1st Recording
KG : This is Kate Genever recording, Ray Millington, Bobbie Mandrell, Candy La Barry at their house on St Paul Street on the 21st of February 2025. We are starting by looking and exploring a folder of photographs that Ray has that were taken by Tony Ward from Top Colour on Hessle Road. So Ray tell me what it is that you can see.
RM : There I am, that’s me and what he did was he took a photo of me getting made up. So it goes from.. I’ve by-passed some there and it goes to that and if you notice it at every stage and he takes it right the way through to that. So that’s every photograph of me. Starting to get made up, one eyebrow, one eyelash.
KG: When was this do you think?
RM :Oh gosh it’s in the eighties, way back in the eighties because there we are that was the finished product and there was that photo like that. Yeah he did also yeah that one, I used I don’t think we ever used that as publicity but I liked that one. And he did all these, there was all studio mixed.
KG : So tell us what’s in that picture, what costume?
RM : That one, it was, I’d said to me dressmaker I’d always done Dolly Parton in the show, country, but I had a pink cat suit which Margaret made and I said ‘I just want something different’. So she said ‘Well what would you like?’ I said ‘I don’t know’. I said ‘Something maybe leatherish’ so he made me a full outfit for Dolly Partner and it’s all pink leather. And it’s a pink leather skirt and a pink leather waistcoat and then the blouse is pink with all sequins. So I can take the waistcoat off to reveal the top. Very cleverly done. It was that, but it weighed a ton. I used to sweat like hell.
KG: And what are you holding?
RM : A rifle, I know, I look like Annie Get Your Gun. Yeah but there’s also these are just photos that Tony took studio-wise. Because he was having a sift through to see if he could come up with something different from it. There is again that’s the one with the funny leg again. And that was another one that you know I don’t know about whereever that’s gone. It’ll be somewhere. I’ll still have it. I don’t part with it, I don’t part with anything, bit of a hoarder.
That was the start of the two heads. That was how Tony did it. He took so many, it’s all misty at one side and then what he did was he put them together. And I didn’t see the finished product until he’d done it. And he said ‘What do you think?’ And I just went absolutely mental on it. It’s fabulous but my family didn’t approve of me using that photo as a publicity photo because my mom said she said, ‘Raymond it’s giving too much away.’ She said ‘They know you as Bobby Mandrell or Candy Le Barry’, as I was then, she said ‘But now,’ she said, ‘they can see you as you are without the makeup.’ and I never thought of it that way. But we did use it as a publicity photo and it made it made loads of bloody money for charity. That’s what we used to do with all the photos. We used to sell the photos and that one, yeah, this one was one of the first sit-ins Tony did for me up at his Anlaby studio. And he had this fantastic chair and I kept saying ‘Can we use the chair?’ He said, ‘In a minute, in a minute.’ He said ‘And what are you gonna wear?’ I said, ‘I don’t know.’ And that’s how I come to be in silver sequins wi red feathers but a black and white feather boa. But it fitted the chair. It seemed to work, you know, for that one. We had a lot of fun that particular shoot that Tony did. It was night time when it did the shoot and we was back in the studio and I was getting changed and all I had on was stockings and suspenders and the police knocked on the door and they said, Tony went and answered the door. And this place lady said, she said ‘Can we come in?’ She said ‘We’ve noticed it’s late at night and there’s a light screwing on and off in the studio.’ so she said and when they come through I was stood there in just stockings and suspenders. With a feather bower round me neck. Tony said ‘It’s Candy Le Barry, it’s Candy Le Barry! We’re taking photos.’ We still both laughing about it. And there’s a photo, we’ll find it. There’s a photo. When they’d gone he said ‘Well I’ve got three snaps left on the camera’ and I said ‘Well’, I said I said ‘I can’t do anything Tony’, I said ‘I’ve got on stockings and suspenders’ He went well ‘Shove a wig on. Put that top hat on.’ And I put the feathers round me face and that that was when, I don’t know whether I’ve got the photo? There’s the half and half. But i’ve got one somewhere and I don’t know where it is. Tony goes crazy, mind you, it’s my favourite as well. It must be in another album. But Tony always called it Marlene Dietrich. Because it’s just me head and you know and there’s just one little feather off the bower just out of place there. And he said ‘You can’t use that for publicity, the photos not right.’ One little feather. But I did use it, nobody ever mentioned it.
But that was another one he said. I said ‘I want some-it for Christmas Tony’. He said ‘What are you gonna wear?’ I said ‘This silver suit. This silver sequined suit.’ Spot on. It don’t look very Christmas. So he went and took these out of his shop window. These parcels and that off the door. He said ‘Now it looks Christmas-y.’ And he said ‘That’s your new Christmas shot.’ We never used it. But these are all done by Tony at the Top Colour. I hate that one, oo I don’t like that one. There’s that one again.
That one me mum never liked. That, she said ‘You look like a squirrel.’ I said ‘What do you mean?’ She said, she said ‘You don’t wear a bright red wig, on a bright red background with a yellow and blue top on.’ she said. ‘You look like a squirrel Raymond, I don’t like it.’
These was taken live. I don’t know who took these. I think it was Tony I’m genuinely not sure. But it was taken live on stage. It was through a Bassy set. I think you can tell with the first the first movement. That’s at St George’s it is. I can tell by that. It could have been. This was Tony as well.
KG : Can you tell us about this act? This particular
RM : What makes a man?
KG : Yeah because people talk about this and you doing it?
RM : Tt’s always been, it’s always been a topic of conversations is that particular sketch. What happened was I was in the merchant navy and I was away for Christmas and I was in Canada. And these people in, I want to see Chicago, I could be wrong, something tells me Chicago. You get these people coming on board the ship and they’re selling things. You know, I mean, they know you’ve been away at sea and they’re selling, I don’t know, maybe shaving foam and razers and all sorts. And this guy had these cassettes. Which you can tell how long ago, it was 1976. 76 and and selling all these tapes and what have you and cassettes and what have you. And I had a cassette player in my cabin and I bought these and there was this one I didn’t know who it was. Charles Aznivour.I thought ‘Oo right.’ So I bought it, I looked at what the tracks was. Sounded nice. And I was laid in me bunk listening to these tapes couple of days later. And this song came on and it was ‘What makes a man, a man?’ Never heard it before and I thought ‘Wow, something could be done with this song in the show.’ Anyway came home, went to Paris for a long weekend and I saw Charles Aznivour live at the Paris lido. And he did ‘What makes a man a man’. He did the song. And I went ‘Wow!’ And then it dawned on me. It was all about a gay man. It was a drag queen and he had no friends and he went home alone. I thought ‘That’s my life, this is me.’ and I rehearsed it and I rehearsed it and rehearsed it and rehearsed it and we was doing it. And my manager at the time, Leon, I said to him when I was living in * in the high-rise of flats. And I used to put the tape on when I was getting a bath and that’s how I rehearsed. And I said ‘Oh’ I said ‘I’m gonna do this changeover that I’ve been talking about Leon.’ And we went ‘Aye alright then.’ It gets to the club and it all went wrong, it all went completely wrong. I couldn’t ger it right. I didn’t know what I’d done wrong, but it wasn’t right. So we scrubbed it and then one night about three months later, I was laid in the bath, getting ready for the show again and it came on the radio. The song came on the radio. And I’m listening to it and I thought ‘I know what was wrong’ When Leon came for me I said to him ‘I’m gonna do the changeover.’ He said, he said ‘Oh you! Effing hel!’ You know he said, ‘It all went F-ing wrong last time, you know, you got booed off the F-ing stage! Don’t do it!’ I said ‘I’m doing it.’ And I went and I did it and it brought the house down. And what I’d got wrong when I first did, was the timing was wrong, me timing was wrong for taking me clothes off. Me timing was wrong for taking the makeup off. And then it it were, it’s 4 minutes and 24 seconds long and now I can do it like that now. But and that’s been in the show ever since. I think, I’m almost certain, I was the first drag act in the country to ever do it. Everybody does it now. A lot of people have carried on. But definitely, it was just so strange.
KG : nd so tell us, what you do? How does it work? Imagine nobody’s seen it.
RM : Yeah it it’s um, we always do it like it’s a big finish with a show. Like I wear one of these costumes that lifts up. The lift ups. I’ll say good night to everybody, say good night to people that have worked with me and everyone that’s booked me and all the rest of it. And then I just turn round and say to the audience ‘And now I’d like to finish with my song. This is me.’ And it goes straight into the song and the song tells the story. You know, and it’s all about this drag act that works on a night time, on his own. He comes home on his own. He lives with his mom and he helps his mom do all the washing and everything. But he does it better than she does because he’s gay. Bang. And and it’s at the end, it’s it’s telling you, tell me if you can. What makes a man a man? I’m a woman. I’m a man dressed as a woman at least. And then I’m changing back from that woman to a man. So what am I? Am I right? Am I wrong? Should I be this? Should I be that? But no, I’m me. I am that man. And this is how, when I finished the spot I’m completely dressed back as me. So, I’ve gone from a female back to a man. The makeup, the makeup, I take all the makeup off. What a lot of people don’t know is, but I let you into a little secret now. What a lot of people don’t know is, when I go off to get changed for the last spot I have, I come back on I’ve got no eye lashes on. I’ve got no false nails on and I’ve got no tights on. They’ve already been taken off. That’s why all the finale outfits are all full length. So you don’t see my legs. And then when I can take the makeup off, I can take the makeup off very quickly with theatrical makeup remover and I’ve got nothing to worry about. No eyelashes to worry about, no tights to worry about, no nails to worry about and it’s off. And then people that have seen the spot will notice that I have trousers on. Then the makeup off, then the shirt on and then that’s the end. And I always like to finish up with moving both my hands, pray to God, pray to Christ. Thank you very much. I’ve got through it. I’m here, I’m still here, thank you. This is me and that is the end of it.
KG : And how does how does it make you feel to do it. Maybe it’s different now because you’ve done it a lot?
RM : Yeah I still get the same feelings, definitely, I still feel as if it’s, it’s telling a story. I know nowadays when I first started doing it. You know. All those years ago I mean1973 I think I started doing the shows. And it was hard. It was really really hard. It was hard to be gay. You know we very very rarely went out. You know. On dark nights I didn’t like to go out on dark nights. I’ve been threatened, I’ve been, I’ve been beaten up and I’ve had me noes broken twice. I’ve had takeaway food thrown at me. But, but Hessle road and all the the people on Hessle road, not only in Hessle, but Hull in general. But I started doing the shows down Hessle road. And people used to say to me ‘Aren’t you frightened, all those fishermen?’ I’d say ‘Why? They’re only human like we are.’ ‘But you’re wearing a frock, you’re dressing as a woman?’ Nobody had ever done it before. It’d never been done in this city. Not by anyone. You had Dany Le Rue on the television but never a local lad doing it. And what a lot of people didn’t realize is, I come from a fishing family. My uncle’s was, my father was a fisherman. You know, what I mean is, to be quite truthful I never really thought about it. I wanted to entertain. I couldn’t sing and the only way I could think of to entertain was doing the drag. And it just seemed to be right, you know. It was, it was right. And I mean all these years. I mean, I’ve had some strange looks by people in the pubs. And I’ve been threatened by some women for talking to their husbands but I’m sorry I can’t help it if I look better than you, than you do. And that has actually been said to me by a landlord of a pub. He said that once to me, ‘My wife has been all day going having her hair done and her nails done and buying some’it new and you have to come in a full-length ball gown.’ I said ‘I was asked to.’ And that was for a licensed victuallers do that. I don’t think I’ve told anybody that before, but it’s the gospel truth. And I didn’t, I didn’t wear the the ball gown to outstand anybody it was just the brewery wanted me to be there as Bobby Mandrel looking after my pub, which was the St. George’s. I was the landlord of the St. George’s, the landlord of the St. George’s was Bobby Mandrel. Bang! So they expect to see Bobby Mandrel. I was once working behind the bar in the pub. We’d not had the pub very long. And I was working behind the bar. It’s a Thursday night and this gang of people came in. I say a gang, about 12 people came in the pub and they’re all going. So I said ‘Are you looking for someone?’ So she said ‘Oh we thought Bobby mandrel would be here’ I said ‘Oh really’ I said ‘He doesn’t work on a Thursday’ I said ‘Not on the stage.’ ‘We’ve come all the way from Bridlington’ I went. ‘Oh I am sorry’ I said ‘I won’t be a moment’ and I went upstairs, I said to Alan ‘Get the gear ready’ I said ‘You watch the bar.’ And I came back down and I said to’em. ‘I am Bobby Mandrel’ And this woman went ‘Dressed like that?’ I said ‘I only wear the gowns’ I said ‘when I’m up on the stage.’ ‘Oh we’ve come all the way from Bridlington’ she says. Well I said, ‘If you wait, give me three quarters of an hour,’ I said ‘I’ll do you a quick show.’ That’s exactly what we did. And from then on we realized that people did want to see Bobby Mandrel. So I was in drag Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday every week. And every Saturday was my my Bobby Mandrel’s night. But every Sunday I’d have drag acts from America, France all all over the country.
KG : Well who were they? Can you say?
RM : Yeah, there was the Dream Girls, Etienne, Brian Murphy the Broadway bells the Broadway Bells, Lips and Lashes, the Harley Queens. Oh God Gale Force, Penny Change and others. Hundreds of them. I’ve got photographs of nearly all the people that ever came to work for me. And Deja Vu, Adrian James. There was so many. But it was nice. It was nice for me to stand back and let somebody else take the stage. I used to get, I used to get a big kick out of that. And then I did the Lady Boys. The St. George’s lady boys. I mean Blackpool had the Funny Gals. Hull had the Lady Boys. And I think everybody used to think ‘Oh they’re gonna be these pretty little boys’. They wasn’t. Not at all. They was pretty to me. But they want tiny little boys. Not by any means. I mean we had nurses that used to come. We had Les, Big Les. He came on and did Cher. A 30 stone Cher. We had him. There, there was and I gave them all names. Miss Fanny Nice-n-tight, Patty Udors, Legs le mour. Even Denise that you interviewed yesterday. I had her. I was one lady by short. So we shoved her in. Dunk! And I was saying to the audience. Which ones the woman? And that many people got her! Sorry Denise! They all thought she was one of the lads.
I had the the most fantastic, fantastic DJ, Crystal. He was fantastic. He used to make sure the show went perfect. The night went perfect. If you wasn’t out in the George by quarter a past seven on the Saturday night, you know, you’ve no chance getting a seat. You’ve no chance gerrin in. It was like that every single week for four and a half years. Every single Sunday, I used to love Sundays. And people used to say to me, ‘Well why don’t you put a male singer or a female singer on?’. I used to say, ‘Because you don’t want it’ I said ‘I’ve had singers on and what do you say? Can we have a drag act on?’ I said ‘So,’ I said ‘I’m getting them.’ I was getting drag acts from all over the country. And in the end one of the drag acts, Penny Change, he owned an agency, Prime Core, the agency was called. And I used to get all me drag acts through him, after a while. Because it was the best way to do it. And he’d make sure.. Little story here. A lot of them was just starting off, bless them, we’ve all got to start somewhere haven’t we? I know that and I appreciate it. This particular Sunday night, excuse me, as I just told you every Sunday was drag night but I used to know more or less a month in advance who was coming. And this drag act arrived and she said ‘oh’ she said ‘I’m so and so’ and so I don’t remember the names, generally can’t remember the names of these people. And I said ‘Are you from, through, Prime Core?’ ‘Yes’ ‘Oh well there’s the dressing room.’ I used to make sure they was all looked after in the dressing room. They’d be drinks in there for’em or whatever. And this particular night he went on and he did, he had this brown mac on and had this suitcase and the song was ‘Just arrived track 22. All the way from Tulsa Oklahoma.’ I said that’s from Copacabana (quote, unquote we don’t own none of the copyright for this music by the way) And he did the show, it was alright, not bad. The following week this lad arrived. I said ‘Hello’ He said ‘Can I speak to Bobby Mandrel.’ I said, I said ‘You’re speaking to him sweet heart.’ ‘I’m the drag act from Newcastle from Prime Core’’ The music started up, he come out the dressing room, brown Mac, suitcase, Just arrived… same track. Oh that well, last weeks did that. Carried on, did the same show. The following Sunday another one arrived. You know what’s coming don’t yeh? Yeah brown Mac.. So in the end I got on the phone. So ‘Penny Change, what’s going on?’ I said ‘I’ve had four acts, for four weeks, all doing the same songs.’ And he went ‘Didn’t they change’em?’ I said ‘No. It was the same suitcase, the same Mac’ I said ‘The audience, the audience knew the song.’ Four weeks. And he went ‘Ah well they’re just starting up.’ One of them looked as if he’d been on the milk monitors round. He didn’t look old enough to have been out, let alone on the stage. And and I think I was paying a lot of money. I was paying a lot of money.
