Jinkx Monsoon

Jerick Hoffer,[1] known by the stage name Jinkx Monsoon, is an American drag performer, actor, comedian and singer who came to international attention by winning the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race.[1] In June 2019, New York magazine published the results from their panel of judges and writers which ranked her in the top twenty Drag Race superstars.[2]

Jinkx Monsoon
Monsoon in 2013
Born
Jerick Hoffer

Portland, Oregon
EducationCornish College of the Arts (BFA)
OccupationDrag queen, actor, singer, songwriter, reality television personality
Years active2003–present
Known forRuPaul's Drag Race (season 5) winner
PredecessorSharon Needles
SuccessorBianca Del Rio
Musical career
OriginSeattle, Washington
Genres
  • Jazz
  • pop
  • rock
  • alternative
InstrumentsVocals
Labels
  • Sidecar Records
  • Producer Entertainment Group
Websitejinkxmonsoon.com

Biography

Jerick Hoffer was born in Portland, Oregon, and first performed in drag at age 16 at the all-ages Escape Nightclub.[1][3]

Hoffer was raised Catholic, and discovered Russian-Jewish ancestry on their mother's side at the age of 18.[4] Their drag character, Jinkx, is characterized as Jewish as a way of reconnecting with this part of their heritage.[5] Hoffer also has narcolepsy, a fact that they revealed in the season five premiere of RuPaul's Drag Race.

Hoffer worked as a janitor through college and graduated with a BFA in theater from Cornish College of the Arts in 2010.[6][7][8] They have lived in Seattle, Washington since 2006.[9]

Hoffer identifies as "non-gendered" or non-binary,[10][11] and prefers to go by singular they pronouns when not in drag. In an April 2017 interview, Monsoon stated, "I've never identified as fully male. I've always identified as more gender fluid or gender ambiguous, but I never knew the vocabulary to explain it for myself."[12]

Career
Jinkx Monsoon, 2014

After moving to Seattle from Portland, Hoffer and creative partner Nick Sahoyah wrote and starred in multiple Funny or Die webisodes titled Monsoon Season in which they played Jinkx Monsoon as an over-bearing, substance addled, near-psychotic mother to Nick Sahoyah's character, Kamikaze Monsoon.[13]

In 2011, Monsoon appeared in the Wes Hurley film Waxie Moon in Fallen Jewel.[14] On February 28, 2013, the first screening at Seattle's Central Cinema was hosted by Monsoon and Waxie Moon.[15]

In January 2012, Hoffer appeared as Moritz in the rock musical Spring Awakening at the Balagan Theater in Seattle. Controversy arose from The Seattle Times review by Misha Berson, who said that Hoffer was "overly flamboyant" for the role.[16][17] Dan Savage defended Hoffer's portrayal of Moritz.[18] From July 21 to August 19, Hoffer starred as Angel in the 5th Avenue Theatre's production of the musical RENT.[8][19]

In January 2013, Hoffer played Hedwig in the Moore Theatre's production of the rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch.[20] Balagan reprised the production in December 2013 for a week long run with Hoffer and the original cast/production team.

In June 2013, Hoffer played Velma Von Tussle in the Seattle Men's Chorus/5th Avenue Theatre's production of the musical Hairspray .[21] This was a limited run staged reading/concert of the musical with costumes and limited props but no sets or elaborate choreography and featured the Seattle Men's Chorus onstage with the cast.

Hoffer also performs as Jinkx Monsoon in the original one act cabaret musical The Vaudevillians under the name "Kitty Witless." Hoffer is accompanied by musical partner and co-creator Richard Andriessen, who performs under the name "Dr. Dan Von Dandy." The Vaudevillians performed at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in New York City from July to November 2013.[1][22][23] After touring Australia with The Vaudevillians, Hoffer received a nomination for the Helpmann Award for Best Cabaret Performer.[24]

In 2013 Hoffer was chosen as one of the Artists of the Year by City Arts magazine along with Megan Griffiths, Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, and Wes Hurley.[25]

Hoffer played Tallulah/Dennis, the owner of Lipstick Lounge in an episode of Blue Bloods entitled "Manhattan Queens", which aired on January 31, 2014.

