Alaska Thunderfuck: IDGAF About The Drag Glass Ceiling

An episode unlike any previous– Ryan and Yvie are live in the studio hosting Alaska Thunderfuck! She philosophizes about the art of getting shit done, expressing mental illness on reality tv, and how Willam choosing chaos and Alaska choosing “middle child” make their dynamic work. She doesn’t care about making art for places where drag queens are deprioritized and misunderstood. “That makes me feel like shit. What makes me feel good is doing a drag show.” Alaska and Yvie wonder about Tyra and Rupaul, and Alaska reveals who she stole her drag name from. The modern TSA experience and injustices of the Beyoncé-level concert industrial complex are also discussed. 

Ryan says recent drag race stars have learned the art of breaking the fourth wall, but Alaska says the best reality stars are too delusional to notice the cameras. Do you have a different theory of great reality tv personality? Let’s discuss, talk amongst yourselves. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
I was a nightmare on that show. I would literally
sit in the interview chair and they would ask me
questions and I'd be like, yes.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Sort of like what you did the first fifteen minutes
of this interview.

Speaker 1 (00:12):
This interview is over, thank you?

Speaker 3 (00:19):
Okay, So, Ebie, you're going to Paris?

Speaker 4 (00:22):
I mean by the time this airs, I'll already be back.
That's why I'm dressed all French as fuck.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
It's giving.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Why are you going just for vacation? You're not doing
anything like work wise?

Speaker 4 (00:32):
Are you not doing anything work wise? But I also
wouldn't call it a vacation. Why because I'm doing it
for the love of my life?

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Okay, what what do you Okay, what do you mean?

Speaker 4 (00:44):
Like, well, Doug really loves seeing live music, and this
is my most garbage hot take, but like I don't
like to go out of my way to try and
see live artists. Like That's why going to Coachella this
year was so oh dope, because I've just like never been.

Speaker 5 (01:02):
Like, yeah, you know what sounds good? Spending half a grand?
Spending half a grand.

Speaker 3 (01:08):
To be proud inserts is what I'm hearing.

Speaker 4 (01:10):
No, actually, I really enjoy it. It's just like everything
you do in life is a waste of money in
some way or another. And that's just never been how
I wanted to waste my money.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
I mean, I will say going to concerts like live events,
Beyonce has completely ruined every other concert for me, Like
it's it's hard to go into like be like, oh
is this going to be worth it? Like I feel
like I'm constantly comparing if it's going to be as
worth it and I'm going to get as much from
the experience.

Speaker 3 (01:40):
And I know that's not fair.

Speaker 4 (01:41):
Oh that is so fair. Look what you did, Beyonce.

Speaker 3 (01:44):
It's just it, sister.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
You put the bar so high when I'm going to
everything else. I'm like, this could have been a PowerPoint presentation,
you could have invited, this could have been an email.

Speaker 4 (01:52):
Okay, that's why this is also like extra shady though.
I was like, I was one of those facts who
like very proudly did not go see any of Beyonce's
I let her make her money off of all of y'all,
and I'm very very happy that y'all enjoyed your experiences.
But you don't such a.

Speaker 2 (02:06):
Contrarian you were, I'm like, I'm legit, not even well yes,
I am okay, okay, you got me there.

Speaker 3 (02:12):
Well it's so mad.

Speaker 4 (02:14):
It's not even like that. It's just like literally the
girls what because when she was like started touring, the
girls and I were also on tour, you know, and
there were like two or three times where we're talking
like we've been working for weeks on and pop and
pussy in the night, like trying to get your surroundings
down in the day, and there were two or three

(02:35):
different times where the girls went out of their way
almost jeopardized, like being able to perform in the next city,
flew halfway around the fucking country, flew into another country
to go spend your money on a pop star that
you've already seen three times, just so you.

Speaker 3 (02:54):
Can be like, look, I turned a different.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
It would be, I would say if it was a
different like artist, But the shows are actually different when
it comes to listen.

Speaker 4 (03:06):
I'm not I'm not saying that's not like I have
fans who have seen my shows like two or three
times when I was doing the same tour. I'm just
saying that's not how I want to waste my money.
And I'm just getting back from Pelli right now because
it was cheaper. It was cheaper to see Lady Gaga,
fly to Paris, buy tickets to see Lady Gaga in Paris,

(03:30):
and then fly back than it was to try and
see her in the United States. And to that, I say,
how fuck.

Speaker 5 (03:35):
You fuck you to all you people who are bullying
me right now about not going to live shit.

Speaker 4 (03:41):
You know what, give me a freebie, give me a handy.

Speaker 3 (03:43):
I'll be a Beyonce stam too.

Speaker 2 (03:45):
I'll be Actually, you're making a really interesting commentary around
the scam that is like US prices and Ticketmaster and
all the reselling of tickets and all these things. Like
I know so many people speaking of Beyonce. I know
so many people who actually wit a like across you know,
the seas and internationally to go see her because those
tickets were way cheaper and they made more of an

(04:07):
experience from it.

Speaker 3 (04:08):
So I actually I do not hate but the fact.

Speaker 2 (04:10):
That you're going to see Lady got that because I
wanted to see her while she was here in LA
and when she did all her days.

Speaker 4 (04:15):
But you didn't want to drop like eight grand.

Speaker 2 (04:18):
Yeah, that was so expensive, and so I actually really
understand that, and I hope you had the best time.

Speaker 4 (04:25):
Well, despite that long ass rent that just came out,
putting myself in the mindset of I just got back
from Paris, Lady Gaga, she was in Maculete. I would
give him all my money, alvel again.

Speaker 2 (04:39):
All the whole the French holes the girl TV has
probably breeded while she was down in Paris.

Speaker 4 (04:45):
It is bred, butwe it's actually Baguette, right, what are
you going on this week? Bitch?

Speaker 3 (04:55):
Oh my god.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
Actually, I am just still reflecting over the fact, like
because obviously this episode we are not in our regular
you know spaces. You were just here in la and
it was such a wonderful moment being together and also
getting to be in the same space with the queens
like it's been.

Speaker 3 (05:16):
It's it was so.

Speaker 2 (05:17):
Cool being like out, you know, recording the show and
getting me entured teaing together.

Speaker 3 (05:22):
It was just really really great.

Speaker 2 (05:23):
And so that that's kind of still been a top
of my mind because it's it can be hard doing
this shit virtually. It can be just like repetitive and
just like U is the connection going to work today?

Speaker 3 (05:33):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (05:33):
You have to wait for people to speak.

Speaker 3 (05:35):
It's like much easier.

Speaker 4 (05:36):
To interrupt your friends in person.

Speaker 2 (05:39):
Absolutely absolutely, and so it was just so much fun
to have you here. But also I feel like I'm
just kind of preparing.

Speaker 3 (05:48):
For what I want to do for the holidays, you
know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (05:50):
Like it's it's it's figuring out if I'm going to
go home. I don't think I am chat. I'm not
trying to die on no airplane.

Speaker 3 (05:56):
Bitch.

Speaker 2 (05:57):
I need everybody and the I need all the gun
I need everybody feeling in a better place. So you
might not see me on a plane until twenty twenty
six or twenty twenty seven.

Speaker 3 (06:05):
Wow, so real girl.

Speaker 4 (06:08):
Me two weeks ago would have been like, Ryan, you're
silly taking this little flight to La like that I
just did.

Speaker 3 (06:16):
In back.

Speaker 4 (06:17):
It was weird because, like you know, we're all used
to hearing employees somewhere like, you know, bitch about they're
on their cigarette break, they're like, man, the boss, he
sucks or whatever. It is something else to be like
going through a TSA line and have the TSA officers
be like just be ready, remember all these people are
here working for you still haven't been paid in a month.

Speaker 3 (06:39):
And I'm like, I mean that's the thing.

Speaker 2 (06:42):
TSA already feels like, oh this must be like a
small and like still intense version of what it means
to go to prison because they are wardens, like they
do already play no game, so to be working for
free and also probably not getting paid back pay, I
know they were playing when nobody's asked you if you
had anything on you, then you probably got arrested for

(07:04):
just having like a small piece of lotion and you
I can only imagine that everybody was pissed. I mean,
that's what I felt like, and it was so weird.

