Patrick Corrigan on booty shorts, Lady Gaga and his alter-ego Celia Lips
Mon. August 12, 2019 3:53 PM by Ross Forman
Patrick Corrigan is the Scarlet Bartender who, admittedly, "wears crop tops, booty shorts, and is always shaking his ass on the bar."
But away from Scarlet, in his professional element, Corrigan jokes that, quite often, the first thing most say to the 26-year-old is, "Wow, you do actually own clothing," he said.
Corrigan, an Indianapolis native who has lived in Chicago for about three years, has worked at Scarlet as assistant manager and bartender for two years. He also is Assistant Coordinator of Commuter Student Life & Emerging Leaders Program at Loyola University Chicago.
He is openly gay and his boyfriend, Eric Perry, also is a bartender at Scarlet.
"I love coming into work. I get so much from the crowd—their dancing, shouting, singing, and just having fun," Corrigan said. "It hypes me up to give them that experience of a lifetime and, of course, I want to have fun with them. I love dancing on the bar and singing with the crowds. The small space of Scarlet makes it easy and fun to engage with the crowd. I always love when a customer comes up to thank me for making their first time at Scarlet so much fun. It's times like that that I never forget. It makes everything worth it."
He added, "I love working Sunday nights for The Takeover! with Brryce Fersher each week and we love The Monster Rave! We turn the bar into a black-light party and we wear our silver, sparkly (Lady) Gaga-inspired body suits. Nothing is more fun than dancing on the bar and singing at the top of your lungs with the customers to every Gaga song all night long.
"I also love meeting a lot of the RuPaul girls who come in for the weekends/viewing parties; getting to serve and party with queens like Silky Ganache, Kahanna Montrese, Shangela, and Nina West."
Especially since, at times, Corrigan transforms into drag diva Celia Lips.
Corrigan made his drag debut at Killer Babes at Atmosphere Bar, hosted by The Lady Ivory in February 2018.
She mostly performs at Scarlet.
"I love connecting with the audience. I try to make it a central point in my drag to involve the audience or interact with them beyond just collecting tips; I want them to feel my energy and express theirs, too," Corrigan said. "I love the ability to just be free (through drag). I feel like a completely different person when in drag and I love that I can express myself even more as a queen. From the moment those lashes go on and the wig is glued, I get this sense of immediate excitement; I just love getting out there to perform.
"I competed in Feedback for the first time last spring and won; that gave me more confidence in myself to perform."
Corrigan added, "I had the opportunity to perform as a drag queen (earlier this year) in a Trix at Scarlet Bar with my boyfriend Eric, aka, Poonani Jackson. This was his second time performing in drag and our second time performing together. We had the absolute best time. All of our friends came out, including my peers and professors from my Master's Program at Loyola. That was truly something to experience, seeing them in the crowd, cheering me on is something that I will cherish forever."
At The Bar With ...Patrick Corrigan
Favorite Chicago Restaurant: Pick Me Up Cafe
Favorite Chicago Pro Sports Team: Chicago Cubs
Favorite TV Show: Breaking Bad
Favorite Movie: The Titanic
At The Gym: He listens to Lizzo – "Anything to get me shaking those calories away."
Celebrity Crush: Jake Miller
Drink Of Choice When Going Out: Vodka Pineapple with two cherries
Little-Known Fact: "I'm an Eagle Scout and, yes, I did go to boy-scout summer camps."
Favorite Drink to Make: "I love a good Vegas Bomb – lots of liquor, goes down smooth, and will definitely get you in the mood to party."
Biggest Tip: "I once got $150 for a round of shots and was dared to kiss someone's mom for their bachelor party. I'm a weak case for mothers, especially fun-loving, supportive ones."
Drag Idols: "I'm a huge fan of Chicago's Drag dad, T-Rex, (who is) someone I look up to as an icon and role model. The way they can captivate an audience, hype them up, interact with them, and get them to support one another and local talent is second to none. I am also a big fan of Naomi Smalls, The Vixen, and Silky Ganache, who is a dear friend and classmate of mine from Wabash College."
