November 6, 2024 • 49 mins
This week on Locatora Radio, we’re joined by the fierce and fabulous, Salina Estitties, former contestant from RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15! Salina opens up about her journey to the Drag Race stage, her connection to her Latinidad, and how her primas and homegirls inspired her drag persona. Plus, we hear about her exciting new project, Homegirl Hotline, where she’s making space for community, empowerment and love.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Loka Tota Radio is a radiophonic novela.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Which is just a very extra way of saying a podcast.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
I'm fosa fem and.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I am ma la munos. We're podcasting through another Trump
election year. We've been podcasting through election years, a global pandemic,
civic unrest, political controversies, the Me Too movement, the rise
of TikTok, and we are still here. We're not done
telling stories.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
We're still making podcasts. We're older, we're wiser, We're even
podcasting through a new decade of our lives.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Since twenty sixteen, we've been making Loca thro Our Radio
independently until we joined iHeartMedia's Michael Dura Network in twenty
twenty two.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
From our Lips to your ears, fall in love with
Loka to a radio like you never have before.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Welcome to Season nine, Love at First.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Listen, Olao la Loka Motes. Welcome to season nine of
log A Tora Radio. I'm the Ossa and I'm Mala
Loka Tora Radio is a podcast dedicated to archiving are
present and shifting the culture forward. You're tuning in to
Capitulo dos Cientos Ventno to twenty one.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Last Time on loc A Tora Radio, we interviewed Penny
Le Ramirez, host of the new podcast Chess Piece The
Elian Gonzale Story.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
A lot of people in the US when you mentioned
Elean Gonzales, they remember some of the case. They remember
a specific picture that was so important in the case.
But we haven't talked about him in a while. But
this year, this November, we're turning twenty five years of
that case and that case. In that moment, I know
that we're.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Go ahead and tune into that capitulo, leave us a
review and share with a friend.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Today is so exciting because it is our second to
last episode of season nine.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
We have made it through another season, our ninth season
of Look At Our Radio, and we're also approaching our
eight year anniversary.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
We have like a lot of milestones coming up, and
the fact that we are like getting ready to close
out yet another season of Look at thot Our Radio
is really mind blowing to me. We just keep pumping
out episodes.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
I know, and they're still so much more and we'll
be talking more about that in our final episode of
the season. But today we have the honor of sitting
down with Selena stittis. She's joining us in the studio today.
And what's so special about today's guest is that we
met Selena when we hosted the Purple Lily Awards. We
were introduced to her by our friend and Pascuaso lok
(02:43):
At our Radio, Curly Velasquez, and she was also receiving
quite an award that evening. She was the honoree of
the night, and we connected with her then we heard
some of her story and just thought she would be
a fantastic guest for Lokat to our Radio.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
She's got a lot going on. In addition to being
a past contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race, Selena also has
a new podcast out that she she tells us all
about it. It's a really fun, exciting show. She's also
making her debut at the Pasadena Playhouse this fall. So
we talked to Selena about all things, including the life
cycle of a drag queen and what life is like
(03:20):
after her time on Drag Race. All right, look on
what is We're here in studio with that one the
only Selena s Titties welcome to look at what our radio?
Can you please say hello to our listeners?
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Hey, baby.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
A jump scare.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
How are you guys?
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Yes, since we just said, I'm so happy to be here,
thanks for having me. You guys are like iconic and
like the reason my whole drag persona exists is because
of women like y'all, you know what I mean, my cousins,
my theas, my sister, my mom. It's like, y'all literally
are that to me. And I don't even really know
y'all that well, you know, but I just it's there,
(03:59):
you know, it's like this unspoken like my girls, you
know what I mean. Like it's very that and like
my drag is inspired one thousand percent by you guys,
and Latino women is like my heart. So I appreciate
you guys for everything you've built. The podcast has been
going forever, y'all. So I'm very very honored to be here.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
And I think that's a good jumping off point to
tell our listeners how we met you. We hosted Latino
Equality Alliances Quinsana the Purple Lily Awards, where Selena was
awarded a pretty iconic award.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Yes, what was the award?
Speaker 4 (04:38):
Selena?
Speaker 2 (04:39):
You were the honoree of the night. The final presentation.
You were like top billing and everybody was so excited
to hear from you.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
I didn't even know. Like my manner was like, hey them,
le Leah wants to present you with an award, and
I was like, oh cool, like sickning. And then I
show up and I'm like, oh shoot, this is like
a really big deal.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
It's a full on galla gala.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
I was like very honored and like, I'm more upset
that I didn't know more about the organization beforehand, because
like you know, I don't know if y'all understand this,
but like being in Hollywood and trying to make it
in this industry, it's very like for me personally that
it was a big journey of like whitewashing a little
bit and like you know, very much like disassociating from
(05:22):
my latinist because I thought that's what was going to
get me booked, right, And it wasn't until I started
owning it that I started getting really booked and like
you know, people started really respecting what I did and
really seeing something in me. So I had a whole
journey with that. So to be in that space and
be awarded with this purple Lily award. It was like
(05:42):
a full full circle moment that really just like I
couldn't believe I was there, and like it was such
an acknowledgment of everything I've worked towards the past twenty
years being in Hollywood in LA that I was like this,
like any Emmy award, any Grammy, any being on TV,
Like that's great, but like to be recognized from you know,
(06:04):
the people that raised me basically, like I said, again,
it's like this familiarity is this family that just exists
among us. To be acknowledged by that, by that community
just really is like it feels my heart and it
makes me feel so seen and so like acknowledged, and
because in life I don't really do feel seen or
acknowledged or accepted, especially from other Latinos most of the time.
(06:27):
It's very interesting.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
And you touched upon this in your acceptance speech.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
Which I was just on a rampage. I don't know
what happened. I was just like letting my heart see
it was.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
A beautiful rampa. I wasn't a rampage at all. It
was a beautiful speech. It was a soliloquy if you will.
It was great.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
I know, right, I was very like Shakespeare.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
You nailed it, and Curly brought you up and presented
you with the award, and so you talked about the
Latino women in your life who have inspired you and
made you feel seen and safe growing up. And then
you also talked about meeting Curly on set and like
having this conversation about your Latino identity with Curly.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
Yeah, Curly really like opened up the gates for me,
you know. Like that was about I don't know what
nine and a half years ago that I was booked
to be on set for Vida on Stars, and it
was like when I got to set, it was like
Latin Latina woman, director, Latina writers, Latina producers, and like
(07:23):
it was all a room full of Latinos. And I
was like, up until that point, I had just been
surrounding myself with white gaze, you know, So it was
just a shift all of a sudden. I was like, wait,
I know, no, this feels like family, this feels like home.
And then I was Curly really like was talking about
something they were talking about, like the conversation behind LATINX
and lat like table X, like you know, or like
(07:44):
like I don't know monson X, like like it's they're
having that conversation. And I was like, oh my god,
work like people are having these conversations. I don't even
know right because I'm over here in West Hollywood trying
to like buddy up with the muscle boy, you know
what I mean. Like the priorities were just very off
at that young age for me. So Curly really showed
me like, girl, look you know, and I and I
(08:06):
asked him, how do I become more proud and like
really own you know, where I come from? Because I
had a lot of internalized racism and shame behind it
being in you know, just trying to navigate being a
gay boy in white West Hollywood is where I was.
So he really opened up the gates for me to
really learn how to accept that and and pursue the
(08:27):
like research, right, like asking my family, like where we
come from? How did we get here? What's the tea?
You know?
Speaker 1 (08:34):
And is that where you started by just talking to
your family?
Speaker 4 (08:37):
My mom, well, my mom got cancer and that really
started to like, you know, the hour glass started with
his flipped So I was like, oh, shoot, like, how
have I never asked my mom what Honduras was like?
You know what? I mean, so that kind of started
to open up the conversation and what.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Was that experience, Like hearing from your mom about what
home country was like, you know what.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
That's so interesting. It's like I'd be dressing up as
a woman for my career, my job, right like. And
it wasn't until I started asking my mom these questions
and I'm learning, like how she came over here and
like how much strength and resilience and like bravery that
takes to come here and do that journey that she
did at when she was seventeen years old. And I'm like,
(09:23):
when I was seventeen years old, I was a hot mess,
you know. So I'm like I look at that and
I see strength and I see resilience, and I think,
oh my god, like this is what I want to
exude and embody. And It's like, wasn't until had those
conversations that I kind of learned that that's what I
could be doing with my art, you know, like I'm
dressing up as this Latina woman, and how can I
(09:44):
bring and honor my mom in my art? And that's
kind of what that's kind of starts to transform my
art form a little bit and give it more meaning
and like power behind it instead of me just like
look at my big chee cheese.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
You know.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
So it was a it was a very cool shift
for me personally with my creativity, my art and just
you know, I think pride with my mom, honoring her
and her legacy and like, you know, at the end
of the day, I'm her American dream, you know. So
(10:16):
how do I take that dream and make it something
beautiful instead of like a nightmare?
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Don't go anywhere, look a Mortes, We'll be.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Right back, and we're back with more of our episode.
I'm very curious about, like the life cycle of a
drag queen. How did you start? What was your first step?
Speaker 4 (10:43):
Oh my god, So I was out here. I graduated
with a BFA Musical theater and then I did a
professional dance program, and I was out here trying to
be a male dancer. And in La it's like for
male dancing. I was auditioning for like j Lo Tours
and Lady God Got Tours and Selena Gomez and I
would show up and the first thing they'd say, take
off your shirt, and baby, I don't. I got a
little band che cheese. Okay, So that's like my man
(11:04):
boobs were not cutting it for j Lo or Lady Gaga,
so I would always get cut and I'm like, before
I even dance, you know, it's all like very physical based.
And I just wasn't booking anything. So I was helping
a friend who wanted to be a drag queen. I
was making her mixes, I was teaching he choreography, I
was teaching her dances, and then she was kept losing competitions.
So I was like, girl, why are you losing? I'm
(11:26):
creating good stuff for you. So I was She's like,
why don't you do it? So I did it one
time and I won, and I want some more. And
I was able to dance and perform and I looked crazy,
like I literally, oh my god, can I just show you.
I have a photo that I just found of one
of my first times in drag and I just looked
like a monster, like such a creature. She's she's crazy.
(11:47):
Look at this girl right here. Oh my god, let's see.
I mean my face, my face looks kind of nice,
but like she's just a hot, sweaty mask. I have
another photo when I did my makeup for the first time,
and it was just insane. But I looked crazy, but
my talent would shine through regardless of that.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Okay, someone else in twenty sixteen.
Speaker 4 (12:06):
This was twenty and twelve.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Okay, I had I'm asking because of the lip twenty thirteen.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
Okay, yeah, oh the makeup vibes.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
The pink lip like a nude.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
There is one photo that I just need to show
you because I am the have y'all ever seen like
the horror movie The Thing? Do y'all see the substance?
Speaker 2 (12:27):
No more?
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Oh you all, don't say it was so good.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
It's not scary you it's such a fun ride. Oh
hell yeah, Okay, it is so good. Okay, hold on,
I just I just feel like it's worth watching. Oh
here she is. This is the first time I ever
did my own makeup. I mean, just a hot mess.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
You're the the eyebrows.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
We all had those brows at one point, okay, Anastasia.
No one taught us how to use it.
