| A little update! |
[31 Oct 2009|03:01pm] |
Hi guys,
Just a quickie to say that due to some serious pc problems I'm not online at the mo so if you need to contact me try the dragphone on 07856989804.
I'm in rehearsals for the new "Collar 'N' Cuffs Cabaret" with the fabulous Anja Bach. Expect mime, comedy, LIVE VOCALS and more all with a touch of sparkle and a little glitter! All being well it launches at The Viaduct Showbar THIS FRIDAY!
We're also available for bookings on the above number and will be trawling up and down the UK appearing at venues near you in the coming few weeks and months!
After a Fabulous launch at Propaganda in Nottingham I hope to be back with the sexy guys and gals soon! Watch this space for more info!
Drag 4 U Heats continue next Sunday as the team head to The Pineapple in Bristol. I'm looking forward to this SOUTHERN heat and especially to meeting some FB and HS friends there!
That's all for now...
Don't forget if you see me out and about Mine's a Large one! Ooh er Missus!
Luv 'N' Hugz
Anna Glypta
|
|
| Space... The Latest Frontier. |
[13 May 2009|01:18am] |
Ok... I seem to start a lot of these blogs with an admission so here's another. I have been and always shall be a fan of Star Trek. I have seen Every episode of the original series, Every episode of Next Gen Nearly all of DS9 and most of Voyager. I've even watched a series or two of Enterprise and YES I have the films on dvd.
It goes a bit deeper than that though, I wrote an article for a Star Trek Magazine, attended conventions, could speak a little Klingon and even had pointy ears at one point.
So I guess you could call me a fan. The reason I fell in love with the show dates back to being a 14 year old coming to the realisation that I was gay. At this time a new show called Star Trek The Next Generation started and I was hooked. The acting was ropey for the first year or two and there were countless issues with costumes, sets etc but something of the universal hope and struggle to better understand ourselves spoke to me. Add to this my innate belief of infinite diversity in infinite combinations and I was hooked.
As the years wore on I grew less enamored with each passing spin off but the original passion for a time when man had put aside differences of race, gender, sexuality, politics and looked to the future with optimism stuck by me even to this day.
This brings me back to the present day, I still enjoyed watching Trek and can to this day still remember the odd word of Klingon but my fandom days were long behind me. I still visited the odd website however keeping tracks on the worlds of Trek. I felt immense pride that George Takei (Sulu) who I had met finally not only came out as gay but also married his long term partner. I mourned the passing of the crew as first Gene then three of the principal actors died.
I remember the mix of emotions when I heard that the series was getting a reboot in the form of yet another new movie. There had been so many weak sequels that even the hardcore fans were willing Paramount Studios to leave it well enough alone but then bit by bit news leaked out and a little part of me that is still the fourteen year old boy started to get interested.
This is not the same Star Trek we all remember. This is not quite the same universe. After all the original series was written at a time of race riots in America and reflected that sensibility. This New Trek is a product of it's time and is both darker and a lot more bombastic than it's ancestor. Gone are the primary colours and familiar twinkly sounds, this Enterprise is like an ultra modern submarine. The back story instantly tells the long term hardcore fans that there is a new team at the helm and make some pretty major changes before James T. Kirk is even Born. The story sets up all of this as it is in essence a time travel story but not the usual one where the hero travels back and resets the timeline so everything's the same... Oh no... The hero travels back and some things get put back on course but key events in many of the characters lives are altered. This is a sensible way of rebooting the Star Trek franchise. From this point on no-one is safe. There are a lot of nods to keep the fans happy but this is not a film for the Trekkers (never call them Trekkies!). This is a film that attempts to update a modern myth and present it in a way that is new. It's like Baz Lurmans Romeo and Juliet in that it takes the source material and updates it with a new twist here and there. This new relevance can only be good for the franchise and the fans.
I won't go into the story in any major detail as I don't want to give anything away but I hope that they make some decent sequels as this is a bloody good movie, and just maybe it'll bring new people into the Trek family and a little hope into the world for a new generation of 14 year old boys.
|
|
| VIVA LA VIDA!!! |
[08 May 2009|11:35am] |
Being a city queen you take for granted a multi dimensional gay scene with different bars, theme nights, club nights and all that the scene has to offer. Because of this I was a bit nervous on the drive towards Worksop. Martin, who was doing the actual driving, and I chatted away quite calmly but I was a little nervous about what was to come.
A Couple of months ago I was approached to see if I could help launch a gay night in Worksop at the Vida Lounge. I agreed without having any idea where Worksop was, all I knew was this was a town without a gay scene; no gay bars, no gay clubs, no gay politics.
Arriving in Worksop was an experience in itself; winding, twisting roads of countryside and greenery and more than a smattering of England flags flying, including one with a fist in the middle... hmmm BNP HQ then. My apprehension grew but eventually we found the Vida Lounge and from the outside it looked alright. We parked up and grabbed a fag while waiting for Joe to open up. Taking us in through the back door and meant I had no idea what to expect from the venue and when we emerged into the bar itself... WOW!
How to describe it? Decor wise it's like a mix of Fibre and Religion but with colour, a dedicated dancefloor, stage area and water walls. The feeling immediately was both trendy AND welcoming, something that so many bars could take a lesson from. The staff arrived including the owners and their two kids. The youngest seemed fascinated by a man in makeup and when I emerged in frock and wig she just couldn't stop staring and smiling.