Speaker 4 (07:14):
I know we can all make just like rash generalizations,
but like one of these dudes in a business suit
in front of me, who you can tell is like
a regular, was also like trying to joke back with him,
like being like, oh, don't worry, I'm on my way
to change it. And I'm like, shut the.

Speaker 3 (07:29):
Fuck up and do it. You want to cook?

Speaker 2 (07:32):
He like, please get the fuck out of my face.
I for sure know I'm not going home for Thanksgiving.
I'm staying here because my friends one just like cook
better Thanksgiving than my family could ever And that's no shame.
That's not a hot tank. I don't know how to
cook because like my mother does not know.

Speaker 4 (07:49):
How I like, You're like, no, that's no shade and
then throws deeper shade.

Speaker 3 (07:57):
I mean, oh, like I it is what it is.

Speaker 2 (08:01):
But yeah, I'm not going home for Thanksgiving, but for sure,
I don't know. I really do kind of miss home,
and I do want to go to to my mom's
house for Christmas. And plus my grandmother shout out to her,
she just celebrated her eighty ninth birthday.

Speaker 4 (08:15):
I feel like, you got to you gotta go home
at least for Christmas, just to be like, yo, Grandma,
here's my gift to you, a memory in the eighty
ninth year of your life.

Speaker 2 (08:25):
Actually the memory will be Probably the gift that I
give to her is just recoming out to her again,
because I know she probably forgot that I'm a fat.

Speaker 4 (08:35):
Like you show up dressed as nice as you are,
like hairlaid nails, laid lip gloss on, and.

Speaker 5 (08:41):
She's like, so are you do you have any special
ladies in your life?

Speaker 3 (08:45):
Well the lad Yeah, that's drag queen.

Speaker 2 (08:47):
I've completely anytime I go home, I always it's not
like I change my appearance because I'm normally I'll have
my nails painted or whatever. But to not have to
do with like the low microaggressions from my mom about
like things, I tend to just be like, Okay, I'm
just in T shirts and shorts, like I'm just like

(09:08):
in a short. Like I'm not being as like fab
as I normally would being because who also gives a fuck?

Speaker 4 (09:14):
It's I feel like that is the most frustrating thing
about being queer during the holidays, Like I was, I
was gonna try not to talk shit about this, but
like I just went and did my dad's birthday and
it was beautiful because my family is beautiful and full
of love and amazing. But it was also like it's

(09:34):
there's always gonna be like some snarky little quip about
like a gay thing, Like when I'm around, there's going
to be like, oh that's now it's actually booty doo
or something, and I'm like, god, damn it, I don't
understand me. Well, okay, but the thing that's like frustrates
me is like I have to give my dad and
mom props because, like I mean, everyone in my life.

(09:57):
I have a fucking huge family, but I have to
give my dad and mom props for like trying to
knock down the boundaries between the lives that straight people
live and the lives that I live. Like I can
tell them both all sorts of whatever crazy bullshit I've
gotten into because they both have been in my spaces,
They've come to the clubs, they've like met me in
the middle. And sometimes it's just like a harder talking

(10:20):
to the people you gotta lie to, like my nana,
like and my grandma and be like listen, girl, I like,
I don't. I don't have a lot we can talk
on because you legitimately don't understand how my life works.

Speaker 2 (10:34):
Like well, Luckily, I feel like I don't ever really
have to do that with my grandmother because she one
has always known and then two I am her favorite,
like out of all of like the nieces and nephews,
I am for sure her favorite.

Speaker 3 (10:50):
She has said that, and I'm taking.

Speaker 4 (10:52):
I'm about that.

Speaker 2 (10:53):
But in the world I will also once she passes
at the funeral, I will be saying in front of
every one, because fuck them, because that's that is something
I've earned.

Speaker 3 (11:05):
I love my grandmother.

Speaker 2 (11:06):
She's like she's literally like just someone that I've always
had that connection to.

Speaker 3 (11:09):
And I think a lot of queer people can feel
that way.

Speaker 2 (11:13):
But it's most of my microaggressions come from my mom
where I remember the like I had went home for
the first time after like COVID, and it was really
when I started to paint my nails and kind of
play with like, you know, different designs and shit.

Speaker 3 (11:25):
Like that gender expression Harriot.

Speaker 2 (11:28):
My mom literally saw them and was like, what are
your rock star nails? And I was like, please, just like,
don't ever talk to me again with that fucking microaggression.
Like I just remember her making me feel so like
and we're like I immediately was just like, oh, like annoying,
but now I could get I could give a fuck,
like I'm always I'm going to show up how I

(11:49):
want to show up. But it does come to extent
and I think a lot of queer people feel this way,
where you're just just trying to make it through the
three days that you're staying there.

Speaker 4 (11:59):
Girl, Yeah, just being like yep, I'm gonna smile and
nod and just like except that I am nowhere near
the main character at your table. Absolutely actually want to
be Oh, but you know who is the main character
at the table?

Speaker 2 (12:13):
Yes, especially our table, our special guest, the Queen of everything.
Alaska is joining Hi, KEI, guess hi, I'm.

Speaker 3 (12:24):
So excited getting ready.

Speaker 2 (12:25):
Yeah, she's up next on ikey Hike. All right, so
our guest today is drag Royalty, Yo, Like, I mean
all you gotta hear ISHII and.

Speaker 3 (12:41):
Know exactly who the fuck I'm talking about.

Speaker 2 (12:43):
Please welcome the legend the icon Alaska. I, Kei, how's
it going?

Speaker 3 (12:49):
Oh? So good? So cute? You really are?

Speaker 4 (12:53):
This is so like ugly Christmas coded.

Speaker 2 (12:55):
Thank you, and he's giving holiday, it's giving cozy. I.
It's I don't know, like I think about the last
time I saw you, six years ago to this day.
We were just watching the video and we were actually talking.
We were talking shit about Evie Addley. But it was
around the time Edie was, you know, going through her
drama on Twitter and yelling at every which one Yeah,

(13:18):
and I was just like, I can't believe we're now
all sitting together.

Speaker 3 (13:21):
It's just so interesting how life is and how it
all works. How the hell have you been? How's life
been good?

Speaker 1 (13:27):
This is actually my grandmother's sweater.

Speaker 4 (13:29):
Oh shit, Christmas sweater. I meant cherish.

Speaker 1 (13:32):
No, it goes into that territory. But like, it's so
she was French Canadian and she was very like flamboyant
with her like clothes. She would wear like fur coats
with like hats and like I got a bunch of
hats like when she passed away, and like this is
a sweater. Look at how weird this is the jumping frog.

Speaker 3 (13:51):
It's honestly the best thing.

Speaker 2 (13:52):
And it's probably would have been like seventy dollars at
like the silver like flea market.

Speaker 1 (13:56):
Yeah, girl, And there's mushrooms. I don't I don't know
what this is about.

Speaker 4 (13:59):
It's like every that's like literally my my Christmas. Every year,
me and whoever I can convince to be in my house,
I'll just like drop a bunch of acid or mushrooms
and we do trip miss every years. And I feel
like your sweater, like your grandma would have had a
ball at my trip Miss.

Speaker 1 (14:20):
She really would.

Speaker 3 (14:21):
Hub do you incorporate more black car stuff into your drag?

Speaker 1 (14:25):
The stuff that fits she was like very tight, just
like barely.

Speaker 4 (14:33):
She's like it's safety pinned together in the literally if
I breathe, it's ripping off, like yeah, for sure.

Speaker 2 (14:41):
Witness and a transformation, but it's so it's incredible just
to like think about you and all the incredible like
work that you've been able to do, and I mean
your history and drag race has changed so much since
you've been on. I mean, what season five was your
original season and an All Stars one which.

Speaker 4 (14:59):
We don't talk about what.

Speaker 3 (15:03):
You were on two, which is no shreit the more
iconic one. Well, it's like the one that made All
Stars All Stars.

Speaker 4 (15:07):
Yeah, it's like legit obviously no secret. Everybody in the
fandom like was a little pissy about All Stars when
being like.

Speaker 3 (15:15):
Oh my god, why did they do that?

Speaker 4 (15:17):
Like why did they pair these bitches up? And then
All Stars?

Speaker 3 (15:20):
That's right. It was the peering, like the friendship race.

