Maude Boate – “I always liked to paint, sculpt, design and sew. If I wanted an ET when I was growing up and couldn’t find one in the shop I would make my own out of clay. If I wanted a Pinnochio I would make my own marionette or Kermit Frog, I made my own and they were good. Kermit was so good that a lot of the schools wanted me to go along and mime to Rainbow Connection (laughs). I’ve always been good with my hands. When I was in Sydney I got a job with a costume and jewellery designer, big chuncky 80’s designs. We used to do David Jones parades and that sort of thing. That’s when I was introduced to the drag queens and I felt like I was home.
When those people in Bondi threw me out on the street, they were friends until I came out. There was a night where they tried to pin me down and stick a carrot up my arse and take a photograph. You know, they’d say I was a cocaine addict, a hooker on the street, anything that they could hurt me with. They got such pleasure from picking on me. It was demoralising at the time but it was easier to see forward.……they’re still around Sydney and in later life one of them is gay themselves. We don’t go back there, we don’t want to see those people, I haven’t even been to a school re-union.
Getting back to making stuff, costume jewellery and my introduction to drag, we had Dame Edna come in a few times. Simone Troy and Monique St John, Play Girls, Les Girls, all that crowd. We were called Claude Fabian Costume Jewellery Design so the sparkles and the sequins were introduced. The studio was in Rose Bay and it faced the afternoon sun so you would get these beautiful sunsets and all the diamonds would sparkle. It was a bit hot but it was so sparkly. There was a dress designer Peter Cooper across the way where he made the ball gowns so I was in heaven. An x lover of the owner took that company over and they asked me to keep on working as their designer but I said no, I dont do business that way, you shafted somebody, I’ll be the next. Thanks but no thanks. I draw the line at that sort of thing. That sort of pushed me out.
It was the Albury hotel. They had the old black lights and I wore a white linen suit with my hair bouffant to the nth degree. You know, young bit of fluff, new on the scene and I was popular. It was so good to have the knowledge that I wasn’t the only one. Being a well know family in a small country town and I was so sheltered. I didn’t have my first drink till 18. My father was never a good mentor for me, quite unapproachable and very short fused. So yes, being from here and then exposed to this lifestyle that just clicked with me. It was like here we go, there’s nothing wrong with me.
1989 and I helped my drag mother in a Mardi Gras show and we did some sort of Andrew Sisters come Rio, Peter Allenesque number. It was a rainy Mardi Gras and our costumes were soaking wet. Thank God we didn’t wear Ostrich plumes but I had volunteered my time with this person called Pat Gently who was a big drag queen on the scene at the time and I would come over to her house, stick the payets on and do whatever needed to be done for the production.
There was a group called the Scary Fairies. One of them was going away to do a casino show so I was asked to be in that troupe because I had volunteered my time. It was a perfect time where they needed a different direction and I could put my creative juices in. The three of us would sit all night making our head dresses together. We did a lot of shows at The Albury. I worked there for eight years. Mark Strykermeyer…. who was part of the Scary Fairies won the BAFTA for Priscilla Queen of the Desert for make-up and Pat was ignored by Priscilla but they used her laugh for Guy Pearce in the movie. They took a lot of drag queen elements and put them together in characters. I wasn’t asked to be involved with that movie. I went to London for 4 months. I had taught Mark Strykermeyer how to make skull caps and the base of head dresses. I’d come up with sculptured wigs way before that movie and when I was away the craft was being taught to Tim Chappel and the rest. They’ve tried to get the wigs made elsewhere and they beat me down in price time and time again..it was my thing at the time, people have tried to make them..you need the discipline to make 6 the same, not just one for yourself. I still get me to make the wigs for musicals around the world. Norwegian Cruises are putting it on 5 cruise ships for the next 5 years so they keep me involved. I’m sure they’d rather me not be involved.
When I came back from London Priscilla was being released and I was asked to the opening, previews, red carpet, inspiration for, you know. It won it’s Academy Award and Tim has an amazing career for costume design but in saying that he is a good designer, he draws very well but he was a barman at the Albury. Every Mardi Gras we see him and its…’Oh we owe you so much!’ and you know what.. just slip it into my account (laughs). That was a long time ago now.”