Instagram: p_rez15
Boxers or Briefs: Jock Straps
But away from Scarlet, in his professional element, Corrigan jokes that, quite often, the first thing most say to the 26-year-old is, "Wow, you do actually own clothing," he said.
Corrigan, an Indianapolis native who has lived in Chicago for about three years, has worked at Scarlet as assistant manager and bartender for two years. He also is Assistant Coordinator of Commuter Student Life & Emerging Leaders Program at Loyola University Chicago.
He is openly gay and his boyfriend, Eric Perry, also is a bartender at Scarlet.
"I love coming into work. I get so much from the crowd—their dancing, shouting, singing, and just having fun," Corrigan said. "It hypes me up to give them that experience of a lifetime and, of course, I want to have fun with them. I love dancing on the bar and singing with the crowds. The small space of Scarlet makes it easy and fun to engage with the crowd. I always love when a customer comes up to thank me for making their first time at Scarlet so much fun. It's times like that that I never forget. It makes everything worth it."
He added, "I love working Sunday nights for The Takeover! with Brryce Fersher each week and we love The Monster Rave! We turn the bar into a black-light party and we wear our silver, sparkly (Lady) Gaga-inspired body suits. Nothing is more fun than dancing on the bar and singing at the top of your lungs with the customers to every Gaga song all night long.
"I also love meeting a lot of the RuPaul girls who come in for the weekends/viewing parties; getting to serve and party with queens like Silky Ganache, Kahanna Montrese, Shangela, and Nina West."
Especially since, at times, Corrigan transforms into drag diva Celia Lips.
Corrigan made his drag debut at Killer Babes at Atmosphere Bar, hosted by The Lady Ivory in February 2018.
She mostly performs at Scarlet.
"I love connecting with the audience. I try to make it a central point in my drag to involve the audience or interact with them beyond just collecting tips; I want them to feel my energy and express theirs, too," Corrigan said. "I love the ability to just be free (through drag). I feel like a completely different person when in drag and I love that I can express myself even more as a queen. From the moment those lashes go on and the wig is glued, I get this sense of immediate excitement; I just love getting out there to perform.
"I competed in Feedback for the first time last spring and won; that gave me more confidence in myself to perform."
Corrigan added, "I had the opportunity to perform as a drag queen (earlier this year) in a Trix at Scarlet Bar with my boyfriend Eric, aka, Poonani Jackson. This was his second time performing in drag and our second time performing together. We had the absolute best time. All of our friends came out, including my peers and professors from my Master's Program at Loyola. That was truly something to experience, seeing them in the crowd, cheering me on is something that I will cherish forever."
At The Bar With ...Patrick Corrigan
Favorite Chicago Restaurant: Pick Me Up Cafe
Favorite Chicago Pro Sports Team: Chicago Cubs
Favorite TV Show: Breaking Bad
Favorite Movie: The Titanic
At The Gym: He listens to Lizzo – "Anything to get me shaking those calories away."
Celebrity Crush: Jake Miller
Drink Of Choice When Going Out: Vodka Pineapple with two cherries
Little-Known Fact: "I'm an Eagle Scout and, yes, I did go to boy-scout summer camps."
Favorite Drink to Make: "I love a good Vegas Bomb – lots of liquor, goes down smooth, and will definitely get you in the mood to party."
Biggest Tip: "I once got $150 for a round of shots and was dared to kiss someone's mom for their bachelor party. I'm a weak case for mothers, especially fun-loving, supportive ones."
Drag Idols: "I'm a huge fan of Chicago's Drag dad, T-Rex, (who is) someone I look up to as an icon and role model. The way they can captivate an audience, hype them up, interact with them, and get them to support one another and local talent is second to none. I am also a big fan of Naomi Smalls, The Vixen, and Silky Ganache, who is a dear friend and classmate of mine from Wabash College."
Instagram: p_rez15
Boxers or Briefs: Jock Straps