop Batteries Not free magazine established in January 2000 distributed in bulk in the greater Chicago area, featured Kay's photo & artwork on the cover. In June 2004, she appeared on the cover of Chicago magazine Crusin’. In June 2005, she advertised beads in print ad for Gay Mart in Chicago.
In March 2007, she appeared in Time Out Chicago, and her photo ran alongside a question she answered in a Gay & Lesbian article for their October 15–21, 2009 issue titled “Virgin territory”; Jason A. Heidemann asked some of their favorite LGBT
Chicagoans to “reveal their first same-sex shag.”: “My first time was all about who is the top and who is the bottom. That took five minutes.”
In April 2007, she appeared on the cover of Gay Chicago Magazine
and again on October 29, 2009 as the Queen of Hearts for her then-upcoming role as hostess and emcee for the parade. Photographer Ashley Allen photographed her front and center with the other characters of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: Alice
, Mad Hatter
, March Hare
, and Cheshire Cat
.
In April 2007, she appeared in a straight periodical, wig and all, for Chicago magazine's special report “Money in Chicago 2007”. The section entitled “Who Makes What” featured other Chicagoans from a variety of professions from many walks of life with salaries from $200,000 to $0, where she revealed her own to be $23,500.
In June 2007, she was on the front page of Metromix
published by the Chicago Tribune
for that year's pride parade, and she was featured in the “Summer Festivals” gallery in the Chicago section for Market Days of that year. On August 24, 2007, Photographer Mia Algotti featured “Miss Foozie of the crowd to try their hand at the dunking booth
during North Halsted Market Days Saturday afternoon.” The photo showed her in front of a dunk tank seating a twink
in Skyline, which was a publication of Pioneer Press
, a division of Sun-Times Media Group
. Dave Ouano photographed her for the August 2007 cover of Chicago Free Press’ Freetime section. She made the cover in Gay Friendly establishments throughout Southeastern and Western Michigan
, Sarnia
and Windsor
, Ontario, Northern Ohio
, Indiana
and Chicago, for their November 12–25, 2009 issue.
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Today, Miss Foozie is not a “drag queen
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
”. She is a “personality.” Time Out Chicago calls her a “drag hostess and entertainer”, consistently awarded her The Pressie for “best female impersonator”.
In 1997, Miss Foozie was “born” at her portrayer’s birthday party. Since then, her career has included parades, four films, and live performances throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Her influence extends internationally as publications featuring her are available in both the United States and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Origins
When Miss Foozie was a little boy, he liked other people and had lots of friends in school. From a very young age, he was a character and made people laugh. Years later, he moved to the more populous Chicago, certain that the city had a lot to offer him and that he had a great deal more to offer the world. He began a career in customer service, traveling downtown every day working 9 to 5. He claims he was a “great worker”, but too often the job was not as satisfying as he had hoped it would be. He wanted to reach out to more people, not to just talk on the telephone.As his birthday came up, there was a new bar opening on North Halsted Street called Circuit. Very few people knew about it. “Can I have my birthday party here?” he asked. He had no shortage of friends, so they all pulled together. He passed out invitations to everyone he knew, and even some people that he did not know. He taped a thousand fliers that had happy faces all over Boystown
Boystown, Chicago
Boystown is the popular name of a district within Chicago, Illinois. Situated within the neighborhood of Lakeview, it was the first officially recognized gay village in the United States, as well as the cultural center of one of the largest lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender communities in the nation...
announcing the party: “Bring your friends. If you like ‘em...I like ‘em.”
On Friday, April 6, 1997, he got to the celebration early, and pretty soon some friends pulled him into a back area and said “Perform something!” and presented shoes, jewelry, a dress and a wig. He told them,“Well, I don’t do that sort of thing. I don’t dress like a woman...” While they were trying to talk him into it, another friend ran in and yelled “Do something and I mean fast! There are over four hundred people out there! You’d better hurry up Foozie!” Dumbfounded, he thought about the four hundred people and replied, “That’s Miss Foozie to you!”
The birthday party was a huge success, and all of Miss Foozie's friends had a great time. Miss Foozie was never the same again, having found something that made her happy, and she had found something truly special that made people laugh.
Career
In April 2007, Miss Foozie told ChicagoChicago (magazine)
Chicago is a monthly magazine published by the Tribune Company. It concentrates on lifestyle and human interest stories, and on reviewing restaurants, travel, fashion, and theatre from or nearby Chicago. Its circulation in 2004 was 165,000, larger than People in its market...
magazine her first paid gig was the weekly stage show “Miss Foozie and Her Floozies” at age 37 for US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
30 per show, however, Chicago published he was 48 at this time, possibly mistakenly, since Miss Foozie’s first gig was indeed at age 37, and before his 37th birthday on April 6, 1997, Miss Foozie did not exist. That would have made Miss Foozie 46 or 47 in April 2007. Miss Foozie also told Chicago her alter ego works full-time at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum - The Museum of the Chicago Academy of Sciences is a nature museum located in Chicago, Illinois. The museum, which opened in a new facility in October 1999, is located at the intersection of Fullerton Parkway and Cannon Drive in Lincoln Park. The museum focuses on...
