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Jeff Kristian

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Jeff Kristian
Jeff Kristian at the Spidarlings Cast & Crew Premiere in 2016
Born
Jeffrey William John Phillips

(1964-05-11) 11 May 1964 (age 60)
Bermondsey, London, England
Occupations
  • Singer
  • actor
  • writer
  • songwriter
Years active1970–present
LabelMr Binks Media
Websitehttp://www.jeffkristian.com/

Jeff Kristian (born Jeffrey William John Phillips, 11 May 1964) is an English recording artist, songwriter, actor, author, and television presenter. He is probably best remembered for his television role as Big Brother's Singing Drag Queen on Big Brother's Bit on the Side.[1]

Television

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While attending school in Bermondsey, London in 1970, Kristian was cast as a Young Charlie Chaplin by entertainer Tommy Steele for his BBC vehicle, Tommy Steele in Search of Charlie Chaplin.[2] In 1995, Kristian was interviewed for HTV's magazine programme Spotlight to promote his single Reach Out (I'll Be There). While filming Spotlight, he was almost arrested while waiting for the film crew at the station in Bristol. In costume, Police had mistaken him for a prostitute.[3] 2003, he appeared on Channel 4's reality show The Salon.[4] In 2012, he was cast as guest presenter Big Brother's Singing Drag queen on Channel 5's reality show Big Brother spin offs Big Brother's Bit on the Side and Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side, alongside then presenter Emma Willis.[5] From 2015, he was host and presenter on American television magazine programme London Calling.[6]

Film

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Kristian's film debut was a short appearance as Queen of the Aliens in the 1998 Alexander Kauffman film Trouble on Earth, which featured at the Cannes Film Festival in 1999.[7] Writer and director Eme Guitron cast him in the title roles in his short film Little Red Riding Hood: Uncensored in 2003 and Snow White: My Confidential Drawers in 2004,[8] which featured at the Mexican Film Festival 2004. He was cast as The Man in the Gsus Lopez 2011 short Ephemeral Nature, which won Best Film at ASVOFF Barcelona 2012.[9] Lopez also cast him as The Ice Cream Man in the 2013 short It Melts,[10] which won Best Fashion Film at Charleston Fashion Week in 2014.

Kristian also starred as Mary in Lopez's short Out, which was nominated for The Dorothy Slipper Award 2014 and The European Short Film Award 2015.[11] Kristian appeared as The Diva and The Jogger in Selene Kapsaski's feature Spidarlings.[12] Kristian wrote and produced the film's soundtrack. His appearance in the film was described as the UK version of the great Divine (performer) and showcasing a versatility of genres of music as a songwriter.[13]

Stage

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In 1979, Kristian became a founder member of The Spangles, a six-piece meet-and-greet group that followed Gary Glitter's entourage[14] as he toured the UK university circuit before his later fall from grace under Operation Yewtree. From 1992 Kristian began touring the UK in cabaret, with his review The Kinky Hanky Panky Show.[15] He followed this in 1993 with his female impersonation[16] creation The Diva Show, which won Boyz Magazine's reader's poll award for Best Drag Act in 1994. The Stage Newspaper reviewed The Diva Show, stating: "There's no doubting his talent".[17] He took up residency at Molly Moggs Theatre Bar in Soho, London with The Jeff Kristian Show,[18] which at fifteen years was the longest running consecutive drag show in Soho's history.[19]

Recording

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In 1985 Kristian became front man of R&B band Dooyah! Under Garry Winkler's Globaldale Management,[20] they performed across the south-east of England, notably the 100 Club, Dingwalls,[21] The Town and Country Club, The Rock Garden, The Mean Fiddler and The Cliffs Pavilion.[22] A single Love's Where You Find It/Spend! Spend! Spend! was co-produced with Essex Radio DJ Roger Dexter. A live album of fifteen original songs produced by Stevie Wonder producer Malcolm Cecil at Westlake Studios in Hollywood[23] was never released. In 1995, he released the EP single Reach Out[24] (I'll Be There), an upbeat revival of the original 1966 Motown hit by The Four Tops.