Speaker 4 (12:54):
Oh my god. So you know. But even though I
look crazy, like, my talents were showing through my dancing,
my performance, my stage presence, and people were acknowledging it,
tipping me, paying me. So then I just started doing
it here and there, and then I would quit because
it's so expensive with the makeup, the hair, the patting,
the heels, the and like I was broke. I was
like twenty three years old, twenty four. I was working
(13:17):
at In and out Burger at the time, the one
in Hollywood right here. I worked there for five years,
and I was like working there, then leaving and going
to do drag show and then going back in the morning,
and just back and forth, back and forth. It was
just too expensive. So I quit, and then it always
found its way back into my life somehow, even when
I would quit, like somehow someone asked me to do
a fundraiser or something, and I'd be back in drag.
(13:38):
So I think I started to find a little niche
when I was like, Okay, well how do I make
How do I do what I wanted to do originally,
like be TV and film stuff, but with this drag thing.
So I started making my own parody videos on YouTube
and stuff. Because one of my favorite movies is a
scary movie and I just started to recreate like scary
movie scenes basically with Selena as like the idiot girl,
(14:00):
like oh my god, like don't put your you know,
knife inside me? Like, you know, just stupid things. And
I had some videos go viral and people really catching
on to it, and I started booking stuff, and then
I booked Vida on Stars, and I would do some
extra work in drag and then yeah, I would just
audition for Drag Race cause I was like why not?
And then eventually five I auditioned five times. Then I
(14:21):
got on Drag Race, and uh, you know, in Pandemic,
I decided to like, you know, we were all out
of a job, so I stopped my little day jobs
that I had and I just did drag full time
from there on, and I was hustling in the clubs
and creating my own shows. And then I got on
Drag Race and here we are. Now, Wow, it's been
a wild journey because you know, not everyone gets on
drag Race. So like for me, I always thought like, well,
(14:44):
what would I be doing if I was on Drag Race?
So I would just do that, you know what I mean?
And I think that goes for any artists anywhere, Like
whatever it is you're trying to achieve, like what would
you be doing after that? And just do that? Is
how I like kind of navigated my career. And now
everything I used to do before the show is what
I'm doing now. So it's like that hustle on that
drive to just keep pushing and creating is it's kind
(15:06):
of what's keeping me going fantastic.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
And what was that experience like being on drag Race?
Because it was so significant, Your you as Selena in
Drag Race was so significant, It was historic iconic in
so many ways. And why do you think that representation
of you or Latino Latina latine representation hit so hard
(15:30):
on Drag Race?
Speaker 4 (15:31):
You know what's wild? What I just realized was I
was having a very self discovery experience that I decided
to take onto TV and share with the world, which
should have been and maybe not should have could have
been a private experience for myself, right Like, like I'm
talking about the exploration of my pride, of my Latinists.
(15:51):
I decided to take that exploration onto Drag Race before
really flushing it out for myself, you know what I mean.
But I was willing to let that bear itself on
national television. And you know, there's a lot of backlash
and there's a lot of like haters whatever, But there's
a lot of people who were very touched and very
felt very represented by what I did, and all I
(16:14):
all I aim to do was to represent Latinist as
I experience it, as I know it. And that's not
gonna be true for everyone. It's not gonna be true
for how everyone experiences Latinist for themselves. But I was experience.
I was showing it and showcasing it as I've experienced
growing up. So there was a lot of people who
are like, oh, you know, she's cosplaying, or she's not Mexican,
(16:34):
or she's not Latino enough, or she's so white, or
she's whitewashed, she's got a fake access all this stuff.
But I'm like, okay, but this is my experience of
my Latinist is real to me, so you can't tell
me who I am. But what I was happening was
I was discovering who I was in that moment, and
I didn't realize that in the moment, I just I
didn't think there was anything wrong. But when I look back,
(16:56):
I'm like, oh, I was like really exploring my Latinists
within that mom I decided to share that with the world,
you know, which left me very vulnerable and very sensitive
when it came to all that feedback, but it's like
I'm an open book at the end of the day.
You know, I've been through so much in my life
that like I'm willing to take the hits if that's
what it takes for me to just like try to
(17:16):
own myself. And I don't think it's a bad thing
for me to try to own myself. And if anything,
there's people who did feel represented, and like, like I said,
getting that award was like a beautiful acknowledgment of the
work that I was aspiring to do. So it felt
nice to be acknowledged and like trust that what I'm
doing is working something somewhere for somebody, you know, and
at the end of the day, I was working for myself.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
We hope you're enjoying this interview. Stay tuned.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
We're back, and we hope you enjoy the rest of
the interview.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
I love that reflection so much. I mean, now, looking back,
would you do anything differently, like, given maybe what you
put out there and then also the feedback you receive.
Speaker 4 (18:01):
I think, just my if I could do anything differently,
it would just be my reaction to the feedback, you know,
Like I felt so like this was my art. What
do you mean you don't understand? So I'm just something
about my shit, and like we all are. I think
my reaction to everything that had happened is probably what
I would have adjusted. But at the end of the day,
everything happens the way it's supposed to. That's how I feel,
(18:22):
and I feel like I'm just happy I have the
insight today that I have to like move forward with
everything and to approach everything how I'm approaching it today.
Does that makes sense? I might making sense?
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Oh oh yeah, plenty of sense.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
Crazy, not at all, because also like, okay, I appreciate
y'all that y'all like are you even listening and understanding?
Because you know, I don't know a lot of people
were just like girls shut up, you know, like they
don't want to hear it. They don't want to explore
with me. They didn't want to like take the time
to understand my perspective or might come from with it.
They just wanted to be like, eh.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
You know, well, it sounds like you were on your
self discovery journey, and so let's go back to the beginning. Actually,
like you expressed, maybe growing up when you had when
you had your own gay or queer community. It was
like a white community and then you found like your
Latino queer community later.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Well, you know what it was. I grew up that
the white gay stuff didn't happen until I was like
nineteen twenty twenty one. Before that, I grew up with
actually my gay uncles in the Castro, San Francisco, and
we like my parents had me when they were eighteen
twenty one, so they were always working. They both worked
two jobs on first generation on my mom's side, so
like they were just trying to survive life. And me
(19:36):
and my brother my brothers are year younger than me.
We grew up basically with our uncles who took care
of us and they drive us down to La to
Micocmpias in South central like every other weekend. We're always
driving down go to the polgas by Conscio sox, you
know what I mean. And then we drive back up
and then go hang out with my parents on the weekend,
they go back to work and we do it all
over again. My uncles were gay, and we lived in
the Castro in the nineties, which at the time was
(19:57):
a very like hub for people to run away. Two
during like right after the AIDS epidemic, like people would
co like looking for their community, would be go to
Castro s Francisco. So it was very gay. My uncles
were very gay, always playing Donna Summers Alina, you know Madonna,
and like, I grew up in a very like gay environment.
I don't think that's why I'm gay, but it definitely helped,
(20:18):
you know, I don't know, you know.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
What I mean, It like fostered a safe environment for
you to be yourself.
Speaker 4 (20:23):
And then my parents also were already gonna be accepting
because I always had in back my head like if
you don't accept me, I'm gonna blame y' all because
look at who I grew up with, you know. So
I was like ready to fight them, but they didn't fight.
They loved me at the end of the day. And
like with that said, we'd always have, you know, our
parties every weekend. It was always someone's birthday, someone's graduation
of another baby's born, and like these Latino parties. But
(20:46):
I was always so ashamed growing up because I would
see what was on TV and that didn't replicate what
my experience growing up. So I would always like be
so anti my Latin experience growing up, you know what
I mean, looking for like the way out because I'm like, Okay,
y'all be proud of being broke, and you know what
I mean, Like in my mind, that's how I saw it,
because I would see what was winning out in the
(21:07):
world and that wasn't me and my family, you know.
So I would be so ashamed that I had all
that internalized racism building up for me in the very
early age. So when I moved out to we to
like La, I was like, we're gonna break, We're gonna
get out of this, you know. And I would only
find out later that owning my experience in all of
who I am, having pride in that would make me,
(21:27):
you know, who I am today and like help me succeed,
you know.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Yeah, I mean it sounds pretty like common right where
if we're like growing up in poverty or maybe low income,
and we see the way to get away from that
is like to get as close to whiteness as possible.
So it sounded like that was maybe your defense and
the way you saw like out quote unquote.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
And I still like I'm learning the verbiage of that,
you know what I mean, And then like I it's
it's wild to say out loud, you know, And I
get what a lot of feedback I get from a
lot of other people, and like my friends who are
super proud to be Mexican or Latino are always like
you know what I mean. But I'm like, this is
just my experience. I didn't know any better, you know,
(22:12):
So like it's I try not to be a shamed
in my experience. It is what it is. It's brought
me to this point. And like, at the end of
the day, I'm like, I feel like we have like
sometimes I approach this thing where like people are more
proud than me and I'm less than because of it.
Does that make sense?
Speaker 1 (22:31):
It is?
Speaker 4 (22:32):
And I'm like, wait, we have like a common goal.
My goal is is I think the same as yours.
So can we work together to like uplift each other
instead of like trying to hierarchy ourselves.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Yeah. So sometimes I also feel like, you know, Latini
that as we talk about it, it is a construct,
a social construct, and so it also kind of depends
on your personal amount of like buy in to the construct.
I feel you I think about Latini that and you know,
like some people have their home country's flag on everything.
(23:04):
It's hanging in their car and it's on their phone case,
and it's you know, it's like and we do that
and we love doing that. But I think about it
sometimes like having school spirit. Like we're all registered at
the same school, in the same classes, We're walking the
same halls.
Speaker 4 (23:19):
You know, you go to every football game. I don't,
you know, But.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
It doesn't mean that I'm not a student, correct, I'm
still I'm here with you.
Speaker 4 (23:27):
That's such a beautiful analogy, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
And so I think that's that's part of it too.
Other people are just way more intense and vocal about it.
And I think sometimes like it's like a grass is
greener on the other side thing, Right, So did you
have an experience where like you went and you were
like around like a suburban white family and you realize, like, oh,
this actually isn't any better, Like my my folks are
(23:50):
cooler and more fun and I have a more unique
experience and I'm so grateful for where I come from.
Did you have that like turning point mm hmm.
Speaker 4 (23:56):
And that happened when I, like I was asking my
mom like all those questions and stuff and becoming a
little more like, ooh work. She we had to work
to get here, you know what I mean? Or she
had to, my family had to. I just was born.
But like that made me realize, oh snap. And when
I was out here, after I quit my day jobs
and created, I was like, let me create a show
(24:17):
for myself, like my own drag show. I was like,
how can I do that? And how can I bring
in my latinists and how can I like help use
that to help me own it more a little? So
I was like, let me create a party that was
like the parties I grew up with. So I created
a drag night called because my family loves Lothia, so
we always play Lotia and bitch I love a so
(24:39):
I can never find the man. So I was like,
let me, let me create a night where like I
have the club make a lot and we play Lotidia.
And I created a night called Elia, and I changed
the drawings on the boards to be more gay and
drag queen, and like, so I was combining my Latin
culture with my gay culture and my drag queenness, and
like I created this night called Altria, and it's like
(24:59):
a celebration night a yourtha's house. Basically is how I
presented it, and it became the best actual Los Angeles
in twenty twenty three. I per formed it in like
that every week. That was what I did. I was
like hustling, and then I got on the show and
I just brought it back two weeks ago for the
first time since I've been on the show, and I'm
now making a documentary about it to like kind of
(25:21):
because of all the backlash I got while I was
on the show from you know, a lot of people.
A lot of people just happened to me the other day.
