Divine, Danny La Rue, Peppermint... Candy Warhol of Cork selects her 10 drag queen icons
In advance of the Mockie Ah show in Cork, Candy Warhol explains her admiration of the likes of Divine and Danny La Rue, right.
Originally from New York, Coco Peru (55) has been a veteran comedy queen for over 40 years, featuring in a range of films and television shows such as Will and Grace. She is currently based in California.
“Coco Peru was one of the first queens I ever saw on TV. When I was seven, my aunt recorded a film she was in and she was such a scene-stealer. I became obsessed. I actually got to interview her last year and she had so many stories. She's just a proper, old school, drag legend. She was selling out shows before social media and before there was drag on TV. She really paved the way."
An influence of Lady Gaga and Alexander McQueen, Leigh Bowery was an Australian artist and fashion designer who spent much of his life performing in London. He passed away in 1994 at age 33 from complications arising from Aids.
"Leigh Bowery was such a game-changer. He was a huge name in fashion and was the pinnacle of Club Kid drag. He made these incredible headpieces and gowns and costumes. When I asked my teachers in art college who they recommended studying they always said Leigh Bowery.”
Divine was a Los Angeles based performer known for her signature pointed-eyebrow look and roles in several John Waters films, including Hairspray. Originally from Baltimore in the US, Divine passed away in 1988 at age 42 and has inspired a number of biographical documentaries and books.
"Divine is probably one of the biggest names in the drag world. Hairspray turned her into a megastar. She released loads of music, books, shows, and was on Top of the Pops. She was massive. She's another one that became such a huge name before RuPaul's Drag Race and I find that so inspiring."
Born in 1946, Puerto Rican performer Holly Woodlawn was a transgender actress who was one of Andy Warhol's muses. She died in 2015 with a hefty film career under her belt.
"In the 1970s there was this blur between drag and trans because in a lot of places, including America, it was illegal to be in drag. If you were found in a bar crossdressing you would have been arrested. So, a lot of drag queens would have dressed in drag 24/7 and I think there was a bit of confusion there and that was definitely the case with Holly Woodlawn.
“She was so inspiring and got into so much trouble in New York and was always in the press. She's just iconic. My most valuable possession is a copy of her autobiography that I bought on eBay for a dollar. When it arrived, it turned out that it was signed and kissed by her."
A native Corkonian, La Rue was one of the biggest names in drag in the 1970s and 1980s and was at one time the highest-paid entertainer in Britain. His London nightclub was a regular haunt for A-listers like Judy Garland, who would come to spend time with him. He performed right up until his death in 2009, aged 81.
“He was RuPaul before RuPaul - and is actually my grand uncle. He was the first drag queen I ever saw perform live. He would wear these amazing dresses that would fill up the stage. They were auctioned after his death but I am on the hunt for them.”
Brown (40) competed in the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. She is based in California and is known for her quirky personality and film star aesthetic.
"I love queens that just do their own thing and that is Tammie Brown to me. She was able to be on Drag Race but not fall into the mould. She's made a really big name for herself just by being kooky and funny. I performed with her in California a couple of years ago and she was just so weird - which is exactly what I wanted.”
BenDeLaCreme (38) is an American performer from Seattle who competed on season six of RuPaul’s Drag Race. She famously chose to eliminate herself in place of another contestant while on the show, having broken a record with the most challenge wins in a single season.
"BenDaLeCreme has this commitment to kindness that I really appreciate. I interviewed her this year and on her accord, she did a huge photoshoot in L.A for our new magazine, Dreaming, afterward. She uses her platform really well."
The Boulet Brothers are a married Californian couple known as alternative drag artists. They have produced and starred in the Netflix reality competition series The Boulet Brothers' Dragula since 2016.
"It's great to show that there's another side of drag. Their costumes are terrifying but I had them on my podcast and they were so sweet. Horror is just their niche, they're not scary all of the time, and they also always make sure their queens are well looked after."
Peppermint (40) starred in season nine of RuPaul’s Drag Race but has been a popular performer and activist in New York for over 20 years. She has performed numerous times at The George in Dublin.
"She was one of the first openly transgender women to go on Drag Race and really changed people's views on who can do drag. Drag isn’t just for gay men, it’s for everyone. I’m so inspired by her."
Shirley Temple Bar, the drag persona of Declan Buckley, has been at the centre of Dublin’s LGBTQ+ social scene for 23 years. Her weekly Bingo show in The George is one of Ireland’s longest-running weekly social events and she has been the focus of two documentaries, as well as featuring on programmes for the BBC, MTV and CNN.
"As a six-year-old seeing Shirley on Telly Bingo, I didn't know what a queen was but I remember my grandmother and great grandmother were obsessed with her. When I was 14 I was watching Alternative Miss Ireland on RTÉ and I remember seeing her and Panti [Bliss] and thinking 'I have to move to Dublin if I want to be gay!'.
“I was eventually in the competition myself and met them and that's when I really started doing drag. When I think about Irish queens I want to model myself after, I quite like Shirley's way of doing things. She sticks to her own guns and she shows that if you do that, you do really well."
- Candy Warhol & The House Of Mockie Ah are performing a sold-out show at Magic Nights By The Lee in Fitzgerald's Park on Saturday, August 28
