You may already be aware that I have a love of drag. Queens, Kings, Genderfuck, all drag is welcome in my eyes!
So it is with great anticipation that I have been waiting for RuPaul’s Drag Race to just go ahead and start. I’ve already blogged on Logo‘s advertising campaign for the show, which has included PSA spots of drag star of stage and screeen Varla Jean Merman paying tribute to the queens of yore.
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But now the time has come, and I’ve invited some of my BFFs over to watch with me. There’s fagnet extraordinaire Claudette Murphree and carpenter/artist Tim Weins, as well as queer movie maven PJ Raval.
What follows are our thoughts on the debut episode. Be forewarned, things could get UGLY! Each week these turkeys and a revolving cast will opine on the fine GP blog. So without further ado:
TURN IT!
Here’s what the at-home judges have to say:
The Best:
Claudette: Nina Flowers is the one to beat.
PJ: Agreed.
Tim: Yeah.
Andy: Uh-huh (It seems Nina Flowers is the queen to beat! At least with this crowd)
PJ: I liked Ongina.
Tim: Really?
Claudette: I’m liking Ongina a bit more…
The Worst:
Tim: I’m not feeling the drag queen who looks like she should be in a David Lynch movie. You know Laura Dern’s mother.
PJ: I like the more gender queer stuff, so I like her.
On the Show in General:
Claudette: Well I mean it’s a nice way to get a small chunk of change, without stooping to something like Sober House.
Tim: Sober House?
Andy: Oh Yeah. Sober House.
Claudette: It’s the new one
PJ: What’s great about this show is it’s America’s Next Top Model and Project Runway put together
Claudette: And American Idol.
PJ: Yes. And American Idol. All the gay reality shows.
Claudette: I think the show is great for the community in that it combines all these reality programs, I think Logo will get a lot of non-community viewers. It may bring more people to the channel.
PJ: I think they’re making fun of all of those shows, the whole “Lip Sync for your Life” was totally that.
Claudette: I think it was great for these economically depressed times.
PJ: Well that’s what drag is… you take different elements and put them together. I like the more queer drag queens.
On Porkchop’s Sashay (departure):
Andy: Honestly, I was sad to see Porkchop go… There are more queens in this world that look like Porkchop than any of those other queens. I may be more into Nina Flores, but I know Porkchop as a type.
Claudette: Totally.
On Akasha’s Shante:
Andy: I knew Akasha when I lived near Cleveland. I think she had a twin, who went by the name of Shari, and they were fierce!!!
PJ: But with Akasha, you know what you’re getting. At the end you knew when she was gonna turn her head, when she was gonna step, etc.
Personal Drag Name
Claudette: Baby Bubbles Juice (Queen of the Ewoks)
PJ: Paul James
Tim: The Woodworker
Andy: Hegemonica Preshun
This article appears in January 30 • 2009.