Mark Anthony is a Drag King like no other. After winning the fifth season of Not Another Drag Competition, Mark has been a regular fixture on the scene – performing their unique mix of burlesque comedy to an appreciating audience all over the country. With appearances at Drag World 2018 and London Southbank’s Outdoor Stage with Bar Wotever, Mark is quickly becoming someone you need to keep your eyes on. Our Creative Director John Brock caught up with Mark in a bar above a roundabout for a chat about all things King and what the future holds for the performer who puts the ‘D’ in dashing.
How does it feel to be the first drag king to win Meth’s Not Another Drag Competition?
It still feels surreal to be honest. I feel incredibly proud. I put everything into the competition and worked incredibly hard to listen to feedback and improve myself every week. There was another King in the competition, Chiyo, and I honestly thought if it came down to the two of us that Chiyo would take it so it was a massive surprise to win. Now I just want to use this platform as much as I can for other Kings.
How did you get your drag name?
I studied ancient history at University and it was a name that sprung out from that – Anthony and Cleopatra. He is like the fuck boy of ancient history. Depictions of him always have him rocking the guy liner and being pretty camp. People just assume I mean JLO’s ex boyfriend and I often think maybe I should just stick with that cos its easier to explain!
Who inspired you to do drag?
I’ve been doing drag for just over 2 years now and I’ve evolved massively since I began. I used to do Bruce Springsteen and stuff like that – I still do a little bit of that but now its more camp and sparkle and rhinestones. Thats what I really took from the competition being surrounded by so many drag queens – adding a glamorous element to my drag. Drag Kings aren’t seen as glamorous cos a lot of us make such radical political work and try to shy away from all that as that’s what drag queens do. The fact that it’s much harder to make a living as a king doesn’t help – we’re all broke and we don’t have the same networks of people willing to make stuff for us – but it’s definitely possible to be creative with very few resources. There is value in putting on a show for people. It’s escapism and it gives people hope. Men’s clothes are boring! They are navy and white and blue and black and that’s basically your options – or a funky “Hawaiian” print and that’s all you’re offered now. I’m trying to find new ways of making menswear more interesting – and how to take it off!
Who inspires you now?
The first video I saw of a King was by Spikey Van Dykey who is one of the most famous Drag Kings in America. Then I came across UK Kings like Adam All and I started going to shows. Adam All and Benjamin Butch were the first Kings I met and they both encouraged me to give it a go.
The people I look up to now are not necessarily Drag Kings – people like Travis Alabanza, FKA, Rhys’ Pieces, Meth, Lilly Snatchdragon and Pi the Mime. They’re all people who make work that challenges gender and the idea of what Drag is and should be. The competition has opened me up to a lot of burlesque as well and its really exciting cos I feel like I have managed to break out of the box I thought Drag Kings had to sit in.
What is Mark Anthony about?
I’ve been thinking about this a lot since the competition. I’ve taken this catchphrase from one of the judges to describe what I am doing – “rhinestoning masculinity”. I think they said it as a joke and actually it is what I am doing. Mark is a character who isn’t completely distinct from me – he is a complete exaggeration of the masculinity I have in myself and the personality that I have and elements of the masculinity I have inside me. I think there is something positive in showing a side of masculinity that is a bit camp and a bit soft. It’s what I envision a positive masculinity could be like instead of the toxic side of masculinity that a lot of cis men are raised into and think they can’t escape. It’s trying to push and reinterpret the heart-throb thing that people are attracted to (against their better judgement) and thats what I try to tap into.
Is it easier nowadays for people to get into Kinging if they wanted to than say 5 years ago? What can we do to continue that?
Although drag kings are still hugely underrepresented in the scene at large, there are benefits to being still sort of underground in comparison to drag queens – thanks to Drag Race; there are less rules to what we have to be. Like all that “if you’re not wearing nails, you’re not doing drag” bullshit, Kings just go “is that what you’re wearing? …cool” and you do what you want. However you choose to explain it to people, they are more open to accepting that in the King community. There has been a complete explosion of Drag Kings on the scene and this is helped by things like Man Up! the competition at the Glory every year. I entered one year and didn’t make it through the heat!
Do you have any advice for anyone starting out as a performer?
I’d say don’t try and decide who you are from the off-set. Let it grow organically. I made the mistake of thinking what niche I was going to fit in and what my character was gonna be, what sort of performance I was going to do and that limited me. So I’d say fumble along a bit and enjoy yourself and you’ll be fine. I think a lot of people, especially on social media, have this packaged presence and you’re like “I need to be that” and its fine not to be. The other thing is go and watch as much drag, cabaret and as many things as possible as you’ll learn new things and meet new people and thats how you get better.
Is there anyone you’d like to perform with in the future?
I performed with Lilly Snatchdragon in a double act for Pride at Her Upstairs so I’ve ticked that one off. It was fairly terrifying but a very proud and meaningful moment for me. I’d say Meth but that is a terrifying idea as well!
What is next for Mark?
I’d love to do my own show one day at the Edinburgh Fringe. There aren’t many Kings who have done that as far as I know. It’s a very difficult thing to do especially by yourself. Perhaps in the next few years! It’d be nice to have my own show or run my own show, either on my own or with a few other people.
I want to get more into Burlesque – there’s a niche there for me. Doing burlesque as a trans-masculine person is not done very often. To be able to present a body that is male but not male in the way that people are expecting is something thats very important to me and I am spending a lot of time going to burlesque shows and meeting people in that scene to learn as much as I can about the art.
I’m also in the process of getting involved with the gay fetish-wear scene in London – another place that trans-masculine people are hugely underrepresented if not invisible. I’d love to get more into fetish-wear modelling, which is not something I would ever have considered before NADC! Not all trans men look like the tall, hugely muscular, “typically masculine” few that are represented in the media, and I think it’s important that bodies like mine, that may not have had surgery and are not considered typically masculine or even “androgynous” are seen and validated just as much – plus I look great in leather.
Follow Mark Anthony on Facebook or Instagram.
Photo by Tom Ziebell.
