‘How you durrin?’ Shirley Q. Liquor, southern welfare mother of 19 children drawls, taking a drag of her cigarette between two brightly painted red lips.
Or at least that’s how the cartoon character appears on her website.
However, Shirley Q. Liquor is actually an act performed by Charles Knipp, a Caucasian man who performs his drag act at clubs around the country one that is unlikely to be seen in the area in person any time soon, as recent shows in New York City and Boston have been cancelled after threats of protests by activist groups.
Because Knipp is pale-skinned and paints his face with black paint, he has been accused of performing ‘blackface,’ which is generally considered to be a racist act that perpetuates racial stereotypes. Social activists have condemned the Shirley Q. Liquor act and accused Knipp of being a white supremacist.
According to a recent Boston Phoenix article, the act offended some audience members when it was performed at the View, a club in New York City, on Sept. 13. A protest followed the next night when Knipp performed again at the same club. The activist groups then mobilized in an effort to prevent the Shirley Q. Liquor from being performed anywhere in the country.
The Boston Phoenix recently reported that a show at Boston club Machine, scheduled for Oct. 18, was canceled after Jerome Smith, the liaison between Mayor Menino’s office and the gay and lesbian community, called Machine with his concerns.
An editorial from the same day condemned the cancellation of the show as an incident of censorship and prior restraint.
‘It’s oppressive, it’s censorious and it’s an outrage,’ the editorial read.
However, an Oct. 18 Boston Globe article reported that Smith simply alerted the club in a routine manner to the fact that protests may occur if the act was performed, and the club subsequently made the decision on its own to cancel the act.
The Mayor’s office and DJ Metz, the manager of the club Machine, did not return phone calls for a comment.
In an email, Knipp expressed dismay that people who have never seen the act are protesting. According to Knipp, many of the protesters are taking the word of one man who saw the act performed in New York and was deeply offended.
‘I understand that the protesters thought that I might be going to do some sort of horrible offensive racist minstrel show,’ he said. ‘I just wish they’d seen it first and made up their own minds.’
While blackface is traditionally seen as a racist act, Knipp defends his act as something that can actually bring people of different races and sexual preferences together. He claims his audience often consists of black, white, straight and gay men and women, including a variety of ‘couples, office women in groups, rednecks and off-duty drag queens.’
Knipp argued that when these people all see his show together, it can help to break down social barriers and misconceptions.
‘People who have actually seen my show seem relieved and joyous that black and white people are both laughing at my outlandish character and insights,’ he said. ‘If my silly drag show brings white and black folks together to discuss their differences, their changing social identities and self perceptions, then I think that’s a wonderful thing.’
While many Boston-area activists, as well as those from other areas, protested his shows, complaining that the act is offensive and harmful, Knipp argued that his shows can cause as much good as the activists themselves, if given the chance.
‘As a comedian, I’m a firm believer that comedy is a way to heal past injustices, prejudice and hate. Laughter is healing, and in my attempt to make people laugh, I think I can work just as hard as any social activist to make this world just.’
There are others who agree with Knipp. The Shirley Q. Liquor character has developed a national following. His website lists upcoming dates of performances throughout the south. It also features the cartoon version of Shirley Q. Liquor and audio clips from the new CD, entitled ‘Spirit of Ignunce.’ Fans can also buy greeting cards and t-shirts bearing her trademark greeting, ‘How you durrin?’
While it may be sayings and titles such as these which many protesters find so offensive, they have grown popular among a wide range of fans, which include RuPaul Charles, Tracy Morgan, Patti LaBelle, Naomi Judd, Margaret Cho and the Dixie Chicks.
RuPaul has become a defender of the Shirley Q. Liquor act and has spoken out against the show’s protesters on her website, and in a letter to the Gay City News, a newspaper in New York City.
‘When Chuck Knipp performs as Shirley Q, it’s very clear to me that he is paying a loving homage to the southern black women he obviously grew up around,’ RuPaul wrote.
While there were many factors leading up to the creation of the character, Knipp said that Shirley Q. Liquor’s voice is partly inspired by Fannie Mae, his family’s housekeeper when he was growing up, in addition to other southern women he has met and worked with throughout his life.
‘Fannie had 16 children and taught me to say ‘how you durrin’ just like she did when I was five years old. She thinks my character is hilarious.’
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