Photo: Courtesy of LOGO
I have a confession to make: nothing scares me more than a drag queen. OK -- almost nothing -- Tim Curry as Pennywise the child-eating clown from Stephen King's It is probably more horrifying, but still, put me in a room with a 6'7'' guy in women's clothing who has a microphone and knows how to use it and I all but wet my jeans (and not in a good way). I think it has to do with my fear of not knowing what to say or how to interact with someone so brash, so confident, so causticly witty. I love them from a far, but up close I just turn into a sloppy, jiggling bowl full of nervous-flavored Jello.
However, when it comes to the first lady of drag, RuPaul, I couldn't be less afraid or more in love. Riding the wave of fame from his first mega-dance hit "Supermodel of the World (You'd Better Work!"), Ru has managed to make a career out of looking good and throwing (usually playful) shade. Since then, he's continued to heat up the dance floor, has starred in numerous films (The Brady Bunch Movie, Starrbooty, and my personal favorite, But I'm A Cheerleader) and served as the first-ever spokesperson for M.A.C Cosmetics' VIVA Glam Campaign, helping to raise more than $30 million for the M.A.C AIDS Fund.
Now Ru is looking for a new queen to try and fill his high heels -- or at least provide a little healthy competition -- and he's taken to air waves with RuPaul's Drag Race. The show follows nine fierce contestants as they sew, pose, lipsynch, and strut to win the title of America's next drag queen superstar -- along with $20,000, a boatload of M.A.C cosmetics, and a photo spread in Paper magazine.
We caught up with Ru to discuss the new show, what he still wants to accomplish, and how he keeps looking so flawless:
Out: Your promo shots from RuPaul’s Drag Race are gorgeous. What’s your secret? Are you drinking the blood of virgins?
Rupaul: Yes. The blood of virgins and Photoshop -- keep it real, keep it hood.
Tune into the premiere of RuPaul's Drag Race tonight on LOGO at 10 Eastern/Pacific and head over to Out.com to read the full interview with Ru.
-- NOAH MICHELSON
Previously > RuPaul does double duty as Barack AND Michelle Obama
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