Showing posts with label about me. Show all posts
Showing posts with label about me. Show all posts

Monday, 27 August 2012

The return, a journey, and a new look!

Hey boys and girls, wow, so it has been over 9 months since I posted anything here on my blog! I guess it is about time I revived it a little, and as the last few months have been very busy and extremely exciting for me I decided that the time is now! In the last month and in the coming months I have been and will be doing some exciting things, and I'd like to share this with you.

So, without further ado, I hereby launch my new look blog! Hope you like it!

For those of you who follow me on Twitter and/or Facebook, you wll already know that 2012 has been a very exciting year so far for me. Late November last year I took on a residency at Molly Moggs in Soho as the hostess for their Friday night Open Mic event, and in the new year I was given the opportunity to do their Saturday nights as well! I jumped into it and haven't looked back!

Now, aside from the joy and pride I felt and am still feeling about having been given this opportunity, the journey of self discovery and personal development I have had is beyond belief! My background as a drag performer has only ever been as a lip sync queen, and although I still don't sing (it is, after all karaoke, it's all about everyone else singing!) I still have to use a microphone for 3 hours a night. Now, you might think that this is a doddle, but trust me, it has been a challenge! You see, I don't want to be the cruel bitchy queen who makes fun of my singers, I'd like to encourage people, and I have to be on the ball all the time and can't have a script, and this has been a learning curve for me!
At first I felt somewhat uncomfortable with it, but soon I fell into it and found my rhythm and character more and more, and thanks to the lovely comments I have gotten from regulars as well as random people dropping in from the street (some of which have since become regulars!) I now feel very much at home on the little stage at Molly's!

Not only this, but I feel I have been on a journey with my look too, and where I was last year isn't where I find myself now. My make up skills have improved, and I am more secure in my style too, which has been exciting to look back at.

This year, London played host to World Pride, and there was a lot of chaos around the arrangements and funding situation, which I'll leave aside for now. I was given the opportunity to do something fun for Pride, together with my friends Julie Paid and Cookie Monstar. We were chosen to be the first people on board a double decker routemaster that had been completely renovated to look like a handbag, courtesy of the MCM Brand. Click here to read about our fabulous day out on this amazing bus!

It is now the height of summer (believe it or not, if you are in the UK like me) and I'm about to go on another very exciting and amazing journey. Read more about this by clicking the link!

So, I'd like to thank you for staying with me, and promise that there will be more and more posts here at The World According to Diamond Pearl!
Don't forget, dreams are only reality in the making!

Love and kisses, Diamond! xxx

Monday, 5 September 2011

“Hooking up” with Social Media


Hello boys & girls!

I don’t know if you have seen my Facebook profile. I don’t know if you care! Haha! But if you haven’t, I’ll have to explain this first. When I joined Facebook and uploaded my profile picture, I started getting a lot of chats/messages from guys asking in I was on MSN or Skype, and could they add me. I’d also get a lot of “proposals” for meet-ups and questions about if I was available (for lord knows what!) on such and such date.

I quickly disabled my chat box. Eventually, I had to try and make it very clear what I am and what I stand for, so to speak. Or rather, what I am not and what I am not looking for! Here’s what I wrote to clarify!

Please read:
It's just an illusion:
I am not a transsexual.
I am not a transvestite.
I am not on Facebook for sex.
I am not on Facebook to find random men to "talk dirty" on MSN.
I am here to promote myself as a "gender illusionist".
I feel I have to explain this even clearer to some people, so here goes:
*If your profile/username/picture is an obvious fake, you know, like Long John or Hung Low, I will not accept you.
It's surprising how many faceless anonymous brainless 'gods gifts to women' there are here on Facebook, and most of them can't read.. I won't just automatically accept friendship requests from every Tom Dick and Harry who contact me.
And I don't see why I should have to keep the FB chat function permanently offline to avoid all the questions about when and where we can meet and how good I am at giving head!
It's not that I don't understand the attention and appreciate the compliments, don't get me wrong..
It's just getting tiring and boring now...


