Sickening Interview with Rujazzle

How did you come up with the name Rujazzle?

 I didn’t actually choose my name; it was given to me. When I started doing drag at uni in my first year my best friend Benji and I started dressing up for house parties. In St Andrews there’s no night life or nightclubs so all you have are house parties. We would dress up and have ridiculous themes that ranged from 1950s housewives to Mexican prostitutes and that’s how we started doing drag. One of our really good friends named us the Jazzle Sisters because back in 2011 or 2012 TOWIE was the big thing. We were named after Vajazzle as a sort of silly pun, my friend was named  Benjazzle and I was called Rujazzle after our boy names. My name has kind of stuck, I’ve gone through phases where I’ve wanted to change it to something that I have chosen but I kind of like it. I see being Rujazzle as not being a character but just an aspect of Ruairidh that’s a bit more sparkly.

How long have you been doing drag?

My very first time in drag was way back in 2011 when I was still at high school for a Halloween party. I was a Halloween queen like many others. My friends and I dressed as the characters from the Queen video I want to Break Free. I was Roger Taylor who was the schoolgirl, so I was blonde and I’ve been blonde ever since.

Technically I’ve been doing drag since I was a baby. I have two older sisters who would dress me up as a doll when I was a little boy, so I would be in dresses with pigtails because I had long blonde curly hair.

“I’ve become very inspired by the art world, and I’ve turned out looks inspired by Van Gogh, Warhol, Magritte, Dali, and others“

Who and what inspires your looks?

 Not to sound too old and grand but I started doing drag before RuPaul’s Drag Race became popular in the UK so I never had that frame of reference. My idea of drag back then was Dame Edna or Lily Savage. Once I started doing drag I didn’t know anything about it. My intention wasn’t to be a drag queen it was sort of accidental and I started dressing up for fun. So I wasn’t really inspired by any one person.  I suppose being a millennial I’m inspired by Lady Gaga, it’s unavoidable not to be influenced by any pop diva, really. I study art history, and as my drag evolved to my current style, I’ve become very inspired by the art world. I’ve turned out looks inspired by Van Gogh, Warhol, Magritte, Dali, and others.

 

Where was your first performance and what song did you perform to?

 My first performance was in a talent show in St Andrews in 2013 and I performed to Sweet Transvestite from Rocky Horror. It’s my favourite film of all time and I’m tattooed. (pulls up sleeve to reveal a tattoo with the movie quote “Don’t dream it, be it”) The movie is really important to me.

 

 

Rujazzle has the quote from Rocky Horror tattooed on her arm ‘Don’t dream it, be it’. “The movie is really important to me”

You are host and performer at Mothertucker at Katie’s Bar. What made you and the other girls decide to organise your own night?

When I was in New York in the summer I went to a lot of weekly ensemble drag shows. There’s so many of them all over the city that have the same cast, a guest performer and a different theme each week. It made me think that there isn’t really anything like that in Glasgow, and the New York events were always so busy when I went to them. That was my inspiration for creating the show. Mothertucker launched back in February in Stereo as a one off thing with me, October (Fist), Perry (Cyazine) and Lacy (Rain). We were planning on bringing it back eventually but we didn’t have a venue. Fortunately, when I came back from New York, Katie’s Bar contacted me and they offered us a weekly slot. It all came together very fortuitously.

 

You were a RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Ambassador finalist. What made you apply?

 I applied with no expectations. I really didn’t expect to be a finalist. I applied on the off chance that RuPaul might watch my video and know who I was for a split second. I was very shocked to be a finalist, but it was very affirming. I felt like all the hard work I had put in was finally paying off, especially being a relatively new queen back then (I guess I am still a relatively new queen, I’m not going to make out that I’m some kind of established act). It was very intimidating to go there and compete against queens who have been doing drag for 10/15 years.

 

What the process involved?

All the queens had to send in audition videos to the TV network, similar to the audition process for Drag Race. Perry and I filmed ours the night before, and we were up all night editing them. Perry got hers in on time, but mine uploaded a minute after the deadline, luckily it was still considered a valid entry! The show itself was at the Cafe de Paris in London; on the day we got ready backstage with the queens (it felt very much like drag race!), had various rehearsals, then the competition consisted of a runway, lipsync, and question round. The competition itself was of course stressful but it definitely was a great experience.

 

“I see being Rujazzle as not being a character but just an aspect of Ruairidh that’s a bit more sparkly.”

 

Did you get to perform in front of RuPaul?

 Unfortunately not. I didn’t make it through to the lipsync round. I only made it to the runway because they eliminated over half the queens during the first round, and we were eliminated by that point. I never expected to be competing against such amazing queens such as The Vivienne and Anna Phylactic. A part of me felt guilty that I was a finalist and such established queens like Cheddar wasn’t. Cheddar is one of the most sickening queens in the entire world. It was very cool to be on stage and have RuPaul sitting right there. One thing I was sad about was we never actually got to meet RuPaul. He was amazingly professional and came in and did the show. He’s a legend and I think if I was that famous I’d be a diva too.

 

How did you decide what to wear for the competition?

 We literally had one week to prepare and, being a poor student, I didn’t have time to go out and order a custom gown. I wore something I made myself. Looking back, I felt that it was pretty ratty but it was fine. I was going for a sort of Huntsman, highland look. I wanted to be Scottish but not stereotypically so, and I focussed more on influences from Vivienne Westwood, high fashion plaid. RuPaul laughed when I pretended to shoot him with my gun so that’s something at least.

 

“You know its funny because one of Lily Savage’s TV shows was being shown on TV in the hospital room when I was being born!!”

