Phill StarrWhen I did a piece on Ruthie Henshall’s Norwich gig a while ago, I slipped in a little anecdote about my pipe cleaning days and a drag queen called Dockyard Doris. This sent me on a trip around You Tube to find old footage of the lovely Doris. I discovered a few clips but none worth showing to your nan. While I was digging, I stumbled across some old recordings of Phil Starr. Warm memories came flooding back of simpler days when a real belly laugh was easier to come by. Phil Starr was an old school drag queen comic with impeccable timing and a closet-full of shaggy dog stories, each with a witty twist. Cutting but never cruel, Phil started his career in the Fifties and played to packed pubs right up to his sudden death in 2005 at the age of 73. I saw Phil sprinkle his fairly dust in the East End and Brighton. I laughed so much, it hurt.

I’ve picked out one example for your delectation. It’s rude, just a little bit crude and not at all PC. Change channels now if you’re easily offended.

Imagine the absurdity of two openly gay, married, middle aged, middle class men escaping the liberal sanctuary of anonymous London to relocate to a Muslim country. I chronicled our exploits with the mad, the bad, the sad and the glad in a blog for the whole world to ignore. Then came the book which became a critically acclaimed best seller. Its success opened out a whole new career for me, firstly as an author, and now as an indie publisher. Who'd have thought it? Certainly not me. In June 2012, we ended our Anatolian affair and paddled back to Britain on the evening tide, washing up in Norwich, a surprising city in eastern England, then to the wilds of Norfolk as the only gays in the village. I’m sometimes nostalgic for our encounters with the hopeless, the hapless and, yes, the happy go lucky. They gave me an unexpected tale to tell and for this I thank them.

23 thoughts on “Phil Starr, Drag Star”

  6. You – and your readers – may like to hear that Maisie Trollette (David Raven) is doing a show to celebrate turning (whisper it) 80 at Brighton’s Theatre Royal on Sunday (August 18th) at 8 p.m.

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    1. Blimey, knew he was old but not that old. I preferred him in the old days when he was in the Trollettes in the 80s. I met them both at a party once. Very nice people. Shame they broke up. These days, of course, troll has a whole new, more sinister meaning.

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  8. We saw Phil starr and terry Dennis at the greyhound old ford road and the city arms many times happy days great stars

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  9. I used to love watching Phil at the various London venues in the 70’s, along with Shuff and Marc Fleming. Good old days, all live, no miming and if you were watching Marc, don’t get too close!!
    Not much about Marc on the Internet.

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  10. Brilliant. Remember Phil and Dockyard, two of the best. I was 25 and had just come out, oh how they made me laugh. Used to go to a pub and see them, pub next to Tesco in Bethnal Green x

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      1. I read above re. Cock and Comfort and thinking about it I think you’re right, I think it was there. So many pubs in the area have shut down, so sad

        Is there anyone similar to Phil or Dockyard that are still around? It’s so hard to find an artist of their caliber. I doubt there is anyone tbh

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