LEIGH BOWERY: A STAR IN SUBCULTURE
AN EXCERPT:
In the early days Bowery felt comfortable with describing himself as "gay", although he had intense and passionate friendships occasionally of a sexual nature with women, often in the form of a sadomasochistic-type relationship, with Bowery firmly in the role of master puppeteer. With his bizarre looks Leigh often had difficulties attracting the men he was sexually attracted to, and he would often describe having sex in risky underground situations such as "cottaging", with unattractive individuals.
BUNNY NOTE: I'M NOT SURE THAT LEIGH CARED THAT THE INDIVIDUALS HE "COTTAGED" WITH IN PUBLIC TOILETS AROUND LONDON WERE UNATTRACTIVE--I THINK HE WAS DRAWN TO THE SEEDINESS OF THE SITUATION AND THE VOLUMN OF THE SEX WHICH COULD BE OBTAINED BY COTTAGING. BY THE TIME LEIGH'S CHEEKS WERE PIERCED SO THAT HE COULD RIG A LIGHT BULB INTO HIS MOUTH, HIS DAY LOOK, WHICH INCLUDED A SHORT, FROSTED BLOND MEN'S WIG TO HIDE THE BALD PATE, WAS OFTEN SAID TO BE AS IF NOT MORE BIZARRE THAN HIS EVENING ATTIRE.
ANYWAY, FOR THE MOST PART, I THINK MAD SUBCULTURE SUMS HIM UP PRETTY WELL, AND INCLUDES THIS VIDEO FOOTAGE I'D ONLY HEARD OF FROM LEIGH'S LIVING INSTALLATION AT THE ANTHONY D'OFFAY GALLERY IN WHICH HE JUST POSED ALL DAY IN A WINDOW FOR ONLOOKERS. I HOPE THAT THIS IS THE ACTUALLY SOUNDTRACK USED FOR THE INSTALLATION! THAT TRICKLING WATER BIT COULD BE AN ODE TO THE COTTAGING!
READ THE REST: MADSUBCULTURE
LEIGH AT THE ANTHONY D'OFFAY GALLERY IN 1988
A DESCRIPTION OF THE GALLERY SHOW FROM SUE TILLEY'S BOOK ON LEIGH:
"(...) There was a simple set, just Leigh and a chaise-longue. In the gallery
he had the sound of traffic playing and each day a different smell was wafted
around, one day banana the next marshmallows. Every day Leigh wore another one
of his looks. He would lie on the chaise-longue and then maybe prwol arond or
do some high kicks or keep a pose for ten minutes depending on waht sort of
mood he was in.(...)"
"(...)The show was a great success. Plenty of people stayed the full two
hours and returned every day. It was teh first time that many of the club people
had been into an art gallery and it showed them what exciting places they can
be. Cerith Wyn Evans filmed every performance(...)"
- extracts from the book "Lifes And Times Of An Icon" by Sue Tilley, pages 217-218
Leigh has been on my mind recently because it was with him, both in our day looks, that I caught a London performance of Danny La Rue, the mainstream UK transvestite star of stage and screen. The performance was a ye olde style cabaret in Hoxton, with family style seating at long benches which we shared with an audience of primarily old ladies who giggled with us about the dessert choice of "spotted dick". It's funny, because American drag artist Liberace also had a fan base amongst older gals who ooh-ed and aah-ed over his glitzycostumes. I'd definitely say that costuming was Danny's strong suit. Perhaps the fact that his mom was a seamstress gave him his impeccable taste in razzle-dazzle show wear. Really imaginative and totally over-the top. Exquisite glossy wigs, too. Danny was pretty, but had a strong jaw which looked best in tall Gabor-esque wigs. But then again, I say taller bouffants for everyone every time! He occasionally wore a flatter, long wig which didn't suit him, but even those were beautifully done.
RECENTLY DECEASED UK DRAG LEGEND DANNY LARUE MADE HIS FINAL EXIT, BUT CHECK OUT HER MAGNIFICENT ENTRANCE IN THIS CLIP! WHAT A FUCKING ENTRANCE!
Danny's humor was very safe--often appearing in kids' holiday revues which the english call pantomimes--but he did tell one of my favorite jokes that night, which was old when he told it--but so demented that it stands the test of time.
A wimpy guy asks his more macho buddy how to attract more women at the beach.
His friend tells him to grab 3 potatoes and put them in his speedos.
A few hours later the wimp reports back that the potatoes seem to have had the opposite effect--women were now actively fleeing from him.
His macho pal says "You were supposed to put the potatoes in the front of your swimsuit!".