In a recent article you wrote for The Saint (a University of St Andrews Student publication) you described drag (and gender expression of all kinds) as going through something of a “renaissance”. Do you feel that there is a cultural shift in the way that drag is received now?  

Yes, definitely. I think like any art form it goes through periods of being in vogue. I think its last peak was around the mid 1990s I would say. It’s mad to think that someone like Lily Savage had a primetime TV show in full drag in the 1990s.  You know its funny because one of Lily Savage’s TV shows was being shown on TV in the hospital room when I was being born!!

I do think that Drag Race has had a huge impact on the way drag is perceived. It has made it much more human and relatable and not so weird and niche, which it still is. Drag race’s significance lies in the fact that it shows the queens as human, well rounded people who aren’t some kind of weird cross dresser but is just doing a type of job. At the end of the day, its fun and you’re being there to make people happy. That’s why I love doing drag. People say to me all the time that Mothertucker is the highlight of their week, that they enjoy coming. It makes them happy. That’s what drag is there for, to bring joy.

 

Looking at pop culture from the 80s and 90s, drag artists and “gender benders” seemed to be more visible on TV and in the music industry. Thinking about now do you think that, with regards to media presence, drag and other forms of gender expression have been excluded from the mainstream media?

That’s an interesting point actually, I’ve never really thought about it before. I suppose you could look at someone like Lady Gaga who expresses her gender in a way that is very creative. But there aren’t a lot of men who are like that.

 

Exactly! We always think of the 21^st Century as being a liberal era, based on a philosophy of equality, however if we look to the media for positive images of gender expression they appear to be significantly lacking.

Maybe part of the reason why artists such as Boy George, Marilyn or Pete Burns were able to become successful was due to the popularity of the New Romantic scene of that time. It was a follow on from the punk era, where it was meant to shock, so maybe we’ve moved past that in a way. Perhaps the artists aren’t interested in expressing themselves in that way. It’s an interesting point and I’m not sure why. It may change, we may be going through a period where media is quite bland. There are some American examples, Adam Lambert who is a bit more androgynous, or Jeffree Star. The only UK artist I can think of recently was Seann Miley Moore who recently appeared on X Factor. I also think within gay culture there’s still stigma attached to being feminine. A lot of gay guys are put off wearing makeup or acting in a way that might compromise their ‘masculinity’.

 

“A lot of gay guys are put off wearing makeup or acting in a way that might compromise their ‘masculinity’“

Do you think there should be a Glasgow based reality drag show, in a similar vein to The Drag Queens of London?

 Yes, absolutely!! Theres lots of stories to be told that are not being shown to the Glasgow public.

 

Would you like to be featured on the show?

You know, I have this fear on any reality show that I would be given a really bad edit. I think someone like Lacy would be a fan favourite because she’s got a really cute personality, but I think I would come across as a bitch. I just know I’d get the Roxy Andrews edit. But I’m a sweetheart really.

 

You can find Rujazzle every Tuesday at 9pm for Mothertucker in Katie’s Bar. With free entry and an amazing performance every week, there’s no excuse not to go, folks!!!!!!

Trigger Thursdays Launch Party

This is an order to stop what you’re doing and buy a ticket for this sickening event immediately!!! Be sure to keep Thursday 26th November clear in your calendars for a sickening night being held in the Classic Grand on Jamaica Street, Glasgow. The TRIGGER Launch Party is a night being organised by CarrieAnn Crow.

SickeningGlasgow caught up with CarrieAnn to find out all the sickening details of the launch party.

Tell us why you decided to create TRIGGER Thursdays?

I wanted to create an event in Glasgow that is completely different to anything available in Glasgow’s queer scene. I feel like the LGBT+ community and the alternative community share many of the same roots. When I was growing up I didn’t know any LGBT+ people who didn’t (to some degree) identify as ‘alternative’. Both scenes are ones that champion individuality, but I know a lot of people who actively avoid going out on the gay scene because they feel like you still need to adhere to a particular kind of behaviour, style or dress sense. I want to create a space where everyone come along and feel like they can be themselves.

I’m also a musician, first and foremost. I wanted to provide a platform for creative individuals, from any background to come along and express themselves. I know so many talented people who have conditioned themselves to work and perform for nothing other than the privilege of performing. I want people to see that TRIGGER is an event that’s here to reward creative people who are willing to work.

The location is also important too. TRIGGER will be taking place at The Classic Grand, right in the heart of the city centre, on Jamaica street, while many of the gay clubs in the city are tucked away in one corner of the city, we’re trying to pull a part of Glasgow’s queer scene out of the Merchant City. The Classic Grand is a reputed live music venue, and renowned for hosting burlesque and alternative events, so while what we do at TRIGGER will be completely different, the setting just feels right for what we will be providing.

Who will be performing at Trigger?

We’ve got a fantastic line up for the launch night. We’ve got some of Glasgow’s best drag acts. Mothertucker’s  Lacy Rain will be debuting music from her upcoming EP. Both Fran’s Gender and Menergy’s Miss Tess Tosterone will be singing live with live music. Glasgow’s queen of imitation, Lawrence Chaney will be serving something ‘conservative’ and new inductee to Menergy’s Muntorage and my goth sister Ann Phetimine will be there representing the Haus of Diamond. Glasgow drag power couple Alana Duvey and Dharma Geddon, will be turning it out too. The sensational Deano Monsoon and Charly Houston will be treating us to some fantastic live music. We’ll also have Icon Award’s Entertainer of the Year 2015, Ross Cleland, otherwise known as VolcanicAsh. So it’s a really diverse group we have to launch the event.

Will there be any sickening surprises that you can give us an exclusive on?

