Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
You know, many people do not know that I am so immersed when it comes to music. I have such a huge knowledge of music. I like my songs, I like my melodies, my harmonies, you know.
RuPaul's Drag Race' is my favorite show on television, and I've never missed an episode. With season 4, I watched it as if Sharon Needles wasn't me but was just another character.
I was raised on GG Allen, Divine, Elvira and Marilyn Manson. I was always more interested in those button pushing, transgressive artists and they made a lot of good money doing it.
Working Holiday' goes out to those earning their pay and a half: from retail employees at the mall and the kids selling popcorn at the movies, to the waiters at Chinese restaurants!
Jungle Kitty is one of the colors of my persona that allows me to be free, allows to be untamed, allows me to have fun and let loose and be ferocious, raw, unapologetic, and carefree.
In my world, everything has the potential to be funny. Joyful things, painful things... It's all about how you view it and if you're able to take an objective stance on the situation.
Generally speaking, the term, 'vanity,' itself can be perceived as negative, superficial and egotistical, but I see it as being unapologetic for celebrating other sides of my artistry.
There was a time when I said I wouldn't do something like that but I've seen so many of my friends go on the 'All Stars' seasons and they seem to be having a lot of fun for the most part.
I never worry about the social backlash against my work because I'm a man in a dress, and somehow American society creates a buffer on how severe things are when you put a man in a dress.
I feel that my winning 'RuPaul's Drag Race' and also being all the way from Africa gave people the audacity to just be themselves, all while encouraging and inspiring many people back home.
It used to be that I'd do drag, then get out of drag, and try and be as much of a boy as possible. That didn't feel entirely authentic for me, but it felt like what I had to do at the time.
My first real memory of makeup was when I was a teenager and I kind of had some acne issues and I wondered why it was OK for girls to wear foundation but boys weren't allowed to wear makeup.
I've always preferred drag roles, because typically I get better costumes and I've always felt more connected with the female characters in my favorite shows than most of the male characters.
That openness to experimentation in Seattle is how I learned a drag queen doesn't have to just be in her pageant gear and lip syncing to top 40. Drag can be off-the-wall, ridiculous, profound.
I don't care how many times I play 'Angry Birds.' When you have the world's cares on your shoulders and you fling those little birds at those rotten pigs, then the whole world just melts away.
In the gay community there are not very many Jewish drag queens. I've always found that funny because there are a lot of Jewish gay people out there, so why aren't there more Jewish drag queens?
What brings me the most joy is stories about progressive thinking. When a mother or father accepts their child for whoever they are... when goodness prevails... blah blah blah. I'm a cheese ball.
We like to take pop songs that have really cool, complex melodies or lyrics and strip away all that fluff and electronic noise, and put them back as if they were written for a singer and a piano.
Never feel guilty. Don't hold yourself back by guilt or fear. No other species in the entire world deals with guilt. Guilt is a bizarre emotion that makes you feel bad about decisions that you make.
Put your problems into perspective and it usually turns out things aren't nearly so bad. And when they are, look to those memories of happy times. Keep some happiness on reserve for those rainy days!
Before my time on 'RuPaul's Drag Race,' Halloween was my favorite day of the year since I was a little kid. It's the day we worship the macabre and live vicariously through the costumes that we wear.
In any kind of performance field, there are always going to be 101 people doing the exact same thing as you. You always constantly have to be thinking of, 'What's going to shock my audience the most?'
My music video for 'Go Fish' is really fun. Just like the card game, if you're dealt a crappy hand, play it the best you can and you can always pick another card and try again. It's my little message.
I found my first picture of Amanda Lepore online in fashion magazines. It was the most beautiful thing that I had ever seen in my life. I thought nothing could trump the perfection of that photograph.
People sometimes think that drag queens are always really confident and fearless because we transform ourselves into these beautiful creatures, and they believe that it's how we live our everyday lives.
I was really into the bimbo archetype that filled late 80s-early 90s TV when I was growing up. You know, women circling the want ads with nail polish, Rhonda Shear from 'U.S.A. Up All Night,' Peggy Bundy.
Playing on stereotypes was meant to be humorous. If it doesn't tickle you in certain spots, it's not going to be funny. Falling down the stairs is a seriously dangerous thing, but watching it is HILARIOUS!
