Al Pillay
Encyclopedia
Alan "Al" Pillay also known as "Al Pillay" (born 22 August 1959), the star of Eat the Rich is a person of many names and two genders, starring in The Comic Strip Presents
as Alan Pellay playing Himself in Gino (Episode 10) as Alana Pellay playing Herself in The Bullshitters
(Episode 13) and, finally, as Lana Pellay playing Mary in the feature movie The Supergrass
.
where he was the youngest of six children, his mother a cleaning lady of Irish and Jamaican descent, his father an engineer on the fishing trawlers originally from South Africa of Indian and Spanish descent.
, Eartha Kitt
, Lena Horne
, Cleo Laine
and Dorothy Squires
in full drag and no mike and was booked into the working men’s clubs all over the North as well as the cabaret club circuit, such as the Poka A Poka in Stockport, the Golden Garter in Salford and the Sheffield Fiesta.
actor, Alan Rothwell
he was introduced to Kay Carroll and Mark E Smith of The Fall (band). He formed his own band the I Scream Pleasures which would appear as guest support at many a The Fall gig with an original repertoire of songs including Parasitic Machines, Surrender Your Gender, Closet Queen, Do You Like Labels, Spirit Souls and You Aint Nothing But A Phoney F-cking Hetero Queen
He metamorphosed into a disco diva as the hormone popping transsexual Lana Pellay, dressed in costumes by his close friend Leigh Bowery
and with a number one world wide dance floor hit Pistol In My Pocket and accompanying Gary Clail
in his 1991 hit "Human Nature" with the repeating couplet "Let the carnival begin... Every pleasure, every sin!"
who wrote parts for him in the episodes Susie, Gino, The Bullshitters
and The Supergrass. He also wrote the lead part for him in the feature film Eat the Rich.
, which had its premiere at the Beckett Theatre on 42nd Street as part of the first Manhattan Musical Theatre Festival and is appearing in his own cabaret A Life in Song at the Pizza on the Park and the Café De Paris. His cabaret performance has also been released as a double CD.
The Comic Strip
The Comic Strip is a group of British comedians, known for their television series The Comic Strip Presents.... The core members are Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Peter Richardson and Jennifer Saunders, with frequent appearances by Keith Allen, Robbie Coltrane and...
as Alan Pellay playing Himself in Gino (Episode 10) as Alana Pellay playing Herself in The Bullshitters
The Bullshitters: Roll Out The Gunbarrel
The Bullshitters: Roll Out The Gunbarrel was a spoof of The Professionals, first broadcast in 1984 on Channel 4. Although it was made by many people behind The Comic Strip, it did not feature the Comic Strip logo and is not considered by some to be part of the series...
(Episode 13) and, finally, as Lana Pellay playing Mary in the feature movie The Supergrass
The Supergrass
The Supergrass is a 1985 British comedy film written and directed by Peter Richardson. Film starred Richardson, Adrian Edmondson, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Keith Allen, Nigel Planer, Alexei Sayle, Ronald Allen and Robbie Coltrane. After returning from a holiday in the West Country he...
.
Early life
He was born behind the docks of GrimsbyGrimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
where he was the youngest of six children, his mother a cleaning lady of Irish and Jamaican descent, his father an engineer on the fishing trawlers originally from South Africa of Indian and Spanish descent.
Working men's clubs
He left school at fifteen to head for the bright lights of Manchester where he hooked up with Northern drag legends Bunny Lewis and Frank Foo Foo Lammar. He did spot on impersonations of Shirley BasseyShirley Bassey
Dame Shirley Bassey, DBE , is a Welsh singer. She found fame in the late 1950s and was "one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century"...
, Eartha Kitt
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the...
, Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
, Cleo Laine
Cleo Laine
Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth, DBE is a jazz singer and an actress, noted for her scat singing and vocal range...
and Dorothy Squires
Dorothy Squires
Dorothy Squires was a Welsh vocalist. Among her recordings were versions of "A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening", "I'm in the Mood for Love", "Anytime", "If You Love Me " and "And So to Sleep Again".-Biography:...
in full drag and no mike and was booked into the working men’s clubs all over the North as well as the cabaret club circuit, such as the Poka A Poka in Stockport, the Golden Garter in Salford and the Sheffield Fiesta.
Disco Diva
During a lull in his drag career while he was managing the Black Market Café in Levenshulme and renting a room from Coronation StreetCoronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
actor, Alan Rothwell
Alan Rothwell
Alan Rothwell is a British actor and television presenter. He was born in Oldham, Lancashire. He first came to fame in 1960, playing the character David Barlow in the then new ITV soap opera Coronation Street. He remained in this role in 1968, and the character was killed off two years later...
he was introduced to Kay Carroll and Mark E Smith of The Fall (band). He formed his own band the I Scream Pleasures which would appear as guest support at many a The Fall gig with an original repertoire of songs including Parasitic Machines, Surrender Your Gender, Closet Queen, Do You Like Labels, Spirit Souls and You Aint Nothing But A Phoney F-cking Hetero Queen
He metamorphosed into a disco diva as the hormone popping transsexual Lana Pellay, dressed in costumes by his close friend Leigh Bowery
Leigh Bowery
Leigh Bowery was an Australian performance artist, club promoter, actor, pop star, model and fashion designer, based in London. Bowery is considered one of the more influential figures in the 1980s and 1990s London and New York art and fashion circles influencing a generation of artists and...
and with a number one world wide dance floor hit Pistol In My Pocket and accompanying Gary Clail
Gary Clail
Gary Clail is an English singer and record producer. He was part of On-U Sound Records and led Gary Clail's Tackhead Sound System.-Biography:...
in his 1991 hit "Human Nature" with the repeating couplet "Let the carnival begin... Every pleasure, every sin!"
TV and movie star
While squatting in Notting Hill he met Keith Allen who invited him to appear in the newly born Channel 4’s first ever “yoof program”. There he met his champion, Peter Richardson, actor, comedian, writer and director of The Comic Strip PresentsThe Comic Strip
The Comic Strip is a group of British comedians, known for their television series The Comic Strip Presents.... The core members are Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Peter Richardson and Jennifer Saunders, with frequent appearances by Keith Allen, Robbie Coltrane and...
who wrote parts for him in the episodes Susie, Gino, The Bullshitters
The Bullshitters: Roll Out The Gunbarrel
The Bullshitters: Roll Out The Gunbarrel was a spoof of The Professionals, first broadcast in 1984 on Channel 4. Although it was made by many people behind The Comic Strip, it did not feature the Comic Strip logo and is not considered by some to be part of the series...
and The Supergrass. He also wrote the lead part for him in the feature film Eat the Rich.
Theatre and cabaret
Now as Al Pillay he is starring in a one man play Glitter & Twisted based on his life, written by Tim FountainTim Fountain
Tim Fountain is a British writer.-Life:An only child, Tim Fountain was brought up in a pub in the village of West Ardsley, West Yorkshire, where he lived with his parents and two goats, one of which had only three legs...
, which had its premiere at the Beckett Theatre on 42nd Street as part of the first Manhattan Musical Theatre Festival and is appearing in his own cabaret A Life in Song at the Pizza on the Park and the Café De Paris. His cabaret performance has also been released as a double CD.