The real-life Miss Foozie was out with some friends one night about 20 years ago and they were thinking of having a party, so he suggested his birthday—April 6—which was approaching as the ideal date. And since he worked at a bar in Boystown at the time and previously worked at others, they were convinced it would be a great, well-attended affair. ( Note: Miss Foozie preferred to keep her real name private. )
So, at Circuit Nightclub on April 6, 1997, Miss Foozie was created—on her alter ego's birthday.
"I walked into the bar and some of my friends pulled me to the back room and on a table was a wig, dress, jewelry and make-up—[that] was my first time to wear it and have it put on," Miss Foozie said. "At the time, I looked like a lady … well, it took a lot of work. As time passed, maybe an hour or two, I heard a lot of noise in the bar and one of my friends opened the door and said, 'You are not going to believe this, but the bar is packed; there must be 200 or 300 people here; you better hurry, Foozie, and get out here.
"I said, 'Foozie … I will be Miss Foozie. That was the beginning."
About a year later, a Foozie fan gave her a gift—a pink wig—and it was used, although now it's her legendary white wig.
"It's funny how the creation of my character was actually created by listening to the ideas and suggestions from my fans, which helped make who I am today, [including] the letter F for Miss Foozie, which is on almost every dress I have … and don't forget my pearls," Miss Foozie said.
Known to most now as just Foozie, her name truly is Miss Lucy Foozie—named such because of her love of the TV show I Love Lucy, she admitted.
Age?
You know that's not being revealed. She just said, "golden years … ageless."
She lives in Edgewater and admittedly is single, "and looking for someone to share my life with, but not in a hurry."
Of course, Miss Foozie is "gay and proud."
The character artist, hostess, animal lover, activist, entertainer, show director and producer has lived in Chicago for 19 years.
Miss Foozie used to have a Sunday show called "Miss Foozie and her Floozies," and then, after that, "Talk Foozie Show," with singers, performers, dancers, comedians, poets, story tellers, drag queens and more. "I believe that the reason it was so popular, and I am who I am, is because a lot of who I am is because of how I was raised and my love for humanity, animals and life," she said.
Miss Foozie is, without question, an icon in Chicago, an institution in our city, as famous as Sidetrack, as recognizable as anyone flying under the rainbow banner. She has been photographed and worked alongside such celebrities as Kathy Griffin, Cyndi Lauper, Lance Bass, Margaret Cho, Wanda Sykes and Kelly Osbourne, among others.
Still, she said she "never" thought notoriety would happen.
"Success is in your heart, from the day you are born, and if you believe in yourself than you will make it," she said.
Miss Foozie's high-octane persona is fueled by … pineapples, of course.
"This is a true story," she explained, when asked about her fabled tag-line 'Hey, Pineapple.' "When I was a younger Foozie, I would visit my Mom at work and she was a waitress. She would get so busy and they would be calling her 'Miss,' so my mom would reply, 'I will be right with you, Pineapple.' I thought, what a great and fun word to add to my character Miss Foozie and to honor my mom."
Miss Foozie, who spends up to $200 per outfit, now hosts Retro Foozie Bingo every Thursday at The Call bar in Andersonville, and every time she calls out "I-17," she does one of her fabulous and fun performances, she said, "and I always have a special guest performer every week, which gives a chance for more fun entertainment."
The inaugural Fooz-a-Palooza Day will be held Sunday, April 6, at Sidetrack in Lakeview, from 1-4 p.m., including a look-alike contest with celebrity judges.
"Miss Foozie dedicates her life to entertaining and bringing laughter into the world while bridging relationships within communities and beyond," she said. "It's really not about [the real me], the man behind Miss Foozie, I don't think anyone really needs to know [about me]; it's all about Miss Foozie, who is the real person everyone loves. But, the man behind the character is the same person with the same love.
"Fooz-a-Palooza was suggested by several of my fans and my fans are why I am here."
For more information, go to www.missfoozie.com .
