Tag Archives: trans

Religious Ecstasy (New Single!)

(Aspiring) Model Citizen

My life doesn’t feel like it has changed too much since Lockdown, as far as my day to day working existence is concerned. The commute to my job still happened it’s just that there were less passengers joining me. Creatively though if affected me most. We weren’t able to do live shows anymore which had become my raison d’etre these past few years. A chance to go out as Anna and have fun on stages at the same time. I did some online shows but they weren’t the same. Part of me did enjoy the fact that some of them allowed you to pre-film your set and send it in which was less stressful than hoping the internet didn’t cut out during your livestream.

Instead, over these past 15 months or so I’ve been honing my self portraiture and editing skills in the house. I even managed a little outdoors shoot back in September, sort of as a trial run for a proper photoshoot in that area with a professional. I got some good shots! I can’t remember if I’d shared them here before but anyway…

You see I really wanted to give modelling a try. I’d worked with photographers before and really enjoyed the experience so I couldn’t wait for Lockdown to end. Having joined some groups in Facebook and contacting local togs via Instagram I amassed a list of folk that I would like to work with and who were willing to shoot me. It was a little difficult as not everyone is perhaps comfortable with what I do – ie a man dressed as a lady. Here are some of the highlights of the last 3/4 months of shoots.

Photo by Paul Toner, Kelvingrove Park, April 2021

That first one with Paul was a great wee session. It was partly in aid of my friend Evelyn who needed a model as part of her portfolio for college. She had prepared a short pinup style wig and brought some props so we shot that look too. The next week I met up with Rhys who goes under the name Boundless Photography and shot in the Botanic Gardens for about an hour just before it rained heavily. I love some of these pics!

Photo by Boundless Photography, Glasgow Botanic Gardens, April 2021

In May I took the unusual step of taking 3 weeks off of work. I was pretty fed up and wanted to fill it with vegetating and creative endeavours. To that end I managed to arrange 3 shoots during that time. Sadly covid travelling restrictions killed one of them, and the rain rained on my pinup picnic shoot with the amazing Femme Castratice (which hopefully one day we can rearrange). That left one but it was a great one! A lady called Karen whom I met over Facebook wanted to take me to this lovely woodland stream and an abandoned waterworks. I couldn’t refuse! The dress was from Poundland and the headband cost more than the dress 😄

Karen also suggested I climb into an upturned bin and naturally I obliged!

In June I had another week off which I populated with another 3 photoshoots. Again all with people I’d never met and they were all great fun too. On the Monday I met up with Jasmine of JLD Photography in the Merchant City in Glasgow. We had a wee wander and took some informal snaps. The dress I’m wearing was bought from a charity shop in Liverpool a few years back.

Photo by Jasmine Dickson, Glasgow, June 2021

Photo on Jasmine Dickson, Glasgow, June 2021

On the Tuesday I met up with Deborah O’Leary of Pixels Glasgow in the grounds of my work. The scene of my self shoot from the Autumn. I knew she liked old buildings so lured her to the one near my work. We got on really well and I feel sure we’ll remain friends and hopefully create some more fab art together soon! This time I wore my new green playsuit from Poundland 💚

Photo by Deborah O’Leary, Gartnavel, June 2021

Finally on the Friday I met up with Roslyn Walker, a model and photographer I had long admired and was excited to work with. We met in Victoris Park in Glasgow. I managed to smap a strap on my gorgeous Collectif dress getting out of the car but we shot around it. I was so very pleased with these images and consider some of them to be publication worthy 😍

Photo by Roslyn Walker, Victoria Park, June 2021

I have a few more shoots lined up in the coming months and I can’t wait to share them with you. Not sure if I’m deluding myself but I kind of don’t care. Hopefully I’m breaking the mould in some way – bloody moulds 😄 Who needs them?