The night started with me grabbing a ciggie outside the front door. Needless to say a 6 ft 8 vision of beauty(!??!) in long black frock and bright red hair got a lot of looks from the locals including a driving instructor who nearly crashed and, I kid you not, a group of chav lads one of whom literally walked into a lamp post!
As the night filled up I was struck by the mix of people, young and old gay and lesbian and straight all turned up and all seemed to be out for a good time. Thursday is a hard night on most gay scenes as people still have to work in the morning so it's only the dedicated clubbers, scene gueens and benefit queens that normally come out. Not so last night. The fact that this was the first lgbt night in Worksop for a few years brought them out in their droves and they came to party.
I can safely say it was one of my top five nights, ever, as a professional Drag Queen and I was immensely proud to be part of it all. The next one is on the 4th of June and I can't wait to go back. The venue was fab, the staff were all lovely, the crowd was up for it and bouncy and I had a ball!
Thanks Joanne, Thanks Joe, Thanks Martin, Thanks Vida Lounge and of course HUUUUGE Thanks to the FAB gays, lezza's, bi's and straights of Worksop!
VIVA LA VIDA!!!
|
|
| Choices. |
[04 May 2009|04:07am] |
I have never had a night like it.
Saying goodbye to something I have been deeply passionate about is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. My choice will have repercussions all over the place and not just for me. Already friendships have been stretched and pulled in ways I could not have foreseen. But any change is going to be hard. Especially when the stakes are so high. I have thought about nothing else and after sleepless nights and an average of 34 cigs a day for the past few days I can safely say I have given it as much thought as is humanly possible and I think my decision is the right one for me.
I know what's to come and the fall out is going to be horrific and I know I am likely to get a lot of stick but for once I am trying to put myself and my own needs and wants first. Sure, things might go horribly tits up but I won't know unless I give it a go.
My dads death taught me one very hard lesson and that's that life really is too short. It's a cliche and it sounds trite in my head just typing it but it is so true. Losing him affected me more than I ever dreamed it COULD. Sure you may say that that has nothing to do with all this but it does. He lived his life on the open sea and loved it. He was awarded medals from the Falklands and from the first Gulf War. When he was forced to retire due to ill health his life ground to a halt. He lived for his work, it meant more to him than just a paycheck, it was his whole reason for being. He cared passionately about what he did and was bloody good at it. He progressed along the career path until his accident. When a metal girder 10 foot long and weighing god only knows what fell and hit him it very nearly killed him. It smashed his shoulder and hit him extremely hard on the head and he would be in pain from the injuries for the rest of his life. But as soon as he was able to pass the medical he went back to sea and stayed in the RFA until he was forced to retire on medical grounds. One year he accepted a promotion even though it would mean changing ships and this would mean an almost immediate repeat term of duty. He loved his family deeply but the sea was his first love and despite only seeing his family for 2 weeks out of twelve months he took up the new role. He'd found the thing in life that made him complete, the thing that made him happiest and despite being attacked, bombed and nearly killed he stuck at it.
It was looking at his photo on my shelf that reminded me of this and helped me make up my mind. He wasn't a selfish man by any regards, in fact he would do anything for anyone and helped his elderly neighbours with shopping and things even though towards the end he maybe could have done with a bit of help himself. He made the choices in his life that were right for him and sometimes they were hard on the people around him but seeing the light go from his eyes after he retired was soul destroying.
I hope that I am doing the same thing, making choices that are right for me even though they are some of the hardest choices I've ever made.
No doubt this all sounds like gobbledygook but in time it will probably be crystal clear. I hope the people involved understand.
|
|
| Oooh Tina! |
[01 Apr 2009|12:52pm] |
Ok, before I tell you about the gig let me give you a brief history lesson. As anyone under fifty has done I grew up with the sound of Ike and Tina Turner. It wasn't something we hqad in the house as mum's an Elvis fan and dad like country rock!?!? But they were on the radio the whole time. Privater dance had already been released and she'd made a huge comeback with What's love got to do with it. I remember watching mad max on video from Blockbusters and being amazed by this woman and of course the song We Don't Need Another Hero! But I still wasn't a FAN. That came in 1989 when she released Foreign Affair and I got it for Christmas on tape! I was hooked. Every song from that album takes me back to being a young kid beginning to realise his sexuality and looking for inspiration. It was at this time that I made a Tina Turner Cushion Cover. Oh Yes! we were part of the new wave of curriculum's which taught boys how to sew and cook and girls how to mend plugs and saw wood. In textiles (the new name for sewing class) we had a project to design a cushion cover. I used the Tina silhouette from the Foreign Affair album, on a giant red love heart with little flashbulb applique' designs in the background. Who sir? Me sir? Gay sir? Possibly sir!