This girl was like, uh, You're not Mexican. And I
was like no, but like I basically like grew up
in and out of LA and like I've been here
forever and my my theas all live in South Central
so i'd always be down here. And she's like, oh,
(25:41):
well okay, and I was like, well, yeah, what are
you Then just what she said, I said, Well, my
family's from Hndreas, Panama, Icaragua, and she's like, oh, so
you're not Mexican. It was like this was this whole
thing and it was very interesting and so I was
like Okay. Because of this conversation alone, I was like,
let me make a documentary about like, you know how
even though we're all different, like we share similar you know,
(26:04):
we're all the same. We're not We're not the same,
but we're different with the same, you know what I mean.
So I was like, I'm working on documentary because I
want to take my show and take it on tour
and bring other drag race girls who are Latino and
into the show. And like, you know, the biggest stars
that we love from drag Race, Bianca She's from Hoduras,
Valentine's Mexican, Candy Muses, Dominican Zunami's Panamanian Morphine, loved dion Is,
(26:27):
Nikolai Wentz. So like I can bring them all into
my show and then when I do a documentary where
they share their experience and like, you know, we're not
all Mexican or you know, and there's nothing wrong with that.
We're not just Puerto Rican.
Speaker 5 (26:38):
You know.
Speaker 4 (26:38):
It's like we're a whole melting pot of different we
come from everywhere, but we're all still share similar you know,
at the end of the day that that heart, you know.
So I kind of working on a documentary right now
to like make that happen. And that all came from
my little show he and my little shit show downtown
by skid Row, Like is now going to flourish and
(26:59):
blossom into the beautiful thing that you know I struggled
with so much. When I got all that feedback and stuff,
I was like, well, let me put it back into
my art and let me see how it can like
help and like create something for people that's a learning experience,
but also not like this bad like like y'all are
wrong type thing. It's more of like, let's celebrate ourselves
in a way. You know.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
It sounds like you took the feedback and actually did
something constructive with it, like you applied it.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
That's my goal, right because I could sit here and
complain and be like oh more for me, you know,
but like, don't get me.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Nowhere and question going back to the girl that mentioned
or questioned if you were Mexican or not? Was this
because of the lot? Like was she taking issue with
that or like what was where was that coming from?
Speaker 4 (27:38):
I think for her or personally, because you know, the
drag race girls are struggling right now because there's a
lot of drag queens, there's a lot of drag race
there's queens everywhere. The market's very saturated. So like, I
just released a new podcast coming out, and I just
think personally, she's like, oh, she sees me winning, and
she's she called my drag cosplay. She's like, you're cosplaying.
(27:59):
I was like, okay, do you know what you're saying
when you say that? And then when she's like, oh,
you're not even Mexican, I'm like, you're not Latina at all.
So it was a little in the moment, I was like,
this is a learning experience. Let me teach her. But
at the same time, I was like, bitch, calm down.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Wait, no, you don't have to say the name. But wait,
this was non Latina. Was this a white person?
Speaker 4 (28:19):
No, she was black, but which even more so, I
was like girl interest. It was very interesting, but I
was like, in my face, I'm used to that online
in comments and stuff. But I was like, and I
thought she was my sister, you know what I mean.
So I was like, it was giving a little bit
of like jealousy because she sees me out here hustling
and making shit happen. Sure, Loki, that's then underlying thing.
(28:41):
So I think she was wanted to knock me down
a couple of pegs. But I was like, girl, this
is exactly why I want to work on this documentary,
you know.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
Yeah, so the documentary, the podcast, you have projects.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
You have to the word I have to. You have
to stay relevant with these kids and the content of
the fifteen second tiktoks. You got to make sure that,
oh god, it's a lot.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
It's expensive.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
Yes, it's expensive, totally.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
And at the Purpo Lily Awards, when we were chatting
with you, Curly introduced us and you started talking about
your show, The.
Speaker 4 (29:11):
Homegirl hot Line.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
Tell Home Girl hot Line, tell us all about it.
What did the idea come from? How are you making
how are you putting it together?
Speaker 4 (29:19):
Were first talking about that. Yeah, yes, well basically, so
I'm sober. I was a hot mess when I was
nineteen twenty twenty one. I was out here running the streets,
you know, because of my insecurities, because of I didn't
know how to fit in with these people trying to
I was really doing drugs and drinking and running the
streets out here. And I got sober and I was
twenty one years old, and so I'll have thirteen years
(29:40):
next month and November twentieth, that's my sobriety day. And
you know, I got sober through the Rooms of Alcoholics
Anonymous and there, you know, it's a lot of what
we do there is just we share our story and
you try to relate and then you share your experience
and there's a lot of like just talking and relating, right.
So in that I have a beautiful community in LA
(30:01):
especially in the queer community. There's a lot of there's
a big sober queer community and they've shown me how
to be a man and grow up and they're the
ones who taught me drag and be of service and
you know, and how to be an adult. And I
was just thinking, like how can I bring that energy
into a podcast space for myself because there's a lot
of drag queens of that podcasts, but they're all about
(30:22):
drag race, so they're all about being you know, shady,
or they're all about just like opinion based about what's
happening in pop culture. And I'm like, what can I
do to create some healing within our community and then
even more so with you know, my POC community, because
that's who's watching, right, that's who's paying attention to me.
So let's create a dream of consciousness and like, you know,
(30:45):
mindfulness within our community. It doesn't have to be all
like g girl, grawl girl. You know that's in there,
in there, because that's entertaining. But I really want to
like create something a little more deep rooted that can
help the kid who's listening in Oklahoma who just happened
to come across my little podcast because he likes drag Queens.
Speaker 5 (31:05):
You know.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
I'm like, oh, well, maybe this can help them, you know,
be a little more mindful and conscious about what's going
on with their own thinking and their own selves. Because
I feel like I love like reading a book, like
a self help book and like universe God stuff, Like
I love that stuff. So I'm like, how can I
bring that into a space for podcasts within the Drag
Queen Realm platform that I have.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
I love it. You described the show also as sort
of like an audio drama or like a radio.
Speaker 4 (31:32):
Play a little bit. Yeah. Yeah, so it's like.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Tell us, tell us.
Speaker 4 (31:38):
Well, it's just like, how can I create this world?
I love world building, right, Like I'm a theater girl.
At the end of the day. I love writing scripts.
I love creating experiences. So in this experience of this podcast.
Selena works at this radio station and she is getting
calls in like remember I don't know if y'all do
y'all know ninety four point nine it was a area
(32:00):
radio station, Wild ninety four point nine. It's the same
as like what they have out here. It's the one
O three two point seven Kiss FM. Yes, you know,
like when you're listening in the morning or just even
like the breakfast club, like like people call in and
like Ryan seacrests on the radio. Like I remember going
up listening to that, and it's like I was like,
what if it's a radio station and people are calling
(32:22):
in and with their problems and Selena's just like talking
back to them. But what I've created in this world
is Selena has this THEATA and she's the producer of
the podcast. And so she's on the other side of
the wall and she it's me an old lady Drag
and she is my grandma and my thea and she's
just like, ah, get pass up with that, like you know,
(32:44):
she's so like my Drag is truly inspired by like
actors like Robin Williams and Eddie Murphy and John Leguizamo.
Remember like Missus Doubt Fire and Resbutia, and like those
movies from the early nineties where these comedians where drag
were in drag playing these characters and these iconic movies.
(33:04):
That's very much what it inspires me. And then like
the humor comes from like Scary Movie and Hot Chick
and like those movies White Chicks, like very crass. That's
like where I get my humor from. That's what inspired
my drag right initially, and then I found really like
who Selena is by looking at my family and my
mom and my sister's mythas and so with all that combined,
(33:27):
I was like, how can I bring that comedy into this,
Like she's like the comedic relief is miscone cheat that
and this? And then what I'm building now too is
like I created a theme song for the podcast and
it starts out with like this trio because I'm like,
have y'all ever heard, like y'all know the Supremes, right, yes,
of course? Like is there Latina Supremes.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
In Spanish?
Speaker 4 (33:49):
Well, like in American pop culture, you know what I mean?
That doesn't really exist, not well, you know what I
feel like existed.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
There was there were girl groups in the sixties and
seventies that maybe we just are not familiar.
Speaker 4 (34:01):
With correct right, And I'm like, where are they?
Speaker 5 (34:03):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (34:03):
Because I love so when you think of like oldies
writ like low writer oldies, it's like it's like angel baby, right,
And I'm like, Latinos love these oldies. My dad listens
to old these while theys like working on the sync,
you know what I mean. So I'm like, why are
we so attracted to oldies? And you know these doop
groups and these crooner songs, like why is that the vibe? Right?
(34:27):
You know? My parents love song is like always in
Forever by heat Wave, And I'm like, what if there
was a Latina version of like a Supremes. So in
my I'm working on a movie, musical, like writing a
script and so so many products I'm just like always
working on. So I'm like, what if there's these three
(34:47):
girls and you know, my grandma passed away recently and
Maria Kathman and her sisters all came here from Nicaragua
and their grandma or their mom used to make all
their clothes. And my dad just sent me some photos
of them and they are jo lads but like pristine
and these beautiful outfits walking down the street with the
(35:07):
cars behind them, and I'm like, these girls are sickening
in badass, like my my grandma was a you don't
mess with hers what it looked like, right, but cunty
and just beautiful. And I'm like, that's Selena is titties.
Like that's literally me. So I was like, what if
Gonchita in my podcast world was a part of this
girl group that existed, and that used to be the
recording studio they used to record in back in the day,
(35:30):
and now she works there and Selena, their granddaughter, is
doing a podcast. So I'm building this entire world, and
I'm building this musical about these three girls from the
sixties and I'm calling them. I'm Selena s Titties, so
I'm gonna call them lost chee.
Speaker 1 (35:44):
Cheese, Selena s chee chee cheez.
Speaker 4 (35:49):
I love I love this world. I'm building a world
so we'll see what happens.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
You know, that is so fun.
Speaker 1 (35:55):
I love this. Okay. So that's what I love, love
love about podcasting and audio. It's that you can really
do what you want. You can create your own everything, right, Okay,
So the podcast Homegrow Hotline you're are people calling in
and so are these real stories or are these scripted stories?
Speaker 4 (36:13):
No, they're real. So the stories are real.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
So the stories are real, but the characters the world
that we're listening to that is like fiction.
Speaker 4 (36:21):
Yeah, like scripted, right, But we're both reacting to the
real life stories coming in. So it's like a combination.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
Characters are reacting to the real story, the real world.
Speaker 4 (36:31):
Yeah, and like my goal, my goal I think is
like season one is just building the world. Season two
we have guests come in and interact with the voicemails
that come into the hotline and then like eventually live
shows and then who knows what happens from there, right,
So I'm really just trying to set the world right
now and see where that goes.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
I love that so much.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
It's so creative, it's such a good idea. Think it sounds,
it's so fun. And is this something that you're putting
on video or it's all audio.
Speaker 4 (36:57):
It's going to be all all audio podcast platforms. But
then on YouTube, there's a video on YouTube on my
YouTube channel.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
Yeah, my god, how fun?
Speaker 4 (37:05):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
I'm so excited and so okay, so that's the podcast.
You also have this documentary that you're working on, So
is that a self produced project?
Speaker 1 (37:17):
Me?
Speaker 4 (37:17):
All of this is out of my pocket.
Speaker 2 (37:18):
Yes, we get it, We get it completely.
Speaker 4 (37:22):
Yes, man, it's crazy. Uh yeah, it's all me and
I mean, I guess the sponsorships are cute, but that's
what we work towards, right, like totally. So we're building
that and getting that together, which was cool. Like before
my podcast has even come out, I've already got like
several sponsorships, so that's nice, So congradulation. I'm learning how
this all works and we're getting there and then yeah,
(37:44):
but it's hard, you know, I'm trying to self fund
all this stuff, especially right now there's not a lot
of work, especially in TV and film. It's so rough
out here. So I'm trying to make it happen.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
And do people assume that, oh, you were on drag Race,
so you've got it made your fine?
