alright usually when I’m introduced
people are put a lot louder than that so
we’re gonna do this again are you with
me
uh-huh all right we’re gonna do it again
help me welcome to the stage the one the
only the fabulous drag queen of Iceland
it’s go coast ah much better all right
as I’ve said I’m Coco Starr the drag
queen of Iceland and I’m here today to
talk to you about producing your own
possibilities now you’re probably
thinking to yourself who is this
gorgeous woman and what is she even
talking about now let me start with a
little history I’m originally from a
small town in the north of Iceland
called arc reading it’s lovely but it’s
not quite big enough for my creative
career self so four years ago I moved to
the big city of Reykjavik and I was yeah
you know it and I was expecting all the
glamour and glitz of career nightlife
and boy was I wrong there was really
nothing here for theatres and concerts
drinking dancing and hooking out and I
wanted so much more I was so surprised
there was no drag scene no cabaret and
barely anything was excited me my first
year here I constantly heard like why
aren’t there any queer events why aren’t
there any drag shows why doesn’t
somebody do something about that and I
totally agreed until I realized that I
am somebody and if I want this to happen
I can’t just sit around and complain
about it I need to stand up and make it
happen and of course it’s scary to start
thinking like that like what what am I
even doing and how am I gonna go about
doing it but hey fake it till you make
it right you guys all right now the
first thing I started doing in hopes of
inciting this changed was to simply talk
about it like what do we want to happen
who’s willing to do it with me and
before I knew it I was gravitated
towards other like-minded people that
wanted to see this change we were all
queer all into drag and we just wanted
to create a platform
to be fierce and fabulous and to share
our art with the world and without this
group of performers and helpers this
never would have happened but we got
together and decided to make our drag
show a grand drag show the likes of
which Iceland had not seen in years
kings queens career musicians cabaret
folk all crammed together into one
diverse variety show and before we knew
it we had a stellar lineup a welcoming
venue a confident attitude and a drag
field the rack steward was born and it
was a smashing success
so we decided to make it a monthly show
which still continues to this day three
years later it’s amazing to see how much
the entertainment scene has changed in
the last couple years and there’s so
much more diversity and variety now and
you can see it in all the shows popping
up the circus the Cabaret that the
improv shows the standup seen of course
the drag scene and behind all of those
are some somebodies we’ve got some balls
rolling to where we are today and it’s
amazing to see that people keep
producing things all over town in a
scene which did not exist just a few
years ago and today I produce two or
more drag shows per month and work as a
full-time entertainer in this scene
which did not exist just a few years ago
amazing no now what did I learn from
this well the first thing is simple you
cannot do this all by yourself
and I wish someone had bashed me over
the head with it from the beginning you
always need a second opinion a helping
hand a friendly face and you don’t know
everything and you can’t do everything
so always meet new people make new
friends and expand your arsenal I happen
to have the most wonderful manager slash
boyfriend he is simply the best and
together we’ll conquer the world and the
second thing I learned is that everyone
is faking it
seriously everyone is faking it fake it
till you make it it’s such a key thing
just keep on convincing yourself that
you’re the and then keep on keepin
I’ve used this attitude to get me places
I’ve performed across Europe and the USA
sometimes that sticky stages and
sometimes that fabulous festivals the
one thing all those gigs had in common
is that I pursued them relentlessly me
and my darling manager boyfriend have
sent out so many messages and emails
just to get these gigs
none of it was just a given and it just
shows that it takes a while to build up
your brand or your idea and now people
contact me from overseas and booked me
on their own initiative about time love
it
one of these gates that we pursued was
for me to become the lady of the
mountain
a female personification of Iceland
wearing a version of our national
costume reciting poetry at a formal
ceremony or on our national Independence
Day every city and town in Iceland has
their lady of the mountain it’s a very
honorable role and I’ve adored the
concept since I was a child and so we
pursued this opportunity relentlessly
and finding out who was in charge of
choosing the candidates messaging
everyone involved making gogo star
Reykjavik lady of the mountain became a
mission of fierce determination and
after months of messaging poking and
prodding we finally got an answer and
they were extremely intrigued by having
a drag queen fulfil the role ideas were
thrown around and we decided it would be
most fun for us to showcase me in the
National Day Parade itself
celebrating Iceland and its
progressiveness now to put this into
context it’s kind of like if a drag
queen were to portray a Disney princess
or a female superhero in an official
production it’s huge and so it was and
I’m happy to say that I am the first
drag lady of the mountain you can
now why am I telling you this what is my
point with this what can you take away
from this well it’s simple you can
create your own possibilities you can
make it happen now I don’t mean for
everyone to go out there and start
producing drag shows that would be a bit
weird no what I mean is for you to take
this and apply it to your own life look
at the possibilities that are waiting
for you and go out and pursue them it
can be something as simple as just
starting to make time and save up for a
trip abroad or something huge like
wanting to see plastic waste become a
thing of the past just start out by
talking about it create a discussion
find your people and make some magic and
don’t be afraid to take the first step
because the world is so much smaller
than you realize and so many influential
people all just a few degrees of
separations away from you and you can
get a lot of things done with just the
right attitude a few and a few
well-placed phone calls and emails it
takes a lot of time work and effort but
it’s always worth it and now to end this
on an inspirational quote here’s one
from our great contemporary poets miss
BJ Spears you want a hot body you want
to Bugatti you want a Maserati you
better work bitch you want a Lamborghini
sippin martinis look hot in a bikini you
better work
I’ve been goggle star thank you so much [Applause]
