Holestar – the tranny with a fanny..

Holestar is a an artist, performer, DJ and tranny. A woman, with a fanny, dressing up as a man, in drag, who generally doesn’t have a fanny. Confused? Yes I was, enought to scratch off the pan-stick and dig a little deeper.

Graduating with a masters degree in Fine Art from Central St Martins her work can be compared to Cindy Sherman who has used her body to express herself in a series of self-portraits using various media. She blurs the boundaries between Avant Garde and mass entertainment, pop culture and the underground managing to seamlessly entertain contemporary art junkies and trash culture addicts alike .

Just back from filming Ring them Bells at Glastonbury – Britain’s first documentary about about London’s alternative queer scene – we caught up with to probe and poke..

I’m feeling slightly like I’m at seance, am I speaking to Julie or holestar? Holestar here. Julie is the manager.

One word, all too often overlooked – Why? It’s a hell of a cliché but I think I was born with a twisted need to create and perform.

If holestar was filling out a job application what title would they be ticking? Artist.

Can you tell us how holestar has evolved? Holestar is my artist name, BD (before drag).  My work at the time was about sexuality and gender and I got the idea after seeing many a tired old drag act and thought, “I can do that”. It was initially a one off art piece but carried on when I met a DJ whilst living in Vienna who wanted me to MC over his sets. From there it took on a life of its own and five years on, I still love it.
 
I’ve since evolved to singing, acting, performance art, DJing and back to the classic drag tradition of lip synching. I’m still a visual artist and currently making a documentary about The Downlow, the worlds first travelling gay disco.

Holestar in George Michael Video

We all have personas that we hide behind, some people live their whole life as a performer. Do you struggle to separate or are the boundaries quite clear? I have very clear boundaries. There are many performers who believe their own hype and it can drive them crazy. I’m very conscious that any adulation my on-stage persona receives is temporary. You have to come back down to earth when catching the night bus.
 I find it amusing when people who kiss my arse when I’m in drag, completely ignore me out of it. They are engaged with the facade and not the reality.

Why did you decide to be a Tranny with a fanny rather than a drag king? I dress like a man in everyday life so its not saying anything new. I wanted to create something provocative and political while being entertaining.  I’ve done man drag a few times but prefer the glitz and glamour of over the top, elaborate feminity.

When you’ve had a few shandies do you find yourself becoming more camp or slipping into performance mode? Absolutely. But then again, I’m not a big drinker. I don’t like loosing control.

Who chats you up more straight men, gay men, straight women, gay women, dogs, cats, field mice or dolphins? Tranny chasers (who are more often than not, straight men ) though they are often disappointed when they realise I’m actually a woman. Frustraingly, I’ve had my chest and crotch grabbed by people who are confused and want conformation of my gender.

When holestar was 20, how did she answer the question – where will you be in 10 years time? I would have said I’ll be an artist. In another 10, I’ll say the same.

Do you feel quite revolutionary in terms of how you are pushing drag tradition? I hope so. My main inspiration was Blake Edwards film Victor/Victoria and was surprised that nobody was using the basic premise of the film as performance. In San Francisco they have Faux Queens but I’m not fake anything.
My main idea is about reclaiming over the top femininity from drag queens to the female form and to question gender codes and roles.

Holestar with Patricia Field

What is the reaction from the more traditional male drag acts? I’ve had a few problems along the way. Some have had me excluded from events, thought its usually the untalented, insecure ones who have done that. Luckily, I’ve been largely accepted by the alternative drag scene.

Have you had the age old problem of needing to work much harder as a female to be accepted in a male dominated industry?
Hell yes. I’ve come up against a lot of sexism in this business we call show.
I was recently told the reason I didn’t get a job was not based on any talent I may have, but because I’m not a man. People want text book man-in-a-dress drag I guess.  I suppose I’m subverting things a bit to far for some, despite my mantra always about making art and performance accessible for all.

Are you a feminist? Yes. I did some volunteer work in India recently and saw how women are still being treated like third rate citizens. Women in the west still may have a way to go until we get equality but we have no idea how good we have it compared to women in third world countries.
I’m grateful that I am able to be outspoken, opinionated, enjoy sex, be who I want to be and educate myself, something denied to so many women around the world.
 
Which other drag queens do you respect? Divine, Leigh Bowery (though not strictly a drag queen) and my sisters from The House of Egypt.

Your performance art has many layers with quite a dark side do you feel that this is sometimes lost on your club audience? Does this matter to you? Not at all, its all up for individual interpretation. Some only see my work in an artistic context, others see me as a DJ or entertainer. I try to make all my output whether in a gallery, cabaret space or nightclub accessible.

Tell us about your experience as a dominatrix? I’ve been doing it now for about nine years. I took a break while doing my Fine Art Masters at Central St Martins and its something I still genuinely enjoy from time to time. I don’t have any sex with my clients as I like to maintain a respectable distance and only session with people who respect that.

Has this liberated you in terms of exploring your own sexuality and comfort zones? I guess so. Through the process of becoming a Dominatrix, I eventually came out to myself as queer, a title I still maintain. While I may be with a female partner now, I would never say never to being with a man again. Its just that I don’t really desire them sexually but you never know.

Who inspires your style? Penelope Keith as Margo Ledbetter is one of my style icons. I love 80s trashy glamour though I don’t have one particular style . As a larger lady, it can be tricky to find things in my size so I’ve taken to making things myself (though I’m not particularly handy with a needle).

If you had wear to one designer for the rest of your life who would it be? Tricky question. I like the colours of Matthew Williamson, glamour of classic Halston and if they made big girl sizes, Dolce and Gabbana. I do like a bit of leopard print.

Does the costume side excite you as much as the stage performance? Not until I find a designer who wants me as their muse. I have great ideas in my head on how I’d like to have fantastical things made for me but have no patience or time to learn to make them myself. Though I do get very excited by finding something special in a charity shop or market. My favorite item of clothing is a black and white, 80s batwig style dress top with a leopard face and a small train found in a flea market in Vienna. I’ve been offered money for it but its going nowhere though I have seen similar prints of it recently.

What do you like to wear when you’re not performing? Whatever’s comfortable.  I have great admiration for people who create a ‘look’ on a daily basis but I find fashion temporary and performative so only dress up for the occasion. 

I’m kind of confused as your performance layers many questions about gender, roles, female, male and society’s/mass medias perception of people in general. What is your message in less than 10 words? In the words of Viv Savge in ‘This is Spinal Tap’;
 ”Have a good time….all the time”.

Number one make-up tip? Girls frequently ask me makeup advice and I always say  invest in good brushes and practice. Different products and colours work on different faces.

What is your ambition? To be the female equivalent of Warhol, Picasso or Dali. There hasn’t been a female uber artist yet and while it might be overly ambitious, a girl can dream can’t she?

What gets you through? Chocolate and good hugs.

Ring them Bells is being made on a eyelash budget and pounds worth of passion so donations are a must to keep this project buoyant(chicken fillets will not suffice). Is that a tenner in your pocket or are you just pleased to see her…….doesn’t matter, take it out and donate what you can at Welcome to the Downlow.

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