The 2014 winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Bianca Del Rio has been touring her comedy special Rolodex of Hate across the globe, ahead of its release on Vimeo on Demand. She somehow found time to talk to talk to me about her show, her teeth (so embarrassing) and give me a lesson in drag history…
Kate: You describe yourself as an insult comedian, do you think it’s easier to get away with insults Bianca than Roy?
Bianca Del Rio: Oh totally! I always say if I didn’t wear a wig they’d call me a nasty fag, but if I wear a wig they call me hysterical. I have found it to be interesting. But I’m very much the same way without it. I’ve done a lot of comedy stuff without being in drag, but it is a totally different reaction. I think it’s more of a show [in drag] – it’s more of a novelty I think. I mean look at Dame Edna. Barry Humphries created all of these characters but Dame Edna was the special one because the audience believed this older woman could be that hateful you know! And it’s genius when you think about it ‘cos we’ve all had an aunt or a grandmother who acted that way, with that very passive aggressive sense of humour. All these characters she created were just bigots, which is genius!
Kate: So what came first, drag or comedy?
Bianca: I think both, of course, like everything in my life none of this was initially planned. I was always the loudmouth, I was always the obnoxious one. I was always involved in theatre, I loved make-up and wigs, so it’s been in my blood and it just seems so fitting that drag would just be a part of it. People do drag for different reasons and for me I’m not interested in being a girl or being soft and pretty. For me it’s definitely clown and insult humour! Many people say ‘oh she wears too much make-up’ and yeah, it’s what I want to fucking do, so it’s fine with me!
Kate: Is this what a lot of what your comedy special Rolodex of Hate is about?
Bianca: Yeah. I mainly talk about myself, ‘cos I’m just that way. A lot of it is my life and where I came from and how I became this hateful person and also the observations that I have. I didn’t realise that so many people could relate to it. I have been doing it since last November so the show is very different from when I first did it. I realised ‘okay this is what people want’, which is refreshing because lately in the world, especially in America everybody’s just been so politically correct where they’re too afraid to say anything; I don’t give a shit at all. If you don’t like it, leave. But it is pretty fascinating to see how many people do enjoy, you know, hate. I mean honestly I’m the biggest fucking joke there is.
Kate: So you balance out the hate with self deprecation?
Bianca: Oh always! There’s nothing funnier than my life and basically the stories that I’m telling are the stories where I come out looking like a fucking asshole! That’s the best part about it.
Kate: You finish touring Rolodex of Hate in January in Manchester, do you have another comedy special in the works?
Bianca: Yes. Rolodex of Hate was recorded in Austin Texas about a month ago for Vimeo which I’m very excited about. So it’s been documented now and it’s been a great amazing journey and to travel the world with it is insane! All over the US, places I didn’t even know existed. In the meantime I’ve got my movie which hopefully will be out next spring and following that I’ll start with my next stand up special which is called Not Today Satan so I’ll be schlepping that one around next. But I’m going to take a minute to regroup and unpack my boxes and perhaps maybe home a new wig. There’s been no time for that!
Kate: Is this film you mention Hurricane Bianca?
Bianca: Correct, it’s a film that a dear friend of mine Matt Kugelman had written a couple of years ago… we had done a crowdfunder and we made some money and then I went away and did Drag Race and then I came back and we continued the crowdfunding and fortunately through everyone’s generous support we were able to film last summer and I had 18 days to make the magic happen. I’m happy to say there’s a lot of Drag Race alumni in the film, there’s Shangela Laquifa Wadley, there’s Willem, there’s Alyssa Edwards and there’s also cameos from Alan Cumming, Margaret Cho and RuPaul. So I’m very excited.
Kate: That sounds fabulous. So you were just in the UK on Sunday, how does the drag scene compare with America’s?
Bianca: You know, it’s funny, I get asked this question a lot which I think is interesting because I’m not usually in a country or city long but of the drag queens I have met have been quite lovely. No matter where I go the smart, creative, cool, talented people all are wonderful to meet. In the UK I met this geniusly funny bitch called Myra Dubois who opened for me when I was in the UK, I insisted we have her because she is sickly wrong and hateful – I love her.
I love all of it and I would have to say there really is no difference. After a few drinks, we’re all the same, we’re all girlfriends! It’s one of the best things about travelling is getting to meet people from different places and to see how there are no differences, each place I go I think ‘oh, we’ve got one of those in America, or one of those in Texas, you know?