Review: Anna Secret Poet-No Brainer

Feelin’ Blue

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I got blue hair the other day. After initial doubts as to whether or not I could pull off putting together an outfit ended up being a lot fun! First I started out with a cute sweater and black skirt combo…

…but that was perhaps too cutesy. On the advice of some friends I was encouraged to rock it up a bit. I dug out my fishnets, disco boots and New Look tartan dress and prepared to do so 🖤

I always knew there was a rock chick inside of me pleading to be let out! I ended up wearing it out to my show at The Ice Box later that night. It wemt really well and I think my outfit may have had something to do with it 🤘

Also in the last week my new video went live on Youtube. It’s the title track from my forthcoming album ‘No Brainer’ which was filmed by Iain Mutch of WalkerandWilliam in Victoria Park, Glasgow. Follow the link below to view 😉

Anna Secret Poet – No Brainer (Official Video)

The album itself will be out on Monday the 6th of April across all reputable digital platforms and my own Bandcamp page.

Anna’s Bandcamp Page

No Brainer

On Monday the 6th of April I plan to unleash my latest album called ‘No Brainer’. I’d like you to know that the making of it has equally caused me great stress and unfettered joy and I can’t wait to share it!

Here’s how it’ll look…

The photography was done in the summer by a wonderful husband and wife team called Phil and Ange of Them! Images. They came out so well I had to use them on my next release even though I hadn’t conceived it at that point. Indeed they ended up informing the title and the forthcoming video as well so that session provided the germ of inspiration that was needed.

The songs featured are variously about anxiety, goth girls, drunken confessions, the mystery of the missing sock, fake smiles and voyeurism. A little something for everyone hopefully!

The final tracklisting is as follows;

OVERTHINKER ANTHEM

POKE THE BEAR

A WEEK WITHOUT WORRY

B-MOVIE

WHERE DOES THE OTHER SOCK GO?

DRUNK ENOUGH TO TELL

NO BRAINER

GOTH GIRLS

EVERYBODY’S CHECKING EVERYBODY ELSE OUT

UNEXPECTED TENDERNESS

TEMPORARY SMILE

SHOOBY DON’T

I recorded it at home apart from one track where I went to a rehearsal studio so I could record real drums. For the most part I’m pleased with how it sounds. Vocals are always the hardest to do especially when I’m belting it out at full volume.

It should be available across all the usual digital platforms from April along with all the rest of my discography. Just search for ‘Anna Secret Poet’ and you’ll find me!

As long as there are biscuits!

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Hours after sharing my last post I received a phone call to tell me my father had passed away. Something I knew I would have to face at some point but I wish it had been much further in the future. 59 is too young! I know he would have enjoyed playing at being the grumpy old man shouting at children and waving a stick. Me and the family were fortunate to have spent a nice afternoon with him the day before in his bowling club. It was their opening day and we’d been invited as we was vice president this year. Tea, sandwiches, cakes and affordably priced alcohol aplenty. At the time I was thinking I might not go but ultimately I’m glad I did. My last memory of him is giving him a big hug before we left. And so it ends. This would be the chief reason for not attending a viewing the day before his funeral. I prefer to remember him laughing than in a coffin in a place of grief. I would have to get up close and personal with the coffin anyway the following day as myself and 5 other men carried his remains into the crematorium for his send off. I was heartened that he had such an amazing turn out. They reckoned it was somewhere in the region of 250 people. A squad of folk from his work had hired a coach so they could all attend!

I’m nowhere near over this but I’m hoping that talking about it helps. My wife has been brilliant and so has everyone else. Also I’ve been attempting to keep myself busy these past few weeks. During this time I managed to complete the recording for a mini-album/E.P. that I’d planning for a little while. I’ve also finished the artwork and set a release date. It should go live on Monday the 6th of May across all the digital and streaming platforms. As usual I shall make a limited quantity of physical CDs just incase some people are interested in taking a copy home.

I elected to dedicate it to my father as I think he would have liked it – especially track 2 which is a ska song about biscuits 😉

Fortunately I’ve had no shows this month and it has enabled me to sort out some new material so that when I do start up again I’ve got new songs to get excited about. It keeps me on my toes as learning new songs for me can be quite stressful as I have such a wandering mind! Next month in May I have 4 lined up so far…

Without shows there technically wouldn’t be a reason to get all dolled up but this month I have managed a couple of brief sessions. Both were justified I feel as I didn’t want to get rusty and I had some new clothes to try out (a corset and a dress). Here follows some home posing which I do miss. Getting dressed in work toilets and so forth isn’t as relaxing 😄

The corset worked out very well. Once I’d managed to squeeze it on it was very comfy and kept my lumps and bumps in place haha! Burvogue I think it is, I got it from Amazon 😉 This yellow dress is from TK Maxx. It’s longer than I would normally wear but I’m excited to don it when it’s properly summer.

