6 minute read
MISS MARTY
BON VOYAGE!
Catherine Muxworthy catches up with iconic Birmingham drag queen Miss Marty, who’s hanging up their heels for good
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Marty Smith aka Miss Marty is hanging up their wig and retiring from drag. They considered retiring from drag a few years ago but decided they weren’t quite done. This decision to step back follows some health problems during the lockdown, though “nothing life-threatening”.
Marty also struggled to adapt to digital performances and wanted to give a special thanks to the people who helped facilitate shows. “I’m a complete technophobe so it’s been a learning curve,” Marty laughs.
“It’s been interesting but also nice that we got to open out to a whole new audience… We’ve all taken a journey together and shared each other’s ups and downs along the way.”
On a positive note, lockdown allowed Marty to rediscover their love of painting. “I just felt it was time to move on to a new adventure, to give my body time to reset, and find new passions. I’m going to take a bit of time to
gather myself; right now I’m focusing on promoting my artwork to see where that leads.”
Marty also plans to “spend more time with family and friends. When you’re gigging, you miss out on a lot”.
Twenty-two years ago, Miss Marty made their drag début, and they admit: “I wanted to sing and was far too chicken to get up there as me. I dressed a couple of drag queens backstage at the time – Phyliss Stein and Alfie Hooker – enjoyed watching them, and thought maybe I could do this.”
They were asked to host at The Wellington. “I was clueless but armed with a few second-hand dresses and a £10 wig from the rag market, I hosted karaoke on a Friday and brought the drag acts on stage on a Saturday night.”
Marty remembers being thrown on stage due to a no-show. Having previously only done karaoke, this became Marty’s act. “I couldn’t tell you what I said between numbers but it went well. I do remember that my opening line was ‘please be nice to me ‘cos I’m terrified’.”
Marty lists many influences. “I was guided in my early years by Dec (Phyllis Stein), and we’re still friends to this day. I’ve been lucky enough to become friends with a lot of the acts I looked up to when I started out, like Tilly, Rose Garden, the Divine Miss M, Dave Lynn, Lola Lasagne, Connie, Kara Van Park, Sandra, to mention just a few. Not forgetting the dearly departed Asa aka Vanilla Rimmer for all the drunken mashups back in the day.”
Marty’s act has always included live singing and “banter" with my audience. It wouldn’t be a Miss Marty show without a few naughty games along the way”. Marty remembers in the early days of touring, they would often get disparaging looks for singing live.
“I remember a dearly departed friend, Elsie, telling me not to be discouraged because they were bitching about me, I was probably doing something right, and, hopefully, well. I’ve never forgotten that advice and to this day I pass it on to up-and-coming drag queens.”
Marty first came out at about 16 years old and says: “The [Birmingham] scene has changed so much over the years. There were very few live drag queens in Birmingham when I started. A lot of venues have come and gone... We have a good mix at the moment although, sadly, some cherished venues didn’t survive the pandemic. I’m unsure of the future of our gay scene due to construction and developments but we’ve weathered a fair few storms over the years and I doubt we will go down without a fight.
“The Village and especially the Nightingale will always be dear to me because they are home,” Marty explains. “I was The Nightingale’s hostess for ten years!
“Sunday nights at Bar Diva with my drag sister Miss Annie were always legendary,” Marty reminisces. “My shows at the Coventry Cross were always full of fun and friskiness, and every show I’ve ever done at the Langley Social Club has been a family-fuelled bundle of fun. The Steam Packet Inn, Workington, was always a fun night and by fun, I mean drunk, and it was always a pleasure to work with Lady Wanda at Gender Blender in Chester.” Marty was even “lucky enough to perform at Heaven and the Black Cap before they closed”.
When asked about their favourite people to work with, Marty laughingly says: “I have to say Miss Penny else I’ll never hear the end of it. We’ve had some amazing times over the years.
“I absolutely adore performing with the Divine Miss M, we’re like a couple of old wives and usually end up three [sheets] to the wind, perched on a bar stool, wigless and shoeless, having an old-school mash-up.
“You can’t beat an impromptu singalong, and I’ve been able to have them with a lot of Brum’s best, like Amy Laqueefa, Trisha, Trixie, Blanch, and my drag daughters Timmona and Charlotte.”
Marty has fond memories of singing with Brenda Edwards at a charity event, and getting to meet some of their heroes: Heather Small, Gabrielle, and Boney M. One of their career highlights though is being nominated for and winning awards, including Midlands Personality of the Year at the National Diversity Awards.
Many stories from Marty’s drag career, they joke, would land them in trouble. “There has been a fair degree of misbehaving over the years,” with Miss Penny “including cream cakes and gravy granule fights on stage.”
Marty also remembers one Pride, a RuPaul’s Drag Race queen (who remains unnamed), announced that they were the cabaret tent’s final act because anything else would be a poor choice. In response, Marty, Miss Penny, and Kara formed a new girl group, Poor Choices, and “bought the house down with a live rendition of Tina’s Proud Mary”.
There’s no hesitation when asked what they’ll miss most about drag: “The people and the fun we had. My show has always been about my audience and what they want, and they were never shy about getting up there with me to do whatever mad game I had planned. So, I’ll miss all of that.”
Marty reels off a list of upcoming stars in Birmingham: “Betty Bangs, the whole package; Misty Vans, phenomenal; Black Peppa, amazing; Dahliah Rivers, beautiful; Ashleigh Marc, funny; Just Joe, such a cute queen; Fatt Butcher, a superstar; and so many more, just check out the Church of Yshee on a Sunday at the Village Inn,” and believes that “in a lot of ways it’s harder to break into drag nowadays, there is so much more competition.” And advice for them: “Be passionate about your craft… It’ll take up a lot of your time, not to mention energy, and if you’re not passionate, you’ll fall at the first hurdle... Your show is quintessentially about your audience.
“Embrace new things and love your sisters because when the chips are down, they will look after you. Have at least one older queen in your circle, we might be old but we have the knowledge. Just because I’ve hung up my heels doesn’t mean I’m not available to help and guide anyone in need.”
