He is shy and has piercing blue eyes, but his lashes are worn out, having endured years of mascara and glue from fake extensions.
Dressed in blue jeans and a t-shirt, Aaron Farley appears conservative, like the striped scarf knotted tightly around his neck.
But his straight posture gives clues to his profession.
“I don’t see myself as a woman inside at all. I am a man and I live my life like that. And to me it’s just a fantasy; drag is just a way to express yourself, it’s like a costume.”
By day, Aaron teaches children dancing. But every weekend for the last ten years, Aaron has transformed into Minnie Cooper: a diva who entertains the ever-changing audiences at The Newtown Hotel and the newly reopened Imperial Hotel in Erskineville.
During his time as Minnie Cooper, Aaron says the Sydney drag scene has changed.
“It has been very quiet over the last few years because of all the places shutting down.”
Home to the original show that inspired the film Pricilla Queen of the Desert, The Imperial is an iconic venue for Sydney’s gay and lesbian
community and when it shut down three years ago, it greatly disrupted the gay scene in the inner-west.
“I think a lot of [the gay community] moved out when the Imperial shut down,” says Aaron. “I think it being shut for so long was not good for the hotel.”
Then in 2007, the Newtown Hotel shut its doors – at which time The Imperial was also closed – leaving Sydney’s drag queens with only seven venues to perform at, most of them in the eastern suburbs.
The Imperial reopened ten months ago and Aaron admits getting the crowds back to the inner west after such a long time has been tough.
Audiences’ expectations have also changed with pop culture trends in the years since the Imperial closed.
Contemporary drag performances are now more feminine – or “fierce” as Aaron calls it – and this new type of show appeals to younger audiences who are now heading out to bars.
“I think drag is very much a comment on popular culture and popular culture isn’t very camp these days, it’s overtly sexual. Camp drag is verging on being non-existent.”
With a convincing stare and hands that emphasise each point with a tap on the table, Aaron speaks about the future of drag and it is clear he has by no means lost faith in this glamorous industry.
It appears Sydney audiences haven’t either.
“There has been a bit of resurgence [in attendance to drag shows] over the last ten months,” Aaron says.
“Not having places to work doesn’t give drag a chance to nurture and grow either, so now with more venues I think drag will grow and hopefully creative people will come out of that.”
By Gina McKeon & Anna Shapiro
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