Travel Magazine

Life's A Drag!

By Joseph Harrison @JTAH_1990
Dressed as a Girl? Yes, William Shakespeare wrote that line because drag has been going since the beginning of time! From Priscilla Queen of the Desert to the runways of Rupaul's Drag Race I will bow to the queens forever more! Let's keep it sickening, lip-synch for our lives and beat that face for the gods! Life may be a drag sometimes but we've just got to work B!
Life's A Drag!Queen, I knew from the very start I was all about drag when I saw Ms. Lily Savage do her thing on the BBC. Her show on the BBC had me straight away with her Scouse tone, I was like 'Mom that baby must be called Lily Savage Harrison!' She bargained at Lewis because I was too fabulous for my own good! Lewis didn't get those middle names I was promised but he's cool enough! Blankety Blank didn't mean much because that Shanghai Lil's ivory frizz was on point, never-mind that check book and pen I was completely captivated by her leopard print fashion! Her razor sharp tongue commanded a roaring rate of applause, she was so unapologetic! If that was my first viewing of drag then I'm glad it was Ms. Lily Savage! Yes, she's a true Scouse legend! I visited the city of Liverpool in October 2011, seeking the sight of Ms. Lily Savage, I didn't see that Mersey icon after I crossed the Mersey River over to The Wirral.
Lil' didn't lip-synch, she was a comedienne and a insult queen with a sickening sense of humor and a script that would always slay! Boasting the Beatles and Cilla Black its true to say that Lily Savage brought the drama from the other side of the Mersey River. After watching back the Lily Savage Show and Blankety Blank on YouTube and the outtakes I now understand why I was so adamant for my unborn brother to be called Lewis 'Lily Savage' Harrison, some things never change! If I ever go into the field I hope that my wit and sass is half as outrageous compared to Ms. Lily Savage's! Will Lily ever make another comeback? Flashing forward into the future from the 90's heyday of Ms. Lily Savage I can see her American sister in the form of Bianca Del Rio, a snappy insult queen who won the sixth series of  a fabulous show for those girls with something extra! Of course I meant to say the extra part was their talent! Dame Edna Everage has never my cup of tea, no it has to be that Lily S!
Life's A Drag!Before talent shows and social media I saw two of the campiest films in my life so far, yes they were that fabulous! Both To Foo Wong Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar and Priscilla Queen of The Desert have a special place in my heart, both sets of courageous queens made one long crazy journey to then finish with style. Featuring Patrick Swayze as Vida Boheme and Wesley Snipes as Noxeema Jackson, along with their Latino boy in a dress they traveled cross country en-route to Los Angeles for that special event, not making any allowances for their thought-provoking pit-stop in the middle of nowhere! A car? Mary, Alice, Louise that vehicle those queens chose didn't get them to the city of stars in one piece! It had to be style over substance for those queens, darling! Showing that every boy starts off his drag journey as a mere 'Drag Princess' or whatever Noxie said? Err Rupaul started that engine up?
Going down under it was the turn of Priscilla to serve Queen of the Desert Realness for another epic journey beckoned! Felicia, Mitzy and Bernardette indifferently made their way across the vastness of Australia from Sydney to Alice Springs on a pink coach who went by the name of 'Priscilla!' Giving everything they had got those three queens weren't greeted with glitter and gratitude, no those haters read that Australian trio to filth! Mitzy revealed that she had a secret son, battling her demons she climbed that Northern Territory rock in full drag! I must have been twelve or thirteen when I was saw this colourful film, I look back and I'm so glad it was part of my early teenage years! After turning up a bit of Tina Turner with a group of Aboriginals the three drag performers slayed the final number over the movie, finally it happened to me! Serving three shades of Australian Realness, I have to say that Felicia and her sisters brought the party! Yes, she's a jolly good fellow!
Life's A Drag!2011 brought the first series of Rupaul's Drag Race, a groundbreaking reality competition that was set to find America's Next Drag Superstar. Fronted by legendary Drag icon Rupaul Charles this revolutionary show wasn't broadcast on British television so I had to wait a little longer to see what the queens were doing to win the race! Over the years certain rising stars have caught my eye such as Jinkx Monsoon and Sharon Needles for their daring and different qualities I'm on their team! Willam Belli personifies everything for me, she got disqualified but made damn sure she never made any ruapologies for her misdemeanors! Being large and in-charge, Latrice Royale taught the children to be sickening and to let those bitches have it! Miss Latrice Royale, I adore your spirit! Showing us that streets can really be our runways whilst serving 'Hot Couture', I'll always root for Manila Luzon! Filipina's certainly got style B!
Keeping within American drag culture I can't get enough of a web series known as 'Hey Qween!' Hosted by Jonny McGovern and his gorgeous sidekick Lady Red Couture, each episode gives me life because its just like having a kiki with friends! Michelle Visage appeared on this fabulous show before her 2015 Celebrity Big Brother appearance to show that we are just people at the end of the day and being they way that we are is nothing to be ashamed of. I'm all about spilling the tea and throwing some serious shade, Jonny McGovern always knows how to get his guests saying all the right things. Spawned from the Drag Race two pop groups have been headed by Willam Belli to receive a string of successful hits, don't forgive the changing line-ups because 'Boy Is A Bottom' and 'Dear Santa, Bring Me A Man' would of not been possible! Would I ever serve my Drag persona? Yes of course I've already dragged up as a boy, so BB will be making her comeback when the money is right!
BB... Do You Know What I Mean?!
Joseph Harrison

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