Jason Reid chats to Brighton legend Drag With No Name, about the importance of having a positive attitude
Brighton-based Scott Burey is the man behind the beloved and award-winning comedy drag artist Drag With No Name – an act that has been a staple on the UK drag scene for almost two decades.
This week, Jason Reid caught up with Scott, post -Birmingham Pride, and talked about spreading positivity, the Brighton experience and comedy in 2019…
Hey Scott – You’ve been living in Brighton for twenty-five years. Why did you move there, from your native Essex?
I couldn’t think of anywhere else that’s better, to be quite honest with you. It’s tough in the sense that we are right in the corner of the country and I have to go everywhere else travelling-wise. I’ve been everywhere in the UK now. I love different places: particularly Manchester, Cardiff and Portsmouth. But when I get back to Brighton it really feels like home. Looking out over that beach it feels like you’re released; in other places there’s lots of concrete buildings and you feel like you can’t escape. I love my home. I love Brighton.
When I first came onto the scene people always remarked that Brighton is the place a lot of queens relocate to in their advancing years.
That’s very true. And I still say that myself. Someone actually told me off for saying it recently, but it was just supposed to be a joke. It’s not like that at all, of course. The scene is very relaxed. Even yesterday when I was working in Legends, looking out at the crowd there were people that I’ve known for twenty-five years but also there’s a huge amount of youth that wouldn’t have been around at that point. You know Brighton; it’s very cosmopolitan and full of lots of different people.
So have you adapted your act in recent years to mirror more progressive?
Of course, yes. It’s about what’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable. I used to do shows that included terms now deemed offensive, and I’ve taken them out because I understand the offence it causes and I respect that. However people can only be offended if they allow themselves to be. There are people out there who do try to find it in their mind to be offended by something, when truly – if they think about it – they’re not. It’s important to note that there’s only a small minority of people who are like that. Ultimately, of course, we all have a responsibility to respect everyone’s views.
You really are loved and have won numerous awards as Drag With No Name. What’s the secret to that success?
I do love what I do. I love the appreciation you get and that’s why I’m always trying to put new stuff into my show. It’s my passion to entertain people – to stick a smile on someone’s face. Even with the stuff I put on social media, I try to be positive. I’ve had messages from people who have said I’ve got them through a really tough time. When you put positivity out there it’s infectious and it tends to come back in the same form. I’ve learnt that in the last few years. I’m not perfect; I can piss people off and I can be an arsehole at times. But I try my best to be nice.
So, eighteen years performing as The Drag With No Name. Where do you see the act going in the future?
(laughs) That’s a never-ending question. I was speaking to someone the other day – who shall remain nameless – who said they can see them self doing this until they pass on to the next world. I don’t see that far forward. I’m enjoying myself at the moment. However, my answer may have been different if you’d asked me this question on Saturday night when I was stuck in a kitchen with people coming in and out, nowhere to change, no mirrors, and bad sound… It can be an up-and-down rollercoaster ride. But for the meantime, apart from those little blips, I love what I do and I’m very privileged to do it.
Drag With No Name will be performing at the Two Brewers, 114 Clapham High Street, London SW4 7UJ on Friday 31st May; Central Station, 37 Wharfdale Road, London N1 9SD on Saturday 1st June; O’Neills High Wycombe, Paul’s Row, HP11 2HQ on Sunday 2nd June.
