"God Knows I'm Good" ; Billy Orchid 1945-1979 [Cockettes founder]

San Francisco: City Printers, 1979. First Edition. Beige quarto with black pictorial printing; 16 loose pages; 28cm; includes yellow flyer for Orchid's memorial and "Hamburger Mary's" matchbook All items near fine; some light edgewear to quarto; clean and bright. Ephemera.

Rare. Exemplar #35 of 100 printed. No copies located in WorldCat. Includes original poetry by the author-artist. “Billy Orchid” was the stage name of William R. Schademan (1945–1979), active in San Francisco’s vibrant psychedelic and drag-performance scene. He designed at least one notable offset lithograph poster for the legendary drag troupe The Fabulous Cockettes—a 1972 piece that measures roughly 17½ × 11½ inches. Beyond this, there’s scarce documentation detailing the broader arc of his life or artistic output—no exhibition catalogue entries, audio recordings, or interviews have surfaced so far. However, a Flickr post spotlighting “Billy Orchid and Legendary Drag Entertainer” confirms his role as a dear friend within the Cockettes community and highlights his presence in a 1976 “Pristine Condition” calendar .From these fragments, one can piece together that William R. Schademan, under the name Billy Orchid, lived in San Francisco, embraced drag artistry, and produced psychedelic visual art linked to the countercultural ethos of the early 1970s. "Founded In 1969 By William R. Schademan, The Cockettes Were A Popular And Successful San Francisco-Based Performance Troupe. Their Overall Ecclectic Vision Augmented By Elaborate Costumes, Music, Imagination Combined With Hippie Psychedelia Had Catapulted Them To Local Stardom And They Were Considered The Darlings Of The Bay City Counterculture. Their Fame Led To A New York Tour In 1971." —Swann Auction Galleries