people are put a lot louder than that so
we’re gonna do this again are you with
me
uh-huh all right we’re gonna do it again
help me welcome to the stage the one the
only the fabulous drag queen of Iceland
it’s go coast ah much better all right
as I’ve said I’m Coco Starr the drag
queen of Iceland and I’m here today to
talk to you about producing your own
possibilities now you’re probably
thinking to yourself who is this
gorgeous woman and what is she even
talking about now let me start with a
little history I’m originally from a
small town in the north of Iceland
called arc reading it’s lovely but it’s
not quite big enough for my creative
career self so four years ago I moved to
the big city of Reykjavik and I was yeah
you know it and I was expecting all the
glamour and glitz of career nightlife
and boy was I wrong there was really
nothing here for theatres and concerts
drinking dancing and hooking out and I
wanted so much more I was so surprised
there was no drag scene no cabaret and
barely anything was excited me my first
year here I constantly heard like why
aren’t there any queer events why aren’t
there any drag shows why doesn’t
somebody do something about that and I
totally agreed until I realized that I
am somebody and if I want this to happen
I can’t just sit around and complain
about it I need to stand up and make it
happen and of course it’s scary to start
thinking like that like what what am I
even doing and how am I gonna go about
doing it but hey fake it till you make
it right you guys all right now the
first thing I started doing in hopes of
inciting this changed was to simply talk
about it like what do we want to happen
who’s willing to do it with me and
before I knew it I was gravitated
towards other like-minded people that
wanted to see this change we were all
queer all into drag and we just wanted
to create a platform
to be fierce and fabulous and to share
our art with the world and without this
group of performers and helpers this
never would have happened but we got
together and decided to make our drag
show a grand drag show the likes of
which Iceland had not seen in years
kings queens career musicians cabaret
folk all crammed together into one
diverse variety show and before we knew
it we had a stellar lineup a welcoming
venue a confident attitude and a drag
field the rack steward was born and it
was a smashing success
so we decided to make it a monthly show
which still continues to this day three
years later it’s amazing to see how much
the entertainment scene has changed in
the last couple years and there’s so
much more diversity and variety now and
you can see it in all the shows popping
up the circus the Cabaret that the
improv shows the standup seen of course
the drag scene and behind all of those
are some somebodies we’ve got some balls
rolling to where we are today and it’s
amazing to see that people keep
producing things all over town in a
scene which did not exist just a few
years ago and today I produce two or
more drag shows per month and work as a
full-time entertainer in this scene
which did not exist just a few years ago
amazing no now what did I learn from
this well the first thing is simple you
cannot do this all by yourself
and I wish someone had bashed me over
the head with it from the beginning you
always need a second opinion a helping
hand a friendly face and you don’t know
everything and you can’t do everything
so always meet new people make new
friends and expand your arsenal I happen
to have the most wonderful manager slash
boyfriend he is simply the best and
together we’ll conquer the world and the
second thing I learned is that everyone
is faking it
seriously everyone is faking it fake it
till you make it it’s such a key thing
just keep on convincing yourself that
you’re the and then keep on keepin
I’ve used this attitude to get me places
I’ve performed across Europe and the USA
sometimes that sticky stages and
sometimes that fabulous festivals the
one thing all those gigs had in common
is that I pursued them relentlessly me
and my darling manager boyfriend have
sent out so many messages and emails
just to get these gigs
none of it was just a given and it just
shows that it takes a while to build up
your brand or your idea and now people
contact me from overseas and booked me
on their own initiative about time love
it
one of these gates that we pursued was
for me to become the lady of the
mountain
a female personification of Iceland
wearing a version of our national
costume reciting poetry at a formal
ceremony or on our national Independence
Day every city and town in Iceland has
their lady of the mountain it’s a very
honorable role and I’ve adored the
concept since I was a child and so we
pursued this opportunity relentlessly
and finding out who was in charge of
choosing the candidates messaging
everyone involved making gogo star
Reykjavik lady of the mountain became a
mission of fierce determination and
after months of messaging poking and
prodding we finally got an answer and
they were extremely intrigued by having
a drag queen fulfil the role ideas were
thrown around and we decided it would be
most fun for us to showcase me in the
National Day Parade itself
celebrating Iceland and its
progressiveness now to put this into
context it’s kind of like if a drag
queen were to portray a Disney princess
or a female superhero in an official
production it’s huge and so it was and
I’m happy to say that I am the first
drag lady of the mountain you can
now why am I telling you this what is my
point with this what can you take away
from this well it’s simple you can
create your own possibilities you can
make it happen now I don’t mean for
everyone to go out there and start
producing drag shows that would be a bit
weird no what I mean is for you to take
this and apply it to your own life look
at the possibilities that are waiting
for you and go out and pursue them it
can be something as simple as just
starting to make time and save up for a
trip abroad or something huge like
wanting to see plastic waste become a
thing of the past just start out by
talking about it create a discussion
find your people and make some magic and
don’t be afraid to take the first step
because the world is so much smaller
than you realize and so many influential
people all just a few degrees of
separations away from you and you can
get a lot of things done with just the
right attitude a few and a few
well-placed phone calls and emails it
takes a lot of time work and effort but
it’s always worth it and now to end this
on an inspirational quote here’s one
from our great contemporary poets miss
BJ Spears you want a hot body you want
to Bugatti you want a Maserati you
better work bitch you want a Lamborghini
sippin martinis look hot in a bikini you
better work
I’ve been goggle star thank you so much [Applause]
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