PROUD CABARET

Tonight i did a wee stint on the decks for the new GLOBE GIRLS weekly residency at PROUD CABARET and they utterly rocked the joint. They also welcomed some pretty fantastic West End singers on to the stage too ! It was such a class evening. Utterly entertaining and completely brilliant.

DAILY "HATE" MAIL

In the mid 90's i landed myself my own tv show with SKY 1 . Of course it was a dream come true ! I co presented with Roland Rivron . It was a chatty , music and fashion based thing . We filmed a pilate and it was accepted. Everything was ready to roll . I had management in place and a great publicist. then The delightfull DAILY MAIL slapped me on their front page and gave me a big old slagging down inside. Sky 1 got cold feet and i was pulled and paid off. Thanks DAILY MAIL. What an awfull homophobic paper it STILL is.

A few new shots by JAMES ANDREW YARDLEY.

TRANNYSHACK UK BOOK

Up and coming photographer JAMES ANDREW YARDLEY has been photographing down at Trannyshack UK and at my house frequently over the last few months and has put together some amazing insights into the club and the people who make it for a book to be published in June ! It will be available as a coffee table sized book and a smaller art book. The perfect gift methinks ! This is just one of his lovely pictures.

SHOOT MAGAZINE !

SHOOT magazine by PIEPKE in the Netherlands. Brilliant artist ! I was in issue 1 and he wanted a pikky of me holding the mag for issue 3. This was it ! By James Andrew Yardley.

Gay Pride 2010 ...

Last years PRIDE was amazing as TRANNYSHACK UK had a float in the parade for the first time. I think we really brightened it up too with a gaggle of amazing trannys , Boy George and the odd colourfull hanger on to boot.

It was followed , for me , by a stint hosting the KU BAR STAGE in Leicester Square. The sun was shining and the acts first class and a wonderfull afternoon was had by all !

This year Gary Henshaw the owner of KU has asked me to organise and arrange the programming for the stage , aswell as host it.

I have never had carte blanche to do anything quite as high profile as this before and its a wonderfull opportunity to put together a collection of artists who represent the gay community and who want to entertain us too !

Over the last year , through my work at KINKY KABARET i have met many West End performers whose talent was immense and obvious. I really want to incorporate some of them into the line up of stage talent and try and add a bit of "va va voom" to a stage that has always been a big hit with the hundreds of thousands of gay people who come out to play and be seen on an important day in our calendar. Nearly everyone i have approached so far has jumped at the chance and the lineup is looking diverse and rather good so far ! Of course there will be scene stalwarts aplenty and some of the KU dj's will get a chance to show us their mettle , as scene entertainment is a must , alongside the more mainstream acts. There will also be a few high profile celebs strutting their stuff. So far no one has turned me down. I wont be hogging the stage as host either. Its going to be packaged out to our favourite scene stars so no one person will steal the limelight on a day thats about us ALL. I am sure it will all pull together on the day and give everyone something they will like along the way. I cant wait !!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY !

An old Kipper !

This is a picture of an old kipper. Miss Jude Bean has a nu-nu that resembles this old kipper in more ways than one !

KINKY KABARET

I thought i would tell you about my Monday night get together at FREEDOM in Wardour St , Soho , its called KINKY KABARET and is almost a year old now. Most people who are familiar with my work know me mainly for my Wednesday nighter TRANNYSHACK which i started with Walt Utz almost 5 years ago. Of course there were many , many other clubs over the 25 years i have been in this game , nights like Bambina , Pushca and The Limelight stand out but i care about NOW not the past as the past does not pay your bills or take you on holiday !