As the albums came out I got them but never did I think I'd get to see her in concert. A few years back I tried to get tickets but they were sold out and then she announced her retirement from touring. Damn! I'd missed another one of my heroes! I quietly tucked the disappointment away and chalked it up to one of those things. Life's shit innit! Roll on 8 years and when news started coming out that Tina was having a tribute to her life and Beyonce was going to perform Proud Mary the rumour mill started that maybe this was Tina's way of coming back... no. It wasn't. Yet! Roll on a bit more and the rumours start again. She didn't think she still had it in her but a couple of "One Off" appearances have given her the bug again and she's thinking about it. Well, my heart started beating at this news. Was it possible that my chance hadn't passed me by after all? Then Manna from Heaven the news came that Yes she was doing a tour and YES there were UK dates. As soon as they went on sale My friend Debs got a pair ordered and as soon as I heard that I got her to order me and Noxie one. Three months of waiting later and...
WOW!
What a Woman.
The MEN holds 14,000 people and was sold out. At half 6 me and noxie made our way past the little Hitler jobsworth on the front and got to our seats. I like getting to gigs early as you get time to suss out the toilets, the best way to the bar and you get to watch the crowd coming in. WELL.
We were playing our new favourite game of "spot the gays" when I noticed something very odd. The crowd seemed to be older than most gigs I've been to. I'm not talking 30s and 40s here. I mean OLD! There were walking sticks and Zimmer frames and Wheelchairs and carers. I felt sorry for the Bingo halls around Manchester cause they must have been empty. Our "spot the gays" turned into spot the person who didn't come here in an access bus! Honestly I thought they were going to be selling HRT and Sanatogen next to the hot dogs and piss weak beer! Obviously Tina's been going for fifty years and these were her fans. From those old enough to have been there at the beginning to a few teenagers.
The music direction changed which meant the full stage speakers had been powered on I knew this meant we were almost ready to go. At just after ten past 8 the lights went down and the stage curtains opened to reveal Tina in a stunning Gold and black sequined, Bob Mackie designed, two piece. Steamy Windows! OH MY GOD! She is just sensational. This was the number that hooked me so many years ago, the slightly naughty lyrics and that voice. It's ALL still there. Tina's voice has aged but it has aged like a fine wine and sounds rounder and if anything sexier than ever before and that girl has still got the moves. She may have toned down the excesses of the dance a little but she sashayed and danced round that stage like a true goddess. As many people said when she started the tour she had put weight on but MY GOD has she got her figure back now. The Signature legs looked better than ever and her decision to go back to a classic Tina shaggy mane of hair was just RIGHT! I am not ashamed to admit I had tears streaming down my face! This was something I had waited for for twenty years and she did not disappoint!
Hit after hit followed with more costume changes than a drag act! Part one ended with We don't need another hero with a mini Thunderdome cage and Tina being sent into the sky on a platform in full post apocalyptic costume. The second half opened with a laid back seated Tina doing an accoustic set with some of the more bluesey tracks including one of my favourites "Undercover Agent". It wasn't a big hit so I was amazed to hear it. This section was almost like seeing Tina in a smokey blues club somewhere in downtown New Orleans. Then we ratchet up a gear again and she's covering the Rolling Stones Jumping Jack Flash and It's only Rock and Roll. A quick costume change and she emerged from the Eye for Golden eye. WOW! Dressed in a floor length black wrap dress she looked elegant and classy and sexy as all hell. This was then removed to reveal another minidress and we got Addicted to Love before the big ones.
As I said earlier the crowd was old and had sat down for most of the concert so fat but then the opening notes of The Best started and the place erupted. Suddenly those hips worked, those replacement knees sprang into action and the whole place was dancing. Finishing with Proud Mary and more fabulous moves in fabulous heels and Tina said her goodbyes and left the stage. We weren't having any of it. We knew the house lights hadn't come on yet so we knew she'd be back and she was. Another signature look had been revamped, this time the black pedallo's and white shirt had been given a little tweak and we got "Nutbush City". She didn't just sing... Ohhh No... This was the finale after all. A cradle and arm had been built into the stage lifted her out into the audience. Tina didn't just stand there holding on... no not our girl, she danced in the cradle, hung off it, danced along the arm and back! I was expecting this to be the end but she'd saved me another teary moment. Standing without her gorgeous backing dancers or singers, just Tina in a spotlight we were treated to "Be Tender with me Baby" and I blubbed! I don't know if this was done in other venues as it's not mentioned by most reviewers. As an extra surprise number from my favourite album, from my childhood, from my first admissions of who I was I cried and cried and even writing this now I've gone again.
Words just cannot convey what this remarkable woman has meant to me, what she has achieved in her life, what she has overcome. She is truly an inspiration to me.
She is the one True DIVA.
|
|
| This is it! |
[25 Mar 2009|12:14am] |
"Here we go again!" some people might be thinking by the end of this piece.
As some people may know I have suffered from an eating disorder for most of my adult life and at times of stress this has a habit of rearing it's ugly fat head and this happened again in November of last year. I undertook some major changes in my work life that resulted in huge amounts of stress. Added to the work pressure my family life took a dramatic turn for the worse and lo and behold before I knew it I was at it's whim again.
So why do something about it now? You see I had this goal: I wanted to be in a Tina Turner dress by the time I went to see her in concert. Well that gig is next week and there's more chance of the recession being declared over than of me wearing that frock any time soon. So this would normally lead to the E.D. gaining even more strength.
For anyone who has suffered anything like an eating disorder they will know what I mean. It's like a goblin that only I know is there but it's constantly gnawing away at me. My years of studying Psychology mean I know all the psychological triggers and ways to defeat it but every time it comes back I fail to be able to use that knowledge. The goblin knows those tricks too and how to defeat them.
