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Miscellaneouslee profile [AI Text]

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I am Maori, Chinese and Scottish. I come from Auckland, Born and raised in Auckland. I come from a family of four and a huge extended family. What's your earliest memory of someone else being gay? Someone else? Probably in the music scene in the eighties. I really didn't know that they were gay. The term gay. You know what I mean? I just thought Oh, that looks exciting. It looked dangerous, but it looked like fun. [00:00:30] Yeah, Queen Village people so larger than life. You know, um, big costumes in the colour. I think the colour is what drew me. And what about in your own circle? So, like, um, family, wider family or friends? I mean, did you know anyone who was gay then? Not so much. No, not that they were out. Uh, in 70. I didn't know that the term [00:01:00] that was the term that was to be used. Um, so I had no idea. I just thought what I what I was going through was normal. What were you going through? Uh, I suppose an identity because I I knew where I fit in the family. But as far as my sexual identity was concerned, I didn't know where I fit because the Norman a Maori family. As you get married, you have three or four Children. You know, you give, you give the grandparents. [00:01:30] Hm. And I didn't fit into that because my brother was married getting married. My sister was married with a child and being the third child in line with it. Mm. No, that's not for me. So, what kind of age did you start having those kind of thoughts? Oh, quite early on. Um, I actually not so much thoughts. I had an experience, probably when I was [00:02:00] nine or 10, and I thought we were just playing around. You know, one thing led to another and and something happened, and I thought, Oh, and at first I didn't quite really know how to take it, So I sort of just brushed it off and thought childhood experience, you know. But then it came up again in my teens, and I thought, Oh, you know, I quite like that. I thought Oh, and I thought, Why should I fight it? [00:02:30] That was in my teens. So I think probably the first experience would have been nine or 10, but I would have had, Um I remember having having thoughts of what they called gay thoughts Now, probably when I was five or six. You know, looking at. And I remember my uncle used to have, um, Penthouse magazines, and I used to when we used to go to his house, I remember reading them or looking [00:03:00] for the at the pictures. And I thought, Oh, and nothing used. Nothing used to happen to me when I looked at the picture of a naked woman. But when the when a picture of a naked guy came, I went Wow, you know? Well, there is a big world out there, isn't there? So it is big. So did you have, uh, trouble accepting that side of you, or was it just a natural thing that you said? Oh, well, it was all very natural. I didn't fight like I didn't fight against it. And [00:03:30] did I have trouble accepting it? Well, I suppose acceptance comes in many different forms, so no, not not as such. I, I suppose. Now I'm contradicting myself, I suppose. Yes, in a way. With regards to my family and my parents, I didn't want to disappoint them. And because my brother was having Children, my sister was having Children. And I was like, Oh, well, they've got enough grandchildren anyway. So [00:04:00] So I suppose in that respect, though, I I did have trouble. Can you tell me a wee bit about the, uh, cultural differences of homosexuality? Say, like in a in a Chinese family or a Maori family. What are the, uh, I mean, is homosexuality kind of accepted? Hm? I think, historically in Maori. Um, a lot of the a lot of the chiefs did have a, um they call them. So they were like a support for [00:04:30] their chief, so to speak. Because a lot of the old chiefs they couldn't do a lot of, like, everyday tasks like feed themselves clean themselves that was left to predominantly, but And Maori? Is it accepted? Outwardly? Yes, inwardly. Probably not. I think once you get a lot of the old Maori on a situation that probably won't be accepted. But in saying that, [00:05:00] um, homosexual Maori always brought forward to do the so do the singing. We're always in the kitchen doing the cooking, setting the tables. So the the supposedly female roles Yeah, So in that respect? Yes. Accepted. But that will lead to society. Probably not Chinese. I really don't have an inkling into the Chinese community. Um, as such my family, sort of my [00:05:30] father's family. So I don't have that insight into a Chinese family. Sorry. So did you have a kind of a coming out process or a coming out coming out coming out, coming out? Not as such I spoke to and this might be quite common, but I spoke to my mother first. I told her that I was gay and, you know, I was working at the hotel in town, and so I was on the graveyard shift. I told Mum in the morning before, you know, before I went to sleep, told mum, [00:06:00] and then I went to the graveyard shift. I came home that night and Dad was sitting on the end of my bed Now. Holy shit, what's going on here? And then he said, Oh, look, Mum and I had had a talk and she told me what you told her, and it doesn't matter. We still love you. You're our son. And that's all I wanted to hear, you know, at the end of the day. So as as far as coming out, it wasn't so much traumatic for me. I had built up, I think, in my own, all the dramas in my own head [00:06:30] because I had heard about other people's coming out and how tragic and sad they were. And I thought, Oh, my Lord, what's gonna go on? So you always think the worst scenario and think so when whatever does happen, you think Oh, OK, well, it wasn't really that bad, so it wasn't a bad coming out at all for you was family acceptance an important thing? Huge, hugely, hugely important. Predominantly my immediate family like parents, brothers [00:07:00] and sisters. Bye, my mother from the Maori side. Her family was so accepting it wasn't funny. You know, they just and a lot of them said a lot of the art said we knew. We knew you didn't need to tell us. And I thought, Oh my gosh, go through all that drama and you're only here for years and to be told we already knew. But that's the difference between I suppose, the cultures, the Maori and the Chinese side. Yeah, and what age were [00:07:30] you then Oh, working in a hotel. So about 9. 18. 19, I suppose. And I don't know really how it came about for me to want to tell my parents. I suppose it was that acceptance and to be true to who you are. So can you paint a picture for me Of what it was like to be, uh, a 19 year old? Uh, just kind of newly out. And we're talking about the late eight eighties. What was it like? [00:08:00] It was, um, offhand. What I can think of first thing that comes to mind was exciting. Um and yeah, I, I admit it to late eighties. It sort of quite frightening as well, in the same respect. That's exciting. But I think those two come hand in hand now. Um, So I was being Maori Chinese. I've always had to fight at school because I never felt into the Maori box because they don't look predominantly Maori. Um [00:08:30] and I don't look predominantly Asian either. So I get I've been fighting Not not so much fighting, I suppose. Just I suppose, dabbing on both sides. But the Maori, the Maori community never fully embraced me at school Neither did the Asian community, so I really didn't fit them either. So I just started up my own group. So at school, were you bullied? Um, at any point, because of your sexuality, not so much sexuality and more [00:09:00] so ethnics. Like I said before because I didn't fit in the Maori community and it wasn't so much bullied, It was sort of, I don't know, it wasn't like bully Today is is quite serious, though, Um, I suppose it's just more of a teasing jibing sort of carry on. And they all did it with sort of a grain of salt, I suppose, like they'd laugh about it a straight afterwards, [00:09:30] and it wasn't anything too serious. I mean, that's just how it was. And I didn't see it as bullying because I had two older siblings at that school and a younger sibling, and it really wasn't wasn't an issue, really. What kind of things would they say? Yeah, like you useless Mary, uh, open your eyes and my eyes. As you can see, my eyes aren't slanted. Are they more narrow? Those sorts of things. [00:10:00] How did you kind of cope with that stuff? Laugh it off. Or like, I used to play water polo. So sports, um, joined social groups. We had, uh, a Maori group. So I found I suppose I found safety in numbers. Um, not and I'm not saying that I had a a group of gay friends around me. It was just a a group of good friends, good [00:10:30] mates that I had probably set the foundations in intermediate school right through. You know, the late eighties, uh, we we had just had the passing of the homosexual law reform. And also, uh, HIV aids, uh, had been with us for a number of years. Did either of those things impact on you? Uh, the homosexual law reform for sure gave me the freedom to be out who I was in the eighties. Absolutely. And I need to acknowledge [00:11:00] those that fought for, for our rights for that with respect to the reform here. Um, yeah, it just and it just allowed me to be me, you know, without any legal constraints. Yeah, during law reform, Did you protest or did you do any kind of actions? I mean, were you politicised? Not at all. No, no, not at all. And I didn't [00:11:30] really catch on to that side of Of of so-called gay life. It just didn't appeal to me. And I suppose it wasn't as colourful as what I thought other parts of the community were. What about HIV? A I DS Yeah, um, that was That was a scary time. And I lost about three or four friends in the eighties of through AIDS. I went, and this one in Sydney. [00:12:00] It's quite hard for me sitting here in 2013 to kind of try and imagine what it would have been like in those early years of HIV aids. I mean, are you Is it possible to to paint a picture for me of, um because I mean, you were 18 19, weren't you? Yeah, it was probably a picture of fear for a lot of the gay community. Yeah, and so much and so called straight community. Because you as a gay man, you are a a [00:12:30] brother, a father, a son. You know, you're so many other things than just being a gay man. So I think all communities are affected by HIV, not just the gay community. But the picture would have been one of dread. One of fear. Um, there was a lot of stigma because you'd see someone walking down the street and go to and you think, Oh, and it wouldn't be said it would just be whispered, but you can see what they were whispering, you know, I thought, Oh, that's not a nice [00:13:00] thing to see or to be a part of. So it was one of dread and fear, and but, you know, society and the media had a lot to play with that because they I think they blew it up and called it the gay disease in the eighties