Daily Inspiration: Meet Andre Barnett

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andre Barnett.

Hi Andre, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Yeah! I think I’ve wanted to be an artist or performer of some sort for as long as I can remember. As a child all I wanted to do was draw- at home, car rides, restaurants, doctors offices, etc. Growing up, I would pick up different hobbies all the time, like teaching myself to play instruments to write silly parody songs, sewing makeshift purses for friends, or grabbing my camera and directing friends through music videos and short skits. The things that have stuck with me the most through it all have been music and dancing. In high school I started training in dance and would often choreograph group numbers for pep rallies and student showcases, and tried to play music at every open mic opportunity. All I wanted to do was express myself and create!
Things took a turn in college when my parents told me my only option for the future was to become a nurse and abandon my dreams of a creative career, or a “hobby job” as they called it. I tried hard to hold onto those parts of myself while navigating the demanding schedule of a major I had no internal conviction towards, but after my family found out about my queer/trans identity and threatened to disown me, I hid those parts of myself altogether. I secretly went out to gay clubs and punk shows, and performed as a drag king in my first drag show sophomore year. That performance changed me- I felt alive on that stage dancing and lipsyncing to Prince in ways I never felt before. It planted a seed in me, and the worms in my brain knew from that moment that I NEEDED to do drag.
I ended up getting married my junior year in 2016, and my life took a nosedive. I felt like I was living two separate lives- the one I was “supposed” to live, and the life and aspirations that I had for myself, tucked away in my daydreams. Luckily after graduating, I joined my first dance team and shortly after started teaching- first children’s classes, then adults. The only things keeping me alive were dance, and the dream that one day I would be able to do drag. I eventually got divorced in 2019, and moved around a lot afterwards as a result.
In 2022, I saved up enough money to move back to Long Beach, and was determined to live my own life and start performing. I eventually got hired for my first show at Redline that December, and from there things started to take off rapidly. I’ve been performing regularly, meeting other performers and building community, hosting, and producing ever since! It really does feel like so much has happened and my life’s work has led up to this, but also like I’ve only just started.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I think just getting to the road itself was difficult. The road being, living a life in which I valued my dreams, goals, and talents. Before that it felt like endless quicksand and a machete through the wilderness of other people’s projections and expectations of what my life should be like and how it should be lived, and what “success” is defined by. I’ve gone through many things that have made me feel powerless and left me questioning myself, my choices, and honestly my sanity. I still struggle with self-doubt and imposter syndrome, and mental health has been a lifelong battle. I’ve been in therapy for yearsss to unlearn the negative messages I was taught and to try and find my own self and voice amongst it all. I’m so thankful to art and the friends and community I have made along the way that have kept me grounded and given me hope in the future to keep doing the work and showing up, even when all I want to do is crumble. I think one of the biggest current struggles is how to navigate being a nightlife entertainer while covid is still running rampant and has affected the lives and health of so many people I know, including myself. Thanks to Airgasmic, a volunteer-led organization in LA that helps provide masks and air purifiers, producers like Mauro Cuchi, Chase Lounge, Them Fatale and I are able to host mask-required shows to help with protecting performers safety, but the majority of gigs and work opportunities don’t. It becomes a hard question of how do my dreams fit in this new reality, and how can we protect each other and continue to create art under a government and society that increasingly profits off of our sickness, silence, and compliance to the “status quo”? Anywho.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
People know me as Jack Doff- drag king, thing, dancer, jester, you name it. I bring stories to life through movement, makeup, music, and costumes. My performances reflect the wide variety of my interests and passions, from dramatic sagas of the rise and fall of pigeons in human society, tributes to classics like Spongebob, Old Gregg, and Sharknado, or satire of religious trauma and the cost of abandoning yourself. I am chronically hard on myself- a perfectionist and an overthinker- which can make life difficult, but can also lend to really elaborate and intricately detailed productions and performances. All in learning how to channel that energy for the right reasons in the right directions, I guess. I earned my first title at the SoCal Boyfriend Drag King Competition in 2023. In 2024 I began producing and hosting shows at Wood Coffee Co, the queer cafe I work at part time. I’ve been featured in an LA Times article and on the cover of Autostraddle magazine, I’ve started to travel and plan for future workshops and shows, and I currently teach local burlesque dance classes. I hope to continue being able to do drag, perform, and create spaces and art that help myself and others find joy and healing amongst this hellscape of a time we are living in. Drag has become my voice and strength, for all of the times I’ve felt unseen, unheard, misunderstood, or too much. I’m proud of how far I’ve come in my confidence as a performer and producer, and I’m damn proud of all the shows and fundraisers I’ve been able to help make happen. I couldn’t imagine a life without art, a life without drag- all I want to do is pour my soul into myself and others through this art form that has saved my life, over and over. I consider myself a Jack of all trades (pun built-in) and I look forward to continuing to develop my other crafts alongside drag such as music, videography, and choreography, and experimenting with the ways they intersect and lend to one another!

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Question everything. Question what your beliefs are, and who taught them to you. Question why art and sex and joy and exploration of expression are both idolized and demonized. Question what makes you uncomfortable, what makes you angry or ashamed. Question why difference is labeled as dangerous. Question what the dominant narratives are, who is in power, who controls what is defined as “normal” or acceptable. Question what safety means, who gets access to the resources that make that possible, and why. Find out what your values are, and find the people that inspire you to take action.

You get to find out those answers and what they mean to you. You deserve to figure it out. You deserve to be seen and take up space. You deserve to fight for yourself, to care for yourself, and to forge a path towards a better future for yourself and others.

Pricing:

• Dance Class: Sliding Scale $10-20
• Private lessons (dance, performance): $20-40/hr

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @kingjackdoff (drag) , @allmindmilk (personal)

Image Credits
– Ren Klein
– Chita Iriarte
– @abbymahlerphoto
– @lucamastrophoto
– Bianca Mehnert