Nothing that I can say too much about at the moment, sadly. Keep your eyes peeled for announcements on the TRIGGER page at www.facebook.com/TriggerThursdays

Will TRIGGER Thursdays be a weekly event?

TRIGGER is the start of something big, not only for Glasgow’s LGBT+ or alternative community, but for the creative industries in Glasgow, so keep your ear to the ground for things to come. It will be a regular event, but it wont be weekly. The next event will either be late December or early January.

Will there be resident performers for future events?

Well TRIGGER is dedicated to the spirit of community. There wont be resident performers who will be performing at every event, as we are looking to have as diverse a repertoire of performers as possible, but everyone who turns it out on the TRIGGER stage will be more than welcome to come back.

Who will be performing at the next event?

I haven’t confirmed any acts for upcoming events. Everything is still just in discussion stages, but I’ve got a lot of people who are eager to help out at TRIGGER. A few bands and artists dotted around the UK who are very keen to take part.

Where can we buy tickets for the event?

You can get you tickets on the doors or at  our ticket site www.triggerlaunchparty.eventbrite.co.uk Tickets are just £5 and the event will be running from 7pm to 11pm on Thursday the 26^th which is great value, especially considering the amazing acts that we’re showcasing.

Dylan Joel A/W 2015 Collection

Friday the 13th may have been unlucky for some but not for man of the hour Dylan Joel and his sickening Autumn/Winter 2015 collection Show at AXM in Glasgow. Sadly SickeningGlasgow was unable to attend but we were intent on poking our noses into all the fun and frolics of the evening. Hosted by Alice Rabbit and  performances from Perry Cyazine, RuJazzle, Jessica Diamond and of course the amazingly talented and gorgeous RuPaul’s Drag Race megastar Adore Delano (as well as an amazing lip sync by Dylan himself!!!), the night looked off the hook!!! Our spies saw everything and were there to snap every minute of the action. We at SickeningGlasgow can’t wait for Dylan’s next amazing collection!!!!!!

Were you there?? Use the comments section below to fill us in of all the gossip!!!

Photography by the amazing Michael James

Checkout Dylan Joel’s sickening collection at www.http://www.dylanjoelclothing.com

 

Sickening Interview with Bruise

Meet Bruise, one of Glasgow’s newest and most sickening queens.

Your drag name is Bruise how did you come up with the name?

Well I had been trying to figure out a name for myself for a month or so trying to find something that connected with my drag and then the name Bruise hit me (If you pardon the pun) I chose it because Bruises are different overtime and so am I, I am always evolving my look and I will leave you with an impact.

When did you start doing drag?

I started my drag at the start of 2015, I studied Contemporary Art Practice and in my third year I wanted to add gender into my art and express myself more with expanding my palette. I thought “what way better than to use myself as an art piece and use makeup and other things to expand it?”. It’s also been an amazing way to help with my nerves and anxiety. At the start of the year I couldn’t even leave the house to go to a club or go out at night because I was so nervous and anxious and always over thought about what would happen, for instance, what would happen if I got stabbed or muted. Just silly things going over in my head but my drag has truly helped me. If you had told me when I turned 18 that not only would I be going out in a club never mind in drag I would have laughed in your face but it has honestly helped me and is helping me now because I am now 100% not nervous.

Who or what influences you and why?

My drag / style influences are a lot of contemporary art movements and modern art and the way it is perceived and shown and also a lot of UK-based queens and US Queens my main ones are Smiley Vyrus, Lawrence Chaney, Biblegirl666, Atlantis, Milk, Mathu Anderson, Boulet Brothers, Duo Raw, Lill, Anna Phylactic, Kim Chi, They are all my main ones because of their style and makeup.

What three words describe Bruise?

Custom, Bold & Primitive.

I’m absolutely obsessed with your merchandise. Where can I buy one?

Thank you! You can purchase my t-shirts at http://www.dragqueenmerch.com they ship internationally and are affordable with more designs coming soon!

Bruise strutting her stuff at The Munter Games #sickening photo credit: Simon Crawford

You performed at the Munter Games at Menergy on 31^st October. Tell us about your performance and what inspired your look?

Well lets just say I don’t ever want to look back at my performance, I hated it I am glad it was a group performance and not a solo, I was sloppy and messy and very nervous, It was really fun and liberating to me though, I didn’t really practice or rehearse for it either because I wasn’t passionate about the song, with my future performances I will obviously pick the song and the performance I want to perceive and I think it will go a lot better than, As for my look I wanted something a little trashy to go with the song which was Gimme More by Britney Spears.

When and where will you be performing next?

I really don’t know I hope its very soon though you’ll just have to watch out and see!

Who was your favourite RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant from Season 7 and why?

MAX. I connected with Max the most out of the whole season because she has found her look and stuck to herself and came across the nicest and very caring.

If you could mop (steal) from another queen’s wardrobe who would it be? 

I would have to say Smiley Vyrus’s because she just gets it right every time!

This queen has left a massive bruise on my arm…and I hope it never heals!!!

Be Beyonce or Lada Gaga for a day?

GAGA all the way.

Get up early or stay up late?

Get up early.

Coffee or tea?

Tea, tea, tea!

Square sausage or link sausage?

… Both….

Cats or dogs?

Dogs I really don’t like Cats.

For more sickening photos, news and goings on for Bruise follow her:

Facebook Bruise

Twitter @originalbruise

Instagram @OriginalBruise

Lip Sync Battle – The Appropriation of Drag Culture?

Spike’s new hit “Lip Synch Battle” has become the talk of town, with spreads in newspapers, GIFs all over the internet and performances going viral on Youtube. The show was first introduced in a segment on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” an American talk show with two celebrities lip syncing until a winner is decided.

