Reigning Supremes: Diana Morphine
- Sean Merrigan
- Jun 22, 2019
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 11, 2020
Meet the Reigning Supremes!
Drag is fast becoming a popular form of entertainment outside of the queer scene, and drag artists are breaking out into the mainstream. Reigning Supremes is an ongoing series that profiles drag artists of all kinds, showcasing their stories and their art.
Now meet another queen who will leave you begging for pain with her killer performances - it's Diana Morphine!
How did you start getting into drag?
I started in 2013 I think...I was going to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Edinburgh Playhouse and my friends got me dressed up as Magenta. I did it again for Halloween that year and it just snowballed from there. It was a lot of fun. I didn't realise I was actually doing drag at first, it was just fun putting on makeup and dressing up. I didn't realise until I was 17 that what I was doing was actually drag.
What are your drag influences?
Goth girls, definitely Magenta from Rocky Horror, Morticia and Wednesday Addams – the sleek hair and the porcelain face...I wanted that! Going from there I got into more weirder influences and more drag queens. When I got into Instagram, I took influence from subtle things like doing little weird indents on my face. I'm also really inspired by women in sci-fi like Ripley from Alien and Samus from Metroid, as well as evil AI's like GLaDOS from Portal and SHODAN from System Shock.
How would you describe your aesthetic?
There's quite a few different styles. I've done what you could call “pageant drag” - clean, big wing liner, cut crease...all of that stuff. I prefer doing crazy stuff like making my lips six times as big as they are or giving myself gnarly gashes in my cheekbones...it kinda flips between both styles on any given day. Going from my sci-fi influences, I'm all about avant-garde design and being a sort of Blade Runner-esque demon android!
How would you describe your performance style?
A lot of my mixes are comedic in nature. I have a weird sense of humour and I want to put that out in my drag. Beyond that I would say I'm a reasonable dancer and because I did a lot of theatre in high school, I'm able to put myself into a character onstage – I feel like that helped me a lot.
What's been your favourite moment in drag so far?
A highlight was performing at the 10's Across the Board show in Glasgow. I was an opening act for five of the girls from Season 10 of RuPaul's Drag Race like Aquaria and Miz Cracker...that was in front of a crowd of around 1000 people – it was insane! I've done Hellbent in Glasgow a few times and that's a lot of fun, especially beacuase the crowd and the atmosphere is so good. Also, my first ever performance, which was at the Rabbit Hole in Edinburgh – it was a mess but I loved it!
What are your upcoming gigs?
I'm doing the EuroDrag Contest at Klozet in Dundee on the 22nd of June. It's a competition to eventually compete against other European queens and win a lot of publicity and money – a scarily crazy amount! I'm also doing a festival in Queen's Park in Glasgow near the start of August.
What's your future plans for your drag?
Quitting! This interview is over!
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