KG : How much?
RM : Then.. Oh God, would’ve been back in well 2019, no 1998. And I was paying him 200 pound. That was a lot of money, you know what I mean? I mean, when I started, when I started £3.50 a night I got.
KG : What year was that?
RM : 1973 and if I did a Saturday, a Friday and a Saturday, I got £7. If it was at the same venue, which it would have been, at the Vauxhall. And I used to chaf about it. You know, I got seven pound. Me mom used to say, ‘Raymond shop assistant are doing 40 hours for less than that.’ And I thought, ‘Oh yes, she’s right.’ I was quite well off actually. Plus I was still doing the bloody, I was still in the merchant navy aswell. I was knackered. I used to, I used to have to pay two lots of stamp, two lots of tax. Honestly. Because I was working for North Sea Ferries as well. I used to eight days away on the ship, eight days home on one leave. And the eight days that I was home on leave we did seven shows. I did seven nights. I had one night a month off. That was it. But I was working up and down the country, everywhere. I’ve worked all over the place. And not just in England. I’ve worked in Turkey, Belgium, France, Germany, Holland. All over the place. And a lot of people go ‘Oh yeah’, but it’s right, you know what I mean. A lot of people don’t realize I think that some of the things that I have done. You know some of the people that I have met.
KG: Like what?
RM : I mean, you don’t blow trumpets or anything, but I mean I’ve worked with quite a lot of celebrities. That, you know that, you think ‘Oh really?’ I’ve worked with Cilla black. I’ve worked with the Bachelors, Cannon and Ball, Little and Large. And the list could go on and on and on but I’m not gonna do. Because I don’t blow trumpets. The only person, I will say, that I loved, absolutely loved loved loved working with was Jimmy Cricket.
KG : Really?
RM : Yeah. I adored the man. I worked him on his series, well on the television. So I’ve been on the telly as well. I’ve done Emmerdale farm. I’ve done Coronation Street as extras. I ain’t always only done that in drag. I do, extra did extra work as well. I was once in some Victorian series and I looked like Mr. Pickwick out of Pickwick papers, because I had a bit of a tummy on me and they put this big orange moustache on. Yeah, to see me this afternoon and then to see me tonight. I’m in fishnets and feathers tonight. This afternoon in this pompous fucking suit on. With a big belly in this waist coat and a tail coat. And this massive big wig. And I got there early, so I was made up early in the morning. And she said ‘Don’t eat anything.’ I was starving and I was having to drink a cup of tea through a straw after so the moustache didn’t come off. But Jimmy cricket, he did a sketch, and it was Jimmy Cricket is bald. So it was five bald men all dressed in dinner suits and we had to come on all pulling a chair. And then he played a tune on our heads with a silver hammer. Doo doo doo doo doo doo. And that went out and my family was all settled, did it hurt? What nobody knows was that, well they do know, a lot of people know this, but I’ll tell you. The night before this was the filming was done, Phil and I had been to a friend’s birthday party and I was absolutely hammered. And I had a mega hangover. And he’s bashing our heads with this rubber hammer. And I said ‘Oh don’t worry, it’s not real hammers’ I thought well obviously. But the pains was real hard on me head. And at the end I had to pull all these faces and my face is the last one as the credits are going up. The director said ‘Perfect, how did you manage to do that?’ And I was like I’m in fucking agony, that’s why. And he went ‘Oh right, we thought you’d done it for the telly.’ Went ‘No I’m hurting!’ Honestly it was so. And the reason I love Jim so much is because a month after the show I was coming home from Watford or something. We’d pulled into the services, Phil’s gone to get some coffee. I was sat falling asleep and as we walked in there was this gang, this table of people. And one chap was reading the newspaper. There’s Jimmy Cricket there I went ‘What?’ So I went that, and with that he moved his paper down. He said ‘Now then Bobby.’ Bang and he remembered my name. And I thought ‘Wow!’ and I went and I had a good chat with him. You know, I have a lot of time for that man, a lot of time. You know. It’s like Joe Longthorne. I worked with Joe many many many many many many many many times. I worked with Joe.
KG : Did you know him through the Hessle Road family? Is that how you first knew him?
RM : Yeah, Joe, I’ve known Joe all my life. Oh, well yeah literally all my life. My mom was a bar made in Halfway and she remembers Joe when Joe used to do to dance on a table. And she turned round and she said he can dance. But my mother was a dancer. She taught Joe how to tap dance on a table. So there’s all sorts of things and my father played the piano. You know and my father played the piano all over the place. So Joe used to watch me dad play the piano as well. So, you know.
KG : And what was important, what’s important, for the record, about Joe Longthorne? Tell us, like, if you don’t know Joe. Like we know, might know, the story of him, from that area or what it was.
RM : He was lovely with Joe Joe I’ve loved one thing that always took Joe Joe’s dad Joe Joe’s mom and dad just come to my shows when I did rainers and Jared come in and it’s sick you know with Clarice and what have you and it it go up and sing a song and a lot of people don’t realize that Joe Joe was what you saw was what you got he was just so perfect in the respect to have no as and graces I come from gypsies blam blam and it was all true you know what I mean what a guy I’ve seen Joe being that pest is being carried out arenas and the showed him in the Rolls Royce and drove off but that was Joe why not it’s time off it’s time when he’s not working he can do his his so wishes but his dad his dad used to drive this butchers bike and had a big basket on the front and he was to have two little Yorkshire Tony dogs in and be riding down his road abbey on his road shopping in the go now then can be all right I mean he’s been the carry on is dad I’m brilliant the towns has bought me a plan when I’ve been up on the stage I’ve got your partner you know on the stage but Joe was lovely Joe was really it was it was so care it was so funny really really you say it was funny on stage but it was funny off the stage as well really you know it’s I’ve seen him and he’s been absolutely brilliant absolutely brilliant and then I’ve seen him and it was so poorly and it was so sad you know to see so much talent just just gone you know I once went to see him we’d gone for dinner and Joe was doing Churchill I think it was Churchill’s just in head and anyway we were we’d gone to see see me didn’t always there and in there in that club then all the tables went to a round stage so he’d wet his den and it clocks that I was sat there and he went oh ladies and gentlemen we’ve got a celebrity in our knuckle to study I wish the grounded it just classed Joe Joe Joe it’s we’ve got candidly burying as I was then and the full audience gave me a standing a version I don’t know where to look at it where to put myself or anything where we finished when he’d finished and what I’ve got fantastic show and he said will you stay back for a drink I said yes if you won’t fell yeah no problem the people that were with they’d got the tax in they’d run home and always stayed back through it I didn’t with him or I’ve yet and I suggested to fill with that Roger attacks he said no you won’t and we came up from chart chills in an open top roles right he’s singing with Joe long turn on the web head and road and I think big things like that and I lived in an eyebrows block of lats and some of the mid-episode we’ve been edge of going on we edge of going in and all was that he was with and that yellow bloody car with me Jell-Om and I mean people I guess we know that Joe long thumb was a gay was a gay man and performing all over the world doing all sorts of stuff and was I guess part of this work is looking at the acceptance of going queer people in that area June never came out for quite a lot of years we knew it was gay and he used to go just put his finger up to his lips and it was always kept under wraps why do you think in case it affected his career because in them days all that all that time ago if you was gay out like that it was you know I mean I knew a lot of people that was gay that’s big names that I’ve seen in clubs where I’ve worked and where they’ve worked and I’ve been in names I could mention but I’m not gonna mention because it’s their business not man to say so but Joe had to keep it under wraps and yeah yeah children as well which you know which was like sort like his cover you know what I mean it was yeah I’d been married and we’re back in 1970 I got married a lot of things that happened before I was only very young I was only 17 18 when I got married and cut a long story show I was raped and I was 16 badly raped finished up in a mental institution finished up under psychiatrists and because I didn’t know what was what I didn’t know what I was I didn’t know anything in my in my family you didn’t talk about sex it wasn’t discussed it wasn’t at all but I remember my grandfather saying to me once I’d be about 13 years old maybe you’re about 13 and he says you my grandfather never called me by my name I always got called Tom on Nancy I know why he called me Nancy now but I didn’t at the time Tom because I’m named after his son my uncle Raymond I am named after him so I suppose it was maybe easy to call me Tom because we lived with my grandparents and he says to me I want to ask you something and I went what he said do you prefer little boys to little girls and I said I don’t know he said well he said you he said it ones you’re one of God’s special people he said you are so special it’s unbelievable it’s in one day when you get older you’ll know what I’m talking about and I’m assuming now that he meant I was gay I’m assuming that’s what he meant because he died he died when I well it I got married in 1970 my grandfather died in 1971 so but I often sit and wonder what he would have been like with me with the shows because the old sang my father played the piano me mother sang danced I had an auntie she was a country western singer and uncle was her Irish folk singer I’ve got my uncle Raymond sang with Shirley Bassie that entertainment’s there and I often wonder what my grandfather would have thought of me being candidly very Bobby Mandrel I think he would have looked after me like you would not believe it had pushed me all the way because he loved entertainment he loved he loved that sad alive the old did you know my parents my parents used to come to all the shows my mother was the biggest critic ever at dirt like the frog dirt like the wake of the music was crap well thank you very much end off that would be it I was once working in voxel and he was trying to wet the bar top no stage in them days wet the batter ban and they have a microphone stand at the end of the bar and the bar went like that like an L-shape my parents was with my grandma right at the end of the bar on a double seat there my father came up to the up to the bar to order some drinks and it got his brand new bag and D two-piece so on at the catalogue brand you loved it wonderful and new color real trendy it had the drinks and I went like that with me and on the microphone stand and all the drinks went all over him he got drowned in all these drinks and I started I was fetched a cry and he said no no no you carry on you carry on I’ll be alright we’ll get dragged off and that was my dad you know it’s just his things like that I once asked him to make me a weekbox my dad very clever man with his fingers he was so talented he was clever beautiful artist and everything so while I was aware say he made me this week box out I won but the time I got the four weeks in it we couldn’t lift it up and he said shall I put wheels on it I said I’ll need a truck to carry it anyway oh I’ll never man I’ve still got that box now and it’s full of shoes it’s like it put around dad it’s full but it didn’t even lift it up it was to go but it was these funny things like that it’s like when I first came on from America and I’ve stopped doing the shows bad then this is how it all started again right I’ve done shows when I was down in London and in Millworld docs and all the rest of it because that’s literally how it all started was on board the ships all the drag for me and then many men yeah I’d come up from America and I’d gone into polys Tudor bar as we all knew it was Tudor bar then in Perrigan Strait it was the back end used to go to the back entrance of White House Hotel and the back entrance was Perrigan Strait and that was the only little gear bar we had was Tudor bar polys and I’m talking tanny not much bigger than this room if you got there to people in you be squashed it was a cocktail lounge for the hotel but the guys adopted it and I’ve been away and I’ve gone in there and all that I said where you been I said I’ve been away to see we’ve been away forever I said yeah no we just go in I said oh great I said I’ve only been you know I said I only came home two days ago no I’d been on two days I had a beard a mustache a lot and the wind pretty look different fabulous cut I thought yeah yeah yeah we’re all going down to voxel I said oh great I said to that leave me and come with us I went well what’s going on at voxel this is a drag act on bang oh great do it so we got a taxi taxis that we’re going to have an act when we both get taxes I’ll pay for a bomb bomb I’m only no object just go wrong two taxes down there Clarice the landlady said I hope you’ll let them come down to see the drag act yeah it’s poorly it’s not turning up tonight and I went oh you’re joking she went no she said all those people have come into the scene but Dave the cold in Dave and I became real good pals he helped me over the areas of the show through Candy Lee Barry used to do all my music and everything for me and when I first started well story so one of the lads said to me you used to do drag oh I said can’t almighty I said it was a while ago I never said I’d done it for ages well can’t you help around Clarice I’ll pay you I said it’s not the money I said just don’t go anything I said got no outfits nothing she went oh well that’s the end of that then and they’re all said to me you’re a must book you are so I jumped into a taxi when all the way to watch a park flowing my dad was poorly and he went was remote what’s going on I still said where’s my mom should be in so she’s just she’s oh wait but she’ll be in so no right okay yeah so I went upstairs off-camera beard any mother’s wardrobe that that that a wigs she was where we’d that that’ll don’t jumped in the taxi I said tell me what my box on I’ve been in a wardrobe and went hey what yeah all right it’s going on so never mad flew back to box on a dance set record player beyond the bar with a record and I’ve still got the records in there where we’d marked the cover with a tick so Clarice knew what tracks I was doing and what number I was doing still in there the record the actual main records that I used and I said where am I working she’d up there I went you joking out yeah she’d know up on the back up and they were on him on the mums wigs and she said oh she said you are good she said and across the ceiling in voxel is a beam a big bingo and right across where the bar is is a book the bar and he was to do Judy Galen somewhere over the rainbow and that and he could sit years and years and years my fingerprints was on that beam for years because it never been decorated and the more it nicotine the more it got well you come back next week so I went my father shouldn’t do me another night I went oh I don’t know about that I said I’m I’m on leave or please anyway I did though I went in and I went in but a couple of weeks I’ve done specially combed open went into C&As and bought a couple of the most glamorous gowns I could find in there bang that’s what I’ll start in whole and it was in voxel on voxels bathtub and that was the Clarice and the last the last we had so when would that so if that was the what year was that 1974 so tell me about the first time so if that was the second you said that’s when it started again that started that no that’s when it started in whole oh okay yeah before it was down in London but it was just on for fancy dress and all the rest of it you mean dressing up you would dress up for yeah we’d go I’d go out and we’d all go out into into London itself into all the gay venues and I nantimes that I was in a fucking rock anywhere you know I mean sir you said I’ll put that on and put songs right I mean we used to go watch other drag acts and then they used to get me up on the stage and maybe do a couple of songs and at the voxels haven’t it the elephant castle loads of popers you know but that’s basically how it started down there it was just done purely as a joke I once I was once in the mess room on a ship in full drag and the captain came on those doing a presentation for something I can’t remember what it was I can’t remember and every time I stood up east of the town he’d stand up to let me sit down and in the end I said to one of my friends I said to me why does he keep you think you’re a woman I went what I said forgot to say it’s not telling one of the fucking stewards and he genuinely to that from that day to this it doesn’t know I was a fella somewhere I’ve got the picture of me sir and what I’m wearing and I don’t know where it is it’s in one of the Albert every time I stood up east of the you know I do to let another drink this the captain the ship tell him and then there’s only a round of league and gangplank if they don’t know the ramp at least yeah that was that was 1972 so from 73 when you did the on the bar top in your mom’s outfit box so that was the first so who was the do you know who the drag out that had been canceled how because was she showing and drag at that point or was it a thing that was just happening what it was it was a group called the changing scene and Dave was a little stocky guy he was the vocalist he was the singer and there was Laurie Laurie played the the organ the keyboards and Brian I won’t say Brian was the drummer Michael Michael was the second drummer Michael was the drummer when they became the starlight so that was Michael who’s got the piano shop yeah no it was before him it was Dave and Dave used to do drag in their show because it was a comedy show band and that’s all it was but it looks so good and he had the most fantastic voice and that’s how it started so it was Dave and Dave did all my I still got somewhere in the house I’ve still got the original tape he did me so it must be that must be there but I used to do shows with them as well you know the yourself can they leave areas in the audience or get candidly Barry on the other stage don’t don’t don’t you know I mean so or it’d be pre-arranged I’m gonna say because were you going out dressed up no no no do you know something I never did and there’s something I do now and people go I’ve been doing this now 52 years just gone and I know there’s Ru Paul and all this around which I’m sorry it’s not my scene I don’t like it I don’t that’s another scenario I think they’re all talentless but that’s that’s me but when I arrive at a venue we regard the gear up all the electrics are done do a sound check and then I disappear I’ve gone Bobby Landrel is in the dressing room you might see my dresser of the person but the bar may be fruit ring for us or a chat to somebody but you won’t see me and I refuse to come out that dressing room until I am Bobby Landrel and then you won’t see me until I’m on the stage my intro comes on that’s the first I work coming socialize with everybody because and that’s not been a bit job being the diva or anything like that to me it’s an illusion I don’t want to break that illusion for you I like it when I’m interested in them so I can hear people say I wonder what he really looks like what do you think he’s gonna be wearing I wonder what color the outfit is do you think it’ll be secret do you think it’ll be big do you think it’ll be a girl do you think it’ll be there and I love that because they want to know what I’m gonna like when I come out if I go in the audience when I’m fully made up where’s the this is no illusion the the only thing that you’re gonna be captivated with is because I would go off and get changed I would wear one outfit’s from out in but another outfit of the stage the stage outfits are always special they’ve got to be special I’ve got to wear things that you’d like to wear I want to wear things where you wear women’s said oh I’d love that I would love one of them and I love that because it means I’ve made the effort