In 2000, Maltese Eurovision star Chiara Siracusa recorded four songs written by Kristian[25] for her album What You Want: Never Question Why, Stars, Fighting For My Love and Angel. In 2003, Kristian's 1995 single They Called It Love was recorded by family vocal group Next Of Kin and entered for the UK selection of The Eurovision Song Contest.[26]

Writing

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Kristian has written features for several magazines, including LGBT History Month[27] and Pinkwire, for which he has also written a regular light-hearted semi-autobiographical column since 2010 called Adventures of a Drag Queen. 2012 saw the publication of Kristian's debut novel Where D'Ya Put Yer Willy?[28] September 2012, Kristian was invited to read from his book at The Polari Salon at London's Southbank Centre.[29]

Personal life

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Kristian met his second partner, club-promoter David Warrior on Valentine's Day 1989,[30] they created the men-only nightclub Attitude[31] which ran for three years from 1993. In 1996, Kristian met his current partner, property developer Charlie Curtis.[32]

Activist

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In 1994, Kristian publicly joined with a large group of Drag Queens including Lili Savage and Regina Fong to boycott the 1995 Gay Pride Festival, in relation to, "The committee's failure to meet any of our basic needs indicating the level of contempt in which we are obviously held."[33] Between 1993 and 1995, Kristian and David Warrior created and co-owned Attitude, a controversial men only nightclub in Peckham, South London. The bar won three Capital Gay Readers' Poll Awards in 1995 for Best New Bar, Best Bar[34] and Best Barman. In 2013, Kristian participated in an awareness campaign for registered charity The Katy Holmes Trust, along with Russell Watson, Wendi Peters and Tricia Penrose.[35] In 2017, Kristian contributed to a charity single Love Is The Only Law to raise funds for The Albert Kennedy Trust, along with Samantha Fox, June Brown and Marcus Collins.[36]