This time though it HAS to be different. I'm just this side of needing diabetic medication and as my annual Thirtieth Birthday looms a couple of months away it's definitely time to tackle this thing once and for all. I could get a gastric band but that would only bypass the problem and the issue. No, if I am ever going to beat the goblin and get into the Tina frock I need to do it right.
I've got an idea in my head about how I'd like to be come the summer and it's going to be an incredibly hard journey to get there but my first step is writing this and going public with it in the hopes that people will join me! So if you want to shift a few stone, if you fancy being my gym buddy or have any stories of how you beat your own demon goblins then please get in touch and maybe what can't be done alone can finally be accomplished together!
Email anna@annaglypta.com
|
|
| Back to blogging. |
[02 Mar 2009|03:25am] |
After a few weird and somewhat fictional story type blogs it's back to a normal one.
The stripper tonight went down well. I've known Romeo for about 3 years and his act and routine juts keep getting better. He obviously loves his job and this really showed tonight. I do joke about the strippers but without fail the ones I've met that work the circuit are all lovely lads and Romeo is the loveliest of them all! Do I sound a bit smitten? I'm not but I do respect the guy immensely and in fact ANYONE who does this job, not only is it physically demanding and must take a lot of work and maintenance to be that sculpted I could imagine it being difficult to maintain the character all the time...
It's so strange working in two different venues in the same city. Blayds is so different to The Viaduct or even The Penny and to be honest it's all still bedding in. There are things that work and things that don't but I'm 100% sure that this little bar that everyone wrote off will be up there with the best of them before long. It's the same story at the Viaduct. I can admit now that there were times when I'd just joined them that I thought the venue would NEVER shake the Leeds United crowd. I remember one night when Hayley, Joe and the family lived upstairs, I was in the makeshift dressing room getting ready with my face almost on when dozens of the football guys came in following a match and Bubbles came upstairs to tell me to wait before coming down cos they were a bit rowdy! A BIT???I could hear the terrace chants quite clearly. Looking back now it's almost like a memory of a film or a tv show cos there was I face on, frock on ready to go smoking myself silly with our Bubs downstairs and Hayley smiling and chatting happily to the lads telling them all the great bars nearby with football on the screens and how our ariel had fallen off the roof and the remote was lost and the telly's were really only for show so they'd better get a move on or they'd miss the match highlights. Now The Viaduct is so firmly part of the Leeds gay scene. It took time, hard work and commitment and that same determination is something the boys from Blayds have.
For me personally I just want the Leeds scene to be as good as it can be. I am Sorry that Religion/Desire closed it's doors for good. I didn't go in too often and didn't think as highly of the place as some people did but Smiler and his staff were ace. I think our gay lives are in a weird place right now. I can see that more and more of the young gays (LOOK, I could type LGBTQI every time but it's just a pain in the ass... If I type gay I mean LGBTQI... OK???!!!)
I can see how the young gays are quite confident and happy to go into straight venues with their friends and in one aspect this pleases me. We fought for acceptance and we won guys. Now wave bye bye to the "GAY SCENE" and go drinking in The Old kings Arms or wherever! People say that there aren't enough people in Leeds to sustain more bars and cite Religion and Xibit as examples but that's bollocks. I believe that if a bar is an enjoyable place to be and can offer something that people want then they'll do well, whether that's Drag Queens, Strippers, Dance Music, Karaoke or Bingo. Sure people are watching what they spend but our whole community is based on the bars and pubs and I do think there will always be a market out there.
I'm in an incredibly lucky position I've found myself working in two venues with a different crowd and each with different things to offer, not only to the public but to me as well. Of course there are Issues, and of course at times it feels odd promoting nights in one venue when I'm the competition in another but that's the job. When I'm on the mic in Blayds I promote Blayds, When I'm on the mic at The Viaduct I'll promote The Viaduct. People have asked me how I could possibly do that without being two-faced. The answer is simple... it's my job! Just because I'm not working that night at that venue why shouldn't I promote it? If you worked in Morrisons would that stop you shopping at Asda? It's silly and to be honest is politics where there doesn't need to be politics.
This has turned into an odd blog. I WAS going to tell you about the rehearsals for the Champagne Showgirls LAUNCH night on the 8th... SHIT! That's ONE WEEK AWAY! And I was going to fill you in on some of the fun I'm having with Bears Aloud ahead of their preview on the 15th. And I was going to tell you about The Viaducts members only bar starting on the 21st and my holiday away on the 16th and my trip to see Tina coming up and my plans in other area's but it's now VERY late and the lager's having it's usual effect on my bladder so I'll close here and fill you in on the rest sometime later!
Anna
|
|
| Stream |
[28 Feb 2009|04:02am] |
I know why I do it.
Loneliness and despair. Two old friends who are frequent callers to my house.
The world out there with it's fluffy cotton wool clouds and twittering early morning birdsong never intrudes on the world in here.
The world in here is ink black.
The world in here is safe and warm.
The world in here is a cosy duvet.
But the world in here is killing me.
It clogs my arteries and fries my brain until the inevitable collapse.
But how do I escape the world in here when it's out there too?
