Moments with Johnny Croskery

This abstract summarizes the podcast episode "Moments with Johnny Croskery," chronicling the speaker's experiences and memories from the 1950s to the 1960s in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. Johnny Croskery's narrative begins by reminiscing about the city's reputation as a hub for drag culture during the era when international sailors would often perform in drag, finding Wellington uniquely welcoming compared to other cities like London.

A standout memory involves a masquerade ball at the Brooklyn Community Hall, where an incident occurred with press photographers. The vivid retelling captures a mix of humor and chaos as drag queens protected their privacy with dramatic flair. The speaker also recounts a distressing incident while window dressing, where a bystander suffered a heart attack and passed away, eliciting an unintended, if morose, humor in retrospect.

The speaker touches on another incident of public harassment, where bystanders' preoccupation with the speaker and their partner led to a car accident, highlighting the sometimes humorous outcomes of prejudice when it ends up backfiring on the perpetrators. There's also a fond recollection of the joy and vibrancy in the gay community's love for show music and impromptu performances.

Personal aspects of the speaker's life are woven into the conversation. They speak of a long-standing relationship and share details about purchasing a home together, emphasizing the rarity and stigma of a same-sex couple owning a property during that time. The evolution of their neighborhood into a 'gay ghetto' is discussed with a sense of community pride.

Moreover, the speaker confides in the cherished relationship with their pets—Maltese dogs—which are humorously described as 'gay looking' and a part of the family, often featured in local pride parades. They also share a poignant reflection on how pets often find a new home with them, as if by a known unspoken network for rehoming dogs within the community.

Family connections play an important role, with the speaker relating a family reunion experience that highlights acceptance and inclusion from unexpected quarters, such as a cousin from the Salvation Army. In another anecdote, a supermarket encounter leads to the discovery of shared ancestry and the connecting of personal history via family photographs.

Addressing a somber reality, Croskery notes the impact of HIV/AIDS on their community's mortality experience, revealing a premature acquaintance with loss traditionally associated with much older age groups. They elaborate on providing comfort and support to those living with AIDS, emphasizing the enduring spirit of laughter and the sharing of intimate life stories as a means of coping and mutual support.

This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.

Johnny Croskery

1950s, 1960s, aotearoa new zealand, d.i.c department store, death, devotion (wellington), dorian society, drag, family, friends, hiv / aids, johnny croskery, julie london, lana cantrell, london, media, newspapers, nz truth, peter kooiman, pets, photo journalism, photography, queer, reunions, salvation army, show music, support, sydney mardi gras, theatre, transgender, wellington

animals, army, attack, bus, capital, cars, children, community, fancy dress, flying, fun, future, gay, god, grandparents, hell, inspiration, internet, laughter, lawyer, love, music, news, newtown, other, parties, people, post office, rent, running, singing, straight, time, top, truth, walking, wedding, window dressing, witness