Kind regards Diamond x


Now, don’t get me wrong, this didn’t stop the advances, as it’s clear some men cannot read, or if they can, they still believe they are so much better than other men, so they still try!
But so far I have never been approached on Twitter. So far. That changed today! Here’s a conversation as it happened live on Twitter, from a 21 year old boy who, surprisingly, wasn’t following me!

NickMuscles @MsDiamondPearl hi there

MsDiamondPearl @NickMuscles Hello!

NickMuscles @MsDiamondPearl how r u?

MsDiamondPearl @NickMuscles Yeah fabulous thanks! (Twitter is the new Chat Roulette now??)

NickMuscles @MsDiamondPearl lol.. yes.. try skype yet?

MsDiamondPearl @NickMuscles Hahahahahahahahaha! Yeah I have thanks!

NickMuscles @MsDiamondPearl bigbiceps21 :)

MsDiamondPearl @NickMuscles Cool! Lemme guess... you want me to add you on Skype so I can
show you my titties and you show me your bulging... biceps? ;)

NickMuscles @MsDiamondPearl nah. ill still show my biceps

MsDiamondPearl @NickMuscles Aww! Well I have news for u! I left my titties in storage in South London &ur biceps are far from big, in fact, mine are bigger

NickMuscles @MsDiamondPearl well we can see about that

MsDiamondPearl @NickMuscles No. We can't.

NickMuscles @MsDiamondPearl why?

MsDiamondPearl @NickMuscles Just cause!

NickMuscles @MsDiamondPearl scared of my guns :)

MsDiamondPearl @NickMuscles Hahahahahahahah! GUNS??? Are you for real??? More like firecrackers, and sad wet ones at that!

NickMuscles
@MsDiamondPearl and urs are so much bigger

MsDiamondPearl @NickMuscles Seeing as I'm a bloke that is highly likely, yes! ;)
 

That is when it went quiet… so I added:

MsDiamondPearl @NickMuscles Aww... are you embarrassed that you tried to pull a bloke? ;)


I know! Cheeky, but I couldn’t help myself!

Now, I had to go check to be sure, as I seemed to remember writing “Drag Diva” on my Twitter profile, and lo and behold, there it was, on my profile… “Drag Diva”!

It’s not that I’m annoyed by this kid’s “efforts”, I find it amusing in a way! but, having looked at his account, this is what he does, approaches girls asking them to Skype him… Good luck, at least he’s not running around the streets killing people!


Love, peace and biceps, Diamond! Mwah! xx

Saturday, 4 June 2011

Farewell Soho! Part 1

It's official! I am no longer a Soho Queen!

(Note: this turned into a very long post and I started writing it in early July. I decided to split it up for ease of reading. Part 2 coming very soon, on this page!)

Yesterday was my last day in my little Soho Palace, all my furniture and possessions left in a van last night. Today I spent a few hours cleaning and putting out the rubbish, and then locked the door for the last time!
I should perhaps explain why I've decided to write a blog post about this! I have lived in Soho for quite a substantial time, almost 8 years. After being a Stokey "Girl" for a while I moved in with my boyfriend in Soho in 2003, and we lived together for over 5 years. On top of that I have always worked in Soho, since coming to London in 2000, and have taken a keen interest in the local life, culture and gay scene, working closely with charity organisations based in Soho.

After almost 6 years my boyfriend and I broke up. For a while I thought that this was my natural cue to leave London, and I even did, for 2 months. I went abroad, the aim was to start a new life, but no matter how I looked at it I felt like I had left my heart and soul in London, in Soho! So I came back, I found a flat in Soho and got on with it!

This is when I "found myself" so to speak. I had friends, sure, but they were mostly part of my ex's group, and I felt the need to go out and make my own social circuit so to speak! So, I bought some supplies, made an outfit, and ventured to Trannyshack! Having heard and read about the club, and having done drag in the past (link) it was something I was keen on doing again and getting back into.
Going alone to a place like this can be daunting, and I was a little tense as I walked in, but the crowd were very welcoming and I had a blast! The first time there, and I met some very interesting people and formed some great connections, and I wanted more!

