RuPaul
Answers OUT Spoken’s questions

The world's most famous drag queen discusses "Another Gay Sequel," Midnight Mass, and her new reality show on Logo.

RuPaul, you've begun working on a reality television game show to air on Logo. Top drag queens will compete to be selected as the number one drag performer in the country?
It's been a lot of fun. And the most fun is discovering young talent. Drag over the past few years has sort of gone kind of back into the closet in a way. In a way that's not so much on the forefront. Hopefully this show will remedy that.

You told me you would never do reality television. Why the change of heart?
Well, the fact I got to work with Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato of World of Wonder, and the concept, one that's been following me around for many, many years. I think it's time to help other people get their name out there.

I've thought I'd have a successor, as Queen of the World, but there hasn't been anybody really. So hopefully this show will help bring some new talent and some new blood into this genre.

You're not counting Lil' Kim or Janet Jackson?
[Laughs] Well I am counting them actually.

You and Tyra have this thing going back and forth. Are you competing with Tyra?
You know, unfortunately the only person I've ever competed with is myself. You know, we're different. Although I did she her last advertisements for her TV show. I was looking at them thinking, “Oh my God, that looks exactly like me.”

She's becoming more and more like a drag queen.
What do you mean more and more, she's always been very drag. She's tall, big boned and she's always been very drag. But you know, the lighter her hair gets, I think, “Wow, that looks just like me.”

It's like with plastic surgery, if people have enough of it everyone starts to look exactly alike, and the same is true when you start doing drag. People start looking alike. If you go into those areas with drag or with hair and make-up, you will definitely start to look like RuPaul. [Laughs]

What will the winner look like?
Well, the winner will be someone who can do it all, and who can mimic the things that I've done in my career, which is be a spokes model, a singer, an actor, a performer and all around representative of all things trans.

Can a transgender woman compete in your contest?
We are looking to girls who have not had the complete chop, chop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is. We're looking for showgirls, and most of the transgender girls aren't showgirls. But, for the most part, the people who have applied are people who are people who have not had any surgical augmentation.

Is age a factor?
It is a factor, unfortunately, because the overall goal is to infuse new energy into this profession. It's important for a younger generation to understand and to see themselves in it and to take it to the next level. We really want to stay away from old-school. That's not to say that there will not be people over forty in the competition. If they can bring it, if they have what it takes, and what we're looking for, they'll definitely be chosen.
To be a drag queen, first of all, it takes the courage to step out of your house in drag. That takes a lot of balls, so to speak, pardon the pun. And then to be able to create, on a shoestring budget on limited resources, to create all this stuff, is another whole hurdle that you have to overcome.

You're coming to San Francisco July 26th at Peaches Christ's Midnight Mass to present Starbooty.
We're gong to be talking about my career and films, they're also going to show a short film I did called Zombie Prom. And we'll be answering questions and signing things.

Who is Tyrelle Tyrelle?
That's a character I play in Todd Stevens' new movie called Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild. It's like a gay Cannonball Run, because it has all these cameos of these out, gay, celebrities, and lots of nudity and hilarity, and it's just big ole crazy mess, I love it, I thinks its very funny.

Gays Gone Wild is about who can get laid the most. Who gets the most butt love during this vacation?
Well it's not who you think it is. It's a very big surprise in the end

The most hated website in Hollywood is Perez Hilton. He makes a cameo in the film. How did he do?
You know, it's more than a cameo; he has a really big role in this movie. He's going for it, in between takes he was doing his business on the Internet, and then they'd call him and he'd come out and do his scene. I think I have one or two scenes with him; he's really pretty good.

What's the one thing you feel like you should be remembered for?
Well you know honestly, I'm really so proud of that talk show that we did at VH1. I really got to show myself and I feel like we really transcended the taboo that's attached to drag. I think I'm the most proud of that, actually.

Probably today the thing that I am most thing I'm proud of, is still being interested in doing this work, and still being interested in getting up and leaving the house or being interested in life. I mean, that's a creative job in and of itself.

 

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