Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Krumpe.
Hi Matthew, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born at Cedars Sinai hospital. Born and raised angelino. I grew up in a wealthy family. My father is a very successful contractor/architect/and developer. But while I was an adolescent he lost everything and had to file for bankruptcy.
I attended private schools, in middle school through high school I was on full scholarship. I had a really horrible relationship with my mother who had a psychotic break and tried to kill me when I was a senior in high school. I was dealing with verbal and physical abuse from her for years, so as a reaction I buried myself as deep as I could in school activities. I was the captain on Varsity Cross country and track, did the plays/musicals, I sang, I was the lead choreographer for the dance company, did 16 ap classes over 10th through 12th grade, took extra electives, was the school mascot, was the head of the alumni association, the admissions committee. I did so many activities the school even told me I couldn’t do anything more. I won a bunch of awards, had great grades but the only thing that ever called to me was dance/theater and moving. my body in athletics So I didn’t accept any college admissions (I got into all) and I was going to just focus on being a commercial dancer.
I got a job at Urban Outfitters (thats where I met Chuy, he was my manager) and that summer a parent from my high school was grilling me about my future while I folded tshirts in the fitting room. I realized I might be making a mistake so I called up UCLA and thanks to my penis they let me back in. In dance there is a large disparity of male vs female dancers. I was accepted as one of 7 boys in a program of 112. So they gladly let me back in but my initial rescinding of my application made me lose my financial aid.
I won the Glorya Kaufman Scholarship for choreography twice at UCLA. Mostly out of need. I graduated 2 years early. Out of need because finances were so tight. Admittedly I was living in my car for the majority of my time at UCLA and staying on friends couches when I could.
I graduated Summa Cum laude with a BFA in World Arts and Cultures, a double minor in theater and kiniesiology and a few internships in the arts that would take me places for the next few years.
Dance/ Theater took me to Edinburgh Scotland, Tel Aviv, Israel, New York, DC, and basically every pride in North America.
I was still working at Urban and had moved my way up to a part time manager/and working security at Mickys in Weho but still pretending I was straight, or just not coming out as that layer would have been too much to handle for what I was already dealing with. On the way to work at Mickys I was rear ended in my car , but had no health insurance, so I went home. Then the next morning I woke up and couldn’t walk and on the way to the hospital I got rear ended again. 5 herniated discs, a bunch of torn tendons and muscle pulls/ broken ribs etc later I was now too injured to dance like I used to and needed pt for essentially the rest of my life.
I got desperate with no work and took a part time sales manager job at Aldo shoes at the westside pavillion. By my third day I was the assistant manager at Century City. Third week I was an ASM at Beverly Center one of the largest volume stores in the brand. By 6 months I was the store manager of Santa Monica and by the end of my career with them I was a district manager and overseeing product development and product assortment for the sunbelt market.
Aldo took me to San Diego, New York, San Francisco and the whole bay area, Hawaii, Brazil. and Montreal Canada.
The company filed for bankruptcy and I got let go just weeks before Covid.
Covid allowed me to regroup, refocus on dance and make the decision to be a full time freelancer. Rather than just attending parties I am now a major staple in queer nightlife. Rather than dabbling in drag I am now a full time drag performer. Rather than saying im an artist, I now support myself as an artist.
My contributions to nightlife go beyond the stage—I have produced some of LA’s largest and most inclusive pansexual parties, crafting immersive experiences that celebrate queerness in all its forms. My keen eye for event production, from concept to execution, has made me a major figure in the city’s underground and mainstream queer nightlife scenes.
I do production design/art direction. I am booking commercial work as an actor and model. I am featured on numerous podcasts and have a budding social media presence with many viral videos.
The one common thread is that I am always authentically myself. Unafraid to reference or not reference.
As a drag artist I go by the moniker Linda Recessionista with the tagline “wanna be beatiful, cant afford it” This blends my love of fashion and my ups and downs with finances over the years. Linda is known for her razor-sharp wit, explosive energy, and undeniable stage presence, captivating audiences with performances that seamlessly blend high camp, dance, and biting humor.