I’ve done something that you want me to do it’s there I’ve had people ask me if they can borrow clothes for weddings you know I’m saying you can’t you can’t watch you want oh yeah oh you are a sequin jacket when he was at the center and I’ve got a pair of trousers it got a pair of it I take it borrow it I’ve had some it you know it’s not to me as long as they look after it they get it back and then I don’t have a break most well I’ve started to have a break now but most drag acts I’ll do maybe one spot then go have an hour off and then come back I don’t like that I want to go from upper state till 11 the only time I’m off the stage is for purely for a change costume that’s it if you’re going to tell it go now while he’s off I was going to miss it when he comes back on because I’m there to entertain you and then entertainer is what I am I like entertaining I don’t want to get you all warmed up and bouncing and then go off for half and then I have to start again I’ve got you I’m gonna keep you and I was told that by a lots of people in the business will not in drag but ensure business in general when you’ve got them in your hand keep them in your hand and I’ve done that I’ve done that all only drag life you know it’s it’s really strange and then as I say the next time to say me as me is when I’ve done what makes a man and then I come off the stage and then I can funnily enough only last week a lady had been to the show that I did it at comedy lounge and I’d seen of the next not the next day the next day the day after I was shopping and she went fabulous sure loved it absolutely fabulous and that blow out fair and I thought I know I said it was brand new said I said so was the finale she went oh that was a dream but the blow was the blow once blow one we couldn’t even look at it she didn’t spark that much behind was like oh alright she but why don’t you come out so people can have the photograph take with you and I thought oh she’s not the first person to ever say that but when you think about it okay years ago we used to do publicity photos people didn’t carry a camera with them like they have a mobile phone now so you’d stand there and I’d say I know I was to sit at urban Santa autographs dozens thousands of them before we went so the crowd would be it’s sound to put your name on off you go and we dyslexic as well there’s no where’s where they said oh my name’s Theodora’s oh do you spell that then and this was and I made it as well Kimberly yeah in a minute then Christ Almighty and he was to say to Margaret and Big Liz oh he’s honestly truth I would like to I’ve set it at table we used to go out and do the photos and I’d be maybe set it at table million hour it’s no good I’m not being paid for that hour I am when I’m up there anyway that was my book it’s and she was right and I thought about it since and I thought do I start taking a short break because when I went there I’ve got to take a 45-minute break and it’s like I’m this is to me me dress me so he said but is it you’d have to come off stage I’ve announced it purely for going out in a sense that’s not wrong he said but he said I can guarantee you said you’ve only got four to five minutes it everybody in want a picture it’s gonna take over on our way to do this lot because there’s what you’re talking about 160 people and I’m thinking hmm so it’s like that I know it it’s been nice but I don’t think it worked it worked for me it’s it’s crazy in it silly it’s just I don’t know it’s I mean you could have promo shots again yeah there is that with there is some kicking around somewhere there’s loads of them but they don’t want that she wants she wants Jill and Jack stood with Bobby Mandrel this was us this was when we went to Benny Durham over that’s Bobby Mandrel in the middle percent this is what you get and I know that’s what the one so I’m very seriously thinking of altering the show so that I can do that you know arranging it with the management you know wherever it is that I’m working if they agree with it we’ll do it because it is a nice thing and it’s nice I mean the whole people of whether just been wonderful to me they’ve given me the most wonderfully slave they’ve had a fabulous fabulous life about hard life it’s been out graphed but I’ve had a good life and the support that I’ve had when I was poorly everybody knew that I’d got cancer and the wanted me to do doctors wanting me to take time off I’d have 37 sessions of radiotherapy and two and a half years of hormone implants hence the weight because the when you have almost a man as homo implants it’s the same hormones that a lady has and it puts weight on and you know on a man you don’t lose the weight so and I thought mmm well the whole craft was saying that the whole crowd and that when you were poorly yeah when I was poorly I did I worked every single show I didn’t have one single night off and never took any time off if I was booked to work in Oxford we went to Oxford I’d have my chemo therapy at least not chemo radiotherapy apostate in the morning and we’d be on the road to go down into Oxford maybe at three o’clock in the afternoon I used to fall asleep in the car and what have you and Lesaro ever was driving and he’d say well right so yeah I’m just a bit tight because the the the radiotherapy made me tired and if I missed a single show not one single show did we miss added everyone am to more on I had to do because that was my way of fighting this it was my way I thought you get the better of me and the people of whole I mean on Facebook alone I had what over four and thousand get well so to me that’s unbelievable you know I mean and I thought wow and you’re not giving it up and all the rest of it and I’ve gone I’d be about five months six months I had a bit of an a cup with I’d go over all the end there was a nick up and they pulled me back in again and the thought the cancer had come back it hadn’t but the mid-show and I had to see this counselor that while I was there because one side people didn’t know the altitude it was ripping me out I’ll absolutely rip him into shreds but I want to nobody see that side of it if I cried a crowd alone I won’t let you see me cry or anybody else anywhere and I’ve got the I was I’ve indeed these sessions of my view and I was talking to somebody and castle ill in the Queen’s Center and she turned out and said I’m gonna say what she exactly what she said so if this offense I’m sorry she said I’ve got canceled she said it can kiss my fucking ass and I went all right so I thought really so I got in touch with a friend a man I was a tattooist and he had a tattoo shop on his little road just across the road from us to say I’m currently carrying us to car park I went across the shop and I went excuse me I said but I said can you do me a tattoo he said well that’s what I mean if I make I went oh I never you know I went oh and he went what do you want is it a big in the little I said I want a pair of lips tattooing anyone pair of lips what he said on the neck on the chest I said no I mean on the bottom anyway what I said on the bottom he went serious I said yeah you went all right okay no problem what’s the name I said oh man drill anyone well Bobby Mandrel and I went yeah anyway you joking out yeah you were Bobby I said yeah Bobby Mandrel he went I said why is April he said she did man on a dance waiting he said before I was even bone I went what it went who wears my phone ma’am I’ve got Bobby Mandrel in the year and I thought anyway I’d go back and this is the funny part I had to go back nearly it was lovely I love him to bits and it says to me about you ready it’s in I’m gonna well you know in air it’s it’s one of the most tenderest parts to my mouth anyway I say okay I don’t care fair enough so it lays me down gets me already in but I feel anyway are you ready I went yeah oh it’s a little too cute yeah I saw what was that he said that I was there sitting cream going on I don’t care fair anyway he said he were right and his tattoo and what it’s there I thought well you can see it it’s yes I can see it there right Marilyn Monroe’s lips is of course that’s the earth anyway sir I can he said how are you feeling Saturday I said I’m alright this is me for anyone is the bunch lad I went up here I packed my car in I thought I need some bread and butter that is a woman I love it you look what should you tattoo she gets marvellous I said why was you in the shop watching she’d know it’s all over Facebook he got a job I said pictures of me out of me bottom up straight on to Facebook and everybody that and the problem everybody everybody and see it all right it and now people say to me you know about the chance I go yeah the cancer can get mad in ours but it was this woman look it’s all over Facebook I went so I found the shop up I went he went we said that’s how old you he said no sir I would be mum wanted to see but I don’t listen sir it must have gone on Facebook it’s crazy things like this I just love it yeah and now I get people saying now you know if to remember the girl shower she’s had it so I put it on Facebook I put it on Facebook I said yeah it comes in as it was so funny I just looked at it you know when you want to kill up and die up what shit I thought she was maybe I didn’t shop somewhere I said yeah no it’s over Facebook I’m shopping and all it was you boss him is it so and no it’s fine have you just had it done then because we’ve only just seen it as a yeah I have for now we’re good all right oh maybe she put some ice so it got Stanley the freedom does it feel I mean clearly they love you don’t they love you you’re hilarious and they love that in the act yeah but is there something about being of that place do you think what is that I’m a Gemini bad I’ve got exactly didn’t I a Gemini bad and believe you may I live up to my bad son I am two different people completely two different people you’re here today interviewing me and I’m very chatty when you’ve gone you’re being I’ve got real quiet I can go into a pub with friends and I can sit there and be real quiet people go when I come when I come off the stage after a show and really to there this is why we’re just saying about the photos whether that’s Pat and package me I don’t know but all my friends that I go out with they don’t detect me all I’ve got to go down my nutcase I just love a good time if I’m out I’m out because I want to enjoy myself and I want you to enjoy yourself as well and I’ve got the most warped weird sense of humor I can laugh at everything that you couldn’t laugh at I will and then you’ll laugh at it because I am I want to these that if you follow if the we’ve seen a lady fall on the ice I’d be on the ice with a laughing because I won’t be able to go up so is there something about that I mean I’m the question was what is it about you know those women love the fact that you’d had a tattoo on your bum and it’s just you and they’re in as during your in as during your very approachable and all of those things so yeah is there is that important yes yeah yeah people see me I get sometimes I can’t it’s that to do with your background I mean yeah I don’t want to put words in your mouth but I think it could be right yeah I mean I can be in boys it’s and people have come up to me in boys is I’ve been shopping with my sister and excuse me I know you I know you’re out could I have your job and I’ve been dressed as me so you coach you can when did you see the show I’ve done you know I mean and I got to write on can you do it on here you know and I’ve had all that you know I’m just yeah but I think I like people I’ve always wanted to be liked I think all my life from being a child you know because I was very quiet very introvert as a child which have been told by me me my brothers when my sisters and my parents were in person allowed but I think it’s acceptance I want to be accepted by you someone once asked me an agent once asked me and I’ve said this in lots of interviews and they’ve sent to me many times you know what do you up to achieve by doing drag in this city this was an agent at all and I went what do you mean it’s a what do you up to achieve by a man wearing a frock you know and I went I said if I can make it said somebody laughs once in the night I’ve achieved some up I’ve made that person happy for maybe five minutes I said that could be going through a crisis but I’ve made them laugh that means the well to me that means more to me than all than all this slot than anything that means more to me than anything if I can make you happy make your smile I’ll do it I’ve got me road to do it I want you to be happy you know because I’ve gone through Helen back over the years with marriages with a marriage divorce I lost track of me two boys me oldest son died and I’m now in contact that God with me youngest son you know I’m a good pals but to lose them for 30 years it was so hard people couldn’t understand what I was going through you know what I mean but I kept in touch with the boys through a ex-wives family I knew what my two boys was doing and knew where there was and all the rest of it and nobody knew that I knew well me and this family member did she’d tell me and that’s that’s how it happened I mean I’ve told this story before and it’s gone on script that I was working at a pub and they was to pat the car in there in the pubs cab in pubs smoking area when I did a show that and we always used to say I would still do that if you haven’t seen my show you’re a Bobby Mandrel Virgin because everybody’s seen the bloody show you know I mean oh I like to think there were no harm on my arm and Andy was waiting for me and I pulled up in the car and I was just about to switch close the window and he went Bob I said what love he said we’ve got two Bobby Mandrel Virgin zero and there was a man a woman stardom said no then I said I clocked I said I don’t know which ones you asked do I be bad jeans for very long will the end is woman oh we’ll be a little confort and the voice said and I’m a Bobby Mandrel Virgin as well dad Owen well he said it’s Lee you and his son well I thought huh wow it was like somebody had smacked me in the first of the tennis racket and I did the show he stayed in all night did Lee watch the full show and I says to Jim the landlord said there’s because she would have been the surface of me and him’s went out and me and my son we went out I’m glad you’re on till seven that morning we went for a drink and we had a talk like you would not believe he wasn’t drunk and I definitely wasn’t it’s when I’m working I don’t drink you know I mean and bang and we’ve kept in touch sense but I’m one of these people and I don’t I’m not on your back all the time you know I don’t phone him every day I don’t text him every day but if he needs me he knows exactly where I’m if I need him you know I mean I know where he is but that’s the way I am I’m like that with my family and like that with my friends and very sometimes I just want to be a beyond over the years I’ve belonged to the belong to the public I’ve I’ve felt as if I know this might sound wrong and I don’t wish it to sound wrong but sometimes I felt like a possession as if I belong to you it’s like people have said to me we’ve paid some some some some some to come and see you that’s nothing to do with me I said I went for a set amount that’s the management not me I’ve had people say to me but I got you must be a bastard millionaire we’ve paid some some so I said I don’t know anything else that ain’t me that’s the management not that I have to explain this to people but that’s the way I look at it that’s the way I feel about it you know what I mean I mean honestly I’m I am very proud I’m I’m a really proud person in the respect of myself and my partner parted in Millennium 25 years ago and I turned out and said as I walked out the pub and I said again I’ll sit to his face there’ll be nobody else there’ll be nobody else and there never has been I’ve been on me on 25 years now and that’s through choice and I don’t mean that to sound nasty but it’s through choice I couldn’t be hurt anymore I couldn’t be used as a punch bag anymore and I don’t mean punch bag is in in physical I don’t mean that I mean emotionally I couldn’t do it anymore you know I mean and I’m used to say to me really wonderful but your sarcasm but that is my protect that is my my barrier that is me protecting me you know the mean and no I’m not saying I’ve been an angel in 20 families because they haven’t that be a lie you know I mean we all have needs well you still not a 72 so much you do it so nice though but there you go but no but no there’s never been anybody else and I turned up and said no one no one no one ever use my tele remote control but me oh and then we don’t that’s it me don’t I live and die for him you know don’t we yeah yeah yeah yeah person that we’re like your social battery gets exhausted or however they say it these days but do you remember this as a child or how your family you know like was this a I was they were entertainers I guess it was that wasn’t their trade they were no no no no no no no far from it no my own cause and some of my cousins was fishermen my father was a fish well my father was a cop on chrollers my mom was a bar maid my grandfather was a shipping clerk my grandma was a cleaner in Woolworths you know what I mean so they all had their own jobs but the look just loved fun the old loved and I out they looked parties we used to have this piano in my grandma’s front room he didn’t frustrate and I’m the and the middle of five so I’ve got two sisters older than me valorice 17 log on six Sandra 73 I’m 72 and then I’ve got two brothers younger than me and I can’t remember all Bob Barry is well anyway I’m a youngest brothers 62 the youngest so you see for quite a few it there’s a six year bit gap between me and my brother and when we lived in Edinburgh straight mum we had this piano in the front room grandma’s best room and I’ve candle eyebrows things dropped out of it we don’t be in bed and if they came on with the party get the kids up there’s Sandra one sad me at the other side on the top of the pier we had to sing let me perform in monkeys and the terms me that would be passionate on the piano and used to fall on these is candle eyebrows out to it yeah but that was my family you know the way it’s like a I laugh and joke on the stage when I said I used to share a bed with two sisters I always used to manage to get the shallow end but I was it was really shy as a child really really shy you know I mean if you said jump I’d say oh I did as I was told and why do you think I’d I think in my own mind I knew I was different I knew I was I liked little girls but I preferred the club boys and I knew that from a very very image from a very image and yeah definitely and they always like to be around the girls if the girls was having a party a garden but I had to be there I’d wear a toe-toe out you like and dress me up don’t you like the terms he was to dance from the living room in Mitusis to his belly front and then get slapped to do it but it was right back and did it again lovely so you know yeah can you see when we lived from my grandparents there was my grandma my granddad my mom and my dad may I’m take an uncle me to sisters and me all in one I was amazing oh it was wonderful what a what a life what an education what an education I can remember one of my own clothes coming up home you’re gonna love this what I own clothes coming home and down they didn’t restraint every so often you’ve got a passageway that goes in between the houses and when you went through that one side was my grandma’s the other side was Missy’s boast that side bang bang bang bang on the front dermigramma was cooking dinner in the in the kitchen go see all that is I went running with the passage does her stuck in the passage so it was it does it or does it or does it or stuck in the passage crack don’t be so bloody stupid I said that’s what Kenny Lawrence is just said what passage when she goes out my uncle Bell and pissed as a new it tried to get the oaster on the passage and it got stuck yeah I was talking about it true granddad you’re simple brother played cards they come up with a pet pig with oh you’re never knew we were with kids we never knew what was coming home to there’d be chickens in the back garden with our ducks with our goats in that shape and pigs the horse you know our station dogs pigeons what a life and people said oh you must have had a real poshup really dead I’ll never never have we once went to one of my aunties weddings a man and dad was that I had a patch on me on me trousers short trousers I had on and I had to go to the wedding in the patch and I vowed from that day to today I would never ever ever go without I have always made sure that Bobby Mandrelas had the best I can afford I’ve always made sure I’ve got over 300 shirts I’ve got over 500 pairs of shoes because I vowed it would never ever happen again