This premise has been heard of before on hit reality show “Rupaul’s Drag Race” currently on its seventh season airing on Logo. It does not air in Britain yet but is available on Netflix up until its sixth season. The show follows around roughly thirteen fiercest of the drag queens in America. Each week they do a mini challenge, main challenge and a runway look. While some weeks they will have to design their looks or three different looks as part of the challenge. The bottom two queens will have to lip synch for their lives before one sashays away.

The queens lip syncing came from how most queens make a living, a lot of queens have made a living off lip syncing to all different types of genres of music and spoken word from films. Queens such as Adore Delano have also made a living off singing live, Coco Peru has made a career from acting and stand up. Rupaul has made a career from all media platforms be it singing, acting, hosting, modelling or radio presenting. The lip synch battle is made sense of part of the concept of the show – it making as it does a play on gay culture with the “top three” and “bottom three” relating to the roles in sex.

The show has launched many careers, the most important being the saving of Rupaul’s career from obsolescence. The show gives more LGBTQIA+ representation in the media, breaks stereotypes within the LGBTQIA+ community, makes you question what gender is and shows the struggles gay men have to go through. Now on the other hand, Lip Synch Battle has hitherto been all heterosexual celebrities consequently this show has no substance. This show has been stolen from the LGBTQIA+ community but adds nothing new or original. It’s appropriation for gay culture.

I interviewed local drag queen Mariah Scary:

“Do you think there is a lack of originality?”

Mariah: “There is a blurred line between inspiration and copying, maybe it would be easier for television executives to expand on their set of reality television shows rather than taking on fresh new ideas.”

“What do you think could put the spark back in Hollywood?”

Mariah: “First of all, less sequels, that speaks for a lack of imagination. Also as it’s been referenced in recent dialogue on the issue of LGBT life, I believe there is a certain amount of culture appropriation going on in this sphere and I believe that gay culture is being used and exploited as being new and hip so there is a level of appropriation in the context of lip synch battle and drag queen culture.”

If there is a gap in the market, then someone will fill it and make money off it. If a band splits up and fans miss that sound then they will look somewhere else. My issues with the show doesn’t end with them stealing the premise, it goes on to timing. When a show finishes airing, fans look to replace it, they’ll need a show with a similar vibe. The show should have started after “Rupaul’s Drag Race” finished airing rather than rehashing on a cult classic within the LGBTQIA+ community and marketing it as an original show.
This is not the first time the question of originality has been questioned in Hollywood. If you look at all genres of films, there is a lack of originality within each genre. When “Paranormal Activity” was first released, the hype started a new trend within horror, with the concept was not originality at all. Most big budget horror movies that were released after “Paranormal Activity” tried to capture the success of the series. They failed because people see through it, they can see how filmmakers are more interested in the profit than the art.

If you look at romantic comedies in Hollywood you will find the same film over and over, two heterosexuals who will fall in love in a quirky odd way, everything will be smooth sailing until a fight, in the end they will not talk for a few years then fall back into love. It’s a formula that works and will sell so filmmakers will repeat it again and again.

Teen comedies still have the clichés ending with the popular jock falling for misunderstood angst ridden teenage girls. The least big teen film “The Duff” has this very ending for example. “GBF” / “Gay Best Friend” directed by Darren Stein, famous for directing cult classic “Jawbreaker”, was created to poke fun at pop culture and society. When the film tried to stay away from the clichéd ending it felt forced and fans wanted the two main characters together.

This raises the questions, has everything been done? Are we doomed to repeat ourselves until Hollywood is ready to create art over make a profit? Is the saying “There is only seven stories in the world” correct or is there more out there to create and we just need to be inspired?

By Paul Stevenson

Chemsex – The new normal?

Where to begin? Usually the best place is at the beginning but for me even the beginning needs a bit of backstory. If your not familiar with the term (how that can be possible given its now being spoken about in mainstream media is beyond me), Chemsex refers firstly to the act of having sexual intercourse or foreplay with another person whilst under the influence of drugs. The drugs themselves differ depending upon availability and personal preferences however in the LGBT community they are mainly MKAT, GHB, Cocaine and Crystal Meth.

Having Chemsex heightens the senses and can create more intense connections both physically and emotionally, I have experienced both these things but it can also make it harder to experience these things normally which I also have experienced. Usually whilst high your inhibitions are lowered, you are more open and receptive to trying new things with people but on the other side leads to people taking risks they normally wouldn’t, increasing the chances of getting hurt, catching an STI etc.

Secondly, and for this story more importantly, Chemsex can also be referring to the scene that has sprung into existence rather quickly around the act itself which for me wasn’t around a few years ago, or at least if it was i was unaware of it and it certainly wasn’t as big an issue as we face today! A scene that involves intravenous drug use or ‘slamming’ as an ever more common habit, the all too freely exchange of sex for drugs at parties or ‘chill outs’ that range from a few people wasted in a grotty bedsit in Clapham to a bacchanalian proportioned orgy in penthouses overlooking Central Park. These things actually do happen believe me i have been there!

For me i have experienced nearly all aspects of the culture, both good and bad. I have came to realise after a few bad experiences its not something i want to be part of my life anymore and moved away from it. What i have also realised is its becoming such an issue in LGBT culture that it needs to be addressed. The youth of today are so filled with apathy, so many of them insecure and lost, both about themselves and their bodies, sexuality etc but also about life in general and the state of the world, the economy etc, that they have clung to this as an absent parent. One that makes them feel great about themselves and their lives and doesn’t judge them, is always there for them like a bud but also one they become so dependent on that all they care about is where the next fix will come from, when the next party will happen. Unable to function in normal everyday life, regretting choices made,sometimes for days at a time until the moment comes when they can repeat the cycle with all the life they can spare. 

