Thorgy Thor is the stage name of Shane Thor Galligan,[1] an American drag queen and musician who came to international attention on the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race and on the third season of All Stars.

Thorgy Thor
Thorgy Thor at RuPaul's DragCon LA, 2022
Born
Shane Thor Galligan

(1984-05-25) May 25, 1984 (age 40)
EducationUniversity of Hartford
State University of New York, Purchase (BM)
Occupations
Years active2003–present
Known for
Websitethorgy.com

Early life

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Galligan studied music at the University of Hartford Hartt School in Connecticut before graduating from the State University of New York, Purchase with a Bachelor of Music in both viola and violin performance in 2006. He also knows how to play the cello.[2]

His mother, Elaine Frantzen Galligan (born March 22, 1953),[3][4] died from cancer on March 20, 2005.[5]

Career

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Drag

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Thorgy Thor moved to Brooklyn in 2006 and considers herself a Brooklyn queen. She has said Brooklyn's drag style has contributed to her aesthetic.[6][7][8]

Galligan's first drag performance was as Frank N. Furter from The Rocky Horror Show. He was also Marvel Ann in the theater version of Psycho Beach Party.[6] His original drag name was Shananigans; as Thorgy Thor she won the LEGEND award at the 2014 Brooklyn Nightlife Awards.[6]

Having auditioned for Drag Race since season one,[9] Galligan, as Thorgy Thor, was announced to be competing on the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race on February 1, 2016.[10] She placed sixth out of twelve overall, losing to Chi Chi Devayne in the seventh episode.[8] Thorgy was brought back for the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars, revealed on October 20, 2017.[7][11] Thorgy got eliminated in ninth place by season 2 and 3 queen Shangela. Thorgy's response to being eliminated, "Oh Jesus, gross", was turned into a three-second video clip and became a viral meme.[12] During the show's finale, Thorgy Thor was the only queen to vote for Shangela, despite a previously rocky relationship.[12]

 
Thorgy Thor at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2022

Thorgy Thor appears with BeBe Zahara Benet, Jujubee and Alexis Michelle in the TLC special Drag Me Down the Aisle, which aired on March 9, 2019.[13][14][15] The special was expanded into a full series titled Dragnificent! which premiered on April 19, 2020.[16]

Music

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Thorgy Thor contributed to the albums Christmas Queens 2 (2016) and Christmas Queens 3 (2017).[17][18] She was out of drag in the music video for Trinity The Tuck's "I Call Shade" in February 2019.[19]

She has performed as an instrumentalist at Le Poisson Rouge, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. In 2018, Thorgy Thor and conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser created the symphony show "Thorgy and the Thorchestra", which was staged for the first time by Symphony Nova Scotia in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in conjunction with Halifax Pride.[20] The show blends orchestral performances of traditional and modern classical repertoire and contemporary pop songs.[21] The show was subsequently performed with other orchestras in Canada and the United States, including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Vancouver, British Columbia,[22] the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra in Charlotte, North Carolina, [23] and the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra in Kamloops, British Columbia.

The creation and debut of Thorgy and the Thorchestra are profiled as part of Disruptor Conductor, Sharon Lewis's 2019 documentary film about Bartholomew-Poyser.[24]

Filmography

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Film/Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2013 Getting Go: The Go Doc Project Herself Uncredited
2014 Mozart in the Jungle Season 3, Episode 9[25][26]
2016 RuPaul's Drag Race (season 8) Contestant (6th place)
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked
2018 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 3) Contestant (10th place)
2019 Drag Me Down the Aisle
The Queens
2019–20 Dragnificent! Also known as Drag Me Down the Aisle
2019 Disruptor Conductor
2023 Drag Me to Dinner Hulu original[27]

Web series

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2016 Bus Buddies Herself Guest, with Bob the Drag Queen [28]
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked Season 8 [29]
2018 Watcha Packin' Guest [30]
2020 Love Hotline Co-Host [31]
2020-2024 The Pit Stop Guest, 3 episodes [32]
2021 Out of the Closet Guest [33]
Purse First Impressions Guest (season 2); co-host (season 3) with Bob the Drag Queen [34]
2023 Glam Slam Contestant [35]
Very Delta Guest [36]

Music videos

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Year Title Artist Ref.
2017 "Let It Snow" Christmas Queens [37]
2018 "Where My Man At" Velo ft Manila Luzon and Eureka O'Hara [38]
2019 "I Call Shade" Trinity The Tuck
2019 "Yellow Cloud" Trixie Mattel [39]

Discography

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Singles

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Title Year Album
"Sitting on a Secret"
(RuPaul featuring Aja, Chi Chi DeVayne, Milk, Morgan McMichaels, & Thorgy Thor)
2018 Non-album single

