Hello darlings! It's your girl Emma, back from another fabulous adventure in time! This month's time travel was extra special, a right hoot and a half! You know how I adore all things pink and sparkly, right? Well, this journey took me to the shimmering heart of 2004, right smack-bang in the middle of August! Buckle your sparkly belts, grab a glass of bubbly (or a pink grapefruit juice!), and let me spill the tea!
#1016 - August 2004 - A Time Travel Tête-à-Tête with RuPaul's Drag Race
Can you believe, I'm practically an old bat, but when I was time-traveling through 2004, I stumbled right into the era when Drag Race, the show that launched a thousand queens, first hit our screens! Now, this wasn't a full season we were treated to - Season 1 would bless our screens a couple of years later, but just having the name of this ground-breaking show circulating back then? It was divine!
I found myself in this little drag club called The Village in Los Angeles, nestled between an artsy movie theatre and a vegan bakery, and there they were: the OG queens, serving some serious, sparkly attitude. A whole gaggle of them were glued to the television set, mesmerised by the trailer of the first episode of "RuPaul's Drag Race," all hot for fame, fashion, and the ultimate "Drag Superstar" crown. And wouldn't you know it, my fellow time travellers, these early episodes became legendary! Now, some of you are probably thinking, "But Emma, 2004? That’s so early! How could they have seen a show about RuPaul’s Drag Race before it came out?" Well, the magic of my pink tutu has a funny way of bending the rules of space and time, my darlings.
It wasn't all glitz and glamour, though. I overheard these fabulous ladies discussing this one queen named Pandora Boxx who was giving everyone the ick, claiming she was "too big for the competition". But let's face it, Pandora had that undeniable charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent!
And talking about "The Queens of Comedy," Pandora Boxx was just getting started on the scene. She was an absolute delight! Her witty one-liners, that playful wink, her iconic dance moves... Oh, honey! She'd steal the stage in the blink of an eye! Back then, her sense of humour was just getting her noticed and, dare I say it, made her quite the rebel!
From Broadway To… Broadway?
Speaking of charisma, while I was dancing away with those queens, I remembered a certain production happening in the big apple, one with a bit of a, well, let’s say unfortunate fashion choice. "La Cage Aux Folles", you know, the iconic stage play turned musical, was reviving with Gary Beach returning to reprise his role as Albin, the sassy, drag queen alter ego of Zaza.
Now, I have nothing but respect for the legendary Mr. Beach, but I do think we need to discuss this "tutti frutti" outfit. You're talking multicoloured, feathered jackets, leggings that would make an owl jealous, and oh, darling! They were serving some major clown realness! But the thing is, my darlings, sometimes even bad fashion has the audacity to be so gloriously, magnificently, atrociously amazing. Just ask Madonna about her Material Girl era, but we'll discuss her and her amazing drag influences at a later date.
*The British Invasion? *
But we mustn't forget the homeland, my dear darlings! Over in my corner of the world, you know, good old Derbyshire, we were living it up. August 2004? It was the peak of Boy George, Paul O'Grady, and Lady Gaga's career - wait a minute, isn’t Lady Gaga a little young? Well, that just shows how much fun time travel is! Remember those early 2000's club nights when everything shimmered with neon? There were so many gorgeous performances by some of the top queens in the UK, who went on to build their careers through theatre and entertainment.
I've never been afraid to flaunt my passion for pink and my undying love for tutus! If I could teleport myself, you know, tutu-style straight back to that summer of 2004, I’d make it a priority to show off my love of ballet! Ballet in August? I'm wearing it! The Royal Opera House would have been totally on my agenda. And as you all know, this pink tutu and I have some serious dancing chops, especially if you want a little tour of some historical drag!
And that's the tea spilled for this month, my dears. Don't forget, there's always more where that came from at www.pink-tutu.com. See you next time, when we travel back in time again!
Until then, keep those sparkles tight, darlings, and always remember to flaunt your inner fashion diva!