because you had people like Freddie Mercury. It was quite out and proud about it, too, and a greater role model for our community. But still [00:13:30] you society had that stigma, and it's still like that today. It's just very quiet, you know, it's they still say beneath their breath when they see you. If you got someone walking past, you go, they go, You know, they go look a and people go, Oh, he might be thick. And as soon as you they they think you're sick if you look sick and if you If they knew you were gay, they automatically thought you've got AIDS, not HIV. You got AIDS [00:14:00] the year the picture would be one of fear, I suppose. But still exciting in the eighties. Yeah, because you've got the flip side of fear A which is joy and and happiness. So do you think that's what happened in terms of, you know, if there's a lot of fear going on, then there's kind of a lot of kind of access in terms of joy, and and I mean, that makes perfect sense. Because if you think that, like a lot of the community, like I remember my mate Rudy, [00:14:30] he said, Oh, well, it doesn't matter. I'm gonna die. So everything was in excess, you know? And I think the gay community is like that. What I what I've seen and what I've been involved in its success or nothing Access, Sorry or nothing. I wonder also, um, one of the things with people up here in is that, um quite a number of these people are are young. Absolutely. Yeah, and so it's quite unusual to see kind of somebody [00:15:00] in their late twenties really gaunt. But see a lot of it was passed off as cancer in the eighties. A lot of it was like we had a couple of staff and I was managing a restaurant here in Auckland and they said to me, Oh, look, I'm gonna leave. I'm gonna resign I said, Oh, what's going on? He goes, Well, just between like they tell me just between you and I, we're not telling you the stuff. And I said, Not a problem. That's That's your life, you know? But then they [00:15:30] say, Oh, look, just to that I've got cancer. So it was even being perpetuated from the gay community as well, you know, And it's cancer. Even today, cancer is still accepted, isn't it? And people go, Oh, you poor thing with cancer. They don't say that about people. They they and I say, poor thing you get so that stigma is very much alive. And what about your introduction to drag? When when did you first start looking at the [00:16:00] introduction to drag? Would have been about mid mid eighties. I'm thinking mid eighties I was living in town with There was three of us. We just thought we'd experiment One day. You know, And we did. It was me, a huge guy, and I thought, surely not, but, you know, we saw what? Who do we see? We can I give names. We saw Buckley be the Bambi, right? The three of them. And you've got [00:16:30] Giant, Medium Giant and Little Giant And wow. And that was just so exciting to us to see that. And my mate said, Should we go? Yeah. And I was thinking and I remember thinking in my head Oh, what a lot of ring. You got to get this and that. And because that just doesn't appear, does it? That just doesn't happen overnight. And you think, Oh, there's so much planning involved. So we thought we'd give it a go. We did. We did the hero parade down Queen Street, so I don't know what year [00:17:00] that was. That would have been, uh I think that could be early nineties because they didn't start hero the nineties. I could be right too. I'm a bit skew with my date. So, um, but we did that. The hero parade down Queen Street. There was three of us. We had the same outfit on just different colour. fabric And we had this huge big head pieces which we made in in the flat. It was just amazing. So all of that preparation getting ready, making [00:17:30] it because we made the costumes. Yeah, we made the costumes. We made the head pieces all in the flat and all that time we bonded like, say, I say two or three weeks prior to the parade, you know, getting ready in Maori, we call it because you're it's when you're getting ready for an event like a, um, a feed or or anything you get a a lot of people around you and you, you do know the preparation for the for [00:18:00] the feed and by doing all that you're talking, you're singing, you're telling stories. That's what we call the same thing for this. We had those probably three or four of us in the fit, constantly working on these outfit. It was just amazing. And the energy in the, you know, was just electric. Talk to me about that. That that whole process of why it's important to to have that time where you're telling stories and interacting Uh, it's all it's all. It's all that bonding time that [00:18:30] you're sharing. And you all three of us were hitting for the same goal so that when we were marching down Queen Street, we looked like a unit, uh, one unit rather than 33 people walking down the street in the same costume in different colours. So by spending all that time together and making the outfit from scratch, we became one unit. So walking down Queen Street, that's what you saw was the one unit and people were and still today people mention I remember you were back [00:19:00] in the hero braid. Oh, wow, he goes, Yeah, that was the best. Pray that ever was, I suppose because it was new too, wasn't it? So where do you begin if you've never done drag before? I mean, how do you even go about thinking what what you need and how you do things? So what we saw, like I mentioned before, we saw Ber of Buckley. Bambi, you got the