Speaker 4 (37:58):
Girl. The money's playing me like they're like, try to
charge me so much because they're like, oh, she's on
drag ra she has money, so that we can charge
her this much. And I'm like, Diva, can.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
You, yeah, can you kind of demystify that for us?
So someone is on drag race, and then what happens.
Speaker 4 (38:15):
So mind you, they have to pay a lot of
money for us to even get like to present something
on the show. Because what we present on the show
for drag race walking down the runway, we don't most
of us, we should be wearing that in real life,
but we want to really stunt and like show our
best on the show, So we hash out a lot
of money to just get prepared for the show. So
there's that. So we leave the show with debt, you know,
already from everything we made, so we're trying to pay
(38:38):
back all that stuff. It costs thousands of dollars, which
you know, I'm asking for friends, I'm saving up money,
and it's like we're still trying to pay it off.
And then you hustle, you hustle, hustle. You make your money.
Within that first year you're very hot, and then the
next season comes out and you're not so hot anymore
because it's the new girls are here, and then they're
booking all everything. So how do you stay relevant? How
do you keep the fans like paying attention in and
(39:00):
like wanting to invest in support your art. And it's
it's a struggle. It's hard. But I'm a hustler. So
I'm out here hustling these streets making it happen. And
I don't know about a lot of other girls, but
I know it's not it's not easy, but a lot
of girls aren't doing or have the creativity to create
a lot of like what my ambitions have, you know?
So there are girls who are And I look at
girls like you know, Bob the Drag Queen want to
(39:22):
Exchange and Trixie Mattel, they're very successful, Bianca del Rio.
So it's like they're all you know. I actually signed
with management that there are a lot of them are
signed to because I'm like, I want to be like
those girls, So how did they get there? Right? So
I'm forging my little path and making that happen. And
I ended up signing with that management, and so it's
been it's been a journey and it's not it's not easy,
(39:43):
but it's part of the game, right. It's the hustle
out here, and people think it's Hollywood and make it.
No girl, it cost a lot of money. You got
a hustle. You gotta shake babies and kiss his hands.
Speaker 5 (39:53):
Shake babies his hands, and shake babies shake hands and
kiss babies, you know, shake the baby, don't shake the baby.
Speaker 1 (40:04):
For the record, I look at the don't shake the baby.
Speaker 2 (40:08):
Oh my god, Selena words of wisdom for aspiring drag
queens out there.
Speaker 4 (40:14):
Oh, don't do it.
Speaker 1 (40:18):
No.
Speaker 4 (40:18):
I think it's like knowing who you are, right like
discovering who I am and like getting more proud with
that is allowing it to bleed into my art, And
I think that's something to people forget too, is like
it's an art form at the end of the day,
just how a screenwriter writes their scripts and puts themselves
into it, how a musician writes their music and puts
themselves and their feelings into their music. My drag is
a vessel for for who I am and what I'm
(40:39):
going through, you know, And drag race was an experience.
My experience at the time was learning how to be
more proud, to take pride in my latinus, and I
threw that into my drag. And right now, you know,
I'm honoring my grandma and my mom because my mom
and my grandma both passed away last year. So that's
really like bleeding into my art right now. Like with
those chee cheese my grandma. You know what I mean.
(41:02):
Having uh, you know, my podcast. I'm trying to take
from my experience with my sober experience, and I put
that into my podcast. How can I be of service
to someone else? And like, I'm taking all of who
I am into my art. So I think if you
want to any art form you want to do is
just knowing who you are will dictate who what your
art looks like, you know. But if you don't know
who you are, what's your art? What's your art doing?
(41:23):
You feel me? Absolutely?
Speaker 1 (41:25):
Yeah, I love that. So kind of just to wrap
up this conversation and bring it back to the top
of the conversation and the Purple Lily Awards, you talked
about how the theas and the primas in your life
created that space for you to be safe and to
be yourself. So can you talk more about that and
how that inspired Selena? I did.
Speaker 4 (41:47):
Yeah. Well, you know, like for me, my cousins scare me,
my male cousins, like my male cousins try to kill
me once, Like I remember my dad walked in and
he was like hanging me by a belt, you know,
and like cause I was playing with rugrats and me
and my cousin call my cousin Chris Angelica, and he
like flipped on us, and so I don't know, you know,
the straight boys they are a little Machi's more and
(42:08):
crazy and wild, and especially where we grew up, like
it was just wild. So I never felt safe with
the straight boys. And my family, you know what I mean.
And my cousin, my female cousins always, you know, we're
dancing to spice girls over here, we're over here singing
songs and playing with coloring books and stuff. So they
always created that safe space for me to just be
(42:30):
myself and explore my creativity too, and like we were
creative together. So and my you know, my mom my,
theias were always like, oh, do a little dance for us,
or like, you knowing, sing the song with her, and
like they just fostered that safe space for me to
be creative and myself. And I didn't realize that in
the moment, but I look back and I'm like, oh, yeah,
that's what they were doing when I couldn't be that
(42:51):
way when I was playing football because my dad wanted
to be playing football with the boys, you know, So
yeah that really I look back and I think, oh yeah,
these women really are the reason I am who I am.
And I was so like anti that for a long
time too, Like I didn't want to look at that.
I don't want to let that be my narrative because
(43:12):
I'm like a'm bro mask, especially in the gay world,
trying to appeal to men and be like I'm sexy, right,
you like this, you like this. I'm gonna hide my femininity,
you know, because they don't like feminine guys, so I
have to be like super muchI small and like I'm
shoving down all that stuff that they created for me
to be myself. I'm shoving that away. So that was
all part of my drinking and my using, right because
I felt so uncomfortable with myself because I didn't know myself.
(43:34):
I was trying, I was not being myself right. So
this discovery of getting sober, learning who I am and
owning myself and being a little you know, like that
all makes me who I am. And I you know,
look where I'm at today.
Speaker 1 (43:47):
It works amazing.
Speaker 4 (43:49):
But I also have a pressent free gries, you have
shorter hair, so like a part of how I make
money and like you know, hustle is like I have
merchandise and I have an EP that came out in January,
my first little music project. Then I called it Homegirl
because my whole, like my mission with Selena A. S.
(44:11):
Titties is that she's your homegirl, right like in high school,
She's the girl that that was like, hey, you got
a pencil, and like she wasn't prepared, but she did
protect you with the football players walking by the hallway,
right like, don't mess with him. You know that's it's
my boy, like those girls in high school, my cousins
is who that is. That's why I wanted Selena to
be for anyone who feels like they you know, like
(44:34):
a little like don't have a voice. That's very much
me can't stand up for themselves. Selena's stand up for you,
and she represents that. Cause Selena is what I Jason
out of Drag is very insecure. I'm very quiet, I'm
very honed in. I'm very observant because I'm like observing
my surroundings, learning how to navigate through. Right, let me
suppress this so I can be this for you here,
(44:54):
so I can gain this and that that Jason's very
that Selena's like excuse me, I'm here, you know, which
is like what I crave to be out of drag
and She's given me the confidence to be that. So
Selena is that girl for me. She's your homegirl. So
I named my EP Homegirl, and my EP my music
project that I did in January was a homage to
like being at home girl, you know what I mean,
(45:16):
like my mom my home Selena Stitties.
Speaker 2 (45:18):
Where can our listeners follow and support? Where can they
catch a show? Where can they and catch your new projects?
How can they follow you?
Speaker 4 (45:25):
When is this coming out?
Speaker 1 (45:27):
This is coming out next Wednesday.
Speaker 4 (45:28):
Oh fantastic. So right now you can catch me. I'm
at Pasadena Playhouse. I'm doing Lakaja Fall. It's an equity theater.
It's like they won the Tony Award for the Best
Regional Theater in America. I'm doing a really big, high
scale production Lakajha Fall, taking Selena Stities on stage, musical theater,
going back to my roots, you know, with my BFA
(45:48):
musical theater. So I'm performing at Lakasha Fall the Pasadena
Playhouse November fifteenth to December twelfth. You can find me
there right now, and you can see me every Wednesday
on my podcast, the Homegirl Hotline on my YouTube panel,
and my Instagram is at s Titties and you can
buy my merch at stities dot com. Slash screaming we.
Speaker 2 (46:05):
Have to have to go. We love you've been, Yes,
and for those listening, that's the bird Cage, but it's
the original stage play correct.
Speaker 4 (46:18):
Yes, and it's very French and like, oh we we.
Speaker 1 (46:22):
Exactly.
Speaker 4 (46:23):
How exciting.
Speaker 1 (46:25):
Congratulations, really fustling, you are doing the things things.
Speaker 2 (46:30):
And a true thespian, honestly lesbian thespian.
Speaker 4 (46:34):
It's very exciting. The Playhouse, Darling, the Pasadena Playhouse. It's
so it's so interesting, right because I'm like I'm in
these clubs like like like oh my titties, my titties,
my titties. And then I'm like in this professional ass
like like I'm in theater. Now I got to be
a little more professional. But it's like I'm having such
a beautiful experience, like like my talents really gets to
(46:56):
shine through in this realm, singing and dancing, acting, all
the stuff, being professional on time, knowing where i have
to go. I'm like really showing a lot of my
professionalism here. And it's paying off, and it feels so
good to be respected and acknowledged. Like I keep saying,
we're in the clubs, you know, the drunk tweak in
the corner doesn't care if I'm on time, you know,
Like it feels so good that I'm getting like that,
(47:19):
I'm at this level right now. It's cool. It's cool.
Speaker 2 (47:22):
Congratulations. Oh we're so getting tickets.
Speaker 1 (47:25):
I'm already the case is so cool.
Speaker 4 (47:28):
Like y'all ever watch Matt TV. Yes, Michael McDonald, look
what I can do. He's in it. Paul Volt, Nicole Parker,
like these Mad TV comedians and I'm I'm getting to
work with them side by side. It's an honor to
watch them work. It's like so cool, It's really really cool.
Speaker 2 (47:44):
How exciting. Well this has been I knew it would be.
But a fabulous interview with selenas Titty.
Speaker 4 (47:50):
Sorry is so deep and somber, okerfect.
Speaker 1 (47:54):
That's what we do here.
Speaker 2 (47:55):
We love range.
Speaker 4 (47:56):
Thanks for letting me. Thank you for opening up your
space to me, you know, my two powerful women right here,
just creating the space for for your community and letting
me be a part of it. And I appreciate it
so much, and letting me share my experience with you
and being open and you know, willing to listen to me.
Speaker 1 (48:14):
I appreciate you, absolutely, thank you. Welcome back anytime down.
Speaker 4 (48:18):
I'll bring Selena next time for sure, like five full drag.
I don't know if it's I don't know if you're holding.
I don't know if he's ready for it.
Speaker 2 (48:27):
Our engineer, Yeah, he's finey stuff.
Speaker 1 (48:34):
Lok A Radio is executive produced by Viosa Fem and
Mala Munios.
Speaker 2 (48:39):
Stephanie Franco is our producer.
Speaker 1 (48:41):
Story editing by Me viosa.
Speaker 2 (48:44):
Creative direction by me.
Speaker 1 (48:45):
Mala look At Radio is a part of iHeartRadio's Michael
Dura podcast Network.
Speaker 2 (48:50):
You can listen to lok A Radio on the iHeartRadio
app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (48:55):
Leave us a review and share with your prima or
share with your homegirl.
