Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.08.2019, Síða 23

Deff Becomes Her

Enter a shemanic trance at Pride
Deff is a powerful presence in the Reyk-
javík drag scene. The alter-ego of Nev-
ille J. Ingley, Deff deliv-
ers energetic, fast and
physical performances.
At a recent drag mara-
thon head l i ned by
iconic US queen Detox,
they were a bewitch-
ing whirl of colour
that dominated the big
stage of Gamla Bíó, making hearts race,
jaws drop and faces crack.
Shortly after that show, Deff relo-
cated to Portland. But for one night only
during Reykjavík Pride, they’ll return
to Iceland to stage a new show entitled
‘Shemanic Trance.’ An ambitious group
effort, it will also featuring Hans, Char-
donnay Bublée, Miss Mokki, and Skaði,
amongst others.
The show was successfully crowd-
f u n d e d — a l t h o u g h
getting to the target
amount was a bumpy
ride. “Everything is
quite last minute in
Iceland, so it was a huge
risk,” says Deff, speak-
ing on Sk y pe from
Portland. “I did it ‘all-
or-nothing,’ which was stupid. But I had
a lot of support from close friends and
people who are really into what I do, and
they made it possible to put it on.”
A Starr is born
Deff’s relationship to drag has been in
a state of evolution of late, as evidenced
by a recent Facebook status addressing
both the content of the show, and their
relationship with drag as a discipline.
“It’s been hard to express why I’m frus-
trated with drag as a whole,” Deff ex-
plains. “A lot of the RuPaul’s Drag Race
queens have been doing McDonalds ads
and selling Coke and Starbucks; becom-
ing what I think drag is the opposite of.
To me, drag is an anti-establishment,
punk-rock kind of thing. It’s not about
fame-seeking and capitalism.”
Dropping the “Starr”—taken from
Deff’s drag mother Gógó Starr—was
a part of this evolution. “I wanted to
put away an old part of myself,” says
Deff. “It was never intended to upset
my drag mum, but I felt that the name
had significance about wanting to be a
star. Really, as a teenager, I just wanted
to be a starving artist. I wanted to create
something for people to feel inspired
by. I was thinking these things, and
listening to an old Björk song called
“I Go Humble,” and it all just clicked. I
want to take away everything that feels
superficial, and allow myself more time
to focus on producing great work.”
High-art drag
‘Shemanic Trance’ will be Iceland’s first
chance to get a look at the refocused,
rejuvenated, powered-up version of
Deff. “The name of the show came from
Gógó,” says Deff. “She once said that
when I perform, I go into a shamanic
trance. And I said: ‘Don’t you mean sh-
emanic?’ And it became a joke. Then I
was thinking about what shamans do:
they heal people, and help communities.
That came together with the fact that
I’m getting more political and thinking
more about my art.”
For anyone interested in drag, it’s a
must see show. “It’ll be high-art drag
with a message,” Deff finishes. “As I said
in that Facebook status: I’m not really
here to entertain you, I’m here to make
you feel.”
Words:
John Rogers
Photo:
Kollin Schafer
Words:
Alexander Le
Sage de Fontenay
Photo:
Art Bicnick
CULTURE
NEWS
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Deff will see you now
ZAAR’s Playground
The Danish singer-songwriter-producer on her year in Iceland,
and creating new instruments
Sara Flindt is a 22-year-old singer-
songwriter-producer born in Silk-
eborg, Denmark. She moved to Aar-
hus to study music when she was 18,
and has spent the past year studying
music at FÍH music school in Reyk-
javík. Her recent work—created as
alter-ego ZAAR—has been heard at
festivals such as Roskilde (Denmark),
G! Festival (Faroe Islands), Iceland
Airwaves and, most recently, at an
intimate church concert at LungA
festival in East Iceland.
For Sara, music came quite natu-
rally from a young age. “I’ve never had
to push making music. I just do it be-
cause it feels good, and I’ve had sup-
portive people around,“ she says. “I
grew up with my great grandmother’s
out of tune piano, a broken trumpet,
Drag show
‘Shemanic Trance’
is at Gaukurinn
on August 16th.
Tickets are on sale
at midi.is priced
3,000 ISK
Music
Listen to ZAAR’s
most recent
music on
Spotify. Go to
facebook.com/
ZAAR.DK for
her upcoming
events and
follow her on
Instagram via @
zaar.music
a harmonica, and my mom’s age-old
experience singing in choirs.”
Sara has found that her biggest
inspiration in music comes from
her environment. “I live in Árbær,
where I usually fall asleep to the
sound of a river,” she says. “You can
see Snæfellsjökull glacier through
the windows when its not cloudy.
It’s hard to find words to describe
this place, and its best experienced
live and in the present.”
Through ZAAR, another of Sara’s
childhood dreams—to become
an inventor—has now become a
reality. “My current setup consists
of a number of effect pedals, a loop
station and a drum machine,” she
says. “The pedals are my playground
and my way to create my own
instruments and escape the classical
expectations of vocals. There are
no rules on my playground, and
everyone is welcome to join me.”
Sara w il l continue to work
with numerous creatives she has
teamed up with like ceramicist
Antonía Bergþórsdóttir, violinist
Rakel Sigurðardóttir, singer Salóme
Katrín and textile designer Ása Bríet
Bratta. Last month saw the release
of her single “Our Love Is Dead”—
the first from her upcoming EP ‘Lost
My Sense Of Humour’. “Tied-in with
the release,” she finishes, “I will
play some shows with my band in
Denmark, which is very exciting!”
Indoor Demons Unite
Innipúkinn Festival 2019
August 2nd-4th - Grandi -
3,990 ISK day tickets, 6,990 ISK
weekend wristband
While sensible people get through
summer by sweating indoors with
some ice-cream, and having a West
Wing marathon, even the
staunchest innipúki (“indoor
demon”) has to go out sometime. A
holiday weekend is as good a time
as any: most Reykjvíkingur flee to
the countryside, and those who
remain congregate at Grandi for
some cutting-edge music, DJs, a
market, and some revelry in the
theoretical sun. Go on, come out,
you can do it! JR
Shaka Brah
Arctic Surfers RVK Surf School
August 9th-11th - Arctic Surfers -
39,000 ISK
If balancing your workload with
your social life and the spiritual
needs of your emotional-support
gecko is beginning to feel too easy,
perhaps try balancing on an actual
surfboard on the IRL sea. The RVK
Surf School gang will provide the
gear and the know-how, all you
need to do is show up and...try not
to fall over, I guess. Is there more to
surfing than that? We don’t know,
we haven’t been to Surf School. JG
All The Oumph!
Vegan Festival 2019
August 11th - 12:00 - Thorsplan -
Free!
All hail the cruelty free God! Yes,
as it is every year, the Icelandic
Vegan Society is here with their
annual Vegan Festival, the best
place to kneel down and profess
your devotion to plant-based
proteins. If you worship animals,
want to save the environment, and
hate capitalism, bring yo’ funds
and indulge. We hope there will be
grilled “cheese.” HJC
“I’m not really
here to entertain
you. I’m here to
make you feel.”