Miss Katherine excitedly takes afternoon tea and chats with the adorable, lovely and very talented globe trotter – Perth drag legend Miss Barbie Q in her front parlour, to discuss her very impressive clutch of drag daughters, dancing on princesses, pearls of wisdom and a silver sequin g-string.
Miss Barbie Q, welcome to my parlour! How long are you back in Perth for?
(huge smile) Thank you Miss Katherine, I have been here since November 29 and I fly back to the U.S.A January 16.
I have heard all about you through your drag daughters, how many exactly are there?
Ha ha, there’s a few – I lose count! Sometimes I think there are only two or three but I know there is actually a lot more. There is Sugar Brown, Cherry Le Queer, Delta Force, Sheila Mann and Dee Luxe as well but Delta was also Dee’s Drag Mother.
So how does one become a drag mother?
My view is you see someone with potential that could be good but does not quite look right and just needs some wings given to them or a couple of tips on how to look a little bit more decent and then you help develop them.
When did you start drag?
Eleven years ago, when I was 17. I had two drag mothers – mine were Swish Ever Ready and Champagne de Ville – they helped me through, it was great.
Is drag to you an art or a craft?
The process of getting ready and creating the look is the art side and the craft would be developing the way you portray music and the way you move so it is a mixture of the two – very 50/50.
Great answer ! Do you remember your first outfit?
My first looks in drag were very androgynous, but an outfit I will always remember was a silver sequined g-string, white knee high boots and a white Avatar jacket with silver reflectors on it, I used to glow under the night club lights -I would rock around in that outfit all the time regardless of how often I went out!
Glamourpuss was doing my hair this afternoon at her salon and she was telling me you are an amazing dancer, have you had formal dance training?
I have been dancing since I was 13, I am a professional male dancer for Princess Cruises Lines in the U.S.A. I am contracted to dance on the Coral Princess for the next 7 months, doing The Panama Canal for three months, then cruising in Alaska in the Summer months.
Princess Cruise Lines.. That is appropriate ..Do you have a favourite colour you enjoy wearing for drag?
Yes very, I love Pink, oh and of course black because it slims everything down.
Favorite food?
I love steak, I have never been a big steak eater but because my job requires me to be strong I eat steak all the time! I eat a lot of pastas too.
Have you met a lot of drag queens on your travels around the world?
Yes, in Mexico there are drag queens running around in the middle of the day in the traditional costumes which is cool. I met Jacki Beat in L.A, in West Hollywood, who I always remembered to be very big but now she is really little.
Who is your absolute favourite drag you have ever met in your whole life?
I thought Ru Paul was really cool, I met her when she came to Australia, but in all honesty most of the nicest drag queens I have ever met -friendly wise and being approachable are the drag queens of Sydney, people like Maxi Sheilds, Cleopatra Coupe and Shelly Legs Diamond are such wonderful people. Sometimes here, especially for the young drag queens around at the moment, feel sometimes they can’t approach other drag queens – whereas over there anyone can approach drag queens, it does not seem to be an issue and they don’t feel like they are going to be told to… ‘go away’..
Perth has hatched a lot of drag babies since you have been away, do you have any advice or pearls of wisdom you would like to convey?
I have actually been so surprised since I have been home this time because there has been such an influx of (drag) babies and some of them actually look quite good… And some not so much… But I am sure once someone takes them under their wing they will be fine! I think they need to not try and take the look away from someone else that they might be a fan of, I mistook one the other night for someone I knew and I almost lost my head, I also think that just because they see drag queens walking around being bitchy does not mean being bitchy is going to get you any where.
Very true, good manners do take you a long way. Finally, do you have a favourite joke or saying?
If I am trying to get a point across I like to say “I am not saying, I am just saying”
Ha ha, which means, you are saying!
(beautiful smile) yes, which mean “I am saying!”