Speaker 4 (15:23):
And it was like it was like All Stars too
when we got some of like the fiercest competition. I
think people had seen that kind of set the standard
for what All Stars would become. Where you really are
taking these people who the fans love, who everybody wanted
to see more of, and you're watching them do the
most elevated version of their drag. And then after that

(15:46):
it just it became whatever I got on.

Speaker 2 (15:54):
I feel like y'all both I mean low key like
in your villain eras when y'all were on drag Race
at the would say, some would say you never say,
I guess how do you reflect how you have you
been thinking about? Do you always think about your time
on drag Race? I mean all you do is talk
about drag Race and you're like, now, but how do

(16:15):
you reflect on it now?

Speaker 3 (16:16):
What it was and what it is now?

Speaker 1 (16:18):
It's like now at this point, it's like looking back
at like a photo album of like your younger self
and being like, yeah, what an adorable but also stupid child.

Speaker 4 (16:29):
I mean, but you know, luckily for that adorable but
stupid child, I have to say, like, it's so boring
of me to be like, I was such a big fan,
but legitimately, oh yeah, I was such a major fan
of what you were doing on that space and in
that space, and it's kind of a trip to see

(16:50):
how radical some of the things you were doing were
for their their time. Do you ever look at contestants
who are on drag Race now and be like, you're, well,
I allowed you to be this garbage?

Speaker 1 (17:04):
Yeah, sure, I see the reverberations and the like.

Speaker 3 (17:08):
Who comes to mind when you think about.

Speaker 1 (17:09):
It, Like Lydia Collins is she's from Pittsburgh and she's
dating a drag quiated like she like wears like trash
sometimes like I see the like the parallels. Yeah, but
I love that because everything that I have ever done
has been referencing something else or stolen from someone else.

Speaker 4 (17:32):
Girl, I love that.

Speaker 1 (17:33):
I'm like, please steal everything.

Speaker 4 (17:36):
What's your what's your favorite thing that you stolen got
credit for? Because I can, I can say a couple.

Speaker 1 (17:41):
Of mine, Well, hien is stolen?

Speaker 3 (17:45):
Is it really that?

Speaker 1 (17:47):
Well? It came from like on Ngina has said it
on drag Race and Mystique Summers. Madison also said it
on drag Race.

Speaker 3 (17:54):
Wow, and everything you've done has been stolen?

Speaker 1 (17:57):
Did everything?

Speaker 3 (17:57):
Did it come from?

Speaker 4 (17:58):
But did it come from that? Like RBI YouTube show?
Because I was are you do you know what I'm
talking about?

Speaker 1 (18:03):
No, it didn't come from that, but it came from
Coco Farotia and Isis Mirage who are from the UK,
and they did like a drag Race recap of season four,
So we would watch that and they would start every
episode with him wow. And so I was like, I
think these girls are cool. I hope they're going to
talk about me. So I'm going to say their catchphrase

(18:23):
a lot yeah stays in.

Speaker 2 (18:26):
But unfortunately it's been like, oh no, that's Alaska's tag.

Speaker 1 (18:29):
And now everyone says it's mine.

Speaker 3 (18:31):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (18:32):
I mean that's kind of a trip though, to think
that you impacted the culture so much that you like
copyrighted a greeting that is yeah high is now is
now Alaska's thing, and it's It's really interesting. What's something
that like you maybe didn't think was going to be
as big as it was that made an impact in

(18:54):
the culture. It doesn't even have to be like like
a saying a look, but you really did you a lot.

Speaker 2 (19:00):
I mean the music alone, if you think about like
the music that you put out into the world, I'm like,
it just has always hit.

Speaker 3 (19:06):
Well, thank you, it's always hit.

Speaker 1 (19:08):
I think Little pound Cake was like absolutely it was
a great thing. Also stolen. The name comes from an
SNL sketch you can look it up on YouTube about
a doll that gives HPV vaccination.

Speaker 3 (19:27):
Looks like she does that still she does.

Speaker 4 (19:30):
I don't know, she looks like she gives kids HPV.

Speaker 1 (19:32):
She does.

Speaker 3 (19:34):
She just gives you the cure and she gives.

Speaker 4 (19:41):
I'm curious, though, like, what did you ever have any
artistic ambitions outside of the world of drag. Like, obviously
we're all queers who fell in into this criss crossing
dress up game. But I feel like a lot of
people I've spoken to really we're like trying to be
an actor singer.

Speaker 3 (20:00):
Like they were like, this is our way in Yeah.

Speaker 4 (20:02):
Yeah, and then you just started doing Dragon because you're like, well,
I guess i'm half trance.

Speaker 3 (20:07):
Well right, you know about that? Well that was me.

Speaker 4 (20:09):
I was like, yeah, I'm so tweaky dirty. Yeah, I'm
so twinkie. I don't feel like a man. I am
definitely way too tall to be a woman, but I
can play this little fantasy and for once be in
charge of the way.

Speaker 3 (20:22):
People are your gender. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (20:24):
Yeah, it was very that I moved to La with
the intention of being an actor, and I was like
because I was doing Dragon Pittsburgh a little before that,
but I was like, Okay, I'm done with that. I'm
going to be a serious actor. And then I realized
that being serious actor is hard.

Speaker 3 (20:40):
It's a lot of work.

Speaker 4 (20:41):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (20:41):
And also, like you said, I was a skinny, kind
of awkward, kind of piercings in my face and a
sideways haircut, and like like who is who is this?
What role was I going in for?

Speaker 3 (20:55):
No, it sounds like something Ryan Murphy would have cast.

Speaker 1 (20:57):
Well now, yeah, but like back then, it was like
there were no roles for that. So I was like,
I was like, fuck, I can't do this. So I
just did drag for like fun, to soothe my soul.
And that's when I found my community, and that's when
I got jobs offered to me. Yeah, so I was
like maybe I was just fucking dude.

Speaker 2 (21:15):
Do you think your time on Drag Race was a
great representation of you?

Speaker 3 (21:22):
Right?

Speaker 2 (21:22):
Like I mean probably you and in a time capsule
sort of way at that time. But I always love
asking Queen's this because there's always a character, there's a storyline,
there's a narrative.

Speaker 3 (21:33):
It's reality TV.

Speaker 2 (21:34):
And I always wondered, did that when you watched it
back or when you finally finished season five of Drag
Race and you were like launched into like fandom and
like fame, did it actually feel like it resonated with
you and who you built Alaska to be.

Speaker 1 (21:49):
Yeah, I mean it was pretty accurate to what was
going on. Like season five, it was an awkward, insecure
child and ulstars too, I was mentally unstable.

Speaker 2 (22:04):
Do you regret going like having that mental like mentally unstableness.
Actually all you were like, I'm leaning into it's nice,
great TV.

Speaker 3 (22:12):
Yeah, but did you understand that during All Stars Too?

Speaker 2 (22:15):
No, Like, yeah, you look at it now you reflect like, Okay,
it's great TV.

Speaker 3 (22:20):
But like before you're you're.

Speaker 2 (22:21):
Literally like going through it like having full on temper tantrums.

Speaker 1 (22:25):
Yeah, I was having trouble.

Speaker 3 (22:27):
Yeah, for sure. Travels is a nice way. It's a
very very sweet it It's just it's just so interesting.

Speaker 2 (22:37):
It's specifically you because even then though it doesn't even
feel like it hurt you, like it actually only made
people like fall more in love with you post it well.

Speaker 4 (22:47):
I mean probably a little bit of both. I was
on the internet at the time watching bitches. Also be
like this brawdy little.

Speaker 3 (22:53):
Cut I can't believe.

Speaker 4 (22:55):
I mean, yeah, but I was like this brawdy little
cut actually just really cares about drag a lot. And
if you've spoken to any drag queen whoever feels she
got robbed of anything, all be it like a lash
glue a booking, like, girl, we're gonna lose our shit.

Speaker 3 (23:13):
Bring back.

Speaker 2 (23:14):
Also reunions of All Stars, because y'alls was so just like.

Speaker 1 (23:19):
The reunions bike they don't do them.

Speaker 3 (23:22):
It's crazy. I don't understand. Why do you think? Why
did y'all just like why they end with you?

Speaker 1 (23:28):
They let the girls play out the reunion. I think
online and in real life now it's like if anyone
has drama, they're just going to like do that on
their own.