The rest of his act was kind of a sing-a-long of traditional songs which I didn't care for, but the rest of the audience rollicked along with. (I guess a comparable Amercian tune might be THOSE WERE THE DAYS.) But Danny did have his own hit, ON MOTHER KELLY'S DOORSTEP, which reached, according to WIkipedia, # 33 on the UK singles chart . It's definitely not my cup of tea, but here it is. I do worship a high contrast gown with a matching boa--WITH TASSELS ON THE END!
HONEY, IF I AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT. DANNY HAD THE SAME DRESS IN REVERSE!
LOOKING SMASHING IN BUGLE BEADS, BUT THE HUMOR DOESN'T QUITE TRANSLATE FOR ME:
Danny eschewed the term drag to describe his act, preferring "comic in a frock". And though one of his trademarks--still used by many today--was lowering in voice to break his feminine illusion and give the audience a mild shock. But one thing that made Danny stand out from grotesque pantomime dames is that he was attractive and stylish. Often, mainstream audiences can't accept drag unless there's a reason behind the character being in dolled up--for example, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis were forced to dress in female attire to escape the mob in SOME LIKE IT HOT. Or Dustin Hoffman's starving actor character in TOOTSIE couldn't get work acting as a male, so his desperation led to donning a dress for his big break. Danny clearly wasn't forced into drag--although that was actually the premise of his film OUR MISS FRED. He clearly relished it, and looked more polished and glamorous than many female stars of the period. Bob Hope called him "the most glamorous woman in the world". An attractive drag star is still so unusual that RuPaul may be one of the only other examples of a drag persona who is accepted by the mainstream while going for the glamor and even sex appeal and achieving it. I worship Dame Edna, but she isn't turning anyone on. And if she is, I'd love to meet anyone with a penchant for mature transvestite showgirls! Um, for a friend of mine...
In 1972, Danny's talents were tapped to star in the feature film OUR MISS FRED. Here's a dazzling clip from the end showcasing him at what I'd say is his best--gowns, gowns and more knock-out gowns! Shot through a kaleidoscopic lens! The cuckoo look with the bonnet and white platforms kills me!
TOTALLY OUTRAGEOUS WIG--A LITTLE LIKE SOME OF AMANDA LEPORE'S MORE STRUCTURAL PIECES--WITH BEIGE LIPSTICK!
AND FINALLY, TO BID ADIEU TO A LEGENDARY DRAG PIONEER, HERE'S THE CHEEKY END SCENE OF OUR MISS FRED:
In the early days Bowery felt comfortable with describing himself as "gay", although he had intense and passionate friendships occasionally of a sexual nature with women, often in the form of a sadomasochistic-type relationship, with Bowery firmly in the role of master puppeteer. With his bizarre looks Leigh often had difficulties attracting the men he was sexually attracted to, and he would often describe having sex in risky underground situations such as "cottaging", with unattractive individuals.
BUNNY NOTE: I'M NOT SURE THAT LEIGH CARED THAT THE INDIVIDUALS HE "COTTAGED" WITH IN PUBLIC TOILETS AROUND LONDON WERE UNATTRACTIVE--I THINK HE WAS DRAWN TO THE SEEDINESS OF THE SITUATION AND THE VOLUMN OF THE SEX WHICH COULD BE OBTAINED BY COTTAGING. BY THE TIME LEIGH'S CHEEKS WERE PIERCED SO THAT HE COULD RIG A LIGHT BULB INTO HIS MOUTH, HIS DAY LOOK, WHICH INCLUDED A SHORT, FROSTED BLOND MEN'S WIG TO HIDE THE BALD PATE, WAS OFTEN SAID TO BE AS IF NOT MORE BIZARRE THAN HIS EVENING ATTIRE.
ANYWAY, FOR THE MOST PART, I THINK MAD SUBCULTURE SUMS HIM UP PRETTY WELL, AND INCLUDES THIS VIDEO FOOTAGE I'D ONLY HEARD OF FROM LEIGH'S LIVING INSTALLATION AT THE ANTHONY D'OFFAY GALLERY IN WHICH HE JUST POSED ALL DAY IN A WINDOW FOR ONLOOKERS. I HOPE THAT THIS IS THE ACTUALLY SOUNDTRACK USED FOR THE INSTALLATION! THAT TRICKLING WATER BIT COULD BE AN ODE TO THE COTTAGING!
READ THE REST: MADSUBCULTURE
LEIGH AT THE ANTHONY D'OFFAY GALLERY IN 1988
A DESCRIPTION OF THE GALLERY SHOW FROM SUE TILLEY'S BOOK ON LEIGH:
"(...) There was a simple set, just Leigh and a chaise-longue. In the gallery
he had the sound of traffic playing and each day a different smell was wafted
around, one day banana the next marshmallows. Every day Leigh wore another one
of his looks. He would lie on the chaise-longue and then maybe prwol arond or
do some high kicks or keep a pose for ten minutes depending on waht sort of
mood he was in.(...)"
