Joey Arias has plenty of art left to give: 'I want to live to be at least 200 years'
toggle caption Ryan Benk/NPR News
At 76, cabaret artist Joey Arias' resume reads like the movie Big Fish. The tales are almost too tall to believe, but he's really done them all.
He's sold clothes to Spanish royalty, sung backup for David Bowie, performed at the 2015 centennial celebration for jazz legend Billie Holiday, and even played ringmaster for Cirque Du Soleil's first ever adult show.
But perhaps this creature of New York is best experienced in a small, swanky, and dimly lit club – the kind of place where you can cozy up to strangers in the safety of relative darkness, while leaving your problems at the door.
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A place like Northwest Washington, D.C.'s, Barrel House Cafe and Bar, where on a recent night, the petite Joey Arias slinked up to the stage on black leather high heels, sporting jet black bangs, deep red lipstick and a corset pulled so tight it's a wonder he can even breathe.
"I'm so happy. So honored to be here in D.C. Are you comfortable? Are you feeling sexy?" Arias asks with his trademark smirk.
It's best to go into your first Joey Arias show sans expectations. It's musical, sure, but it's not a concert.
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