spotlight rupaul’s drag race season 9 PEPPERMINT


Who or what were the biggest influences for you growing up? My biggest influences were Mom, Janet Jackson and Grandma. They were all such classy ladies, I wanted to be them. Now I am! First time you put on a dress? Upon my request, my Grandma put me in her dresses and dressed me up as Boy George all the time. I guess it was safe drag because it had the name “boy” in it. My first solo drag appearance was as Violet Beauregarde fromWilly Wonka. I stuffed my Mom’s Denim Jumper with pillows and made a wig with orange yarn. Painted my face blue and rolled around on the floor like a stuffed blueberry. It was so freeing! How about the first time you did it professionally? Even that was questionable looking back, but we all have those, right? I was 18, working at the Limelight and Tunnel Nightclub…For those that don’t know it, watchParty Monster. I used to pay to get in, but eventually, I sweet talked my way to earning $50 weekly to show up and do a song. Did you have a drag mother? If so, please describe your experience. I didn’t, actually. I think I came up in the era of club kids so drag moms were reserved for the ballroom scene mostly. Which I didn’t end up


getting into, but, I really wish I had. Favorite song to lip sync to? Anything Janet or Kina…When I lip sync. Best or funniest “I fucked it up” moment? There was a new girl in town who would appear in several shows, I never took the time to slow down and read her complicated name, so it was months before I announced her name correctly. I was butchering her name publicly, but no one corrected me. I felt absolutely horrible and I apologized. What or who inspires you? I’m inspired by connecting with my people over social issues. So, although my material is not usually political, I want to be sure my performance is serving the right purpose. What does drag mean to you, really? Drag is my income, it’s my career, it’s my sense of family, my outlet to speak out and affect change, it’s my ice breaker on dates and it’s my ticket around the world. It’s also the reason you will never see me in person before noon. Ever. Not once. Most common misconceptions people have about drag artists? That it’s easy and we are all rich. What do you hope people get from your performances? A bit of happiness…That’s all.


SASHA VELOUR


Who or what was the biggest influence for you growing up? Anything I could get my hands on! I was naturally drawn to drama and glamor. I remember scouring my parents’ bookshelves for anything with pictures of fashion and obsessing over a book about the Romanov Dynasty! The first time you put on a dress? My very first dress was a Wicked Witch of the West Halloween costume. Yes, my beautiful parents let me trick-or-treat in drag when I was only four-years-old and I loved it! I felt so natural in those flowy witch robes that I didn’t want to take it off! The best part was performing the melting scene and watching the dress pool around me on the floor as I sank down. Apparently, I’ve always liked the death scenes the best. How about the first time you did it professionally? I went to the only gay club in my hometown of Urbana, Illinois, while visiting home from college. I put on a bra and panties, a Marilyn wig, and some leopard pumps from Payless. I didn’t have any money, and it took me a long time to learn how to make drag magic from nothing...So I didn’t look very special that night. But I gave them SHOWS nonetheless.... Favorite song to lip sync to? Anything by Shirley Bassey…I live for her intensity and those glorious vowels! Best or funniest “I fucked it up” moment? First time I tried to tell a joke on the microphone. The punchline was “The patriarchy,” I don’t even remember the rest of the joke...But


the response was crickets. It was hilarious to me though! What or who inspires you? I love keeping up with weird fashion and researching drag history... But most of my inspiration comes from women and queer folks that I know from my own life, who teach me to be kind and creative and strong. What does drag mean to you, really? Drag is an art form that combines performance of all kinds with fashion design, writing, producing and even community activism! It is fun and light-hearted, but also contains such radical new ideas of beauty and gender and really poignant expressions of self. I also love that drag creates a safe space for queers of all kinds, especially gender-non-conforming people. We need that more than ever! Most common misconceptions people have about drag artists? That we are all very similar to each other. The drag community really mirrors the whole world, there are drag performers of every gender, body, age, color, and character! The one thing we all have in common is a love of extravagance and self-expression, but that’s enough to create a really beautiful community! What do you hope people get from your performances? Fundamentally, I want people to be entertained and transported...I want to use the magic of performance to take them out of the present and into a fantasy of beauty and feeling and story, even for just a few moments. I think that’s what inspires people the most, makes them happier, or even moves them to action and insight!


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RAGE monthly | MARCH 2017


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