Wurst Wins

So against all my expectations Conchita Wurst has won the Eurovision Song Contest for Austria.   As I have been so busy making my own music I have not been following the competition I am in no position to comment on the quality of any of the songs, but I am not at all about her look, or what this will do for general attitudes to the trans community.

Even without the beard I find her look to be a little too high camp, a little too close to "drag" for my taste, with the beard it is just plain confusing.   Personally when I am out I want to be treated like a lady, this involves behaving like a lady.   Part of this is looking as much as possible like a lady.   I don't fool myself that I pass, but I am close enough that people generally treat me appropriately for my presentation.   I know how I want to be treated so that tells me how I have to look, so I try not to look like a hooker (either type!) some one who has raided her smaller teenage daughter's wardrobe, or most of all a transvestite.

Now this maybe because I self identify as a trans woman, not as a transvestite or as a female impersonator, both of which are men in women's clothes, rather I am a woman wearing the right clothes, it's just the body that's wrong.   I will wait and see what effect another high profile fellow traveller will have on general attitudes, I suspect that Conchita's influence will not be as positive as Grayson Perry's.

Just One !?!?

So today's challenge from Paula,

What one person from history would you most like to spend a day with? And Why?

Mmmm, tricky one this.   I think one of the problems is that there are just so many figures to choose between.   It's a bit like Desert Island Disks only being limited to only one choice.   Certainly the one person who has changed World History more than any other, was also probably the most charismatic person ever as well, of course I mean Jesus of Nazareth, so why wouldn't I select Jesus? well I spend some time each day with Jesus as it is, I also suspect that this might just be missing the point.

While I am writing this I have an old recording of "I Claudius" running on the TV, which makes me wonder about the great Roman's or other Classical heroes.   We have such a choice Alexander? Hadrian?  Caesar? Brutus? or going back further Homer? or may be even Achilles or Odysseus.   Having said all that I can't think that it would be that much fun.

More recently we have Nelson or Wellington, but I understand that Wellington was a bit of a bore, and that Nelson was "so up himself" that a whole day might be a bit trying.  Churchill liked his brandy, I will admit to being a little partial to a drop myself, but I think the cigars might be a bit of a turn off.

Considering this question makes me realise that most of the great figures in history were very single minded, and that tends to mean that they would probably not be very good company, so maybe I should choose Eric Morecambe, or Stan Laurel.    They would certainly be more fun, but if I could only choose one person it would be the most important one there is, it would be my father.   He died just over 20 years ago and I still miss him, so much has happened in that 20 years that I could tell him about.   He would have loved being a grandfather and would have been very good at it, much better than my Mother is at being a Grand Mother, or than I am at being a father, maybe he could have given me a few tips at being a father and a husband, two things I don't seem to have been very good at.   More to the pint I could tell him just how god a father he was, and how much I miss him.

If this counts as cheating then I would have to plumb for Joseph Paxton, architect, engineer, designer, gardener and M.P. the talent and range of the man is simply staggering, just so long as I could get him to take off his hat.

Cybil ~ maybe

A while back I was asked in my mind (or probably more accurately in my dreams) who I would like to look as a woman, I was a little flummoxed at the time, and thinking of the way I try to come across the only name that came to mind was Angela Rippon, the BBC news reader of a few years ago.   She is a lady with style poise, and a sense of humour, oh yes and great legs, bothy shown off on the Morecambe and Wise show.

I love this shot of her dancing with Ernie!

But thinking about this in a little more depth, well not much more who would I really like to look like, well although she is actually eight years older than me I would now say Cybil Shepherd, obviously when younger she was stunning to look at in every way, but now she is older she still has it, apparently not afraid to age and still be beautiful. But the thing for me is her smile, most men would do anything for that smile, and I suspect most women as well.

I'm sorry Cybil if a couple of these photos are ones you would rather forget, but at least I resisted the temptation to show one of you in your underwear from "The Last Picture Show" 

So there you have a little insight into the black holes of my mind, and a gratuitous opportunity to put up some pretty pictures.

No Hugs

I am a little disappointed that no body commented on my heroes, so a short explanation of who they are and why they are heroes.

• Fran Cotton was the England and British Lions prop (he played both sides but best as a lose head) when I first started playing Rugby.   He was a towering presence on and off the rugby field, both as a player and as a captain he exemplified the hard, physical but fair way the game was played at the time.   He was very strong, very big and worked very hard at his game and his technique I don't think we have seen his like on the rugby pitch since.   After retiring from playing he became a voluntary administrator and amongst other things he managed the successful 1997 Lions tour of South Africa.   He is still busy trying to drag the RFU into the 21st Century.   As well as all of this he founded and is CEO of Cotton Traders - not bad for a poor lad from "oop north"
• Sir Joseph Paxton was a gardener, who refused to be limited by his position, he designed the Crystal Palace, laid out the grounds and more or less invented the modern public park.   Although his attention was often on the effect he was still by all accounts an excellent plants man, bringing new species cultivation in the UK.   Having lived all my life in the shadow of the Crystal Palace Sir Joe has always been a figure of inspiration in my life.
• To say John Fletcher played the Tuba is a bit like saying Leonardo painted a bit, he was the principle with the LSO and Philip Jones but it was as a soloist that he reached a level of fame listen to this and this and you will see why.   Fletch was the first real virtuoso on the tuba there have been a few since but he paved the way.   He was also a really nice bloke who was never slow to acknowledge others abilities, I think I learnt more from Fletch in 10 minutes than from other teachers over months.   The only trouble is that after hearing Fletch they expect us all to be able to do it.
• Stana taught me that cross dressing did not have to be about sex and degradation.   Here was a proud lady happy in herself and making the most of the lots life had cast  for her.   It is only through reading Femulate that Paula came to life and Paula's Place exists.

Heroes



Fran Coton

In conversation the other day the question of heroes came up, I admitted to three Joseph Paxton, John Fletcher and Fran Cotton, I then observed that they were not three names you would often hear in the same sentence.   Add Stana to the list and it all becomes even more unlikely.   I propose to give a prize of a virtual hug to anyone who can identify who these three are, and why they are heroes.

Stana

Sir Joseph Paxton



John Fletcher