Biography
I've lived in Blackpool ever since I was seven. I came over from Bradford with my Mum, Dad and Sister. I came out on the scene in Blackpool and it was only a small scene in those days. Only Lucy's, Pepe's and TFGs, which was above Lucy's. TFG stood for Top Floor Gays! That was my first gay club as I thought I was straight back then. I went there with some friends that I worked with at a hotel, and I thought it stood for "Top Floor Gaze"! I was really nervous when I found out it was a gay club. "What do I do if someone grabs me bum?" I was thinking, but my friends told me that it was all a fallacy that they did that. We'd only been then five minutes before some old queen grabbed my arse and I was out there like a shot! I never went near the place for another six months. I then realised what I was missing, so I've been on the scene ever since and it's grown to what it is now with two clubs, God knows how many bars, Basils, Pepes, Funny Girls, Mardi Gras, Flying Handbag. Lucy's has sadly gone, well not that sadly. It's not a bad gay scene to in. Could be a lot worse.
It wasn't too long before I started to work in one of the clubs, the Flamingo. My very first drag performance came when they had a "Ladies Night" and Basil (the owner) told all the bar staff that they had to dress up as a famous lady and do a number on stage. It was just fancy dress for the customers, but the bar staff were told they had to do something and the only wig I could get hold of was this knackered old black one, so I did Diana Ross. I got a girl I used to go to school with to do my makeup, and I did "The Boss" by Diana Ross.
I've impersonated a few celebs. I've done Kylie recently but when I was on the circuit I'd do Bette Midler (you've got me thinking now, so long ago), Evita, Barbara Streisand... I've never done Shirley Bassey. That's one person I said I'd never do, as everyone does her (and I couldn't pull her faces either). I used to do a good Samantha Fox piss-take.
I didn't have a favourite as such. I enjoyed doing all the bits that I did. I didn't like doing one character. I did a Dame Edna once and someone said I was too young and pretty to do her so I never did it again.
Kylie was good. I had Paul and Spencer with me as my dancers. We put a little routine together and people appreciated it as they could see we'd spent at least 20 minutes on it in the kitchen! We had a good reaction to that.