My sewing machine became busier than ever, knocking up little numbers as often as I had time to sit down! Next, I went to an event at G-A-Y at Astoria, and bumped into my old friend Cookie Monstar, who at the time didn't know I had gotten into doing drag! Cookie and I go way back, but she had spent some time away from London so we had lost touch. Now back together we started hanging out a lot, and as Cookie is a brilliant and very busy performer I started coming to most of her shows. She did a regular Sunday spot at Molly Moggs in Soho, hosted by the magnificent Dame Julie Paid, and after a while the three of us got together and created the West End Girls. For our first production we took on a mini version of Priscilla the musical, a 45minute extravaganza with more than 10 costume changes, complete with a 10foot glittery stiletto! We performed our show at various locations around Soho with great success.


Click image to watch video on YouTube!

By this time, I had moved into my new flat, literally on the doorstep of Trannyshack! I set up my sewing machine and got busy, making costumes for the shows. My little one bed soon became more reminiscent of the wardrobe department of a theatre, with dresses, boas, wigs, handbags and shoes!

(To be continued!)

Wednesday, 7 October 2009

Kissing frogs.

"Suffer For Love" by Mutya Buena

Has love lost its meaning?
Am I destined not to feel it?
Baby, I have
And I just don't know it when I'm in it

Is it me to blame
I really need to change
This pattern I'm seeing
I don't wanna be in

Why I gotta mess it up
And get it wrong
Like some kind of curse

Why do I have to suffer for love
Suffer for love
I've given it everything
Still it ain't happening
I'm sick of it all
What does it want
It's asking too much
I'm a sucker for a suffer for love

I keep on trying but I don't know how it works
There's no instruction so I keep on getting hurt
Over again, over again, over and over and over again




Some time towards the end of April this year, I met a man. We had seen each other before, and even shared a stolen smile at some point before we actually got talking.
He was tall, dark and handsome, with a beard, and with green eyes that seemed to sparkle. Though not my typical choice of man, we hit it off really well and were seeing more and more of each other.

So, because of what I do, when I meet someone new I always have to consider the best way of telling them that I do drag. When I am not in drag, I am very much a man, as I have said before. I always grow my beard in between, and I dress in jeans, boots and a biker jacket. As it happens, I like to draw a line between reality and illusion.

After a week had passed and we had met up almost every day, I decided that the time was right, and so I 'dropped the bomb'.. not realising it was going to be a bomb!
He was very shocked, and somewhat unsure whether to believe me or not, but eventually said that he thought it wouldn't be a problem. Seeing as it's something I only do now and again, and it isn't a sexual thing for me, he thought he'd be fine. He even started to come with me to other peoples shows, friends of mine, and he was really enjoying himself.
At one point we went on holiday to Spain, and he took me to see the largest drag show in the area, and translated all the jokes! I was thinking this would work out really well...

Until suddenly I get a phone call from him, and he sounds a little vague, so I ask him if everything is ok, and assure him he can tell me anything. It turns out that he is not comfortable with the drag thing and doesn't want to see me anymore.
Now, I'm not stupid, and I personally think this is rather shallow, but it is his decision and I'm not going to try to make him change his mind, so I tell him there is nothing more to be said, and wish him a happy life... We have not spoken since, but we see each other out and about still.

A few months later, I'm out with some good friends, and I get chatting to this very interesting looking guy, slightly alternative, and very handsome. Those of you who know me will know who/what I mean but I'm not going to divulge any more info.
This time I don't even have time to think about telling him anything, as one of my 'good' friends blurts out: "He's a drag queen!"
To which he replies: "Fabulous!"
I'm thinking: "We're on to a winner!"

History has a tendency of repeating itself, and we hit it off like a house on fire, and see as much of each other as time will allow us in the next weeks. He tells me he used to go out partying in heels and dresses, and still does now and again, for the fun of it, but not in a 'drag queen' manner. In fact, I got to experience it one night and he looked brilliant!