I think that I've always represented self-empowerment, you being your best cheerleader, you always affirming yourself. I've always been about empowering people. It sounds very cliche in a way, but it's not.
I come from what we call the pre-'Drag Race' drag world where I didn't start doing this with aspirations of being a reality television star, or this going any further than the small smoky bars of Pittsburgh.
I mean, I wouldn't sound very good next to Barbra Streisand, but I would still love to do a duet with her anyway. Maybe someone else can do the singing for me and I'll just do the lip syncing. How about that?
No matter who you are in your day-to-day life, and no matter what you look like, and whatever insecurities you're dealing with, you can fully transform yourself. It's as easy as deciding to transform yourself.
I love reality TV shows like 'Big Brother' where it's smart game to vote off the strong competitors, especially early on to give the other people a fighting chance. From a game stance, it's totally acceptable.
I only do numbers/acts that excite me, or I connect to personally. I never phone it in. It's about finding the balance between what my audience wants and what I want to give them. That sweet spot in the vendiagram.
I consider myself an artist, but instead of paint or clay, my medium is drag. I put so much of myself into my drag from every detail of the costume, makeup and hair to my performance, the way I speak or even stand.
Jason Voorhees was a kid who was picked on at summer camp, and Michael Myers was someone vilified by his own family. I think that's why gay people like horror movies, because it's seeking revenge on the privileged.
I went into 'RuPaul's Drag Race' saying, 'I'll never cry.' Because they make fun of every queen that cries on the show. And I did cry, and I did scream, and I did have doubt, and I did have great, victorious moments.
I like to write my shows coming up with the stupidest things I can think of then finding a way I can incorporate a running theme or an underlying message that takes a stupid idea and gives it something worth watching.
I went to 'The Nutcracker' every year with my grandma and aunt. Then, in my early teen years, I thought I wanted to be a ballet dancer. I went real gung-ho in that direction, and I started performing in 'The Nutcracker.'
Any younger person - let's say if you're over the age of 30, Pride is a great excuse to go day-drinking. But no one forgets their first Pride and how much they felt that they were included and that the future was bright.
In the entertainment industry women are often judged. They judge bigger women, they judge black women, and older women too. We just don't do that in drag. Drag is open to everyone, regardless of gender, body shape or age.
Well I grew up in a small town in Iowa and there weren't a lot of imaginative and fun outlets for kids of my caliber, so pretty much my mom's closet and any large pieces of fabric in the Halloween box were my favorite toys.
It's not just putting on a little bit of makeup and putting on a dress. Some drag queens duct tape their heads, some drag queens are bound and strapped and pulled in every which direction. To be in drag is no small endeavor.
We tend to take things for granted that we've had for long periods of time. Take a moment to appreciate the person in your life. Realize why you are with them. Take a moment with them and really be in that moment completely.
Prior to the online platform, I had to make sure I go around and have conversations and go to schools and make appearances. But now with online presence, I try to put out videos and different posts every day. I try to inspire.
Antoine and Sahara Davenport were really able to help me learn about drag. We really fed off each other. Together, we just clicked. We were both part of 'RuPaul's Drag Race,' so we both got to go through this experience together.
When I found the 'Human Nature' music video as a teenager - I've been a drag queen since 15 - I just loved that music video so much because it's such a celebration of her femininity and her sexuality. I thought it was so powerful.
The thing about fame is, you want it your whole life, but no matter how bright you are, no one ever asks themselves why they want fame. You never really know what it is until you have it. You can never tangibly feel your own fame.
To me, Jungle Kitty is a frame of mind where you don't apologize for who you are. You're very ferocious, you're a free spirit, you're outgoing. You don't conform to labels. It's really that side of me... she's so regal and she's so royal.
I never hate my bullies from high school. I actually kind of appreciate them. If it wasn't for that boot camp training of how the world treats gay people and especially drag queens, I don't know if I would have survived as well as I have.
I love rewatching 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' episodes, 'Project Runway,' 'Making the Cut' and other fun shows. If there's fashion and/or drama involved, I'll give it a watch. And of course I've got to watch my show 'Dragnificent' on TLC!