There are four letter words I use, like
FUCK
or
CUNT
There are Four letter words I don't, like
H**P
or
L**E
How much easier it is to swear!
|
|
| Swing Sisters - Vignette 2. |
[27 Feb 2009|05:11am] |
We call her Bobbi Monroe.
But over the years she's changed names so many times you'd think she was in the witness protection program. I watch her taking off the platinum wig, fixing it back on the polystyrene head with it's painted face. She unzips the sequined dress and let's it fall to the floor before stepping out of it and sitting in front of the mirror. She reaches into her suitcase laid open on the floor and pulls out a bottle of vodka. Twenty odd years in heels has taken it out of her and for once, for one brief moment in time, I feel for her. That is until she starts to speak.
"You fucked up on the turn again." She takes a long swig at the vodka without so much as a grimace.
It's going to be one of THOSE nights.
"No-one noticed." I say, trying to avoid the row that I can feel is brewing.
"I did." I hear her mutter as she pulls off her eyelashes and peels the last remaining dried up glue from her eyes.
You call her Bobbi Monroe.
I call her Mike.
Before the row can get going I light a B&H and remove my own top heavy wig. The updo has seen better days and once again I vow to get around to buying another one rather than just respraying this back into shape.
The door knocks and then is opened before we can reply. Maggie comes in with the heavy fur coat I'd thrown to one side of the stage in the last number.
"That went well". She says, catching sight of the vodka on Bobbi's table and glancing at me, "The guys want you back in three or four months, so that's good!" She opens the suit bag and squeezes the Fur coat inside.
I just want to sit and unwind. I'd love nothing more than to down a few beers but there's a seventy mile trip back home and it looks like I'm going to be the one who's driving.
"I'll go and sort the invoice, do ya fancy a drink before we go?"
"I'm fine thanks love, he's already got one." I say.
"Too fucking right I have." he says, pointedly taking another swig.
Maggie takes her cue and leaves.
I look at him sat there, make up and sweat dripping off the end of his nose, his beard now becoming noticeable under the layers of panstick. I remember the first time I ever saw him perform. It was a small back street boozer in Rotherham and I was 19. Bobbi Corvette, as she was then, had already been on the circuit for 8 years and had built up a following. The Kings Arms had been packed and I'd ended up standing right next to the cellar door. I could hardly see the stage but I didn't mind too much because I might not have had the best view but at least I wasn't likely to be a target. Back then Bobbi didn't need corsets and cinch belts, she was a stunning size 12 girl and a fit as fuck guy. What I didn't know was that the cellar was also the make shift changing room and after her second number she grabbed me as she rushed past, shouting "Gimme a hand pet,". For the rest of the show I helped her dress and undress for each number and afterwards we sat in the bar with the owners drinking. Her, HIS hand rested on my thigh and as the drink flowed it moved higher. To this day I don't know what made the great Bobbi Corvette pick me up that night, or why I allowed myself to be whisked back to his small flat in Portsmouth. For three years we were inseperable. I was his dresser, his manager, his lover and his mother and at times, when he was really drunk, I was his punchbag.
I look at the haggard figure in front of me and wonder why I put up with so much for so long, why I ever agreed to work with him after so many years apart. Once again I make a silent promise to the 21 year old me from all those years ago that I will go solo and leave this sad old queen once and for all. But the nagging self doubt creeps in again; would Dolly Diamond draw enough of a crowd? Would people pay to see my half of the show, the half that Bobbi repeatedly tells me is the weaker half?
I finish undressing and start taking off the make up that has been a part of my life for so long. I pull on my jeans and top and feel like a fraud. Dolly has been such a strong part of my identity that sometimes I forget who's the character and who's the "Real Me".
"I don't want to do this anymore" Mike says. Standing a little shakily and stuffing sequin frocks into his case, "I'm sick of the tights, I'm sick of the dresses and I'm sick of being a fucking performing seal!" I barely react, I've heard variations on this theme for the last five years.
"I mean it."
I catch his eye and see the barest glimpse of determination.
Later, in the car on the way home, he sleeps on the back seat. He's curled up like a child with the fur coat from the act over him while Maggie snores gently in the passenger seat. I drive us home in silence. Lost in thoughts of a future without Bobbi Monroe.
"We'll see." I say softly, "we'll see."
|
|
| Swing Sisters - Vignette 1. |
[20 Feb 2009|02:13am] |
This is it.
My tangled chaotic life has led me to this point in time and space and I am too busy throwing up to appreciate the beauty of it all. The tight boned corset makes bending over the stained toilet bowl difficult but I'm fucked if I'm going to ruin a four hundred quid frock moments before I hit the stage. Maggie, my dresser, is banging on the door and in the distance I can hear the pre intro music playing.
I lift my head and catch glimpse of myself in the mirror, my puffy eyes and uneven nose now corrected thanks to the wonders of MAC and a bit of blending and shading. Just hours before I looked every inch an ordinary bloke in the street but now as I mop the corners of my mouth I look like old pictures of mum from the 70's all big hair and big eyes. Jesus! I take one rather painful sustaining deep breath and open the door.
This is it.
Maggie's standing there.
She always get's worked up before the start of a new show, after twelve years I can't imagine this moment any other way. Maggie's face and neck have turned their usual salmon colour and she's wittering on a million miles an hour about something to do with a new brand of dance tights she's found on google. All I can hear is the crowd out front singing along as the now sickeningly familiar intro starts.