After that I dusted off my curls for another outing. I think I’ve fallen in love with them again, especially when teamed with this jacket 😍

And yes…it was warm in here!

The reason for the bra is that I had been trying to simulate a cleavage effect. You can see it in the first yellow dress photo but not so much in the others. Plus it was warm! 😄

Follow this link to Anna’s Soundcloud to have a little listen to some of the tracks from my new CD. I’ve been putting one out every few days to hopefully build up a sort of interest for it. When it comes out proper I’ll no doubt bang on about it on here.

Still Anna after all these years

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I’m still performing a few times a month…

I’m still dressing for leisure every now and again…

And I’m still mostly loving life!

But underneath there are still doubts and niggles and dissatisfactions and situations to overthink. Too many to mention but cheifly amongst them was what happened on Thursday. I had to wrestle with a draft tracklisting of my new album. On paper it seemed great but the reality was not so great. Something wasn’t right and it put me in a massively awful mood for hours. It even prompted a poem…

But amusingly a couple of folk added 2 more verses to it that cheered me up a little 😄

In the end I was able to spot the problems which culminated in a slight reshuffle and the removal of a song. One other is coming off if I finish another couple of songs I’m currently toying with – a rap and a song called ‘Rum and Cheese’. It’s not like I haaaaave to finish it this week. I can afford to let it gestate but it’s just my artistic nature to want to launch stuff out constantly!

I’ve got a few more shows on the horizon in the next wee while. I’m playing Solfest again at the end of August, a new comedy night in town next month (I should probably nip those in the bud soon), a loca LGBT youth group have asked me to perform and do a talk in November, a possible birthday party around the same time and I’ve been invited to play at a friend’s wedding in May. A mixed bag to be sure! I played a normal rock gig during the week which is a rare occurance indeed and the kind of show I enjoy most. I didn’t look very good for it though…

I shouldn’t have teamed that hair with the outfit. It just looked awful – luckily there weren’t any photos taken by other people that night!

The last couple of weekends have gifted me a few hours to try on outfits at home which is nice. Here are a few of the better pics from last Sunday.

This very morning I was able to do it again so I elected to try out a new green skirt that my wife gave me. Initially it was difficult to decide on a top to go with it so I elected to team it with a grey jumper I haven’t worn very much.

Amusingly at one point I was photobombed by my cat Gozer!

I have many more photos from the last month that I still need to remember and share. Hopefully I can work them into other posts over thr next while 😘

Galactic Carnival Photoshoot, June 2018

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Towards the end of June me and my good friend Debbie McCall found space in our busy diaries to do a second shoot together. Our previus shoot back in August 2017 was a great success and can be found here Galactic Carnival Photoshoot 19/8/17. This time we thought it would be nice to take pictures in a park and possibly use my butterfly cape. It was decided to use the outskirts of Glasgow Green for this purpose. Most of the green was closed because of the TRNSMT festival which was due to take place there the following weekend. What follows is a few of my personal favourites from the session. I wouldn’t want to bore you with the 70 or so images I got sent (though they are wonderful) 😊

I love this next one and would dearly like to use it or one of the other butterfly pics on my new album cover. I’m over the halfway point in recording it so I’m starting to think about title and visuals.

We then moved further down the green along the river Clyde and stopped off to take some snaps at an old suspension bridge which links our side of the river with the Gorbals and the south.

We then moved further round the cordon to an old drying green and playpark area where we found a rather knobbly tree and a nice shady spot (it was bloody roasting by the way!).

Finding ourselves running out of things to shoot outdoors we went for a lovely stroll and ended up back at the Britannia Panopticon. True to form it was lovely and cool in there and after a short break I posed for a few in the main auditorium space.