KINKY KABARET was a departure for me as its more of a cabaret/disco than a nightclub. I host and dj and my friend Nathan does all the programming. Each week we welcome a variety of singers , dancers , drag shows , comedians and variety acts for a fab 1 hour show at midnight. No one gets paid , they all do it for the love of what they do and the buzz of performing on stage in a gorgeous West End venue. We attract quite a few celebs who come down for the unique Soho atmosphere. Last night there was Louis Walsh and Graham Norton and its rare not to have at least a couple of well known faces in the crowd. The venue suits itself perfectly for what we do as the club area and stage is in a pink , velvet clad basement so it "feels" kind of decadent and thetrical. From 11 to 12 before the show begins i dj and we play showtunes and old 40's and 50's stuff with a good dose of camp classics from the likes of Bassey and Dietrich to create the right atmosphere. Its quite a grown up affair. You wont get much trash until after the shows .... then i go POP which is of course what i am known for and its 2 hours of hits till 3 in the morning. The seating is whisked away and the seated lounge area becomes a dancefloor complete with poles for anyone who feels like making a show of themself ! LOL.

Next week we have TRANNYSHACK legends THE TRANSISTERS and a whole gammut of other talent. The Transisters always go down a storm and the last time they performed we ran at capacity and the whole place gave them a standing ovation. It was amazing. Last week we welcomed the 2 leads from HAIRSPRAY , one from the West End show and one from Broadway. It was quite a show. Of course now and then a duffer gets through the system. I am never sure if Nathan does that deliberately however to make everyone else look better. It always gives the west End Wendy's something to giggle at too !

This night is not advertised ( we dont need to as its usually very busy) and is a bit of a hidden secret in Soho. If you like talent , great singers and dancers and an ecclectic atmosphere then you should try it. "KK" really does rock !

Libz

This is Lilly. Today i really miss her. R.I.P Libbz.

Bollywood Belle !

Trannyshack Uk hosted a BOLLYWOOD party for Tasty Tims Birthday this week. It was a spectacular night. Packed to the rafters with a gorgeous mixed up crowd of drag ,trannys , gay boys and girls of every hue and style and a smattering of hetty's to give us something to laugh at .... JOKE ..... Boy George performed his new single "Amazing Grace" and the Transisters who are an amazing 3 drag/2 boy dance group performed alongside "Move Like Michael Jackson" 's ASH and a fabulous belly dancer with his snake called SNAKE BOY. Vanilla and Sahara (Trannyshack girls) both did a number and i hosted and dj'd as always. It was a fab night . I did a 60's Bollywood Princess look. I am sure tons more of these pikkys will emerge as i seemed to be posing for pikky all night long (you would think people had never seen a man in a sahri before) but here is one to be going on with taken by my friend Alex Gerry. Laterz. Dustina.

Sport Relief

Here are a few pictures from the SPORT RELIEF charity shoot i did in Feb 2010.

The Man of My Dreams !

I love Duncan James. he is handsome and charming. Duncan is a regular at my cabaret club KINKY KABARET @ Freedom in Wardour St on Mondays. This is him trying to escape my filthy advances ! LOL.

Marie Antoinette

I have been rather obsessed with Queen Marie Antoinette since i was about 12 and first read the Jean Plaidy book "Flaunting Extravagant Queen" which is rather oddi suppose as it became pretty much what i turned into !

Marie Antoinette is one of those characters in history who most people know something or other about. Often its wrong however . Most people would say she said "let them eat cake" when the peasents invaded Versailles (the home of the French Royal Family) calling for bread. This is absolute rubbish and the woman who actually said it was her husbands great grandmother ! People assume she was a spendthrift and stupid. Actually by the standards of her class and of the day she was neither. She was just a woman in the wrong place at the wrong time with a not very imaginative or responsive husband. She was a victim really and a very interesting one at that. Over the years i have read everything i have been able to get my hands on about her and the more i have found out the more fascinating she has become to me. She was a lady with an enormous amount of courage and joi de vivre. She faced her downfall and that of her husband and family with brave fortitude and maintained her dignity in extreme and violent circumstances. She was a woman of many facets , a brilliant hostess and style icon (which was required of a French Queen) and kind friend and mother. She was uniquely stylish and went against the mode of the time in dress and appearance , which played a part in her downfall as most of the people surrounding her never quite "got" where she was coming from. She was a free spirit in a stifling court but managed to carve out a life for herself and family. She was unfortunate to be a Queen in a country that was riddled with problems and change and her family paid the price for it. None of us can be responsible for the sins of our ancestors but Antoinette and her family paid the price for 500 years of absolute rule. Anyway , enough of the history lesson. If you ever get the chance , read up on her , she is fascinating , as were her family.

Rickaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy !

This pikky is so funny ! Taken with Patsy Palmer at the party for the opening of Agent Pravocateur at The Connaught Rooms in 1994.

Sobriety

I am currently on a sobriety-fest ! Shocking i know. It means basically that i have given up alcohol and fags. I am going to try to stick to this as my poor lungs and liver have taken one hell of a beating over the last 20 years and they need a holiday. Its been rather liberating though. Tonight for egample i was at my friday night soiree THE O ZONE at KU KLUB in Lisle St. I did not touch a drop of the devils brew but still managed to have a really lovely time. Usually my alcohol consumption starts as a result of nerves. This may surprise you but i always get very nervy before work. No idea why. I just do. A couple of shorts takes the edge off my worry's , however this usually leads to another 10 which has become kind of a problem as i dont work at my best like that and often small things blow up , or rather i blow up in people's faces ! Not great really. Though in at least 2 of the last incidents where i have spoken my mind i regret NOT A THING. Infact i am glad i had the conviction to say and do what i did , if a few bevvy's helped me to do it then good , and if as a result a couple of brain dead , ego ridden , delusional arse holes want to have a twitter (or TWATTER in their cases) about it then so be it. I can live with it . I did before ... quite LITERALLY ... LOL.

I have asked my friends to not offer me drinks for a good while when i am working. I WANT to be on the ball and in control. I am really proud of all my nights , i still work more than almost anyone in a similar position and my work events are busy and respected and i want them to stay like that. While i may be more amusing for other people at times when i am drunk for me its not that much fun anymore. Its also giving the coterie of cackling bitches that watch and report my every move ammunition. Well no more i am afraid. I am a fairly sharp person in most ways , most of the time . I have plans and dreams (as we all do) and being half smashed all the time aint helping me achieve much other than tread water, I can move mountains when i want. I am determined and motivated and not one to mess around with. Its time for me to get serious. I have ! Be warned. A sober Dusty O is a much nicer person .... also a sharper one.

DISDAIN !

I had to post this pikky. It was taken for the Sport Relief Charity shoot this week. Sandra D is the gal doing the sit ups and i am the one sneering and reading Vogue. Too funny.

My friend Mark O'Flaherty sent me these two pikky today. I gagged when i saw them. They were from 94. I am with Polly and Venus on the first one. Polly was the door whore at the Fridge for donkeys years and a very sweet guy. He died a couple of years back. Venus was an amazing character and had a fab look too. Not sure what she is doing these days. Its so sad when people just vanish. I can understand it though. Hedonism takes its toll and sometimes its just time to fuck off. The second picture is of Mark and myself with Phillip Stephens who now owns UNCONDITIONAL. It was taken at the opening of a club we worked at called NANCY'S at "The End". They were brilliant days. Phillip and i both worked at London Lighthouse then , god only knows how we used to get up for work ! LOL. 16 years ago ! Seems like a lifetime .....

Sport Relief Shoot

Today i did a shoot for SPORT RELIEF at "THE GYM" in South London. A jolly time was had by all and the paying punters did not seem to mind a wiggy woman in their midst. Enrique took these shots on his i-phone. Check THE METRO tomorrow for the proper ones. x

My new "Liberace" theme'd bedroom !

My Fave Look ...

I love a suit ! Always have. This is a Westwood suit from 2009 "Man" collection. Marlene Dietrich made suits popular for women in the 30's. This is kind of my "homage" look to her. Though the hair is more 40's. My friend James (pass the parcel) Yardley took this in my living room. I love it ! Ta James.

Sam and me ! Aint he the bizz !