Its not only the youth that succumb to this i must hasten to add as the older generations are just as bad, worse maybe, as they should be able to remember what it used to be like before the rise of Social Networking apps like Grindr, Hornet and the rise of Chemsex when meeting people usually meant socialising with them outside under normal circumstances like a bar. Not over a few lines and a dunt at a mates boyfriends chill out.Yet they have done nothing to stem the onslaught of this rising sub culture that in my experience is doing more harm than good.In fact some of them have capitalised on the opportunity taking it upon themselves to profit from selling the substances needed to the masses and sometimes going as far as to host the chill out themselves which can result in them lasting days at a time due to the abundance of supply readily available and constant stream of fresh meat newly introduced to the mix.

Genius move business wise i wont deny but i also cant deny i don’t think i could willingly profit off of someone who is effectively destroying their own existence by becoming increasingly dependant on the services you are providing. We have responsible sale of alcohol and responsible gambling laws to help regulate and attempt to ensure the safety of individuals partaking in these things yet due to the illegality and also ignorance in some cases of these substances by the government, these people are allowed to continue to profit and persevere.

Now the reasons people become involved in this scene differ. Mine was a natural evolution you could say as i liked to have a good time, was curious in nature and also completely naive to think i wouldn’t become effected by it. The first time chemsex happened was always with a boyfriend after a night of partying and taking Ecstasy or Coke and the inevitable happened. The first time something that could be classed as within the Chemsex scene happened wasn’t even really in the scene as it was before this culture formed at least to my knowledge.

We had all been out at a club and gone back to a friends apartment for an afterparty and somebody there had GHB. I had vaguely heard it was supposed to be like liquid ecstasy and gave a good high but nothing more. If i had known its actually alloy cleaner, used to clean graffiti off the pavements i may have decided against partaking, we had also been drinking heavily unaware this can lead quite easily to a coma and even death. The events that followed was basically everyone hooking up with everyone and a real good time was had. But that was it, it didn’t lead to regular occurrences maybe once more a year later or something.

Anyways time marched on and i went travelling and it was here i was first introduced to Crystal Meth, having been asked a few times on Grindr if i used it which was weird enough seeing it wasn’t really even spoke about where I’m from, well not then. I met up with a guy i had been chatting to one evening when i was bored and alone in a completely alien country, not to mention horny as hell and he proceeded to smoke a pipe of it while i was hanging out the back of him and offered it to me, i was rather taken aback at the bizarre turn of events and i declined once he told me what it was, too scared to take the plunge then being fresh off the boat as it were. Turns out the dude was a dealer and sitting on a sideboard was forty grand worth of the stuff! My mind was blown i couldn’t believe this guy was sitting there with that much just lying around like it was nothing. In the months that followed i hooked up with guys here and there and this continued to happen occasionally where it would be offered n i became more and more curious, the apps even had profiles inviting guys ti attend GnT parties or to PnP it was becoming ever  ore difficult to avoid. 

Eventually i tried it with a friend i had made and it wasn’t anything like an amazing high but it did make you horny as hell especially mixed with other drugs like GHB and kept you awake for days which i loved. I gradually used it time to time and even went as far as dealing it briefly to make rent one month and experienced my first real taste of chill outs attending parties with up to thirteen people at a time, from all works of life such as and i kid you not an open heart surgeon, tv producers, drug dealers, Armed Forces members, politicians, the children of supreme court judges and everyday normal people both gay and straight. It was rather common to be used there it was so weird for me to get my head round but it made it easier for me to partake thinking if they can what makes me any different.

Nothing makes me any different but these substances are addictive and sneak up on you without realising until eventually your not paying your essential outgoings because the drugs have became your essential outgoing.Thats what happened to me eventually , Its not a great place to be in and its very hard to finally say you know what I’m done i want to really stop this and stick to it, i have been there so i commend anyone who does it. 

The parties themselves are a complete head fuck of an experience. This is a situation that you would usually only see in a porn film  but its happening and your taking part. Then drugs make you have no inhibitions, filling you with confidence and a libido so wild you would fuck a exhaust pipe if you thought it would get you off good. Your able to think nothing of having multiple partners at once, getting off on how other people in the vicinity are getting off on watching you. You have an amazing time but as stated at the beginning take risks you normally wouldn’t and can be left with such shame and regret afterwards, not to mention doubts about your sexual health, having to deal with an STI and more often than not it seems being the subject of peoples whispered talk and ridicule. A lot of people face insecurity over their bodies and themselves daily and being part of this scene removes that only temporarily and in return can leave the person feeling worse about themselves after. I don’t see why as a community we are so intent on dragging our people down instead of supporting them and helping elevate them.

For me the fun times finally wore off and i started to feel like a piece of meat, a goal for people to attain or only allowed to participate if my body was on offer also not just my personality, not only that but i was finding it hard to get through the week without messing up at work, having no money to pay my bills and just generally being unhappy. So i took steps to stop me doing this confiding in close friends who were fully supportive of me and not judgemental, they helped me stay strong and resist the temptation to just go get some stuff and find a party.I messed up a few times sure I’m only human i have never claimed to be perfect but i can say that as of now its behind me i no longer want to be involved with it. 

