Woman in the Making: Panti's Memoir (28 page)

In my teens I spent a lot of time being bored and staring wistfully into space.

Bored in art college, realising a career in design wasn’t for me, 1988.

On stage in college with my game-for-a-laugh straight friends during my first ever drag performance, wearing a dress made from spray-painted surgical gloves, and ugly homemade shoes, 1990.

Putting my face on for a show.

Simply Devune looking her best thanks to early Photoshop.

With my Tokyo family of misfits, Seki, Sandy, Hiroko and Masa, 1993.

In New Sazae, the dingy club where I met my Tokyo family.

Lurleen and I serving “nun realness” in our first drag outing together, with Helen in man drag, celebrating Halloween in a Tokyo gay bar, 1993.

Fooling around with Lurleen in her apartment after a New Year’s Eve gig in Tokyo, 1994/95.

With my great friend Hiroko at the first Tokyo Pride parade.

With Lurleen trying to work out how many legs CandiPanti actually had.

CandiPanti performing in Tokyo wearing our “Hello Kitty” dresses that Helen made for us.

Best friends and partners in crime, with Niall.