I was there when RuPaul performed for just 30 people at Auckland's Sleaze Ball

Friday, 9 November 2018

OPINION: These days, RuPaul has become such a global superstar that when I mentioned to my editor that I saw a relatively unknown RuPaul perform in Auckland 20 years ago and only 30 people turned up, she was stunned. So stunned that she asked me to write about that moment.

It's hard to imagine that there was ever a time that this cultural icon and host of the phenomenon that is RuPaul's Drag Race couldn't even fill a small venue in Auckland, where in 1999 he was performing at the Mandalay in Newmarket, at the now defunct gay event called the Sleaze Ball.

I had just moved to Auckland, fresh and naive (my idea of sleaze at the time was wearing a long leather jacket and putting my long hair into pigtails) and was amped to see one of my influences.

As a gay boy growing up in small town Taranaki, before social media was even an idea, you latched onto anything that was a representation of the LGBTQ community. RuPaul was that for me when he launched his first single Supermodel when I was in the 5th form.

**READ MORE:

RuPaul was a supermodel then, he's a movement now.

*Getting ready for the 6th annual pride parade with drag queen Miss Ribena

*RuPaul's Werq the World tour set to storm NZ

*Christchurch drag show a sell out

Rupaul performing at Auckland's Sleaze Ball in 1999.

*From drag queens to WOWing with her own queen**

How could you not fall in love with a 1.93m drag queen who sang about the world of Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista? Before that, the only drag queen you saw on TV was Klinger from MASH.

So when he was headlining the Sleaze Ball, I knew I had to go. In fact, my boss at the time shouted me because she was tired of hearing all about this RuPaul (she had no idea who he was) and she wanted to support my new life in the big city.

When we arrived, we were surprised there was hardly anyone there. It seemed like RuPaul was way before his time and obviously it took 20 years before New Zealand would discover his full potential.

The long catwalk in the hall was the only evidence that a drag superstar was about to perform. Surely RuPaul, international recording artist and self-professed supermodel, would wait until the venue was full before coming on stage and performing his set.

But like a true professional, he came out to perform to the small crowd, with his signature blonde wig and long legs, and strutted down the catwalk like he was performing to a full audience at Mt Smart Stadium.

Never once did he look embarrassed. It was great for the few fans who were there, because it was intimate and personal.

Today, RuPaul has built an empire and RuPaul's Drag Race has become a cultural phenomenon. In 10 seasons and winning multiple Emmy awards, he's catapulted the LGBTQ community into the mainstream consciousness and promoted a message of tolerance and love.

Many of the drag queen stars of his show, with names like Ginger Minj and Jinx Monsoon, have travelled to New Zealand, and their performances are sold out months in advance. In February, more of RuPaul's drag queens will be here in a extravaganza that's expected to sell out as well.

This is a far cry from when their Mama Ru (what the drag queens call RuPaul) first came here and could only attract a small number of fans to his show. I hope that hasn't deterred RuPaul from performing here again.

When I was looking for the pictures I took of RuPaul that night in Auckland, I had to search through my huge box of photos - which represented the story of my life. I found the RuPaul pics, in between pictures of my first holy communion and my ninth birthday.

I realised then how influential RuPaul was to me. Despite there only being a few fans in the audience, he was still able to reach out, inspire, and help this gay boy from Taranaki find his voice.