Speaker 4 (23:37):
Yeah. I mean, honestly, that is kind of that's kind
of funny because I just remember during season eleven, like
everybody had problems with everybody. Clearly I had problems with
a lot of people. But the whole period in between
filming Drag Race and like going back to do the
finale and the reunion, all that that whole year was
spent with the girls being like, Ooh, I can't wait

(24:00):
this reunion. I'm gonna get that bitch. Oh, I can't wait.
And then we got there and everyone had already talked
so much of their online What can we say?

Speaker 1 (24:10):
And everyone's like, you know what, I actually like you know,
and we're like okay, it's like the girl like, yeah,
the Real Housewives.

Speaker 4 (24:21):
No, I think I think honestly, it needs to lean
a little more Batties reunion, Like all right, come out,
come out. We come out with our like wig caps
on and our little sneakers throw hands.

Speaker 3 (24:36):
Yeah, that's great.

Speaker 4 (24:37):
Like the emotional mirror moments. Half your face done.

Speaker 2 (24:45):
Okay, so let's talk about Race Chaser, because obviously we're
listeners here and it's so cool that y'all get to
do like you you've fallen into doing the recapping of
it all. I immediately thought, is there a season if
you had the opportunity to go back and actually being
like the Rue Paul chair and hosts a season of
Drag Race, which season would that be? And would you

(25:05):
change anything about that Season one?

Speaker 1 (25:12):
I would change the cameras lighting. They were still figuring
that out.

Speaker 2 (25:21):
That was the best part about season one. Yeah, I
would have tried season two.

Speaker 4 (25:26):
Oh yeah, would you have changed right?

Speaker 3 (25:29):
And tell us girl get that hoe out of here?

Speaker 4 (25:32):
Uh oh, Tyra, it was a pretty bitter bitch. I
actually ended up like piecing it together for myself that
like half of the times when Rue was choosing these winners,
she was like really just vibing with girls who she
could see a little bit of herselfish and Tyron, is
that like young Spunky going, well, was that young Spunky

(25:54):
going to like get her ship, Like doesn't really care
if she like steps on and toes because she knows
she's a star. And I think that reminded rue of
like who she was totally at least that's how I
always pictured it, because otherwise I was like, literally, where
are you giving you to this bitch? She's she literally
was annoying all the girls in the workroom.

Speaker 3 (26:15):
No, that is true.

Speaker 4 (26:16):
She was loved it.

Speaker 3 (26:17):
But that's it. Just season one changing lighting, that's it.

Speaker 1 (26:20):
Yeah, that's all I would change. I mean, you know,
how amazing, what a what a thing that was fucking
born in that moment.

Speaker 4 (26:27):
Yeah, it's kind of a trip. Like I know it's
no secret where this all came from, but I still
can't believe that this show I used to like sneak
on my dad's TV and very quickly pressed previous channel on. Yeah, yeah,
like it came on this channel he didn't even know
he was paying for.

Speaker 2 (26:48):
You know, I think we just should be doing that
more often. Trojan Horse and gay shit, because that was
like like revolutionary. I mean one Girl five Days, like
drag Race, Like there was just so much content on there.

Speaker 3 (26:59):
That actually low key raised me.

Speaker 4 (27:02):
I think that just speaks to the world that that
was in though, because you know, that was a time
where gay stuff was starting to become more culturally acceptable,
but still like I remember going on Netflix like being
like gay, typing gay just to find anything I could
that would have a story I could grasp too. So

(27:23):
Logo Logo was kind of fierce as an identity of
her own because it was the gay club the TV channels.

Speaker 3 (27:30):
Yeah, most definitely was.

Speaker 4 (27:32):
I'm curious, were there any other like sort of reality
TV experiences growing up that shaped what you wanted to do?
Because Drag Race was not my first audition.

Speaker 3 (27:42):
Yeah, and why did you go on Drag Race?

Speaker 1 (27:45):
Well, Drag Race and I started drag at the same time.
It was like that year I was starting to do
drag that year that show existed, so it was like
all my friends from like West Hollywood were getting on.
I was like, oh, cool, whatever. Then I saw Raven
had so many Facebook friends because of it, and I

(28:06):
was like, I want to be on that. That was
the first moment of like I want to be on
that thing. And then it was like I auditioned every
year and then it just became like a psychotic vendetta
to try to get on. I was so pissed I
didn't get on the first time that for the second year,
I sent in a tape that was like a joke,
like like a mockery of their whole thing, and apparently

(28:30):
they thought it was the funniest thing they'd ever seen.
But they couldn't put someone like me on. It was
like I didn't have any clothes.

Speaker 4 (28:37):
Yeah, your name was Thunderfuck, which I just remembered. It's
all it's a strain of weed, right, Thunderfuck.

Speaker 1 (28:44):
That's where I stole my name from.

Speaker 4 (28:46):
So I completely forgot about that until I was high
a couple of days ago, being like, oh my god, wait,
I've smoked Alaska. I think she is an upward from.

Speaker 1 (29:00):
It's grown outdoors. Oh wait, very nice.

Speaker 4 (29:03):
Are you an outdoors y DVA at all?

Speaker 3 (29:05):
I like outdoors from the indoors. You're like, no, I
like it. I like.

Speaker 1 (29:11):
My best friend Jeremy was like, it's called tree bathing.
I think it's called because you go out into nature.

Speaker 3 (29:19):
Like.

Speaker 1 (29:19):
We went to a park in Los Angeles, which Los
Angeles has amazing parks that I never go to for sure,
but we went to one, and I was like, just
even when you get out of the car, you're like,
it's so like quiet.

Speaker 3 (29:32):
Are you going to the park right now?

Speaker 1 (29:36):
And it's called tree bathing, and it's like the oxygen
is more like intense, and so you're really just like
it is transformative mentally physically, so like nature. Who knew
it's good?

Speaker 2 (29:50):
Well, and the interesting thing as well that comes up
for me when I think about just you and your
connection to drag Race is kind of like you have
surrounded yourself and probably by accident with some controversial people
the will and of the ones that you you know,
no one dares to speak their name.

Speaker 4 (30:11):
Wait, are we literally not allowed to say Sharon Needles Needles?
I mean I do because a girl like that was
my blueprint for starting drag being like.

Speaker 2 (30:22):
Oh wow, she was the introduction to like what a
weird queen somebody who wasn't it could win? And so
I but it's so interesting, have you thought about one
You're just being kind of like connected to those sort
of people in your world and has it actually impacted
your work and your ability to grow?

Speaker 1 (30:43):
Well?

Speaker 3 (30:43):
Have you been blamed?

Speaker 2 (30:44):
More Like I feel like a lot of times when
you when you end up being like associated with like
queens that everyone has a collective opinion on, and you
stand kind of low key beside them. In a lot
of ways, you get more of a blowback than they
probably do, even though not saying they don't. But the
association is really interesting and I always wanted from your perspective,

(31:04):
how has that kind of impacted you through your journey?

Speaker 1 (31:07):
Well, I mean I feel like I have always been
that way, and like even when I was a kid,
I was like like I was really friends with kind
of bad kids.

Speaker 2 (31:17):
Sometimes it's just like how it was you can't that
needs to touch the oven to see if it's hot,
and then you get by which.

Speaker 1 (31:25):
I did that as a child. Literally Yeah, and so,
but it's also like I just gravitate toward like who
who I gravitate toward? And I do think like humor wise,
I think like rebelliousness and sort of like iconoclastic sort

(31:46):
of humor and subversive humor the day.

Speaker 3 (31:49):
By the way, elastic.

Speaker 1 (31:51):
Kind of classic is like attractive to me, and so
I guess I like that. But I'm also like a
middle child, and I don't like conflict and I don't
like people being mad or upset, So like.

Speaker 2 (32:05):
So, what's the lines for you when you started to
realize like, oh, this person sharing is just too much
and I want to need to get away.

Speaker 4 (32:13):
Oh yeah, because my stepdad always grew up telling us
like specifically we weren't allowed to hang out with the
bad kids because he was like, the world judges you already,
Oh yeah, and it judges you even more by who
you hang out with. Yeah, so I had to like
lie about my first couple of queer friends. I was like, yeah,
we're at the church camp together.