I have been able to overcome my tumultuous upbringing and use that experience to help me thrive in any economic condition!. Thats why I will always be a Recessionista.
Is my life perfect? not in the slightest, but I am doing what I love to do !
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My biggest obstacles and challenges are as follows.
Being a gay/queer man in this day and age and trying to date and find love when it feels like everyone is either already settled, in an open relationship and wants me as a third, or doesnt want to date a drag performer, someone they consider feminine.
Being Hiv Positive (undetectable) I still experience discrimination all the time. Especially on dating/hook up apps where I share that information to be transparent but am often met with keyboard warriors with no photos telling me why I should die.
Being a drag queen that started as a backup dancer. I was a dancer for many big queens. Once I transitioned to being a queen full time I sort of skipped the step of free drag competitions for baby queens. This has brought a lot of pushback from queens who think I am a baby queen and dont deserve the bookings I am getting. Drag is very oversaturated in LA and since RPDR and Dragula are filmed here and many of the queens live here and end up moving here it makes it really hard to succeed in a market that has exploded and now slowed for a variety of reasons.
I catch strays from random girls who most of the time dont even truly know what I do. The obstacle would be defined as cattiness in the drag universe, some not enabling others to succeed..
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a choreographer/dancer and have been since middle school.
I have been able to bring that work and combine it with my fashion background and create Linda Recessionista .
My drag chacter is a blend of fashion, camp and quick wit all rooted in the fact that I started drag in 2008 and started doing it full time in 2023 (both recessions). Being able to thrive in any economic condition is the core of who Linda is.
I host Bingo, Trivia and Loteria at various bars in the city. I host/emcee private birthdays/events, company meetings etc. I am a core cast member of the show Tuesicals at Precinct DTLA, a musical theater drag night. We are getting our own brunch called Brunch on Broadway starting April 13th! I also do other brunches and performances around the city and am one of the hosts of Joteria/Uncut at Kiso DTLA.
I still gogo dance ocassionally and am always auditioning for print and commercial work. Blending all of my theatrical talents.
I am most proud of my ethics and sticking true to my opinions even if it is not that of the crowd. I am known for being a nightlife personality that might not always look the most polished but I am always going to turn it out on stage.
What sets me apart from others is my life experience and real world job experience give me the professional edge that I dont feel all drag queens have. Im only late half the time. I know how to act professionally backstage and at a venue and the rapport I create with the staff (barbacks, bartenders, management etc) is what keeps me coming back because I am fun to work with!
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I feel my social personality and my gift of gab is most important to my success. In order to be successful in entertainment, nightlife, and really thrive in the Los Angeles scene you have to know people and be known. I have always loved meeting and getting to know people and have a very good memory for faces and names. In middle school i memorized the new faces book before starting (it had a picture and name of every student), and i came into day 1 knowing everyones names. They felt special when I said hi, and quickly everyone knew me as the one who remembered them. Almost every job that I have booked in my life has been because I met someone and that relationship introduced me to this friend, and brought me to this show, or this party, which then got me this job. Its like a big maze but the path is created for you based on connections.
That sort of currency is golden in a city like Los Angeles. Also whenever I travel I always run into people I met somehwere. Friends of mine joke that everyone knows me wherever we go. While this Is an exaggeration, it is something I am proud of. Making time to meet people and get to know them even if briefly in passing.
This type of network is also vital to being a performer, nightlife producer etc because it is a built in mailing list/ base of people who support you and want you to succeed.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krumpmasterkrump/ and https://www.instagram.com/lindarecessionista/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/krumpstar
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-krumpe-02116849/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@krumpstar/videos
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@krumpmasterkrump
Image Credits
Davide Laffe – All headshots drag and out of drag
Cassandra Plavoukos – flying photo in white suit – https://www.instagram.com/cplavoukosphotog/
Jacob Ritts – Yellow patterned jumpsuit- https://www.instagram.com/jacob.ritts/