I had a brilliant time and can’t wait to do another one with her! She done a fantastic job and I was most impressed with them indeed. I’m still not used to other people taking photos of Anna but Debbie puts me at my ease – I even use my real smile and not the usual face of stern flirtiness 😄

You can find her Instagram page here Galactic Carnival. Do give her a follow!

Please Stop and Stare!

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Once a long ago, this page here was Anna’s only outlet. Back then she was a proper secret known only to an elite few. Fast forward five years and her photos mingle with my male photos on Facebook timelines. Just this morning I posted a picture of my proposed festival look: stripey top, denim shorts with optional black tights and a BUTTERFLY CAPE!

I cannot wait to fly around Eden Festival at the beginning of June. I was there last year with my band but this year I get to go back and do Anna too! I’ll be playing on The Melodrome Mobile Stage which is a really cool setup and with lovely folk running it. The setting is idyllic too! A forest clearing which is all lit up with fairy lights at night. I’m doing 3 sets so far – Friday late afternoon and Friday night (that’s about the time things really kick off) and Saturday afternoon where I’ll join Spangled Cabaret and try my very best not to swear! 😄 A side note is that I swore in a room full of children at Christmas during a Spangled set…I like to think I either got away with it or they thought it was cool.

That’s a new blonde wig I acquired recently. I had abandoned blonde as a colour some 10 years ago but it was a silly thing to do. It turns out that it takes years off me haha! One of my other most recent purchases is a TARDIS dress which I bought from a shop in Glasgow called Geek-a-boo a few weeks back. Here it is in all it’s dimensionally transcendant glory…

I can’t remember what I said in my last post but I’ve sure been busy since it happened. I had 3 shows this past week. One of them was with The Well Happy Band at The Bungalow in Paisley. Often I perform as myself in them but I was in a dress-up mood that day. Here are some pics from the night which was raising money for Scottish Mental Health Awareness. The first two photos were taken by Amy Stanton and also features James on sax and Tricia on melodica 😊

L-R in picture 2 are; Janine on keys, Robert on guitar, Alaine on uke and vox, John on drums and far right Martin on guitar.

I tried the cape out that night! It was great fun apart from the tight collar – it made me feel like I was being choked constantly.

On Tuesday and Wednesday I performed at a night called Sonnet Youth which is ran by Kevin P Gilday and Cat Hepburn – two Glasgow poets of note. I had been hoping to infiltrate one of their nights for a while and jumped at the chance when invited. It turns out they did 2 nights with the same line-up – one in Edinburgh and one in Glasgow. What a cool idea! I feel I got to know the other acts well and loved hanging out with them. I also found it very inspiring! My partners in crime were; The Honey Farm, Colin McGuire, Kieran Hurley, Tyrone Power and The Institute for L!ghter Living. The Edinburgh show was in The Basement of The Gilded Balloon – a place where many panel show comedians have no doubt died before me. I did not die however and went down a treat. The night itself went without incident, it was the Glasgow date at Drygate which provided a problem.

I arrived and proceeded to get dressed only to discover to my horror that I had not packed tights! I don’t maintain a hairless leg so this was a disaster. Cue a frantic jog down the length of Duke Street after 5pm in a desperate quest for dark tights. It was a drag emergency (I actually said this to the staff in Boots the chemist). Thankfully I found a pair in a newsagents which looked like it had been on sale for years. The box was dusty and rather tatty! Anyway I got back to the venue, got changed and kicked arse again. This time I got to see the whole show as I had to leave early from Edinburgh cos it’s an epic journey back to my house from there.

This was my look from the Edinburgh date.

And this is my look from the Glasgow date. The first photo was taken by a lady called Karen Gordon, a friend of Cat’s who swung by to see the show and she kindly took all our portraits!

I’ve had that velvet jacket for years! I bought it in Carnaby Street in London in 1997. I really should wear it more often. Here are some better photos of the outfit taken last Sunday. I almost look like I’m trying out for Doctor Who!

I’ll share a few more random photos from the last few months before signing off. These next shots were taken by my good friend Martin Windebank when I hosted Queer Theory again in April.