In December 2014, an animated version of Hoffer appeared in the "RuPaul's Drag Race: Dragopolis 2.0" mobile app.[26]

In 2015 Hoffer joined the cast of Wes Hurley's hit comedy series Capitol Hill.[27]

Drag Becomes Him

In June 2011, Hoffer became subject to a YouTube docu-series by Alex Berry, a Seattle videographer. Named after Death Becomes Her, one of Jinkx's favorite movies, Drag Becomes Him explores Hoffer's life in and out of drag.[28] The series has continued since the finale of RuPaul's Drag Race and will offer insight into their life since the show.[29]

In October 2013 it was announced that Drag Becomes Him was being turned into a feature-length film with Seattle-based producer Basil Shadid on board. A Kickstarter campaign in March 2014 successfully raised funds to complete the project. On March 26, 2015, Hoffer announced on their Instagram page that the film would premiere at the Cinerama in Seattle on April 29, 2015.[30]

RuPaul's Drag Race

In November 2012, Logo announced that Jinkx Monsoon was among fourteen drag queens who would be competing on the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race.[31] Hoffer was inspired to audition after seeing Sharon Needles, another high-concept, character-driven drag queen, on the fourth season of the show.[3] Monsoon won the main-challenges for the episodes "Snatch Game" and "Drama Queens."[32][33] For the "Snatch Game," Monsoon impersonated Edith Bouvier Beale.[1][34] Monsoon also impersonated third-season contestant Mimi Imfurst in the episode "Lip Synch Extravaganza Eleganza."[35] As part of RuPaul's Drag Race, Monsoon sang on the "We Are the World"-inspired song "Can I Get an Amen?" The song's proceeds helped benefit the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center.[36] Monsoon won RuPaul's Drag Race season 5.

Politics

Hoffer is very outspoken on their Instagram and Twitter about US President Donald Trump and LGBT equality. They are a Democrat supporter and donated to both Elizabeth Warren's and Bernie Sanders' campaigns to be the Democratic nominee for President.[37]

Artistry

Hoffer's drag persona is inspired by their mother and the comedians Lucille Ball, Maria Bamford, Deven Green, and Sarah Silverman. Their drag persona's last name, Monsoon, is derived from the character Edina Monsoon from the British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous.[3] Hoffer also performs as the drag character Deirde A. Irwin, who is a Southern medium.[9]

Discography

Studio albums
Title Details
The Inevitable Album[38]
  • Released: May 6, 2014
  • Label: Sidecar Records
  • Formats: CD, digital download
The Ginger Snapped[39]
  • Released: January 12, 2018
  • Label: Producer Entertainment Group
  • Formats: CD, digital download

Remix albums
Title Details
ReAnimated[40]
  • Released: October 13, 2015
  • Label: Sidecar Records, Producer Entertainment Group
  • Format: CD, Digital download

Commentary albums
Title Details
The Inevitable Commentary Album[41]
  • Released: July 2, 2014
  • Label: Sidecar Records, Producer Entertainment Group
  • Formats: digital download

Singles
Song Year Album
"Coffee & Wine"[42] 2014 The Inevitable Album
"The Bacon Shake"[43]
(featuring Fred Schneider)
"Creep"[44]
"Hold On JMX (GlitterMix)"
(featuring Jean Morisoon)		 2015 ReAnimated
"Cartoons and Vodka" 2018 The Ginger Snapped
Song Year Album
"Can I Get an Amen?"
(RuPaul featuring RuPaul's Drag Race Season 5 Cast)		 2013 Non-album singles
"Schizophrenic"[45]
(Two Dudes in Love featuring Jinkx Monsoon)
"Bring It"[46]
(Manila Luzon featuring Jinkx Monsoon)

Other appearances
Song Year Other Artist(s) Album
"Red & Green" 2015 N/A Christmas Queens
"Passive Aggressive Christmas" 2016 Major Scales Christmas Queens 2
"Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah" 2017 N/A Christmas Queens 3
"The Auld Lang Syne Song"
"Jingle Bell Rock" 2018 N/A Christmas Queens 4

Music videos
Song Year Director
"Jinkxalicious"[47] 2011 Alex Berry
"Coffee & Wine"[48] 2014
"The Bacon Shake"[49] Steve Willis
"Creep"[50]
"Hold On JMX (GlitterMix)"[51] 2015
"Red & Green"[52] Santiago Felipé
"Cartoons & Vodka"[53] 2018 Mac Kerman
"Just Me (The Gender Binary Blues)"[54] Santiago Felipé
"She Evil"[55] Brad Hammer, Shawn Adeli

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role
2011 Waxie Moon in Fallen Jewel Themself/Davey
2013 East of Adin Anthony Johnson
2014 Drag Becomes Him Themself
2019 Trixie Mattel: Moving Parts Themself
2019 The Queens[56] Themself

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2013 RuPaul's Drag Race Themself Season 5 – Winner
2013 RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked Themself
2013 NewNowNext Awards Themself
2014 Blue Bloods Tallulah/Dennis Episode: "Manhattan Queens"
2014 RuPaul's Drag Race Themself (guest) Season 6 – 2 episodes
2015 RuPaul's Drag Race Themself Season 7 – "Countdown to the Crown" – Guest
2016 RuPaul's Drag Race Themself (guest) Season 8 – 2 episodes
2016 Gay for Play Game Show Starring RuPaul Themself (guest) 1 episode
2018 Steven Universe Emerald (voice) Season 5 – "Lars of the Stars"
2018 Mighty Magiswords Hairmosa (voice) Season 2 – "To Balderly Go"
2018 RuPaul's Drag Race Themself Season 10 – "10s Across the Board" – Guest
2018 Bravest Warriors Jenna (voice) 3 episodes; credited as Jerick Hoffer aka Jinkx Monsoon
2019 RuPaul's Drag Race Themself Season 11 – "Snatch Game At Sea" – Guest
2020 AJ and the Queen[57] Edie 1 episode