three. And on mas, it looks so effective. That's what we thought. And because of buck with bam there, [00:19:30] we download it in the stages. Uh, what did they have? But they all had, like, different outfits on still very much themselves. So we just thought, OK, we need a costume. So we just sat around One day he said, Oh, you, you draw what we what you want to wear I said, You I said, Help, help me. So I drew the the bottom part, like the pants I I we we argued for about not argued, discussed about for an hour and a half of [00:20:00] because the other two didn't want to wear, um, pants. They wanted to dress and you can do drag in like trousers with, um, flares. I said, Oh, because you know a lot of the conception of drag. Well, I think my early conception of drag would have been full length dress covered from head to toe, nothing showing but your face. So that's what that's what my mates wanted [00:20:30] was the full length sequence number. Oh goodness May. Can't we do something a little bit more exciting? But then the year following the first er we did, we all did full length sequence, and I thought I had to give give in to my mates, you know, because I thought I got my way, so to speak in the first one and made We made trousers, flares, um, crop tops with flay arms and a huge, great big headpiece because the silhouette was just like, big [00:21:00] up top, coming right down to really, really slim and then flare out again. So it was that whole, um I suppose elongated feminine shape, wasn't it? But that's the look that I was going for, and that's what we achieved. But where do you start? Well, you you come up with a concept concept, um, concept fabric outfit, and then all this was like hair and makeup, and it's quite a major. It just doesn't [00:21:30] just happen. And I used to admire, like the likes of Ood Booth and Bambi because they were just you'd look at them and go Wow, because you can see, like, you could appreciate the amount of work that went into creating this Wow. And it's not just about the kind of the the outward appearance, but it's also a mental shift how you hold yourself, how you move your hands and arms. And [00:22:00] how did you go about transforming yourself? All of that was a learning learning process. So the first time we did it, we went so I don't suppose we were that conscious of it. We just thought we were guys dressing up in a frock and having a good time, so to speak. Didn't think about the mannerisms, the, um even the mental shift. No, I suppose we did think about it, because [00:22:30] I remember, um, this guy came up to me and said, God, you're beautiful. But you got big hands, so to speak. And you can't do anything about a man's hands, can you? I mean, everything else you can cover with with, um, fabric or accessories, but your hands, at least you got gloves on, I suppose. Um, but yeah, he said, Oh, you're beautiful. But except for your big hands, and I don't think I've got very big hands at all, but And when an outfit is quite tight fitting, I suppose the hands look quite [00:23:00] large. And what about heels? Did you wear heels? Yes. Our heels we got from I think we asked around, you know, um, a couple of the the the drag queens ever on the scene, and they said, Oh, you know, because a lot of them were more than happy to give you some tips and give you their old stuff. You know, second hand. Well, not second hand, I suppose. Just hand me downs, But we will gladly, gladly take them. So he [00:23:30] was, um You either, But must see my mate was a size 13 shoe. And in the eighties, they didn't have shoes that size. I remember we went out to Idaho to a Pacific island shop where they sold the big shoes because the Pacific Island women had big feet. Apparently, um, and he got a pair of shoes there, but they were, like, low heels sort of thing. But it's all for the effect, wasn't it? You know, so he didn't mind, so yeah, just either. Source it from, [00:24:00] um friends, drag queens, family asked. I asked a couple of aunties if they had any old shoes they didn't need. What do you want them for? A boy? I said, Oh, my friend. My friend wants them. Oh, OK. Have a look at my room. Had you ever worn heels before? No, I think I. I remember trying the money trying moms on when I was a kid. Probably about five or six. Curiosity, [00:24:30] you know, But I thought, Oh, my gosh, no way. And you know, that was the one thing that I was sort of not afraid but anxious of was the shoes high of the shoes and Oh, no, Nice God, how embarrassing. So I was I was anxious about the heels, more so of the embarrassment factor. Mm. And I thought, Well, if I could [00:25:00] make a feature of some other feature of me, so to speak, people would look at that rather than say, you know, try and disguise because ja is about disguising your your not so good bits and emphasising your good bits. Well, that's what is to me. So what were you emphasising? My eyes, My skin colour? Because I'm quite olive or I'm Olive. But in summer I go really, really dark. So I play on the on the good parts, you know, good features. [00:25:30] Was doing that first hero parade the first time you had been out in public and drag. No, I don't think it was. We used to go. Now when I say we there was three of us we used to do. Um, do you remember that club up in street was a predominantly Pacific island club. So we would go up there and see because the Pacific island community is a lot more accepting [00:26:00] why that is. I'm not. I don't have an