, and her fantasy job is to be Miss Foozie full-time, although she takes working vacations roughly every other month to cities including Washington, D.C. and New York.
In April 2007, Boystown pizzeria Pie Hole named a pie after her: “Miss Foozie’s Signature Pie”. “She’s a ham
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, and she calls everyone pineapple... so it was only a matter of time. Full ¼ lb
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
of ham
Ham
Ham is a cut of meat from the thigh of the hind leg of certain animals, especiallypigs. Nearly all hams sold today are fully cooked or cured.-Etymology:...
and big chunks of pineapple, plus we pull out a $1 donation for Foozie Charity in honor of all the work she does in the community.” In addition to Foozie Charity, she was Miss December in the “Glamour Of Boystown Chicago” Charity Calendar.
Miss Foozie had the opportunity to be hostess of the 2009 13th Annual Triangle Neighbors' Northalsted Halloween Parade, and she did indeed emcee the parade as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
’s Queen of Hearts
Queen of Hearts (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
The Queen of Hearts is a character from the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by the writer and mathematician Lewis Carroll. She is a foul-tempered monarch, that Carroll himself pictured as "a blind fury", and who is quick to decree death sentences at the slightest offense...
, following that year's theme of the parade, “Mad Hatter’s Ball”. This was her third year as emcee for this huge event in Boystown.
Films and Television
In 2004, Miss Foozie appeared in Twenty Gay Stereotypes Confirmed, a tongue-in-cheek look at Gay stereotypes using the director's childhood home movies. She appears on the streets of Chicago introducing the third stereotype with her iconic catchphrase, “Hello, Pineapples!” In 2005, Miss Foozie made a special appearance in Bowser Makes a Movie, a comedy with a young man struggling to make a Gay adult film. In 2007, Miss Foozie appeared as herself in Father Knows..., a Gay interest film involving a father-son relationship, Gay romance, and explicit sex. In 2009, Miss Foozie played herself again in Sister MarySister Mary
Sister Mary is a 2011 American comedy musical film directed and written by Scott Grenke. It stars Ant, James Vallo, Bruce Vilanch, Judy Tenuta, Sean Paul Lockhart and Shawn Quinlan.-Cast:* Ant as Agent Peccant* James Vallo as Mark Rima...
, a dark comedy written and directed by Scott Grenke, starring Brent Corrigan
Brent Corrigan
Sean Paul Lockhart is a model, actor and gay pornographic actor best known under his stage name Brent Corrigan or his pseudonym Fox Ryder. He is best known for his roles in Schoolboy Crush with Brent Everett and Velvet Mafia with Erik Rhodes...
, Bruce Vilanch
Bruce Vilanch
Bruce Vilanch is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor. He is a six-time Emmy Award-winner Vilanch is best known to the public for his four-year stint on Hollywood Squares, as a celebrity participant; in the entertainment industry he is best known as head writer for the show...
, and producer James Vallo who plays Mark Rima, a homophobic
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
Detective who must “partner” up with the very Gay and flamboyant Detective Chris Riant (Shawn Quinlan) to stop a serial killing Nun (Judy Tenuta
Judy Tenuta
Judy Tenuta is an American entertainer, actress, comedienne, author, producer and accordionist.-Early life:...
) from offing 5 band members otherwise known as “The Ex Choir Boys”, but when it is determined that the Detectives cannot solve the case on their own, expert F.B.I. profiler Agent Peccant (Ant
Ant (comedian)
ANT is an American stand-up comedian and actor. ANT prefers his name spelled in all capital letters.ANT performed at comedy clubs across the USA beginning in 1991...
) is assigned to the case. As the details of the case slowly emerge the police determine that the “nun” may only be a silent witness to the grisly murders. The task force then turns its attention on the Catholic Church and a suspect group of Priests that have had a propensity for “cleansing the souls” of innocent young choir boys. On May 25, 2011, Connie de Bie spent “A Night with Miss Foozie” in Chicago with the Windy City celebrity for 1st Look Chicago on Life/Style Television
LXTV
LXTV is an Emmy-award winning producer of lifestyle entertainment programming. Started in 2006 by former MTV executives Morgan Hertzan and Joseph Varet as a privately owned broadband TV network and Website, LXTV was acquired in January of 2008 by NBC Owned Television Stations , a division of...
, a division of NBCUniversal, describing, “She's a character artist with a supersized personality and when Miss Foozie enters a room, you'll know it! She's extremely well-known and supportive of Chicago's gay community. Watch as the two paint the town as Miss Foozie gears up for The program broadcast on June 19, 2011 on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
nationwide after
Publications
On March 20, 2002, she appeared on the cover of Nightspots, an extensive, four-color glossy of Chicago’s vibrant LGBT nightlife scene, published by Windy City Media Group, which also publishes Windy City TimesWindy City Times
Windy City Times is Chicago's oldest LGBT newspaper, and the only Chicago gay publication with an independent circulation audit current as of 2008....
