Talia Tucker’s Original Murder Mystery Debut: Dead Man’s Bluff

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By Ash Moon and Hannah Smith

“Welcome, ranchers, wranglers, and riders to the great town of Gritwood—a place born from dust, sweat, and sin. Out here on the edge of the frontier, justice is as slippery as a snake in the grass, traded like coins in back rooms, passed between outlaws and lawmakers alike.”

If you’ve been around the Denver scene for long, the name Talia Tucker L’Whor may be familiar. For years, this Denver-based drag artist has been a key part of the city’s entertainment community. From hosting dog fashion shows to themed holiday events at MeowWolf, Talia Tucker always has something going on. A key piece of her work though, and something that absolutely sets her apart, are her murder mystery parties. After having put these on for five years, on August 16 at Side Pony, Talia’s first original mystery, Dead Man’s Bluff, debuted.

After being able to participate myself, I was able to have a chat with Talia, the mind behind the murder, to gain some insight into her experience creating her own story and what it has been like, celebrating five years of the Murder Mystery.

What drew you to the murder mystery avenue? What makes that genre stand out to you?

I grew up in a family who, especially my mother, loved the genre of mystery and whimsical murders. It’s a core childhood memory that my siblings and I watched the first four original seasons of Scooby Doo many times over. As young adults, we were obsessed with the Sherlock Holmes TV and movie versions as well as Agatha Christie film adaptations featuring Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. It’s during this time that I really started to love the “murder mystery” genre and the who-done-it experience.

As many know, this is your murder mystery writing debut! A Talia Tucker original. Why did you pick the Wild West theme?

In my five years of hosting murder mysteries, I’ve worked with plots from a classic 1920s flapper, 1950s Chicago gangsters, 1600s masquerade ball, 1700s haunted castles, to modern-day inheritance mysteries. I’ve never encountered a Wild West murder mystery that I liked and, on the tails of Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter album and tour, the genre is topical. The key when deciding a murder mystery theme is choosing recognizable, staple characters. For example, if you hear “1800s Wild West brothel owner,” having a firm idea of what that character would dress or act like. The Wild West theme has such an influence on clothing and fashion that, even today, it gets people excited to dress up and take on a character.

What has your experience been like writing your own original mystery?

It has been fabulously rewarding. From my years of hosting mysteries, the hands-down best plot writer is Chelsea Opfer—the owner of Murders Incorporated. They inspired my formula for creating this event. I had already decided on the theme. I knew the structure I found most successful, but when it came to the motives/themes for murder I wanted to focus on “justice.” In this government, we are fraught with political scandals, corruption, and a hyper-fixation on personal power. I created a plot that mirrors the reality that systems of justice don’t work how they’re supposed to and money speaks more than someone’s guilt. The fun twist is bringing that to life in a world with someone who sees the broken system and takes justice into their own hands, even if it’s morally demonstrable.

Switching gears a little, to discuss your career as a whole, what’s one of the most meaningful interactions you’ve had since beginning your drag career?

I recently had a work vacation in Chicago wherein I ran into Zenon TeaVee, a now-New York, then-Denver drag queen, who offered me my first paid drag booking at Hamburger Mary’s Queen of the Mountain event in 2018. She stopped in the street, shouted “TALIA?!,” and walked across the road to say hi. We sat, talked about how our drag careers have progressed in the last seven years, and she paid a very kind compliment to how much I’ve grown as an artist, producer, and business woman since we’ve known each other. Ultimately, the most meaningful thing to me as an entertainer is when anyone comes up to me in day-to-day life to say “Hey, I saw you at _____, and I remember you.” I find life to be meaningless without some form of entertainment. For someone to walk up and share, “You entertained me. I felt something, and I remember it,” reminds me that I’m not always screaming into the void. Sometimes my passion and hard work means something to people, and I think that’s really special.

What does being a drag performer allow you to do or express when you are performing that you had not been able to before, or without, it?

Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Entertaining as a drag artist allows people to feel things that they may not get from normal, day-to-day interactions. It could be a political statement; it could be the joy of tears running down your face from laughing so hard; it could be something deeply personal and emotional. Ultimately, the art form of drag allows me to package a concept or experience into a feeling that, ideally, means something to someone.

How have you evolved and/or changed since starting your drag career?

I mean, it took me five years to correctly color match my foundation, wear earrings and put on mascara. So, you could say my “busted oatmeal eyebrows” are no longer served on the brunch menu. I think as an entertainer, I’ve always had a passion for being on stage/performing and as I’ve grown older, I’ve gotten better at developing a specific POV or style that best represents me. I’m a self-described glamor clown with a fucked up sense of humor and proclivity for pop culture, animated character impersonations. Take that how you will, but it brings me oodles of joy.

Who are some of the folks in your life that have been key to your journey?

There’s an impossibly long laundry list of people that have supported my artistic journey, chief among them is my drag mother, Jessica L’Whor. Jessica changed the face of Denver drag with her uncanny devotion to the art, her unique style of entertainment, and how she still brings the community together. Beyond that, she is a very supportive friend. I would not have achieved the things I’ve achieved without a professional vent buddy who knows the face of entertainment obstacles and overcame them. By nature, I’m a highly productive, highly stressed person and having a supportive, calming voice to quiet the choir of self-doubt I juggle is essential and what we have good people in our lives for.

What’s a piece of media you’ve been inspired by recently? A movie, artist, song, etc.?

I find Sasha Velour, my fellow kooky bald diva, to be a conceptual inspiration of how to create drag artistry in ways and places people haven’t seen before. She has a conceptual, driven performance style that hyperfixates on one specific element/character/prop and layers it into entertainment; something I find particularly admirable and try my best to emulate in my own work.

Now that you have your first murder mystery in the books, what has come up in reflection of it? How did it go and what are some takeaways you have?

The incomparable joy of hosting murder mysteries is to create an environment that allows patrons the safety to be fools and play. In adult life, everything is so serious and people don’t often have the permission to “play” in a childlike sense. When it comes to this event, I want to foster a space that normalizes being a fool and rewards being whimsical. Dead Man’s Bluff at Side Pony was a complete success. People committed to having fun and playing with their characters in a deeply entertaining way. From a writer’s perspective, I have some edits to the plotline I’ll make to clean up the plot and make it easier to follow along, but I’m immensely proud of this event and its result.

When looking ahead, and what’s next for Talia Tucker: What are some events you have coming up that you’re really excited about?

Oh golly gee I’m so glad you asked. Mark your books for our next murder mystery on October 23 from 7-9 p.m. in a brand new location at the Catbird Hotel! We’ll be bringing Dead Man’s Bluff back for all the talented people who missed the Side Pony show. Tickets are live! Otherwise, please follow me on the socials, @Talia__Tucker, or check out my website thetaliatucker.com for more fun, foolish adventures. Ta-Ta from Talia! ‘Til next time <3