Misty Chance (real name Christian James D’Arcy) just shared the most loving tribute to her fellow drag queen friend, Madama Phylisan Von Hollywood Aries (real name Colin Timmins) – affectionately known as ‘Nana’.
Nana passed away 100 days ago but Misty wanted to give her one final, beautiful send off.
Read the story of their incredible relationship:
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I first met Nana when I was out with my mother on Manchester’s Canal Street in the old Hollywood Show bar. I was trying to introduce my mother to the gay scene so that she didn’t worry too much when I ventured down there with friends.
It was my mother who spotted her first, saying: ‘Look at that glamorous old lady over there.’
We spoke to her briefly, but years later, Nana told me she didn’t recall it. I was just another random fan boy twink back then afterall.
It was many years later that I became a Drag Queen myself and moved to Manchester. I was offered a gig with her in approximately 2006/7.
We have been friends ever since.
Nana: The legacy
Nana was in Drag for over 25 years – starting out at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in London in a drag competition run by Lilly Savage. In fact, it was Lilly that named her, as she didn’t have one at the beginning of the show.
Nana is renowned for being the oldest drag queen in Manchester, but more accurately, she held the title of oldest ‘looking’ Drag Queen in Manchester.
There are at least two that surpass her in years, I could tell you who they are but then I’d have to kill you (if they didn’t kill me first).
Misty Chance and Nana. | Photo: supplied
A lot of my admiration for Nana – apart from her hilarity – came from the fact that she was open about her HIV status. She had been living with it for more than 20 years, back when it was a little less manageable and a rather frightening thing to have.
As each new university season starts in Manchester and the new generation of LGBTI youngsters discover Canal Street, it’s amazing to me how they seek out their favourite drag queens and use them as tourist information guides, councillors and agony aunts.
It is very important that a Queen in that position use their role for good and Nana used her experience and her HIV status to make it clear that ‘Hey, if you’ve been diagnosed as positive, it’s not the end of the world – you can still have and do all the same things as everyone else and you’re no less respected than people who are negative’.
This is one of the reasons that we both became ambassadors for The George House Trust, our local HIV aftercare service.
‘Don’t get comfortable, Nana will be back’
For many years Nana was in and out of hospital so much that it became a running joke.
Each time she went to hospital, we’d sit by her hospital bed and she’d quite often say ‘I’m done for this time.’
I’d usually get a replacement Drag queen to work with each time Nana was hospitalized and I would always tell them the same thing: ‘Don’t get comfortable, Nana will be back’. Sure enough, within weeks, depending on the complication, she’d be back by my side stronger than ever.
It was a boy who cried wolf scenario last year while I was away, when I heard that Nana was looking unwell. When I returned from doing my season in Cyprus, seeing her brought tears to my eyes.
Her condition was starting to deteriorate and this time it appeared irreversible.
Nana and Misty Chance. | Photo: supplied
We have all lost somebody at some point.
Our initial reaction is to protect ourselves from the pain of loss, so we close the bedroom door as we can’t bare to see their belongings, we can’t watch their favourite movie again or visit that holiday destination we used to frequent together.
I felt that the best way to deal with it was to dive in head first and to rummage around in the time capsule that is Facebook and spend some time reliving all those memories and great times we had.
#100DaysOfNana
So I started #100DaysOfNana. Myself and the followers of the project have had an extra 100 wonderful days in the company of Nana.
The comments and love shown has been overwhelming and I just know that she would have been so very grateful and humbled at the outpouring.
As far as closure goes, for me personally, it kept a wound that I clearly didn’t want to close, wide open.
The final 100 Days Of Nana was me trying once again to say goodbye, coming to terms and telling myself ‘The show must go on’.
Misty Drew a sketch of Nana after her death and raised over £800 for the George House Trust. | Photo: supplied
I am away doing a season abroad right now and I must be prepared to return to a Manchester that has no Nana.
It is hard to know what comes next. Without going into personal details about our off-stage friendship, I can tell you all that Colin was there for me in some of my darkest times and even stopped me from giving it all up on one occasion.
That is the kind of person Colin was – so very genuine and viciously supportive of those close to him.
One of the things that makes Manchester’s LGBTI scene so much fun, is that it is still community based, even in a time when everything has become commercialized.
Our Pride event is growing exponentially, but underlying that, are characters, activists, and beloved community driven individuals, like Nana.
Watch Misty Chance’s final loving tribute to Nana:
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