LADY STARDUST

Can you define your drag persona and where did your inspiration come from?

 

"Lady Stardust is a time traveller who got stranded in 1969 after David Bowie stole her universe bending drugs. She became a fixture of the glam and punk scenes, but these days she’s a twisted and surreal figure after enduring the endless trudge of chronological time.

 

To create Lady Stardust I take a lot of inspiration from History, Surrealism, Punk, and nature, though my mind is always grabbing at new and unexpected influences. Leigh Bowery is hugely important in my creative outlook.

 

For this look I was inspired by the French Revolution and the art of Jacques-Louis David, which was all dazzling colours, dynamic movement, and reverence for nature."

 

Can you describe your first drag performance?

 

"I did a lipsync to Tigerlily by La Roux in a garment made of tree branches, ivy, and carnations. I’d been formulating a look inspired by the Green Man and Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2007 collection when I saw Sasha Velour’s iconic ‘So Emotional’ performance, which gave me the idea of the garment falling apart onstage and showering the audience with plant matter.

 

The show itself was a collaboration between Love Muscle and AgeOfThe in August ’17 but I’d been putting looks together for Love Muscle since October. It was a magical night, a lot of the people I perform with now did their first performance there."

 

 

What would you say your persona brings to drag culture?

 

"I’d say I bring quite a thought provoking perspective to drag culture, although this can be said for drag’s contribution to culture in general. I love the idea of Stardust as a drag educator, using the surreal as a tool to offer insights into the psyche, even if it’s an audience member bemusedly asking themselves ‘Why would anyone ever think to do this?’"

 

What are the reasons you do drag?

 

"I’ve loved dressing up since I was a kid. I used to sing and dance for the class and run around the playground pretending I was Robin Hood when I was in primary school. I lost touch with all that as I got older, but Drag’s been an amazing way to access it again.

 

I became really motivated to get involved in drag in 2016 after David Bowie died in January and the Pulse shooting in June. I have a deep admiration of Bowie and I saw his death as a challenge to take up his mantle. The Pulse shooting was deeply traumatic, but the community’s response to it filled me with hope and love. I became intensely aware of the need to be fearlessly queer.

 

Other than that, I love the process, drag involves so many creative inputs you end up constantly learning and recombining skills and inspirations. It really challenges me to think in new ways, and to have people respond to it is incredible."

 

What do you do outside of drag?

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"I’m doing an MA in History at the moment, so that’s been taking up a lot of my time! I don’t mind though, History has always been my passion and I love the freedom you get at postgraduate level. My work focusses a lot on cultural perceptions and historical mind-sets, I bring a lot of that in to my drag.

In my own time I love walking, watching documentaries, going to gigs. I went to see Fever Ray recently and it really energised me.

Why do you think drag is so important right now within this era? I.e. Artistic landscape, Political Attitudes, Current events

 

I think drag is a really powerful assertion of the power of the imagination. Working life for young people is unspeakably dreary these days, and events often make one feel like a lifeless yet conscious body being dragged out to sea.

 

Drag is all about possibilities, individuals building each other up and offering alternative ways of seeing things rather than being mired in doubt and fear. You can’t always escape these things but drag can transform them into something thought provoking and beautiful."

What are your opinions on transgender and gender issues within drag culture? E.g female drag artists

 

"Transgender people and women have always been part of drag heritage. Figures like the Chevalier D’Eon, and the Baroness von Freytag-Loringhoven have been at the forefront of the genderfuck throughout History, and the LGBT+ community is built on the tireless activism of trans women like Sylvia Rivera.

 

At this moment in time, it’s thrilling that so many more women are getting involved in drag, it’s a testament to how plastic and accessible it is as an artform. Most of the AgeOfThe family are women, and their creativity and talent leave me spellbound. Now more than ever it is important to build inclusive and resilient queer communities and drawing boundaries around drag is self-defeating."

 

What are your future aspirations within drag?

 

"For the immediate future, I’m aiming to work with as many people as possible to build Lady Stardust as an existing entity. My last performance was a collaboration with my good pal Venuz, and I want to continue drawing inspiration from and creating with artists in Leeds.

 

Other than that, I’d love to blend my academic life more with my creative projects. I think History is of vital importance to the world, and it’s sinfully neglected and distorted in curricula and in the media. I want to use the figure of Lady Stardust to engage people with the past, hopefully encouraging them to see it as a living phenomenon and an endless resource for understanding ourselves."

 

With the rise of popularity of drag, what efforts could be made to ensure drag stays true to its roots?

 

"I think it’s important to show up and support your local drag artists above all. The art will continue to thrive as long as all kinds of artists are supported and encouraged.

Drag’s origins are so impossibly wide and tangled that it’s hard to talk about ‘roots’ meaningfully. There will always be a canon of artists who’ve built drag to what it is now, but I see the current moment as a challenge to search ever more widely for inspiration. The more people bring to it, the stronger drag will become."