nobody’s gonna laugh at me again and the dead my aunties and uncles laughed at me because I it was great trousers and had a black patch on and I felt I was on a child I’d only be wow 11 12 years old but I remember it I remember it as clear as yesterday and I vowed it never happened again and I’ve made sure it never did I’ve always you know when C&As was up and I’ve been seeing as if I liked this blue shirt they had it in green and yeah I don’t have them at all I’ll take off the mother’s tip why do you need all these clothes it was like my like a defense mechanism I don’t know how to explain it and I’m still like that to this day I’m terrible I can take your shopping now and I can guarantee I would come on with either a pair of shows a share of jacket I’m a compulsive buyer terrible compulsive shopper is it but not only with clothes and things but with everything but do you think that comes from I mean often working class people talk of this similar stories don’t they they had nothing or there was nothing and then and then this is a reaction to yeah and we are the products of our childhood oh yeah very much so very very much so yeah definitely you know I’ve I’ve always worked I’ve always done two jobs all my life I’ve worked two jobs from being 14 years old you know what I mean and and work to give me mother money to feed us you know what I mean they want any maid there was my sisters as well you know what I mean it was it was it was hard really hard and I remember telling them my dad I was gay I I’ve been married as I said gone through the I’d gone through the rape and all that lot and then my dad turned my sister was getting engaged and I was going out with Carol at the time and I was 17 I’m a dad 10 right and said right off the cuff you said listen why don’t you make a double engagement party in you my father knew he knew I was gay anyway we don’t know a double engagement pass we’re going to engage in the April Marit only that would go to engagement party in the April was married by the December the 5th married gone wasn’t right I knew it wasn’t right my auntie came through from Mansfield we got married a big big wedding we had a nice wedding you know I mean we didn’t have to get married we never slept together nothing like that oh no no no no no and my auntie here it was true and I have to go stay with me until here in Mansfield when I was a then because I lived more with my grandparents in the teens and when they went to stay with Auntie Vera I went as well I think we just to get me out the bloody roads it’d be quite tough for but and Auntie Vera always turned around and says to me this thing’s gonna happen in your life you know that you won’t realize I don’t stick well right you know it’s a kid dear anyway should outside and I’m in the photographs taken and the mum says to Auntie Vera I’m gonna get on the photos we should no should give 16 months like I did she’ll win eight you should never have met him get married you should never ever have met him get married and my mum said what an athlete talking about should you’ll find out you will find out on the date 16 months later I’d already got one little boy cow cow was born we got married in the December in cows one in the September so it proves there was nothing like that going on I used to difficult to I used to um Carol and I had made a club and then I’d get up and go out I couldn’t stay there I’d get out well it won’t write I shouldn’t have done that it won’t write and I knew it won’t write I shouldn’t be with that lady and this is one of the reasons when I am when we separated and we divorced it’s one of the reasons why I cut the boys off I wanted them to lads to have a normal upbringing I couldn’t provide that I was a queer man I was called queer about all the family their family and everything you know what I mean but we’re saying that I’m still in touch and friends with all their family we have still in fact I’m in front and friends with me ex-wife now but it was wrong I shouldn’t have got married I fancied my best man more than I fancied my wife I mean what do you do so I cut myself off from the boys wanting the boys to be brought up what I thought was correctly with a straight mum and dad I was wrong I was a freak you know I mean because I didn’t I still didn’t know what I was I still I’ve been married but I still didn’t know I was gay about that time I was having sex with men about that time we lived in Terry Street I used to climb up a bed with her and go into Pearson’s pack and they’ve been hanging around it Pearson’s pack it was so I was so mixed up and confused with all of it you know what I mean there’s one of the guys that raped me I was madly in love with him I was absolutely madly in love with him it was so and I remember going home to my parents living in Orchard Park and I remember going home and my dad was in the garden and I said it was me a mum in it’s not only in somewhat you doing it’s not so matter I said what do you mean it’s what is the matter what’s right remember they said what’s the matter I said I want to talk to you my mum oh I said Jesus Christ I said it’s kind of alright I said there’s a bear not right as a yeah where is my mum should work and within 20 minutes my mum came in and I was I was outside me dad was in the living room no the other way around dad was outside I was in the living room anyway should know what you’re doing here I’ve got something to tell you both should wear your dad and I mean my mom called me dad in dad came in and he was stood and I’ll always remember in my mum’s house you had a doria that led into the dining room a door there led into the hallway and the sofa was across the room there so there was the fireplace and that carriage clock the silver carriage clock there was in the middle I mean that guy’s hands around this carriage clock and it’s tapping it it said what remember what’s but I said and I’m looking in with what you do without judge and it’s tapping it and he went what’s the matter so I said I think I’m bisexual and mid-advent and I moved and the clock moved it was gonna pelt it out my and he went I’ve known forever I’ve known forever that you was queer I have known forever the mother well we know you she said we know you like a good town she said in the again we’re like going to get parties and everything should we all know that me dad said no it’s queer it likes men I mean mum went George go get Ellie’s gear from the house it shouldn’t be that way she said I told you all that Ben what is oh cuz such a good riot honestly we mum wouldn’t have it that cow was man and anyway we separated and how did that make you feel what happened in that living room I felt dirty I felt lost I felt completely completely completely alone I had nobody I hadn’t been into any gay bars or anything like that at the time I didn’t know anything and I’ve got on with a wind a cleaner I got a weird George George George the wind a cleaner and I once said I’ll stay back at my mom’s then and I sister my mom and dad I suggested is it all right if George stays up and I my mid-ad went you are so blown up sleeping the same bed in my house I don’t fucking do so I’ve got so younger sons okay just like that I mean mother ten I’ve been said she said George should he has been married is not an idiot anyway he allowed it and I had a single bed and I’d been when I would have been seen George for about whoa nearly a year so I was seeing him on and off for five years five and a half years and me dad gave me the money to go out and buy a double bed I don’t think it’s fair that two grown men should be sleeping in the single bed won’t get his other double one I thought I just don’t believe this and but it what do you think happened what was happening for him I think it was starting to accept the fact because my mom knew a lot of gay people my mom used to work in sportsmen on head and road when all the gays used to go upstairs she was the bad man so me mom knew gay people I’m a father he was going there drinking and you can’t tell me that he never ever met any gay people in his life he had a massive accident of my dad and when we lived on your tomb buildings he was a doctor then and a turn an hour for Timba crushed his legs and he had a plaster on a plaster cast and I’ll be blah blah blah blah anyway gangrene setting and yeah and we was having to push him we moved towards a part I was having to push him around in a wheelchair he and his heart was bad he got out of the tax lab yeah it was only 54 must bother when he died and it was in all royal I mean mom says to him Raymond you’ve got to go visit you’d have to don’t want to you’ve got to go visit you that I said I don’t want to it turned real nasty with me just before he died and you know I was a let down to women I’ve shunned the family up and you know everybody thinks I’m this that the other one anyway I did go visit him and I went to all royal and he was in this bed and was in this machine and I was stood at the side of his bed so as he was led there I’m stood here there’s the door the door opened in a vicar walked him father-owned his eyes he shot up screaming I don’t want to die I don’t want to die until you don’t die don’t and I had to ask this vicar to go out because if I was there for his last rights so it’s laid there and he was crying and what I’ve been he put his hand out I got out of his hand and he says to me I’ve got some up to say to you know what it said I’ve been so so wrong all your life has been wrong this is great I don’t love you know not always torture I see if it’s too late it’s too late then anywhere I left and the next day the phone ran and I answered the phone and it down it down through well it was like through the night so I was naked and they died and that was the last time I saw him was then but there was too much water come under the bridge too much head too much I’d be on the phone talking to my mom and it kicked the phone off and it broke up to see it was awful yeah and in the end I moved out obviously I moved out and I took her I moved in with two of the two Galasses to Jackie and Mitch I wish them to was allowed for this interview for you oh I do because they would tell you things about the gay ladies more than I could ever do and I lodged with them for wow well we stayed friends for over 50 years and I lodged with them for about four or five years that my own room and everything and then Jackie Jackie became a driver mid-year-old submit me clothes there was the first the first before Les and Margaret so it was before them but the Terry’s we lived in South Boulevard and the terrorists Jackie and Mitch lived at the top of the terrace two gay lasses and I can’t remember the name I can’t remember the names two gay lasses lived that side of the terrace rules and the rule dens lived there I lived next door to rules Terry lived next door to me all gay across the city of the south was Tammy and sent she lived there out of all the houses there was only three houses that won’t get down to one terrace brilliant absolutely fucking brilliant we was honestly it’s where our people are the queiest terrorists down there everybody knew where we was everybody fucking brilliant we’d have parties out of the party one sat in and somebody else never parted next we used to go on each and some problems brilliant absolutely brilliant Jackie image was lovely Jackie was Mitch where it’s she was a seamstress somewhere in whole two hests on certain fields but Jackie she’d been a traffic warden she’d been a clipping on the buses she went to Armstrong’s in Beverly she’d been a taxi telephonist I went to sports but you like that if she said jump you’d say how fucking are you child do you want me to stop it up yeah she was six foot two and if you didn’t know you’d swear bland it was a man all the way honestly now the they’re done did I co-pengie and I used to think part of it with our blessing he was lovely it was the most skinniest little thing we were long legs and he always looked to see if everything was an effort there was nothing like it was just the dogs metabolism Benji the jump point and all the kids down the street was like all right Jackie and I told you told to the dog everyone was frightened to believe death she had typical lesbian a bunch she was 150% but she was well people who comes with it oh she made I said that is Jackie she said is a big bastard it’s a woman can’t be a pumpkin woman that I know it is it is so I mean it makes me think I mean it’s made me for another conversation but there is something about you could the the people that were around you know who you spent time with outside to be a family who were you know the the street of the Gay Street or whatever you very influential very influential on all and Dilly Barry Bobby Mandrel on the show one of the bus drivers oh she’s dead and oh thou she was from down south this will make you laugh she was real butch she was a what like pop-eye oh so she’s that’s it oh she’s on one and she drove for me for a little while Jackie was poorly so vial took over and Mitch was cooking a dinner and she said I don’t know what to do for tomorrow’s dinner vowel she said do you like belly pork and shrimp oh she loves belly pork so I do and it was well I was in sterics I couldn’t don’t out for laughing and Jackie went well of course it came to the show dinner oh why it was belly pork toy done and she went that sounds just like me I said I’m taking the piss out of you and she created the nun she created the full numbs get should have seen you do a pregnant Brad should but you want to do a pregnant no no no went really should you know but should it has to be a white outfit with black accessories and I went well that’s the novice she said a pregnant nun novice bang and it took us five weeks to record 11 minutes of music and she sat in this house in the flats and what I mean Jackie’s I think and we went through it and all the little snippets and it was valid creates it it’s very strange that a lot of people that come to see the show they’ll say to me you could do anyone I was Sabra in the art when I was in the show and I only mentioned this last Friday on the stage I’ve changed the show around a lot you know I’ve brought in a devil I’ve brought in anyone I was so brought in different people I’ll be on the stage are you doing share you are doing Tina I doing that with a big what about the nun oh I gonna do that what about and I’m thinking I’ve just spent all that money on these outfits and time and to go what it people in whole want the old Bobby Mandrel the don’t want the new stuff I don’t know I’ll shed it no I just do not know whether my dad used to say you know you said to me it’s not broken don’t repair it and I’m thinking but I’ve got to keep the show up today with people don’t if I do share and they end up here with our own boat song well you didn’t wear the fucking boat stitch out you didn’t wear the boat stitcher and this is a bit of man well well you should have been old as looks good with boats I said I’ve got seven different outfits for sure yeah but we like the black one they’ve got the favorites they’ve got what they’re like a few tradition yeah but it was like a few weeks ago I did a few months ago I did the comedy lounge and this lady says to me she said oh I think it’s about time you change the end of your show you know so we’ve we’ve been seeing it for years and years and the woman says to have a punch your everything like so she’d that’s the best part of the show I went oh thanks and I thought I can’t leave now I’ve got some old contracts somewhere I can’t remember where the air and it says Mr. Mandrel must put in what makes a man a man that’s written in my fucking contract from the agents and so I mean we’re all over jumping all over but the man makes a man what would you call it section what do you call that how would you describe it it’s the finale yeah the finale of the show yeah it brings all the fantasy down to reality and that’s what I’ve always told people you’ve seen me up there all night for maybe two or three hours or whatever cheeky little chick with all these costumes blah blah and then at the end of the night you’ve got little bald-headed man there all the fantasies gone and it all comes down to reality and I am them people done it is it brings the fantasy becomes reality and it’s me the terms that but it’s very it’s a very important performance yeah for you but also within within drag historically yeah very much so very very much so yeah I know there’s a lot of people do it now a lot of people use different songs now as well to do the same thing to do a change over one of the big ones is from the greatest Sherman this is me that is one of the biggest ones at the moment that one Gavin does that one give in yeah Gavin Renter I don’t know whether you’ve heard of Gav yeah he does that one I mean his is wet partner you know what I mean but yeah it had I had fluffed and joked over the years about what makes a man a man and I said oh well it’s dead easy for me I said it saves me going in there and going undressed to get dressed again I said I can do it out here and I’ve laughed about it and I’ll go really and I shouldn’t have said that you know I mean because it does mean a lot to a lot of people I get it as a rather a venue you are doing that last night we’re going to make a bomb but yeah yeah it’s in the we’ll stay then like you’re the fucking step I don’t do it sorry sorry about that would you like your tear a crock-fay um shall we stop yeah I’ll make you drink um let me pour the cold the Broadway the Broadway I’ve got this is are this all the people that would have gone right see that that’s Paul or greedy that’s so these are people that you put on in the job no these are people that I worked with down in London although she’s got they’re all dead now Paul’s dead yeah he did he committed suicide on Paul so it don’t seem do it but this is the pl for what I love it yeah that one bang so is this all you on this this loads the drum mixed up there’s most of these we are the Broadway bells that’s it right now that’s Tony on there but this is John this was the original Broadway bells and then John and him part had come to date a bit massive fallout so John when it was a an ass so he went back to nursing he’s now married to somebody abroad Tony is the bowman yeah is it yeah Tony performance yeah and on the picture you’ve got is his partner now they’ve got the other the most fantastic hotel in blackpool called the Mardi Gras do you think they talk to me I would imagine sir but were they whole yeah so they were hot he’s the bowman it’s from home yeah yeah definitely but I think that’s the only only no wait man I’ve got another one somewhere of them all in feathers but I don’t know where there’s that many bloody photos we it’s gonna take him it’s gonna be a task because you know like at Denise and Chris’s they got all their photos out and yeah look this is this that’s Tony that’s Tony that’s John partner is perfect yeah not this one no they’re in blackpool yeah that’s they now run the Mardi Gras in blackpool and that is Lee now count that one out if you’re gonna talk to anybody talk to these two because these two put drag acts on all the used to be the landlords of the other degree where they yeah oh yeah they have the other degree for what I would work for them when they have the other degree so this this is the person this is the Lee this is Lee that’s that one isn’t it no yeah that’s that’s Lee that’s that’s John and Tony that’s them too yeah that’s Tony that one’s definitely Tony that’s Tony and yeah I think this is yeah that’s Tony and Lee that one that’s John so these and these performed as it because would Tony be right so this was a double act a solo or a triple if you want depending on the budget they’ve done it they’ve done it all they’ve done solo double entry or but mainly there was known and I repeat merely known as this as them to not them these were created after these it was John it was John and Tony that created the Broadway bells and then what did these go out that John still is the Broadway bells kept the name yeah yeah because he came out of it he came out a bit completely but these two M&M were DJs and I were actually at the Wellington Club for years and then all the sudden the it started to be directed turn it did Tony in the in the St Georges for you no no for Clarice before you yeah and the came as these two and what was the what was this name man’s name originally John John garlic that one that was John garlic yeah yeah Tony Beaumont yeah yeah so they were DJs and then they started doing drag yeah and then the step doing drag and then the step these two started touring all over then they had a massive massive fall and John is it dead yeah different and no and because we tried to persuade John to go as himself as as we gave him the name anyway he said no said about enough and then we found out the reason why he had enough because him and his partner