Source: Creative Loafing
There must have been some magic or serendipity in the air in Atlanta during the early 1980s, when some of the most compelling cultural trends emerged to define the era. Long before gentrification began to alter the face of the city's urban core, Midtown and the surrounding areas thrived with countercultural energy.

It was a chance situation that bred significant change in Atlanta's artistic landscape, and shaped international fame for one person who was right smack-dab in the middle of it all -- actor/singer/showboat RuPaul.

The queen of drag finally comes full circle - once a hopeful young gay man looking for acceptance, now a returning heroine - on his trip back to Atlanta for the Out on Film premiere of his first self-written and self-produced feature film, Starrbooty.

From his early days as a singer on Atlanta Public Access TV's "American Music Show" to his transition into the most popular drag queen in the world, RuPaul Charles has always had his sights set on superstardom.

A chance discovery of the "American Music Show," with its campy drag and irreverent humor, enticed RuPaul to venture into Midtown and explore the burgeoning art and music scene.

Befriending members of the local band the Now Explosion, RuPaul and a couple of his high school friends, Robert Warren and the late Todd Butler, formed a band called Wee Wee Pole, and began to perform in the then-vast Atlanta club scene.

Reflecting on the optimism of those times, RuPaul says, "We all witnessed the explosion of the B-52's and R.E.M., and we knew it was possible to make an impact. Midtown was in a position to house kids without a lot of money, and the South tends to nurture eccentric behavior. We had a good run in the mid-'80s, before things started getting torn down."

And as the Atlanta scene slowly diminished due to gentrification and other factors, RuPaul and members of the Now Explosion relocated to the Big Apple.

Working the NYC dance clubs as a solo performer, RuPaul eventually constructed an image that took the world by storm, and he found the international fame he had been seeking for most of his life. By bringing drag into the mainstream, he had hit records, a TV show, a cosmetics deal and eventually movie roles. It seemed RuPaul had everything he ever wanted. But something was missing, and it was time to figure out what it was.

After some much-needed time off for soul-searching and rest, RuPaul is revitalizing his career by doing some things over, albeit a little differently. A recently remixed CD of his most popular songs is out, but his biggest project is the independent film Starrbooty, written by and starring RuPaul and directed by Mike Ruiz.

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