Why Drag by Magnus Hastings
To be honest, like so many people these days I very rarely have time to sit down and read a book. However, there are always exceptions and this is a case in point. I have seen this book on a couple of occasions all wrapped up in cellophane and wondered what glorious visions and stories yield beneath its lush covers? Well, wonder no more…..A copy duly arrived in the form of a present from my partner (Krista) on the occasion of my ?? birthday!
This can only be described as a must-have coffee table book and a hard to put down version it is too. It is worth pointing out that it is not full of in-depth details and accounts of the development of drag as an art form but more a visual homage to the talent of both the photographer and the queens themselves. There are great quotes and insights as you would expect. The majority well nearly all of the queens in the book are from the States with a few notable exceptions Dusty O of tranny shack London fame for one. I think the book is full of wonderful images and humour that you can truly appreciate. Boy George’s forward sets the tone of the book off very well with his brief well not so brief account of drag, after that you are presented with page after page of visual stimulation. My top ten in no specific order would consist of:
Courtney Act – The pics are not exactly family viewing but artistic!
Cassandra Moore – What a vision
Tammie Brown
Miss Fame – Always looks stunning!
Martha Lipton
Lexi Thomas
Willam Belli
Jinkx Monsoon
Coco De’ Bell
Kathryn Nevets
As you work your way through the book you get a sense of the reality and message that some of the Queen’s project, there does not have to be a reason why we do things it is simply enough to say it’s because I can.
