Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.02.2018, Síða 40

40The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 02 — 2018
Gógó Starr, the alter ego of Sigurður
Heimir, is the reigning drag queen of
Iceland and a founding member of Drag-
Súgur, a monthly queer variety show.
Gógó is one of Iceland’s top variety enter-
tainers, hosting weekly drag events, and
performing all over town, in addition to
touring internationally.
“I never thought I would be doing what
I am doing today,” says GóGó. “My
dreams of being an entertainer didn’t
manifest until I started to come of
age, accepting myself for who I am and
owning my insecurities and weirdness.
It’s only then that I started to pay closer
attention to the things that inspire me
to do what I want to do.”
Iconic stage presences
I’ve always loved creative people with a
powerful stage presence and fabulous
iconic outfits. Freddie Mercury, David
Bowie and Lady Gaga are some of my
favourite icons that inspire me to be
my fun and fabulous self and shine as
bright as I can.
Icelandic divas
From the uniqueness of artists like Björk,
to the fabulousness of performers like
Páll Óskar—Iceland seems to ooze crea-
tivity. It’s amazing to see other Iceland-
ers having their voice heard all over the
world. A personal idol of mine has got to
be Silvía Night. If you ask me, she’s the
most famous Icelandic drag queen. For
her hand in opening Icelandic media up
to drag, I salute her.
Queer movies
‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ had
such an impact on me when I first saw
it as a teenager. It was my first time
seeing someone fuck with gender ex-
pression, and that has intrigued me
ever since. ‘Party Monster’ is another
movie that sat with me. Got me think-
ing that if you want something new to
happen—you make it happen yourself.
Where there’s a will there’s a way... and
probably a whole lot of drugs along the
way.
Comedy sketches
Silly slapstick comedy sketch-shows
have always been favourites of mine,
and really helped me find the type of
humour I want to present on stage. The
most memorable performers that I take
inspiration from are Rowan Atkinson,
Laddi and Edda Björgvins. Making peo-
ple laugh without saying a single word
is my favorite thing to do.
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Where would we be without Drag Race?
This show has opened a lot of doors
and truly put Drag on the map of mod-
ern Pop Culture. Seeing the variety of
drag queens presented on the show and
all the different things drag can do is
eye-opening, making a lot of people in-
terested in local drag. This resurgence
of drag has allowed me and so many
others to travel the world and perform
to new audiences, and I do not think
that would be possible without this
amazing show.
Drag-Súgur and Reykjavík Kabarett
Being a founding member of Drag-
Súgur as well as an active member of
Reykjavík Kabarett is absolutely in-
credible. To be a part of this wave that
is literally changing the face of Rey-
kjavík’s entertainment culture is sim-
ply invigorating. In this field I get to
work with a whole lot of truly amazing
people, and their ambition and drive
continues to inspire me to do my best,
and go beyond the mould that has been
set before us.
I feel that there are a few people
alongside me that are the driving force
of this newfound nightlife revolution,
and the brightest and most inspiring
star among them must be Miss Mokki,
aka Margrét Erla Maack. Her drive and
dedication knows no bounds, and con-
tinues to inspire me and others to keep
up with her on our way to world domi-
nation.
Culture
Queer Culture, RuPaul And
Icelandic Divas
A few of Gógó Starr's favourite things
MAKING OF
AN ARTIST
Words:
Gógó Starr
Photo:
oto Kaspar
Bekeris
GoGo Starr in performance
gpv.is/making
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