Lost Child Stars and Drag Queens

I hung out one weekend about a decade ago with the late, great Brad Renfro, who, at 17, seemed like he had already lived as long and hard a life as someone three times his age.

by Bruce LaBruce

August 23, 2011, 12:00am

Belfast zombie drag queens, 2008

It’s the doldrums of summer, when nothing is really happening in the world (or at least on TV) except for a famine in the Horn of Africa, the imminent fall of Gaddafi and, hopefully, Assad, resulting in further instability in the Arab world, and the giddy prospect of a new American president who doesn’t believe in evolution or global warming.

The only other story that caught my eye this week was the blistering critique of the Hollywood Velvet Mafia doled out by the surviving Corey--Feldman--who claims that it was a cadre of Hollywood pedophiles (pederasts, actually) who were responsible for the sad downfall of his frequent co-star, the late Canadian Corey Haim. It was brave of Feldman to speak out about the sexual exploitation of youth in Hollywood--he hinted at one mogul in particular who should be prosecuted for tampering with these Lost Boys--considering the industry has a way of sweeping its collateral damage under the red carpet.

I hung out one weekend about a decade ago with the late, great Brad Renfro, who, at 17, seemed like he had already lived as long and hard a life as someone three times his age. I recall how disturbed he was when he saw the framed collage of photographs of River Phoenix that hangs over my kitchen sink. I confess I did feel a bit strange hanging out with him and his co-stars, Bijou Phillips and Dominique Swain (who had recently starred in the remake of Lolita), feeling almost like a paternal figure. But having never been into chicken, there was nothing untoward about my camaraderie with Bradley.

He introduced me to his grandmother, his chaperone, and he played his guitar so sweetly in a cab wearing his pajamas. Ten years later I saw his photograph after he had been busted for buying heroin on Bonnie Brae. He looked like an old man. Neither Brad nor Corey were included in the Hollywood death montage at the Oscars in the years of their death. It’s a harsh town that has little sympathy for the children it chews up and spits out…

I can’t go on. I’m too sad. Instead I offer you a previously unpublished portfolio of my photographs of drag queens and tranny performers taken over the years. Forget your troubles, come on get happy…