We talk to queer punk BABY LAME ahead of ‘Shit Show’ at The Glory
We were very excited to finally catch up with BABY LAME, the outrageous queer icon bringing anarchic cabaret to The Glory this Friday with ‘Shit Show‘.
Tell us about BABY LAME’S SHIT SHOW!? Should we brace ourselves?
All I’m going to say is leave your inhibitions at the door for this one!
‘Shit Show‘ is a brand new queer cabaret night hosted by Baby Lame that aims to chaotically merge DIY, experimental and shamelessly trashy performances together under one roof. Imagine if John Waters curated The Royal Variety Show…that should give you a very good idea of what we are aiming for! The night is a conscious shift to a more punk style of performance, so many cabaret nights in London nowadays pride themselves on having high production values and an overall ‘slickness’, which in my opinion can translate to quite predictable and boring experiences for audiences.
With ‘Shit Show’ I wanted to bring back some risk, chaos and lowbrow fun to a cabaret night. We have some insanely talented acts booked for the first show including Double Pussy Clit F*ck from Glasgow, trash queen Shakondda, Tete Bang, Ragina and a really exciting new fire act called Lady Noelia who is a pyromaniac filth bag! Add to that Baby Lame’s ‘unique’ style of hosting and it should be a deliciously rancid night for all!
Who or what inspired you to create the BABY LAME character? Plus where did the name come from?
Well Baby began life as a ‘Whatever Happened to Baby Jane’ tribute act with an added dash of Honey Boo Boo child, but over the last few years the character has developed and she has taken on a whole new life of her own!
I like to describe her as a grotesque modern day Frankenstein constructed out of today’s trashy pop culture icons – there’s a bit of Britney in there, some Whitney, some Lilo, topped off with a bit of Joan Rivers. People who know me may very well say that the character is a heightened extension of my own personality – which is a pretty terrifying concept to get my head around! Performer wise, David Hoyle, Dina Martina and Divine have all been big inspirations for me.
What are your favourite places to go in London? (To eat, to relax, to party etc.)
One of my favourite places to hang out is Hackney Wick – home to the Counter Cafe which in my opinion serves the best breakfast in London plus I think The Yard Theatre is one of London’s most exciting theatre spaces. You also can’t go wrong with The Glory at the moment – Jonny Woo and the team work tirelessly to keep things fresh and are not afraid to take risks, which I think is obvious when you see how varied their programming is there. Party wise – I love me some Debbie and Mariah & Friendz (both at The Resistance Gallery), unpretentious, good music and plenty fitties!
Photo from IloveMarkets.com
What are your favourite free or cheap things to do in London?
It’s all about Deptford Market for me – the junk market is always a winner. The stuff you can find there is so brilliantly bizarre and CHEAP! I like going armed with a tenner and then see how much treasure I can get with it, it’s the only market I’ve been to where you can find used sex toys, 80’s collectibles and vintage furniture all on one stall!
I am Joint Editor at To Do List. I like free, cheap & offbeat London, especially: cabaret, art, theatre, pop-ups, eating out, quirky films, museums, day trips, social enterprise & much more.
