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Be Here, Be Queer

Country: United Kingdom, Language: English, 33 mins

Original Title

The Reality of UK Drag
  • Director: Matthew Cullum
  • Producer: Alysia Judge

CGiii Comment

Should have been called: The over-analysis of drag!

Yes, drag has changed. For the better...or, for the worse? It all depends on what you want!

Personally speaking, Lily Savage at The Vauxhall Tavern [way back in the day] was as good as it gets. Lily was a foul-mouthed character with cheap clothes and terrible make-up...but, the wig was fabulous.

Now, the drag we see on TV is dominated by 'the look' [exasperatingly] encouraged by RuPaul...weirdly though, with a few exceptions, the majority of queens who have won are [by far] the funniest!

As for Drag Kings...most of them [those that we have seen] end up just stripping off...in some kind of bizarre burlesque. Marlene Dietrich knew how to do it [back in the day].

Will the drag wave ever subside? Not when this kind of money can be made!


Watch...

Be Here, Be Queer (Netflix UK Documentary) from Matthew Cullum on Vimeo.

The(ir) Blurb...

In summer 2021, legendary RuPaul's Drag Race UK drag queens including The Vivienne, Tia Kofi, Tayce, and Cheryl Hole went on tour. Joined by drag kings and non-binary performers including host Brent Would and performer Sigi Moonlight, they were touring the country with Netflix's I Like To Watch Live. We captured everything. In Be Here, Be Queer, an exclusive documentary, we take an unfiltered look at the reality of being a drag artist and find out how LGBT+ venues are surviving Covid.

As the number of queer spaces continues to shrink, queer culture has exploded into the mainstream. Be Here, Be Queer travels around the UK and dives into the world of small-town LGBT+ nightlife as it gets back on its feet post-Covid. It explores why queer venues are still so vital to small communities, and takes an upfront look at the impact - the good, the bad, and the ugly - mainstream exposure has had on queer culture, as told by the drag artists who helped create it. Meet venue owners, UK drag legends, Drag Race UK stars, and the kings and queens who perform every night in the bars and clubs of UK LGBT+ scenes.

Be Here, Be Queer follows the Netflix UK I Like To Watch '21 tour, which stopped at small LGBT+ venues around the UK. The tour saw Drag Race UK stars host movie screenings and drag shows with local talent, all in a bid to kick-start venues hit hard by Covid.