Aussie drag legend Maxi Shield talks with Your Ex about Palmy Drag Fest, looking like a ‘mongrel’ and closing the Olympics!
What do you consider the greatest moment of your drag career so far?
I’m so lucky to have a career that has spanned 27 years and counting. From touring with Madonna to performing at the closing of the Sydney Olympics… One moment that really sits with me as magic was many years ago. I did a newspaper article in a national newspaper about keeping Syndey’s Oxford Street alive. The picture was of me outside a restaurant in a glamorous pink dress. The newspaper came out on the Sunday, and my grandfather (then 84 years old) messaged me with, “Hey Maxi, just saw the newspaper. You look great in pink, love Pop.”
What inspired you to first get into drag?
I grew up in a big, blended family with lots of brothers and sisters, in a small town called Clermont in Central Queensland. At no point did we think we were a poor family, but definitely our parents worked very hard to make sure we had what we needed. So fancy games and computers weren’t really our thing. What was our thing was the communal dress-up box, where we all got to dress up into whatever we wanted. And as glamorous as we wanted… Of course, I ended up being the schoolteacher, lead singer of a girl group, stripper… We would all run around like fools laughing and having the best time. So from a very early age, I’ve associated drag with fun and happiness… I guess I was destined to become a drag queen!
Find Out More & Get Your Tickets HERE!
Over the years, what are the biggest changes you have seen take place on the Aussie drag scene?
Technology: from advancements in makeup, to lighting, cameras, music and wigs. Right from the start, when you decide to ‘give drag a go,’ there is so much information out there, like Youtube tutorials. You literally can leave the house, your first time in drag, looking a million bucks! There really is no ugly duckling stage anymore, which is a real shame. There is something about going out looking like a ‘mongrel’ that helps develop your character and personality. All I can say is thank goodness there were no camera phones when I started! Wow wee, I am happy to own up to most of the black and white photos that may pop up, but Maxi’s wilderness years were very much in the wilderness!
What are your top tips for the baby drag artists out there?
Go out and have fun. Don’t go out looking for work. If you are good enough, work will find you. We all need to remember that drag is a part of the entertainment industry, which is about 95% ‘no’s’. This just makes you work harder.
What can we expect from your performance at Palmy Drag Fest?
Hunny, you are going to get glamour Maxi from head to toe. My performance is inspired by one that I saw many years ago. I refer to that time as ‘BD’ – ‘before drag’. This goddess had me transfixed and changed my life forever. I look forward to recreating that for Palmy Drag Fest!
Catch Maxi Shield performing at Palmy Drag Fest on Saturday, 5 October, at Palmerston North’s iconic Regent on Broadway.
Find Out More & Get Your Tickets HERE!
