GLOW JOB. — DavidXDaisy

I distinctly recall a Saturday night after TRADE Meatpacking at Cielo when I tumbled into the backseat of a car with a couple strangers on the way to the next kiki. The person next to me and I started gabbing away about drags and showz and having a gay ole time. They showed me photos of their makeup, which I remarked was one of the most unique faces I’d seen painted in quite some time. In this person I saw the kind of spark it takes to start making their way as an artist in clubland.

Today, Glow Job is well and beyond on their way.

From giving pole shows for Susanne Bartsch to starring in queer music videos to using her art as activism wherever she goes, Glow Job is a queen of many talents and a heart of gold that she exudes in all her work. As Zach, he can be behind-the-scenes producing experiential spaces for House of Yes and Pines Party or having the most fun in a crowded club on a Saturday night.

On my last excursion through NYC at The Q, I turned around on the dancefloor to see the bright, shining face of Zach, and it was the true cherry on top of a perfect evening! We were able to marvel at the new club together, and exit into the city just as we’d done at Cielo years ago.

I’d been wanting to do this little interview with them as soon as I was ready to write again, and I’m so happy they obliged. I proudly present a chat with Glow Job.

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DXD: How long have you been doing drag artistry and why did you start?

GLOW: I have been doing drag pretty solid for a little over three years now, though the pandemic definitely slowed it down a bit.

DXD: Where did you get the name Glow Job and what does it mean to you?

GLOW: My name in real life is Zach Job. I had been made fun of for my last name growing up – kids calling me blow and hand. I remember teachers even giving me the nickname Summer or Part-Time. Part-time stuck for a bit haha. But when I was thinking of it, I wanted to play off that. Also, my real mother’s name is Gloria and she goes by Glo. But for whatever reason no one had ever put her nickname and last name Job together. In fact, I really wonder if she knows that’s how her name sounds. So I took it, added a ‘W’, and got her blessing!

DXD: You have a very particular, fab face you paint as Glow Job. Is that something that developed over time and what drew you to painting that way?

GLOW: For whatever reason, my lips have pretty much stayed the same giant butterfly/prolapse looking shape. I think I like the balance it creates because I have to overdraw every feature on my face. When I first painted myself I definitely wasn’t as pretty as I had hoped. So I stayed in my club kid/clown lane. Over time she’s gotten more cute, but the Clown/Club Kid roots are still there, even as I experiment way outside the norm.

DXD: How did you get your start in NYC nightlife and why?

GLOW: I moved to NYC in ‘99 and caught the tail end of the mega-club era. As I squeezed my way into those doors, I looked around and saw no one really like me. I wasn’t really dressing up then, but it seemed like a world that wasn’t for me. I seriously LOVE to dance though, and I kept going, finding the next hot spot, and oftentimes going alone. The more I came into my authentic self, the more I started to express myself through clothing and makeup and glitter. I eventually started to get some attention, mostly because people all of the sudden thought I worked in those spaces. I was asked enough that I said, “Well, if they think I’m getting paid to do this, I should at least get in for free!”

Since then, I really decided that I actually needed to be in these spaces and be seen. I think representation and inclusivity are super important and the intersectionality of queerness/being Asian/being Gen Z/being Nonbinary, all of those things keep me aware of my role in nightlife.

DXD: In this new age of drag, what is it in the drag realm that now excites you?

GLOW: Drag is ever changing, and the newest challenge may be that it has become so mainstream! But all those Ru girls and the ones that aspire to be like them are flooding an arena that I am quite frankly down the street from. I love carving my own path and just now it seems I am finding some really good footing again! I am excited to perform once again with Susanne Bartsch and Co. for KUNST at Elsewhere on July 31st! Drag is like life - the possibilities are endless and I am constantly amazed that I can come up with some original ideas and make them come to fruition.

DXD: You also serve a gogo moment, can work a pole, and I know I’ve seen a drag mug with boy body at Jockstrap Night at the Eagle for their nerve! What excites you about blending and blurring the lines of femme and homme as a performer and a person?

GLOW: A couple years ago I really came to embrace my feminine side. Drag definitely helped me get there. And then last year, when I came to understand my non-binary identity, I started to honor my masculine side more. I am gender fluid when it comes down to it, so it’s no surprise that that comes across in my drag as well. Point blank, it feels good to explore and express. I feel hot!

DXD: Throughout the ongoing pandemic, I was so proud to see you use your drag to be an advocate for activism in the community. Tell us more about what that means to you and art as activism in general.

GLOW: I found myself feeling like I had nothing to show for my life once the pandemic hit. It felt like everything I was working toward was ripped away and would never come back. I realized quickly that I could still do drag, even if it meant to just show up to a protest, or perform outside, or online for a cause like GLITS or for city council candidates like Amit Bagga and Tiffany Cabon.

I have always used my art as a tool for activism, but through this last year I have amped it up even more. This is how I communicate and think it is a great way to think about the social issues around us today. Drag has a long legacy of being a part of the conversation and leading the change. I am honored to carry that torch and see the power behind it.