What still concerns me though is looking around and seeing now just how prevalent a problem it is in our society. I have witnessed people as young as 20 perfectly willing to try sticking a needle filled with a unknown substance into their arm to help them escape everyday life and find a release to the point it becomes their life. I have seen people so full of GHB they are incoherent, only able to grunt or squawk at best, with erratic movements and unable to remember a moment of it afterwards. When told of these events they laugh as if its funny, i have heard of times where people have became conscious and realised they were having sex with someone or even worse to find someone is having sex with them! Yet they are still perfectly willing to carry on taking the substances regardless of the consequences desperate to continue the high and not face the real world. Willing to have sex with people they don’t know and would normally refuse but don’t as they are giving them drugs they need. Are they truly the lost generation? Do they look at the world with the view its beyond saving and as such so are they? Its becoming more and more evident to me at least through what i have witnessed that this just may be true.

Thats why I’m writing this, to put across my story and say it doesn’t have to be this way. Sure life’s a bitch but thats the point! Its about dealing with that and carrying on anyways, going out and doing what makes you happy, not what makes you happy but is killing you quick. Take from it what you will but I’m just hoping that by sharing this it makes people think twice. Think about what you want for yourself and if that whole scene and its pros are enough to outweigh its cons.

The writer wishes to remain anonymous

Sickening Interview with Alana Duvey

Meet the amazingly talented and sickening Alana Duvey, Glasgow’s most loveable queen on the scene!!!

Your drag name is Alana Duvey how did you come up with the name?

Well anyone who knows my boy counterpart (AKA Boylana) will know that my drag name is hardly imaginative, it’s basically my boy name tweaked a little to make it a bit more fabulous!  What many may not know is that my name went through a few of stages before Alana Duvey.  I was always Alana but first I was Alana Del Rey taking inspiration from a certain sultry American singer.  I changed it slightly to Alana Del Gay, then Alana Del Vey as I thought Alana Del Rey was a little too similar to big Lana.  Obviously so were the other names.  That’s when I decided to go with Alana Duvet but dropped the ‘t’ and replaced it with a ‘y’ so not to remind everyone to change their bed sheets anytime I’m out and about.

What three words describe Alana?

Oooohh now that’s a humdinger!  I think I’m too much of a chatterbox to say just 3 but, I’ll try.  I think I’d say Alana Duvey is Friendly, Frumpy and Fun.

When did you start doing drag?

I still see myself as very new to the drag scene.  The first ever time I was in drag was a random drunken night in my house with my other half, my sisterbae, Dharma Geddon and she decided it would be fun to paint my face and she made me look great.  She’s very talented with the ol’ paint and brushes.  The first time I officially decided to start doing drag was on 11^th Apr 2015 where Alana came out to see Bendelacreme at Menergy in AXM, Glasgow.  Bendela is a huge inspiration of mine and she was just smashballs at Menergy!  She said I looked good at the Meet n’ Greet, she must’ve thought I looked like a busted mess!  I also met my non-biological drag twinsie that night, the gothy but lovely CarrieAnn Crow who also made her drag debut that night and we bonded over that.

Who or what influences your drag and why?

Well I mentioned one just a moment ago but my first experience of drag was when Dharma sat me down to watch the first episode of Season 4 of RuPaul’s Drag Race.  Believe it or not, up until then I was terrified of drag queens!  I’ll admit, we watched the first episode and I still wasn’t too into it, so we watched some more and I quickly got hooked.  Instantly Latrice Royale stood out for me.  I loved how friendly and approachable she was.  She showed me that drag queens aren’t all scary.  She’s stunning and sickeningly talented to boot!  I grew to love the bond between Sharon Needles, Chad Michaels and Latrice.  I could listen to the 3 of them just giving advice on Untucked all day.  I guess I’m influenced by the friendlier gurls and the ones with a bit of a shtick I love a good shtick.  For example the ones mentioned earlier and the likes of Tammie Brown, Manila Luzon, Alaska Thunderfuck 5000, Katya Zamolodchikova and Jinkx Monsoon.  One Drag Race queen who I take inspiration from who I believe is very under rated is Mrs. Kasha Davis!  That gurl is talented and hilarious!!  I could probably go on all day with this question.  We haven’t even got to queens closer to home like Cheddar Gorgeous, Anna Phylactic, Davina DiCampo, Meth and Queens Of Pop. Their creativity and humour are everything.  I’m definitely inspired by some of our local gurls Lacy Rain, October Fist, Charlize De Werk and of course Dharma. I find them all very inspirational.  They’re friendly, funny and welcoming.  What’s not to love?  Dharma inspires me every day to be a better queen, her looks are always sickening and her imagination and concepts for performances are unreal!  Plus she can out-dance just about anyone her moves are always on fleek, whereas I have 2 left feet!  Alana’s in it for the fun and all these gurl’s are certainly fun!  I’ll shut up now… Apologies for anyone I might have missed, I did say I could go on all day with this question and that I’m quite the chatter box when I get going so I’ll finish with this little statement I believe is true, all the Glasgow gurls bring something a little different to the table, there’s no 2 of us the same which is always refreshing and inspiring, you could pick something from each of them.  I’ll shut up now!

How long do you spend doing your makeup?

Oh god!  You don’t want to know!  If you knew how long it took me, you’d be baffled at how I still manage to look so busted most of the time!

Alana knows how to mug for the camera. She is  painted for the Yes Gawds in this photo. Loving the short hair – looks sickening, Alana!!

You and the amazing Dharma Gheddon have started a web series on Dharma’s YouTube channel. For anyone who hasn’t seen it tell us all about it?

