TWO CALIFORNIA QUEENS SASHAY THEIR WAY INTO ‘RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE: SEASON 4′
~ by jared cox
The wait is over! The sensation that is RuPaul is back and better than ever! RuPaul’s Drag Race marks its fourth season with an all-new fierce cast of 13. RuPaul says that they’ve challenged themselves to make this season more outrageous than ever and happily reports that such attempts were a success. Viewers are about to experience the race of our lives when the new season begins at the end of this month!
This year, the show has expanded by adding an additional two episodes, raising the Drag Race experience to 18 weeks. The cast is diverse and clever as ever, with contestants coming from as far away as Puerto Rico. Lucky for us, SoCal is represented well, as two contestants – Chad Michaels and Willam—sashay their way onto the runway in RuPaul’s Drag Race: Season 4!
The Rage Monthly sat down with both local contestants to get the scoop on all that is RPDR4!
CHAD MICHAELS OF SAN DIEGO:
Chad’s career, as one of the world’s premier Cher impersonators, now spans nearly two decades. Chad has been given the opportunity to collaborate with, and entertain for, industry favorites such as, David Foster, Bruce Roberts, Elton John, Christina Aguilera, Cyndi Lauper and even the legend, Cher, herself.
Currently Chad produces and performs throughout Southern California with the longest running female impersonation show in the Golden State—The Dreamgirls Revue.
Congratulations, or should I say “condragulations” on being selected for the upcoming season of Drag Race! Tell us a little about what you did before drag.
Thanks so much. I’m so thrilled about being a part of RPDR4! It seems there was no “before drag” for me. I’ve been theatrical and entertaining my whole life! I started performing as a female impersonator when I was 22 years old so drag and the craft have been a constant part of my life whether I was bartending or hocking make-up for Mac Cosmetics.
What has your impression of previous seasons of Drag Race been?
The previous three seasons of Drag Race have laid the foundation for what is going to be the monumental RuPaul’s Drag Race: Season 4. Season 1 was trailblazing and started the fire and passion for the competition. Season 2 really got rolling and set the standard for the formula of the competition. Season 3 continued to captivate, but also started to show more character development in the competitors. Season 4 is going to take on a whole new dimension with insane challenges, compelling queens and a big dose of heart!
Tell us about one of your most embarrassing moments as a performer.
Embarrassing moments are character-building moments for me. There have been many including falling and slipping on stage, recently losing a wig on stage, and sticking my foot in my mouth on the microphone. At 40 years old, you can believe that I am a bulletproof bitch and not much embarrasses me so bring on the humiliation!!
Where do you see your career going post Drag Race?
I have no expectations about where Drag Race will take my career. I am grateful for being cast and having the opportunity to show the world what I can do. Where my career goes from here is really limitless. My mind and options are open and I am looking forward to a fun ride!
What inspired you to begin drag in the first place?
My inspiration for doing drag was seeing my Drag Mother Hunter performing at the first drag show I ever attended. He impersonated Liza Minnelli and Annie Lennox that night and I was captivated and truly inspired to start performing andlearning the craft myself.
Where do you find inspiration for your character? Who are some of your idols that you look up to when working on your performances?
I find inspiration in strong female role models who are great or remarkable in some way. I guess it comes from being raised by a remarkable mother. I love what women can do with their beauty, charm, intellect, and allure. I’ve loved and drawn inspiration from women like Rosalind Russell, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Cher, most recently Florence Welch, and the list goes on and on. Be they heroine or villain, the female spirit is always celebrated in my work on stage.
In your own community back home, what are some things you’ve done or participated in to give back?
Like most Queens, I’ve been involved in countless fund-raisers and charity events in my career. For me, giving back is doing whatever I can do. Schedule permitting, I’m always open to help out. I like to think that I help out everyday by making people forget about the stress and problems in their lives when they attend my shows. Drag makes people happy and at the end of the day, that’s why I do it.
Tell us one or two words that your friends would use to describe you.
Psychotic yet grounded. That would be Bipolar I believe.
How has your family responded to your drag life?
My entire family has always embraced my career as a female impersonator and they are all on “Team Michaels” for RPDR4! You should be too!
Our readers love a good scandal, what’s one of the most dramatic events that you’ve been involved with as a queen and what was the outcome?
Sorry readers, no drama here! I pride myself on a clean track record. Try Phi Phi O’Hara!
How do you think being on TV will change or affect you as a person and as a performer?
Being on TV and RPDR4 is going to turn me into a fuming and demanding diva with a grand sense on entitlement. Oh wait, all that already happened. So I will therefore remain the same unaffected person I have always been.
