Oh, darlings! Welcome back to Pink Tutu Time Travels! Itās your girl Emma here, back from another whirlwind journey through the glorious annals of Drag History!
September 1988. Oh, what a month! My magical pink tutu whisked me back to a time of shoulder pads, big hair and the dawn of a golden age in drag. But more on that later, as always we must begin at the startā¦
The journey begins!
September, the month of new beginnings (well, I suppose every month is a new beginning if you think about it like that, hun!) and the dayā¦ September the 9th. I was standing backstage, legs trembling in anticipation, in my signature pink tutu and glittering pink sequined leotard (you wouldn't believe the sale at The Fabric Shed - I absolutely snapped it up!), as my fellow drag sisters finished their preparations for another smash hit at the iconic āHot Waxā club in, my dear Derbyshire! This is where it all began, you see, this is where I discovered my true calling!
Back then, I was known as "Sparkles", the self-proclaimed "Queen of Glitter". Remember the disco days? You could barely find a square inch on me that wasnāt dusted with that magical fairy dust! It's funny looking back on my āGlitter Bomb" persona now ā the fierce makeup, the huge wigs and those platform boots ā we were all so dramatic, but darling, who wasn't! We were young, we were wild, we were making our mark on the world and the local drag scene was our very own fabulous stage!
The crowd erupted in a thunderous cheer as I stepped on the stage. It was a night filled with laughs, applause, and glitter - the perfect setting to fuel my yearning for more, for something bigger! As the curtain closed on that night, I knew something needed to change. It was time for something extraordinary, time to delve deeper into our fabulous past, and of courseā¦ time to spread the glorious message of the Pink Tutu. It was time to time travel!
1988: The Year of Glamour and Glory!
September 1988! My tutu landed me in the heart of Manhattan. I felt a sudden wave of excitement, the kind only the most magnificent of metropolises can provoke. I felt a deep and very unfashionable shiver ā the shiver of excitement that comes only with a fresh wave of potential for sartorial splendor, of the intoxicating possibilities for fabulousity in the streets.
New York City, in 1988, was like walking onto a brightly colored stage set. The air itself was bursting with creativity, and I was about to step straight into it! I practically skipped across Broadway! As I stepped onto the street, the world around me burst into full-colour glory.
Just think! "Hairspray", the iconic film capturing the joyous explosion of glam that was Baltimore's hairspray culture was about to be released, in fact, weāre about to celebrate its 35th birthday next year. Imagine the volume, imagine the wigs. My darling, imagine! But enough about that... itās time to get back to our September in the 80s!
I Must Find A Show!
Where better to start a Drag Journey in 1988 than with a night of showstopping Drag? Now I must tell you, my darling, that while you could find a Drag Queen anywhere on Earth, a true show, in this magical month of 1988, was to be found only in New York, the land of the glorious drag theatre extravaganzas, home of the legendary āWigstockā festivals! This time I found myself drawn to the East Villageā¦ I must tell you that, in the early hours of the 11th September, just two days after my arrival, my darling, I had the opportunity to witness Drag history unfold right before my very own glitter-dusted eyes!
I wandered through the vibrant, pulsing streets and there it was... in all of its fabulous glory: "The Pyramid Club!" (The Queen of Hearts on the door greeted me with a āwell honey!ā and a wink as I passedā¦ how iconic, how glamourous!! ) Now this wasnāt any ordinary club; The Pyramid was famous for bringing the glitz and glam of drag theatre to life in one of the hottest club spots on the East Village scene, an East Village in its most electric era, an East Village where everyone was a starā¦ everyone, my darling, that was except meā¦ for now. But watch this space!
Glamour and Showstopping in 1988!
As I floated into The Pyramid, feeling utterly divine in my pink tutu, the first act had already begun. The air buzzed with excitement, as if a whole kaleidoscope of colour and glitter had come together to form this incredibly magical night!
As I weaved through the throngs of enthusiastic clubbers, I could hear the roar of the crowd. They were on their feet, in ecstatic celebration! As the crowd surged toward the stage, a beautiful woman ( I can't reveal her real name - no matter how hard you ask, darlings! Remember drag queen secrecy? It's a sacred thing - just know that this beautiful, bold woman's alter ego was āSirenāā¦ the rest is for us drag enthusiasts!) with piercing blue eyes and an effortless stage presence belted out an epic song, accompanied by a dynamic rock band. The sheer talent was dazzling, she moved across the stage with the elegance of a queen - a drag queen queen, I tell you! A fierce woman in a flowing red sequined gown and fabulous high heels, who could belt out any rock ballad with both style and substance. It was, of course, completely phenomenal! Her energy was infectious. Her showstopping performance was pure magic!
But this wasnāt all, oh no. My dear reader, if you thought a siren could be outshone, think againā¦ A hilarious, incredibly glamorous comedy troupe took over, armed with a repertoire of funny and daring skits about, what else? Drag!
Their comedy wasnāt only laugh-out-loud funnyā¦ oh noā¦ it was intelligent, it was clever, and it explored a side of Drag that so often is forgotten, the true essence of it all! They pushed the boundaries of drag humour, pushing it far beyond those tired old jokes and tired clichĆ©s - it was dragās true gift to the world; its comedic beauty! I am not going to tell you who it was because of courseā¦ I mustnāt give away secrets. But if you ever go back to 1988 in the east village and see a hilarious troupe that knows how to work that drag humor, darling, you can bet your bottom dollarā¦ you have found those very same fabulous queens!
And if you're thinking I didnāt manage a little fashion in September of ā88... my darling youād be mistaken! I mean what would a time travel drag trip be without a few days dedicated to fashion, fashion, fashion!*
New York Fashion? Of Course!
New York City in 1988 was a feast for the eyes! The streets bustled with trends and designs from across the globe. There was something to appeal to every eye and to every personality ā and donāt get me started on the shoes, darling!! The platform sandalsā¦ divine!! Oh, you simply had to have one of those pairs of shoes. Thereās no excuseā¦ and remember my motto? āThere's no such thing as too much glitter.ā Glitter-splatter!!
*Time to Return? *
September was, as I have said beforeā¦ a glorious month, darling, and so my journey came to a conclusion in the last few days of the month. Now, the next pink tutu time trip is always around the corner! Itās no secret that the Pink Tutu requires a steady stream of funding, darling ā my performances pay for all those incredible journeys, allowing me to keep going back in time! Donāt worry my dears, it doesn't mean that youāre going to have to pay. I love performing for you all! In fact, next month youāll find my very own special events calendar with all my drag gigs right here on Pink Tutu Time Travels (you'll find all of my events calendar information and my contact details here: www.pink-tutu.com, it's also available via the link in my Instagram Bio - if you haven't already - follow me! @Pink_Tutu!. ). Oh, and, by the way darlingā¦ did I mention you can get your very own Pink Tutu? Yes! My fashion line is live now! ( www.pink-tutu.com - *get yours today! Weāre launching a sale next week! Donāt miss out.)
I can't wait for my next journey, to take my pink tutu into the next drag adventure! Stay tuned!
Oh! Did you remember - my pink tutu will always have room for you! All of you! * Be safe, be fab and see you all in your pink tutus!!**