Aw I love our wee show ’60 Minute Gayme Over’.  Dharma and I love playing video games in our spare time and we’d been thinking of trying to incorporate that into our drag somehow and this is the result.  We do only have 1 episode under our belts.  The premise of the show is that we play the first hour of a video game, have some banter along the way, with some fun wee adverts and little nods to local queens thrown in there to look out for.  My role in the show is the co-host and to provide a bit more of the comic relief while Dharma gets all serious playing the game.  We are planning a wee special for episode 2 at the moment to be uploaded within the coming weeks so stay tuned!!  Oh, speaking of video games, I recently created a level on Mario Maker for the Wii U called ‘There Must Be Another Way’ if you’ve got it you should give it a go, it’s my first one so it’s pretty easy.  The code to search is 6286-0000-009B-89ED.

Head over to YouTube and tune into 60 Minute Gayme Over with the forever sickening Alana Duvey and Dharma Gheddon

You recently performed a sickening lipsynch performance of Defying Gravity at MotherTucker in Katies Bar.  When and where will your next performance be?

That Mothertucker performance was EVERYTHING!  I really think Dharma and I created something special that night, especially Dharma.  She was just stunning.  It was so last minute as well.  We had been up till about 03:30am that morning making Dharma’s dress and I was rushing about after my work that day to get an outfit and shoes.  Same with Dharma on her lunch break getting her hat etc.  We had drunkenly chatted about doing it a few times and had a couple of daft little lip syncs in my living room but, I never thought for a second we were actually going to do it so soon and to the scale we did it!  I’m so glad October and Rujazzle were willing to help us out with it.  Have to give them a wee thank you!  I won’t give too much away about it just search for Dharma Geddon’s page on YouTube and you’ll find some of our performances including Defying Gravity.  As positive as Alana is, Boylana is my own worst critic and I just can’t help but wish my makeup was a LOT better and my cheap last minute store bought costume that ripped during the car journey from East Kilbride to Katie’s Bar, Glasgow was a lot better but, the performance itself went down a storm and I guess that’s the main thing.  I can’t wait to get the opportunity to do it again!  With regards to my next performance, I did one on Thurs night (22^nd Oct) at Chalky’s Late Night Lounge.  I made my Edinburgh debut that night, travelling through with Lacy Rain, October Fist and Ann Phetamine.  I performed ‘Your Makeup Is Terrible’ by Alaska.  I had an absolute blast and was definitely serving my best face EVER!  God knows how I managed it!  Watch out for a new episode of ‘Lacy Drives’ from that night hitting her YouTube channel at some point.  In regards to performances coming up, you can look out for me making a return to Edinburgh for Alice Rabbit’s night The Rabbit Hole at CC Blooms on Tues 03^rd Nov 2015.  I’ll also be performing alongside loads of other very talented individuals at the first of CarrieAnn Crow’s new night Trigger on Thurs 26^th Nov 2015 at the Classic Grand, Glasgow.  I’m very excited to be performing at The Rabbit Hole and the launch of what I think will be a great new club night.  You can always keep up with my whereabouts by following me on social media.  I’m on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Vine, just search for ‘alanaduvey’.

If you could only lipsynch to one song for the rest of your life what would it be and why?

This must be the hardest question yet!  There’s SOOOO many songs out there, how do you pick just one?  I guess all I could say is that both Alana and Boylana LOVE a bit of Anastacia so anything by her I’d try my best to lip sync the house down boots okurr yes gawd every time!  I performed one of her songs ‘Stupid Little Things’ at Lacy Rain’s Intoxicating Tea Party on 16^th Sept 2015, but I’d do any song of hers any day of the week!  Or any good ol’ late 80’s/90’s cheese!

If you take your first pets name and your mum’s maiden name you get your porn name. What’s yours?

HA!!  Socks McLatchie!  What a legend she’d be…

And finally, in honour of my obsession with Toddlers and Tiaras I have a pageant question for you. if you could have one wish come true, what would it be?

To win the Lottery!!  Well, besides that and the other obvious answers like becoming a World famous actor (Boylana has been doing Amdram with EK Rep Theatre Club in his spare time for years).  Ever seen him as an extra in the movie ‘Miss Potter’ starring Renee Zelwegger, the odd episode of River City, Rebus or Gary Tank Commander?  Watch and see if you can spot him.  But, I guess if I were to get all serious about it, I’d wish for all gay boys and girls (and all others within the LGBTIQ+ community) to not ever need to even ‘come out’ and be able to just be who they are without even a blink of an eye from others.  For it to just be completely ‘normal’ and to not ever have to face the homophobia/abuse etc from anyone, especially from those they love the most.  That still exists even in this day and age.  It’s something I know quite well and I sometimes feel a lot of people think the world is totally accepting now and it’s all ok what with gay marriage being legal now etc. but for so many, myself included, it’s still not and that makes me sad.  Oh and World peace!

Would you rather never use the Internet again or never watch TV again?

I guess never watch TV again coz if I had the Internet I can get my TV fix through that

 

Would you rather be able to stop time or fly?

Oooohh toughy, I’ve always wanted to be able to fly.  I think stopping time could be more fun.  I WANNA BE AN X-MAN!  I WANNA FLY! AND STOP TIME!  Think for now I’ll say fly but ask me any time and my answer would probably change.  I can’t think about these things too much or I’ll get depressed at the fact the likes of Mutants, Superheroes, Pokemon etc aren’t actually real.  Imagine how awesome life would be if they were, seriously sit back and have a think.

Would you rather have it be constant summer or constant winter?

Summer me thinks, as much as I love the autumn leaves and Christmas snow, you just can’t beat the happy sunny weather of summer and also TAPS AFF!!

Simpsons or Family Guy?

Anyone who knows me would know of my encyclopaedic knowledge of all things Simpsons and how creepy I am with it!  I do love Family Guy and pretty much all animated comedies too though but it has to be The Simpsons.

McDonalds or Burger King?

