Hello, darlings! Emma here, your favourite pink-tutu clad time travelling drag queen extraordinaire, and welcome to another fabulous instalment of my monthly musings! Today we're turning back the clock, quite literally, to 3rd March, 1928. Buckle up, because this one's a real humdinger!
As you know, dearies, my little pink tutu has a secret - she's got a bit of a time travel kink! Every month, I take my magical pink tulle on a whirl through history, popping up in various moments and meeting the drag pioneers who shaped the art we know and love today. This time, my darlings, we're heading to the very heart of the American dream – New York City!
But not just any part of the Big Apple. We're dipping our toes in the glistening, glamorous world of… Tin Pan Alley! You heard that right, girlies! The home of jazz, the epicentre of music and entertainment, the breeding ground for so many of the greats.
Now, before we go gushing over all things 1920s jazz, let's remember that in 1928, the drag scene, particularly in America, wasn’t as openly celebrated as it is today. But darling, where there's a fabulous idea, there's a way, right? So, to get a feel for what the scene was like in this particular slice of history, I thought we could head down to a drag show that, while not technically labelled "drag", certainly captures the spirit of fabulousness that would later bloom into the dazzling art form we adore today.
Imagine, my sweethearts, a time when even putting on a costume for a song was considered subversive and, sometimes, even dangerous. Now picture this – a beautiful songstress called Trixie Lee stepping out on the stage in a feather-trimmed gown and sparkling diamante shoes, all decked out with glitter and pearls, in the midst of a roaring crowd eager for a bit of showmanship and jazz! It's all very reminiscent of a modern-day drag performance, wouldn't you say?
And that’s where the magic of Tin Pan Alley, darling, shines through. Although there weren't drag balls or organised drag competitions like we see today, the creativity, the sheer ambition, the desire to push boundaries, was as strong back then as it is now!
You see, while it wasn't necessarily “drag" in the strict definition of the word, what Trixie Lee and other like-minded performers brought to the stage were these glorious concoctions of personality, music, and visual spectacle that captured the zeitgeist of the roaring 20s. These theatrical productions with all their sassy sass and undeniable charisma served as a springboard for drag as we know it.
Now, imagine for a moment, my darling divas, what it was like in this time of prohibition, jazz and all that glamorous mayhem! A city humming with energy and creative ambition, with these beautiful souls who weren't afraid to step into a shimmering costume and deliver a show that moved people’s hearts!
But let's rewind the clock a little, dear darlings. Why the fascination with the 3rd of March, 1928 you ask? It's a day steeped in musical history, darling! March the 3rd is the anniversary of the legendary music company "A&R", responsible for launching so many iconic artists, who helped make music an integral part of our lives! From Ella Fitzgerald to the Bee Gees, they’ve got a legacy to be reckoned with, and their contributions are woven into the fabric of music history.
While we're not here to give you a music lesson, darling, (though, a drag queen never passes up a good music opportunity!) I wanted to emphasize that it’s within this incredibly creative musical landscape that the seeds for what would become the modern-day drag scene were being planted. We see those glittering moments today in everything from the fierce, stunning lip sync performances to the dazzlingly crafted costumes that transport us to other worlds!
Now, speaking of other worlds, I must admit I can’t resist a quick detour into the fashion, dearies! We can't talk about the roaring 20s without bringing up flapper dresses, long feather boas, sparkly headbands, and a dash of glitter, can we? Oh my goodness! You just had to see all the shimmering outfits at a performance like this one in 1928! The feather boas, the sheer glamour and a real sense of being fabulous just by dressing in a a more extravagant way than the norm for those times! It's pure drag energy in its most natural form.
And what was my darling time traveling pink tutu doing in this beautiful vortex of history and entertainment? Why, I was blending in amongst all those fabulous feathers and flapper dresses, my tutu glistening under the soft light, all whilst trying not to accidentally make friends with a time traveling police officer! Luckily, with a quick change into something a little less striking (but still fab!), I managed to blend in amongst the glitzy crowd and enjoy this historic drag experience.
This journey reminds us, my darlings, that while times have changed considerably, the spirit of fabulousness is timeless, a universal truth that echoes through generations! So, my dearest pink tutu devotees, next time you're walking down a street in Derby, England (that's my stomping ground, darling!), or watching your favourite drag queen on the telly, take a moment to think back to Tin Pan Alley in 1928, because it’s there, in those historical moments of sheer audacity and fabulousity, that the magic of drag began! And that magic, my dear dearies, continues to thrive in the hearts of every queen and king on this planet!
Until next month, don’t forget, darlings: The world is your pink tutu stage! Go forth, glitter yourself, and make the world a bit more fabulous one step at a time!
Your darling time travelling, pink tutu loving drag queen,
Emma!
www.pink-tutu.com
