She has reigned supreme as high queen for years, becoming an instrumental culture creator within the gay community. Starting to perform drag in the backwater that was Dublin of the late 80’s, Panti left the city for wider horizons. After travelling along the TransSiberian railway line, she ended up in Japan where the pumping club life transformed her into the performer she is today. When she returned to Ireland in the early years of the Tiger, Panti was one of the instrumental figures to harness the emerging dance culture to create Dublin’s gay night scene, hosting famous nights such as GAG and HAM. She is a major fundraiser for the HIV/Aids, the creator of Alternative Miss Ireland, and an unofficial ambassador to the LGBT. Panti has now achieved the ultimate national recognition, as she brings All Dolled Up Restitched to the Peacock stage. The iconic performer takes us through a career that began when homosexuality was illegal, to today being the only drag queen to have been awarded an Arts Council grant. Here she talks Tokyo, politics, Brazilian after-parties, and the importance of being Jean Brodie…
When did you start performing drag?
When I was in art college I started doing drag as a project. But I decided half way through that I didn’t want to do design. So when I went back to college I decided to do a drag show as my project. At that time it was very arty, rubber gloves for costumes. There was an arty gay night in town at that time and the guy who was running it asked me would I be interested in doing bits in the club. Of course at the time I never thought that being a drag queen was a way to make a living.
How did you end up in Japan?
By accident. Really I read a book, Riding the Iron Rooster by Paul Theroux, and I just thought it sounded amazing. So a friend and I decided to do it and we took the Trans-Siberian rail across Russia and China, and of course the Soviet Union still hadn’t come down, so it was a real life adventure. Well that got us as far as China and then we just thought “why don’t we go a little bit further, let’s go to Japan.” Japan was booming at the time, we thought we could get a job. And while I was there I met another American drag queen who I’m still very close to today, and we started to do a double act.
What was it like back then? What was the drag scene like?
God… Keep in mind this is in the early 90’s, so pre-internet, pre-Skype and Facebook. It really did seem like another world. I remember the fax machines. I remember having a home fax machine, and I would fax my design friend Niall Sweeney and it seemed so crazy at the time. We had an amazing time, did lots of silly things, were in loads of videos and stuff.
So is this when the character of Panti was created?
I decided I was not going to do the arty drag act anymore. So I decided I’d do this other character – but she wasn’t called Panti then, she was called Letitia. She was based on women I liked in movies, and an American aunt of mine who seemed very glamorous, and on Dolly Parton and Farah Fosset. And then the name thing – so I was originally called Letitia, and Japanese people have a real difficulty with their l’s. So we decided to change the name. It had to be something English sounding, because that was our selling point, and it had to be something cutesy sounding, because that’s what the Japanese like. So we came up with Candipanti. It just stuck. I’ve wanted to change it since then, people always think I do something sexy in my shows because of it.
What was it like coming back to Dublin afer all of that?
When I had left Dublin in the 80’s it was really depressed and horrible. It was ridiculous. But when I came back in ’95 it felt like a different city. People were staying for the first time after college, it was the beginning of the Tiger and the club scene was exploding. So I thought I’d rest up at my parents and stay for a while. But I wasn’t sure how I was going to make a living. So I started dressing up in drag and going to all the happening nights in town, and I’d hang out and make myself super fun! So then I’d say, if you pay me I’ll come all the time.
When you started doing drag in Ireland in the ‘80’s homosexuality was still illegal. We now have civil partnerships for gay couples, so Ireland has really changed in the time you’ve been performing here. How do you feel about it now?
I actually think that Ireland is pretty open generally. People always ask me if I get harassed going between gigs, but I’ve never had any trouble. Honestly I think it’s harder to harass someone who is six foot six dressed in theatrical clothing, than it is to pick on some small gay boy. But in general I get “Fair play to you!”
You’re the only drag queen to have got an Arts Council grant, which in a way means you’ve been assimilated into the national culture, you’ve arrived. Do you think that’s the case?