Speaker 2 (48:58):
And thank you to our loco motives for our listeners
for tuning in each and every week.
Speaker 1 (49:02):
Desitos loclonia
Loka Tota Radio is a radiophonic novela.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Which is just a very extra way of saying a podcast.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
I'm fosa fem and.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I am ma la munos. We're podcasting through another Trump
election year. We've been podcasting through election years, a global pandemic,
civic unrest, political controversies, the Me Too movement, the rise
of TikTok, and we are still here. We're not done
telling stories.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
We're still making podcasts. We're older, we're wiser, We're even
podcasting through a new decade of our lives.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Since twenty sixteen, we've been making Loca thro Our Radio
independently until we joined iHeartMedia's Michael Dura Network in twenty
twenty two.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
From our Lips to your ears, fall in love with
Loka to a radio like you never have before.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Welcome to Season nine, Love at First.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Listen, Olao la Loka Motes. Welcome to season nine of
log A Tora Radio. I'm the Ossa and I'm Mala
Loka Tora Radio is a podcast dedicated to archiving are
present and shifting the culture forward. You're tuning in to
Capitulo dos Cientos Ventno to twenty one.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Last Time on loc A Tora Radio, we interviewed Penny
Le Ramirez, host of the new podcast Chess Piece The
Elian Gonzale Story.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
A lot of people in the US when you mentioned
Elean Gonzales, they remember some of the case. They remember
a specific picture that was so important in the case.
But we haven't talked about him in a while. But
this year, this November, we're turning twenty five years of
that case and that case. In that moment, I know
that we're.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Go ahead and tune into that capitulo, leave us a
review and share with a friend.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Today is so exciting because it is our second to
last episode of season nine.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
We have made it through another season, our ninth season
of Look At Our Radio, and we're also approaching our
eight year anniversary.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
We have like a lot of milestones coming up, and
the fact that we are like getting ready to close
out yet another season of Look at thot Our Radio
is really mind blowing to me. We just keep pumping
out episodes.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
I know, and they're still so much more and we'll
be talking more about that in our final episode of
the season. But today we have the honor of sitting
down with Selena stittis. She's joining us in the studio today.
And what's so special about today's guest is that we
met Selena when we hosted the Purple Lily Awards. We
were introduced to her by our friend and Pascuaso lok
(02:43):
At our Radio, Curly Velasquez, and she was also receiving
quite an award that evening. She was the honoree of
the night, and we connected with her then we heard
some of her story and just thought she would be
a fantastic guest for Lokat to our Radio.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
She's got a lot going on. In addition to being
a past contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race, Selena also has
a new podcast out that she she tells us all
about it. It's a really fun, exciting show. She's also
making her debut at the Pasadena Playhouse this fall. So
we talked to Selena about all things, including the life
cycle of a drag queen and what life is like
(03:20):
after her time on Drag Race. All right, look on
what is We're here in studio with that one the
only Selena s Titties welcome to look at what our radio?
Can you please say hello to our listeners?
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Hey, baby.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
A jump scare.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
How are you guys?
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Yes, since we just said, I'm so happy to be here,
thanks for having me. You guys are like iconic and
like the reason my whole drag persona exists is because
of women like y'all, you know what I mean, my cousins,
my theas, my sister, my mom. It's like, y'all literally
are that to me. And I don't even really know
y'all that well, you know, but I just it's there,
(03:59):
you know, it's like this unspoken like my girls, you
know what I mean. Like it's very that and like
my drag is inspired one thousand percent by you guys,
and Latino women is like my heart. So I appreciate
you guys for everything you've built. The podcast has been
going forever, y'all. So I'm very very honored to be here.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
And I think that's a good jumping off point to
tell our listeners how we met you. We hosted Latino
Equality Alliances Quinsana the Purple Lily Awards, where Selena was
awarded a pretty iconic award.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Yes, what was the award?
Speaker 4 (04:38):
Selena?
Speaker 2 (04:39):
You were the honoree of the night. The final presentation.
You were like top billing and everybody was so excited
to hear from you.
Speaker 4 (04:46):
I didn't even know. Like my manner was like, hey them,
le Leah wants to present you with an award, and
I was like, oh cool, like sickning. And then I
show up and I'm like, oh shoot, this is like
a really big deal.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
It's a full on galla gala.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
I was like very honored and like, I'm more upset
that I didn't know more about the organization beforehand, because
like you know, I don't know if y'all understand this,
but like being in Hollywood and trying to make it
in this industry, it's very like for me personally that
it was a big journey of like whitewashing a little
bit and like you know, very much like disassociating from
(05:22):
my latinist because I thought that's what was going to
get me booked, right, And it wasn't until I started
owning it that I started getting really booked and like
you know, people started really respecting what I did and
really seeing something in me. So I had a whole
journey with that. So to be in that space and
be awarded with this purple Lily award. It was like
(05:42):
a full full circle moment that really just like I
couldn't believe I was there, and like it was such
an acknowledgment of everything I've worked towards the past twenty
years being in Hollywood in LA that I was like this,
like any Emmy award, any Grammy, any being on TV,
Like that's great, but like to be recognized from you know,
(06:04):
the people that raised me basically, like I said, again,
it's like this familiarity is this family that just exists
among us. To be acknowledged by that, by that community
just really is like it feels my heart and it
makes me feel so seen and so like acknowledged, and
because in life I don't really do feel seen or
acknowledged or accepted, especially from other Latinos most of the time.
(06:27):
It's very interesting.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
And you touched upon this in your acceptance speech.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
Which I was just on a rampage. I don't know
what happened. I was just like letting my heart see
it was.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
A beautiful rampa. I wasn't a rampage at all. It
was a beautiful speech. It was a soliloquy if you will.
It was great.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
I know, right, I was very like Shakespeare.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
You nailed it, and Curly brought you up and presented
you with the award, and so you talked about the
Latino women in your life who have inspired you and
made you feel seen and safe growing up. And then
you also talked about meeting Curly on set and like
having this conversation about your Latino identity with Curly.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
Yeah, Curly really like opened up the gates for me,
you know. Like that was about I don't know what
nine and a half years ago that I was booked
to be on set for Vida on Stars, and it
was like when I got to set, it was like
Latin Latina woman, director, Latina writers, Latina producers, and like
(07:23):
it was all a room full of Latinos. And I
was like, up until that point, I had just been
surrounding myself with white gaze, you know, So it was
just a shift all of a sudden. I was like, wait,
I know, no, this feels like family, this feels like home.
And then I was Curly really like was talking about
something they were talking about, like the conversation behind LATINX
and lat like table X, like you know, or like
(07:44):
like I don't know monson X, like like it's they're
having that conversation. And I was like, oh my god,
work like people are having these conversations. I don't even
know right because I'm over here in West Hollywood trying
to like buddy up with the muscle boy, you know
what I mean. Like the priorities were just very off
at that young age for me. So Curly really showed
me like, girl, look you know, and I and I
(08:06):
asked him, how do I become more proud and like
really own you know, where I come from? Because I
had a lot of internalized racism and shame behind it
being in you know, just trying to navigate being a
gay boy in white West Hollywood is where I was.
So he really opened up the gates for me to
really learn how to accept that and and pursue the
(08:27):
like research, right, like asking my family, like where we
come from? How did we get here? What's the tea?
You know?
Speaker 1 (08:34):
And is that where you started by just talking to
your family?
Speaker 4 (08:37):
My mom, well, my mom got cancer and that really
started to like, you know, the hour glass started with
his flipped So I was like, oh, shoot, like, how
have I never asked my mom what Honduras was like?
You know what? I mean, so that kind of started
to open up the conversation and what.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Was that experience, Like hearing from your mom about what
home country was like, you know what.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
That's so interesting. It's like I'd be dressing up as
a woman for my career, my job, right like. And
it wasn't until I started asking my mom these questions
and I'm learning, like how she came over here and
like how much strength and resilience and like bravery that
takes to come here and do that journey that she
did at when she was seventeen years old. And I'm like,
(09:23):
when I was seventeen years old, I was a hot mess,
you know. So I'm like I look at that and
I see strength and I see resilience, and I think,
oh my god, like this is what I want to
exude and embody. And It's like, wasn't until had those
conversations that I kind of learned that that's what I
could be doing with my art, you know, like I'm
dressing up as this Latina woman, and how can I
(09:44):
bring and honor my mom in my art? And that's
kind of what that's kind of starts to transform my
art form a little bit and give it more meaning
and like power behind it instead of me just like
look at my big chee cheese.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
You know.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
So it was a it was a very cool shift
for me personally with my creativity, my art and just
you know, I think pride with my mom, honoring her
and her legacy and like, you know, at the end
of the day, I'm her American dream, you know. So
(10:16):
how do I take that dream and make it something
beautiful instead of like a nightmare?
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Don't go anywhere, look a Mortes, We'll be.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Right back, and we're back with more of our episode.
I'm very curious about, like the life cycle of a
drag queen. How did you start? What was your first step?
Speaker 4 (10:43):
Oh my god, So I was out here. I graduated
with a BFA Musical theater and then I did a
professional dance program, and I was out here trying to
be a male dancer. And in La it's like for
male dancing. I was auditioning for like j Lo Tours
and Lady God Got Tours and Selena Gomez and I
would show up and the first thing they'd say, take
off your shirt, and baby, I don't. I got a
little band che cheese. Okay, So that's like my man
(11:04):
boobs were not cutting it for j Lo or Lady Gaga,
so I would always get cut and I'm like, before
I even dance, you know, it's all like very physical based.
And I just wasn't booking anything. So I was helping
a friend who wanted to be a drag queen. I
was making her mixes, I was teaching he choreography, I
was teaching her dances, and then she was kept losing competitions.
So I was like, girl, why are you losing? I'm
(11:26):
creating good stuff for you. So I was She's like,
why don't you do it? So I did it one
time and I won, and I want some more. And
I was able to dance and perform and I looked crazy,
like I literally, oh my god, can I just show you.
I have a photo that I just found of one
of my first times in drag and I just looked
like a monster, like such a creature. She's she's crazy.
(11:47):
Look at this girl right here. Oh my god, let's see.
I mean my face, my face looks kind of nice,
but like she's just a hot, sweaty mask. I have
another photo when I did my makeup for the first time,
and it was just insane. But I looked crazy, but
my talent would shine through regardless of that.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Okay, someone else in twenty sixteen.
Speaker 4 (12:06):
This was twenty and twelve.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Okay, I had I'm asking because of the lip twenty thirteen.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
Okay, yeah, oh the makeup vibes.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
The pink lip like a nude.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
There is one photo that I just need to show
you because I am the have y'all ever seen like
the horror movie The Thing? Do y'all see the substance?
Speaker 2 (12:27):
No more?
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Oh you all, don't say it was so good.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
It's not scary you it's such a fun ride. Oh
hell yeah, Okay, it is so good. Okay, hold on,
I just I just feel like it's worth watching. Oh
here she is. This is the first time I ever
did my own makeup. I mean, just a hot mess.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
You're the the eyebrows.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
We all had those brows at one point, okay, Anastasia.
No one taught us how to use it.
Speaker 4 (12:54):
Oh my god. So you know. But even though I
look crazy, like, my talents were showing through my dancing,
my performance, my stage presence, and people were acknowledging it,
tipping me, paying me. So then I just started doing
it here and there, and then I would quit because
it's so expensive with the makeup, the hair, the patting,
the heels, the and like I was broke. I was
like twenty three years old, twenty four. I was working
(13:17):
at In and out Burger at the time, the one
in Hollywood right here. I worked there for five years,
and I was like working there, then leaving and going
to do drag show and then going back in the morning,
and just back and forth, back and forth. It was
just too expensive. So I quit, and then it always
found its way back into my life somehow, even when
I would quit, like somehow someone asked me to do
a fundraiser or something, and I'd be back in drag.
