Hello from Hong Kong... and Osaka!
I've been in Japan for three days now and my feet have barely touched the floor since I arrived.
HK was brilliant, it's everything you'd ever want from a post-colonial capitalist machine - my time in the Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China was brilliant, a little sad and at times frightening.
During my time there I interviewed some local queer people as part of a podcast series for Tilt Asia - a new online platform launching this year. I spoke to drag queens, self proclaimed queer royalty and "foreigners" about equality in Asia and where they thought their battles lay - the results were astounding and a little saddening but as an out, married queer whose looking to start a family I found it extremely enlightening - I will let you know when the podcast is live.
On Friday I performed at Salon 10 - a private members hangout where the cool Kong-ers hang out and talk about art, expensive wine and politics. It was rammed - London cool still has currency in Asia.
No lights, no mic, no stage but all those years spent reigning in drunk punters in pubs has done me in good stead. A few camera phone flashes, a shoe box and ton of yelling sorted out the missing panache and the show was really well received. Cue 20 police men storming the venue asking everyone to remain in their position whilst we had a orange ribbon wrapped around us and were counted. After about 45 mins we were allowed to leave the room and nothing more was explained.
After being away from home for 20 days I was starting to feel homesick, then Theo Adams turned up and ironed me out of it with expensive cocktails and a trip to a secret restaurant! Google 'Mrs Pound'.
I left HK with mixed emotions - loved up from the warmth of the queer community, confused as to what the future holds for them and shaken by the increasing authoritarian hold the Chinese elephant in the room has over HK. HK is a bit fucked because in 1841 we decided that it belonged to us and in 1997 felt guilty so gave it back like a broken toy.
3 hours, a disappointing McDonald's and a successful swerve of a hefty excess baggage fee later we landed in Osaka, greeted by our old friend and collaborator Chycca Tatsumi!
Japan has already lived up to expectations - eye lid crease creators in makeup stores, silicone masks to sleep in and £1 shops with fun fare rides on top of them. I'm so excited about the next 10 days here - on Friday we're performing at Osaka's top show bar! Scream! We're shooting a short film in a love hotel this weekend (more on that in the next edition of the blog) and I'm writing a piece for i-D about a weird new club performance style! After that I'm going to jump on the bullet train to Tokyo for a quick shoot and a performance at Tokyo's fancyHIM's 10th Birthday!
Right, I'm off to eat katsu for breakfast and get ready to meet some local fat girls in a host bar who'll only talk to me (or any other tourist) if you buy them fried chicken! Fucking love Japan. X
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