Instagram/Pissi Myles Myles' pictured on her Instagram page in September 2019.
Pissi Myles is the New Jersey drag queen who attended the first day of the public congressional impeachment hearings against Donald Trump. Myles has been performing her drag act since 2014. Myles, whose given name is Joseph D’Angio, lives with her husband, David Ayllon, in Somerville, New Jersey. Myles is a native of the state. She is a musical theater graduate from Montclair State Univesity.
On her Twitter profile, Myles says she was “born kicking and screaming, and she hasn’t stopped since.” Myles performs in the New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania areas. In a bio on her Facebook page, Myles says she was voted as one of the funniest drag queens in Philadelphia, she jokes, “which is a bit like being the world’s tallest midget.” In 2014, Myles was voted as Best Drag Hostess in Philadelphia at the Beacon Light Awards. Myles’ shows have titles such as, “Meaty Tucks,” “Ham and Milk: An Unbalanced Meal (with NYC’s The Dairy Queens)” and “What Makes Me Pissi.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Myles Told Heavy Exclusively Why She Was at the Hearings
Just arrived for #ImpeachmentHearings
Someone did ask me last night if there’s anything in DC that surprises me anymore.
Myles was first pictured at the hearings on November 12 by NBC News’ reporter Heidi Przybyla. Przybyla tweeted, “Someone did ask me last night if there’s anything in DC that surprises me anymore.”
Everyone is just standing around watching @pissimyles broadcast #ImpeachmentHearings
Towleroad was the first to name Myles as the drag queen in question. Myles told Heavy about her appearance at the inquiry saying, “I was invited to attend by Happs- the first open-source live tv network as a reporter for the hearings. It was an honor to go to Longworth in drag as a comedic journalist, to add a bit of levity to an otherwise pretty heavy day, and to meet so many people and discuss issues important to marginalized people.”
2. Myles Released a Song in 2017 Inspired by the Horror Villain The Babadook
In 2017, Myles released the viral hit, “Babashook.” The song is a parody of the Australian horror movie, “Babadook.” Myles collaborated on the song with Texas-based DJ B. Ames.
Myles told Billboard about the song saying, “I think queer people have always identified with the isolation and power of the monster or villain in a horror movie, especially when they’re as fabulous as Babadook or Ursula the Sea Witch.” Myles reiterated those sentiments on her website where she says she was inspired to write the song after the Babadook became a gay icon.
Also in 2017, Myles appeared on an episode of RuPaul’s podcast, “What’s the Tee?”
3. Myles Make-Up Tip Is ‘Dont Be Afraid to Be Silly’
Myles gave her simple make-up tip to Cosmopolitan in May 2018. The tip was, “Don’t be afraid to be silly and do things differently from other people.” Myles is involved in several charitable causes including Asbury Park’s Project R.E.A.L., an outrage charity for LGBTQ youths, New York Teen Center and the Matthew Sheppard Foundation.
Myles said in an interview with Instinct Magazine that she got her drag start in Asbury Park by competing in Christy’s Classic Drag contest at Georgie’s in Asbury Park. From there, Myles says that she moved to Philadelphia to begin performing there. Myles added in the interview, “basically anyone who got onto “RuPaul’s Drag Race” came through my show at some point! But they had to deny it to get on the show.”
In July 2018, Mic published a piece on the stressful nature of drag performing. Myles told the website that on occasion she has had to do her make-up on an airplane and that, “The first time I went through Newark International Airport, they had to examine my silicone breast forms because they’re water-based. And when I travel with them in my checked suitcase, more often than not I’ll find slips of paper that say the TSA had examined your bag.”
Myles said in the same article that she is always eager to meet people while she is on the road, “It’s important to experience the culture, see what people think of local politicians or events, because it makes it easier for me to relate to them on stage.”
4. Myles Met Her Husband on OKCupid in 2012, Before She Became a Drag Performer
Myles told the Huffington Post that the couple met on OKCupid. Myles added that prior to meeting her husband, she had been on some “truly awful dates” that included a night out with “a gay republican meteorologist, which is exactly as bad as it sounds.” The couple first met in 2012.
Myles said of her husband in her Instinct Magazine interview, “He really is amazing. He’s one of the most supportive people in the world, and he inspires me all the time. I wouldn’t be able to do any of the things I do without him.”
5. Myles’ Husband Has Worked With Rappers The Roots & Kid Cudi
On his Instagram page, Ayllon describes himself as a “Photographer, Graphic Designer, Illustrator, Total nerdburger.” Ayllon says that he was inspired to become a designer “after learning that Batman was not a practical career option.” Ayllon says that he is a “Long Island boy [who] wears his heart on his sleeve.” He is a graduate of Seton Hall University and counts The Roots, Kid Cudi and Lupe Fiasco among his clients, according to his Facebook page.
When asked about his style by the Huffington Post, Ayllon said, “My style is heavily influenced by comic books and vintage pop culture. I’m a big nerd, and I love shooting queens and other larger-than-life nightlife personalities, because they’re the closest I’ll ever get to being around real-life superheroes, both in bravery and costuming. So, I’m naturally drawn to really vibrant colors and high contrast, and a touch of surrealism. ”
Ayllon also told the Drew Acorn about why he likes to photograph drag queens, “I am interested in the illusion that you see and adding more illusion to it.”
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