Background
Epperson was born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi.
Epperson was born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi.
As Lypsinka he lip-synchs to meticulously edited, show-length soundtracks culled from snippets of outrageous 20th-century female performances in movies and song. He took lessons in classical piano from an early age. After high school he enrolled at Belhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi.
After graduating from Belhaven he got a job playing piano in Colorado, but in 1978 he moved to New York and became a rehearsal pianist for the American Ballet Theatre.
In addition he began doing drag performances at nightspots such as Club 57 and the Pyramid Club. Epperson quit his job with the American Ballet Theater in 1991 in order to perform full-time as Lypsinka.
He has since returned to his position at American Ballet Theater. "I don"t like the term "drag queen," because it describes an amateur.
Why not call me an actor? I suppose drag artist would be okay."
"Epperson has commented that, "lieutenant"s so easy to do misogynistic drag humor" but that he has "deliberately tried to avoid that".
He adds that, "A lot of women, when they see the show, felt liberated and empowered." () He intends his own work as "a commentary of performance in general and drag performance specifically." However outrageous Lypsinka may be, she is always at heart affectionate toward the women to whose work she performs.".
Quotations:
"I don"t like the term "drag queen," because it describes an amateur. Why not call me an actor? I suppose drag artist would be okay."
"Epperson has commented that, "lieutenant"s so easy to do misogynistic drag humor" but that he has "deliberately tried to avoid that". He adds that, "A lot of women, when they see the show, felt liberated and empowered." () He intends his own work as "a commentary of performance in general and drag performance specifically." However outrageous Lypsinka may be, she is always at heart affectionate toward the women to whose work she performs.".