Random Acts of (Drag Race) Carpetness

A few weeks ago I attended the premiere of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under and chatted with several of the competing Queens on the red carpet.

Here’s a selection of their responses to questions around starting out in Drag, their first song, their upbringing and Aussie / NZ drag differences.

Etcetera Etcetera (AU)

“I’m a resident Queen at the Imperial Hotel in Erskineville and I also perform at Universal on Oxford Street. To be honest, (joining Drag Race) wasn’t a dream because I never thought it would come to the backwaters of Australia. But now that it is I’m so grateful to be part of this opportunity. The producers approached me and asked if I’d like to audition? I said ‘Yes!’ and then it happened. It was a crazy few weeks of them asking me questions and then it all it went (my) way!”

Maxi Shield (AU)

“I’ve been in Sydney since ’95. I went to high school in Nowra but I grew up in central Queensland in Claremont. So I’m essentially a country boy from a large family who are really amazing. A couple of years ago, I was in a newspaper, and my 86 year old grandfather text messaged me and said, ‘You look great in pink, Maxie! love Pop.’ It wasn’t even ‘accepting’, they just knew who I was and were happy to go with the flow. I was lucky to have that type of support.

“We always used to have a dress-up box. I’d always end up being the female school teacher or the stripper or the Dreamette. I ended up going to a Christmas party in drag and I got on stage. It just felt right.

“I did No Doubt,’ I’m Just a Girl’ on the back of the truck on Oxford Street at the midnight shift during Mardi Gras.

“Now I work at the Oxford Hotel on Fridays and Saturdays, Stonewall Hotel on Thursdays and I do some straight Trivia nights at the Kings Cross Hotel and the Olympic Hotel.”

Anita Wigl’it (NZ)

“I actually started drag by taking out the rubbish. I worked at the Civic Theatre in Auckland. In 2008, we had Priscilla Queen of the Desert with the legendary Tony Sheldon. The cast would come off stage after the finale, and they would be having the most amazing time and the audience was so joyous. I thought, ‘I’m going to try this for the staff xmas party!’ So I had a Priscilla-themed 21st, contacted the local bar and the rest is history.

“My first number was the classic Gloria Gaynor, ‘I Will Survive.'”

Art Simone (AU)

“I’ve worked in TV before, I’ve done reality shows. I was on The Bachelor. I was in charge of the dates. I’ve seen how Reality TV works, but this is so different. They have a very well-oiled machine. It’s fabulous.”

Jojo Zaho (AU)

“You can often catch me at the Imperial in Erskineville. If not, you can catch me in Newcastle.

“I did drama all throughout high school. I’ve always been a bit of a drama queen on the inside. But it wasn’t until a council member in Dubbo said that homosexuality was not part of Indigenous culture that really kind triggered drag for me. I chose to walk down the main street of Dubbo in their Pride March in full drag to send a message that homosexuality is part of the Indigenous culture, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

“The main message I hope that comes out of Drag Race Down Under is that Aussie drag is so unique, camp and tongue in cheek. We like to colour outside the lines. I hope that that Aussie drag holds onto that because it has changed a bit and started to (reflect) drag from other countries. So I hope that it holds onto the core values which you can see in Priscilla Queen of the Desert.”

Kita Mean (NZ)

“I think NZ in general is like Australia’s little sister. We kind of look up to Australian drag and try to do the team proud. I perform at a place in Auckland called Caluzzi Cabaret, which I co-own with Anita Wigl’it. I’m the hostess of a gay club called Family Bar. We own two venues Karangahape Road. It’s a whole lot of fun and we’re doing what we love. We are helping the art of drag thrive in our little country. So I’m really proud of it.

“I think drag generally is all about loving yourself and in turn, allowing other people to feel great at the same time. So it’s a win win. If I can make people laugh, then it makes me feel good. You can’t knock that can you?”

Scarlet Adams (AU)

“Perth is such a beautiful place to grow up. It’s a small city, quite isolated. But everyone sort of looks out for each other.

“I think Drag’s just always been in my blood. I’ve always been the kid in the corner, dancing. Performance has been a part of me so it seemed like a natural progression. The first time I ever performed was Taylor Dayne, ‘Can’t Get Enough of your Love.'”

RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under airs Saturdays on Stan.