They’re the unmissable, messily anarchic glamazons of any gay scene, one moment lip-syncing their way through an Ariana Grande number, the next nicking your boyfriend’s drink. You’d think they came out the womb with an intense contour and a thigh-high white leather boot, but they all started sometime way later.
We asked some famous faces from all over the London drag scene to tell us about their first time they dragged up…
Silver Summers
The first time I did drag was reluctantly (yeah right) for a competition in Southampton that my friends wanted me to do. It was at an old pub near the docks and they had a ‘Stars In Their Eyes’ competition.
I was 20 and it was a toss up between Adam Rickitt or Mariah Carey. Mariah won obvs! I didn’t win (I came second to Elton John) but still enjoyed it! I didn›t do it again for over 10 years!!! Funnily enough, I now do a Mariah tribute act and I will be doing ‘Stars In Your Eyes’ again at Her Upstairs, but this time, I will be impersonating a way bigger slag, Lady Lloyd!
Son of a Tutu
I was a jolly drag child long before I knew what drag was. That was until reports of my escapades reached my father who, in his ultra-religious fury, beat the living hell out of me. I was ten years old at the time and had no idea what I had done wrong, but as a result, did not go near drag again for over thirty years.
My first official time in drag was in Drag Idol; I succumbed to the nagging of a friend and my own inner-voice but only half-heartedly due to the lingering trauma of my childhood: I wore men’s shoes and trousers, a black woman’s vest with a shrug, a gele (headtie) and a face that looked like it had been painted by blind elephants; the date was 19th May 2010 at the Two Brewers; I remember it well as it was Tutu’s birthdate and my own personal rebirth.
For the first time in my adult life, I felt that I had found me; not because I was any good at it, because I wasn’t, and very quickly crashed out of the competition (I would go back a year later), but, because despite what I looked or sounded like, I had finally heeded the call of my own DNA and stopped running, and that is the essence of self-actualisation and happiness. I would go on to many ups and downs as a professional drag queen, but even the worst lows did not matter as I was home in my own self. I wish for everybody to find that: to live in accordance of what you are built-for whether it be drag persona, nurse, accountant, gardener or QX-journo (yuck lol); to find it is bliss.
Ripley
My first drag performance was in September 2015 at CC Blooms in Edinburgh. I like to think I’ve improved since then, but I also thought Brexit wouldn’t happen, so what do I know? My shoes were two sizes too big, so when the music started, I ended up lobbing them across the bar. I slit my knee wide open doing something on the floor – dancing I think was what I was actually attempting – and I nearly blinded a punter by whipping him directly in the eye with one of my tassels. To be fair he was looking at Grindr for my entire performance, so he deserved it!
Dave Lynn
My first time in drag was at The Black Cap In a talent contest hosted by Jennifer Scott. The other competitors included Mrs Shufflewick and Marc Fleming. I was only 16 years old and I lip synced to Liza Minnelli and Dusty Springfield. I asked my parents to come and watch me, which they did. However, they didn’t recognise me and they thought I was a tranny trying to pick Dad up! Also in the show was the late, great Adrella. It was terrifying! Just trying to walk in heels, but I won and I’m still here to this day!
The Twinnies
The first time we ventured out as twins was to a party of Olympic proportions at Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, back in 2013. Snapped here by the fabulous Matty Beats, highlights of the night included Babes Trust giving herself an onstage abortion while lip-syncing to Britney Spears and the ‘drag race’ where the belles – and the beasts – of the ball hurtled noisily down a grimy backstreet at 2am.
Our inaugural look was an impressive hot mess of feather lashes, Primark pattern mash and glittery platforms (with the backs cut out so they would fit a little better). Rookie mistakes abounded; SHINY eye shadow, oatmeal-textured brow cover and bumps made up of balled up t-shirts shoved under our wigs.
It was no mere coincidence that we looked identical, save for the handlebar moustache, our ‘let’s wear the same because we have NO IDEA what we are doing’ shtick has stuck. Little did we know that this sloppy slip-n-slide blunder would be the beginning of the fun-filled amateur-hour that is The Twinnies.