Thank you for your time and working with us on this project. Best of luck to you in the upcoming season! Is there anything you would like to add or say to our readers?
I just want to thank everyone for all the support, love, and well wishes they have already extended to me. I think everyone is going to absolutely love this season of RPDR4 and I can’t wait for the drama to unfold. I hope to do San Diego and everyone proud in the competition and I just want everyone to know, I did not come to play, it’s on!
WILLAM OF LOS ANGELES:
Willam, not to be confused with William, is another one of our Cali-queens who will be appearing on season 4 of Drag Race . Willam is quite the character, who sums up his experience and personality as follows, “Short story – couldn’t get work in N.Y.C., moved to L.A., duct taped my nuts into a dress, got nip/tuck’ed, opened a business booking strippers in L.A. Hobbies include telling assholes they’re assholes and commenting on dumb sh*t… and let’s just sound it out, “Will-uhm Bell-Eye.”
Hey Willam, thanks for your time, prior to all the glitz and glam, where were you hanging your lady parts?
I’ve been a union actor (usually in drag) since I was 16 but I got fired from my first job in Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding (an interactive dinner theater) for telling a large woman that back fat and halter tops didn’t go together. I was “in character” but they still took offense. She could’ve at least tanned—tan fat’s better than pale fat.
Looking back at previous seasons of Drag Race, what are your thoughts on the girls from before?
Well I didn’t watch Season 1 because I was Logo-less and I was filming overseas when Season 2 aired. I loved Season 3 but already knew that Raja won due to a gossip site so it kinda ruined it for me. After filming, I watched a lot of Season 1 and 2, and I’m glad I didn’t view it beforehand.
Tell us about one of your most embarrassing moments as a performer.
Sean William Scott told millions of people in an interview that I was “over eager” and “handsy” after working with him on American Wedding. As soon as I heard it, I shut off the TV thinking, “If I shut it off real quick, no one else will hear it.” Being told to put on some panties when I did my first episode of Nip/Tuck wasn’t exactly a high point either.
Where do you think your experience with Drag Race will lead you?
I’d like to continue doing what I do with my acting and my band TranzKuntinental, but I’d also like to get into more personality-typesof jobs.
What inspired you to begin drag in the first place?
A combination of Fraggle Rock, RuPaul and the car-stealing queens in Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead. I like loud, shiny things that get away with sh*t.
Where do you find inspiration for your character? Who are some of your idols that you look up to when working on your performances?
I’m not a character, I’m the same in and out of drag. I don’t have a drag name partly because of that reason. All the really good queens have kept their male names, i.e., RuPaul, Charles Busch, Kevin Aviance, and Joey Arias. Jem & The Holograms inspire a lot of my look but NOT Jem/Jerrica. I always wanted to be Pizzazz from the Misfits. Jem was a weak-ass bitch who needed to be checked. Also, Rio her boyfriend was definitely a pantysniffer.
In your own community back home, what are some things you’ve done or participated in to give back?
I’ve been a regular volunteer at the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center for the past five years. I only do it because I want to offset the healthy dose of c*nt that I dole out regularly. I wish volunteerism were as mandatory in the gay community as Diesel jeans.
Tell us one or two words that your friends would use to describe you?
Witty and ratchety.
How has your family responded to your drag life?
They’re cool. My dad took me out in drag for the first time at 13 when my boyfriend and I needed a ride.
Our readers love a good scandal, what’s one of the most dramatic events that you’ve been involved with as a queen and what was the outcome?
GLAAD protested the film Ticked-Off Trannies With Knives after caving to pressure from a few fugly transsexuals over the word Tranny and its content, even though it starred three trans-women, another queen and me. The man who made the decision to rescind support for our film was later ousted as president of GLAAD for underhanded dealings with funds. Freedom of speech is a bitch, ain’t it? TRANNY, FAGGOT, DYKE!
How do you think being on TV will change or affect you as a person and as a performer?
I’ve been on television for years. I think only an act of God could change me at this point. I’m just hoping more people say my name right now. It’s not William. It’s Willam, as in “Will…umm…would you close your legs please?”
Join RuPaul, the most famous drag queen in the world, as the host, mentor and inspiration on Logo’s fourth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, the ultimate drag queen competition. Playing a dual role, RuPaul the queen reigns supreme in all judging and eliminations—while RuPaul the man, helps guide the contestants as they prepare for each challenge.
Catch all the action as it begins, with the season premiere on Monday, January 30 at 9 p.m. For more information and cast videos, visit logotv.com
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