DXD: You also were struck by a vehicle while on your bicycle, heading to a protest nonetheless. How did that affect you physically and mentally and how has that healing process been?

GLOW: I definitely have been grappling with the idea of mortality more. Luckily I only broke my leg and clavicle and had some stitches that left a gnarly scar. But I healed remarkably fast, and within a month I was pole dancing in a music video for Bright Light Bright Light. My scars are still huge, but I also wear them with pride. I am blessed to have come out the other side and I can still live. It’s made me want to Live even more than I have. I appreciate life so much more. I want to Live it so much more. In fact, I have come to a new understanding and appreciation of my body as a whole too. I am currently honoring it by doing ALL THE THINGS! But specifically, I have thrown myself into Pole Dancing and Aerial, and at 39 I’m probably in the best shape of my life.

Photo taken at Black Trans Liberation March

DXD: So you recently starred in the Bright Light Bright Light video for “It’s Alright, It’s Okay.” It perfectly captured making the best of quarantine life. How was it creating that video both as an artistic team and as a personal expression?

GLOW: It was so cool because Rod Thomas really just wanted to capture me and my life. So it was filmed in my apartment, I put all the looks together, and we just kind of flowed with it as we were getting footage. Ironically I was asked to be in the video and sent the song the day I got in my accident. The song struck such a cord because I had just come to understand my own gender identity, which this song is exactly about. It spoke to me on so many levels. So, I was actually listening to it while biking and fantasizing about the video and BAM! But it was also the motivation to heal so quickly as well. I do not listen to music while biking anymore!

DXD: Pre-pandemic, you were working on some very cool parties around town. Tell us more about the spaces you aim to create and what plans may be on the horizon as restrictions are lifted.

GLOW: My goal with my party group Retro Factory has always been to bring together a diverse and inclusive group of people. Picture Jacob Riis beach, but at a club. Same amazing energy. I definitely want to continue to bring that community together, and I am trying to really place myself in areas where I am valued and where it feels good too. Luckily as the world has been opening up, I have been asked to get more involved with some of my favorite people/spaces/events like House Of Yes as a resident artist, with Susanne Bartsch as a performer and host, and collaborating with all my queer friends who are also back making magic. I am also excited to say we are in the works of creating an amazing event in collaboration with National LGBTQ Task Force in the fall. Stay tuned because it will be major!

DXD: What are you excited to just go experience in NYC as restrictions are lifted?

GLOW: Dancing gives me life. I have already been the first one on the dancefloor in a few parties post pandemic, and I have just raged by myself under the disco balls until the rest of the crowd pushes me out or out onto a gogo box! And just performing more! The energy out now with the audiences is insane!

Photo: Jeff Eason / Wilsonmodels Photography | With Iman Le Claire & Thee Suburbia

DXD: If you could go back in time to any New York nightlife institution, when/where would it be?

GLOW: I remember being infatuated with the Hiro party at the Maritime, or the Limelight in the early 2000’s for me. It would be interesting to see how I’d feel about it now, especially as I have come to own my presence and space on the dancefloor more. But also, Pyramid in the 80’s, Studio 54, and the Roxy. I went only once to the Roxy on closing day.

DXD: Top 3 things you love seeing at parties?

GLOW: Friends, a Pole or something to climb, and great lighting.

DXD: Top 3 things you loathe seeing at parties?

GLOW: Hmmm, I really don’t get pressed too much about anything, but I suppose lines for bathrooms, lines for the bar, and lines to get in.

DXD: Who is an artist that’s especially been inspiring you lately?

GLOW: Lil Nas X for taking space, Sam Doblick and Donna Carnow and Sam Star for their pole dance abilities, and Darrell Thorne for his artistry and creativity.

DXD: It’s Saturday night, clubs are reopening, and you’re not working. Where are you at just to have a good time?

GLOW: Hmmmm, definitely gonna see what parties are going on! But now I’ve learned to slow my roll a little bit and def enjoy a Riis beach sunset tour and bonfires into the morning!

DXD: Any advice you can share with all of us as we return to the dancefloor?

GLOW: I’ve heard from so many friends that there was a concern before the pandemic that 2020 was gonna be too much! I am glad I had that reset and pause, because I might have literally died on the dancefloor! I always suffer from major FOMO and want to be everywhere. So now, I pace myself and really make sure I am choosing which dancefloor to go to and arrive with intention. That’s my biggest advice. Make those experiences count and savor those moments on the dancefloor. Quality over quantity now. And hydrate!

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Glow Job, you are a true queen! Wise words, immense talents, and a lot of fucking hard work. Thank you for sharing your light with us.

Follow Glow Job on IG, and see her performing as Susanne Bartsch and Dreamhouse Present: Kaimin X KUNST at Elsewhere on July 31. You can also follow Zach at @theacrozach here.

Xx,