JODIE HARSH
Drag queen and DJ Jodie Harsh, 34, pulls back the curtain to pose publicly as her “boy” self for the first time. Meet James… Why is now the right time to introduce James? It’s not something I ever thought I’d do. I am a very private person when I’m not working, and I like to keep the separation between Jodie and Jay. But [ Attitude editor in chief] Cliff asked me if I would do it, and I thought it was a cool idea, and also about time. If I don’t do a picture with me out of drag, I’ll blink, be 40, and wish I’d had that moment.
What kind of response do you want?
I hope I get some dick out of it [ laughs].
Will we see more of you as a “boy”?
Probably not. Maybe in a few years… How did you go about creating your signature look?
I was hanging out with Amy Winehouse a lot at the time. She was a good friend and used to tell me that people have got to be able to draw you in five seconds, a really quick sketch, bish bash bosh, so you’ve got to have a couple of things that are signature. That’s my hair and lip shape. On social media I’m sure people say, “One- wig queen,” or “Can you only afford one wig?” When I’m 85, I’ll have the same fucking wig! Can you remember when you came out as gay? A teacher told my parents. I was going out to gay clubs, using a fake ID when I was 14 or maybe 15. I was doing ecstasy, having sex… I was young to be doing all that. Some “friends” raised alarm bells, and my teacher took it upon themself to call my parents. My dad couldn’t handle it. We stayed civil, until one day about five years into me doing drag, which I’d kept secret from him. He was watching the TV and I popped up. He recognised my voice, turned to his wife — he’d remarried — who knew, and asked: “Is that my son?” She said yes. That was 12 years ago. We haven’t spoken since.
No communication whatsoever? My attitude is that it’s his problem, not mine. Has it given me more drive and ambition in my life? Probably.