Another toughy!  McD’s maybe?  They’re both terrible for you but I’m hardly the poster gurl for healthy eating!

Be sure to check out Alana performing in Edinburgh for ‘The Rabbit Hole’ at CC Blooms on Tues 03rd Nov and Trigger on Thurs 26th Nov 2015 at the Classic Grand, Glasgow 

Head over to YouTube to watch the brand spanking new episode of 60 Minute Gayme Over being released for HALLOWEEN!!!

Mrs Mack’s BFF

I must have been about six years old the very first time I came to Glasgow. My dad drove me to the city to pick up a relative from the airport and we stopped off in the city centre for some lunch. As a small town boy from Wishaw being in the city was like being dropped into the heart of a throbbing metropolis. The grand Victorian buildings seemed like skyscrapers and the people scurrying around the streets made me feel like I was standing in a crowd of millions. I was mesmerized by it all and immediately fell in love with the city. I remember walking down Buchanan Street and seeing Gwyneth Guthrie who played Mrs Mack in Take the High Road and thought my head was going to explode with excitement. I knew then and there that my dream was to live and work in the city and naturally become best friends with the entire cast of Take the High Road. It didn’t quite work out like that but I did move to the city in 2005 with my boyfriend.

Mrs Mack aka Gwyneth Guthrie aka my potential childhood BFF

Our first flat was in Kinning Park with stunning views of the motorway. It was situated right next to the underground station which meant that the plates rattled every time the train went through the station. It was a tiny one-bedroom flat and that we could barely fit all of our clothes and shoes in. We had so much stuff crammed into such a small space that we had to stack all the shoe boxes at the side of our bed, which meant we had to climb out the bottom of the bed rather than step gracefully out the side like a normal person. It was my first flat and despite the space issues, I was in absolute heaven. I felt free for the first time in my life. First thing I did was go out and explore the city, well I explored the shops more than the galleries and museums if I’m honest, but immediately loved being part of the buzz.

Kinning Park Tube Station convenient but disastrous for my Ikea crockery

The longer I live in the city the more I love it. I love the abundance of Victorian architecture that’s here and no matter how many times I’ve gazed and admired them I still get a crick in my neck from looking up at the grandeur. This is a great pastime until you accidentally walk into an old lady laden with shopping bags or almost fall into a baby’s pram (both of which have happened to me!!) I love being in the west End and visiting the Kelvingrove Art Gallery, or going to the East end to see the regeneration projects that are taking place there. I was really impressed by the the new Athletes Village but so disappointed to visit and not find half naked athletes doing star jumps in nothing but a jockstrap. I wrote complaining to the local MSP I can tell you!! I live in the South Side and still enjoy walking through Queens Park which seems to be beautiful at any time of year.

But most of all I love the fact that Glasgow to me represents freedom. As a gay guy living in a small town you become known as “that gay guy” which can be really oppressive. Dealing with the taunts and mild bullying did make me stronger but I knew that I certainly wasn’t cut out for a life living in what seemed like a goldfish bowl, and whilst my situation was far from extreme I knew that my heart lay somewhere bigger. For the majority of my time at high school I was in a constant state of ‘monitor mode’, monitoring and adjusting my behaviour in order to fit in with the other boys. My every gesture, movement and expression had to be meticulously thought out before I would speak or move. Having to moderate my behaviour and checking myself constantly to make sure that I wasn’t ‘gaying it up’ was extremely oppressive, but necessary in order to avoid being an easy target for the Wishaw lads who were handy with their fists. It was both exhausting and stifling and the best part is, it never worked. The straight people in my year, and in every other year, could see right through it!! How they managed to see through my Oscar worthy performance I have no idea but it was when I came out to my closest gal pal that I came to realise that it was me who needed to stand up as a gay man and be myself. “Fuck all those guys” was the advice given to me and, as my single days will testify, I certainly had a good bash at that one!!

Going out on the Glasgow scene for the first time was the most liberating experiences of my life.  Knowing that there was a gay scene for me to go and explore thrilled me no end. The thought that there would be other guys and girls like me was incredibly liberating, and, as clichéd and tacky as it sounds, I actually felt as though I had arrived. I stood on the dance floor in AXM (what was then Bennets) and I shook my ass and threw my hands in the air like every confident gay person should, getting off with some random guy in the dark recesses of the club without fear. It was the best experience of my life (up until that point at least).

So my dreams of being a cast favourite of Take the High Road may have faded but my love for the city certainly hasn’t. I’ve been to many other cities in the UK and abroad, and every time I go away I can’t wait to come back again. I can’t really explain it other than to say that Glasgow just feels like home to me. My family still live in Wishaw but my home is here in the city. Don’t get me wrong the city has its downsides but I don’t have the time or the energy to list them all. I’ll save that list for the next time I’m pissed off at First Bus for taking what seems like 100 years to change drivers and go on another rant.

Hello

Hi and welcome to the first ever post on SickeningGlasgow. This is the one stop shop for everything you need to know about the drag scene in Glasgow. The city is brimming with amazing drag talent and SickeningGlasgow is here to guide you through the glitz, glamour and sickening beauty that the queens of the city have to offer. Each week we will be profiling a different queen, probing her until she spills the T. We will also be reviewing performances and promoting upcoming club nights to ensure you are kept up to date with all the drag goings on.

ALSO

Every month we will be hosting an ‘Open Pen’ which allows aspiring writers to submit a piece of their work to be featured on the website. It is open to anyone and can be on any topic, we only ask that it is between 800-1000 words long and relates (directly or indirectly) to the LGBT community. Other than that you have free reign to use your creativity to submit a sickening piece of work.

Please submit all work to  sickeningglasgow@yahoo.co.uk

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