Sherry Vine (born Keith Levy), who turned seventeen again last February, spent her formative years churning butter, jerking it to Blondie videos and receiving her MFA. But this leggy bitch was meant for greater things, so she packed her bags, tucked her junk and moved to New York City.
A self-identified JAP, Vine has firmly established herself as one of the drag world’s most beloved stars with raunchy turns on both stage and screen. Sherry doesn’t lip-sync like many of her contemporaries, choosing instead to sing live, infusing her performances with tons of sex, scat and self-mockery. Her “Shit My Pants” video parody of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” recently passed five million views on YouTube–reason enough for Heeb to sit down with the nice Jewish girl and give her a chance to talk about herself.
Your act is like nouveau-vaudeville, with the singing, dancing and parodying of pop stars. Do you feel like you’re carrying on in that tradition?
They call me the Weird Al of Drag. I would recommend finding something that makes your style personal and different. Jackie Beat and Hedda Lettuce also do parodies, but we all have our own unique voice.
Would you ever consider doing a series of your own? I think you’d be a great Real Housewife.
My dream would be to have my own variety show. Carol Burnett was a big influence, and that would be my dream show. I’m not the housewife type. I’m a JAP, honey, much better at being the mistress.
Okay, we get the mistress thing, but when are you going to find a nice Jewish boy and settle down?
I don’t know if a Jewish husband is in the cards. I have always been with men who speak English as a second language, right now an Italian.
Do you cook for the Italian boyfriend or do you order in?
I have cooked in this apartment maybe five times in five years. I order in a lot or we eat out. I like to be cooked for.
Who are your favorite designers, or do you just wear knockoffs?
I am lucky to work with several different designers who are super talented and creative: Paul George, Cheng Huai-Chung, Matthew Camp. Sometimes we find inspiration from other designers. I love Galliano, Mugler and Cavalli. But then we try to make it more Sherry — in other words, more like a whore!
You have the most beautiful complexion. Tell us about your skin care regimen.
Thank you! Luckily, I don’t have to wear make up (laugh). Actually, I’m wearing so much make up it’s hard to tell what my real skin looks like. But I do take very good care of it. Lots of moisturizer and tons of water!
Well, speaking of moisturizer . . . did you get laid today?
Honestly, and I mean honestly, my boyfriend is on his way home from L.A. right now and just texted to tell me to take a shower because he feels like Tarzan. What can I say? He’s Italian. So, in about 20 minutes, I can say yes.
Can you tell us what you’re up to right now, and where your current and future stalkers can find you?
I’m gearing up for a lot of traveling. I was just in San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver and L.A. in one week with the legendary Joey Arias. Now we’re off to Montreal. In June, I’m in a different city every Friday and Saturday and all over Europe in July. Check out my website for location and dates.
I love Sherry Vine!
She’s pretty easy to love.
nice story I am happy to have found.. actually I have been beating off for days thinking about Sherry and just got the keyboard fixed.