I was joking with a friend that I wouldn’t be writing about anything Conchita Wurst did in Budapest, Hungary this weekend as I was having severe issues with her new wig. My friend laughed and said, “You avoid what Conchita is doing because you hate her wig? Never going to happen”.
Of course, she’s right. While I am never going to like that wig (sorry Conchita, I tried), the undeniable fact is I am intrigued by her, her performances, her interviews, and the sweet, smart, funny things she says and does.
In fact, she could shave her head and her beard, tattoo her entire body, and stand stark naked on a stage with nothing but a microphone and I’d still be captivated (well, probably even more so, as I do like tattoos), so a wig isn’t going to stop me.
Anyway, on to Conchita Wurst’s first trip to Budapest, Hungary and an interview she did I find interesting.
Conchita’s video interview with HIR24
It’s a video interview (see below) where Conchita is asked the questions she’s always asked. The one about if she’s transgender and where she explains about being ‘only’ a drag artist. The ones about being brave or a role model. You know. The ones where she’s adamant she’s neither.
Then something that was interesting. Because of her reaction to the question.
“Do people love you in general? I guess they do, because you’re a charming person. But I guess there are some segments who don’t?“.
It’s the look on her face that made me do a double take as, unless she was reacting to something completely different, I find it surprising she would ever be shocked people love her.
In fact, I’ve done a lot of research on Conchita Wurst over the last nine months and, out of the hundreds of people who have met her and commented about it online, I have not come across one person who had anything negative to say. Not ever. All they talk about is how utterly charming, sweet, kind, smart and funny she is.
If you don’t get how incredible that is, let me just say…..it’s the internet. The place where people spout off about the most ridiculous things, and do so in the nastiest way possible. So, that every person who has met her has raved about how spectacular Conchita Wurst is? Astounding.
And then there’s the photograph
But, I still find it touching she would be surprised people love her. Then again, it goes back to a photograph I saw. A photograph that has stuck in my mind ever since, and one that made me love her so much I could barely stand it.
It’s a photograph of Conchita taken a few hours before her ‘Wetten Dass‘ performance, when the women who run her fan club went to meet her at her hotel.
One of the reasons they were there was to give her a couple of gift certificates for her birthday – well, one for her, and one for her alter ego Tom (both have the same birthday, of course) — gift certificates bought with money Conchita’s fans had sent in, and someone took photographs as she opened them.
When she looked at one of the cards, for a minute she seemed bemused. And then she pointed to a number and asked what it was. When it was explained to her it was the monetary amount the certificate was for (sure, it was quite substantial) she looked shocked beyond belief.
The photograph I’m talking about was taken right at that moment. And it’s the look on her face that hurt my heart. The look of someone who has suddenly realized how many people must love her, but she can’t quite take it in.
Then I think, how do you go through life being this incredible, this amazing, this f*cking spectacular and not realize how easy you are to love?
Because you are, my lovely Ms. Wurst. So incredibly easy to love. Wig-I-don’t-like and all.