Peaches Christ (Josh Grannell) left with his friend and idol, Mink Stole
STEVEN LINDSEY | Contributing Writer
stevencraiglindsey@gmail.com
The historic Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff has quite the storied past, most notably as the site where authorities arrested Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963 following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
In the decades since then, the beautiful old theater has brought audiences everything from classic Disney movies to homemade porn film festivals. So, it’s easily the most fitting location for an outside-the-box show starring director John Waters’ best friend and a horror-obsessed drag queen.
Mink Stole and Peaches Christ (a.k.a. Joshua Grannell) have been friends for more than two decades, and, in 2020, they decided to create a cabaret act together. Saturday night, April 5,you can be part of history as they present the Dallas debut of Idol Worship: An Evening with Mink Stole and Peaches Christ.
The intimate show features storytelling, behind-the-scenes tales, film clips, singing and impromptu moments that offer glimpses into their divergent and sometimes overlapping careers.
Stole fans adore her for appearing in every John Waters feature film ever made, from underground hits like Pink Flamingos (1972) to more mainstream successes such as Hairspray (1988). She first met Peaches Christ after accepting an offer to appear as the first celebrity guest of the drag performer’s legendary Midnight Mass show in San Francisco.
In later years, Stole would appear in All About Evil, a hilariously scary comedy written by Grannell and starring Natasha Lyonne, who also played Stole’s lesbian daughter in But I’m A Cheerleader. She’s also an accomplished singer with an album called Do Re Mink.
Along with alter ego Peaches Christ, Grannell shares a résumé that includes filmmaker, event producer and cult leader. Horror movies and Halloween fuel much of his work, which includes an annual Terror Vault immersive experience at the historic San Francisco Mint building. Of course, an equal fascination with all things John Waters led him to approach Stole in the first place.
I caught up with the Idol Worship stars on a video call Monday, March 31, to chat about the show. Grannell conferenced in from London, where he had organized a protest earlier in the day seeking answers and justice in the death of friend and drag star Heklina (Stefan Grygelko), whose 2023 death remains unsolved. Stole joined us from Los Angeles.
Dallas Voice: Thank you both so much for coming to the crazy state of Texas. Mink Stole: Yee-hee! (laughs) That was a combination of yippee and yee-haw that didn’t really work, sorry. But I’m looking forward to Texas.
We’re so glad to have you, but before we get into the Idol Worship discussion, Peaches, how did your event go today? Peaches Christ: It was very powerful. We had a great turnout, and I think we accomplished our goals as far as the rally goes. The hope was that we would just be able to shine more of a light on the injustice of this whole situation, which is really basically just being ignored by the Met Police, and it worked.
The BBC News was there; The Guardian was there. It definitely worked as far as getting the attention we wanted on the issue, and I think our message at the rally was really clear that we want to fight for justice — for Heklina, but also for all marginalized people who are overlooked by the police and given lesser than service because their lives aren’t seen as important.
It’s a dark thing, but this is something that drag queens do well. When you need to get out there and fight for members of the community, we are often on the front lines.
I feel like we’re all in our collective protest era right now. PC: Yeah, it’s a real fight. Now we have to be very vigilant. It’s interesting, being here in London, and everyone kind of looks at me and asks, “Are you okay?” And they’re not talking about Heklina. They’re talking about whatever the latest shit show is in the United States of America.
MS: Nobody likes us now, and I don’t blame them.
PC: I mean, I don’t like us. And I think in some ways doing things like the Idol Worship show, especially bringing it to Texas, getting out there and being with community across the country is a great reminder that there are a lot of normal, like-minded Americans. Despite the election, I really do believe that more people are good and don’t want a fascist Nazi dictatorship in our country.Yep, ever since the first Trump administration, going to drag shows brings up so many new feelings. During the Jinkx and Dela Holiday Show a couple of years ago, your drag daughter, Jinkx Monsoon, addressed the audience about the protestors outside and told us just attending a drag show now is an act of protest on our part. MS: I like to think of just coming to our show as an act of solidarity rather than protest.
Ooh, that’s even better. MS: It’s an act of affirmation. It’s a positive experience because it’s fun. It’s light. It’s being with people who love us all, and I think the word protest makes me feel a little more militant than I’d like. I would like it to be more subtly militant.
That’s a good perspective. So rewinding a bit, how did you all first embark on this lifelong connection? PC: I definitely never imagined, not for a while, that it would become a lifelong connection that has been one of the most awesome gifts of my life. Mink and I have been able to become not just people who are colleagues that get to work together a lot, but really, truly friends.
About 25 years ago, I had the audacity to send her a letter and invite her to come and be part of Midnight Mass. We pitched this idea to her, where we wanted to worship and honor her and do a screening of Desperate Living. And — oh my god! She said yes! So we put on a show; we did a tribute to Mink Stole. I interviewed her on stage, and we rolled out the red carpet. San Francisco was so excited to see her, they gave her a massive standing ovation. And it really changed my life.
MS: The flip side is that evening changed my life, as well. Because, if you know the history of the films, and you know the Dreamlanders, the person who got all the attention all the time was Divine. And deservedly. If I did interviews with John and Divine, I would be never asked one single question. I loved Divine, and he deserved it.
But when I went to San Francisco that night, that was the first time that the spotlight had really been on me. And it felt good, I have to tell you — really, really good. It was quite a reception. It gave me a whole new sense of my role in the world of John Waters. So I’m eternally, eternally grateful. We did mutually benefit each other in a very strong way.
So crazy how saying yes to a random invitation can have such a lasting impact on two people. MS: Isn’t it wonderful? When we first started doing this show, it was basically about me and the work with John, but we now talk about how Joshua and I have grown as friends, and the work that we’ve done together.
PC: The reality of it is, we sing songs; we tell stories. It’s very, very personal, but it’s also very much designed by me, still meaning John Waters fans are going to get their fix.
MS: Yeah, we don’t ignore him.
So does the show change at all each night? MS: We have set sections that we work on, but it’s open, so there’s always room for spontaneity. And I’ve told Joshua different things at different times that he’s never heard before. So, you know, every now and then something surprising comes up that’s entertaining for us, too.
Idol Worship: An Evening with Mink Stole and Peaches Christ happens Saturday, April 5, at 9 p.m. at The Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson St. General admission tickets are $40, and VIP tickets, including a meet-and-greet with the stars, are $75, available online at thetexastheatre.com.