I especially love that last one! A couple of weeks ago I played at a benefit gig for the Beatson Cancer Charity and I unveiled my dungaree dress. I never thought I’d get into denim or wear flat shoes on stage but…

The night after that I did another Drag-Opticon at the Britannia Panopticon. That was an awesome night! I got to wear my new black patent knee high platform boots. My toes hated me the next day but it was worth it 😄

Debbie the house photographer’s camera jammed but I got some screen grabs from Ioannis Cleary’s videos of the event which are on his Youtube channel for all to see!

A splendid night was had by all and I believe it may have been a sellout! 😉

Stream me if you wanna!

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There have been some exciting developments in the past couple of weeks! I’m pleased to announce my album ‘Tits of Steel’ has gone live on multiple digital music platforms as of a few days ago. For me that makes it like a real album and I can’t be happier 😊.

Some of them I freely admit I’d never previously heard of but it’s nonetheless good news. If anyone is unable to come to gigs or get a CD off of me in person it’s the ideal way to share it.

‘Tits of Steel’ on Spotify

‘Tits of Steel’ on iTunes

‘Tits of Steel’ on Bandcamp

These are just 3 links by which you can access it – I share the Bandcamp link again because you can purchase it cheaper from there. It’s £7.99 everywhere else. But everywhere else except Bandcamp you get a bonus track not on the original release – ‘Bonus Sausage’ – a live favourite!

Other than this I’ve done a few shows already this year and they’ve went well. It’s always good to spread the word and have a little drink when you’re doing it. Here are some photos from the last few weeks, including a new dress and wig plus the return of the curls ❤

I’d gotten that dress before Christmas but this is the first chance I’ve had to try it on in the house with hair and make-up. The wig is new too!

It was great fun to dust off the curls, I ended up getting a lovely positive reaction from them by posting some of these pictures. So much so I decided to wear it to my Queer Theory appearance on Wednesday last!

Some photos from my look at Komedy at the Yesbar in January. I komposed a song especially for it called ‘Koming Down From Christmas’ as that was the loose theme of the evening. I was particularly pleased as it means that along with my Halloween song I now some holiday themed material I can roll out again in the future 😄. Also on the bill were Oliver Coleman, Eilidh Ella Anna and the incomparable Amelia Bayler.

At that night we were all handed a January Survival pack handcrafted by Amelia Bayler – it includes a teabag, Berocca and a chocolate Hobnob. I haven’t had the heart to rip it open as yet 😄

Oh I should point out that a few days after that gig I was reunited with my lost bag from Christmas – bless you First Glasgow! Contents intact, money, fan, make-up everything ❤

My next show was supporting Schande, Jesus and his Judgemental Father and Marble Gods at the Flying Duck in Glasgow. That night I rocked my dogtooth skater dress again! It was put on by Spite House and I can’t recommend their nights enough. They ALWAYS have top quality acts!

…and the morning after I had a little dress up to work on some new material in character so to speak 😄.

My next outing was to a place called the Dram and it was ran by Eilidh and Curtis who approached me at Komedy to come and do a wee turn. It was a great night and there was the added bonus of some improv courtesy of Improv Killed My Dog. There’s not enough of this happening so I would definitely check them out if you get a chance! Eilidh done a set too as did Gavin Reid who impressed me by producing a baby doll attached to the end of a pole and forcing it into audience members faces so they could kiss it 😄.

The last show this month (so far she says optimistically) was at Queer Theory in Nice n’ Sleazy. I consider it one of my spiritual homes as they were one of the early nights to ask me back multiple times and for that I’m very grateful. My look didn’t quite go to plan. The skirt I chose didn’t work with the top and my back-up skirt was too short and probably exposed my hold ups a few times. This was actually the first time I’ve been out sans heels by the way! I wore my Doc Martens instead – going for comfort this time.

It was the busiest I’ve seen Sleazies in years. It also turns out I kind of new the soundman from years ago in Barfly when my old band You Can’t Eat The Word Food played there. Typically the Queer Theory line-up was awesome; Katy Dye, Ms True Love Waits, Kavita Bhardwaj, Sarah Scott, Miss Leggy Pee, King Biff and Black Doves were also in attendance. Sadly I had to leave early as I was exhausted but I had a brilliant night indeed! My next projected appearance is Spangled Cabaret in its new home The Blue Arrow on the 5th of March 😉