Music Videos
Year Title Artist Ref.
2015 "Hieeee" Alaska Thunderfuck [58]
2017 "Doom or Destiny" Blondie [59]

Web series
Year Title Role
2010 Monsoon Season Themself
2011 Drag Becomes Him Themself
2013 31 Days of Jinkx Themself
2016 Capitol Hill Themself
2019 The X Change Rate Themself

Theatre
Year Title Role Theatre
2010 Red Ranger Came Calling Red Ranger Book-It Repertory Theatre
Henry V Alice Center House Theatre
2011 Turning Parlor Tricks Deirdre A. Irwin Theatre Off Jackson
The Threepenny Opera Filch Intiman Playhouse
2012 Rent Angel Dumott Schunard 5th Avenue Theatre
Spring Awakening Moritz Balagan Theatre
2013 Hedwig and the Angry Inch Hedwig Moore Theatre
Hairspray Velma Von Tussle 5th Avenue Theatre
gollark: Very indirectly. But you don't really have to think about them as a high-level programmer.
gollark: Interrupt handlers and whatever are further from the sort of things which are actually useful to program and do useful things for users than webservers.
gollark: Even fizzbuzz, say.
gollark: Yep. Or just most things.
gollark: You could say that about MOST programmers.

See also

References
  1. Scott, Aaron (April 18, 2013). "Q&A: Jinkx Monsoon from 'RuPaul's Drag Race'". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2013. Born in Portland and now based in Seattle, Jinkx Monsoon, aka Jerick Hoffer,
  2. The Editors (June 10, 2019). "The Most Powerful Drag Queens in America: Ranking the new establishment". New York. New York Media, LLC. Archived from the original on June 10, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  3. Spencer, Aaron (January 30, 2013). "Interview: Drag Queen Jinkx Monsoon". Willamette Week. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  4. http://forward.com/articles/177624/being-jinkx-monsoon-the-narcoleptic-jewish-drag-qu/?p=all
  5. Rachel Solomon (August 15, 2013). "Drag star's got Jewish roots under that blonde hair". The Times of Israel.
  6. Normal, Abby (pseudonym) (March 10, 2013). "Jinkx Monsoon Will Not Put You to Sleep". Yahoo! Voices. Archived from the original on March 18, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  7. Baltus, Leah (December 31, 2012). "The Revolutionary: Jerick Hoffer aka Jinkx Monsoon". City Arts Magazine. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  8. "Cornish Graduette Monsoon Storms RuPaul's Drag Race". Cornish College of the Arts. January 5, 2013. Archived from the original on August 12, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  9. Ryan, Adrian (May 11, 2011). "The Hardest Working Man in 'Mo Business by Adrian Ryan – Seattle Theater – The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper". The Stranger. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  10. Monsson, Jinkx (March 21, 2015). "I just saw this posted somewhere". Facebook. Retrieved April 30, 2017. I, myself do not identify as cis-gendered. I am genderless.
  11. "Drag Race's Jinkx Monsoon Comes Out as Non-Binary". The Gaily Grind. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
  12. Valdez, Matt (April 25, 2017). "Hey Qween! Jinkx Monsoon talks new album, gender fluidity and "Drag Race"". Queerty. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  13. "Monsoon Season". Funny or Die. June 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  14. "Jerick Hoffer – IMDb". MDb. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  15. "Waxie Moon film to screen monthly at Central Cinema". Seattle Gay News. February 22, 2013. Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  16. Kiley, Brendan (January 10, 2012). "Gay Actors, Straight Parts, and the "Flamboyance" Factor". The Stranger. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  17. Berson, Misha (January 11, 2012). "'Spring Awakening': powerful passion at Balagan". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on March 11, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  18. Savage, Dan (January 11, 2012). "Who Says Moritz in Spring Awakening is a 'Straight Part'?". The Stranger. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  19. "RENT – 5th Avenue". 5th Avenue Theatre. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  20. Sommerfeld, Seth (January 7, 2013). "A Fiendish Conversation with Jerick Hoffer". Seattle Metropolitan. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  21. Hetrick, Adam (April 23, 2013). ""RuPaul's Drag Race" Contestant Jinkx Monsoon Will Star in Seattle Concert Staging of Hairspray". Playbill. Archived from the original on April 26, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  22. Wolffe, J (April 19, 2013). ""The Vaudevillains" (Starring Jinkx Monsoon) Sells Out 3x Over!". Lez Get Real. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  23. Adam, Adam. "The Vaudevillians, Starring "RuPaul's Drag Race" Winner Jinkx Monsoon, Extends for Fifth Time". Playbill. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  24. "JINKX MONSOON NOMINATED FOR PRESTIGIOUS HELPMANN AWARD". Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  25. http://www.cityartsonline.com/articles/shine-2013-artists-year
