Adrian It strikes me that you’ve spent most of your life trying to be somebody you’re not. You’re now 44 and I would have thought that you’d resolved your sense of identity, but it’s clearly not the case. Why do you think this is?

Adrienne Since early childhood I’ve loved dressing up and pretending to be someone else. It made life as an effeminate little boy more tolerable. Now, in adulthood, I think it’s a completely healthy thing to do, and instead of it being an avoidance tactic for accepting who and what I am, it actually helps me do just this!

Adrian You obviously like the sound of your own voice, but are you capable of genuinely listening to somebody else?

Adrienne Oh definitely, and what makes you think the two are mutually exclusive? I am capable of multi-tasking!

Adrian Would you say you’re self-obsessed?

Adrienne Definitely! And most people are. But within that I know I can demonstrate flickers of genuine interest in and concern for others!

Adrian Are you trying to be a woman because you’re so crap at being a man?

Adrienne I’m not interested in trying to be a woman and I don’t consider this to be drag. As a critic once aptly pointed out, I’m ‘wafts of Eddie Izzard, gushes of Pat Butcher’. It’s a persona. And I don’t subscribe to this narrow, stereotypical idea of what a man is, either. I’m just as much of a man as Pete Burns!

Adrian Do you think that you’re going to die the death of a sad, lonely, childless old queen?

Adrienne But you make it sound SO appealing! Whoever said that if you’re old and gay, you’re automatically going to be sad and lonely? Frankly, I plan on living until I’m 102, surrounded by more children than Maria von Trapp, and married to Freddie Ljungberg’s grandson.

An Audience with Adrienne, the Stud!o, Glasgow, Tue 7-Sun 12 Nov.