When you meet someone new and you start dating, it is sometimes quite difficult to gage the right time to discuss your relationship, where you stand with each other. So, you leave it for a bit, hoping the other person will take the initiative.
We never got to that conversation, and one evening we went out, he decides to invite two other guys back with us, and clearly not for a crochet lesson...

Now, it has to be said that I am far from a prude, and I have done a lot of things in my life that could probably shock the unshockable, and under normal circumstances I would have had no problem with this situation. But, as we hadn't had this conversation and we didn't know where we stood, I suddenly felt really uncomfortable with it all, and yeah, probably a little jealous as well. Not wanting to share him with anyone.
So, I left ten minutes after arriving at his house.

The next day he texts me to say: "Hope you got home safely!" Clearly he didn't see or understand how this had affected me, so that evening I told him. To make a long story short, that's when I decided to phase him out of my life. I stopped texting him, calling him, and we had been sending 15-20 texts every day since we met.

Eventually he texts me to invite me to his flatmates birthday party, and so I decided to give him one more chance and turn up. We had a fantastic time, and I left his house Friday morning... and then nothing. Four days pass before he surfaces, telling me some nonsense story about not having been able to contact me. My good friends had seen him out all weekend.

I'm now thinking I'm better off alone, and it leaves me thinking I don't want to look for anyone, but I know deep in my heart I want to find that someone special, the one who thinks the world of me and wants to be with me. The one who actually thinks the sun shines out of my ass, as my friend put it!

But seriously, how many frogs does one need to kiss?

Footnote: I would like to clarify that the time line of certain events has been altered for ease and flow of the post.

Tuesday, 28 July 2009

Faceless on Facebook?


Yes, of course I am on Facebook! (link to the right)

And yes, of course I am there for the attention, aren't we all?
But I have one or two small problems with FB, and that is the sheer amount of faceless nameless people (men) who think that just because they like my picture, I should add them as a friend!
Masses of requests flood my inbox every week, from anonymous guys with mainly drags and transsexuals/transvestites as "friends", often their profiles will have a picture of a car or a cartoon where their mugshot should be. Most of them are "straight" and "looking for women", yet 94% of their friend list is made up of drags and trannies...

It's not that I don't understand the attention and appreciate the awkward "compliments", don't get me wrong..
But, while I have taken the time and effort to upload several albums with pics of myself on my FACEbook profile, including a profile picture (without a doubt this is what attracted them in the first place?) these guys seem to think that just because they like my pics, I should be "hot for them"? I should appreciate their anonymity?

It's surprising how many faceless, anonymous, brainless "gods gifts to women" there are on Facebook, and most of them clearly can't read.. I don't just automatically accept friendship requests from every Tom, Dick and Harry who contact me. As a matter of fact I now have to keep the FB chat function permanently offline to avoid all the questions about when and where we can meet and how good I am at oral!

Here's what I've started replying to "certain" Facebookers who want to add me as their "friend":

Dear "Nameless"
Thanks for your friend request.
I get tonnes of similar requests every week, from faceless profiles of boys/men with mainly drags and ts/tv's as "friends", and I have decided that I will not accept these requests until there is an actual picture on their profile, preferably several of the same face.

I have taken the time and effort to upload many of pics of myself on my FACEbook profile, including a profile picture, and without a doubt this is the main reason you contacted me in the first place?

So I urge you to grow a pair of balls ;) and place your mugshot on your profile! Otherwise I will not add you, and I will recommend that my friends remove you from their lists too!

Kind regards Diamond x


So, you can say that I get what I deserve, I have put myself out there in public view and should be happy about the attention? Well, unlike many other people on FB, I am not semi-naked in my pics, they don't suggest I am looking for sex (at least I hope they don't!)
My question is, just because I am a man in a wig and dress, should I expect anything less than you or anyone else? Would you be happy to log on to FB and have 4 guys open chat windows asking if you take it up the ***? No, I didn't think so!

Well, then why should I?

Peace & Love, Diamond xxx