This is it.
I'm in that magic place now.
The last few seconds of auto pilot kick in as I make my way through the corridor to the stage. These places are always the same, tiny corridors piled high with the detritus of previous shows or shows to come. Cheap plastic chairs are stacked up in a corner next to an old amp, it's wires held together with peeling gaffer tape. On top of it perches a torn and patched inflatable Santa and a sad looking neon reindeer. I'm talking to someone as I walk, I think it's Maggie but have no idea of the words coming from my lips. We pass an old fruit machine, it's glass front cracked and it's cash door hanging open. A few more steps and I reach the side of the stage and pick up my microphone, glancing down to make sure both red lights come on when I push the switch.
The fanfare starts, the lights come on, the crowd cheers and as I disappear Dolly Diamond walks on to the stage.
This really is IT!
|
|
| Showtime! |
[08 Feb 2009|11:27am] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 excited |
] |
Well tonights the night we hit the stage.
The Champagne Showgirls are here after 18 months we are back together and have a brand new show with brand new numbers.
We've been quite brave with some of our numbers in the new show and it's got more of a theatrical feel than anything I've ever done before and this was the idea from the get go. Rather than just another Drag show with us doing Amy Winehouse and the obvious numbers from the shows we've tried to pick things that are a little different. As the show starts in a few hours I think I can reveal some of the numbers we're doing... We open with Suddenly Seymour from "Little Shop of Horrors." It's different from most openers because we start with one of us dressed as a boy and it's also not exactly a fast number but it is theatrical and full of pathos.
I'm also doing a number from "GYPSY". Now immediately most people will assume we're doing "Gimmick" or "Let me Entertain You" but no... again making the hard choice I'm doing Roses's turn... a number in which the lead character has a nervous breakdown. So not exactly standard drag!
We're both fully aware that this is a brave move and that some people are just gonna want to see a sparkly gown and some feathers while we perform a well known hit song. We will also be doing this... especially when the FULL show launches in March!
When we first talked about doing the Champagne Showgirls we wanted it to be a little different and have more of a stage feel. I think it works and assuming people don't walk out in the first half it will pay off with our current Hairspray Finale. If this first show goes down well we already have some plans to expand on the theatre elements and are even talking about doing a second half which is totally from one musical. There's a lot more to come from us and we are already booked in for a couple of the Pride events in the summer and beyond.
I hope the people of Leeds come out and support it and if they do I can promise that we will continue to try to do something different and push the boundaries of what "Pub Drag" is all about!
|
|
| What a Fabulous weekend! |
[25 Jan 2009|05:12am] |
Had a truly AMAZING weekend.
Blayds has had such a turn round. A few months ago this bar was dead and on the verge of closing forever. After 20 years on the gay scene the bar had basically had it's run, Paula and the staff had tried their best but without any proper money being ploughed into the place it just felt a bit tired. Now it's like a whole new bar. The layout has changed and there's a feeling of life in the old place again.
I DJ at Blayds every Friday and I am LOVING it! The crowd we had this weekend was great and the new sound system played absolutely brilliantly. It's a different venue to the other ones I've worked in and the music tends to be a bit less dancey and clubby.
Unlike The Viaduct where I am every Saturday! Tonight I played everything from outrageously CAMP pop to chart stuff right the way through to R & B and even a load of Electro and dance classics. The Viaduct's more of a mini club and with the right crowd can be PUMPING and that's exactly the crowd we had tonight! Every way I went they came with me, I played Steps and Bob The Builder and they danced! A bit later I played Kevin Rudolf and Kid Cudi and some serious Electro beats and the place was jumping, hands in the air heaving!
Even my wardrobe is different, at Blayds it's the posh frocks and at The Viaduct it's much more DRAG and a bit more Clubby! I adore the fact that my residencies are very different, it completely keeps me on my toes and working is like partying every night!
I absolutely LOVE my job and I am so pleased that so many people come out every Friday and Saturday to party with me! Roll on the weekend!
|
|
| Hi to one and all! |
[12 Jan 2009|01:12am] |
Well once again the best laid plans of mice, men and drag queens goes awry and I've not been able to Blog in SOOOO long!
I've been so busy.
I've moved house, Drastically changed my job... I've gone from being salaried and secure to being self-employed but so far this seems to be paying off for me as I have been recieving a growing number of job offers and opportunities.
I'm starting to perform again... details of when and where and who with will be revealed a bit later but it's an all new show and will be ready mid february!
So for now that's all I really wanna say... Check out my Facebook or website for details about where I'm working.
Luv N Hugz
Anna Glypta
xXx
|
|
| This years Drag Idol is nearly upon us! |
[10 Nov 2008|02:51am] |
This charity event has so far raised over £10,000 for HIV /AIDS charities.
And it's not just the Winner or the charities that benefit from being a part of this special event.
Previous entrants include :
"The International Miss Sam Buca" who came third in 2006' event and is now performing all over the UK as well as part of the Fantastic B4 in Turkey! Sam is joining myself, Daisy DuPont and Danny Cher Bailey as a new judge this year!