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "All Stars | The Changing Face of Drag". allstarsdrag.com. Archived from the original on 2016-08-31. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
  2. ^ "The Queen of Classical Music Plays n' Slays on Violin, Viola & Cello | On WFMT". On WFMT. 2016-08-23. Archived from the original on 2018-02-20. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
  3. ^ @ThorgyThor (March 22, 2017). "Just want to say happy birthday to my mom. She died of cancer two days before her birthday 12…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ^ "Elaine Frantzen Galligan". Legacy.com. Newsday. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  5. ^ @ThorgyThor (March 22, 2016). "Yesterday was the 11yr anniversary of my moms death. Tomorrow is her bday. I love you mom. Think…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. ^ a b c Nichols, JamesMichael (2014-04-13). "Queer New World: Meet Brooklyn's Thorgy Thor". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-03-30. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
  7. ^ a b "'Drag Race' star Thorgy Thor wants you to support local queens". Newsweek. 2018-02-01. Archived from the original on 2018-03-21. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  8. ^ a b Nichols, James Michael (20 April 2016). "Last Words: Thorgy Thor Reflects On Her Time On 'RuPaul's Drag Race'". Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2018 – via Huff Post.
  9. ^ "Five Facts About Thorgy Thor". QWEERIST. 2018-01-16. Archived from the original on 2019-05-08. Retrieved 2018-10-14.
  10. ^ "The Cast Of "RuPaul's Drag Race" Season 8 Will Be Announced At New Now Next Honors". LOGO News. Archived from the original on 2016-01-16. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
  11. ^ "'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' eliminee 'bitter' after exit, teases 'dramatic' twist ahead". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2018-02-19. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  12. ^ a b "Thorgy Thor Takes Us Behind the Scenes of the Shocking 'All Stars 3' Finale". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2018-03-21. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  13. ^ "'Drag Me Down The Aisle' Is The New Drag Queen Wedding Show We All Need". scarymommy. 15 February 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-03-27. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  14. ^ "Your Favorite Drag Queens Are Starring in a New TLC Wedding Special". www.out.com. 2019-02-12. Archived from the original on 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  15. ^ "Thorgy Thor: Wedding special to be 'catalyst' for equal rights". UPI. Archived from the original on 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  16. ^ "Drag queens go all 'Queer Eye' in 'Dragnificent' on TLC". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  17. ^ Christopher Rudolph (October 31, 2016). ""Christmas Queens 2" Is Sliding Down Your Chimney With Alaska, Ginger Minj, Katya, Thorgy, And More". NewNowNext. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  18. ^ Christopher Rudolph (August 30, 2017). "Get Ready For "Christmas Queens 3" To Come Down Your Chimney". NewNowNext. Archived from the original on February 19, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  19. ^ Stephen Daw, "Trinity the Tuck Taylor Plots Revenge of the Nerds in New Video for 'I Call Shade': Watch" Archived 2019-12-26 at the Wayback Machine. Billboard, February 15, 2019.
  20. ^ "Drag Race All-Star Thorgy Thor makes her Thor-chestral dream come true". Gay Star News. July 30, 2018. Archived from the original on October 14, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  21. ^ Brandon Young, "Thorgy Thor hits all the right notes" Archived 2021-02-24 at the Wayback Machine. The Coast, July 26, 2018.
  22. ^ Alexander Varty, "RuPaul’s Drag Race star Thorgy Thor plays second fiddle to no one" Archived 2021-07-11 at the Wayback Machine. The Georgia Straight, June 19, 2019.
  23. ^ Devores, Courtney (January 16, 2020). "From 'Drag Race' to symphony stage: Thorgy bridges classical and LGBTQ culture". The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on April 8, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  24. ^ Nina Dragicevic, "Drag star Thorgy Thor brings her star power to the world of orchestral music" Archived 2021-05-11 at the Wayback Machine. CBC Docs.
  25. ^ "Watch Thorgy Thor Make Sweet Music On Amazon's "Mozart In The Jungle" | NewNowNext". www.newnownext.com. 3 January 2017. Archived from the original on 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  26. ^ Channel, The Violin (2017-01-10). "New York Drag Queen-Violinist to Join Cast of 'Mozart in the Jungle'". The World's Leading Classical Music News Source. Est 2009. Archived from the original on 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  27. ^ Rice, Lynette (May 1, 2023). "'Drag Me To Dinner': Hulu Announces Premiere Date For Unscripted Series From Neil Patrick Harris, David Burtka". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  28. ^ Bus Buddies: Bob The Drag Queen & Thorgy Thor | RuPaul's Drag Race Season 8 | Logo. YouTube. March 7, 2016. Archived from the original on March 1, 2023. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  29. ^ Untucked: RuPaul's Drag Race Season 8 - Episode 1 "Keeping It 100!". YouTube. March 8, 2014. Archived from the original on March 1, 2023. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  30. ^ Whatcha Packin: Thorgy Thor | Season 3 Episode 2 | RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 3. YouTube. February 5, 2018. Archived from the original on March 6, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  31. ^ Dean is a gay man who's only attracted to married straight men - he calls into the Love Hotline. YouTube. February 21, 2020. Archived from the original on March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  32. ^ Voss, Brandon (2020-03-14). "Thorgy Thor Has Thoughts on This Week's "RuPaul's Drag Race"". NewNowNext.com. Archived from the original on 2020-03-15. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  33. ^ "Thorgy: Clowning Around in Greenpoint - S5 E2". Youtube.com. 2021-11-15. Archived from the original on 2021-11-15. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
  34. ^ "Bob The Drag Queen & Thorgy Thor - Purse First Impressions RPDR All-Stars 6 EP1+2". YouTube. 30 June 2021. Archived from the original on 22 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  35. ^ @rupaulsdragrace (November 17, 2023). "With competition this stiff, these queens need to be prepped for ANYTHING" – via Instagram.
  36. ^ Moguls of Media (2023-09-04). Very Delta #60 "Are You Thorgeous Like Me?" (w/ Thorgy Thor). Retrieved 2024-08-11 – via YouTube.
  37. ^ Rudolph, Christopher (November 17, 2017). "The "Christmas Queens" Are On Santa's Naughty List In New "Let It Snow" Music Video". NewNowNext.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  38. ^ Dalton, Paisley (November 16, 2018). "WOW PREMIERE: VELO's New Album "Outcast" & Vid Feat. MANILA LUZON, VANESSA VANJIE MATEO, EUREKA O'HARA, DERRICK BARRY, Nebraska Thunderfuck & more!!!". World of Wonder. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  39. ^ Thorgy is listed as one of the puppet voices in Trixie Mattel's "Yellow Cloud" music video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwaHeZwfGB0 Archived 2019-05-22 at the Wayback Machine
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