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Hamburg (AP) - The Hamburg drag queen Olivia Jones loves the spotlight and the stage.

But she has had to do without it for many months.

Instead of waiting for the lockdown to end, the 51-year-old, who comes from Springe in the Hanover region, sat down on a long-planned project and wrote a book. “It occurred to me that I haven't told many stories yet. And at the moment my stage has been taken from me, so of course I can also reach my audience. Because my job is to entertain. And I can do that with the book, ”Jones told the German Press Agency in Hamburg.

She appropriately called the book "Olivia Jones - No Make-up" and with the title it promises the unadorned truth about her life.

That was particularly important to the famous travesty artist and entrepreneur.

“If I'm going to write a biography, then it has to be real.

I've read many that were so beautiful.

But that's stupid and alien to life.

And that's what defines me, what I've experienced. "

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If you now imagine Olivia Jones typing on the laptop, you are mistaken. She left the writing to her longtime manager and journalist Lena Obschinsky. Obschinsky and Jones regularly spoke late into the night by phone and video call. Jones is a self-confessed night owl and usually sleeps until lunchtime, and the mandatory Corona break has not changed that. «I'm also a morning grouch. If I had written that in the morning - I'd rather not share my thoughts. "

The book, both chronologically and thematically structured and published by Rowohlt Verlag in Hamburg, begins with Oliver Knöbel's first years of life. He was born and raised in Springe, Lower Saxony, and discovered his feminine side and his love for men at an early age. In a time when travesty, being gay and being different were hardly accepted, the tall slag had a hard time. Even with his own family.

In the book Jones describes the insults, the fight against her demons, the hostility and the like very impressively.

«The book was created like a talk therapy.

And it was really therapy for me because I was reviewing my life.

It also made me grow. "

Co-author Obschinsky kept digging into the discussions and did not give up on unpleasant topics.

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Obschinsky has thus elicited some piquant details from her sex life and her encounters with other celebrities and well-known people from the always brightly made-up size of the Kiez.

Some of the passages even had to be blackened.

"But if you have the imagination, you can guess the names a bit," says Jones with a wink and a particularly deep voice.

"Lots of celebrities are shaking right now."

On the 286 pages you are taken on a foray into the wild life of Olivia Jones - from her hard way up to the transformation into a drag queen, the many cosmetic operations and the trip to the jungle camp to her fight against hatred and for one Gastro life after Corona. The chapters are entertaining and funny as well as self-deprecating and full of humility.

After reading, Olivia Jones as a person fascinates once again with his many facets, profound thoughts and the fight for respect, tolerance and a colorful world.

In addition, there are many interesting facts in the book: that Jones normally spends around 200 euros a month on her make-up, has around 100 wigs and around 200 pairs of shoes, and that she has had to cover up “Klötenblitzer” and her “slingshots” nothing with money have to do.

The biography is supplemented by many pages with previously unpublished photos showing the young Oliver and Olivia's adventures and encounters.

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While Olivia was fond of telling the stories, it wasn't easy for Oliver to venture so far out of cover at first.

"Oliver found the book very difficult because I also have Olivia a bit as a protective shield and enjoy my private life very much - that nobody knows me."

It took a while to get used to the idea.

"But now is exactly the right time."

Because Jones' book is not just about entertainment, it's also about courage.

«The main appeal of this book is to immerse yourself in another life.

But also to be able to learn from this that courage is important, that you believe in yourself and not allow your life to be dictated from outside. ”

She also speaks openly about psychological problems and advocates seeking help.

Thanks to the typical Olivia Jones language, the book can be read in one go, whether it's funny or serious.

And if you didn't know the difference between transvestite and travesty and the meaning of drag queen, you will definitely be smarter after reading it.

«You learn for life.

It also takes you a little more intellectually, ”says Jones with a laugh.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210421-99-288820 / 2

Information on the biography of Olivia Jones

Information from the publisher on the biography