Speaker 1 (32:33):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (32:34):
She believes in Jesus so hard. You was worshiping something.

Speaker 4 (32:39):
Listen, my first couple of queer friends were my girlfriends
I love.

Speaker 2 (32:43):
But I mean, yeah, is it What was that.

Speaker 3 (32:46):
Line for you?

Speaker 2 (32:46):
Because I know it's like when a relationship be ins,
a relationship ends, but like so there's a real need
to separate yourself from like any sort of drama and
just choose peace for once in your life.

Speaker 1 (32:58):
Yes, And that's definitely like where I'm at in my
life now.

Speaker 3 (33:04):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (33:04):
Like I mean Sharon and I we were together so
many years ago. Was that was like a whole thing,
and it was like I cheated on her and she
cheated on me and like we were just like moving
on with our lives.

Speaker 3 (33:15):
Toxic young relationships.

Speaker 1 (33:17):
Yes, yeah, but I mean I am at a place
now where I'm like, yeah, no, I think piece is.

Speaker 4 (33:25):
Like a good thing.

Speaker 2 (33:26):
But you do you are still a co host with
Willem know, William doesn't She's not known for choosing pete.

Speaker 3 (33:33):
I know really did have you really? So it's like,
how does how does that work?

Speaker 2 (33:39):
Because Evie and I were even talking about just like
what you've all built together, and we wondered, like, what
is the.

Speaker 3 (33:47):
Is there fights? How do you decide on anything?

Speaker 2 (33:49):
How have you built what you all built together in
the midst of all the ship that's happened?

Speaker 4 (33:55):
Yeah, Also, how does a dragon queen become a sheeo?

Speaker 3 (33:58):
Yes, that's some, that's some.

Speaker 4 (34:00):
Really, it's a lot of work to even run your
own singular person business, but to take that into something bigger.

Speaker 1 (34:07):
Well, first of all, William and I don't agree on everything, okay,
on a lot of things, and that's part of what
makes our podcast work is that she will choose chaos.
I will choose like being a middle child and trying
to resolve the conflict, and so that creates a push
and a pull and a dynamic that I think is

(34:28):
engaging and fun to listen to. And we've been doing
it for eight years, so like, yeah, like I think
that works. And I also know Willem's soul and spirit
versus her sort of online clapback replying to every comment, Yeah,
sort of.

Speaker 3 (34:46):
Do you tell her to take things down sometimes be like, girl,
did you really need to do that?

Speaker 1 (34:49):
I don't tell her to take things down, but I'm like,
I try to like ask her, like is this helping you?
Like you don't need to do that. You don't need
to know what everyone is saying all times, because everyone
is saying something at all times. So like, I feel
like we can like learn from each other and grow
from each other, and we also have a good dynamic together.

Speaker 4 (35:11):
I mean, that's that's one percent. I'm curious though, because
you were, at least in my eyes, the first drag
queen I had seen from the show to make some
real swings into culture afterwards, like uh rout girl, like

(35:33):
your song, your song that you made immediately after your
season started this trend of all of these bitches releasing
horrible music, but none of them ever had the sort
of tongue in cheek humor.

Speaker 1 (35:46):
I'm just kidding. That's not how I want my audition
five times because I couldn't pay my rent. I worked
my pussy off and got my pissy on. Now I've
got the world on my head like the Shine.

Speaker 2 (36:00):
Girl.

Speaker 4 (36:02):
You know. So I'm curious you've you've done that, You like,
branched into the world of podcasting. You wrote, directed through
on produced, you like with a bunch of drag queens
into shape to make Drag that musical. Like, I'm very curious.
Have you always been this ambitious with your boundaries for

(36:24):
your artistry?

Speaker 1 (36:26):
I think I was just like doing a lot of stuff,
which is why like I like drag because you are
allowed to kind of do everything in that RuPaul model
of Like she has music, she has a TV show,
She's been in movies. She also has a candy bar
and a perfume and so like, I like as the
creative like child inside of me likes to do all

(36:50):
that stuff. Yeah, so drag is like a free sort
of free range space to do that.

Speaker 4 (36:57):
Yeah, she's that gray area.

Speaker 3 (36:58):
Is there a glass ceiling?

Speaker 2 (37:00):
Though?

Speaker 3 (37:01):
Like, is there where? And how do you break beyond that?

Speaker 1 (37:06):
I don't know, do you know, because I would love.

Speaker 3 (37:08):
To figure it out. I don't know, Yeah, because I
always would.

Speaker 2 (37:13):
I mean there's we've seen, like I mean, Trixie mattel Bianca,
like they've it seems like they've gone past what it
means to just be just a drag queen, even Bob.

Speaker 3 (37:23):
I mean, it doesn't feel like that.

Speaker 2 (37:25):
Once they're that space is filled, it feels like, Okay,
then what other space is there? And I feel like
a lot of times we see Queen's campaigning trying to
get nominated for like a Grammy for their music, and
that even hasn't really broken through.

Speaker 3 (37:39):
So it's like, how the fuck do y'all do it? Yeah?

Speaker 4 (37:41):
And where's where's the biggest glass ceiling you've felt in
your artistic career that's the one thing that you're still
trying to like punch through on.

Speaker 1 (37:51):
I don't know, And I think at this point in
my life, I don't think I am trying to punch through.

Speaker 4 (37:55):
And you're like, wow, what a nice ceiling.

Speaker 3 (37:58):
Well you're finding?

Speaker 1 (37:59):
Are I? Well, I feel like I'm happiest when I'm
doing things that are drag for a drag for our community.
I'm not thinking about like can it be the thing
that crosses over, breaks through, because then I always end
up feeling like a piece of shit and like I'm inadequate,
and I hate feeling like that. Like I've been on

(38:21):
TV shows and TV sets and like inevitably, as a
drag queen, you are just everyone is like looking at
you like you have three heads.

Speaker 4 (38:31):
Yeah, you just are the party clown.

Speaker 1 (38:33):
Yes, no one knows how to talk to you. You're
getting paid way less than everybody else. You have to
do your own hair and makeup and show up and
be ready and like do the thing, and they haven't
lit you correctly, and like it's just feeling so misunderstood.

Speaker 2 (38:45):
Yeah, and there's no real guidance either. They're just kind
of like just do what you do.

Speaker 1 (38:49):
Yeah Yeah. And then I leave that experience feeling empty
and shitty, and I'm like, well.

Speaker 3 (38:56):
I'm supposed to want to be on TV though, so
like it's the so like.

Speaker 1 (39:00):
That's what I'm supposed to be doing, but I'm like
that it makes me feel like ship, Yeah, what makes
me feel good is doing a fucking drag show with
drag queens and we all respect each other and see
each other for real.

Speaker 2 (39:14):
Yeah yeah, that's that actually is really interesting because it
does really like I think pinpoint how your dreams can
really change, are just morph into the like what you
actually need at that point in your life, and that
community aspect of it is is that peace?

Speaker 3 (39:34):
How are you are you? Do you have drag kids?

Speaker 1 (39:36):
Like?

Speaker 3 (39:36):
Is that a thing that you have? Like I think like.

Speaker 4 (39:45):
Thunder was that was like some kid out there being
like I thought she was my mother's.

Speaker 3 (39:58):
I don't know how I forgot about her too.

Speaker 1 (40:01):
Wild Nebraska Thunderfund is my official drag daughter. She claims that.
I claim it like I love I love Mackenzie, I
love Derek, like they're wonderful.

Speaker 3 (40:12):
When's the last time you talked to her?

Speaker 2 (40:14):
Though?

Speaker 3 (40:15):
It's a while? Okay, yeah, so okay.

Speaker 1 (40:20):
And I also had a drag daughter years ago. She's
no longer with us, but her name was Petunia Bonaparte
five thousand. I named her that, and I gave her
five thousand, and then I was like, I like five thousand,
so actually my name came from her name five thousand.

Speaker 4 (40:38):
No, you even stealing your fucking drag name from your child.

Speaker 3 (40:43):
You're like Arsenal stealing the youth.

Speaker 4 (40:50):
I love that, I mean it's pretty it's pretty radical.
But I feel like that's an interesting answer to hear
from you, because specifically, number one, we've talked to a
bunch a bunch of other queens recently about the idea
of drag family, about like what we can pay forward
from people like Trinity the Tuck, who literally one in
three drag queens is her daughter.

