Today we’d like to introduce you to Oliver Goldsmith.
Oliver, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ll always remember the first drag show I ever saw. It was at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida at the end of my time in high school. There was one queen in particular who left an impression on me. She performed in a pink nude bedazzled body suit with the silkiest human hair weave bundle. The way she interacted with the crowd, it was like she was a celebrity superstar, allowed to be such from the authority of her own queerness.
From that moment on, I dreamed about doing drag for years. It wasn’t until attending Burning Man for the first time in 2017 that I was inspired to take the plunge and start experimenting. This was partially from seeing so many artists creating ridiculous art for the sheer joy of it, and also due to feeling like it was personally important to do something joyful and courageous in the time of Trump.
With the encouragement of my yoga teacher and the support of some patrons, I began to play with makeup and go out dressed up. This was in Sarasota, Florida. People in the scene began to notice and get to know me, and before long, I was invited to perform for the first time at Vertigo Night Club in Sarasota. From there I started to get more and more bookings around town. Each performance was a chance to experiment and practice a new skill. Every show I was leveling up. My Florida drag career culminated in my taking the crown at the Sarasota Miss Oasis Pride 2018 Pageant, before I moved to Taiwan on an adventure of love, taking my drag with me.
For almost two years I performed internationally in Taiwan and once even in India. When COVID hit, and after returning to America, I chose to take a break from drag since things felt too precarious during the pandemic. With all the political and social turmoil our country has been experiencing since that time, from George Floyd’s death to the shooting that just happened at Club Q, it just feels like I can’t use my voice as an American to speak to the madness and appeal for change. And it just so happens that my voice feels more powerful in drag, thus the reemergence of Ultima into the Denver drag scene. Now I perform locally, in an attempt to counteract the culture war, World War III, and climate disaster through performance art.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been an entire emotional journey for me to step back into Ultima after an almost two-year hiatus. My last shows before I took a break were in Taiwan. After returning to America in July 2020, in the early stage of the pandemic, I was stricken with culture shock, lockdown depression, and vicarious trauma seeing so much suffering, death, racism, violence, misogyny, and intransigence. Gun violence in particular terrifies me.
I couldn’t shake the feeling of being a target if I were to perform at a club. It wasn’t until I was able to fully break down with a sister who understood what I was going through, that I was able to find catharsis after two years, and finally reembraces Ultima. That part of our country is still terrifying, but I’ve found I feel empowered when I use my voice through my art, and that is helping me to confront these forces of evil and feel like I am doing something to counteract them.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have been practicing and studying yoga for ten years now, and have a few years of teaching experience, including with seniors at an assisted living facility in Florida, and with residents recovering from drug and alcohol addiction at a rehab in Boulder. I recently began teaching a regular class at Park Hill Yoga on Thursday mornings, right here in Denver. If you’re reading this, check out the studio and my class!
I am also a passionate harm reductionist. After witnessing the misguided way my college administration responded to two tragic opiate overdoses on campus when I was a student, I became involved with some collegiate harm reduction projects. This led to several years working as an addiction counselor and volunteering at several harm reduction services at music festivals and related events operating mental health care support services so as to reduce unnecessary arrests and hospitalizations. Ultima is anti-drug war, pro-psychedelic, pro-decriminalization, anti-corporate-pharmaceuticalism, and anti-prison-industrial complex.
Ultima is available for booking as a drag performer, model, actress, yoga teacher, event planner and promoter, hostess & emcee, space holder, and caregiver.
We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking.
When I think about risk, I think about seizing an opportunity that might not work out. This could be something that is chance based, like how all gambling is a risk. Or this could be perception based, like how recognizing our own doubts about a situation makes success in that situation seem less possible to attain. When I started doing drag, I considered it a risk that I was sacrificing so much time, energy, and resources into something that wasn’t making me any money yet, and that was leaving me looking completely busted.
But, my journey has taught me that the power of my own will, commitment, determination, and endurance determines ultimately whether or not the endeavor of drag is truly risking success or success in and of itself. When it comes to the human need for growth, expression, and creativity, risk-taking is all about the process of confronting our fears and insecurities that make something seem difficult. To other creatives, I encourage y’all to confront fear about what inhibits you from creating that which is in your mind’s eye. My artistic message is to encourage risk-taking through confronting fear in the pursuit of creating a better world.
Contact Info:
- Website: queenultima.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/queen_ultima/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/queenultima/
Image Credits
Sabrina Finn, Danny Chu, and Miles Iton