, the city’s oldest Gay newspaper. Artwork of her appeared on the cover on May 1, 2005, and she appeared on the cover again in April 2007. In November 2002, she appeared on the cover of BoystownChicago, and she appeared on the cover again in 2005 as “Chicago's Most Loved Host”.
For North Halsted Market Days
North Halsted Market Days
North Halsted Market Days is an annual two-day festival in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is the Midwest's largest street festival with annual attendance exceeding 300,000 people over the two day event, takes place in the Boystown section of Lakeview along North Halsted Street from Belmont Avenue to...
in 2003, Chicago artist Lee Kay created a characture of her in the window of Boystown adult shop Batteries Not free magazine established in January 2000 distributed in bulk in the greater Chicago area, featured Kay's photo & artwork on the cover. In June 2004, she appeared on the cover of Chicago magazine Crusin’. In June 2005, she advertised beads in print ad for Gay Mart in Chicago.
In March 2007, she appeared in Time Out Chicago, and her photo ran alongside a question she answered in a Gay & Lesbian article for their October 15–21, 2009 issue titled “Virgin territory”; Jason A. Heidemann asked some of their favorite LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
Chicagoans to “reveal their first same-sex shag.”: “My first time was all about who is the top and who is the bottom. That took five minutes.”
In April 2007, she appeared on the cover of Gay Chicago Magazine
Gay Chicago Magazine
Gay Chicago is a LGBT online news organization in Chicago, Illinois which ceased publishing in print form on Sept. 21, 2011. Gay Chicago replaced the now defunct Gay Chicago Magazine which was founded in 1976 by Ralph Paul Gernhardt and published under the former Gernhardt Publications. It was a...
and again on October 29, 2009 as the Queen of Hearts for her then-upcoming role as hostess and emcee for the parade. Photographer Ashley Allen photographed her front and center with the other characters of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: Alice
Alice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
Alice is a fictional character in the literary classic, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel, Through the Looking-Glass, And What Alice Found There. She is a young girl from Victorian-era Britain.-Development:...
, Mad Hatter
Mad Hatter
Hatta, the Hatter is a fictional character in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the story's sequel, Through the Looking-Glass. He is often referred to as the Mad Hatter, though this term was never used by Carroll...
, March Hare
March Hare
Haigha, the March Hare is a character most famous for appearing in the tea party scene in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.The main character, Alice, hypothesises,...
, and Cheshire Cat
Cheshire Cat
The Cheshire Cat is a fictional cat popularised by Lewis Carroll's depiction of it in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Known for his distinctive mischievous grin, the Cheshire Cat has had a notable impact on popular culture.-Origins:...
.
In April 2007, she appeared in a straight periodical, wig and all, for Chicago magazine's special report “Money in Chicago 2007”. The section entitled “Who Makes What” featured other Chicagoans from a variety of professions from many walks of life with salaries from $200,000 to $0, where she revealed her own to be $23,500.
In June 2007, she was on the front page of Metromix
Metromix
Metromix is a network of local entertainment websites backed by a joint venture between media companies Gannett and Tribune Co. A guide to local restaurants, bars and clubs, events, concerts and movies, Metromix is currently available in over 60 markets. In late 2009, the company launched 27 new...
published by the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
for that year's pride parade, and she was featured in the “Summer Festivals” gallery in the Chicago section for Market Days of that year. On August 24, 2007, Photographer Mia Algotti featured “Miss Foozie of the crowd to try their hand at the dunking booth
Dunk tank
A dunk tank, also known as a dunking booth or dunking machine, is an attraction mainly used in funfairs, fundraisers, and personal parties. Basically, a dunk tank consists of a large tank of water, over which a seat is suspended...
during North Halsted Market Days Saturday afternoon.” The photo showed her in front of a dunk tank seating a twink
Twink (gay slang)
"Twink" is a gay slang term describing a young or young-looking gay man with a slender, ectomorph build, little or no body hair, and no facial hair. In some societies, the term chick or chicken is preferred. The related term twinkle-toes, which implies that a man is effeminate, tends to be used in...
in Skyline, which was a publication of Pioneer Press
Pioneer Press
The Pioneer Press publishes 50 local newspapers in the metropolitan Chicago area. It is a division of the Sun-Times Media Group. Pioneer Press' headquarters is in Glenview...
, a division of Sun-Times Media Group
Sun-Times Media Group
Sun-Times Media Group is a Chicago-based newspaper publisher. It is known for its prior association with controversial Canadian businessman Conrad Black.-History:...
. Dave Ouano photographed her for the August 2007 cover of Chicago Free Press’ Freetime section. She made the cover in Gay Friendly establishments throughout Southeastern and Western Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Sarnia
Sarnia, Ontario
Sarnia is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada . It is the largest city on Lake Huron and is located where the upper Great Lakes empty into the St. Clair River....
and Windsor
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
, Ontario, Northern Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
and Chicago, for their November 12–25, 2009 issue.
See also
- List of LGBT periodicals
- List of entertainers who have lived in or near Chicago
- Newspapers of the Chicago metropolitan area