(13:38):
So I think I started to find a little niche
when I was like, Okay, well how do I make
How do I do what I wanted to do originally,
like be TV and film stuff, but with this drag thing.
So I started making my own parody videos on YouTube
and stuff. Because one of my favorite movies is a
scary movie and I just started to recreate like scary
movie scenes basically with Selena as like the idiot girl,
(14:00):
like oh my god, like don't put your you know,
knife inside me? Like, you know, just stupid things. And
I had some videos go viral and people really catching
on to it, and I started booking stuff, and then
I booked Vida on Stars, and I would do some
extra work in drag and then yeah, I would just
audition for Drag Race cause I was like why not?
And then eventually five I auditioned five times. Then I
(14:21):
got on Drag Race, and uh, you know, in Pandemic,
I decided to like, you know, we were all out
of a job, so I stopped my little day jobs
that I had and I just did drag full time
from there on, and I was hustling in the clubs
and creating my own shows. And then I got on
Drag Race and here we are. Now, Wow, it's been
a wild journey because you know, not everyone gets on
drag Race. So like for me, I always thought like, well,
(14:44):
what would I be doing if I was on Drag Race?
So I would just do that, you know what I mean?
And I think that goes for any artists anywhere, Like
whatever it is you're trying to achieve, like what would
you be doing after that? And just do that? Is
how I like kind of navigated my career. And now
everything I used to do before the show is what
I'm doing now. So it's like that hustle on that
drive to just keep pushing and creating is it's kind
(15:06):
of what's keeping me going fantastic.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
And what was that experience like being on drag Race?
Because it was so significant, Your you as Selena in
Drag Race was so significant, It was historic iconic in
so many ways. And why do you think that representation
of you or Latino Latina latine representation hit so hard
(15:30):
on Drag Race?
Speaker 4 (15:31):
You know what's wild? What I just realized was I
was having a very self discovery experience that I decided
to take onto TV and share with the world, which
should have been and maybe not should have could have
been a private experience for myself, right Like, like I'm
talking about the exploration of my pride, of my Latinists.
(15:51):
I decided to take that exploration onto Drag Race before
really flushing it out for myself, you know what I mean.
But I was willing to let that bear itself on
national television. And you know, there's a lot of backlash
and there's a lot of like haters whatever, But there's
a lot of people who were very touched and very
felt very represented by what I did, and all I
(16:14):
all I aim to do was to represent Latinist as
I experience it, as I know it. And that's not
gonna be true for everyone. It's not gonna be true
for how everyone experiences Latinist for themselves. But I was experience.
I was showing it and showcasing it as I've experienced
growing up. So there was a lot of people who
are like, oh, you know, she's cosplaying, or she's not Mexican,
(16:34):
or she's not Latino enough, or she's so white, or
she's whitewashed, she's got a fake access all this stuff.
But I'm like, okay, but this is my experience of
my Latinist is real to me, so you can't tell
me who I am. But what I was happening was
I was discovering who I was in that moment, and
I didn't realize that in the moment, I just I
didn't think there was anything wrong. But when I look back,
(16:56):
I'm like, oh, I was like really exploring my Latinists
within that mom I decided to share that with the world,
you know, which left me very vulnerable and very sensitive
when it came to all that feedback, but it's like
I'm an open book at the end of the day.
You know, I've been through so much in my life
that like I'm willing to take the hits if that's
what it takes for me to just like try to
(17:16):
own myself. And I don't think it's a bad thing
for me to try to own myself. And if anything,
there's people who did feel represented, and like, like I said,
getting that award was like a beautiful acknowledgment of the
work that I was aspiring to do. So it felt
nice to be acknowledged and like trust that what I'm
doing is working something somewhere for somebody, you know, and
at the end of the day, I was working for myself.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
We hope you're enjoying this interview. Stay tuned.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
We're back, and we hope you enjoy the rest of
the interview.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
I love that reflection so much. I mean, now, looking back,
would you do anything differently, like, given maybe what you
put out there and then also the feedback you receive.
Speaker 4 (18:01):
I think, just my if I could do anything differently,
it would just be my reaction to the feedback, you know,
Like I felt so like this was my art. What
do you mean you don't understand? So I'm just something
about my shit, and like we all are. I think
my reaction to everything that had happened is probably what
I would have adjusted. But at the end of the day,
everything happens the way it's supposed to. That's how I feel,
(18:22):
and I feel like I'm just happy I have the
insight today that I have to like move forward with
everything and to approach everything how I'm approaching it today.
Does that makes sense? I might making sense?
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Oh oh yeah, plenty of sense.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
Crazy, not at all, because also like, okay, I appreciate
y'all that y'all like are you even listening and understanding?
Because you know, I don't know a lot of people
were just like girls shut up, you know, like they
don't want to hear it. They don't want to explore
with me. They didn't want to like take the time
to understand my perspective or might come from with it.
They just wanted to be like, eh.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
You know, well, it sounds like you were on your
self discovery journey, and so let's go back to the beginning. Actually,
like you expressed, maybe growing up when you had when
you had your own gay or queer community. It was
like a white community and then you found like your
Latino queer community later.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Well, you know what it was. I grew up that
the white gay stuff didn't happen until I was like
nineteen twenty twenty one. Before that, I grew up with
actually my gay uncles in the Castro, San Francisco, and
we like my parents had me when they were eighteen
twenty one, so they were always working. They both worked
two jobs on first generation on my mom's side, so
like they were just trying to survive life. And me
(19:36):
and my brother my brothers are year younger than me.
We grew up basically with our uncles who took care
of us and they drive us down to La to
Micocmpias in South central like every other weekend. We're always
driving down go to the polgas by Conscio sox, you
know what I mean. And then we drive back up
and then go hang out with my parents on the weekend,
they go back to work and we do it all
over again. My uncles were gay, and we lived in
the Castro in the nineties, which at the time was
(19:57):
a very like hub for people to run away. Two
during like right after the AIDS epidemic, like people would
co like looking for their community, would be go to
Castro s Francisco. So it was very gay. My uncles
were very gay, always playing Donna Summers Alina, you know Madonna,
and like, I grew up in a very like gay environment.
I don't think that's why I'm gay, but it definitely helped,
(20:18):
you know, I don't know, you know.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
What I mean, It like fostered a safe environment for
you to be yourself.
Speaker 4 (20:23):
And then my parents also were already gonna be accepting
because I always had in back my head like if
you don't accept me, I'm gonna blame y' all because
look at who I grew up with, you know. So
I was like ready to fight them, but they didn't fight.
They loved me at the end of the day. And
like with that said, we'd always have, you know, our
parties every weekend. It was always someone's birthday, someone's graduation
of another baby's born, and like these Latino parties. But
(20:46):
I was always so ashamed growing up because I would
see what was on TV and that didn't replicate what
my experience growing up. So I would always like be
so anti my Latin experience growing up, you know what
I mean, looking for like the way out because I'm like, Okay,
y'all be proud of being broke, and you know what
I mean, Like in my mind, that's how I saw it,
because I would see what was winning out in the
(21:07):
world and that wasn't me and my family, you know.
So I would be so ashamed that I had all
that internalized racism building up for me in the very
early age. So when I moved out to we to
like La, I was like, we're gonna break, We're gonna
get out of this, you know. And I would only
find out later that owning my experience in all of
who I am, having pride in that would make me,
(21:27):
you know, who I am today and like help me succeed,
you know.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Yeah, I mean it sounds pretty like common right where
if we're like growing up in poverty or maybe low income,
and we see the way to get away from that
is like to get as close to whiteness as possible.
So it sounded like that was maybe your defense and
the way you saw like out quote unquote.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
And I still like I'm learning the verbiage of that,
you know what I mean, And then like I it's
it's wild to say out loud, you know, And I
get what a lot of feedback I get from a
lot of other people, and like my friends who are
super proud to be Mexican or Latino are always like
you know what I mean. But I'm like, this is
just my experience. I didn't know any better, you know,
(22:12):
So like it's I try not to be a shamed
in my experience. It is what it is. It's brought
me to this point. And like, at the end of
the day, I'm like, I feel like we have like
sometimes I approach this thing where like people are more
proud than me and I'm less than because of it.
Does that make sense?
Speaker 1 (22:31):
It is?
Speaker 4 (22:32):
And I'm like, wait, we have like a common goal.
My goal is is I think the same as yours.
So can we work together to like uplift each other
instead of like trying to hierarchy ourselves.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Yeah. So sometimes I also feel like, you know, Latini
that as we talk about it, it is a construct,
a social construct, and so it also kind of depends
on your personal amount of like buy in to the construct.
I feel you I think about Latini that and you know,
like some people have their home country's flag on everything.
(23:04):
It's hanging in their car and it's on their phone case,
and it's you know, it's like and we do that
and we love doing that. But I think about it
sometimes like having school spirit. Like we're all registered at
the same school, in the same classes, We're walking the
same halls.
Speaker 4 (23:19):
You know, you go to every football game. I don't,
you know, But.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
It doesn't mean that I'm not a student, correct, I'm
still I'm here with you.
Speaker 4 (23:27):
That's such a beautiful analogy, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
And so I think that's that's part of it too.
Other people are just way more intense and vocal about it.
And I think sometimes like it's like a grass is
greener on the other side thing, Right, So did you
have an experience where like you went and you were
like around like a suburban white family and you realize, like, oh,
this actually isn't any better, Like my my folks are
(23:50):
cooler and more fun and I have a more unique
experience and I'm so grateful for where I come from.
Did you have that like turning point mm hmm.
Speaker 4 (23:56):
And that happened when I, like I was asking my
mom like all those questions and stuff and becoming a
little more like, ooh work. She we had to work
to get here, you know what I mean? Or she
had to, my family had to. I just was born.
But like that made me realize, oh snap. And when
I was out here, after I quit my day jobs
and created, I was like, let me create a show
(24:17):
for myself, like my own drag show. I was like,
how can I do that? And how can I bring
in my latinists and how can I like help use
that to help me own it more a little? So
I was like, let me create a party that was
like the parties I grew up with. So I created
a drag night called because my family loves Lothia, so
we always play Lotia and bitch I love a so
(24:39):
I can never find the man. So I was like,
let me, let me create a night where like I
have the club make a lot and we play Lotidia.
And I created a night called Elia, and I changed
the drawings on the boards to be more gay and
drag queen, and like, so I was combining my Latin
culture with my gay culture and my drag queenness, and
like I created this night called Altria, and it's like
(24:59):
a celebration night a yourtha's house. Basically is how I
presented it, and it became the best actual Los Angeles
in twenty twenty three. I per formed it in like
that every week. That was what I did. I was
like hustling, and then I got on the show and
I just brought it back two weeks ago for the
first time since I've been on the show, and I'm
now making a documentary about it to like kind of
(25:21):
because of all the backlash I got while I was
on the show from you know, a lot of people.
A lot of people just happened to me the other day.
This girl was like, uh, You're not Mexican. And I
was like no, but like I basically like grew up
in and out of LA and like I've been here
forever and my my theas all live in South Central
so i'd always be down here. And she's like, oh,
(25:41):
well okay, and I was like, well, yeah, what are
you Then just what she said, I said, Well, my
family's from Hndreas, Panama, Icaragua, and she's like, oh, so
you're not Mexican. It was like this was this whole
thing and it was very interesting and so I was
like Okay. Because of this conversation alone, I was like,
let me make a documentary about like, you know how
even though we're all different, like we share similar you know,
(26:04):
we're all the same. We're not We're not the same,
but we're different with the same, you know what I mean.