Speaker 3 (41:12):
Absolutely I'm my girl calls I'm shot.

Speaker 4 (41:16):
But like it's it's very curious to me because you also,
like one of one of the lanes that I respected
the most getting to see was you opening up this
this Drag Queen of the Year pageant, Like can you
tell me about your relationship with creating spaces for other
other drag artists? Like how did that come about?

Speaker 1 (41:36):
Right? I mean Drag Queen of the Year, Drag Show
five thousand, Like those those are moments where I've gotten
to like take my platform and like share it with
other people, which are I think the most fulfilling and
fearce yeah things, And then I get to get to
know these people and get to really be close with

(41:58):
them and make something with them, and then we become friends.
So like that, I don't feel like a drag mother
but I feel like Drag family with everybody who's been
in Drag Queen of the Year or Drag Show five thousand,
Like I feel like we have like a family thing.
I don't feel like I'm you all mother, I'm like
we're we're like.

Speaker 2 (42:21):
You, Like everyone should experience this, right, Like you were
given this platform, you worked hard for this platform, and
now it's time to let everyone else kind of experience.
And it's also the it's really nice to see, especially
like Drag Queens Now And we talked a little bit
about this before of like the Queens Now. I love
what they do on Drag Race because they have broken
the fourth wall completely and they just are in on

(42:42):
it like they just know and in some ways, like
I feel like there is a little bit of you
that was like a producer in your brain when you
were doing the thing. But Queens Now, I just feel
like get it. Is that at a part that you
would enjoy about watching where drag is headed and where
it's at now.

Speaker 1 (43:00):
No, I'm so hurting.

Speaker 3 (43:05):
So you hate it.

Speaker 1 (43:06):
I don't hate it.

Speaker 3 (43:07):
You hate it.

Speaker 1 (43:08):
You're not supposed to do that. That's easier said than done.
Like on All Stars too, I would literally sit in
the interview ch I was a nightmare on that show.
I would literally sit in the interview chair and they
would ask me questions and I'd be like, yes.

Speaker 3 (43:23):
When you did the first fifteen minutes of this interview, this.

Speaker 1 (43:29):
Interview is no, did I really do that?

Speaker 3 (43:36):
You did?

Speaker 1 (43:38):
I ate before this? I had to eat my brain
just working you're eating?

Speaker 4 (43:47):
You actually ate before this? Yes? I feel like you
were literally the first drag artist we have ever talked
to that eats.

Speaker 1 (43:55):
Who was eating food? Who's eating food?

Speaker 2 (43:57):
Like?

Speaker 4 (43:58):
No, wonder when we're doing think this, Like virtually the
first question they always do for the tech checks is like,
what did you have for breakfast? And the girls are like,
last night's come. I've never heard that in the sound
check because they never asked me the question.

Speaker 3 (44:19):
But okay, no, so yeah, so.

Speaker 1 (44:20):
You don't you're just sing myself.

Speaker 2 (44:22):
Yeah, you think there needs to be just so it
takes away the authenticity of what the show should be.

Speaker 1 (44:28):
I get why girls do it? I did it. You
want to be in control of your situation. You're handing
over your whole life and your future and your career
to these people hidden behind mirrors, and so you want
that but the people who are the most exciting to
watch don't give a shit about any of that. And

(44:49):
this goes for any reality show.

Speaker 3 (44:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (44:51):
Yeah, it's like any real housewife that that is being
too like produced and really in control. It's like she
she doesn't last on the show. Is the people who
are delusional, insane and don't give a fuck that there's
a camera crew and are just like engaging. Yeah, that's
the best people to watch. I'm not good at reality
TV because I'm too like thinking about.

Speaker 3 (45:15):
How it's going to come. Like on the other side, Yeah,
I think.

Speaker 4 (45:18):
That's funny because the most jarring thing for me about
the drag Race experience, at least that first time, was
like walking into the room and knowing that I'm making
a TV show, like knowing that like this is drag Race,
but also like walking in and being like, oh shit,
I never thought about how I was gonna make a
TV show, Like I'm just I'm just here trying to

(45:41):
win this thing.

Speaker 3 (45:41):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (45:42):
I looked up to like everyone's going to see this well,
but I was lost in that saw so quick. Like
the first time the producers told me to like ask
a bitch a question, and they didn't give me an answer.
Suddenly the reality TV flowed through me, and I was like,
excuse me, you bitches are gonna stay silent, you shady hose,
and you just like feel yourself lost in the fantasy

(46:03):
of what is going on. Yeah moment.

Speaker 1 (46:05):
Yeah, so that's when it works well. Yeah, but also
there's like a task that is being done, So like
making drag or doing drag is something that I love
to do and something that I enjoy being in that process,
and so not being really good at being a reality

(46:26):
TV personality can work for you on Drag Race because
there's like drag.

Speaker 2 (46:32):
Of course, who do you think is actually good at
sort of the producer work like that? Are newer queens, right,
like I think of Mistress, I think of low key
Corey King, like I think of like the newer the
sort of newer kid like queens.

Speaker 4 (46:46):
Corey King was not that good of a producer. She
would have produced a fucking good once true.

Speaker 2 (46:52):
I think that's actually the I think that's actually intentional.
I think she was quite intentional about how she knew
she was going to go on this show. And what
bothers me is, y'all, Queen's going on the show and
not want to win. They just want to get the
outcomes of being on a show this large, with this platform,
and then they're like, Okay, I got the rest from here.

(47:12):
You should go on the show and want to fucking win.
Any competition show you should want to win. Yeah, And
so it's like, I at least think if this continues
to go and people continue to call out the fact
that we all know the formula of drag Race, which
is to make groupaul.

Speaker 3 (47:26):
Laugh and all the shit, at least do it well.

Speaker 2 (47:29):
Like I think Mistress is someone that does it really
well and I enjoy watching it.

Speaker 1 (47:34):
And she has the dual skills of like she's a
brilliant reality TV character period. She's like confrontational and abrasive
and like afraid to like go there, and she's also
really good at drag she cares about drags, So like
these things combined make her excellent. Yeah, drag Race figure Wow.

Speaker 2 (47:58):
But it might not be a sustained who knows, Like,
if we can't be on Drag Race season twenty five
in everyone doing the same thing.

Speaker 1 (48:05):
It'll be called cycle twenty five Wow. Switching cycle yeah exactly, Yeah.

Speaker 4 (48:13):
Just cycles, and then after that we'll do series like like, oh,
series thirty trillion.

Speaker 2 (48:21):
But that's why I like, Actually, I really like UK.
I still feel like UK is very kind of like
raw and uncut.

Speaker 4 (48:27):
Yeah, I mean they have to be uncut. The only
people who are cut they are Jewish. What that's how
it works around the world. I know I've got I've
got the elephant skinned girl. I felt the childhood loneliness
in the locker rooms.

Speaker 1 (48:52):
I think big money has to be out of drag.
It costs too much. Yeah, yeah, costing too much. It
is everything else in the whole world. Yeah, Drag is
supposed to be manifestation out of whatever you have. There
is an alchemical magic that is created. So now I

(49:14):
feel like the fan base is very trained to be
like it wasn't Ryan Stoned but trash.

Speaker 2 (49:21):
Sort of RuPaul's fault too, when he called out the
fact that there was H and M on the on
the run.

Speaker 4 (49:26):
There's every single drag shown.

Speaker 2 (49:32):
She drag is like that was like the centerpiece in
the heart of what grew it to what it is.
And so when things start to become like your whole package,
a queen's package is like damn near fifty thousand dollars
are close to like one hundred K, I'm.

Speaker 3 (49:46):
My girl, who's doing that? Who is? I don't even
I don't even understand how y'all do it?

Speaker 2 (49:51):
Well.

Speaker 4 (49:51):
I mean that's why it was interesting for me because
All Stars really was the place for that space for
me as a fan, Like I loved watching these bitches
who I didn't like a lot of their runways. I
didn't like this or that. I wanted to see what
they would do with more money. And it takes a
little bit of the punch out of the whole art
forum now that we're all expected to like show up

(50:14):
to the gig looking cun delicious three thousand, like, no, girl, Olympics,
I want to see whatever whatever country, baby queen, you
got you here?

