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Gay
of the Gab: Justin Bond
Published in Boyz
magazine
It was a standard night at Duckie six years ago when I suddenly clocked an odd looking drag queen with a bird's nest wig and drawn-on wrinkles; she tottered unsteadily through the side door then disappeared into the backstage area. Minutes later, accompanied by a meek and mild piano player, she erupted onto the stage in a burst of energy that mixed jubilation with fury. "My name's Kiki," she announced, "and this here is Herb. We are Kiki and Herb ON FIRE!"
I
pushed my way through to the front and was instantly caught up in the spectacle
of this batty old dame, necking whisky and banging out tunes by Bonnie Tyler
while reminiscing about the old days. I could feel my pulse racing and my
smile was so wide it threatened to split my face in two. It was like somebody
had sifted through the contents of my mind and found exactly the thing I
was looking for before I even knew I needed it.
Kiki and Herb make me so happy, everything about them is right - from the shambolic performance and drunken misbehaviour to the passion that the foil betrays. When I watch them I feel cleansed, all my bitterness is soothed as the vileness of life is dissected and thrown in the trash. I laugh and cry and ache and seethe, it's an emotional exorcism.
So I already loved Kiki then I saw the person behind the character, Justin Bond, I couldn't believe my eyes. He had long blond hair, was dressed to the nines and had a wicked little look in his eyes. I stood gawking at him like a slack jawed fool and he seemed amused by my confusion. I scurried away to try and pluck up the courage to speak to him but in the end just got drunk and screamed "I love you", he laughed and kissed my cheek. I pursued him for a while then, foolishly, he spoke to me and allowed me to be his friend. He'll never get rid of me now!
I saw Kiki and Herb around 40 times and, now a solo artist, Justin continues to enthral me. My highlight of last year was seeing him in Central Park performing the songs of The Carpenters as the sun set across Manhattan; then earlier this year I took a trip to Munich where he was involved in a mind-blowing multi-media performance with the Big Art Group. Were you at the show he did with David Hoyle a couple of years back? The night was such a mesmerising battle of wit that no one I know could remember a single word of it afterwards; we just knew we'd been there because our jaws ached from laughing.
I look forward to every performance and encounter with Justin enormously and my life is richer for knowing this person who can inspire and teach me. He is strong, intelligent, witty and endearing. He's also, at certain times, a complete bastard. I'd hate it if he was perfect.
A lot of people don't understand platonic love but I can think of nothing nicer than having a beautiful androgynous presence who appears for a few weeks to provide merriment and entertainment, then disappears again leaving you to bask in the memories. Aside from his talent, it's the genderless quality that appeals - he is someone who lives their life beyond the pink and blue and doesn't even recognise what's suppose to be "male" or "female". People like this are the only ones who make sense to me, and those who bring me the most joy.
