How have you found the process of moulding your aesthetic of your character and is it something that constantly changes? When I first started drag I was coming from a performance art background and I would aim to shock, scare and make people uncomfortable as that’s what I had learned. I also didn’t have the same performance skills or aesthetics as my peers so I really leaned into the alternative. But overtime that got old for me and once I found my voice and character I realised I love to uplift people through comedy, more inspiring numbers and events. By starting ‘Mockie Ah’ I’ve created a space for all of us to think outside the box when it comes to our own aesthetics and performances and its really pushed me too. I’ve gone from The Wicked Witch Of The West to Glinda The Good and ended up somewhere strange and wonderful in between. What keeps your passion alive for drag? For me, drag is an unhealthy obsession that manages to keep me going. I think knowing to switch it up and try new things is the key. I find it hard to settle and I’m always asking myself ‘what’s next?’ I’m always travelling and working with other drag artists, creating projects for myself and my peers and I’ve learned to say yes to as many possibilities as I can, you never know where it will lead to. When I was just about to move to Berlin, ‘Mockie Ah’ was born out of a Pride show and I stayed in Cork, when I began getting complacent I ended up taking a chance auditioning for ‘Dragony Aunts’ which brought me to London and when the lockdown began I started ‘Friends Of Dorothy’ podcast. The unpredictability is exciting to me.
How has Cork changed over the years in regards to drag culture? Cork has always had such a strong history and love of drag, from Danny La Rue to Alternative Miss Cork and multiple spaces like Instinct, The Other Place and FreakScene, there was always something happening here when I was growing up. But when I moved home in 2016 there was a much smaller scene and Dublin was definitely the drag capital. Through starting ‘Mockie Ah’ we’ve gone from having two queens to having dozens of queens, kings and club kids working in Cork which I just love to see. Our ethos of providing an open queer friendly space instead of a specific gay bar has opened up things a lot and our audiences are so beautifully diverse. So much so that we now have an annual family friendly show which speaks volumes in terms of how far Ireland itself has come. Tell me a bit about Mockie Ah? Where did the idea come from and how its grown since its birth? In 2017, I was both frustrated with drag and the lack of diversity in our scene so during Pride I ran a Vogue Ball. It sold out and there was such an inspiring infectious energy that I had never seen before.
By Paul Ryder The drag ballroom culture is not just the topic of a hit TV show called Pose, it is a way of life. In the 1980’s the drag, ballroom scene was explosive and rich in diversity, inclusivity and down right gorgeousness for the community. You didn’t need to have blood family, you had your chosen family, which, in the middle of the devastating HIV/Aids crisis, sometimes meant more to be a part of. Flash foward to 2021 and the ballroom culture is still alive and well and situated right here in Ireland, namely in the Rebel County. Head of one of Irelands only functioning houses is TV personality and drag ‘mother’ Candy Warhol. This scene stalwart talks to Paul Ryder today about all things family. What drew you to the art of drag and performance and at what age did you begin? I was always drawn to performing and the world of make believe and I just I had to be a witch every Halloween. When I was seven my aunt taped ‘To Wong Foo’ for me for me and I watched it religiously for years and when I was eleven my father brought me to see our grand uncle Danny La Rue at Cork’s Everyman Theatre. I was in awe. I think those early introductions to drag really stayed with me and in secondary school I began sketching illustrations of Andy Warhol superstars Candy Darling and Holly Woodlawn. Later in college I began recreating Warhol movies and then translated that to stage for a performance art workshop in 2010. The same year I became fed up with the lack of queer spaces in Limerick and I ran and hosted a club-night.
Everyone got involved and out of it a number of performers were born. Mia Gold, our winner Liam Bee quickly formed a Haus and ran our first cabaret the next month. It’s grown ever since with an ever growing cast, regular cabarets and club nights, national and international appearances and various television segments. It’s mind blowing to me and once the pandemic is out of our way we will be back to it. For me the best part of it is seeing new performers take to the stage at each show, regular performers really push themselves and audiences getting to feel part of an inclusive space where there is nothing but love for everyone. Have you any advice for any members of the young LGBTQ+ generation who want to follow in your footsteps? The funny part about doing drag for so long is that you get to make a lot of mistakes and pass your lessons down to your drag children! It’s a right of passage to be obnoxiously confident and think you are the second coming of RuPaul when you start drag. I’ve learned that while you have to take it seriously in a sense of professionalism, you have to have fun and enjoy it. Lighten up, enjoy the moment and remember to lift up and support your fellow performers. Drag performers should light up the room not dim it. Please remember to be kind to everyone - from the first person you see when you enter the venue to the very last when you are falling into your taxi home. You might not remember the next day, but they will remember you - make sure it’s for the right reasons!
FOLLOW CANDY & THE MOCKIE AH TEAM ON INSTAGRAM: @MockieAh
www.corkpride.com
#CorkPride2021
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