Well, I must say - perform in an ice bar was quite an experience that could actually beat the previous record (a church in Sao Paulo..) At -5°C I was quite happy that I could perform in the very next room. Otherwise for sure everything would have been melting!
But this is only the performing part. I enjoyed at least as much the film festival part, being a jury member for the second time... we picked “Weekend”, which also was the Critics’ Pick of IndieWirein the following week. If you get a chance, watch it. The insight into this gay intimate story is so awesome tht it nearly has a documentary character. Our Nominee Eu Não Quero Voltar Sozinho won 3 weeks after the Iris Prize in Cardiff. So Aquavit did not eventually prevent us from a good job ;-)
Well, I really did not want to sing Femme like you in Berlin, as I conceived this performance 6 years ago - and Diane who invited us to participate to her Book release Party knew this one as we met at the King Village in Rome in 2008. But as I am parallely shooting a new film in which we needed the images, I eventually perfomed it just before my lastest performance. Balance ;-)
Lying down on the warm metal plates along the river just in front of the club where we perform on that night, I cool down with Geo Wyeth, my artist fellow from the States. I am amazed he knows the work of Gainsbourg so well and we sing the first notes of l'hôtel particulier together. Nice moment between screenings, long rehearsals and the excitement of the audience.
Somehow crazy to get into the location for a sound check and there are only old men playing chess in the room. Never could I have imagined that these somehow surprising settings in a beautiful but quite bourgeois bask town would turn into a really hot queer party at night...
... in a really cool mix of Tolosa inhabitants, friends & visitors from Bilbao and San Sebastian who I had already met last month or last year. Loved to see the fascinated eyes of excited children during our repetition, the outraged mothers leaving the room as our beautiful queer punky grrrrls undressed during the artists' dinner, and simply enjoyed the openness of all others staying all night long. Something special binds me to the Bask country... feels like home ;-)
review by the gay online magazine 7Pekados on my show in Bilbao:
"Los espectáculos de drag queen son muy comunes. Pero quizá no tanto los drag King, mujeres que se transforman en hombres. Por eso, la organización de Zinegoak quiso sorprender a su público con la actuación de Ocean Leroy, que muestra su cara femenina y la masculina al mismo tiempo, con un espectáculo de baile y canciones reivindicativas. Señalando que aún queda mucha lucha para erradicar la homofobia, dedicó uno de sus temas a David Kato."
Just back from Bilbao! Quite a closing night, with a real premiere - for the first time the full show was streamed live on the net. Keep in touch here, some extracts will be posted soon!
This is what you call an optical effect... It looks like a small desk top computer, but is was the 15x5m TV-stage of the Bask TV station, seen from the gallery (like 50m away from it). Thanks to the very professional technicians' team!! And: see you next month - in San Sebastian!
For those who can't make it to Spain or the States... let's go BERLIN next week-end, 22 january @ WAREHOUSE will be the place to premiere "not your life inspiration", hardcore electro style... Wanna know more about the fact that being sucked sucks?! Then COME!
also performing Marianne Vlaschits, Phil Plastie and Signora Bianca Fox. at the turntables Tomas Hemstad, Helga P. und Almodovar-Spezi Luis Miguelez.
WHO will be in Bilbao at the Zinegoak Film Festival this year?? :-)) will premiere my new song "Not your life inspiration" there on January 29th... CAN'T WAIT!!!
Southern Queers, IDKE's fans, performing arts and theater lovers - come to the French Quarter of New Orleans to discover the most wild, weird, fresh performers! This year lots of international stage-obsessed have been invited. I will myself check how fearless the audience is on Friday Night at 8pm.
I actually prefer the title of the print version...: The Show must go Beyond! The New Orleans Theater Festival pushes boundaries
Yes, you read well. A QUEER culture festival in Saint Petersburg... attended by 2700 people. Photographers, dancers, poets, scientists, musicians from Russia, Sweden, Israel, France and Italy delighted and inspired audiences for 10 days. At least 160 publications have been printed publications in major St. Petersburg newspapers and lifetime magazines, as well as on the internet media. Most encouraging of all, 90% of all these publications are clearly non-homophobic reports – not scandalous or “yellow-press”, the like of which has never before been seen in Russia! 16 300 people visited the site of the Festival www.queerfest.ru. All this makes the Festival an unprecedented success in drawing attention to LGBT rights in Russia.
This is cruelly necessary, because this success has not been obvious. The Union of Artists Exhibition Center (formerly planned as photo exhibition venue), under the pressure from the St. Petersburg authorities, terminated the contract only one day before the opening of the Festival. But within 24 hours, a new venue was found, hundreds of people still found their way to the opening, a letter in support of the Festival was signed by 1600 people and 30 organizations. Just after the show, the milicia irrupted in the club and threw us all out on the street in the middle of the night, because of a "bomb alert". We could all go back after an hour in the freezing rainy night - and continue to celebrate our rights.