had done the dare to him and stripped the house of all the drag still everything it’s terrible sorry a lot to do with it yeah it’s not nice but um good and see now for they know what these I discovered in Tony’s collection well that’s that’s definitely that is definitely John second journey that’s that’s the other John yeah what was the other John called do you know he’s so no no no John the second yeah black Paul John yeah I mean those costumes what don’t you reckon that is mid eighties yeah yeah that would assimilate is because it doesn’t look that I mean there’s a similarity to yeah they’re a bit I have got one foot I’ve got one foot apart I don’t know how it is I’ve got a photo where the wrong in feathers the outfits of the guy you made all their outfits I mean this is another conversation made all my outfits costume people yeah well it was James he made a lot of my costumes I see in the back of those that’s all strippers that I’ve worked with I don’t know where it is it’d be a big photo like that you find it or will win it yeah it’s when I was putting them in there last night I never found it in there so do they these these are all going to this is all what’s when he’s asked for these are all to my Tony wards as you see yeah he wants to take print yeah yeah yeah I got away with that I would never know didn’t last I will never know I got a little else to do it saved come on the golly walk dressed like that I would go away without it would know it was over time no no no no there’s a lot these are what’s on his proofs yeah these are amazing see the sea to ones that’s that’s that yeah I really like that one but so the reason I’m going to him is because I don’t know if there’s any attorney and Johnny many of these because I didn’t go through them that’s the original union track yeah which was in the humblest street yeah that was on that was under split yeah yeah yeah yeah and then Margaret made designer made the new one which I’m still wearing now all the years later this is all in there’s that dress yeah yeah that’s it but now it’s only that much it’s just the bottom I that took off because it was too difficult in fact they’re all like that now what makes a man I mean I’d like to do a whole there is complete with the bottom on the bottom on the yeah yeah and you was to work for me there’s a lot of dresses over the years and are those dresses are they people that were in the community were they friends the strength that you just asked if you wanted to do it they came at ask me they want yeah but they could be gay straight to matter who it was yeah it didn’t matter but there’s really all gay you know I mean there was I had one girl used to it for me Susan and she was just in love with me she was straight but she was absolutely madly in love with me and I never knew she went to quite a few years but I never knew until one day she but I don’t love you and I went whoa that’s good I don’t know that I’d grow up I don’t know how you’d be there don’t that didn’t like it that’s another one that’s over that one there’s loads of them just gold pink anyway let me make this blizzard can I look in that folder is that all right looking that folder that’s the dream girls that’s the dream girls that’s Steve yeah that’s right well they’re now that’s no he’s died that was Adrian he went under the name of Deja vu and then he had to change the name because there was a group out called Deja vu so it changed it so changed his name to Adrian James but he died a few years ago I was that’s who I that’s who Denise and Chrissy said oh I think it might yeah they’re the hour again like that’s now that that’s the dream girls take out because it’s a folder that it’s this is when there was the dream girls show it was when there was opera in Turkey sir right that’s Steve and that’s Chris now then to other dream girls he wasn’t they introduced him into the show so there there all is that’s Adrian but oh one of the most funniest drag acts I have ever seen in this world and I would pay hundreds to go see him they were at own bolts on Saturday night did you you did you know I am I don’t get over the landlord no unbound who are you yes they had the land they’re bad the throats I think that’s maybe move the reason for it possibly yeah he was I used to know I been very they took a lot of tracking down yeah but now they’re like yeah I’m in and I said oh would you because of this as part of the project there’s money to do events and I was I said to them you know if we put on an event in rainers you know if Bobby will do it would you do it if you do it will Bobby do it if there’s anybody else who should we ask and they were like we’ve never worked with Bobby we’ve been on the site we’re like we’ve never we’ve worked with him but we’ve never been in the same thing and I was like yeah then so and they were like we’ve worked together one so the charity that I could remember years and years and years ago but when I was on the road with the show so was there so I might do example I might do rainers tonight and they’d be there next week or they might do up vaults this week and I’d be there next week we seem to follow each other around the country but was working through the same agencies and they were very calm that over the phone they taught me about being very complimentary of Paul and they were like it was either Manchester or Sir Paul they were so upset to they were like we’ve never had any bother everybody was so welcoming and friendly it was really a way to the most loveliest people honestly I adore him I adore Steve absolutely adoring but they would never hold people were they no they’re a castle foot from Leeds originally because that’s right because they worked in the new penny Steve there was the manager new penny at one point yeah there was some connection to the new penny Steve the the I’m gonna show you some anything Steve the funny one E is an address in his own right but Gary he makes all the clothes oh that crit Chris make Steve is the one that makes apparently I said who makes the outfits and they said they do just one second but so it’s a show you because I’ve just seen it in here right that is him when the separated because they did separate for quite a while yeah yeah yeah well Steve that one he went under the name of Stevie Charles and he went under the name of Chris black Chris black Chris black but his real names Gary yeah just a certain another he was marvelous is he committed suicide did this lad I was in the new penny one Sunday afternoon and because I was working leads on an eight time I was ever so old as pitcher no but that code would still be right for anyway do you carry on to see him love you’d have thought it was Shirley Bassley it was you know I’ve stood up to him to take a joke I know when that looks like a destination so that’s the drug actually that’s not when it was in he looked like it sounded like a say the physique oh somebody you see in my opinion with we’re Paul it’s they’ll look the same you can’t tell me that those people on the television of done all their own makeup never in this world all them fabulous outrageous weeks that never in this world they couldn’t afford to buy them some of the weeks that they were on there you took in what five six hundred pounds worth out just for the week let alone the costumes to meet rule politics like we’ve got loads of little boys right you go you go you go and go through the conveyor belt and as the plop off the other end deal the same the makeups the same the smiles the same the way the dress is all the same but there’s no there’s no comedy the ones look so gorgeous they’ve got artificial hips on artificial boobs fair comment makes it look good and I’ve read any of that I didn’t have anything at all like that I had no props to get me through so what is what is old drag describe to me what you mean by old drag like your old drag it’s because we could we can have to have a conversation about drag like the changes yeah but your version but to me to me drag is well I when I said the old drag like me I don’t mean it at an age but I’m on about we do comedy stuff with mine most most most man which most of the new ones sing live good look to them I can’t they’re coming it’s never could be no no I mean Shelley bass has been real good to me over the years but I mean the the the the old drag is I want you to sit down and want you to laugh at me don’t laugh sorry no don’t laugh at me lap with me and if I can make you laugh I’ve achieved something I can’t see these new drag queens making you laugh that is an old school we do all the old music we do send up to ourselves I love I love there’s nothing more I love than slapstick drag when I say slapstick I can come out in a beautiful sequined gown with feathers and all the rest of it gorgeous I’d soon come out and I’m smockfrock with false teeth in the week falling out all of it and you laugh you’re laughing at me now and you haven’t even seen what I’m talking about that’s all drag it’s the old stuff of entertain me I was brought in Newcastle around there you could see the audiences going come on entertain me you can see it in the eyes I thought I just shake myself good good I want to make a club in Newcastle bang and those are these baseball bats all over and I said to the compare what’s these baseball bats said if the dirt like you said the bat you won I went all right never happened thank God so do you’ve got one there on the stage if you need it to pass from back and that is the truth that oh yeah but oh it was all it’s all drag it’s all school it’s it yeah take the pissiest out yourself and the banter a lot of the pattern most of my most of my show is audience participation with me we pattern I might say something to you and Nantam is a technical answer or I might be thinking something I’ll say it example one of the things a little one of the other night should the most beautiful is dressed on all florals and oh I said what a beautiful dress show thank you and as I was working the message she looks like a well kept grave that’s out school that’s what it’s all about if you can say things and get away with it I know now how to I can push them so far but I can only push you so far and said to her blood the other night always said you smell I said your husband smells good she said I know it’s a new aftershave I said it’s that French one should put no should it’s not that I got from boat that’s what it smells like that fish of whoa like come to me should know that’s what it smells like come to me and I walked to her and she went oh no we didn’t get it he did she didn’t but it’s things like that it’s it’s having the the cheek and the the guts to do it you know and get away with it I want you to leave on an eight-term and think there might be something in the show you don’t like but I’m hoping and pretend that something will show you don’t and you think you’ll remember it earlier on was talking you remember what makes a man a man but somebody else will say oh did you see the nun oh did you like that one when he pulled all that stuff out his knickers I hear it so I know what the like what you like and I’ll try my best but the the the new drag date isn’t like that to me the new drag it’s all them look at me I’m gorgeous you want me I used to think that look at me a little like an old troloper bet you don’t fucking want me you know I mean but that was but that’s it I want to make you laugh I want to make you happy and that’s all drag sell school in my eyes Steve and Gary when you meet the dreams honestly then till Steve’s cracking the both very very very good of Steve’s patter bomb our cat such Steve and I know I’ll touch what I think I’m quite good but where where is that what is the history of that so we talked about Daniel Arrou on the TV then of course his music call and all of that that history but that that patter the banter the sarcasm that it just sort of what do you think it comes like what do you think its history came from you know you you might have seen something in London and thought oh that’s gonna I’m gonna put that in my eye you’ve developed things over the years working with Chubby Brown and certain things Chubby had said and I’ve every retrusted it round to work for a drag act yeah it’s it’s difficult to answer it’s I don’t really know you know it’s generally so could it be it could some of it’s got to come from comedy hasn’t it it’s got oh yeah yeah yeah but this idea of male it female impersonators I guess of why is yeah I’m trying you know I’m interested whether you think it what you think that history is for you I think a lot of it came from definitely from Daniel Arrou definitely I could watch Daniel Arrou as a child well when I was younger on the television and think wow the glamour was unbelievable but so was this his scripts was clever the people that wrote the songs for him little red rad you notice one of his songs that comes straight to man how could red rad you know I’ve been so very very good when when with all these men at the door bang for the year that came out wow and in my family I came from comedians because it was all funny there was always something always something funny being said which maybe wasn’t supposed to be a funny but I would say the sick funny sad of it and I think this guy wants to do with it but we drag it it’s it’s like a defense mechanism I think I don’t know I’ll get one over on you before you get one over on me you know I mean and yeah definitely it’s I like I loved music I’ve always loved entertaining you know I mean but I think putting the music over the years I never used to speak much at all when I first died just you know it was nearly old man yeah well it was all man and I wouldn’t even say good evening or anything like that or I’d do sketches and then I think oh the life you don’t know keep that in and oh don’t like that tell that out and that’s how it developed and then I don’t know over the years I’ve I’ve went to comedians I’ve worked with comedians and I’ve went to a Chrissy Rock loads and loads of times with Chrissy over the years early years and she’s a genius and I think it’s so to see to you know I think it’s a turn on thinking I’ve been called quite a lot more of a comedian comedian than a drag act I mean I once did a show and I was on stage for two and a half I was solid just telling jokes literally two and a half I did nothing else came on in the gown and went off in the gown I didn’t even do what makes a man of man because we’d gone out for now or two a little bit over and you know but if you’ve got the audience there if they like it just it just it just sort of it comes naturally I don’t know why you know it’s like a ten-year-old and say now and I’m 72 nearly and I forget things I forget a lot of the acting lot was shopping but we all can forget what I’ve gone out for and sometimes I might tell a joke and I’ve told you the the punchline and then I start telling neither joke and they got a tool there we know what the punchline is because I’ve got all backwards but that’s planned that I had to get it out I think but yeah a guy used to write a lot of my material that lived in Grimsby and he died at 94 and I was really upset because he was halfway through on your scripts when he died and I thought I was in the way I said look you’re dead now and he did that but you tend to take stuff from other people you listen you wear something and think oh I can use that and you do you twist it around you know it’s so clever but when you go on into your Steve I stay the same because he is absolutely red on honest it’s like a razor blade and so people like Milan you said Milan or who was and who’s the person you work with funny Brian yeah yeah I doubled it with Brian and people wanted us to do a double shot when I had the lady boys Brian is one of my lady boys and I’ve just pictures the lady boys somewhere here and we’ll take them out another time but there’s loads of pictures written you’ll see Denise and everybody and they’re all here in fact I don’t think anyway it doesn’t matter and we do double shows he wears it as his own show it came when we had the St George’s it came as one of the lady boys never done it before never been in dress before and I got him involved and very and you and you instantly Brian could make the grid and you he could become a drag queen in his own right just by watching him he had the talent to do it he had the the nerve to do it he never used to speak on a microphone but it could do anything else you know all the mime in all the comedy and what I go and now we go if we go out together which people ask us to go out we go under the name of demon divas so it’s Brian and I as the diva and what I’ve done is I’ve made costumes identical so we dressed absolutely and the amount of times people have gone we didn’t know which was you I said I’ve got a minute he’s only 14 and and 70 one bang you know I mean because it’s that it’s style is very very much me you know I think over the years he’s developed my style and I like that you know I mean it’s it’s a good lad and as I say goes it does his own shows as well under miss Fanny and their single shows you know I mean and it’s doing it’s doing really well and he’s been doing it now what 20 26 27 years must be maybe maybe maybe longer but Milan what I love about Milan is is a drag act but is not a sure drag act it’s like a a no stessie drag act in the respect of when you go into zinnia it Greacher is in full drag but is he’s got this style all in his own he’s got a vintage style his outfits and vintage his wigs are done in a vintage style his megapace and he’s got like a Geisha Geisha skin and that’s his scene and I think it’s one of people going there just to see him because he’s got very funny on the microphone two weeks ago week ago we had a crumb pit night a crumb pit night with Milan and he had a crumb pit the crumb pit the crumb pit would you like a picture of my grumpy bang but it worked it was so funny so it’s little sausage little sausages next down but I like it and I like his style is a drag act but not a not not a sure drag act not not like me it’s not cabaret it doesn’t do the cabaret it’s like your stessin it’s nice it’s good yeah it bit it be lovely to speak to because he used to work at propaganda and fuel and he worked there when Gavin and Rusty worked there now Rusty Rusty now works up in Newcastle and Gavin’s still working in Hull but he worked abroad the nearly all worked in Turkey at some point the dream girl started it off and then you’d got Marmaris was the show you’d got um Bodrum was this show you’d got somewhere the same show it wasn’t the same show as such it was three of them doing this show and Gavin Gavin and his partner is work partner they do big shows they’ve got one coming up very soon at the good fellowship but it’s completely different to my candor show there’s is what I call holiday drag in the respect of dickard whack with children and everything and it wouldn’t offend I can’t I refuse because I’ve always been an autodrag queen and I am changing it for anybody now you know you kids shoot me in the pub to kick off with in my opinion end off you know if I’m working anywhere and I always say if he’s really offended stay aware it’s not my problem you’ve got a kid to cure problem not man you know and people know that now I think they know that um he was a lot of the language but it’s done perhaps they I must have understand it anyway you know if you’re gonna use it in the pub I might as well use it on the stage that’s my attitude but we go I don’t know whether you’d be able to speak to Gavin I’m genuinely doing I guess there there’s an interest in to me because the research is about has a road and the pubs the club pub and club scene of has a road rather than larger whole that’s the focus of the research and because I’ve got a sense that that place birth for one of a better word a particular type of drag because it’s a particular yeah well voxel voxel years later after I did it in Claris left Claris took over the St. George’s I went to work there at the St. George’s with her I did voxel with her rainers with her voxel and then the St. George’s I was working I went for Claris 29 years in total all the pubs but a chap called Ari Barker took the voxel over and they brought out a drag trope called the voxel drag ex and Gavin was a member of that then and he’s come on in leaps and bounds as that guy I mean now he does fantastic shows very Daniela Ruish when he works the costumes are unbelievable you know I mean but it’s a different kind of show to what I do but he was one of the originals from voxel so it really maybe you should try and try and talk to Gavin I don’t know how are you gonna get in touch with him well but I don’t know about Sada I remember or anything for him but he whacked has all rode at the voxel because twads it’s a shame twads in with his anymore twattles because I was you’d have loved him oh you honestly pick him up the kurdling