The new British drag docu-series ‘Drag Queens of London’, which wrapped earlier this month, features some of London’s most well-known drag queens. In part nine of our exclusive Q&A series with the queens of the show, we get to know drag newbie Violet Sparks (Nick) a little better as she spills the tee about herself and the show. Also be sure to check out our previous interviews with Meth, Rosie Beaver, Miss Cairo, Vanity von Glow, Vicki Vivacious, The Very Miss Dusty O, Silver Summers and Ruby Wednesday.
Meet Violet Sparks – ‘Drag Queens of London’
About ‘Violet Sparks’:
Drag name: Violet Sparks
Hometown: Bridlington, East Yorkshire
Current Location: London
Birthday: 7 March 1989
Zodiac Sign: Pisces
Interview:
Dragaholic: Why did you decide to use the name “Violet Sparks”?
Violet Sparks: For me, picking a drag name was a bit like naming a child. ‘Can’t pick Alesha because there was an Alesha at school that used to eat pencils’. In the end Violet passed the test and it instantly gave me a colour scheme to work with (which I haven’t stuck to for a while).
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D: How many years have you been doing drag?
VS: Years?! 4 months! Drag Queens of London was the perfect chance for me to have the boot up the backside I needed to do something I’d wanted to do for years but never found the right outlet or motivation. With a camera crew there, there’s less chance of me wussing out.
D: Who inspired you to do drag?
VS: The outrageously wonderful Rosie Beaver. She was the first drag queen I’d ever met, but meeting her first as Chris made me see that you don’t have to be a superhuman to do drag, I think there’s some drag in us all.
D: How competitive are you?
VS: I’m not really competitive because I actually don’t mind losing. I’m one of these sops that is like ‘as long as everyone has had fun’ and ‘I’m happy for the winner’ but you will see my competitive streak come out a little bit in episode 7 when me and Rosie fight amongst 28 men speed dating. You know at 4 o’clock in Tesco when all the reduced shite comes out and everyone’s fighting for the 9p cucumber. Yeah, it was a bit like that.
D: What are you strongest at in drag: makeup, hair, costume, performance or all of the above?
VS: None of the above. I accept I look like a Chernobyl offspring of Quagmire’s dad and a Hungarian shot putter, but I should really take that as a good thing, meaning I must be so masculine I can’t be feminised very much! But I am brand new to this drag merlakey and you’ll see me grow over the weeks. So much to learn! It’s bloody hard learning to drag!
D: What is your personality like out of drag?
VS: I think the show has portrayed me well, I’m just a fun loving sensitive guy, I struggle to be bitchy which I know is a great drag asset but I’m gunna have to settle for being a big softie!
D: How long does it take you to get in drag… from start to finish?
VS: Usually about 45 minutes, doesn’t take long to polish a turd. Took me an hour and a half for the Trannyshack Academy audition because I purposely took my time so I could weigh up the competition before I got on stage myself. It didn’t help.
D: Which celebrity/entertainer inspires you?
VS: I’m literally the worst gay ever, I’ve seen hardly any musicals, probably less than 50 films and can not keep up with who’s a celebrity and what for. Someone told me there’s a rapper called P-Jiz but I only remember this when I’m at work and daren’t google it to see if they’re winding me up. Also, who or what the fuck is Honey Booboo. I guess I’ll have to say Rosie Beaver again, she’s an entertainer after all…
D: What special talents do you have? (i.e. backflips, splits, firebreathing, etc.)
VS: I can waggle my tongue at a rate of 250 WPM. I need to get Guinness World Records in, that must be a record!
D: Who is your favorite queen from RuPaul’s Drag Race?
VS: I saw one episode and wanted to punch them all. Can I say Michelle Visage? She tweeted about me which is always nice!
D: If you had to choose three adjectives to describe your drag persona, what would they be?
VS: Hot-mess, Joyful, Sweet.
D: Do you design and produce your own outfits and costumes?
VS: I’m not the creative type I’m afraid. My philosophy is ‘why take the effort and money to create something when there’s children in Asia doing it for 5p an hour?’. Who am I to take their jobs away?!
D: What can people expect to see from you on the ‘Drag Queens of London’?
VS: My transition from a normal pedestrian 6 foot 5 bloke into a crazy fun-loving 6 foot 10 woman! An attempt to enter a drag competition, my first ever night out in drag on the pull, going speed dating, going on a follow up date and to top it all off my first ever public performance!
D: Which queen did you enjoy working with the most on the ‘Drag Queens of London’?
VS: Without a doubt Rosie. You could leave us in an empty room with a camera and we’d be laughing and chatting shit for hours on end!
D: Thank you so much for your time today. Is there anything you’d like to add before we go?
VS: On the very likely chance that the owner of Poundland is reading this, my dream is to open one of your stores with a giant pair of scissors. Don’t care where. Borth is lovely, they could do with one of your shops.
Watch ‘Drag Queens of London’ on London Live: Freeview 8, Sky 117, Virgin 159 and YouView 8.
Meet All of the ‘Drag Queens of London’
Meet ‘Drag Queens of London’ Star Meth >
Meet ‘Drag Queens of London’ Star Rosie Beaver >
Meet ‘Drag Queens of London Star’ Miss Cairo >
Meet ‘Drag Queens of London’ Star Vanity von Glow >
Meet ‘Drag Queens of London’ Star Bourgeoisie >
Meet ‘Drag Queens of London’ Star Vicki Vivacious >
Meet ‘Drag Queens of London’ Star The Very Miss Dusty O >
Meet ‘Drag Queens of London’ Star Silver Summers >
Meet ‘Drag Queens of London’ Star Ruby Wednesday >
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