So I was like, I'm working on documentary because I
want to take my show and take it on tour
and bring other drag race girls who are Latino and
into the show. And like, you know, the biggest stars
that we love from drag Race, Bianca She's from Hoduras,
Valentine's Mexican, Candy Muses, Dominican Zunami's Panamanian Morphine, loved dion Is,
(26:27):
Nikolai Wentz. So like I can bring them all into
my show and then when I do a documentary where
they share their experience and like, you know, we're not
all Mexican or you know, and there's nothing wrong with that.
We're not just Puerto Rican.
Speaker 5 (26:38):
You know.
Speaker 4 (26:38):
It's like we're a whole melting pot of different we
come from everywhere, but we're all still share similar you know,
at the end of the day that that heart, you know.
So I kind of working on a documentary right now
to like make that happen. And that all came from
my little show he and my little shit show downtown
by skid Row, Like is now going to flourish and
(26:59):
blossom into the beautiful thing that you know I struggled
with so much. When I got all that feedback and stuff,
I was like, well, let me put it back into
my art and let me see how it can like
help and like create something for people that's a learning experience,
but also not like this bad like like y'all are
wrong type thing. It's more of like, let's celebrate ourselves
in a way. You know.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
It sounds like you took the feedback and actually did
something constructive with it, like you applied it.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
That's my goal, right because I could sit here and
complain and be like oh more for me, you know,
but like, don't get me.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Nowhere and question going back to the girl that mentioned
or questioned if you were Mexican or not? Was this
because of the lot? Like was she taking issue with
that or like what was where was that coming from?
Speaker 4 (27:38):
I think for her or personally, because you know, the
drag race girls are struggling right now because there's a
lot of drag queens, there's a lot of drag race
there's queens everywhere. The market's very saturated. So like, I
just released a new podcast coming out, and I just
think personally, she's like, oh, she sees me winning, and
she's she called my drag cosplay. She's like, you're cosplaying.
(27:59):
I was like, okay, do you know what you're saying
when you say that? And then when she's like, oh,
you're not even Mexican, I'm like, you're not Latina at all.
So it was a little in the moment, I was like,
this is a learning experience. Let me teach her. But
at the same time, I was like, bitch, calm down.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Wait, no, you don't have to say the name. But wait,
this was non Latina. Was this a white person?
Speaker 4 (28:19):
No, she was black, but which even more so, I
was like girl interest. It was very interesting, but I
was like, in my face, I'm used to that online
in comments and stuff. But I was like, and I
thought she was my sister, you know what I mean.
So I was like, it was giving a little bit
of like jealousy because she sees me out here hustling
and making shit happen. Sure, Loki, that's then underlying thing.
(28:41):
So I think she was wanted to knock me down
a couple of pegs. But I was like, girl, this
is exactly why I want to work on this documentary,
you know.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
Yeah, so the documentary, the podcast, you have projects.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
You have to the word I have to. You have
to stay relevant with these kids and the content of
the fifteen second tiktoks. You got to make sure that,
oh god, it's a lot.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
It's expensive.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
Yes, it's expensive, totally.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
And at the Purpo Lily Awards, when we were chatting
with you, Curly introduced us and you started talking about
your show, The.
Speaker 4 (29:11):
Homegirl hot Line.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
Tell Home Girl hot Line, tell us all about it.
What did the idea come from? How are you making
how are you putting it together?
Speaker 4 (29:19):
Were first talking about that. Yeah, yes, well basically, so
I'm sober. I was a hot mess when I was
nineteen twenty twenty one. I was out here running the streets,
you know, because of my insecurities, because of I didn't
know how to fit in with these people trying to
I was really doing drugs and drinking and running the
streets out here. And I got sober and I was
twenty one years old, and so I'll have thirteen years
(29:40):
next month and November twentieth, that's my sobriety day. And
you know, I got sober through the Rooms of Alcoholics
Anonymous and there, you know, it's a lot of what
we do there is just we share our story and
you try to relate and then you share your experience
and there's a lot of like just talking and relating, right.
So in that I have a beautiful community in LA
(30:01):
especially in the queer community. There's a lot of there's
a big sober queer community and they've shown me how
to be a man and grow up and they're the
ones who taught me drag and be of service and
you know, and how to be an adult. And I
was just thinking, like how can I bring that energy
into a podcast space for myself because there's a lot
of drag queens of that podcasts, but they're all about
(30:22):
drag race, so they're all about being you know, shady,
or they're all about just like opinion based about what's
happening in pop culture. And I'm like, what can I
do to create some healing within our community and then
even more so with you know, my POC community, because
that's who's watching, right, that's who's paying attention to me.
So let's create a dream of consciousness and like, you know,
(30:45):
mindfulness within our community. It doesn't have to be all
like g girl, grawl girl. You know that's in there,
in there, because that's entertaining. But I really want to
like create something a little more deep rooted that can
help the kid who's listening in Oklahoma who just happened
to come across my little podcast because he likes drag Queens.
Speaker 5 (31:05):
You know.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
I'm like, oh, well, maybe this can help them, you know,
be a little more mindful and conscious about what's going
on with their own thinking and their own selves. Because
I feel like I love like reading a book, like
a self help book and like universe God stuff, Like
I love that stuff. So I'm like, how can I
bring that into a space for podcasts within the Drag
Queen Realm platform that I have.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
I love it. You described the show also as sort
of like an audio drama or like a radio.
Speaker 4 (31:32):
Play a little bit. Yeah. Yeah, so it's like.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Tell us, tell us.
Speaker 4 (31:38):
Well, it's just like, how can I create this world?
I love world building, right, Like I'm a theater girl.
At the end of the day. I love writing scripts.
I love creating experiences. So in this experience of this podcast.
Selena works at this radio station and she is getting
calls in like remember I don't know if y'all do
y'all know ninety four point nine it was a area
(32:00):
radio station, Wild ninety four point nine. It's the same
as like what they have out here. It's the one
O three two point seven Kiss FM. Yes, you know,
like when you're listening in the morning or just even
like the breakfast club, like like people call in and
like Ryan seacrests on the radio. Like I remember going
up listening to that, and it's like I was like,
what if it's a radio station and people are calling
(32:22):
in and with their problems and Selena's just like talking
back to them. But what I've created in this world
is Selena has this THEATA and she's the producer of
the podcast. And so she's on the other side of
the wall and she it's me an old lady Drag
and she is my grandma and my thea and she's
just like, ah, get pass up with that, like you know,
(32:44):
she's so like my Drag is truly inspired by like
actors like Robin Williams and Eddie Murphy and John Leguizamo.
Remember like Missus Doubt Fire and Resbutia, and like those
movies from the early nineties where these comedians where drag
were in drag playing these characters and these iconic movies.
(33:04):
That's very much what it inspires me. And then like
the humor comes from like Scary Movie and Hot Chick
and like those movies White Chicks, like very crass. That's
like where I get my humor from. That's what inspired
my drag right initially, and then I found really like
who Selena is by looking at my family and my
mom and my sister's mythas and so with all that combined,
(33:27):
I was like, how can I bring that comedy into this,
Like she's like the comedic relief is miscone cheat that
and this? And then what I'm building now too is
like I created a theme song for the podcast and
it starts out with like this trio because I'm like,
have y'all ever heard, like y'all know the Supremes, right, yes,
of course? Like is there Latina Supremes.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
In Spanish?
Speaker 4 (33:49):
Well, like in American pop culture, you know what I mean?
That doesn't really exist, not well, you know what I
feel like existed.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
There was there were girl groups in the sixties and
seventies that maybe we just are not familiar.
Speaker 4 (34:01):
With correct right, And I'm like, where are they?
Speaker 5 (34:03):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (34:03):
Because I love so when you think of like oldies
writ like low writer oldies, it's like it's like angel baby, right,
And I'm like, Latinos love these oldies. My dad listens
to old these while theys like working on the sync,
you know what I mean. So I'm like, why are
we so attracted to oldies? And you know these doop
groups and these crooner songs, like why is that the vibe? Right?
(34:27):
You know? My parents love song is like always in
Forever by heat Wave, And I'm like, what if there
was a Latina version of like a Supremes. So in
my I'm working on a movie, musical, like writing a
script and so so many products I'm just like always
working on. So I'm like, what if there's these three
(34:47):
girls and you know, my grandma passed away recently and
Maria Kathman and her sisters all came here from Nicaragua
and their grandma or their mom used to make all
their clothes. And my dad just sent me some photos
of them and they are jo lads but like pristine
and these beautiful outfits walking down the street with the
(35:07):
cars behind them, and I'm like, these girls are sickening
in badass, like my my grandma was a you don't
mess with hers what it looked like, right, but cunty
and just beautiful. And I'm like, that's Selena is titties.
Like that's literally me. So I was like, what if
Gonchita in my podcast world was a part of this
girl group that existed, and that used to be the
recording studio they used to record in back in the day,
(35:30):
and now she works there and Selena, their granddaughter, is
doing a podcast. So I'm building this entire world, and
I'm building this musical about these three girls from the
sixties and I'm calling them. I'm Selena s Titties, so
I'm gonna call them lost chee.
Speaker 1 (35:44):
Cheese, Selena s chee chee cheez.
Speaker 4 (35:49):
I love I love this world. I'm building a world
so we'll see what happens.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
You know, that is so fun.
Speaker 1 (35:55):
I love this. Okay. So that's what I love, love
love about podcasting and audio. It's that you can really
do what you want. You can create your own everything, right, Okay,
So the podcast Homegrow Hotline you're are people calling in
and so are these real stories or are these scripted stories?
Speaker 4 (36:13):
No, they're real. So the stories are real.
Speaker 1 (36:15):
So the stories are real, but the characters the world
that we're listening to that is like fiction.
Speaker 4 (36:21):
Yeah, like scripted, right, But we're both reacting to the
real life stories coming in. So it's like a combination.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
Characters are reacting to the real story, the real world.
Speaker 4 (36:31):
Yeah, and like my goal, my goal I think is
like season one is just building the world. Season two
we have guests come in and interact with the voicemails
that come into the hotline and then like eventually live
shows and then who knows what happens from there, right,
So I'm really just trying to set the world right
now and see where that goes.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
I love that so much.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
It's so creative, it's such a good idea. Think it sounds,
it's so fun. And is this something that you're putting
on video or it's all audio.
Speaker 4 (36:57):
It's going to be all all audio podcast platforms. But
then on YouTube, there's a video on YouTube on my
YouTube channel.
Speaker 2 (37:04):
Yeah, my god, how fun?
Speaker 4 (37:05):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (37:07):
I'm so excited and so okay, so that's the podcast.
You also have this documentary that you're working on, So
is that a self produced project?
Speaker 1 (37:17):
Me?
Speaker 4 (37:17):
All of this is out of my pocket.
Speaker 2 (37:18):
Yes, we get it, We get it completely.
Speaker 4 (37:22):
Yes, man, it's crazy. Uh yeah, it's all me and
I mean, I guess the sponsorships are cute, but that's
what we work towards, right, like totally. So we're building
that and getting that together, which was cool. Like before
my podcast has even come out, I've already got like
several sponsorships, so that's nice, So congradulation. I'm learning how
this all works and we're getting there and then yeah,
(37:44):
but it's hard, you know, I'm trying to self fund
all this stuff, especially right now there's not a lot
of work, especially in TV and film. It's so rough
out here. So I'm trying to make it happen.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
And do people assume that, oh, you were on drag Race,
so you've got it made your fine?