we lost him a few years ago but he was one of the voxel drag ex as well and in drag he was looking at Judy Garland he looked just like Judy Garland you know out of it in the third good girl but in drag wow I said to be what to do module the garland so which he did people have taken notice of me over the years oh I like to think that you have to up towards you know which to help them along I’ve got nothing to lose I’ve got nothing to hide anymore you know I put the old said but I said I don’t need any publicity being there done that I don’t need it you know it but these people but Gavin I’m up in a pranny can it’s second name is Gavin render R E N D E R yes it’s a florist yeah I think he’s I think somebody’s told me this it’s a florist in a hassel I don’t know which florist Tony knows I think Tony’s told me this florist anyway talk to me about twaddles because other people have talked about I’ve never seen this person in a photograph he was wonderful oh what’s this a has a road person no yes yes yes yes born and bred no I don’t think he was born and bred as I just genuinely don’t know where he was born and bred but his mom and dad used to have the ramp and horse pub in Paisley Street or thousands years ago I mean and then they took a pub over cold the old in us and our way it’s the old one as many many many many many times for his mom and dad and but twads I was so it was just a bond comedian you spoke and students heard that he’d have you in the stereo you know what you said we’re laughing it was just a natural born for me man it was in the Royal Navy and when he came on from the Royal Navy okay came into Paulie’s to the barris was telling you and this bloke said I know we always said I mean him scary so the octagon fucking titles and it stuck titles became titles he was so funny it was good was going on this trip to Nottingham was picking the court trip in Ferren’s way and everyone was on the couch where’s tracks oh dirt sir well drive I’ve got a go in a minute got a go in a minute anyway this whistle blown when we all looks out the back window titles had a pair of hot pants on roller skates bird a whistle coming up straight you loved him you serve that outfit in one of these it’s it I don’t know which one it’s in there and I’ve got an orange and green silk bassie outfit on I lent him I lent titles that and what you don’t see on there but the bottom come right down the year and he went walking into a pub dress like that we’ll get served oh you’re not served or ex-ifsans ready dad bless him Gavin giving you I’m talking about when twads died when twads died I was stood outside you couldn’t get into the the chapel it was absolutely it was too many so we stayed outside and Grinnia did Shirley Bassie big spender in a cutaway address and walked down the chapel to his coffin and tried Gavin was all in dressed as Shirley Bassie they did the song and everything for him wonderful absolutely wonderful and wrote along sad the flowers said twaddles all in white flowers and he loved bingo he absolutely loved gonna bingo to Cecil so after the funeral that took the flowers and put them out sad for him he was loved by a suddenly it was I was so funny it’s me now they can be all right yeah I’m fine Linda’s a couple of quid I all right go all off you go boys and it was so funny we have in voxel when it was one of the voxel dragettes above the bar they had swings put into the ceiling so he’d be on the bar top and they used to put these swings he was to come down and there was to swing across all the customers what the axe yet all the drag queens and I was frightened to death of them twaddles it being one given you had been the other and they was just to swing on these swings and tragic evil stiletto he was just sticking the ceiling there was no fuck up an egg don’t in the ceiling honestly I haven’t got any photos of any of those days they’re at Vox Gavin might have but it was oh gosh there was loads of them there’s about eight of them in total in the in the dragettes all drag it yeah I’m going back to it’s got to be the 80s scutched with the early 80s gotta be you know and as I say Gavin Gavina he carried on doing the shows went wet abroad and all the rest of it and his interametric dramatics as well so he’s in quite a lot of things but very very very talented man very very creative I mean the costumes are to die for I mean I’ve got some beautiful costumes but is set ones of his costumes I would I would wear that that is me that you know because he wears these acts and it’s a hat but then it’s a hat so instead of being a hat just that way if you turned it that way with outlines and it’s all like Daniel Arrou they’re all big big and brassian glamorous lots of money has been spent on these outfits all lots of money you know I mean but he looked any so pretty is got it how was Gavin now Gavin would be 50 maybe 50 plus now so and tried to try to 60 3 it would be 6 50 in a lab the chance or it was for me I found a picture oh where is it I found a picture of me I think it’s in there me to ads and I like called Liz in the St George’s when Clarice had it and we’d gone to she said it was a pajama party or having a pajama party what would you think it would be Jammers we did our in a dysnights with the boobs cut out so our big boobs twas has got a wiggle with all pucking plats and all sorts in it was the only three in there it’s next week right it was a twat it was a twat I loved him I loved him to that we had so much fun because when Joel on thond had Joel on thond’s funeral went down hasler road and we was at the same we was at the funeral directors which is the naughty one and it went from there you know on hasler road and I’m stood and I walked past this person who had ignorant bastard I went oh sorry to I said I didn’t say you know which I didn’t anyway it was stood like this and I said I said so it’s lovely into it yeah so you all right it went yes that you accounts I’m fine so so I’ve got to go down to this show shop anyway colo story show I said well I’ve packed my car I said in radder’s car pack if you want to live down there you went noise it but I could major a soft drink I said well come on we’ll go to Alice and in the end I said to him what’s the matter that’s what you got stuffed under your bloody shirt I said nobody’s gonna rip you back off you you said what do you mean I said it went candy said it’s an onion I mean what and he had this area as because I would be bald and I thought it and I could have had myself that was the cancer and I didn’t know and he didn’t it for months and months and nobody knew and what this holding was that if he drank our winter bar and I said I said pan like you know no no no no no just eliminated and I and then I found out I hadn’t seen him for a while and then I found out that it was it got cancer and it wasn’t long after that he died but this this area I thought he’d put his bag under his coat so then it was as big as that terrible pull but when you hadn’t got we seem to lose so many people all around the same time in the respect to have Steve Floyd Yoda love Steve if anybody could tell you about the gay scene and all it’d have been him and I was talking to Steve one day and a fortnight later was dead cancer so didn’t they dad it got cancer so you see once the old founder I have cancer they’re all eight mother ends because we all look after each other obviously Steve dad a guy called John’s Rock he died Mike Smith he died Twats died Wendy Rowan de Gibson he died and it was all like together you know like you know like like three month then six month the year horrible time terrible terrible Franky I wish you could talk to Frankie from voxel the landlord but I talked him on the telephone at Tony’s but it’s becoming more and more difficult it seems he’s got all Samas so it’s our dad I said because if on the air and he said oh he said oh my token to now Frank and I go back hundred years I wear it’s Frank and I was stewards together in the match at movie so we go back a lot a lot well since 1973 that’s how far back we go Frank’s Clem to fame was putting makeup on my fault tits and the false tits was on me I’m a cabin door and every time the ship molds under the beads the tits that was Frank you’d claim to fame you always says that my Clem to fame was when I did their tits I did her fucking tits I go right Frank but it’s got all Samas in it’s bad and your phone do you and he kept going on about lips and lashes and I didn’t know what he was talking about and I thought she said right duo I didn’t know suddenly nothing about none of this anyway a long story short I put the foot I’d spoken to him he once I realized what was I put the phone down five minutes later funny back and that happened ten times in 30 minutes he found me back why have you found me I said I haven’t you found me oh all right then last but don’t don’t be fun again so he’s got it bad you know what I mean it’s it is bad but God he could tell you stories Jesus Christ could he ever but I don’t think you’d be able to get he doesn’t remember and that’s the problem you know if you if you jog his memory with the thing then he I saw I would imagine it would be able to answer you but yeah and I did because Tony said we should Tony was like why don’t we go together you know like he Tony would take me and we’ll sit there in heel talk you know like to talk in that way whether that would help but then or like with you you know like if you were there you might know those stories but yeah I mean this is the nature of this project in a way which is people are yeah Kevin story is getting lost Kevin Frank is business partner St. Foxhole Kevin was Frank his business partner and then there was Stephen was Kevin’s partner so the three of them among the players and I was talking to Kevin a few months ago and I said I was Frank because I haven’t seen Frank for a while and he went candy I said you don’t know if he said he phoned up he said the other day I’ve passed three in the morning I’ve passed three and he said where right yeah you’re supposed to be coming down to bring me some dinners where I am Kevin said Frank it’s half past three in the morning they didn’t even know we went to a went to a funeral and I was I was glad to my address’s boyfriend’s funeral and Frankie arrived saturated really wet through and I well and I were after the funeral it got the times mixed up for the funeral but they knew that the reset the wig was at good fellowship so it was pissing down my rent and he said oh well I bet I go I said you just come here I thought yeah no I’m gonna this is three years ago so anyway I said right I said it said I bet I’ve got to do some shopping I’ve got to show some shopping so I said Frank I said I’ve got the cat pack down the side I’ll take you home a cat woman it’s dark oh a car now I can’t go when it’s dark I don’t know whether or not when it’s dark no no I can’t write the dark I said all right all right all right so anyway I said get in the car come on I said why do you want to go shopping? on bargains I said he said an off way home he said no don’t take me it was just like it is now anyway no no no no can you do me a favor so I said you know what take me home it was dark when we got home I had to sit in the car with me headlights on full it’s from dirt while he got in it was so frightened of the dark it was caught a few weeks ago sat in a doorway with one of the down and outs drinking it shouldn’t really be on his own if the truth’s known yeah yeah is 70 I’m 72 real be 77 but so but but in Kevin they ran the voxel but they didn’t have drag on only me I was the only dragouts they ever had every week once a fortnight I was the only one that I’ve done have anybody else and and I says to why Kevin said you’re the only one that can fill it he said well I could tell that rings when you’re wrong with we go it when nobody else we don’t I thought oh I’m fine enough so me money went up yeah don’t tell me that that’s right you know that very tough but um you are a living legend oh do you know when people say that could scream I know you’re nothing or everybody knows me you know it’s crazy oh was it came me I had the gas-free service three weeks ago he got into this guy on a young guy and he went that’s why he needed servicing as well as the boiler upstairs I suggest I know so I don’t know very fast then mr. watching him I’m smelling 10 you went oh yeah mr. into a upgrade taking mr. pieces anyway oh one of the bricks is broke I said yes I know it is I said a guy from your company last year all said this day I said it doesn’t bad same anyway I said broke the tally went oh this one’s cracked as well I said I said I can’t buy a menu I can’t buy a menu where you went I think I’ve got some in the van so he went out to come back for brand new bricks the 46 pound the bar to buy it oh thank you very much I was walking made up it’s only gonna smash the fucking thing that the switch but that’s no I’m telling you so he’s upstairs and the boiler is in my bedroom in a cupboard it’s the way it’s done so coming out anyway on the door mr. Bellington said yes said I know this is a crazy question and I went what it went but all them pictures above him and the walls of Stacey they all look like you are you Bobby man well and I went yeah it went oh John I’m in Bobby man girls I was doing his fire I said I was journey to be wife she think she might have less other police I just didn’t I thought I don’t do this to me but could have sounded photographs I said I signed one of them no it was there must be an assembler then from because that’s what we used as new publicity photos you know because it’s got everything at that point do you feel like you we’re in service I guess in a way but do you feel like yeah then you have to be cut like this because I guess that like you said to me earlier you’re kind you’re yeah there’s a can switch but beyond like that yeah I can’t I can switch you off when we doing the shores I always arrive at all the venues with my eyes made up unless it’s out of town if it’s a long drive I don’t but if it’s local I always make sure that my eye because my eyes have to look exactly as I want them to go all right because where’s the where’s the opening in your world your eyes so I always do that and when we get to the venue you get the old do it in the car after all these bloody years do you know I’ve been doing it in the years plays you know I mean but I go we set the electric so to sound check and my phone check blah blah blah get the your the dressing room sorted out and then I get ready then I finish off doing my face I get fully made up fully dressed all the rest of it and then I want all I need is five minutes to me just five minutes and the dressing room I got well quiet regardless of who’s in there that’s Matt Ham just to get this put right and then I also know just so to write I’m ready and let’s go let’s go I’m ready now not in a minute now and that’s the show because Bobby Mandrel clicks in dunk I said the other week who was working at the comedy lounge and I said in a little round he said is it what’s actually very quiet because I’m usually chatty like this all the time he gets on your nerves gets a man and I was talking about family I was on the phone to family do that and I don’t know if you don’t even find up to see how I was anyway but I don’t this is this is me and it said you’re very quiet I said I’m worried about the show and I meant wow I’ve never ever had you ever had you say that before never what’s the matter I said I can’t remember anything and I’d walk up the night before sweating I’d have nightmares I don’t know it’s horrible feeling because make me all as silly all the sisters she’s got all Sam as his Valerie three parts of a brain a closing down and me other sisters a little bit I don’t think it’s not gonna be my way now you know I mean and and he went you’ll be all right excuse me what’s the opening set I said you’ve got it right down there and the music came on and he went yep yep no yep I said why have you said no to that it’s too slow the song so I said I’ll take it out then you’re controlling all the music and just the puppet at the front and the minute the music started oh it just went it just completely all the worries went everything I was more concerned about folding up the fucking stairs on the stage and then it says to me what will you first spot be I still about 25 minutes 55 minutes later I come off and he went yeah I thought you couldn’t remember now we said I was whistling and clicking and all sorts because as I am yeah he’s there I want to get the fucking notice and I should have been off for an hour earlier terrible Brian says it they’re funny he says it’s either well’s worst I’ve been talking on the microphone when the microphones being switched off to get me off the fucking stage and I’ve come in on turkey I think the microphones Boston after and you get it in as it’s the bleeding thing off you it’s true but that’s me okay you know as I say it’s we’ve only wound up when you’re up there you come up there that’s that’s it yeah and so the gas man or the gas service man in that moment does it feel like oh you’ve got to suddenly found that energy even if you don’t know no I used to be like that but I’m not anymore now because I just have a go yeah it’s me any girls and and so which we were which picture do you prefer out of a moral anyway then you get I usually say to him why have you seen me before I’ve seen me yeah we say you’re at such-and-such a place and that I can recall maybe E10 Robin said it was a place in Cottingham and I went crossing on I said civic call it went no one there he said I said it was the pub I said it was the pub I said in the little markets where he said yeah it was I didn’t remember them but I remember doing that pub and he went he said yes it was before me my wife got married bang and he did son son son son son son I went you’ve got a good memory it’s very soon we’ve seen you a few taps since and I went oh I like them but he said I’ve never seen you like this I said you must have done if you saw the full show and he went I said well I take it off at the end he went don’t remember that so whether they’re left before that and I don’t know but I do look completely different off stage and these when I’m on stage I don’t have the pluses on bang but it imparted it all out and I went oh yeah very enough I don’t get a little bit embarrassed I’m what I said I don’t know but it’s fun but I just I always throw that atom why where did you see me have you seen me and then I can go into a conversation with them you know I remember that place he said it’s so and so and so you know and it’s like all the photos of the stairs there are all the publicity and I don’t think of and when people come here to do repairs on the play so I’ve got joiners in there I don’t give it a thought about the publicity I don’t give it a thought I live with it but people grew upstairs you want to mack look at the pictures when he let think and this little Baldur did fella down there surely in love with fucking Bobby Nandrell that the dirt is Bobby Nandrell bang
END OF PART 1
2nd Recording Begins
Kate: Okay.
Ray: Yeah. You see, in my opinion with RuPaul, it’s…They all look the same. You can’t tell me that those people on the television have done all their own makeup, never in this world. All them fabulous outrageous wigs? Never in this world. They couldn’t afford to buy them. Some of the wigs that they wear on there, you’re talking, what, £500, £600 worth, just for the wig? Let alone the costumes. To me, RuPaul, it’s like… We’ve got loads of little boys, right? You go through the conveyor belt and there’s the plop off the other end deal at the same. The makeup’s the same, the smile’s the same, the way the dress is all the same. But there’s no comedy; they wants to look so gorgeous. They’ve got artificial hips on, artificial boobs – fair comment, makes it look good – I never had any of that. I didn’t have anything at all like that. I had no props to get me through.
Kate: So what is, what is old drag? Describe to me what you mean by old drag. Like your version of drag.
Ray: Old drag, it’s…
Kate: Because we can have to have a conversation about drag, like the changes in drag. But your version of drag.
Ray: But to me, to me drag is… When I said the old drag, like me, I don’t mean it as an age, but I’m on about, we do comedy stuff with mine, most of the new ones sing live. Good luck to them, I can’t. Fair Comment. So no, this could be no, no, I mean, Shirley Bassey has been real good to me over the years. But I mean, the old drag is: I want you to sit down and want you to laugh at me. Don’t laugh, sorry, no, don’t laugh at me, laugh with me and if I can make you laugh, I’ve achieved something. I can’t see these new drag queens making you laugh. That isn’t old school. We do all the old music, we do send-ups about ourselves. I love… I love… There’s nothing more I love than slapstick drag.