Kate: That surprises me because I think in the UK our drag queens like Lily Savage and Dame Edna have had almost family friendly approval and I wondered if you had an equivalent in America.
Bianca: Well I think it just depends on where you go. I mean I’ve been around a while, after 20 years you’ve kind of seen it all and there’s always this queen saying ‘I did it first’ and I’m all ‘Bitch 10 years ago somebody did it!’ Nothing is new anymore. It’s like anything, everything comes back around again but I always find it fascinating that everybody thinks that ‘oh you’re copying someone else because you’re doing this’ No, not the case it’s been done. It’s been done better already.
Kate: How depressing!
Bianca: Hah! It’s true though. That’s why I always tell young queens who ask for advice I’m like ‘do your research, Google some of these older queens, it’s amazing to see the work they’ve done. You know they have no idea about the drag queens that have come before us, it wasn’t always just Drag Race. I think that people forget that.
Kate: So who do you rate from the past, drag queen-wise?
Bianca: Oh there are tonnes. There’s an amazing man by the name of Charles Pierce and another by the name Jim Bailey who were unbelievable female impersonators – they’d impersonate Barbra Streisand, they’d impersonate Judy Garland, just unbelievable. Charles Pierce was very much like me, a hateful queen – or I’m much like him I should say – I found out when I was reading a book about him that he was best friends with Bea Arthur and I was like ‘it all makes sense!’ There’s some still working now that are geniuses, Coco Peru, Jackie Beat, Lady Bunny for Christ’s sake! I mean all of them exist, they’re brilliantly funny and they’re all very different and I think that’s the great thing about drag. All these queens that came before Drag Race.
Kate: Since winning Drag Race has your audience changed a lot?
Bianca: Well I’m happy if there’s anybody listening no matter what, I mean I’ll talk to a room full of nobody, you know and have for many years! So I do realise this golden ticket opened up amazing opportunities… But I’ve been fascinated by – and I don’t know if you’re going to find this shocking – but the majority of my audience that come to live shows are girls! Straight girls! And it’s all about the fucking Drag Race! So it’s kind of amazing, all the girls I didn’t get in high school, I have now. My father would be so proud!
Kate: Drag Race is massive with the women I know! This is embarrassing but my hen party had a drag queen theme. We dressed up but I couldn’t get the eyebrows right. But yes Drag Race is huge with women.
Bianca: (very high pitched) They love it! And we love them! They make a great audience, when you see a group of girls in the audience you know they went and bought an outfit, you know they went and got their hair done and they are ready to have a good time. No doubt about it. And usually the typical gay audience I know sit there with their arms folded being all ‘let’s see if this bitch is gonna be funny’, well they’re the worst. But those girls are ready for a good time. I do love a girl audience. And they don’t just stumble in, they know when you’re coming. They find us honey, they find us! They find us at the airport, they find us at the hotel, they get us!
Kate: What do they say when they meet you at airports and hotels? I fear my friends would proposition you for little drag babies.
Bianca: Not yet! Not me, maybe Adore Delano ‘cos she’s so young but I think I’m too old to create babies and let’s face it any baby of mine would be all nose and teeth.
Kate: You have good teeth, I’ve noticed. [I don’t know what possessed me to say that, other than she really does]
Bianca: Well thank-you! I made a joke about British teeth the other night in London and they loved it so it’s all good.
Kate: Let’s end this interview on some love, who are your favourite funny women?
Bianca: Oh goodness, so many! I mean obviously Joan Rivers is a huge influence and someone I loved dearly. Wanda Sykes makes me piss myself that’s another one, she has a house in Fire Island in the States where I’ve performed many times – not at her house obviously – at Fire Island and she took a night off to come and see me! I told her you didn’t have to do this and she said ‘well you make me laugh!’ and I thought if you’re making Wanda Sykes laugh that’s fucking amazing! Ellen is a genius, though she never curses so I can’t relate to it. Lisa Lampenelli is a riot – very very funny and hateful as well. There’s tonnes of others, those are probably the ones who are most influential. Oh and Margaret Cho! She’s insanely funny, and just when you think you’ll die from laughing she says something very serious and you’re like wow – damn I can’t do that!
Kate: Those are great choices. Thank you so much for talking to me!
Bianca: Thank you I had a great time talking to you and I hope to see you next time I’m there!
Bianca Del Rio will next be in the UK on her Rolodex of Hate tour in January. For more information and tickets click here!