insight into the Pacific Island community, but they were more accepting. And a couple of our friends would say I come up to the club with us so we'll just go up there and that That's for the first time I had to drag up there. Loved it. I loved the attention that I got from from the supposedly straight men with their wives. I got I love the attention from the woman because I was slimmer than them, you know? Look at this. Look at this. Slim bits. They go. Oh, [00:26:30] and they got look at his skin. So I loved all that attention. But your question was the first time I did Dr Would have been at the Pacific Island La Panin Club in Auckland, and it was a blue sequence or green sequence. Can you remember the feeling initially getting ready? I was I was quite anxious, Um, first time and all so but excited [00:27:00] and my my mates would say, I know you look great. It's like everything was about boosting their confidence. Hey, so and you have free drinks for Dutch carriage. And the feeling when I walked in when we walked in the club was like we were on the red carpet. I the whole club doesn't because we were, I suppose, new to the scene, so to speak. And my, my, um my mate, a tall, tall guy, quite broad. And I'm not so tall and and quite [00:27:30] small framed. And then wow, look at that. Ok. Wow, look at that. So I love the attention. Yeah. You were saying earlier that, um, other queens would give you tips and even kind of hand me downs. Was there much competitiveness within the kind of queen scene? Yes, there was. And that sort of contradicts what I said about sharing, doesn't it? But the competition was more so, um, outwardly. So [00:28:00] what do I mean by that? What it was how many of the straight guys you could get around you, so to speak. And I suppose that came from like, if if one of the drag queens would give you a pair of shoes and they see you in their shoes like, oh, they look, they look good on you that compliment you, But as soon as the straight men came around you, that's when the competition came out. Because But I don't know. I didn't understand it at first. You know, I thought, Oh, what's the [00:28:30] hassle? But I suppose it was competing for their attention, wasn't it? So And the Queens did share a lot of information. Like they said they would say to you, girl, you're gonna dress like a woman, talk like a woman. The places what they say to you Have you got your your launch away on, please. And for me, that's that's a step a bit further than drag wearing [00:29:00] a woman's lingerie. I never I mean, I wore the bra just for the padding to hold the padding and everything. But the knickers in that night didn't didn't really appeal to me. End of the day, you're still a man and you know I. I enjoyed I loved the attention and the so I suppose admiration when you're in a frog and in the eighties it was the straight men or so called straight men [00:29:30] loved being seen with a drag, you know, they would hold on to you and say, Come on. I'll buy you a drink and take you here, take you there and oh, my Lord. Because by doing so, that brought the attention to someone who was probably not so overt, you know, quite shy. And that's something that I always always insisted, and and anyone who had to drag with drag with was to go around and talk to everybody. And [00:30:00] wherever we were, say hello, make them feel welcome and put them at ease because, I mean, it took it would take sometimes three hours to put all this together. And if you're just gonna go there and sit in the corner, Well, what's the point? I really don't see the point in it. So I always make an effort to go and say hello to people and make them feel welcome. Uncomfortable? I didn't know. No, I had an agenda or anything. Just I just wanted to talk to people. And that's my nature, though, [00:30:30] when you say, uh, people would say to you, Oh, you've got to talk like a woman as well. What does that mean? How how would you change your voice and and what you were saying to sound more kind of like a woman I wouldn't. So I was told I'm gonna dress like a woman, talk like a woman girl. Talk like a girl. No, I didn't. You could clearly see that I wasn't a girl. Um, and that that that wasn't why [00:31:00] I did. Drag wasn't to be a woman or to be a girl. My whole idea of doing Dr was to experience that excitement. That admiration, the camaraderie between the queens. I wasn't doing it to be a girl, you know, I've never done it to be a girl. I don't want to be a girl or a woman quite happy as a man. So you wouldn't change your voice at all all [00:31:30] over it. But I didn't think I had a very deep, manly voice, anyway. Wouldn't get softer or I suppose, soft, uh, turn the volume down a little bit. We'll see the volume up. One of the two. What about language? Are there is Is there like a kind of a a queen language for sure, for sure there is, and it's all coded. So you put it in in front of the first letter of the word [00:32:00] or after the first letter. So instead of they go, it'll be something with an N in it, or everything is and it's sort of emphasised more so it's dragged out. So, for instance, the word girl became and it's just dragged out and it goes like that with the the intonation. Good. And you can tell just by their tone [00:32:30] whether they were pissed off at you or if they are jealous or because they just give you that eye and go Good nail, they all, Uh oh, so yeah, absolutely a language have bought it. Yeah, I bought it. They go