When I say slapstick, I can come out in a beautiful… sequined gown with feathers and all the rest of it: gorgeous. I’d soon come out in a smock-frock with false teeth in the wig, falling out all of it, and you’ll have… You’re laughing at me now and you’ve never seen what I’m talking about. That’s old drag, it’s the old stuff of ‘entertain me’.
I was brought up in Newcastle around there; you could see the audiences going, “Come on, entertain me.” You could see it in their eyes.
I thought, “I need to shake myself good, good.”
I went to club in Newcastle, bang.
And those are all these baseball bats, all of it.
And I said to the compare, “What’s these baseball bats?”
I said, “Slurf the dirt like you.”
I said, “They’ll bat you on.”
I went, “Oh, right.”
Never happened to thank God.
So do you’ve got one there on the stage if you need it to pass from back?
And that is the truth that…
Oh, yeah.
But it was all its whole drag, its own school.
It’s about banter.
Yeah, take the pissiest out yourself and the banter.
A lot of the patter.
Most of my… most of my show is audience participation.
With me, with patter.
I might say something to you, an anti-militaristic answer.
Or I might be thinking something, and I’ll say it.
Example, one of the things, a little woman the other night, she had the most beautifully stressed on all florals.
I said, “What a beautiful dress, thank you.”
And as I was working the message, she looked like a well-kept grave.
That’s out school.
That’s what it’s all about.
If you can say things and get away with it, I know now how to…
I can push ’em so far, but I can only push you so far.
I said to her, “Blur, at the other night.”
I always said, “You’ll smell.”
I said, “Your husband smells good.”
She said, “I know it’s a new aftershave.”
I said, “Is that French one?”
She said, “No, should it’s not that I got from boat.”
I said, “Well, it smells like that fish of…
“Whoa, lakum to me.”
She said, “No, that’s what it smells like, come to me.”
And I walked to her, and she went, “Oh?”
“Do it again.”
He did.
She didn’t.
But it’s things like that.
It’s having the cheek and the guts to do it, and get away with it.
I want you to leave on an eight-term and think, “There might be some in the show you don’t like, “but I’m hoping and pretending something will show you don’t like, “and you’ll remember it.”
Early wrong was talking.
“You’ll remember what makes a man a man.”
But somebody else will say, “Oh, did you see the nun?”
“Oh, did you like that woman?”
He pulled all that stuff out his knickers.
“I hear it, so I know what the like, what you like, “and I’ll try my best.”
But the new drag, it isn’t like that.
To me, the new drag, it’s all, “Look at me.
I’m gorgeous.
“You want me.”
I used to think that, “Look at me, look like an outtroloper.
“I bet you don’t want me.”
You know what I mean?
But that’s it.
I want to make you laugh.
I want to make you happy.
And that’s all drag.
Sell school in my eyes.
Steve and Gary, when you meet the dreams, honestly, then to Steve’s cracking.
The both very, very good.
Steve is patter, bomb.
I catch up, Steve.
And I know I’ll touch one.
I think I’m quite good, but all.
So where is that?
What is the history of that?
So we talked about Daniel LaRue on the TV, then of course his music call and all of that history.
But that patter, the banter, the sarcasm, that…
It just sort of comes.
What do you think it comes?
What do you think its history came from?
You know, you might have seen something in London and thought, “Oh, that’s going to put that in my eyes.”
You’ve developed things over the years.
What time after?
Yeah.
Working with Chubby Brown and then certain things Chubby had said.
And I’ve re-twisted it round to work for a drag act.
Yeah.
It’s difficult to answer.
I don’t really know.
You know, it’s…
I genuinely don’t…
So could it be…
Some of it’s got to come from comedy, hasn’t it?
It’s got to come from the glamour.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
But this idea of male, female impersonators, I guess, of why is…
Yeah, I’m trying…
You know, I’m interested whether you think it…
What you think that history is for you?
I think a lot of it came from…
Definitely from Daniel Arrou.
Definitely.
I could watch Daniel Arrou as a child, well, when I was younger, on the television, and think, “Wow, the glamour was unbelievable.”
But so was this…
His scripts was clever.
The people that wrote the songs for him, little red rad, you know, to see one of his songs that comes straight to man.
How could red rad enough have been so very, very good?
When with all these men at the door, bang.
For the year that came out, wow.
And in my family, I came from comedians because it was all funny.
There was always something funny being said, which maybe wasn’t supposed to be funny.
But I would say the sick funny side of it.
And I think this guy wants to do it with it.
But we drag it, it’s like a defense mechanism, I think.
I don’t know.
I’ll get one over on you before you get one over on me.
You know what I mean?
Yeah, definitely.
I like…
I love music.
I’ve always loved entertaining, you know what I mean?
But I think putting the music over the years, I never used to speak much at all when I first started.
It was nearly old man, yeah.
Well, it was old man.
And I wouldn’t even say good evening or anything like that.
Or I’d do sketches and then I’d just think, oh, the life you don’t know.
Keep that in.
And oh, I don’t like that.
I’ll tell that out.
And that’s how it developed.
And then I don’t know, over the years I’ve went to comedians.
I’ve worked with comedians.
I’ve went to a Chrissy Rocklod’s and loads of times with Chrissy over the years, early years, and she’s a… …here we are.
And I think it’s so to see, you know, I think it’s so to know.
I’ve been called quite a lot more of a comedian than a drag act.
I mean, I once did a show and I was on stage for two and a half.
I was solid, just telling jokes.
Literally two and a half.
I did nothing else, came on in the gown and went off in the gown.
I didn’t even do what makes a man of man because we’d gone out for an hour or two a little bit.
And, you know, but if you’ve got the audience there, if they like it, it just sort of… …it comes naturally.
I don’t know why.
You know, it’s like a ten-year-old who’s saying, “No, I’m 72 nearly.”
And I forget things.
I forget a lot of the acting lot was shopping, but we all can forget what I’ve gone out for.
And sometimes I might tell a joke and I’ve told you the punchline.
And then I start telling you the joke and the girl’s told you we know what the punchline is.
Because I’ve got all backwards, but that’s planned.
I had to get an older thing.
But, yeah.
A guy used to write a lot of material that lived in Grimsby.
And he died at 94.
And I was real upset because he was at with the world, and he was scriptless, but he died.
And I was in the white house and I was like, “Oh, he died now?”
And he did that.
But you tend to take stuff from other people.
You listen, you hear something and think, “Oh, how can you use that?”
And you don’t want to twist it around.
You know, it’s so clever.
But when you go on interview, Steve, I stay the same because he is absolutely red-o.
Honestly, he’s like a razor blade.
So people like Milan, you said Milan?
And who’s the person you work with?
Funny, Brian.
Yeah, yeah.
I doubled it with Brian.
People wanted us to do a double show.
When I had the lady boys, Brian is one of my lady boys.
And there’s pictures of the lady boys somewhere over here.
We’ll take them out another time, but there’s loads of pictures written in your CDN’s and everybody.
And they’re all here.
In fact, they’re in there, I think.
It doesn’t matter.
And we do double shows.
He does his own show.
He came when we had the St.
George’s.
He came and asked one of the lady boys.
Never done it before.
Never been in the dress before.
And I got him involved.
And very…
And you.
And you instantly, Brian could make the grid.
And you, he could become a drag queen in his own right.
Just by watching him, he had the talent to do it.
He had the nerve to do it.
He never used to speak on a microphone, but he could do everything else.
He’d do all the mime and all the comedy and what I go.
And now we’re going, if we go out together, which people ask us to go out, we’re going to the name of Demon Divas.
So it’s Brian and I as the diva.
And what I’ve done is I’ve made costumes identical.
So we’re dressed absolutely at the amount of times people have gone.
We didn’t know which was you.
I said, “I’m not a minute.”
It’s only 14 am and 70.
One, bang.
You know what I mean?
Because it’s that…
It’s style is very much me.
You know, I think over the years it’s developed my style.
And I like that.
You know what I mean?
It’s a good lad.
And as I say goes, it does his own shows as well under Miss Fami.
And they’re single shows, you know what I mean?
And it’s doing really well and it’s been doing it now, what?
20… 26, 27 years?
Must be maybe longer.
But Milan, what I love about Milan is… is a drag act, but is not a sure drag act.
It’s like a no-stussy drag act.
In the respect of when you go into Zinnia, the creature is in full drag, but it’s got this style all in his own.
It’s got a vintage style.
It’s outfits an vintage.
It’s wigs that an vintage style.
It’s megapiss.
And it’s got like a…
Gisha.
Gisha skin.
Like a powder again.
And that’s his scene.
And I think it’s one of the people going there just to see him.
Because he’s got very funny on the microphone.
Two weeks ago, a week ago, we had a crumpet night.
A crumpet night with Milan.
And he had a crumpet and a crumpet and a crumpet.
Would you like a picture of my crumpet?
Bang!
But it worked.
It was so funny.
So it’s little sausages next time.
Thought it was.
But I like it and I like it’s style.
It’s a drag act, but not a…
Not a show drag act.
Not like me.
It’s not cabaret.
It doesn’t do the cabaret.
It’s like your stessing.
It’s nice.
It’s good.
Yeah.
It’d be lovely to speak to.
Because he used to work at propaganda and fuel.
And he worked there when…
Gavin and Rusty were there.
Now Rusty now works up in Newcastle.
And Gavin’s still working in Hull.
But he worked abroad.
Then he all worked in Turkey at some point.
The dream girl started it off.
And then you’d got Mamaris was the show.
You’d got, um, Bodrum was the show.
You’d got somewhere at the same show.
It wasn’t the same show as such.
It was three of them doing this show.
And Gavin and his partner is working on this show.
And the other thing that I’ve learned is work partner.
They do big shows.
They’ve got one coming up very soon at the good fellowship.
But it’s completely different to my hand to show.
There’s what I call holiday drag in the respect of dickard work with children and everything and it wouldn’t offend our fans.
I refuse.
Because I’ve always been an autidrag queen.
And I am changing it for anybody now.
You know, kids shoot me in the pub to kick off with, in my opinion.
End off.
If I’m working anywhere and I always say, if he’s a lie offended, stay aware.
It’s not my problem.
You’ve got your kids in, sure problem, not man.
You know, and people know that now.
I think they know that I use a lot of the language.
But it’s done, perhaps they, I must have understand it anyway.
You know, if you’re going to use it in the pub, I might as well use it on the stage.
That’s my attitude.
But we’re gab, I don’t know whether you’d be able to speak to Gavin or not.
I’m genuinely doing that now.
I guess there’s an interesting, to me, because the research is about has a road and the pubs, the pub and club scene of has a road rather than larger whole.
That’s the focus of the research.
And because I’ve got a sense that that place, birth for one of a better word, a particular type of drag, because it’s a particular such a particular place.
I was a rock soul, a year’s later after I did it, and Clarice left.
Clarice took over the St.
George’s.
I went to work there at the St.
George’s with her.
I did voxel with her, rainers with her, voxel and then the St.
George’s.
I was working, I went for Clarice 29 years in total.
All the pubs.
But a chap called Ari, Baca, took the voxel over.
And they brought out a drag trope called the voxel drag ex.
And Gavin was a member of that then.
And he’s come on in leaps and bounds as that guy.
I mean, now he does fantastic shows, very Daniela Ruish when he works.
The costumes are unbelievable.
You know what I mean?
But it’s a different kind of show to what I do.
But he was one of the originals from voxel.
And really maybe you should try and talk to Gavin.
I don’t know how you’re going to get in touch with him.
But sad that I remember anything for him.
But he worked, has all rode at the voxel.
Because Trads, it was a shame Trads didn’t with his anymore.
Trads because he was, you had a love dinner.
Oh, you looked it honestly.
And pick him up and cuddle him.
We lost him a few years ago.
He was one of the voxel drag ex as well.
And in drag, he was looking at Judy Garland.
He looked just like Judy Garland.
You know, out of there he looked like good girls.
But in drag, wow.
I said to him, you ought to do more Judy Garland.
So which he did.
People have taken notice of me over the years.
Oh, I like to think that I’ve took Trads.
You know, which twelked them along.
I’ve got nothing to lose.
I’ve got nothing to hide anymore.
You know, I put the old saber.
I don’t need any publicity.
I’ve been there.
I’ve done that.
I don’t need it.
You know, but these people, but Gavin, I’m up in and proney.
Can’t.
It’s second name’s Gavin Render.
R-E-N-D-E-R.
Yes.
It’s a florist.
Yeah, I think somebody’s told me this.
It’s a florist in Hessel.
I don’t know which florist.
Tony knows.
I think Tony’s told me this florist.
Anyway, talk to me about Twaddles because other people have talked about Twaddles.
Oh, it was wonderful.
And I’ve never seen this person in a photograph.
It was wonderful.
So was this a Hassel Road person?
No.
Yes.
Yes.
Born a bread.
No, I don’t think he was born a bread.
I genuinely don’t know where he was born and bread.
But his mum and dad used to have the ramp and horse pub in Paisley Street.
Oh, thousands of years ago.
I mean, and then they took a pub over cold.
The olden-ness.
And our wets, the olden-ness.
Many, many, many, many, many times for his mum and dad.
And but Twadd’s, I was so…
It was just a Bon comedian.
You spoke and stood and searched for Edave Unisterix.
You’d know what he said with a laughing.
It was just a natural-born funny man.
It was in the Royal Navy.
And when he came on from the Royal Navy, okay, he came into Pais, told about us, I was telling you.
And this bloke said, “I don’t know where you are.
We said, ‘I’m in M.
Scary’s, so the octagon, you’re fucking titles.’
And it stuck.
Twaddles became titles.
He was so funny.
It was going on this trip to Nottingham.
It was picking the court trip in Ferens where…
And everyone was on the court.
He was trying to get his tracks.
Oh, dirt, sir.
Well, drive, I’ve got to go in a minute.
Got to go in a minute.
And he went, “This whistle blown when we all looks out the back window.”
Twaddles had a pair of up-pants on roller skates, blown a whistle coming up the street.
You’re fucking loved him.
You serve that outfit in one of these.
I don’t know which one it’s in there.
And I’ve got an orange and green silk bassie out there.
I lent him, I lent Twaddles that.
And what you don’t see on there, but the bottom come right down the here.
And he went walking into a pub dress like that.
We’ll get served.
Oh, you got served, or ex-ifserns?
But he died, bless him.
Gavin, given you what I’m talking about, when Twadd’s died.
Oh, look at him.
When Twadd’s died, I was stood out, so he was like, “I was stood out, S.I.D.”
You couldn’t get into the chapel.
It was absolutely, it was too many.
So we stayed outside.
And Grinnia did Shirley Bassie, big spender, in a cutaway dress and walked down the chapel to his coffin.
And Twadd’s, Gavin was all in, dressed as Shirley Bassie.
He did the song and everything for him.
Wonderful, absolutely wonderful.
And I’m sad, the flowers said Twaddles, all in white flowers.
And he loved Bingo.
He absolutely loved going to Bingo to Cecil.
So after the funeral, they took the flowers and put them out, “S.I.D.” for him.
That’s nice.
He was loved by a certain, he was, he was so funny.
It was so funny.
It’s me now, they can be all right.
You have fun, Linda’s a good pluck head.
“I all right, go all off you go.”
“Boys, it was so funny.”
In Vauxhall, when he was one of the Vauxhall drag-heads, above the bar, they had swings put into the ceiling.
So he’d be on the bar top and they used to put these swings, he used to come down, and they used to swing across all the customers.
What, the axe?
Yet all the drag queens, and they were frightened to death of them.
Traddles had been one, given you had been the other, and they used to swing on these swings, and Tradd just eels still at her, eels just sticking to ceiling.
“Don’t as though, fuck up an egg, don’t end the ceiling.”
Honestly, I haven’t got any photos of any of those days, there at Vaux, gabbing my av, but it was, “Oh gosh, there was loads of them.”
There was about eight of them in total.
In the drag-heads, yeah.
And going back to, let’s go to the early eighties, scotch the early eighties, gotta be, you know.
And as I say, Gavin, Gavina, e-carried on doing the shows, went wet to broad, and all the rest of it, and is inter-ametric dramatics as well, so he’s in quite a lot of things, but very, very, very talented man, very, very creative.
