(upbeat music) - When I was a little kid, we would always go to the circus and one time they were having elephant rides in the parking lot and one of the women who was handling the elephants in the show was sort of hosting it.

She was standing by the elephant in her costume.

It was like armor, like it was, it was just a different thing in real life.

The stones were much bigger than I imagined they would be.

You could just see how it was made and what someone had done to create that.

And I think about that almost every day.

(upbeat music) (gentle acoustic music) My grandma Henny used to call me Renaissance Man (laughs) and I liked it and I've sort of carried that on.

(gentle acoustic music continues) I just have an impulse to, well first of all, to save and collect things.

(upbeat music) I am a thrift shop maniac and, you know, it's all around me.

A part of thrift shopping for me is really the history.

I've learned so much about the way people lived and different priorities.

And even if I do these shy collaborations where I'm using embroidery someone else made and I add to it, I still feel like I'm connecting and collaborating.

People looking at the work can connect to it.

They can feel included.

Oh yeah, this is good.

This is Heather.

This is Susan.

Oh, how ironic.

This is the "Mother" pin.

(laughs) Fell off.

(laughs) It's a really cool one.

I'll get it back on.

(laughs) A few years ago, the RISD Museum purchased one of my pieces.

Connection happened actually through fashion and costumes that I make.

(upbeat music) Because I was in the process of making a book and my friend Todd Oldham was doing the photography for the book.

My fashion work is all House of Larreon.

I make all the costumes and gowns for Bridget Everett.

She is an absolute muse.

One of my slogans is "Poor taste is our signature."

(laughs) Earlier in my life, and you know, probably even up to now, I had a hard time finding myself in a masculine identity, like relating to other men.

But I'd started going to a bar where they played country music and I just, I loved it.

♪ And I still have faith, mm ♪ ♪ I do have faith ♪ ♪ In you ♪ (gentle music) - And I also was not out of a closet then either.

I was considering myself to be straight.

This world of country men was like inviting me to be my own self, but have it be presented as masculine.

And it was really, it actually was a way to bond with other men.

♪ But it's really who I am ♪ - People think sometimes when they hear that I'm doing country music that it's a joke, you know, or that I'm somehow maybe standing away from it and examining it, but no, I feel like I'm in it.

♪ Oh, you ought to see my heart ♪ ♪ Yeah you ought to see my heart ♪ ♪ It's got it's own thing going on ♪ ♪ It's very deep inside of me ♪ - I do consider myself an entertainer.

One of my monikers is artist/entertainer and I love it because it really pisses people in the art world off.

(laughs) It's like there's such a divide between art and entertainment.

It really dumbfounds people.

(laughs) ♪ One of my most beautiful parts ♪ ♪ So you ought to see my heart ♪ ♪ My heart ♪ (audience cheering) (audience applauding) - I really started to accept performance as more of a collaboration, too.

My performances have evolved.

From the beginning, I included my sister.

It was Larry Krone and Family.

It was my sister, and then also her husband Randy and then it expanded to include my now husband, Jim Andralis and other friends.

(soft ukulele music) I felt so ashamed of myself in the presence of my ancestors because of how messed up my family has become.

It's not been good.

(laughs) I got into a really bad fight with my parents about 10 years ago and then it carried on for a few years and I really tried to fix it and they just, a couple years in, they just sort of gave up.

You know, it felt like they gave up on me and they caused a real ripple in our whole family that we're still recovering from.

Yeah, so what a difference.

I mean, the title is inspired by this Ronnie Millsap song and it just, there's very few words in it.

It says, "What a difference you've made in my life.

You're my sunshine day and night."

♪ What a difference you've made in my life ♪ (gentle ukulele music) (audience cheering) (audience applauding) (Larry chuckles) - Thank you.

I'm sorry, this is so out of tune.

That wasn't exactly the most precious song, so it could stand it.

I like changing on stage.

I just wish I had anticipated this.

The idea often is that you're stripping down and you're becoming more vulnerable or more, you're getting to your real self.

I wish I thought to wear appropriate underwear, But at the same time there's a joke, which is that no matter how far down I go, no matter how many clothes I take off, each thing is always a costume.

You know, there's many of us in the LGBTQIA community, plus other people, (laughs) who we really struggle.

We find ourselves in this situation where the people who are the closest to us treat us the worst.

And many of us get to a point when we decide we don't need that and we can actually do what's easier.

We can love the people around us who love us back and make those people our family, so thank you.

Jim surprised everyone by playing the accordion on the song.

He came from the audience.

♪ Touching me then yesterday ♪ ♪ Was something that I never thought ♪ - And then I had a surprise choir that I'd planted in the audience.

(singers vocalizing) And then Bridget Everett came up and she sort of led in sort of this benevolent maternal image, just like leading the choir while I was behind there changing clothes, and I came out, we're all matching and we closed the show.

- [Interviewer] Do you miss her mom?

- Oh, god.

Yeah, I do.

I mean, I don't miss the person she is now.

I am very happy to be rid of her, (laughs) that one.

But no, I do.

I really, there's so many times, like I'll see a musical or something and like oh, this is just something that we would do together, you know?

Yeah, I do.

(Larry chuckles) Barbara Walters over there.

(laughs) (soft acoustic music) The idea was that, you know, I had succeeded in creating this family and that they were all just really there in the audience and we could create this music together.

(singers vocalizing) (soft acoustic music) I'm Larry Krone, I'm an artist/entertainer.

(chuckles)