Miss Carla Jackson who came fifth at last years event under the name of "Stella Artois". Since then Carla has been the meeter and greeter for Homo and Blasphemy. She has worked with me and Mindy Le Whore as part of The Viaduct Showgirls (including our Pride tour where we performed in front of over 10,000 people). Carla's one woman show is a regular feature at The Bridge AND has recently joined the cast of The Birdcage show.
Bubbles who came second in last years event was already headed for great things and had already appeared on stage at Funny girls. Since last years event Bubbles has had a brief spell as a Viaduct Showgirl and gone on to be the Leeds Pride 08 dvd covergirl. Bubbles can currently be found as a featured artist at The Birdcage!
Jenni Talia came second in 2006's event as "Matron Mamma Morton" and has since gone on to perform regularly as Jenni Talia. She was recently featured as "Shirley Bassey" on a catwalk in Leeds Victorian Quarter and has appeared in the Yorkshire Evening Post.
Lucy Lastic etered last years event and has since gone on to become the resident Sunday night DJ at The Viaduct in Leeds.
Theresa Crowd who came third at last years event has been working as a boy dancer with Sam Buca in Turkey.
And of course Susan Platt who is entering for a record Third time this year. Susan is part of The Yorkshire T-Girls and as well as being a live shop window model and a DJ has been a valued supporter of Drag Idol.
So it's not just the winner of this years event who couldgo on t bigger things. Remember who you see this year because you never know where they may end up!
Drag Idol 2008 is held on Tuesday the 18th of November at Jongleurs and a small number of tickets are left at just £5 each. The event will be hosted by Bonnie La Blue and features performances from Last years winner Connie Cous Cous and Miss Carla Jackson. All monies raised will go towards three very deserving LOCAL HIV/AIDS charities: Daybreak, Skyline Services and Yorkshire Mesmac.
The event will be recorded and a DVD of the night will be available following the Theatrical Premiere at the Hyde Park Picture House as part of Leeds Winter Pride in February.
Tickets are only £5 with 100% of this going to the charities. There are a few left in Clonezone but these are strictly limited so to be sure to get yours get them now as the event looks likely to sell out very very soon!
I'll see you there!
XX
|
|
| New home - New ME! |
[03 Nov 2008|01:54am] |
It' only been a couple of days but I am already feeling a lot less stressed... even though I'm not exactly in the country the silence here is deafening in comparison to living next door to a nightclub.
I had my first proper nights sleep in a long time and am already beginning to feel reinvigorated, and It's only week one!!!
I had some bad news last night. I was contacted by a friends facebook account apparently being operated by a friend of his to tell me that MY friend had died of an overdose. I was upset and understandably shocked. I rang a mutual friend to break the news and also had other friends ringing me to see if I'd heard. I had a long conversation with the person on his facebook page but something didn't truly add up. Slowly others of his friends started posting their suspicions and bit by bit it seemed to us that something was wrong. His best mate even posted to say that half an hour after he had supposedly died they'd had a conversation. Then this afternoon the friend I had rung finally managed to track our not-so-dead friend down. It seems we'd fallen prey to another Facebook hacker. This person did have lot's of information tho so it seems to have been one of our friends circle. Of course as angry as I am that someone could do this I am even more relieved to hear that our friend is alive and well.
A few things worry me about this...
Who is SICK enough to pull a stunt like this for one thing; not just posting it but actually messaging hos friends to tell them one by one.
Why did it take so long to verify that he was actually alive?
And somewhat selfishly... What the hell would happen if I died suddenly? How would anyone know who to call and what to do?
As a single gay man my life is actually quite insular, I keep my own counsel these days and like my own space but just who could I trust to make the phone calls to my family? Of course I have friends but few of them know my family life and the issues and complexities we have. The sad thing I only just realised is the closest friend I have, the one who has known me since I was 15, the one I came out to first, the one who met all my family and even some of my boyfriends is probably not that well identified on my phone or in my not-so-little black book.
After this though I'll be making some alterations to things so she will be from here on in. We take so many things for granted.
"Because we do not know when we are going to die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well and yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number really. How many times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood? An afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you cannot conceive of your life without it? Perhaps 4 .... 5 times more. Perhaps not even that.
How many times will you watch the full moon rise ...... Perhaps twenty and yet it all seems limitless. "
As we all know it isn't!
|
|
| So I am moving house! |
[29 Oct 2008|08:19pm] |
After nearly a year living above the pub I have decided to make a move. Now the reasons for this are simple... Living next to a night club and above a very busy pub may be fine for those who are till in party mode but some of us need a little sleep now and then and unfortunately that just isn't possible when the pubs open late and the clubs open even later.
Added to that it became almost impossible to have any sort of private life. The idea of taking someone home or having friends over or just chilling doing whatever I like is very appealing and thanks to a few lovely women that's what's about to happen. Thanks Fiona and of course Jayne & George!
I'll keep you all posted on when the housewarming will be!
I'm immensely proud of the new redesign of my web site and now that I have full internet access again expect there to be new podcasts, video blogs and more coming your way.
Thanks to Dan for debugging it.
Anyhow I gotta run...
Till next time!
Luv N Hugz
Anna Glypta
xXx
|
|
| General update. |
[21 Oct 2008|03:57pm] |
OOOh hasn't it been a while...!
Well who'd have thought that the life of a drag queen was so hectic?
Since my last update The Viaduct Showgirls have performed all over the North of England in our little Pride tour.