Speaker 3 (50:22):
Yeah, so I go back. Yes, you would go back
to like if they called you for like All Stars.

Speaker 1 (50:29):
Yes, but they're not calling me.

Speaker 4 (50:31):
What is something that has hit you harder than you
were ever expecting, like in the public in the public eye.
Is there anything you ever didn't really want to be
sharing that like or didn't think you were going to
have an issue sharing that sort of blew back?

Speaker 1 (50:47):
Well, No, I mean at a certain point you do
just kind of share everything, like like my dad dying
was really sudden and really hard, but it's like I
felt like I can't not talk about that, and so
I did share that, and so I had there was
a lot of like outreach and outpouring of like lovely, wonderful,

(51:12):
you know, kindness around that. But it is like certain
things I would I would love to like keep private
and just have for myself.

Speaker 3 (51:23):
Are you good at doing that? Yeah? Okay, yeah, some things.

Speaker 1 (51:27):
Yeah, like having having a life that is outside of
the thing is very important.

Speaker 4 (51:33):
Well that's where I'm really curious because I feel like
one of the aspects that a lot of people talk
about being very difficult is dating in this world and impossible. Yeah,
and this lady does have a ring on her hand though,
so yeah, you take it right.

Speaker 1 (51:51):
That's why I'm like, so well, I believe that like
he was sent from above. Was there's something mystical that
happened because we knew each other. We had worked together
for years and he had worked behind the scenes a
Drag Queen of the Year and a Drag the Musical,

(52:13):
and so we knew each other and so there was
like a trust and like a knowing that is so
impossible when you're a queen on drag Race, and it's
not even like Tom Cruise or like the rock level
of like fame, but like in gay world, you are known.
People know things about you. So when you're going on

(52:36):
a date with somebody, they know all this about you
and you don't know anything. There's such an imbalance instantly, asuly,
and we're always distrustful, at least at least I was
after being fucked over a few times and never really
being able to trust somebody. But like being with Matt,

(52:57):
we knew each other, there was like there was trust
there already. He had seen the behind the scenes of
all this kakutaka. He doesn't really watch drag Race.

Speaker 3 (53:07):
Yeah, he just works from heaven.

Speaker 1 (53:10):
Yeah yeah, and he's just he's just the best. And
he's helped change the sort of critical, negative voice that
I have of myself and for myself. He's helped to
like change that to be like nice.

Speaker 4 (53:30):
Sir, Yeah, to show you that you deserve love even
from you.

Speaker 3 (53:37):
Yeah yeah.

Speaker 2 (53:38):
And it's not in like a superficial fan way. It's like, no,
I love all of you. Yeah, yeah, that's beautiful.

Speaker 4 (53:44):
Honestly, is like for any any of you rubitches out
here listening, trying to find your man, go through your
friends circle, see who's already seen your worst days?

Speaker 3 (53:56):
Is real? That is real.

Speaker 2 (53:58):
But we ask every asked on our show this pivotal
question of hikey.

Speaker 4 (54:04):
What in life, big or small, A person plays, a thing,
an idea, a feeling. What are you legitimately hikey about
right now? What is occupying that brain space?

Speaker 1 (54:16):
I'm high key about Real Housewives of Orange County.

Speaker 3 (54:20):
The early okay years, so good what it was good?

Speaker 2 (54:24):
Life is different in a gated community.

Speaker 4 (54:27):
The land here is a million and acre.

Speaker 3 (54:31):
When you're not behind the gates, you don't know what
you're missing. Wasn't just a place to live, It's a lifestyle.

Speaker 1 (54:43):
I had never gone back and watched it because this
was the first Real Housewives. Yes, yes it was Real
Housewives didn't exist. A lot of reality TV didn't exist.
It was like a documentary of rich people in Orange
County in a secluded space and how bizarre their life.
Fans and and they're all like, I sell real estate

(55:03):
and I'm a millionaire. We have five houses. And then
like season two or three, the real estate bubble pops
and you're seeing these rich people scrambling to be like,
this is what are we doing?

Speaker 3 (55:18):
What in the recession?

Speaker 1 (55:19):
We got so lucky with that timing. Also, it wasn't
like we're going to sit down and have a fight now,
which is what real Housewives is now because the ladies
know what is abpected of them. But back then it
was just like crunchy and weird and they were figuring
it out and no one knew how to be a
reality television star. It's the most brilliant documentary and it

(55:42):
spawned all of this.

Speaker 2 (55:43):
It's all of this in New York Atlanta, like it
was like all of that early era of Housewives. I'm
still a Housewives fan, but there's nothing like it, and
it will never be replicated because everybody knows, well shit,
I've really.

Speaker 4 (56:00):
Well, I've watched a little bit of Potomac because that
has deep racial issues that actually ended up still being there.

Speaker 2 (56:05):
But but it's actually not as bad anymore.

Speaker 4 (56:10):
No, it's not even It was just funny though, Like
this was the first Housewives season I ever chose to
watch because in the first episode they were like having
these deep conversations about uh, maintaining this wealth status, maintaining
this image of wealth and then also like what it
means to be a black woman there.

Speaker 3 (56:30):
I just like that comes into it.

Speaker 4 (56:32):
Yeah. I just got like two or three episodes deep,
and they're all calling each other like nappy headed hose
and being like, look, your skin's dark and ugly, and
I'm like, wait, I thought we were were trying to
turn this the other.

Speaker 2 (56:43):
What is going on the epotomic is a wow, is
a wild time, but it's so good.

Speaker 4 (56:46):
But I do think I would I would go back
to watch Orange County specifically to see that that viewpoint
before it became about like which housewife embezzled what money
with what ex husband are?

Speaker 2 (57:00):
Ye?

Speaker 3 (57:01):
I love that.

Speaker 2 (57:02):
I love that, And well, thank you for coming on
the show. We really appreciate you. You were so good.

Speaker 1 (57:07):
You for having me.

Speaker 3 (57:08):
I appreciate Oh you're so.

Speaker 4 (57:10):
Fab thank you. Yeah, thank you for being here, Thanks
for being queer, and thanks for sitting in the same
trash as me.

Speaker 3 (57:16):
My dear tell little pound cake. We said hi here,
you were one of yours.

Speaker 4 (57:24):
That was like one of the like right before drag
Race came into my existence for real, like the highlight
of my little queer life was getting u the offered
to be your little pound cake in Denver. The only
issue was I was all the way across the state,
like basically in Nebraska, like with my mom and her

(57:48):
blood family that I had never met before at a
shooting range, and then I like to see, oh yeah,
Alaska wants you to be a little pound cake. And
the way we drove all the way back, our car
broke down. I was pushing it. I got in drag
in the car, which looks basically like this.

Speaker 2 (58:07):
Oh my gosh, that's a that's crazy, that's crazy.

Speaker 4 (58:10):
Thank you for letting me pound you girl.

Speaker 3 (58:12):
All right, we'll be back with our high keys after
this hike.

Speaker 2 (58:20):
First of all, love Alaska down. I I can't keep
I can't say this enough. I really did one giving
a little behind the scenes t when they like come
into the studio, you just never know what energy you're
going to get from a queen. And Alaska's energy was
so like reserved and quiet, I actually forgot how I

(58:42):
don't want to say it shy, but like there is
a there is a meekness to it, like there is
like it.

Speaker 3 (58:49):
You had I had.

Speaker 2 (58:50):
I feel like we had to bring that out, like
the energy out of her during this this this conversation,
but it was so worth it because.

Speaker 4 (58:57):
I feel like that's why she's always had this like
special place in my heart. Is you tell she was
like one of those people that like loved dancing and
performing and fashion and glamour and feeling pretty, but also
like was never like that hyperactive add kid, like the
number one in class who was like, ah yeah, like

(59:19):
before the teacher's like what's everyone's names? And that kid
jumps out the window.

Speaker 2 (59:23):
You know.

Speaker 3 (59:24):
She said she was a middle child.

Speaker 2 (59:26):
It totally explained everything to me, because yeah, that being
a middle child, you just have to be like the cool, calm,
collected one while everyone around you was like losing their shit.

Speaker 3 (59:35):
So I think that's a lot of that.

Speaker 2 (59:37):
But it was just so sweet to have her on
the show and be one of our first guests in
studio with us like all together.

