Cary NoKey

By:Jamie Wirth

Pursues The American Dream” As Opening Act on RuPaul’s Drag Race Battle of The Seasons Tour 

“Today’s American Dream isn’t about achieving goals. It’s about doing what you got to do to get by,”  says Cary NoKey frontman Rob Fusari. “No one wants to earn anything anymore. We expect everything to be handed to us. The new American dream is a lottery ticket.”

Before launching Cary NoKey, Fusari (who goes by the name Cary now) was a famous record producer. Most notably, he produced Lady Gaga’s Grammy-winning “The Fame” album. 

He also produced smash hits for Destiny’s Child (“No, No, No” and “Bootylicious”), Whitney Houston (“Love That Man”) and Will Smith (“Wild Wild West”).

“On the outside it seemed like I had everything, but I was never able to understand or accept certain elements that existed in me,” he says.

Everything changed once the dormant, decadent rockstar awakened and Cary NoKey was born.

Cary NoKey is more than a musical experience. It is a visually mesmerizing show featuring punked-out, Elton John-esque piano skills and explosive keytar riffs.  The music is a roller-coaster ride through the ‘80s with influences from Prince, David Bowie, Thomas Dolby and a touch of ‘90s Kurt Cobain. Fans of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will get to experience it live when Cary NoKey performs Irving Plaza on March 5. He’s the opening act for the “RuPaul’s Drag Race: Battle of the Seasons” Condragulations Tour.

“American Dream” is the band’s third release. It has a saturated, gluey sound – as if recorded on two-inch tape – and offers a gut-wrenching commentary on the bleak state of the American dream.

The one group Cary excludes from society’s rampant acedia is the trans community. He points to them as the few still willing to fight to obtain their desire. It’s why he chose to feature trans actresses Trace Lysette, Dina Delicious, Victoria Beltran and Bailey Jay in the music video for “American Dream.”

“Transsexuals represent the larger idea that the American dream is something within, like when Glinda the Good Witch says to Dorothy after she clicks her ruby slippers, ‘You’ve always had the power.’ Pre-transitional transsexuals know they have to fight to release the truth that hides beneath the uniform the world forces them wear. The moment we each find our own personal ‘I have to’ is when life really begins.”

That is how it has been for Cary.

“Cary NoKey was always there inside,” he says.  “I simply needed to find the courage to embrace my glam American Dream.’

Cary NoKey performs Irving Plaza on March 5, part of the “RuPaul’s Drag Race: Battle of the Seasons” Condragulations Tour.  Tickets are available for purchase at RuPaulBots.com. To learn more about Cary NoKey, visit CaryNoKey.com.