Lilly

Its been 2 weeks today since i lost my little girl Lilly. She was 11. Not that old for a Chihuahua really. I found her gasping for air in my bedroom when i got in from work. She was having a heart attack and had to be put to sleep. It broke my heart and changed my world. My flat seems so quiet without her jolly little personality. I think about her all the time and my heart still feels so heavy when i do. I miss my nights in with her when i am not working and we would have a bit of "us" time.
I am not having another dog now. I have lost 3 in 5 years and i cant put myself through that again. There is nothing i would not do to have her back and nothing can compensate me for her loss. Its strange to have the freedom of not needing to be home to care for her (or Sid her dad who died 4 days before her) and to be able to do as i want when i want. I am not sure if its a good feeling really as i enjoy looking after people and my dogs and i think its unhealthy to only have to think about yourself. I am selfish enough. I don't need to get any more so !
I have kept myself really busy of late to stop me thinking about what happened. I start my bedroom revamp on Tuesday which will be a lot of work but worth it ... i hope. I am doing a photo shoot on Monday for Sport Relief aswell as working 4 nights next week so there is a lot to keep me occupied. I still miss her though , Sid too , though i had a long time to accustom myself to him going as he had been ill. Lilly had been fit , or so i thought and it was a huge shock to find her like that and to have to make the choice i did.
I have been acting a bit over emotional since she went. Last night i burst into tears when someone was telling me about their childhood and have let rip at people when i guess i should have kept my thoughts private. Though i do stand by what i have said , as at least it was true and i had the bollox to come out and say what was on my mind !
So if i have seemed odd , or distant or a bit rude of late then please cut me a little slack. I am getting my head around things but it has been harder than i thought it would. She was "only a little dog" but i loved her enormously and miss her like mad. xxx

Working Girls.

Wednesday was an interesting day.
I rose early as it was jam packed. My great friend (god , i sound like Danny La Rue), Stefan Orschell Read, was showing his new collection as part of London Fashion Week. I assiduously avoid Fashion Week usually as i dont feel that connected to it and very few of the collections it shows have much interest to me. Stefan is a different story however. I have seen him grow and grow from a fashion student to where he is now. He makes interesting and unusual mens wear with an edge and last year all my major purchases were from him . I love WESTWOOD as is widely known but feel i have to expand my look a bit and Stefan enabled me to do that , making me suits and coats that were one off productions and that really have the WOW factor , in my mind anyway. I have high hopes for Stefan and pray he achieves what he deserves and gets his collection into major production shortly and in the best shops very soon. The press he recieved for his last collection and the interest it aroused was amazing so i dont think it will be long before he becomes a force to reckon with on the British fashion scene. The larger fashion house's have already attempted to recruit him but he wants to make a mark with his own clothes , which i think is applaudable. His show was beautifull and sleek and did the job admirably. It was early in the day for me so i did a half look and dressed down. I was not there to be noticed , just to support my friend and see his work highlighted. I did and it was. Amazing.
After that it was a dash home and 3 hours infront of the mirror to get ready for Miss Polly Rae's opening night at the Leicester square Theater with her all new Hurly Burly Show. William Baker (the guy who styles Kylie amongst others) had been heavily involved with the styling and production of the show and my friend and partner in TRANNYSHACK UK , Walt Utz had put the whole thing together. Again i hoped it was going to be fantastic as all of them are friends of mine. It was ! Kylie and a host of celebs were in attendance and the show was classic , cheeky , slick and saucey. I loved it. Boy George came along and blew a whistle so loudly at times i thought my ears were gonna pop as mostly it was directed in my ear ! LOL. Brilliant show. Loved it. Go see !
After that it was a dash round to Madame JoJo's for another change into one of Stefans creations as Trannyshack was hosting his after show party. The coat Stefan had made me has a built in corset which is uber painfull but looks amazing. Its very difficult to walk in though as it has huge Elizabethan style hip pads pads which the bottom part of the coat hangs from. It took Stefan a week to make as its so complicated but it had to be worn for his big night. The club ran at capacity all night with an interesting crowd of drag , club kids , ts's and fashionista's. It was mayhem but wonderfull fun. The Transisters who are an all dancing troupe of glam drag queens who work in the West End shows provided the entertainment and as always stunned me with their brilliance and slick routines. It was such a fun night. To end what had been a very long day a group of friends and myself went for breakfast at Balans who gave me a Balans Card at long last , this is like a Tesco points card and saves you a bit of cash and gets you a seat ! LOL. Small things please me ! So a fab day on the whole. Needless to say i spent most of the next one sleeping. Its Friday now and time to do it all again as i have been roped in to dj before Pollys show tonight which starts at 7 so its a 3 oclock start for me gollowed by my own night O ZONE at KU. Does it ever end ? I hope not !