have bought it. What? I bought it. So if they see a straight guy, there was quite cute. I bought it. They go, girl, Go, go. You go get that one. [00:33:00] It was all very, very, very entertaining. And because the straight so called straight community didn't know what you were talking about, they just think you speaking to. But to us, it was it. Look, get that one over very much code. And, you know, about two weeks ago, we ran into this guy from Wellington camera from Wellington, um who I hadn't seen for years and we were talking and he [00:33:30] started using all those old words again. And I thought, Shit, it's like I'm back in the eighties. He goes, What? I said, you talk like all the old old crew. What do you mean? Old crew, you know, gave him some names and get Oh, you're that old. I'm not that old. So there's a whole heap of people out there that still know their language. And I'm sure today's drag queens will have their own language again. Hm? [00:34:00] Can you describe some of the clubs that were around Auckland out? It was the bird cage. I think they used to have a, um a like a coffee group or something on a Sunday or something. Um, West Side, which was down in They had the sauna upstairs in the bookshop downstairs, but the bookshop originally was on High Street. The same [00:34:30] Bret Shepherd and Tony Krovi clubs. Other clubs, um, called Club 21 was on the corner. Do you remember? It's all on the corner of High Street. It's all change now, though, Um, club, other clubs, any of the other couples, uh, staircase really forth street. The times we used to get down there and because it was up huge stairs. So it must have been [00:35:00] about 2030 steps to get into the club. It was huge, but it was so exciting going up those stairs, especially if you're in in like, Oh, my gosh, It was like climbing up on stage almost and then coming around the corner. And then everyone in the top, um, and the clubs used to be over here. That used to be on top of cook. She marketing. How old are you? You remember all these names I'm giving [00:35:30] you dear? You are, but you keep nodding your head. So you didn't even clue what I'm talking about, do you? There used to be a, um sorry. A market down here called Cook Street Market and above that used to be a club called Ace of Clubs. I remember seeing because we used to go to the market every Sunday, right? And I remember seeing the poster they were advertising Diamond Lil Oh, what's [00:36:00] that? And I used to when we were kids, we used to sing with my auntie and go around and do the whole shopping mall circuit thing. So we were singing with, um, any as Children. Kid singers? Yeah, going around to all the shopping malls and singing. So I was not so much introduced, exposed to sort of cabaret life and show life. [00:36:30] And I just thought, Wow, this is where I This is where I think Well, I thought I flourished, you know, because I would my my sister and I would sing, and I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the stage once again. The attention. Uh, yeah, I loved it. So can you describe for me some of the performances that you've you've done in Cabaret? So we did that one up at Laina. So, Miss, [00:37:00] I don't know what year it was. Um, Wigs on waterfront. We used to do every year. Uh, mhm, Uh, legends? I don't know. If you remember, legends used to be up on road. We would just do like one off shows here and there. People would, um, other joke queens would ring us and say, Oh, come and do a show such and such, So? OK, what time? Yeah, OK, so we'd be there, And that's sort of how it went [00:37:30] where you'd get like in the drag scene there was always there's always been a drag mother. So the mother of all the drag queens sort of looks after everybody. But, um, so much the queen of the Drags. They would pretty much organise all the shows and they'd know all the other drag queens who to get and to come and do a show. Little word of mouth. What makes a good drag performance? [00:38:00] Energy, enthusiasm? Because anyone can get up there and lip sync to a song, Can't they, um, the look and not take yourself so serious because that comes across on stage. If if you're all uptight and anxious about your next move, people can see that we did a show one time down and works on Waterfront and I. I won't say any names, but we were doing the show right, and there's We'd rehearsed this one number [00:38:30] for a couple of weeks, and we thought we had all the steps down pack, which was cool. Get down the wigs and waterfront and you're surrounded by all these other drag queens and hundreds of people down there screaming and laughing during the show. And then my drag partner's wig came off because There's a move where we had to do it, wave their arms. And he had we had bracelets. And the bracelet must have caught the wig. We know, and I looked at him in the head, and he is like his mouth just dropped [00:39:00] up. Oh, my God. Uh, what can we do? What can we do? So we just carried on, which is one of those things. I mean, you could see everyone down there knew that it was wigs on waterfront, so they were interested in frogs doing shows, and literally, the wig did end up on the wig did come off on the waterfront. We laugh about it now, of course. But on that day, it wasn't very funny for him. You said earlier that, um, [00:39:30] in dressing in drag, you wanted the attention but didn't necessarily want to be a woman. And I'm wondering what was, uh, from from your perception, you