  26. "Dragopolis 2.0 Has Arrived! | NewNowNext". newnownext.com. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  27. http://cityartsonline.com/articles/seattle-soap
  28. Rudolph, Christopher (May 13, 2013). "Jinx Monsoon, 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Winner, Stars In 'Drag Becomes Him' YouTube Series (VIDEO)". HuffPost. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  29. Avery, Dan (May 24, 2013). "More From The Jinkx Monsoon Documentary 'Drag Becomes Him'". New Now Next. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  30. https://instagram.com/p/0qetkgFp8G/
  31. Coughlan, Maggie (November 19, 2012). "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 5 Contestants Announced". People. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  32. Sava, Oliver (February 26, 2013). "Snatch Game". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  33. Sava, Oliver (April 2, 2013). "Drama Queensl". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  34. Michael, Broder (March 1, 2013). "Drag Queen Culture Divide: Breaking Down What Happened on This Week's RuPaul's Drag Race Snatch Game". HuffPost. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  35. Sava, Oliver (February 5, 2013). "Lip Synch Eleganza Extravaganza". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  36. Parker, Lyndsey (March 5, 2013). "Great Musical Moments in Reality TV: RuPaul's "Can I Get An Amen"". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  37. "https://twitter.com/jinkxmonsoon/status/1237735354213355520". Twitter. Retrieved June 18, 2020. External link in |title= (help)
  38. Jinkx Monsoon (May 6, 2014). "The Inevitable Album". Sidecar. (Tracks: 15 Length: 53:00). Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  39. The Ginger Snapped by Jinkx Monsoon, January 12, 2018, retrieved October 25, 2018
  40. ReAnimated by Jinkx Monsoon, October 13, 2015, retrieved October 25, 2018
  41. The Inevitable Commentary Album by Jinkx Monsoon, July 2, 2014, retrieved October 25, 2018
  42. Coffee & Wine – Single by Jinkx Monsoon, April 22, 2014, retrieved October 25, 2018
  43. The Bacon Shake (feat. Fred Schneider) – Single by Jinkx Monsoon, September 16, 2014, retrieved October 25, 2018
  44. Creep – Single by Jinkx Monsoon, November 11, 2014, retrieved October 25, 2018
  45. Schizophrenic Remixes (feat. Jinkx Monsoon) – EP by Two Dudes in Love, March 11, 2014, retrieved October 25, 2018
  46. Bring It! (feat. Jinkx Monsoon) – Single by Manila Luzon, November 22, 2013, retrieved October 25, 2018
  47. Avery Steck (March 31, 2013), Jinkxalicious, retrieved October 25, 2018
  48. Jinkx Monsoon (April 22, 2014), Jinkx Monsoon – Coffee & Wine, retrieved October 25, 2018
  49. Jinkx Monsoon (September 15, 2014), Jinkx Monsoon – The Bacon Shake (feat. Fred Schneider), retrieved October 25, 2018
  50. Jinkx Monsoon (November 11, 2014), Jinkx Monsoon – Creep (Cover) [Official Video], retrieved October 25, 2018
  51. Jinkx Monsoon (October 12, 2015), Jinkx Monsoon – Hold On JMX GlitterMix [Official Video], retrieved October 25, 2018
  52. Jinkx Monsoon (December 21, 2015), Jinkx Monsoon – Red & Green [Official] from Christmas Queens, retrieved October 25, 2018
  53. Jinkx Monsoon (January 12, 2018), Cartoons and Vodka – Official Music Video – Jinkx Monsoon, retrieved October 25, 2018
  54. Jinkx Monsoon (March 5, 2018), Just Me (The Gender Binary Blues) OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO, retrieved October 25, 2018
  55. Jinkx Monsoon (July 20, 2018), She Evil (ft. Fred Schneider) OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO, retrieved October 25, 2018
  56. Guerrero, Desiree (August 30, 2019). "Alaska Shines in New Drag Documentary". Advocate. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  57. Spencer, Samuel (January 10, 2020). "'AJ AND THE QUEEN' CAST: ALL OF THE 'RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE' CAMEOS IN THE NEW NETFLIX SHOW". Newsweek. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  58. Alaska Thunderfuck - Hieeee [Official]. YouTube. June 8, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  59. Munzenrieder, Kyle (May 3, 2019). "How RuPaul's Drag Race Queens Became the Hottest Music Video Accessory". WMagazine.com. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.