Since then however I do have to report the sad news that Carla Jackson has left us for pastures new. Before anyone says anything she left on good terms with myself and Mindy and we've all been together since then. The show is on hiatus at the moment but we do plan to bring it back for Xmas.
I'm judging Drag Idol on the 18th November at Jongleurs. This charity night has so far raised over £10,000 for local HIV/AIDS charities and I am deeply honoured to be asked to be a part of it again. Tickets are available from all the gay venues in Leeds or from Clonezone.
As well as this I have also been asked to be a judge at the Grand Final of Drag 4 U. This is in Barnsley on the 28th of november and again raises money for HIV/AIDS charities.
It's important to remember that when times are bad charitable donations go down and this is especially true for those charities not involved in the "big eye causes"... you know those cute kiddies or bunnies or kitties or puppies with those big eyes. Please remember that for most of the HIV charities money is tighter than ever and yet the need is ever increasing.
|
|
| It's been a while... |
[27 Aug 2008|01:38am] |
Hi guys,
I have been monumentally busy over the last fewmonths and seem to be stuck on facebook now whenever i log into the pc.
All's going very well for me here in Leeds.
The Viaduct showgirls have Just finished our Pride tour. We performed at Huddersfield Pink Picnic, Leeds Pride and Wakefield Pride. WOW! is all I can say.
I'm still promotions manager at The Viaduct and the pub is growing so well that it takes up all of my time.
Not got time to do a full update now bt will do so in the next week or so to let you know what has and hasn't been going on.
xx
|
|
| Just a general update from planet Glyppi! |
[17 May 2008|02:43am] |
Hi, I just felt like blogging today, no apparent reason I just felt like an update in general...
The Diet is still ongoing... in total I have dropped nearly five stone and gone from a size 28 to a size 22(ish) and even have frocks which are a size 20 that I can fit in with a bit of a squeeze and some cooking oil...
Let me tell ya how this has been achieved... Atkins. That's right... I have been on a seriously low carb, high protein diet for the last 18 months only coming off through stress when my dad died, this was when I put back on about a stone and a half. Actually I came off it again for about two months over Christmas... BIG mistake. Anyway those of you who actually read this will probably know that I am diabetic and have suffered from an eating disorder for most of my adult life. At this moment in time I seem to be in a good place and both conditions are under control. Health wise I have never felt better and, touch wood, I intend dropping to a size 18 and then stabilizing off.
Some people have said they preffered me when I was bigger and this puzzles me. I am feeling more confident in myself, my job and my future and am slowly putting my life in order. How anyone could possibly want me to jeapordise all that just so I look more like Divine or more comedic I don't know. Let's be honest here I'm never going to be THIN and nor would I want to be... I have always been a big girl with a big gob and a big personality and that will never change. Physically I feel healthier and more robust than at any time since I was in my teens.
There's still no current Mr Glypta and to be honest I like it that way. My life is far too busy to be able to find time to devote to anyone else and with me relationships tend to be pretty intense. Nah, I'm happy having friends and the occasional bit of fun to sustain a girls needs...
Family wise things are ok... My sister and my GORGEOUS nieces continue to make me smile and my eyes sparkle and mum's just come through yet another operation intact and in relative high spirits so... fingers crossed. I miss my dad more than I ever imagined I would but try not to think about it. As my Grandad used to say... "Ah Well, Such is Life!"
So everything is on a fairly even keel right now in the world of Glyppi, and I hope that for a while things stay that way...
And how are things with you?
|
|
| I hate Mindless Bitchiness. |
[07 May 2008|11:01pm] |
Now don't get me wrong I know I have a reputation as "The Gobbiest Queen on the Scene" and all that but I am very tired of mindless bitchiness. Having a go at your ex or slagging off someone is all very natural but mindless ill-informed bitchiness is doing my tits in!
Take Leeds Pride for example... The bitchiness has already started even though it's 3 months away. I recently heard people moaning about the fact that the main stage area is going to be in Millenium Square, that it's going to be a two hour event, that venues aren't doing more. that the prices will be too high etc etc etc. And neither of whom have even signed up for the pride minutes let alone attended a meeting.
One of these people also refused to buy a Drag Idol DVD as it was too expensive at £12.99 (despite the fact that the production costs alone were £5.50 per dvd with the rest going to LOCAL HIV/AIDS charities).
I am sick of this attitude amongst some people on the scene. This feeling that the Leeds scene is shit and nothing is happening on it...
BOLLOCKS
I come from a city larger than Leeds with (theoretically) more money, more students and more gays and that has 3 gay venues at last count. THREE. It has no Pride event and everyone buggers off to the surrounding cities on a night out.
Leeds has 7 gay/gay friendly venues plus one off nights happening. It's Pride had 12,000 people in it's 2nd year. It attracts big name DJ's to the scene's club events and draws people from all over the north and yet there is a pocket of boring cynical old twisted SAD fuckers who can't do anything except talk it down!
I love this city and love the scene here - yeah I slag off certain elements from time to time but my advice to those who seem to loathe it so much is simply this: "If you hate it that much do the rest of us a favour - FUCK OFF!"
|
|
| navigation |
| [ |
viewing |
| |
most recent entries |
] |
| [ |
go |
| |
earlier |
] |
|
|
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
annaglypta's journal