The Flashback Files: Twiggy

Darrin Hagen

June 13, 2024
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Drag Legend Twiggy: Mz. Flashback 11, Entertainer of the Year VI, And Empress more times than I can count!

Footage captured by John Reid or whoever was free to run camera.

VHS videos digitized by Jim Bilodeau.

Thanks to Darrin Hagen and Chris Fassbender with the support of the Edmonton Arts Council and the City of Edmonton – Local Government here is a video that captures a few moments of the fun.

Funding for this story made possible by the Arts Council and the City of Edmonton

Darrin Hagen

Darrin Hagen is an award-winning playwright, author and LGBTQ historian. He has created many plays, stories and articles about our queer history, including Witch Hunt at the Strand, The Empress & The Prime Minister, and The Edmonton Queen: The Final Voyage. He also created the Queer History Bus Tour which ran for over a decade.

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Rob Browatzke – Part Two

Part Two: Rob Browatzke – Recovery and Evolution
In this second installment, Rob Browatzke reflects on his struggles with addiction and how it affected his work at Buddy’s, Down Under, and Boots. After the passing of the Boots Bar owner, he moved on to Prism Bar and the Junction Bar & Grill, eventually finding sobriety and a new sense of purpose. With support from his uncles, Rob helped launch Evolution Wonderlounge in 2013 — Edmonton’s premiere queer nightclub — and now shares how that legacy continues with the opening of EVO in the spring of 2025.

A powerful story of resilience, renewal, and the ongoing evolution of community.

People

Rainbow Story Hub
October 28, 2025
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3 minutes Read

Rob Browatzke – Part One

Part One: Rob Browatzke – Finding Community
In this first installment, Edmonton writer and community builder Rob Browatzke reflects on coming out in high school, his first night at The Roost nightclub, and the early challenges of finding acceptance. Rob shares stories of moving to Lethbridge for college and returning to Edmonton, where he worked at the Georgia Bathhouse, Down Under, Boots Bar, The Roost, and Buddy’s Niteclub. He also talks about his shift into community activism and media — from volunteering with the Gay Men’s Outreach Crew and Edmonton Pride Festival to helping launch Fresh Magazine after writing for Times.10.

A candid look at the spaces, people, and moments that helped shape one of Edmonton’s most enduring voices in queer culture.

The Flashback Files: Twiggy

The Flashback Files: Twiggy

Darrin Hagen

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Rob Browatzke – Part Two

Rob Browatzke – Part One

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