Allegro Non Troppo

26 Aug 2009

Allegro Non Troppo – Drag Nanas

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The Drag Nannaâ€™s of Melbourne
If you open any gay and lesbian magazine, commercial or community, you will see two basic images throughout, Buffed men in underpants, and drag queens.
Australia has some famous media drag iconâ€™s, but what is this fascination with dressing up in completely a over-exaggerated manner as women and pounseing around a stage?
What becomes of drag queens, who have been living like this for years? When they start to get older what do they turn into? Pop culture images would have us think they drink gin and take pills, and end up like Lola from the Copacabana.
The older Drag queens should have an amazing story to tell, what their lives are like, what their relationships are like, with friends families and partners, and how much has their drag identify defined who they are, and has it consumed their lives?
Do they see themselves as transgendered, or are they still men who dress up as women? One could partially understand the folly of youth wanting to do something outrageous, but the drag personaâ€™s we are going to talk to today are far removed from folly or youth.
Kaye Sera has been a cabaret artist, Media Personality in Radio TV and print, and has also presented amazing live shows, to high local acclaim.
Stella Constellation has quite a reputation, fronting mega-events in Melbourneâ€™s Federation Square, and also doing daring drag acts spilling out onto the street and onto passing trams in commercial road at Virgin Maryâ€™s night club, just before it was fire bombed.
Weâ€™ll hear their stories and more today on Allegro Non Troppo.