David Raven aka Maisie Trollette has been the mainstay at Brighton Pride for as long as I can remember, participated in the Pride community parade and entertained in the Cabaret Tent at Preston Park.
David’s passing has stirred fond memories of my own personal journey of growing up in Brighton, David’s role as a pillar of our community and the memories I will always cherish.
I arrived in Brighton in early 1981 and started my first club, Subterfuge—a goth (and, in truth, very queer) hangout where I first DJ’d. It took me a while to come out as a gay man, but by the mid-’80s, I was exploring the local gay scene. My first gay club experiences were Bolts at Sherry’s (where I later ran Wild Fruit for over 20 years) and the Beacon Royal in Oriental Place, the leading gay club at the time, owned by Tony Chapman (who later opened Revenge and then Legends).
It was during this time that I first saw David perform, most likely at the Oriental pub behind the Beacon Royal, where the scene was centred around at the time. I must admit, I wasn’t a regular at drag shows then, preferring to be a party boy. However, I soon learned that our drag artists were central to our community, bringing us together at a time when being queer wasn’t widely accepted.
Tony Chapman and I had a (mostly) friendly rivalry around clubland and community fundraising, but it was always our local drag artists who stepped up to support the cause. Our drag queens (and lesbians) that held our community together during the AIDS crisis, lifting spirits and fundraising when we needed them most. Who can forget Maisie’s iconic catchphrase: “Roland House, 21 St. George’s Terrace, 603639!”, promoting the guest house David owned with partner Don Coull—repeated without fail at every performance.
In 1991, I produced the Alternative Miss Brighton—an early incarnation of what you’d now call a drag pageant. It was held in a 1,500-capacity big top in the old station car park, hosted by Lily Savage and Simon Fanshawe of That’s Life fame. Maisie was star billing alongside Lily Savage, though I accidentally spelt the name “Massie Trollet” on the poster and received a rather abrupt phone call from David!
Maisie and Dave Lynn became audience favourites over the years of the Alternative Brighton shows, performing alongside Lily Savage, a then-unknown Graham Norton, Michelle Collins, Julian Clary, Dockyard Doris, Regina Fong, the Skinny Bitch Zsarday, Sandra & Lucia, and so many more. Masie and Dave had the audience in the palm of their hands, and I often struggled to get them off stage when they were on a roll!
One unforgettable year, when Maisie and Dave were judges at a Dome show, they decided to place the judges high up on scaffolding. Their witty banter and audience engagement distracted Julian Clary so much that we had to ask Maisie to quiet down. She was having none of it and stormed off in classic Maisie style. I’ll never forget the time David put me firmly in my place when I mistakenly called him Maisie while he was out of drag!
By 1992, I was asked to open a new club night at the expanded Zap Club. This marked the beginning of the dance generation, and I launched Club Shame—considered by many a blueprint for the queer club scene of the ’90s. Club Shame was unapologetically queer, sleazy, and decadent, bringing together the mixed dance generation with live acts and floor shows.
I invited Jean-Yves Aubin to present one of his legendary Plastic Passion shows and asked David to participate, expecting a polite “no, dear.” To my surprise, he said yes! He became the star of the show, bridging the gap between classic drag and the hedonistic club kids of the era.
I had the privilege of attending David’s 80th birthday show at the Theatre Royal, sitting in the Royal Box and witnessing the immense love for him. I have the deepest respect for our drag legends, who broke barriers when it wasn’t always safe to “slay it” or “sashay away”. David was one of a kind, touching countless lives.
But we know the show will go on, up there with so many friends and legends from our shared history: Phil Starr, Dockyard Doris, Regina Fong, Zsarday and Miss Jason.
I’m forever grateful for the memories I’ve shared with our community.
Rest in peace Maisie Trollette / David Raven
Love, Paul Kemp
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