"(...)The show was a great success. Plenty of people stayed the full two
hours and returned every day. It was teh first time that many of the club people
had been into an art gallery and it showed them what exciting places they can
be. Cerith Wyn Evans filmed every performance(...)"
- extracts from the book "Lifes And Times Of An Icon" by Sue Tilley, pages 217-218
Leigh has been on my mind recently because it was with him, both in our day looks, that I caught a London performance of Danny La Rue, the mainstream UK transvestite star of stage and screen. The performance was a ye olde style cabaret in Hoxton, with family style seating at long benches which we shared with an audience of primarily old ladies who giggled with us about the dessert choice of "spotted dick". It's funny, because American drag artist Liberace also had a fan base amongst older gals who ooh-ed and aah-ed over his glitzycostumes. I'd definitely say that costuming was Danny's strong suit. Perhaps the fact that his mom was a seamstress gave him his impeccable taste in razzle-dazzle show wear. Really imaginative and totally over-the top. Exquisite glossy wigs, too. Danny was pretty, but had a strong jaw which looked best in tall Gabor-esque wigs. But then again, I say taller bouffants for everyone every time! He occasionally wore a flatter, long wig which didn't suit him, but even those were beautifully done.
RECENTLY DECEASED UK DRAG LEGEND DANNY LARUE MADE HIS FINAL EXIT, BUT CHECK OUT HER MAGNIFICENT ENTRANCE IN THIS CLIP! WHAT A FUCKING ENTRANCE!
Danny's humor was very safe--often appearing in kids' holiday revues which the english call pantomimes--but he did tell one of my favorite jokes that night, which was old when he told it--but so demented that it stands the test of time.
A wimpy guy asks his more macho buddy how to attract more women at the beach.
His friend tells him to grab 3 potatoes and put them in his speedos.
A few hours later the wimp reports back that the potatoes seem to have had the opposite effect--women were now actively fleeing from him.
His macho pal says "You were supposed to put the potatoes in the front of your swimsuit!".
The rest of his act was kind of a sing-a-long of traditional songs which I didn't care for, but the rest of the audience rollicked along with. (I guess a comparable Amercian tune might be THOSE WERE THE DAYS.) But Danny did have his own hit, ON MOTHER KELLY'S DOORSTEP, which reached, according to WIkipedia, # 33 on the UK singles chart . It's definitely not my cup of tea, but here it is. I do worship a high contrast gown with a matching boa--WITH TASSELS ON THE END!
HONEY, IF I AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT. DANNY HAD THE SAME DRESS IN REVERSE!
LOOKING SMASHING IN BUGLE BEADS, BUT THE HUMOR DOESN'T QUITE TRANSLATE FOR ME:
Danny eschewed the term drag to describe his act, preferring "comic in a frock". And though one of his trademarks--still used by many today--was lowering in voice to break his feminine illusion and give the audience a mild shock. But one thing that made Danny stand out from grotesque pantomime dames is that he was attractive and stylish. Often, mainstream audiences can't accept drag unless there's a reason behind the character being in dolled up--for example, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis were forced to dress in female attire to escape the mob in SOME LIKE IT HOT. Or Dustin Hoffman's starving actor character in TOOTSIE couldn't get work acting as a male, so his desperation led to donning a dress for his big break. Danny clearly wasn't forced into drag--although that was actually the premise of his film OUR MISS FRED. He clearly relished it, and looked more polished and glamorous than many female stars of the period. Bob Hope called him "the most glamorous woman in the world". An attractive drag star is still so unusual that RuPaul may be one of the only other examples of a drag persona who is accepted by the mainstream while going for the glamor and even sex appeal and achieving it. I worship Dame Edna, but she isn't turning anyone on. And if she is, I'd love to meet anyone with a penchant for mature transvestite showgirls! Um, for a friend of mine...
In 1972, Danny's talents were tapped to star in the feature film OUR MISS FRED. Here's a dazzling clip from the end showcasing him at what I'd say is his best--gowns, gowns and more knock-out gowns! Shot through a kaleidoscopic lens! The cuckoo look with the bonnet and white platforms kills me!
TOTALLY OUTRAGEOUS WIG--A LITTLE LIKE SOME OF AMANDA LEPORE'S MORE STRUCTURAL PIECES--WITH BEIGE LIPSTICK!
AND FINALLY, TO BID ADIEU TO A LEGENDARY DRAG PIONEER, HERE'S THE CHEEKY END SCENE OF OUR MISS FRED:
posted by Lady Bunny at Thursday, June 04, 2009
2 Comments:
Thank you Buns. DlR was a fabulous gay man and a faboosh diva. I appreciate your memory of him and the post you gave.
The Economist publishes one obituary per week head of state, nobel prize winner, leader of the opposition. This week's obituary was for Danny La Rue.
Post a Comment
<< Blog Home