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This Life: Meet Leeds drag queen Anna Glypta
By day he's plain old Marcus, but by night he's Anna Glypta, drag queen extraordinaire who next week is one of the cabaret hosts of this year's Leeds Gay Pride event.
Now, 29, and originally from Southampton, he came to the city 12 years ago and started working as a barman at The Original Oak in Headingley and had numerous jobs before landing his big gig as DJ at The New Penny gay bar on Call Lane.
From a base at his home in Armley he entertains crowds at various venues around the region, though his outrageous alter ego can usually be found most weekends at The Viaduct on Lower Briggate in Leeds.
Rod McPhee found out more about this split personality.
The best piece of advice I ever received was: if you were born a peacock, be a peacock, don't try and behave like a pigeon. I'd never be a pigeon myself but Marcus and Anna are very two different personalities, we just happen to inhabit the same beautiful body. I don't mind admitting I'm already a bit of a peacock but she lets me show off my feathers in their full glory.
My mum, Janet, is terribly proud of me being a drag queen. She has more pictures of me in women's clothes than men's clothes. I had a wonderful childhood because my parents always told me and my sister that we could be who we wanted to be – I really took them at their word. We didn't have much money when we were younger but we always knew we were loved so when I came out my parents didn't bat an eyelid, I was very, very lucky because not all kids have such an easy experience as I had. My dad, Michael, was in the merchant navy from the age of 15 so he was a real man's man and didn't find the whole drag queen thing so easy to come to terms with. My mum did though – she got me my first job in a gay bar.
My first ever job was working in a shoe shop, which forever reminds me of old ladies' sweaty feet and tights. It also reminds me why it's worth investing in a good pair of shoes. I'm a size 12 so it isn't easy to get hold of women's shoes big enough. Luckily Evans have started doing big sizes so I can go there but previously we had to get our heels online. I'm 6ft 3ins in flats and can be anything up to 6ft 10ins in a good pair of stilettos.
The person I'd most like to meet is drag artist Divine. I still remember the first time I saw the film Hairspray and my mum telling me that Divine was a man and a woman in the movie and I just didn't believe her – we had to look back on the tape and compare and I think that might've been one of my biggest inspirations to go into drag. I'd love to meet people like Quentin Crisp and Boy George because they're just icons. I'd also like to meet David Cameron, just to punch him.
The best thing about Leeds is the fact it has the feel of a truly modern, cosmopolitan city. There's a real buzz about the place, like it could be a happening suburb of London. But the thing that really makes it special is the friendliness of the people here. Coming from Southampton you realise there really is a massive north/south divide. I mean, people actually talk to you here! I remember the first time I came to Leeds, got on a bus and the driver called me love, well, I just freaked out.
The one thing I couldn't live without would be Anna. She's a mix of Barbara Windsor, Divine and Bet Lynch and she gives me the opportunity to be as funny and rude over-the-top as I like. I wouldn't be able to get away with a fraction of the stuff I do if I were just a regular guy.
The one thing that might surprise people about me is that I am a massive Formula One fan. My nan got me into it when I was little and we used to sit and watch it all the time. It's something I've grown up with – I remember exactly where I was when Ayrton Senna died. I hardly ever miss a race on TV though I've never been to see one live. Would I go as myself or Anna? I'd go as myself. I'm going to see Tina Turner in concert soon though and Ms Glypta may well be seen in public then.
To relax I kick back with a bottle of ros wearing baggy jeans and a T-shirt. I never drag up at home, that's just my work gear. I will come home in my work gear many a night but it's just like a decorator coming back with overalls splattered in paint, except the paint I'm splattered in is a bit more sparkly.
The thing I'm most proud of is being the first ever drag queen to be inducted into the Leeds Pride Hall of Fame. I'm also very proud of being a part of Leeds Pride. When you think of how it built up from nothing to an event which thousands of people now attend, it's incredible. When I saw the crowds last year it was just so emotional.
The last time I really cried though was when I went to see my mum in her nursing home and she'd been in a wheelchair for over two years after having a brain tumour and a stroke. She just stood up and walked to meet me at the door and I was just in floods of tears. I'm so proud of her and love her to bits.
My first crush was on Axl Rose. From the age of 13 I had a poster of him on my bedroom wall wearing a leather jacket, snarling into a microphone – wonderful.
A funny story? well, one night I got dragged up just like Boy George does now. Then, a few days later I, out of the blue, get an online message sent to me from the man himself. He must have seen pictures of me posted online or something and the message just said: "Anna Glypta, you're a very naughty girl."
The fifth Leeds Pride takes place on Sunday August 1 in Millennium Square then Lower Briggate from noon till very late. Visit www.leedspride.com.
FAVOURITE THINGS
Food: Italian
Holiday: Gran Canaria
Author: Any biography
Film: The Rocky Horror Show
Actor: Patrick Stewart
Star sign: Gemini
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Friday 10 February 2012
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