References

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  1. ^ Darren Waite (5 June 2012). "Jeff Kristian to appear on BB's Bit on the side". Pinkwire Magazine. p. 15. Retrieved 9 February 2016. Jeff Kristian will be appearing as The Singing Drag Queen in the new series of Endemol's Big Brother spin-off, Big Brother's Bit on the Side. Jeff will be there on Channel 5 with Brian Dowling for the launch Tuesday 5th June and also for the first eviction Friday 8th June. then for the next 13 weeks.
  2. ^ Stacy Novak (27 July 2012). "An Interview with Jeff Kristian". Transliving Magazine. You are most certainly one of the well known artists of our time, how did you get your first break into show business? When I was 6 years old, Tommy Steele came to my school in Bermondsey, London to cast a BBC TV Special called, Tommy Steele in Search of Charlie Chaplin.
  3. ^ Andy Mall (13 October 2013). "The roar of the grease paint, the smell of the crowd". Boyz Magazine. p. 32. I was sitting on a bench in the shade, when suddenly a police car turned up and two policemen got out. Apparently. this strip of road was notorious for street walkers and they were adamant I was a transsexual waiting for a customer.
  4. ^ Jason Reid (8 June 2012). "Big Brother's Drag Delight". QX Magazine. Did Endemol approach you? Yes, I've worked with them before on The Salon.
  5. ^ Robert Ingham (16 August 2012). "Where D'Ya Put Yer Willy? Book review". Pinkwire Magazine. Retrieved 9 February 2016. Jeff also appears as the resident singing Drag Queen on Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side,
  6. ^ Michael Darton (19 January 2016). "The Jeff Kristian Show at Molly Moggs". Theatre & Perform Magazine. Retrieved 2 March 2016. You'll know Jeff from his regular appearances on Big Brother's Bit on the Side and London Calling.
  7. ^ Martin Healey (24 February 2000). "Where do you put your willy?". Translife Magazine. p. 15. Trouble on Earth, filmed in West London last year stars Jeff, leading a group of transvestites who come to earth to take over... Shown at Cannes 1999, according to Jeff, the rushes on set looked amazingly good.
  8. ^ Rich Cline (4 May 2004). "Two short films by Eme Guitron". Shadows on the Wall. ...But the real triumph is Kristian's outrageously camp and tetchy turn as the princess who's just had it with all the media rumours about her life.
  9. ^ Federico Poletti (27 January 2012). "A Shaded View on Fashion Film lands in Barcelona". Vogue Italia. Retrieved 23 November 2015. Gsus won the ASVOFF Barcelona Grand Prix for Best Film with Ephemeral Nature.
  10. ^ Anabel Cuervas (11 August 2015). "Fashion Filmmaker Gsus Lopez". So Catchy!. Retrieved 23 November 2015. I do, however, have an actor I am infatuated with because he is so incredibly talented, Jeff Kristian. He's like a chameleon: he can work as a woman and a man and is the main character of Ephemeral Nature. He also has a cameo in It Melts as an ice-cream salesman and he's the main character in OUT, where for the first time he plays a woman named Mary.
  11. ^ http://www.laverdad.es/alicante/culturas/cine/201504/10/panoramica-talento-europeo-20150410005147-v.html La Verdad Magazine 10 April 2015.
  12. ^ Robert Ingham (27 July 2012). "The Jeff Kristian Interview". Pinkwire Magazine. Not happy with these he has also just published his first novel "Where D'Ya Put Yer Willy?", and is working on a comedy horror musical Spidarlings. "They asked me and we did a song called "Sing a Happy Song". We recorded it and Tiffaney did a fantastic vocal on it. They were really pleased and said "Actually need another 12 songs".
  13. ^ John Willis (7 August 2017). "Review: Spidarlings (2016)". World Film Geek. Retrieved 7 August 2017. One major fun part of this film is the music. Co-star Jeff Kristian, who can be described as the U.K. version of the great Divine. The cast performs some interesting songs all written by Kristian showcasing a versatility in genres of music.
  14. ^ Nic Kynaston (14 August 1995). "Renaissance Man". Boyz Magazine. No newcomer to the music business, Jeff has toured the UK and Europe with soul band Dooyah and in the late 70s as part of the support act for Gary Glitter.
  15. ^ "Have we met, Jeff?". Lancaster Evening Gazette. 2 August 1995. Abandoning his dream to become an interior designer, he toured the country with his award-winning solo act, The Kinky Hanky Panky Show.
  16. ^ Maria Smith (9 September 1994). "A 'Stormey' Night at Tudor Lodge". Repartee Magazine. pp. 9/10. A recent act to visit Ron's however was a real knock-out. Jeff Kristian was brilliant. I hesitate to label him as a 'drag act' because he is in actual fact a marvellous impressionist. Tina Turner, Madonna, Diana Ross and even The Weather Girls were just a few of the super impersonations we were treated to.
  17. ^ Derek Smith (17 April 1997). "Harefield St Valentine's". The Stage. But there is no doubting his talent and even though you have seen this type of act countless times before, his has to be one of the better ones.
  18. ^ Jason Reid (8 June 2012). "Big Brother's Drag Delight". QX Magazine. Jeff Kristian is at Molly Moggs (2 Old Compton Street, Soho, London W1D 4TA) every Monday and Thursday at 8.30 pm.
  19. ^ Michael Darton (19 January 2016). "The Jeff Kristian Show at Molly Moggs". Theatre & Perform Magazine. Retrieved 2 March 2016. The West End's longest running drag show kicks off every Monday and Thursday at Molly Moggs Theatre Bar, Soho. You'll know Jeff from his regular appearances on Big Brother's Bit on the Side.