I mean, the costumes are, to die, I’ve got, I mean, I’ve got some beautiful costumes, but is certain ones of his costumes are, I would wear that.
That is me, that, you know, because he wears these hats, and it’s a hat, but then it’s a hat.
So instead of being a hat, just that way, if you turned it that way, it’d be that length. – Amazing. – And it’s all like Daniel Arru, they’re all big, big and brass-y, and glamorous.
Lots of money has been spent on these outfits, lots of money, you know what I mean?
But he looked, and he’s so pretty, he’s got it.
How’s Gavin, now, Gavin would be 50, maybe 50 plus now?
So, and tried to, tried to have 60.
Three, he would be 65 doing a lab, with Trads, or he was for me.
I found a picture.
Oh, where is it?
I found a picture of me, I think it’s in there.
Me, Trads, and I love Carl Bles in the St.
George’s, when Clarice had it, and she said it was a pajama party, or having a pajama party, what would you have to think?
We were in pajamas, we did.
And in a dysnights with the bulbs cut out, so had big bulbs.
Trads has got a wager with old Puckin Plats in all sorts in it.
It was the only three in there.
It’s next week, and oh, right.
Very, very, very, very well.
It was a twat.
It was a twat.
Oh, I loved him.
I loved him to that we had so much fun, because when Joel on Thorne died, Joel on Thorne’s funeral went down Hessel Road, and we was at the funeral directors, which is the naughty one, and it went from there, you know, on Hessel Road, and I’m stood.
And I walked past this person, and it went ignorant, bastard.
I went, oh, sorry to have stood.
I didn’t say enough, which I didn’t.
Anyway, it was stood, like this.
And I said, oh, I said, so it’s lovely, and so you went, yeah.
So you went, yeah, I said, you look, count, I’m fine.
So I got to go down to this show shop, anyway, Colin’s story show.
I said, well, I packed my car.
I said in, um, Radder’s car park, if you want to lift down there.
He went, no, he said, but I could measure a soft drink.
I said, well, come on, we’ll go, I’ll have Eddie’s.
And in the end, I said to him, what’s the matter?
I said, what, you got stuffed under your bloody shirt.
I said, nobody’s going to rip you back off you.
He said, what do you mean?
I said, it went, candy.
He said, it’s a nanny.
I went, what?
And he had this nanny, as because I would be bold.
And I thought, and I could have helped myself.
That was the cancer.
And I didn’t know.
And he didn’t it for months and months and months and nobody knew.
And what this holding was, that if he drank, I went to the bar and I said, I said, pan, I go, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, just eliminated.
And then I found out, because I hadn’t seen him for a while.
And then I found out that it was, it got cancer.
And it wasn’t long after that he died.
But this, this nanny, I thought he’d put his bag under his coat.
No.
So, now it was as big as that.
Terrible.
But, when you hadn’t got it.
We seem to lose so many people all around the same time in the respect to have Steve Floyd, Yudal of Steve.
If anybody could tell you about the gay scene and all it had been to him.
And I was talking to Steve one day and I thought, that lady was dead?
Cancer.
I said, I didn’t know that.
It got cancer.
So you see once the old founder, I have cancer.
They’re all like mother ends.
Because we all look after each other, obviously.
Steve Dad.
A guy called John Strop.
He died.
Mike Smith.
He died.
Twad’s died.
Wendy.
Roy Wendy Gibson.
He died.
And it was all like, together.
You know, like three months, then six months, the year.
Terrible time.
Terrible.
Terrible.
Frankie, I wished you could talk to Frankie from Vauxhall.
The landlord.
But, and it’s- I’ve talked to him on the telephone at Tony’s, but it’s becoming more and more difficult, it seems.
He’s got Alzheimer’s.
So it’s- I would advise it.
Because he formed the year.
And he said, oh, he’s said, oh, I’m a talking to him.
Now, Frank and I go back hundred years.
I went, Frank and I was stewards together in the merchant movie.
So we go back a lot, well, since 1973.
That’s how far back we go.
Frank’s claims of fame was putting makeup on my fault tits.
And the false tits was on me, I’m a cabin door.
And every time the ship moored, they’d be the tits.
That was Frankie’s claim to fame.
You know what, he always says that, my claim to fame was when I did air tits.
I did air f*cking tits.
I- I- I- I- I- I- I- Frank.
But it’s got Alzheimer’s in its bad.
Um, and he phoned the year.
And he kept going on about lips and lashes.
And I didn’t know what he was talking about.
And I thought, “Lips and lashes are correct.”
Oh, I didn’t know.
‘Cause I knew nothing about none of this.
I had to make a long story short.
Um, I put the- I just spoken to him.
He- he- once I realized who I was, I put the phone down.
Fair minutes later he phoned me back.
And I happened ten times in thirty minutes.
He phoned me back.
Why have you phoned me?
I said, “I haven’t, you phoned me.”
“Oh, all right then, last, but don’t- don’t be phoned again.”
So he’s go- it bad.
You know what I mean?
It’s- it is bad, but…
God, he could tell you stories.
Jesus Christ could he ever.
But I don’t think you’d be able to get- he doesn’t remember.
And that’s the problem.
You know, um…
If you- if you jog his memory with the thing, then he- I- I saw what I would imagine it would be able to answer you.
But…
Yeah, and I did- ’cause Tony said we should- Tony was like, “Why don’t we go together?”
You know, like, he- Tony would take me and we’ll sit there and he’ll talk, you know, like to- to talk in that way.
Whether that would help.
It might be.
But then, or like with you, you know, like if you were there, you might know those stories.
But, yeah, I mean, this is the nature of this project in a way, which is people are- Yeah, Kevin.
This story is getting lost.
Kevin…
Franky’s business partner.
Uh, uh, it’s- it’s a- a- a…
Boxle.
Kevin was Franky’s business partner.
And then there was Stephen, was Kevin’s… partner.
So the three of them were among the players.
And I was talking to Kevin a few months ago, and I said, “I was Franky, ’cause I haven’t seen Franky for a while.”
And he went, “Kandy, I said you don’t know how I have.”
He said, “He phoned up, he said, the other day, ‘I’ve passed three in the- I’ve passed three.”
And he said, “Where, right, yeah, you’re supposed to be coming down to bring me some dinners.
Where, right, yeah?”
Kevin said, “Frank, it’s ‘I’ve passed three in the morning.'”
They didn’t even know.
We went to a- went to a funeral, and I was- I was- they’ll add to my address as boyfriend’s funeral.
And Franky arrived, saturated, ringing wet throat, and I was- and I were after the funeral.
It got the times mixed up for the funeral.
But he knew that the- the- the- the- the- the wake was at- good fellowship.
So, it was pissing down my rent, and he said, “Oh, well, I bet a girl, I said you just come here.”
“I’ve had?”
“Yeah.”
“No, I’ve gone back.
This is three years ago.”
So anyway, um, I said, right, I said, “It’s a bad bet a girl, I’ve got to do some shopping.
I’ve got to do some shopping.”
So I said, “Frank.”
I said, “I’ve got the cat pack that’s out of the saddle.
I’ll take you home.”
“I can’t go home when it’s dark.”
“You mean?”
He said, “Oh, and I can’t- now I can’t go home when it’s dark.
I can’t go home when it’s dark.”
“No, no, I can’t go out of the deck.”
I said, “Oh, right, all right, all right.”
So anyway, I said, “Get in the car, come on.”
I said, “Where do you want to go shopping?”
“I’m back.”
And I said, “I said, “An ark, a foyer, army.”
He said, “No dirt, take me.”
It was just like this now.
Anyway, no, no, no, no.
Can’t be doing me a favor.
So I said, “You know what, take me home.”
It was dark when we got home.
I had to sit in the car with me, with me, I’d like some full, it’s from dirt while he got in.
It was so frightened of the dark.
It was caught a few weeks ago, sat in a doorway with one of the down-and-outs drinking, whatever, it shouldn’t really be on his own if the truth’s not.
“No, sounds like he needs more support.”
Yeah, it’s 70, and it’s 72, really, it’ll be 77.
About 77, but, but Emm and Kevin, they ran the voxel, but they didn’t have drag-on, only me.
I was the only drag-outs they ever had.
Every week.
Once a fortnight.
I was the only one that I have, they wouldn’t have anybody else.
And I says to why?
Kevin said, “You’re the only one that can fill it.”
He said, “Well, like, tell that rings when you’re on, when we go it, when nobody else is, we don’t.”
I said, “Oh, I’m fine enough.”
So, my money went up.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah?
Don’t tell me that.
That’s right.
You’re not that fair enough?
But, Emm…
You are a living legend.
Oh, do you know when people say that?
I could scream.
I know.
You’re nothing.
Or everybody knows me.
You know, it’s crazy.
Oh, is it, Kimmy?
Oh, I had the gas-free service three weeks ago.
He could?
He did this guy on a young guy.
And he went, “I certainly need to save a sin as well as the boiler upstairs.”
I said, “Yes, I know.”
So, I went, “Oh, I don’t want to pay you fast then, Mr.
Washington.”
I said, “Millington.”
He went, “Oh, yeah, Mr.
Inton.”
“Hey, I’ve got a year.”
Taking Mr.
Priestess.
And he went, “Oh, one of the bricks is broken.”
I said, “Yes, I know it is.”
I said, “A guy from your company, last year, all saved his steps.
Saved it and ran the same anyway.”
I said, “Broke, the towel.”
He went, “Oh, man.”
“Oh, this one’s cracked as well.”
I said, “I can’t buy him anywhere.”
He went, “I think I’ve got some in the van.”
So, he went, “I had to come back for a brand new over X.
They’re all 46 pound the hour to buy.
They’re all thank you very much.”
I was walking, “Millington.”
He’s only going to smash the hook and the switch.
Well, that’s no one telling you.
He’s upstairs and the boiler is in my bedroom in a cupboard.
It’s the way it’s done.
So, coming back, he went on the door.
Mr.
Billingson said, “I know this is a crazy question.”
And I went, “What?”
He went, “But all them pictures of Bobby Mandrel on the walls upstairs.
They all look like you.
Are you Bobby Mandrel?”
And I went, “Yeah.”
He went, “Oh, Joan.”
I’m in Bobby Mandrels.
I was doing his fire.
I said, “I was Joan.
They gave me a life.
She thinks she might have a list.
I don’t…
Please?
I just didn’t have to do it.
Do this to me.”
But I could have sent a photograph to say, “I signed one of them.”
No, it was…
Where are they?
It must be an…
Assamble of them from…
Because that’s what we used as new publicity photos.
You know, because it’s got everything on it.
Because at that point, do you feel like you…
Well, you’re in service, I guess, in a way.
But do you feel like, “Yeah, then you have to be kind like this?”
Because I guess that, like you said to me earlier, you’re kind…
Yeah.
I can switch Bobby on like that.
That.
Yeah.
I can’t I can switch him off.
When we’re doing the shows, I always arrive at all the venues with my eyes made up.
Unless it’s out of town.
If it’s a long drive, I don’t.
But if it’s local, I always make sure that my eyes…
Because my eyes have to look exactly as I want them to go a lot right.
Because where’s the opening in your world?
Your eyes.
So I always do that.
And when we get to the venue, you get…
They all do it in undergo.
After all these bloody years, you know, I’ve been doing it in the years, please.
You know what I mean?
But…
We set the electric…
So if there was sound check, microphone check, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, get the dressing room sorted out.
And then I get ready.
Then I finish off doing my face.
I get fully made up, fully dressed, all the rest of it.
And then I want all I need is five minutes to me.
Just five minutes.
And the dressing room I got well quiet, regardless of who’s in there.
That’s my town.
Just to get this put right.
And then I’ll just say to anyone, right, I’m ready and let’s go.
Oh, guys, let’s go.
I’m ready now.
Not in a minute now.
And that’s the show.
Because Bobby Mandrel clicks in.
Dunk.
I said the other week, who was working at the comedy land.
And I said, “In a roundie,” I said, “What’s my actually very quiet?”
Because I’m usually chatty like this all the time, and gets ringing herbs, gets a man.
And I was talking about family.
I was on the phone to family, the other night, and I were on earth.
It’s only for a look to see how I was.
Anyway, but this is me.
And it said, “You’re very quiet.”
I said, “I’m worried about the show, Andy.”
And he went, “What?”
“I said, “I’ve never read you.”
“Ever heard you say that before?”
“Never.
What’s the matter?”
I said, “I can’t remember anything.”
And I’d walk up the night before sweating.
I’d have nightmares.
It’s horrible feeling.
Because at the same time, she’s got all the samas as Valerie.
Three parts of her brain are closing down.
And the other sisters are little bit, and I’m thinking, “Buck it away.”
“It’s not going to be my way now.”
You know what I mean?
And it went, “You’ll be all right.”
“Excuse me.”
“What’s the opening set?”
I said, “You’ve got it right down there.”
And the music came on, and he went, “Yep.”
“Yep.”
“No.”
“Yep.”
I said, “Why have you said no to that?”
I said, “It’s too slow.”
The song.
I said, “I’ll take it out then.”
“You’re controlling all the music.”
And just the puppet at the front.
And the minute the music started, it went.
It just went.
It just completely, the old worries went.
Everything.
I was more concerned about folding up the fucking stairs on the stage.
And then it says to me, “What will your first spot be I still about twenty-five minutes?”
Fifty-five minutes later I come off.
And he went, “Yeah, I thought you couldn’t remember.”
And I was whistling and clicking and all sorts of things.
“As I am, yeah.”
“Is there a one taking the fucking notice?”
“I’m the gardener.”
And I should have been off for an hour earlier.
“Oh, terrible.”
Brian says it, “The funny.”
He says, “You’re the well’s worst.”
I’ve been talking on the microphone when the microphone’s been switched off to get me off the fucking stage.
And I’ve come in on talking.
I think the microphone’s bursting out.
And we get, “It’s the bleeding thing off.”
“Yo, get off.”
It’s true.
I’m just like, “But that’s me.”
Okay, you know.
As I say, it’s, we’ve only wound up when you’re up there.
I’m up there.
That’s it.
Yeah, and so the gas man or the gas service man, in that moment, does it feel like, “Oh, you’ve got to suddenly find that energy even if you don’t.”
No, no.
I used to be like that, but I’m not anymore.
No, because I just laugh and I go, “Yeah, it’s me.”
And he goes, “Huh?”
And so, which picture do you prefer out of a moral?
Then you get, “I usually say to him, ‘Why have you seen me before?’
Have you seen me?”
Yeah, we say you’re at such and such a place.
And I can recall maybe E-10 Robin said it was a place in Cottingham.
And I went, “Crottingham?”
I said, “Civicle?”
He went, “No, I’m not there.”
He said, “I said it was the pub I said.”
It was the pub I said in the little market square.
He said, “Yeah, it was.”
I didn’t remember them, but I remember doing that pub.
And he went, “It was before me.
My wife got married.”
“Bang.”
And he did, “Sone, Sone, Sone, Sone, Sone, Sone.”
I went, “Glad you’ve got a good memory.”
He said, “We’ve seen you a few times since.”
And I went, “Oh, all right then.”
But he said, “I’ve never seen you like this.”
I said, “You must have done.”
I said, “If you saw the full show,” and he went, I said, “Well, I’ll take it all off at the end.”
He went, “Don’t remember that.”
So whether they’re left before that, and I don’t know, but I do look completely different off stage and these, when I’m on stage, I don’t have the glasses on.
Bang.
He pointed it all out, and I went, “Oh, my God, yeah, very enough.”
But I don’t get a little bit embarrassed.
I won’t say I don’t.
I said, “Oh.”
But it’s fun.
But I just, I always throw that atom.
“Wow, where did you see me?
Have you seen me?”
And then I can go into a conversation with them.
You know, “Oh, remember that place?”
He said, “It’s Sone, Sone, Sone, Sone, Sone.”
You know, and it’s like all the photos up the stairs.
There were all the publicity.
I don’t think of, and when people come here to do repairs on the place, or I’ve got joiners in it, I don’t give it a thought about the publicity.
I don’t give it a thought.
I live with it.
But people, going upstairs, you want to look at the pictures.
I mean, that thing, and this little bald-headed fellow down there, surely, in love with fucking Bobby Mandrel.
Then the dirt rears.
It is Bobby Mandrel.
Bang.
Because the two edges up there.
You’re not, what’s the role of the other?
The role, the role.
