By Jason Reid
Marnie Scarlet is one of the most unique artists I’ve come across in my two decades on London’s multifarious cabaret scene. As well as being an accomplished designer, captivating performer and mentor to many, she is hugely respected and liked by her peers in the performance world.
Recently Marnie experienced the toxic wrath of the online RuPaul’s Drag Race fandom. So this week I’m showing Marnie the love she deserves and giving her the opportunity to put her side of the story across.
We chat starting out, straight audience woes, surreal looks, and THAT drama…
Thanks for taking time to chat. How did you get to where you are now, and how did you learn to create such incredible looks?
I started when I was 18, working for a fetish company called Demask. There I trained as a pattern cutter, sample maker and designer. I learnt most of what I know in the trade. At the age of 21 I moved to England and started working for Skin Two. Eventually when I was 25 I ended up going to fashion school where I did a diploma in fashion-wear. A lot of fetish companies are very theatrical; there’s always fashion shows at events, and I was always involved with them in one way or another. Plus I was very into the club scene, too, so I would make these big, outrageous outfits. Then about ten years ago, I thought, I have all these outfits but they’re too uncomfortable to wear all night. So I decided to make routines for each of them and I started to develop a cabaret career around the costumes.
I read this quote in an article: “Marnie Scarlett shocks in surreal looks”. Having known you for a few years I don’t think I’ve ever been shocked. How do you see yourself and your art?
I certainly don’t set out to shock. I set out to to create something. Sometimes when I do more straight events people can be a little shocked by the ‘grotesque’ looks – not that I think any of them are – like the body piercing and stapling, or the masks with the needles. It’s what the audience takes from it. To me, it’s self-decoration.
Stepping out of our queer bubble for a second; I’m interested in how straight audiences react to your art, in general?
Not too bad; it depends where I go. I have gone to straight events where I’ve literally been booed off the stage…
Oh god, no. Can you share?
On one occasion I think the bar was expecting a pretty girl with big boobies and a pretty outfit. Then I came on in a drag get-up and did a stapling act. The booker absolute loved it, but I wasn’t right for that crowd. The whole room – apart from two people – unanimously disliked it and they sure let me know. I thought the performance went well [laughs].
It’s good that you can laugh it off now. What were your feelings at the time?
I was quite proud that I managed to continue lip-syncing and I didn’t miss any of the cues. To be honest, part of me was fine with them shouting whatever they wanted as long as they didn’t get physical. I did worry that someone might throw a bottle, but it was okay in the end. There were two people at the back who absolutely loved it and I talked to them after the show. But there are loads of straight events that are a lot of fun.
You’ve got a great positive attitude to it all.
You can’t please all of the people all of the time. There are times when I probably should’ve done more research before blindly agreeing. I always research now.
A creation of yours kind of made a cameo appearance on this season of RuPaul’s Drag Race (Season 11) as one of Nina West’s runway looks. That must have been quite a surprise?
Yes – a ten year-old creation. It was inspired by the Monopoly Man, because I made it in 2009 at the height of the banking crisis. The actual act is called Total Banker and I still perform it. The problem is; when someone very famous takes your thing and makes it in such a similar fashion, your act then looks like a tribute act. So I’m going to retire it off after one last performance this weekend at the Uncensored Festival.
It’s dreadful that you feel you have to do that.
It’s no disrespect to Nina because she’s been great throughout all of this. We’ve messaged each other regularly. I wouldn’t have expected her to know who I am, but the outfit went viral and what people need to understand is: when somebody takes a creation and does a spin of it on TV, that makes it incredibly difficult for the original artist to show it again. Also, I was never rude and I never said the word ‘copy’ and I never called Nina any names. I just drew the comparison from my work to that particular runway look.
And of course it blew up on social media. Which I’m sure was the last thing you needed?
A total barrage! Including from another act; Shea Couleé stepped to the fore and threw fuel on the fire even though the situation had been resolved between Nina and I. That was the low point of the whole thing – an ex-contestant with a big internet following making a meal of it towards someone like me who doesn’t have that kind of following. A big fish picking on a small fish.
That level of pile-on must be awful. Did you just switch everything off?
Yes I did actually. Thankfully I was working in the day and evening, and then had a friend over so I didn’t have time to follow many of the threads. The worst thing was the onslaught of random messages. What possesses people to be rude, offensive and even aggressive to someone because they’re defending something they made?
Many of the fans online are young and impressionable and are interpreting the on-screen manufactured drama and bitchiness as acceptable behaviour, which is troubling.
Let’s hope the fans of Drag Race UK are more civilised. Looking on the bright side, I was very, very lucky to have had Nina. It could have been A LOT worse. And I’ve gained some lovely new followers.
Marnie Scarlet will be performing at the Uncensored Festival, The Yard Theatre, Unit 2A, Queen’s Yard, Hackney Wick, London E9 5EN on Saturday 18 May.
