DRAG STORYTIME

By Noel Bradley-Johnston

I remember the first time I ever saw a drag performer. It was a warm but cloudy July day in Belfast and I was in the city centre doing some shopping for an upcoming holiday. I had noticed there were more people in town than usual and the streets seemed more colourful and vibrant than I had ever seen. People of all ages were lining the streets in anticipation for something special, but I didn’t know what. There was a buzz of excitement in the air and I wondered what had brought all of these spectators to what was normally quite a grey part of the town. Then I saw the first float and it dawned on me. I was an 18-year-old closeted boy who had somehow stumbled upon the annual Belfast Pride Parade.

It’s heart-breaking to say, but I had never attended a Pride parade at this point in my life, nor had I had any encounters with the LGBTQ+ community. Pride was not on my radar. Then I saw her – a fabulous tanned blonde wearing an azure-coloured bikini dripping in jewels, along with rose-tinted sunglasses perched on the end of her nose. She strutted down the road as if it were her own catwalk and seemed to tower over everyone else. That was when I noticed the heels. The spectators’ cheers grew as she approached us and I could tell that this person was loved, admired and embraced by everyone who came out to see her. I turned to a lady beside me and awkwardly asked, “Who is that?”. “This must be your first Pride, love,” she replied with warmth and sympathy, “That’s Titti Von Tramp.” Shocked and tickled by the name, I retorted “Who is Titti Von Tramp?” Twelve years later, I would be sitting in a radio studio with a tanned, polite but confident man asking him the same question.

I am now thankfully an out and proud 30-year-old gay man who has met many more drag artists since then, many of whom I count as great influences in my life. I am also a radio broadcaster and have been presenting on local Belfast-based radio station, Blast 106.4FM, for nearly two years. In October 2023, I was given the opportunity to host a new weeknight show, moving from two shows a week to four. I was daunted at the prospect of how to keep the show fun, fresh and informative, especially with many more hours to fill. One night, while speaking with my partner about my concerns, we talked about how fun it was to hear some local drag artists on other radio stations around the time of Belfast Pride that year. I remember thinking to myself, “Why do we only have queer voices talking about queer issues on the air during Pride?” That was when Drag Storytime was born. I decided then that I wanted to use my platform to give space for our local drag artists to share about their lives, their art, their successes and struggles, and to give a “peek behind the curtain” of what I consider to be one of the most beautiful and important art forms we have.

Since then, I have been very fortunate to have had a fabulous array of local drag performers on the show, from drag queens to drag kings, from cisqueens to gender-bending performers. The gorgeous tapestry of drag we have here in Northern Ireland has provided hours of entertainment, powerful storytelling and important education to listeners who otherwise may never have heard much about these important and under-represented issues before. In the four months that the show has been airing, these fearless heroes have raised awareness around issues such as HIV/AIDS, homophobia, gender identity, transphobia and disability with such passion and heart, and this makes the show all the more worth it for me.

It’s not always serious though – we have talked about dating horror stories, make-up tips, funny drag names and other X-rated topics that we had to keep off air! I firmly believe that only our drag artists could achieve such a perfect balance of wit, emotion and activism and I feel very lucky that I get to facilitate this. I recognise that although I am queer, I am still an able-bodied cis man and there are experiences and issues that I am unqualified to speak about. Having performers on the show who can speak about more sensitive themes just adds to the richness of the conversations and gives the show a sense of credibility and intimacy that could not be achieved by me alone.

Since starting Drag Storytime, I have learned a great deal about drag performers and would like to impart some of this wisdom. Here are the top five things I have learned:

“Drag Queen Time” is a myth

“Drag Queen Time” is a term used to mock how stereotypically unpunctual drag performers are. However, my experience has been the complete opposite. Not one drag artist has been late for the show and, in fact, most have arrived at least fifteen to twenty minutes early! Our local drag artists are professional, honey.

The drag scene in Northern Ireland is exploding Let’s face it, Northern Ireland is a small place. Belfast is, of course, even smaller. However, there is an ever-expanding drag scene here with a beautiful, diverse assortment of drag styles and categories.

“Drag Storytime” was actually named “Drag Queen Storytime” when I first started it, but once I realised how vast the drag spectrum is here, I knew the name had to change to make it inclusive for everyone. We are truly blessed to have such a vibrant community of performers in our midst and I’m excited to see it grow even more!

The drag talent in Northern Ireland is mind-blowing Granted, this comes as no surprise. What I have loved exploring on the show, though, is the broad range of talents that our local drag performers possess. I have interviewed artists who write songs, who can dance like J.Lo, who are scientists, who organise LGBTQ+ sporting events, who design and make their own clothes. The sheer talent we have here is extraordinary and every drag performer I have interviewed has been able to talk about their own unique skillset, which has been a joy to learn about.

The drag community in Northern Ireland is a real community

The last question I ask every artist on the show is “Who is your favourite local drag performer and why?”. Without exception, every person has chosen another artist because of the support they have given them as they have grown through their drag career. It has been so heart-warming to hear the stories of how fellow drag artists have helped each other through personal and professional struggles and this shows how tight-knit they are.

Drag artists are human beings

Again, not that I had any doubt. However, it has been eye-opening for me to hear about the individual personal journeys each guest has been on as a drag performer. These wonderful people have grown up with the same joys and pains as the rest of us, especially as queer people. It has been particularly interesting to see people who I consider to be confident, outgoing and expressive powerhouses become nervous in front of the microphone when they are sat in that chair in the radio studio. Talking personally about yourself isn’t always easy and I thank them all for opening up to me and the listeners.

So, what does the future hold for “Drag Storytime”? I want to continue this show as long as I can, and I know we have enough drag performers here to keep it going for at least ten years! I have recently considered moving the show to a podcast format to allow for deeper, longer conversations and to allow listeners to hear what we couldn’t say on the radio. However, I love the adrenaline rush that comes with interviewing an unpredictable guest live on the radio, so I am still undecided about this. Regardless of how the show is broadcast, I am excited to continue learning about the amazing drag performers in this land and to give more opportunities for queer voices to speak about queer issues. I believe that we, as queer people, stand on the shoulders of giants in giant heels. “Drag Storytime” is just a way for our local drag artists to stand a little taller.

Drag Storytime with Noel Bradley-Johnston airs on Blast 106.4FM every Thursday evening from 8-9pm.