know, was there any kind of conflict between, say, transsexuals and and drag queens? Did Did you find that personally? No, I never had any conflict with any, uh, transsexuals. I don't know why. Why? A transsexual dress is as a transsexual. I have no idea. [00:40:00] I just didn't drag for that attention from from people, regardless of who they were. And so I really don't know about the transsexual community. Speaking of attention, I mean, how was it for you doing something like that? First hero parade down Queen Street? Can you Can you remember that the attention was electric because there was thousands of people on Queen Street screaming and shouting. And I think [00:40:30] prior to doing that, that hero parade, the biggest parade I would have been to would have been the Santa Parade sitting on the side of Queen Street waving a little flag. And I always remember that attention that the people in that parade got. And I thought, 01 day and secretly sitting there I was thinking one day flying my live, waving my little flag. I think one day that could be me one day and then 10, 15 years down the track Here I am, walking down Queen Oh, [00:41:00] my Lord. But their Yeah, their teaching was just electric. The cameras were just going flat tack. The music was pumping everything. I think everything was just spot on for that first parade down Queen Street the energy was there, the energy was so electric. And I suppose that comes from a whole group of people marching into this bit [00:41:30] of the same drum. If that makes sense, did you have a drag name? Miscellaneous is my drag name. What was my drag name? Miscellaneous. I chose because of my cultural identity. It's bit of a mix, A bit of this bit of that bit of that. Put it all in the pot. And what do you come up with? A miscellaneous pot. That's a miss for obviously obvious reasons. Miss whatever. Um I met [00:42:00] a misbehaving and there was another mass I meet. Can't remember that other one. Sorry. So there was a few miss adjective words out there. You say miscellaneous was your drag name. So you're you're not doing drag anymore. I haven't done I. I don't do drag. Currently I last time I did would have been this year 2013 in February [00:42:30] for the Pride parade. I was approached to be on a on a float and and I thought I'd just stand up there as a man and wave. And then the organiser asked me if you would like to do drag. We would be honoured to have you on on the float as drag. And I thought, Oh, I know. Straight away, the barriers come up. Oh, no, no, no. This is too hard because I've had a stroke. Everything is now 10 times of an effort, you know, And because I'd I'd gotten rid [00:43:00] of everything. I got rid of the shoes, the outfits, the wigs, the makeup So I would have to start from scratch. So all of that was way daunting for me. And I thought, Oh, no. Initially, my initial response to him was, I think I'll just stay on the track and wave. Is it me? Let's go. That's fine. See how? Sit on it for a few weeks and see how you think. And I think when I spoke to friends about it, they said, Oh, yeah, you can [00:43:30] do it. You can do it. It wouldn't take that much. We'll help you. But everyone was offering to help right now. Oh, so then it became a mental shift for me because the physical I was putting those physical barriers up because I wasn't sure I was anxious, and I wasn't sure about my stability and everything. All of those things. Um, but once the physical got sort of sorted out, the mental sort of fell into place. And I thought, Oh, [00:44:00] and you know what I recall? That I recalled recalled that attention and that electric enthusiasm, I thought, Oh, yes, I can do that. And then I think once I mentally shifted to saying, Yes, I can do it. Everything else sort of fell into place. So I don't do drag. Currently, I did drag in February, this 2013. That was the first [00:44:30] time in over 10 years and that was just been like that was like, I'd never done drugs before in my life. So it's a whole different experience. So you put a a brain injury on top of all that, and then to come into to the drag world is just mind blowing. So what age were you when you had your stroke? I had a stroke at 36. And what kind of effect did that have on you? Um well, physically [00:45:00] on my left side, uh, semi paralysed speech was pretty much gone, so I had to learn how to speak. I had to learn how to walk, talk, drive, do everything again. It's a huge effect. So the life or the life that I knew was gone. Let's start again for a second chance, wasn't it? That's how I looked at it and getting rid of, uh, the drag costumes and wigs. And was [00:45:30] that all part of the stroke? Uh, post stroke? Looking back, I think, No, it wasn't. I we got rid of it all. Actually, you know it It was because my drag partner, everything was stored at at his house. So after the stroke, I think that's when we decided to because he said to me, Do you do you want any of the the drag stuff? And I said, No, I don't because I At that time I couldn't walk. [00:46:00] I couldn't talk. I mean, I was barely speaking and the last thing I could think of was walking down the street in a frock or a pair of heroes. So I said, No, I don't want any of it. So that's when it was sort of out the window. What was that like to kind of give that performance side of yourself away? Um, what was it like I suppose in a way quite freeing for me because I could [00:46:30] then, um, concentrate all my energy and