Monday Monday.

Yoo Hoo
I usually hate Mondays. Its not that i have to do anything out of the ordinary or unpleasent but it always seems as if its a "back to the grindstone" scenario of make up , outfits and sorting through piles of cd's and getting sets together.
Not this Monday however. My weekend was so pleasent and relaxing that it kind of set me up for the week. I saw 3 old friends over the last few days who are not involved in my work and dont really know anyone on the scene or anything to do with it. I always seem to gravitate most heavily towards this kind of person on a private level as they are not utterly involved with themself and what other people think about them or their job and can actually be "normal" and do "normal" things and ENJOY them. They dont scan the online magazines hoping for a mention or count the comments made about them on Facebook in a new outfit . They just get on with it. They have real lives away from the bitchiness and back biting that the club scene is rife with and i personally NEED that so much. It was lovely not to mention any other DJ's , clubs or clothes. We talked about our holiday together in June , wallpaper , gardening and things certain people i know would turn their noses up at as not being "Glitz" enough. The reality of life is that we are not all extra's from "Party Monster" though. It may play a part in our existance but it certainly is not ALL of it. I could not think of anything more vile personally !
I was hurled back to "work" reality this morning though and did as i always do on Mondays and got 4 different "looks" together for the forthcoming week which is mega busy for me. Particularly Wednesday when i am going to my good mate Stefan Orschell Read's 2nd Fashion Show for London Fashion Week. I have been buying his clothes since he bagan and they really are something else. He made me a stunning Human Hair jacket which is one of my all time fave purchases and which Lady GaGa borrowed for a recent shoot , however every time i wear it , it needs to be brushed through and straightened afterwards ! Imagine straightening 10 heads of LONG hair all in one go and you will get the jist. Anyway , i did it and its ready for the show on Wed. This is followed by the premier of another friend of mine , Miss Polly Rae's opening night at the Leicester square Theater. This is gonna be a big bash as William Baker (Kylie and Brittneys creative director) has been heavily involved and it has recieved huge amounts of press. Danni Minogue and Kylie are both attending , along with Leona Lewis and Will Young so i know i have got to do a killer look and not let the side down , so its a dash home and quick change for that followed by Wednesday nights obligatory madness at my club TRANNYSHACK UK which will need ANOTHER outfit change.
Anyway i have finished all the prep and everything is now bagged up and labelled and ready to wear. Not counting the outfits for KINKY KABARET tonight and O ZONE on Friday and BOUDOIR on Saturday.
My mate Neil who i work with now and again with his drag troupe THE GLOBE GIRLS (utterly fabulous) then phoned and checked dates for 2 brilliant gigs he has got lined up for us with STONEWALL and a new A list "Pop UP" club starting soon in Soho. So all good news on the work front as Neil deals with the top end of the market and the fee's reflect that. Which in a time like now , ie recession is always a life saver ! Particularly as i am about to start phase 2 of my flat renovation and need every penny i can get hold of.
So Monday has worked out rather well so far. I have a couple of hours rest now before getting ready for tonights KINKY KABARET which i always enjoy as its so different to most other things i am involved in. We have some amazing West End singers lined up for the shows tonight and if its anything as brilliant as last weeks i am sure to have fun and earn an honest buck in the process.
So my mood today is decidedly contented and upbeat. Thanks God. Life aint all bad is it ?

Face Fuck !

Well yet again Face Fuck have disabled my account. I have no idea why. To my knowledge i have not broken any rules or posted anything offensive. Well , no more than most people on there anyway. Its the second time now. Luckily i have another account which i have activated again to tide me over. Its pretty annoying though as i use it to promote my work stuff. I have a feeling a certain person or two is reporting me continually for no reason just to annoy me and get the page taken off. However there is always a way round these things and if some twat with a chip on their shoulder thinks they will get one over me they should think twice ! LOL.

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