Hmm… I don’t really consider myself a pillar of mainstream culture or anything. Well I think it’s probably easier for people in the mainstream to be nice to me, because I’m sort of dipping my toes in the respectable art of theatre. But I still think drag isn’t terribly well understood. People can be very dismissive of it still. RTE is a perfect example, they’re absolutely terrified to do drag. They think their standard viewer in Athlone will be horrified, which is ridiculous because in fact I’ve done those gigs, and people aren’t. People see drag queens as big clowns essentially. Drag is more acceptable now, and people might think there is class thing around drag queens, but if anything it works inversely to what you think – if you go into a working class pub it’s the old ladies playing bingo who love the drag.
You were very involved in the clubbing scene in Dublin in the ‘90’s. How does it compare to the clubbing scene now?
My involvement came because the only way I knew how to make a living was in clubs. When I came back dance culture was starting here. Niall Sweeney who I still work with, we really got off on that arty club scene, and we started this night called GAG and then a fluffier version called PowderBubble, and HAM. I think clubbing isn’t as much fun now as it was. Back then people were dying to have their spaces filled, whilst now they don’t want crazy nuts around their glass table tops, running around spraying paint. The Tiger really killed that all off. So I think that clubbing became quite boring, all about the super-star DJ. But now it’s picking up again.
Is there a night you like at the moment?
What I tend to like at the moment are these smaller, nutty things. What I really like is the totally illegal, crazy after parties the Brazilians run. I don’t want to hang around some bar drinking expensive beer, getting turfed out at 3am. So I prefer to start at 3am. You keep your ear to the ground and there will be some crazy party going on in some dark place that’s a total fire hazard, where all you can get is hot beer out of a backpack, with one laser beam in the corner. But it will be packed!
So All Dolled Up Restitched is a bit of a remake of another show?
It’s a reworking of a few shows, but it is closest to the template of All Dolled up so that’s why we called it that. We just felt all the other shows were good, but that we wanted to come up with the perfect one-hour Panti show. Really with the idea of travelling with it. It’s had a lot of time to sit, the first show was a few years ago. Working with THISIPOPBABY is a good way for me to do theatre, they’re people I really trust and like, and I love all the design elements. But when it comes to script it has to be in my voice, even though I am open to suggestions. I work really well with Philip McMahon.
There is a strange quality to some drag acts that I can’t pin down. They’re raw, reckless and for that reason they’re enjoyable, but sometimes there seems to be something a bit tragic underneath it all. What is that?
I think that the people who are drawn to do drag are often the quiet, shy gay boys. Or gay boys who feel they have something missing, or unloved – I don’t want to make it too sad. But when they dress up they suddenly get attention, everyone is around them going “Oh God don’t you look great!” even if maybe they don’t. I think a lot of boys miss that in their lives, and some of them have gone through tough times, have been bullied in school, slagged. And suddenly they do this thing that makes them the centre attention for a good thing, after having been at the centre of attention for bad things for so long. I see that a lot in young drag performers. It also comes from them not being trained. There’s a rawness to it. A lot of them will get up on a stage and they haven’t been there before and they will go mental!
You have been a big fundraiser for HIV/AIDS and you’re a big ambassador for the LGBT. Is politics an important part of your life?
Well I would say I’m just mouthy. If someone asks for my opinion I will give my opinion, and so I always end up doing speeches at Pride and so forth. But of course I have an opinion on these things, they affect me. I also think if you have a voice, even a small voice, you should use it.
How do you like owning a bar?
We opened six months before the recession kicked in. It’s one of those jobs you think “Oh that would be quite nice, like being in The Rovers” and it’s not at all. But I shouldn’t complain because I have an amazing bar manager who runs everything for me. But it was tough. Thankfully the bar is going great now, I don’t know what it is, maybe Capel Street changing so much. I absolutely love Capel Street, I think it’s the best street in the city.
If you were to give advice to a young drag queen trying to make it now, when it’s much more competitive, what would you say?
I would say that you have to make your own opportunities, you’re your own entrepreneur. It has got so much more competitive. I would say look at other performers, but stick to who you are. Figure out what you’re into specifically, and make that part of your act.
What has been your chief influence for Panti through all these years?
Maggie Smith in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. It’s my absolute favourite movie. She is a teacher in a girl school in Edinburgh, and it’s very grey and prim. And she’s not at all, she’s colourful, all about passion and art. Everything about that character is still my biggest influence to this day.
All Dolled Up Restitched runs in the Peacock from the 9th until the 20th July, with tickets from €18 to €22. Keep up with Panti at her blog.
Photography by Joshua Gordon