time on getting well getting up cos I was told after straight Oh, you'll never walk. You never talk. Um, they talked to my family and my parents saying that he will never talk. He will never walk. And I remember lying there thinking you don't know shit. And I think the first word I said after stroke was the F word to the doctor because I was so angry I couldn't speak, but and [00:47:00] I remember sitting there lying there for I don't know how long it was. But every day they came and they said what I couldn't do, but they would tell the people that were in with me He will never walk. He would never talk. And I heard this for a good month every day. So, of course, the first word that came out was the F word. I know you. You don't know who I am where I come from. So it was heartbreaking. Absolutely. [00:47:30] So I went through the whole grieving process because they they walk you through the processes after I, um after a stroke, and I thought, Oh, so I don't You know, I think it came at a good time in my life because prior to the show, I was so busy we were doing shows I was working. Um, I'm a chef by trade, and I worked in hospitality most of my life. So I was carrying that doing that day job going, going [00:48:00] home, getting putting a face on. That's another two hours to get ready for a night show, go to a night show, go out afterward, afterwards, socialise it and, you know, in the community, and then go home and sleep, get ready to go and do it all again. So I think it came in a quite an opportune time. Otherwise I would have just burnt out. It's only so long you can carry that on for so And by giving all that drag all my drag equipment away, [00:48:30] he gave me the chance to concentrate on getting better and getting well. Hm. And then this year, with the the Pride Parade being on that float, what was that feeling like? Oh, that was so cool. That attention again. Um and you know what happened when we got my mate and I got up to, um, Ponsonby Road straight [00:49:00] away. We had I'd say about five or six cameras around us, and we weren't even. I wasn't even on the float at that stage. I just walked from where we parked the car to the meeting point. By the time I got to the meeting, put the lights, there were cameras around us and all these people wanted photos with me, and I thought, What's going on? And one of the marshals said to me, Oh, look who's come out of hiding because I hadn't done drag for over 10 years. So they thought, Oh, my Lord, Mr is back [00:49:30] in town. So that attention and that that, um, acknowledgement was huge. It was a good confidence boost for me. I loved it. What do you think your your most memorable performance is to date in drag and drag? Memorable performance? Oh, or the one that's had the biggest impact on you. Biggest impact on me would have been, um, [00:50:00] the museum. No. Was it the museum? Yes. Actually, it would have been the museum because we did a show at the museum where we were doing? Um, sort of like ballroom dancing style show. And someone commented, commented after the show, someone who saw the show and didn't see they said something to the extent of just two guys dancing together because [00:50:30] I was in a frog. I think I was in a gold sequence or something and the guy was in a suit and the comment. It really, really stuck to me and hurt because he said, It's just two guys dancing. I don't want to watch, You know, he didn't want to watch this, but he didn't see the beauty of the dance or what us, as a group had created, so that would have had the biggest impact on me. And I just thought, Oh, that sort of took me back because it was different attention that I hadn't [00:51:00] previously received. And I thought, Hm and I also had to acknowledge that not everyone is going to accept. You know, everyone's entitled to their beliefs. Can't beg someone for having their own beliefs. And what about in terms of, uh, positive response? You know what? What's the one that you kind of hold on to? Positive wigs on waterfront? Um and I suppose that Museum one going back to that museum [00:51:30] was not a highlight for me, but memorable. Um, because of the environment. It's quite stuffy in the museum, and people are quite proper, whereas going to the other extreme. You got the wigs on waterfront where everyone's screaming and out singing and screaming at you works on waterfront. Definitely the most, um, exciting performance because it's immediate. An instant. Yeah, [00:52:00] you get it straight away. Not like the museum where they just talk quietly under their breath about it, you know, whereas who was on the waterfront, they're screaming at you. And even if they didn't like you, they'd still scream at you, You know, for the fact that everyone's just there for the same reason to raise fundraiser. So definitely works on the front. Oh, your hero. Parades are good, too. And, um, that first parade parade [00:52:30] probably boils down to all that attention and and admiration. Stop starved of attention when really from birth. You're given so much E. Um, if I can just thank all our, um, our drug community from from the old ones or the sorry, the mature ones, too, [00:53:00] And the ones that are not here today. Like, um, Victoria. Dr. Pussy Galore was a drag name Courtney card. So there's a lot of, um, previous drag queens that I need to pay homage to.

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AI Text:September 2023
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