"Homophobia": Océan on Stage with Eyes Wide Drag, ironically the last performance before the milicia irrupted into the backstage area
On Friday night, there was an interesting panel about art and politics, being an artist, or be a citizen. But - you can not divide, you are - even as an artist - a citizen. You can not chose, you cumulate - in case you're an artist, however with a film, a painting, a photography, a performance, your mission is to transport a clear message, inspire with your interpretation of life, your perspective. It is political the very moment you express yourself - as an artists. And it is your responsibility to articulate a clear message, make yourself understandable. But ths doesn't make you less a citizen, and certainly not more than a citizen. Because as a citizen, you also have the choice - so keep silent or speak out. No need to go on stage. The street is enough.
and as a little bonbon for hardcore-fans, here you can see yourself what the show looked like:
The last posters in town - before they were taken by the fans after the Show... even if the picture has some rehabilitation traces of Photoshop, they obviously loved the picture by Christiane Stephan! We had indeed to erase the title which was originally painted on my body.. no, i won't tell you what! ;-)
You know why I like Siegessäule from now on? Auf der Seite 31 bin ich von Gina Tonic als Künstlerin erwähnt!!!!!!!!! Didn't know myself about my last sex change, that are indeed breaking news ;-D und dann, 51 Seiten weiter, diesmal mit richtigem Gender in der Klatschkolumne. Thanks, Karin Schupp! The other way round wouldnt have been so queer!
Après le show avec Jutta Haasman voilà déjà 2 mois, j'ai pris goût au job de barman... et suis ravi d'avoir été invité à mixer les cocktails le 30 Juillet!So come all to that french summer eve at the Marianne to Mariannestr. 6 in Xberg. You will find me - for once - BEHIND the bar... well, maybe on it too, but for sure not in front of it ;-)
Gainsbourg a du s'en retourner dans sa tombe... "Je t'aime moi non plus" en VO non censurée avec Jutta Haasman SUR le bar bandé, euh, bondé des filles superbes du Marianne... entre deux plonges DERRIÈRE le bar!! Yeah, je me suis proposé comme Barmate sous peu! L'été peu attendre...
I received a very nice invitation to that birthday party last week - Todgesagte leben länger, basically "the ones told to be death live longer", right? :-) I couldn't help laughing while reading the line up for the show announcing the Kings of Berlin as well as the Spicy Tigers on Speed and proposed to be a further zombie in that joyfull crew... Well, actually that was a joke, but I eventually found myself dancing with them all together on the very adequately chosen "Thriller" for the show Finale! But the nicest moment for me was the première on stage with LCavaliero who made me the honor to be my partner for "King & Gay"... check it out!
Yo, it was quite a long time without visiting an island where I lived for quite a while... more than time to hit the stage again on the kind invitation of Ingo and discover the Royal Vauxhall Tavern! very nice stage with luxurious red curtains.... automatic screen rolling down on command.... backstage with a bathroom - what could an artist ask for more? Oh yes for sure the audience ;-)
And the audience was so warm welcoming, so attentive, mixing up all genders and styles in a very intimate atmosphere. I loved it and promised to be back in fall!
Vancouver meets Berlin in London
One of the nicest moment was to find a friend from Vancouver just visiting for a couple of days and share our experiences on vessels and docks... to be seen soon on screen in a new performance..
I actually declined the kind invitation to perform with all my performers friends in Berlin at the 10 year's AB Queer Party to accept the invitation of ABQ, a similar project militating for acceptance of LGB(T) people by scholars in Bern. Yeah, I had to finish the show started at the Fleischbeschau Party at the Reitschule last December, those who were there will know why! ;-) and yes, this time was simply perfect! I even found a so nice and cute partner for "King and Gay", thank you Franz-Phil! I thought, if ABQ don't stretch that much the T* then I would do it with the show, and I did.. SO, Switzerland! I will definitely come back then!
Let's start with those of you all around the world: you can find on the new website much more than ever before. Pix, press articles, audio and video materials, show proposal for abroad and technical requirements - it will be much easier for you to get the information you need to prepare the gigs, write an article, or simply get in touch!
Now to those of you living and jetting in and throughout Europe: I am glad to announce you the next shows - in Bern next Saturday at 10pm @ Reitschule, and then in London on April 6th at the legendary Bar Wotever!! I am incredibly happy to be back there to perform again, 7 years after the not less legendary Drag Contest for Ms. Lesbian UK! Gosh * Blush...
... and the East European Tour planned for this year will be announced as soon as I get a better overview of the logistics - and complete the new programme ;-) Patience!
Well - I thought one world tour would be enough.. but at the end after the tour is before the tour, right? After a 6 months break to regenerate, I rocked the feminist music festival rampenfiber (yeah, without an e) in Vienna in September, had to skip the International Drag King Extravaganza with the theme "No Borders" in Arizona because of that stupid bike accident, attended the ILGA trans*rights conference with crutches in Malta in October, the anti-violence conference in San Sebastian in November and the Drag Night in Bern shortly before X-mas. And: 2010 will be the big Eastern Tour with shows planned in Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Slovenia, Croatia.. among other gigs! See you there somewhere