  20. ^ "Boys do sign up for worldwide success". Evening Echo. 4 January 1988. Dooyah! the seven-piece Southend band have been busy launching their band on a global level. They have just signed to Globaldale Management Company as part of a three-band deal.
  21. ^ "Slick boys go for gigs". Yellow Advertiser. 27 March 1988. Busy Southend band Dooyah! are about to launch themselves on the London gig scene. Over the last week they have gigged at Harlesden's Mean Fiddler and Fulham's King's Head. Their latest bash is at Dingwalls, Camden's top venue, tonight with a March 29 gig at Putney's Half Moon.
  22. ^ Alan Wheeler (25 April 1988). "Maiden singers lead heavy metal festival". Evening Echo. Pop, rock and soul act Dooyah! headline at The Maritime Room at the Cliffs Pavilion, Westcliff tonight.
  23. ^ Alan Wheeler (4 January 1988). "Boys do sign up for worldwide success". Evening Echo. The band have also spent a weekend with Malcolm Cecil recording in the Town House III studio in Battersea, which is part of the Virgin empire. The result of this was a 24 track demo of 15 original songs with at least four production quality numbers thanks to some mixing at Westlake Studios in Hollywood by Malcolm over the Christmas period.
  24. ^ Amanda Sewell (12 August 1995). "Have you met Jeff?". Lancaster Evening Gazette. What is it about Jeff Kristian that makes me think he might have visited one or two of Blackpool's nightspots before? For sure, his new single, an upbeat revival of the Four Tops classic Reach Out (I'll Be There) will soon be filling the floor in the Flamingo – if it isn't doing already.
  25. ^ Deo Grech (1 June 2000). "Chiara... giving you what you want!". All Malta. UK composer and lyricist Jeff Kristian has also contributed one ballad and three uptempo songs. Although the music style is radically different from her previous collection, ballad lovers will not be disappointed by two tracks, 'Never Question Why' and 'Ballad of the Nymphs'. Two particular tracks, 'Fighting for My Love' and 'Angel' are strongly influenced by the latest styles by international music icons Madonna and Cher.
  26. ^ Haydon Bridge (14 May 2009). "Good Kristian Music". QX Magazine. I love Eurovision and, I don't know whether you know, I'm a songwriter as well. I did a song in 2003 for an act called Next of Kin, 3 sisters and a brother, and the song was called They Call It Love.
  27. ^ http://www.pinkwire.co.uk/magazine.php?section_id=8 LGBT History Month Magazine 2015.
  28. ^ Robert Ingham (27 July 2012). "The Jeff Kristian Interview". PinkWire Magazine. Retrieved 28 November 2015. It's been a busy year so far for our resident Drag Queen, Jeff Kristian, with his usual shows at Molly Moggs and weekly appearances on Big Brother's Bit on the Side. Not happy with these he has also just published his first novel "Where D'Ya Put Yer Willy?"
  29. ^ "Polari First Book Prize". Time Out. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2015. Now in its second year, the Polari First Book Prize is for a debut book of poetry or prose, fiction or non-fiction, that explores the LGBT experience. Entertainment comes from authors and poets Susie Boyt, Neil Alexander, Jeff Kristian, Cherry Smyth and Robert Hudson.
  30. ^ Rod Pringle (14 July 1994). "Striking Attitudes in Peckham". Metro News. p. 13. Ironically it's also about the only night when owner Dave's boyfriend, drag star Jeff Kristian can go into the bar in his frock without feeling completely out of place. The two met on Valentine's Day ten years ago.
  31. ^ Nic Kynaston (14 August 1995). "Renaissance Man". Boyz Magazine. Sharing a very comfortable house in Greenwich, next to a graveyard, with partner, manager and co-owner of Attitude David Warrior, I wonder if the pair of them ever prop up the bar on Attitude's famous Underwear-only nights?
  32. ^ Haydon Bridge (14 May 2009). "Good Kristian Music". QX Magazine. My partner Charlie Curtis is a property developer. He buys places probate and then renovates then and sells them on again.
  33. ^ Roger Goode (1 July 1994). "Angry drag queens flounce out of Pride". Capital Gay. More than 30 angry drag queens including Adrenal, David Dale and Regina Fong have said they will boycott next year's Pride Festival because of a series of humiliations. The letter was also signed by Susan Black, Jeff Kristian, Ebony, Lola Lasagne and Titi Le Camp.
  34. ^ Roger Goode (27 January 1995). "David's double whammy!". Capital Gay. p. 1. David Warrior, co-owner of Attitude bar, displaying his two greatest assets on Monday night – the Capital Gay 1994 Readers' Awards for Best Pub and Best New Pub/Club, that is!
  35. ^ "Pyjamas Galore for Katy Holmes Day". Lancashire Evening Post. 18 January 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2015. Celebrities have also come on board to support the day with singer Russell Watson, actress Wendi Peters, Jeff Kristian from Big Brother's Bit on the Side and Tricia Penrose from Emmerdale are among those taking part.
  36. ^ "Love is the only law – 50 years legal single release". My So Called Gay Life. 7 October 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017. List of artists confirmed to record single and video: June Brown MBE, Jaymi Hensley (Union J, Celebrity Master Chef), Tight Fit (The Lion Sleeps Tonight), 4 Poofs and a Piano (Friday Night With Jonathan Ross), Marcus Collins (Kinky Boots), Bradley Hunt (Bratavio), Simon Gross (Big Brother), Kat Kasisopa (Big Brother), Jeff Kristian (BBBOTS).
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