Speaker 3 (59:45):
Very special. I hope y'all enjoyed. Let us know how
you feel, But.

Speaker 2 (59:49):
Let's get into our high keys, because after Alaska's fucking
high key making us all cry, what are you hikey about?

Speaker 4 (59:55):
Oh okay, I feel like it was so shallow for
saying this, especially because I haven't seen it yet, but
I am so hikey about like Wicked Part two.

Speaker 2 (01:00:08):
I.

Speaker 3 (01:00:09):
Am today, I knew you think of what we could
do together. They're like a.

Speaker 2 (01:00:23):
Ah when we okay, I'm so excited, Like I'm so
hikey about it too, Like, oh my god, it is so.

Speaker 4 (01:00:28):
Rare that I like look forward to movies like this,
especially something that is this recent of a love in
my life, Like it was only last year that I
became a convert, and I can't believe I was just
like waiting all year long, like all right, when when
are Arian Sinthy going to be doing their little Finger
Touched tour?

Speaker 2 (01:00:49):
Because every the last I mean, I feel like the
first press run, everybody was trying to like they were
trying to be like, oh, they're so annoying, they're always
crying on mamah blah blah blah, They're doing too much.
And I still feel like that's a lot happening with
this press run as well, like people are just constantly
making up like stories are observations about Ari and Cynthia

(01:01:14):
that I'm kind of it's feeling a little played out
at this point.

Speaker 3 (01:01:17):
For me.

Speaker 2 (01:01:18):
It's just like, why can't we just enjoy a thing
without trying to deconstruct it and find a flaw at it,
like shut the fuck up.

Speaker 4 (01:01:25):
And be happy, like girl, That's exactly what Wicked was
for me last year, and what I suspect for good
will be for good. It's just like, honestly, you know
what I'm saying it right now, Even if I didn't
like this movie by the time it came out, I'm
a lie on that shit.

Speaker 2 (01:01:42):
Even though historically it wouldn't even be that like shocking
if you didn't like it, because act to of Wicked
is always it's always in.

Speaker 3 (01:01:48):
Its flop era. There's only some things as like.

Speaker 2 (01:01:51):
A first time watcher of like the material and like
the chew well not the show, but this they've never
seen the theater show. You won't know the exciting things
that are probably.

Speaker 3 (01:02:02):
Going to happen, or like the twist, and like the
little things. I guess I don't.

Speaker 4 (01:02:05):
I stayed my ass off the internet anytime I saw
a theater kid I crossed the street. I was like,
uh uh, I'm not I'm not gonna get spoiled tonight, darling,
Good god, what are you what are you excited for?
What are you high key about? On this holiday? Ho
ho ho?

Speaker 2 (01:02:23):
Seasons oh, I mean because you got to have Halloween.
I'm so fucking high key about Christmas time. I love Christmas.
It is my holiday. I just I can't wait to
put on my Christmas tree. Someone would say that I
should have already had it up, but also who wants
to go into my storage and take all that shit?

Speaker 3 (01:02:42):
Okay, girl doing that.

Speaker 2 (01:02:44):
But I'll be up as when this episode's out December first,
I will have it up for a full month, and
honestly I might have it up until March of twenty
twenty six because I'm a lazy bitch and don't want
to take shit down.

Speaker 3 (01:02:55):
Okay, I don't even think it's lazy, though.

Speaker 4 (01:02:57):
I am with you, girl, like I'm actually like a
Christmas lover too. I'm into singing all the music. I
just don't want to do work, is all.

Speaker 3 (01:03:06):
And it's so real.

Speaker 4 (01:03:07):
My only trauma from every Christmas is like having to
do the actual like putting up of the tree part,
because we never had a real tree, so it was
always like, all right, one of you kids has to
go do the annoying part and untangle all the.

Speaker 2 (01:03:19):
Chords and wait, I've never had a real tree. Actually,
that's a lot. I have had a real tree once,
but I hated it. I hate the experience of a
real tree. I hated the little things falling off. I
hated that there was low key bugs in it, like please.
And also I caught Coco trying to eat the tree
one day, and so it was ever going to work.

(01:03:40):
It just wasn't going to work. So I am I
am pro fake tree. I am pro Also if you
are black to have your white tree, because it is
given white Christmas, so it's kill you know what I mean.
But yeah, I probably won't take that whole down. I
eventually say, uh, bitch, Yeah, there's literally a neighbor who
actually has had because when I'm walking come back can
see because they never close their windows and maybe I'm

(01:04:02):
just like stalking, but they they've had their Christmas tree
up like all year, like it's just been there. It's
a part of their decorative and I've been wanting to
know who that is so I could be like, girl.

Speaker 4 (01:04:13):
It's me, diva legit that used to be me because
we Okay, I just came up with this theory like
two days ago while walking outside and being like, damn,
it's dark as a bitch here. I think that Christmas
lights should stay up until the end of winter ooh,
until we start getting regular hours of sunlight again, Like, bitch,

(01:04:35):
you better light my path. I'm not trying to slip
on like black eyes and shit just because seven pm
looks like midnight in Alaska.

Speaker 2 (01:04:43):
That's so true, even though I feel like this year
is going to be different because everyone that I know,
like we're all like just fucking poor and just trying
to figure it out and just trying to make it through.
So we're not doing like the gift giving, and if
we are, we're like probably just spending quality time to
it's giving very Charlie Brown Christmas.

Speaker 3 (01:05:01):
Like that's what it's getting this year, and that's the show.

Speaker 2 (01:05:06):
So thank you so much for everyone that has watched
the show and has loved it and you loved Alaska.
Please let us know in the comments. Hit us up
on Instagram, TikTok, make sure you're subscribing on the YouTube's
leaving a comment, leaving a five star review on the Apple,
on the Spotify wherever you literally fucking get this podcast,
make sure it's known that you love it.

Speaker 4 (01:05:27):
Yeah, if you're listening on on like your roommate's roommates
device like they're just playing that shit out loud.

Speaker 2 (01:05:33):
You better be like, hey, girl, you're writing reviews, right,
I mean, yeah, that's how you. Word of mouth is
how we like end up like doing this thing because
I always keep seeing like I love the comments that
we get on YouTube where everyone is like, oh my god,
I'm so happy I found out about this show. Why
doesn't it have a million, like you know, like followers

(01:05:55):
or whatever, Like why isn't it has it blown up yet?

Speaker 4 (01:05:57):
I'm like this because we all have to all. You
have to be annoying. You have to be annoying for us,
will be annoying for us. We'll see each other on
the street and you'll be like, oh my god, Ev,
and I'll be like, have you heard about my new podcast?
And you'll be like, oh my god, have.

Speaker 3 (01:06:12):
You heard about your new podcast?

Speaker 4 (01:06:14):
And then we'll fuck Happy holidays kids, Well.

Speaker 3 (01:06:16):
Yes, we'll see y'alls next week. Love Yeah, bye bye bitch.

Speaker 6 (01:06:26):
If you're high key obsessed with our show, take a
second to follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode,
and while you're at it, rate us, drop a review
and tell your friends.

Speaker 2 (01:06:37):
If you want to keep the high key key going
join us on Instagram and TikTok at, high Key here,
and of course on Patreon, where we are literally dropping
all that spicy ass tea every week.

Speaker 1 (01:06:50):
See you there.

Speaker 2 (01:06:52):
Hi Key is a production of iHeart Podcast as a
part of the Outspoken Network. This show is created and
executive produced by Ryan Mitchell Evie Addley in Spoke Media.

Speaker 4 (01:07:01):
Our showrunner is Tyler Green. Our producers are Kelly Kolff
and Katie Alis Greer. Our video producer is Bo Delmore,
and our video editor is Luis Peangath. Our audio engineer
Sammy Sirich. Special thanks to Jenna Burnett and Tess Ryan.

Speaker 2 (01:07:15):
Our social media and community manager is Daria Cottingham. Executive
producers for Spoke Media our Travis Lamont Ballinger and Aliah Tabacolt.

Speaker 4 (01:07:23):
Our iHeart team is Just Crime Chich and Sierra Kaiser

Speaker 2 (01:07:26):
And our fame music is by the one and only
Kayan Hersy and our show art is by Work by Work,
with photography by Eric Carter