Mischievous, political and queer performance art legend Scottee is back for his now annual New Year's Eve party. This year it’s ‘NAFF DRAG’ and stars Munroe Bergdorf, Figs in Wigs, Princess Julia and Knickerbocker among others. So I asked the self professed piece of “feminist ’n’ working class fat brilliance” as many questions about him as I could, without forgetting to plug what is shaping to be one of the better ways to enter 2018. Read on for more about Scottee, Christmas and... Southend.

Jayson Mansaray: Who is a New Years Eve event like ‘Naff drag!’ for, or who are you thinking of when you’re constructing it?
Scottee: It's for those of us who feel the gay scene actively shuns us - the fatties, the freaks, the queers, the femmes - anyone who feels what gay London offers isn't for them. It’s also for the weirdos amongst us who like performance in their party, who want more than a ruddy countdown for £20.

Jayson: What can we expect from each of the players you gathered for the NYE line-up?
Scottee: They are some of the very best artists I know and I'm chuffed I managed to bag them for NYE! They’re all loud weirdos that I love! We've got formation dancing, explosions of Diet Coke and some sandwich making - what more do you want from a NYE knees up?

Jayson: How did you manage to get Munroe Bergdorf and what did you make of her sacking by L'Oréal and the media storm that followed?
Scottee: Munroe is someone I've known for a very long time - she's always been a brilliant activist who calls it out, and someone I love working with.

I think she did exactly the right thing in helping us become aware/more aware of whiteness and the privileges that affords us and the notion of white superiority. I think the violence, death threats and anger that followed as a result only demonstrated the very issues she was highlighting to us.

Jayson: Following and even attending a few of your gigs I am always curious as to what 'naff drag' means or what it’s supposed to be?
Scottee: NAFF is a polari word (secret gay language) that stands for 'Not Available For F*cking', this has trickled down into meaning something that’s considered bad, tacky or awful. DRAG comes from Shakespearian short hand, written in the margins to note the performer would be Dressed As a Girl - as drag has evolved it no longer means to be dressed femme - it’s about a disguise or amplification. So NAFF DRAG is for those who are considered to sit outside of the norm’ who will be centre stage, loud, noisy and amplified!

Jayson: When you put on an event like this how do you balance the acts, DJ’s and performers? Are you conscious of getting the balance right or is it quite organic?
Scottee: I don't worry about balance I worry about the right artists being on the stage. I'm OK that NAFF DRAG is heavily fat, POC, femme, queer, working class cause you can go to any other NYE knees up if you want beige and boring, can't you?!

Jayson: It is the ‘season’ and everyone has weird family traditions for Christmas (mine was banging on saucepans at dawn for present opening and mimosas) - what was a Scottee family Christmas tradition growing up?
Scottee: Pre-sobriety, I think booze, misery, fist-fights, and showing-off your new trainers around the estate. Now it’s all about bath bombs, eating posh vegetables from Marks', and spending time with each other.

Jayson: Your Instagram handle is ‘@scotteeisfat’ - are identity politics a big part of your performance art? Do you see it getting more popular in performance art?
Scottee: Of course they are! I've made loads of work about reclaiming fatness, about outing my working class shame and being aggressively queer. For too long people like me have been made to feel it’s their fault, that we need to be quiet or made quiet - I've carved out a small platform that I hope to make big enough for other outsiders. 2018 is going to be about trying to help them create their own platforms so we can all bang out saucepans at dawn... with or without mimosas!

Jayson: What would you like to see performance artists explore more of in their work and also what should they be exploring LESS?
Scottee: I'm so bored of performance artists thinking they are helping to contribute to the right leaning world by covering themselves in eggs, in a gallery, for 4-people to tilt their head and nod agreeingly at. I'm happy for them to continue their silliness as long as they stop taking money from the public purse cause they pretend their work has some sort of gravitas.

Jayson: You’ve moved from London recently(ish) what are your Southend observations since moving there?
Scottee: It’s the best! London doesn't miss you, it doesn’t stop moving. Southend is glad you came, makes you a cup of tea and looks after your mental health a lot better than the metropolis. However, I'm happy to keep telling people to move to Margate, we in Southend don't feel the need to try and get everyone to move here.

Jayson: You’ve got a lot going on next year - a new book and a retrospective, yeah?
Scottee: Next year marks my 10th year of making work, doing shows and getting ideas above my station. We are marking this with an archive book and a survival guide for queer and trans kids - both in collaboration with Live Art Development Agency. I'll also be doing a retrospective in which punters will have the chance to be me and there’s a big project from my past coming back for one night only...

Jayson: Rumour has it, there’s a possibility that some of your old work will be returning to The Roundhouse... Any chance we might see a triumphant come-back of “Putting Words In your mouth”?
Scottee: No, that show did what it needed to do. At the time getting LGBTQIA folk who had turned to UKIP and EDL felt like a radical, strange idea. Now, as the world continues to unfold to the right this isn't something we're not aware of - there's no need to bring it back!

Jayson: Back to your Instagram handle (clearly this boy is obsessed): you also describe yourself as “Artist, activist + fat queer weirdo”. Using goals for 2018 - please describe yourself in three words/aims?
Scottee: Louder. Angrier. Bigger.

scottee.co.uk
Twitter @ScotteeIsFat
Instagram @scotteeisfat

Naff Drag NYE
by Scottee
Sunday, 31 December 2017
Hackney Showroom