Speaker 4 (37:58):
Girl. The money's playing me like they're like, try to
charge me so much because they're like, oh, she's on
drag ra she has money, so that we can charge
her this much. And I'm like, Diva, can.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
You, yeah, can you kind of demystify that for us?
So someone is on drag race, and then what happens.
Speaker 4 (38:15):
So mind you, they have to pay a lot of
money for us to even get like to present something
on the show. Because what we present on the show
for drag race walking down the runway, we don't most
of us, we should be wearing that in real life,
but we want to really stunt and like show our
best on the show, So we hash out a lot
of money to just get prepared for the show. So
there's that. So we leave the show with debt, you know,
already from everything we made, so we're trying to pay
(38:38):
back all that stuff. It costs thousands of dollars, which
you know, I'm asking for friends, I'm saving up money,
and it's like we're still trying to pay it off.
And then you hustle, you hustle, hustle. You make your money.
Within that first year you're very hot, and then the
next season comes out and you're not so hot anymore
because it's the new girls are here, and then they're
booking all everything. So how do you stay relevant? How
do you keep the fans like paying attention in and
(39:00):
like wanting to invest in support your art. And it's
it's a struggle. It's hard. But I'm a hustler. So
I'm out here hustling these streets making it happen. And
I don't know about a lot of other girls, but
I know it's not it's not easy, but a lot
of girls aren't doing or have the creativity to create
a lot of like what my ambitions have, you know?
So there are girls who are And I look at
girls like you know, Bob the Drag Queen want to
(39:22):
Exchange and Trixie Mattel, they're very successful, Bianca del Rio.
So it's like they're all you know. I actually signed
with management that there are a lot of them are
signed to because I'm like, I want to be like
those girls, So how did they get there? Right? So
I'm forging my little path and making that happen. And
I ended up signing with that management, and so it's
been it's been a journey and it's not it's not easy,
(39:43):
but it's part of the game, right. It's the hustle
out here, and people think it's Hollywood and make it.
No girl, it cost a lot of money. You got
a hustle. You gotta shake babies and kiss his hands.
Speaker 5 (39:53):
Shake babies his hands, and shake babies shake hands and
kiss babies, you know, shake the baby, don't shake the baby.
Speaker 1 (40:04):
For the record, I look at the don't shake the baby.
Speaker 2 (40:08):
Oh my god, Selena words of wisdom for aspiring drag
queens out there.
Speaker 4 (40:14):
Oh, don't do it.
Speaker 1 (40:18):
No.
Speaker 4 (40:18):
I think it's like knowing who you are, right like
discovering who I am and like getting more proud with
that is allowing it to bleed into my art, And
I think that's something to people forget too, is like
it's an art form at the end of the day,
just how a screenwriter writes their scripts and puts themselves
into it, how a musician writes their music and puts
themselves and their feelings into their music. My drag is
a vessel for for who I am and what I'm
(40:39):
going through, you know, And drag race was an experience.
My experience at the time was learning how to be
more proud, to take pride in my latinus, and I
threw that into my drag. And right now, you know,
I'm honoring my grandma and my mom because my mom
and my grandma both passed away last year. So that's
really like bleeding into my art right now. Like with
those chee cheese my grandma. You know what I mean.
(41:02):
Having uh, you know, my podcast. I'm trying to take
from my experience with my sober experience, and I put
that into my podcast. How can I be of service
to someone else? And like, I'm taking all of who
I am into my art. So I think if you
want to any art form you want to do is
just knowing who you are will dictate who what your
art looks like, you know. But if you don't know
who you are, what's your art? What's your art doing?
(41:23):
You feel me? Absolutely?
Speaker 1 (41:25):
Yeah, I love that. So kind of just to wrap
up this conversation and bring it back to the top
of the conversation and the Purple Lily Awards, you talked
about how the theas and the primas in your life
created that space for you to be safe and to
be yourself. So can you talk more about that and
how that inspired Selena? I did.
Speaker 4 (41:47):
Yeah. Well, you know, like for me, my cousins scare me,
my male cousins, like my male cousins try to kill
me once, Like I remember my dad walked in and
he was like hanging me by a belt, you know,
and like cause I was playing with rugrats and me
and my cousin call my cousin Chris Angelica, and he
like flipped on us, and so I don't know, you know,
the straight boys they are a little Machi's more and
(42:08):
crazy and wild, and especially where we grew up, like
it was just wild. So I never felt safe with
the straight boys. And my family, you know what I mean.
And my cousin, my female cousins always, you know, we're
dancing to spice girls over here, we're over here singing
songs and playing with coloring books and stuff. So they
always created that safe space for me to just be
(42:30):
myself and explore my creativity too, and like we were
creative together. So and my you know, my mom my,
theias were always like, oh, do a little dance for us,
or like, you knowing, sing the song with her, and
like they just fostered that safe space for me to
be creative and myself. And I didn't realize that in
the moment, but I look back and I'm like, oh, yeah,
that's what they were doing when I couldn't be that
(42:51):
way when I was playing football because my dad wanted
to be playing football with the boys, you know, So
yeah that really I look back and I think, oh yeah,
these women really are the reason I am who I am.
And I was so like anti that for a long
time too, Like I didn't want to look at that.
I don't want to let that be my narrative because
(43:12):
I'm like a'm bro mask, especially in the gay world,
trying to appeal to men and be like I'm sexy, right,
you like this, you like this. I'm gonna hide my femininity,
you know, because they don't like feminine guys, so I
have to be like super muchI small and like I'm
shoving down all that stuff that they created for me
to be myself. I'm shoving that away. So that was
all part of my drinking and my using, right because
I felt so uncomfortable with myself because I didn't know myself.
(43:34):
I was trying, I was not being myself right. So
this discovery of getting sober, learning who I am and
owning myself and being a little you know, like that
all makes me who I am. And I you know,
look where I'm at today.
Speaker 1 (43:47):
It works amazing.
Speaker 4 (43:49):
But I also have a pressent free gries, you have
shorter hair, so like a part of how I make
money and like you know, hustle is like I have
merchandise and I have an EP that came out in January,
my first little music project. Then I called it Homegirl
because my whole, like my mission with Selena A. S.
(44:11):
Titties is that she's your homegirl, right like in high school,
She's the girl that that was like, hey, you got
a pencil, and like she wasn't prepared, but she did
protect you with the football players walking by the hallway,
right like, don't mess with him. You know that's it's
my boy, like those girls in high school, my cousins
is who that is. That's why I wanted Selena to
be for anyone who feels like they you know, like
(44:34):
a little like don't have a voice. That's very much
me can't stand up for themselves. Selena's stand up for you,
and she represents that. Cause Selena is what I Jason
out of Drag is very insecure. I'm very quiet, I'm
very honed in. I'm very observant because I'm like observing
my surroundings, learning how to navigate through. Right, let me
suppress this so I can be this for you here,
(44:54):
so I can gain this and that that Jason's very
that Selena's like excuse me, I'm here, you know, which
is like what I crave to be out of drag
and She's given me the confidence to be that. So
Selena is that girl for me. She's your homegirl. So
I named my EP Homegirl, and my EP my music
project that I did in January was a homage to
like being at home girl, you know what I mean,
(45:16):
like my mom my home Selena Stitties.
Speaker 2 (45:18):
Where can our listeners follow and support? Where can they
catch a show? Where can they and catch your new projects?
How can they follow you?
Speaker 4 (45:25):
When is this coming out?
Speaker 1 (45:27):
This is coming out next Wednesday.
Speaker 4 (45:28):
Oh fantastic. So right now you can catch me. I'm
at Pasadena Playhouse. I'm doing Lakaja Fall. It's an equity theater.
It's like they won the Tony Award for the Best
Regional Theater in America. I'm doing a really big, high
scale production Lakajha Fall, taking Selena Stities on stage, musical theater,
going back to my roots, you know, with my BFA
(45:48):
musical theater. So I'm performing at Lakasha Fall the Pasadena
Playhouse November fifteenth to December twelfth. You can find me
there right now, and you can see me every Wednesday
on my podcast, the Homegirl Hotline on my YouTube panel,
and my Instagram is at s Titties and you can
buy my merch at stities dot com. Slash screaming we.
Speaker 2 (46:05):
Have to have to go. We love you've been, Yes,
and for those listening, that's the bird Cage, but it's
the original stage play correct.
Speaker 4 (46:18):
Yes, and it's very French and like, oh we we.
Speaker 1 (46:22):
Exactly.
Speaker 4 (46:23):
How exciting.
Speaker 1 (46:25):
Congratulations, really fustling, you are doing the things things.
Speaker 2 (46:30):
And a true thespian, honestly lesbian thespian.
Speaker 4 (46:34):
It's very exciting. The Playhouse, Darling, the Pasadena Playhouse. It's
so it's so interesting, right because I'm like I'm in
these clubs like like like oh my titties, my titties,
my titties. And then I'm like in this professional ass
like like I'm in theater. Now I got to be
a little more professional. But it's like I'm having such
a beautiful experience, like like my talents really gets to
(46:56):
shine through in this realm, singing and dancing, acting, all
the stuff, being professional on time, knowing where i have
to go. I'm like really showing a lot of my
professionalism here. And it's paying off, and it feels so
good to be respected and acknowledged. Like I keep saying,
we're in the clubs, you know, the drunk tweak in
the corner doesn't care if I'm on time, you know,
Like it feels so good that I'm getting like that,
(47:19):
I'm at this level right now. It's cool. It's cool.
Speaker 2 (47:22):
Congratulations. Oh we're so getting tickets.
Speaker 1 (47:25):
I'm already the case is so cool.
Speaker 4 (47:28):
Like y'all ever watch Matt TV. Yes, Michael McDonald, look
what I can do. He's in it. Paul Volt, Nicole Parker,
like these Mad TV comedians and I'm I'm getting to
work with them side by side. It's an honor to
watch them work. It's like so cool, It's really really cool.
Speaker 2 (47:44):
How exciting. Well this has been I knew it would be.
But a fabulous interview with selenas Titty.
Speaker 4 (47:50):
Sorry is so deep and somber, okerfect.
Speaker 1 (47:54):
That's what we do here.
Speaker 2 (47:55):
We love range.
Speaker 4 (47:56):
Thanks for letting me. Thank you for opening up your
space to me, you know, my two powerful women right here,
just creating the space for for your community and letting
me be a part of it. And I appreciate it
so much, and letting me share my experience with you
and being open and you know, willing to listen to me.
Speaker 1 (48:14):
I appreciate you, absolutely, thank you. Welcome back anytime down.
Speaker 4 (48:18):
I'll bring Selena next time for sure, like five full drag.
I don't know if it's I don't know if you're holding.
I don't know if he's ready for it.
Speaker 2 (48:27):
Our engineer, Yeah, he's finey stuff.
Speaker 1 (48:34):
Lok A Radio is executive produced by Viosa Fem and
Mala Munios.
Speaker 2 (48:39):
Stephanie Franco is our producer.
Speaker 1 (48:41):
Story editing by Me viosa.
Speaker 2 (48:44):
Creative direction by me.
Speaker 1 (48:45):
Mala look At Radio is a part of iHeartRadio's Michael
Dura podcast Network.
Speaker 2 (48:50):
You can listen to lok A Radio on the iHeartRadio
app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (48:55):
Leave us a review and share with your prima or
share with your homegirl.
Speaker 2 (48:58):
And thank you to our loco motives for our listeners
for tuning in each and every week.
Speaker 1 (49:02):
Desitos loclonia
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