The myth of Pandora's Box ... (Wikipedia):
After Prometheus' theft of the secret of fire, Zeus ordered Hephaestus to create the first woman, Pandora, as part of the punishment of mankind. Pandora was given many seductive gifts from Aphrodite, Hermes, Hera, Charites, and Horae (according to Works and Days). For fear of additional reprisals, Prometheus warned his brother Epimetheus not to accept any gifts from Zeus, but Epimetheus did not listen, and married Pandora. Pandora had been given a large jar and instruction by Zeus to keep it closed, but she had also been given the gift of curiosity, and ultimately opened it. When she did so, all of the evils, ills, diseases, and burdensome labor that mankind had not known previously, escaped from the jar, but it is said, that at the very bottom of her jar, there lay hope.
One might imagine Pandora's apology tour of the mythical Greek media: "Sorry about all those evils, ills, diseases and burdensome labor, boys, but I lo-o-ove a surprise!"
Also, burdensome labor builds strong, sweaty bodies, and who doesn't love that!
Of course, replace Pandora with her 21st century namesake Pandora Boxx and the surprise would be all theirs, wouldn't it?
Well, it is Greece. To that end I can only say a good portion of those men wouldn't be surprised at all, they've seen it before.
Sharing a hometown (Jamestown, NY) with a red-headed legend, Lucille Ball, it's not surprise Pandora Boxx is the flat-out-funniest of the contestants on this season's edition of RuPaul's Drag Race (and you'll find that out in just a moment), but the red wig that our girl sports (yes, we officially support Pandora here, suck it world!) in the premiere of the show was an homage to that week's panel guest Kathy Griffin, which is what bonds the lovely Pandora (aka Michael Steck) and your TV Junkie and prompted me to seek out this email interview.
I thank Michael Barrett at Logo for getting it set up.
Ms. Boxx (profile video clip from the show at this link) sat at her computer from the frozen Great Lake-side City of Rochester, NY while I sat as usual, here on the 14th green at La Costa (in shorts and a t-shirt, do you hate me?) and you can read her responses to my queeries after the jumperoo.
No, one of my questions is not: "Why does it burn when I pee?" Burning questions, people, not questions about burning sensations. Click over and we'll get started.
Images courtesy Logo Online and Pandora Boxx, and I thank them.
Who's your drag mentor and when did your drag persona begin to develop?
Over the years I've had so many different drag mentors such as Darienne Lake, a good friend of mine here in Rochester. She really helped me get my start even though she had only been doing drag for a year. She helped me and then we sort of grew up together in the drag world of Rochester. There have also been so many supportive mentors in my drag career to and I thank them all! My drag persona began to really truly take shape a few years into it. I used to just be a completely spastic, running around like a damn fool. I really began to try and model myself after some fabulous divas like Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, toss in a little Goldie Hawn, sprinkle in some Kathy Griffin and garnish with some Courtney Love and Pandora begins to take shape!
I swear at one point I ate a bug. It was really hard to maintain the glamor on this shoot. But I kept thinking RuPaul is standing right there and Hottie McHotster Mike Ruiz (note: image left, with RuPaul) is taking this picture. Pull it together Pandora, is what I kept shouting in my head. That cannon was not easy to sit on and those hot men wear so oiled up I slipped right off of them! I finally kept one thought in my head, I'm being blown by Mike Ruiz and I need to love every minute of this.
Who's your sewing mentor? And as good a sewing mentor as you had how cool would it be if your actual sewing mentor was Sue Anne Nivens from The Mary Tyler Moore Show?
Funny you should mention it, because it IS Sue Anne Nivens! Seriously
though, I learned to sew from my mother. She taught me the basics and I
used to sew and make puppets for the puppet shows, my sister and I would put on
for my parents. I also picked up things here and there from some of my fellow
queens. Then it was really just teaching myself. I don't consider
myself a seamstress by any means but I can get the job done.
I usually am cryogenically frozen until I have shows to do. That way it keeps me fresh and young. So I'm used to the cold now.
When you win, Pandora, who at home will be the most overjoyed?Besides myself of course, I would say that my boyfriend Ian would be the most excited. At least he better be! My family would also be extremely excited. All of my friends are just beyond excited I even made it onto the show so to win, they would be ecstatic. Rochester has been pretty supportive as well, I know there would be a lot of excited people. I really am overwhelmed by the amount of positive feedback I've gotten from not only people I know but from people across the country. It's a great feeling.
She's fabulous, huh? Indeed. I don't have to tell you that new episodes of RuPaul's Drag Race air every Monday at 9 on Logo then replays Tuesdays on VH1 for those of you whose cable systems maybe aren't so ... progressive.
See a preview of next week's episode by clicking here. Pandora Boxx has an entire world for you to explore on the web at PandoraBoxx.com and her blog, called Lick This Boxx, at this link.
More Pandora can also be found this month in the pages of Instinct Magazine and you can click here for that. And finally, the Facebook page for the play The Lipstick Massacre (image left), written by Steck, starring Pandora and Kasha Davis among others, is at this link.
Looks like a hoot, so if you're a Rochester-area fan of Pandora's you must attend the next run of the play and tell me all about it.
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