RuPaul became a drag queen ‘by accident. I was doing punk’

When you look at RuPaul, you never would have thought he was made to be anything else but the world’s most famous drag queen. However, as a recently unearthed clip reveals, he came into the career that made him an icon by accident.

Oprah Winfrey recently shared a few clips from Ru’s 1995 appearance on her talk show on her OWN YouTube channel. By that time, Ru had already released his first album, Supermodel of the World, served as a spokesperson for MAC cosmetics, written his autobiography, and had cameos in Spike Lee’s Crooklyn, The Brady Bunch Movie and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar. (Sorry if I made anyone feel old right there.)

When asked how he got into the business, Ru confessed, “I always wanted to be a star ever since I was a little drag queen growing up in Georgia.” He started out rocking a very punk aesthetic, even briefly fronting a punk band. But we’re not watching RuPaul’s Punk Rock Band Race, now are we? Ru was due for an image change. And, almost as a gag, he made a choice that changed his career. As he recalled to Oprah, “The drag thing, so, it really happened by accident. I was doing punk and I’d had a mohawk and I’d play with makeup and stuff. Then, some people on a lark said, ‘Why don’t you do drag and see what it looks like?’” He did, and definitely made the right call.

The change was not only beneficial professionally, but personally. Ru went on to say, “It’s a lot of fun. I think everybody ought to get in some type of drag… It brings out different aspects of your personality. And I think when you’re on this planet, in this lifetime, it’s important to try different things. Life is a banquet and most people are starving to death.” He quoted Auntie Mame. This is why I love him.

In another clip, Ru was asked for advice for kids struggling to be accepted and he had the perfect answer, one which still holds true today. “I say, ‘Listen. Find out what it is you have that makes you unique and special, and cultivate that. And bring that out and then bring that to the party.'” And, when asked for his personal formula for success, Ru said, “I think success is something between you and yourself. Only you know where you’ve come from and how far you want to go.”

I have never made it a secret how much I love RuPaul, and how much I adore him. He’s been an advocate and a powerful supporter for the LBGTQ community since he first came on the scene. These clips made me love him even more, which I never thought would be possible.

As for Drag Race, I want to take a moment to congratulate the season 9 winner, who, for the courtesy of those of you who may not have seen the finale yet (or have been living under a rock), I will not post the name of. I’ll reveal the winner in this clip where she finds out she won (they pre-tape the finale, filming all 4 final queens “winning” the title to avoid spoilers, so she didn’t know she won until the finale aired Friday night.) She wasn’t my first choice, but I think she might be the Drag Queen We Need Right Now. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, she seems to share her mentor’s sentiments about the power of drag, stating,

I believe drag is a form of activism. It centers queer people and queer ways of being beautiful, especially in a political context where beauty is narrowly defined or what’s considered important or valuable is narrowly defined, and drag always offers a different option. I took for granted how much drag is still about play, and how playing and being light about your identity and yourself is actually a form of resistance, too.

[From Entertainment Weekly]

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Photos:Getty Images

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17 Responses to “RuPaul became a drag queen ‘by accident. I was doing punk’”

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  1. Char says:

    “To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newman” was my first contact to the drag world, as I was a child and never heard about it. I just loved so much, it’s a great movie and RuPaul is sooooo great, I’ve been a fan ever since.

    • iGotNothin says:

      Me too! I remember thinking that Patrick Swayze was gorgeous, and did not want to believe that John Leguizamo (sp?) wasn’t really a woman.

      • tmot says:

        OMG, John was SO HOTT in that movie!!!

        And I just adore RuPaul. It practically goes without saying.

  2. Talie says:

    He’s such a wise man…I’m so grateful someone like him is out there in these times and is just now hitting his greatest peak.

  3. Scal says:

    I thought the season was lackluster-but that finale was EVERYTHING. I loved the lip sync finale instead of the reunion style. And the moment where one queen takes off her wig during ‘so emotional’? I literally screamed in my living room.

    • spugzbunny says:

      EVERYTHING! I had a viewing party and we just about shook the house down! That lip sync was iconic! It’s the best I’ve ever seen!

  4. Erica says:

    I feel in love with RuPaul when i stumbled upon his Supermodel video playing on Mtv .I love the movie To Wong Foo too especially miss chi chi.

  5. halleygee says:

    I’m from Atlanta and was in high school when I first saw Ru in a production of the Rocky Horror Picture Show during the punk phase. He had a huge Mohawk and he is already very tall, he was larger than life; he had such a presence even then.

  6. ElleBee says:

    That winner wasn’t my first choice either, I felt like there were others that had a better overall season. Congrats none the less.

    I <3 Rupaul

  7. Patricia says:

    RuPaul means so much to me. Even as a cisgender straight white women, I need to know that I have many selves and that it’s good and wonderful to express who I am, to let my identity be fluid, to be proud of what is inside of me. RuPaul truly is a light and a guiding force in that realm. And he is such a guiding light for the LGBTQ community, which is dear to my heart as I have many friends and loved ones there and consider myself an ally.

    Plus just the joy of entertainment shines through him all the time!

  8. Cupcake says:

    This is one of only two times in Drag Race history where I thought the wrong choice was made for the winner. The other time being when Tyra Sanchez was chosen over Raven. Raven was robbed. There were at least 2 other queens more deserving the crown than the winner of season 9.

    • Patricia says:

      Who were you rooting for?
      SPOILER

      I was really rooting for Peppermint. Love her stage presence, humor, confidence. I found Sasha interesting but too serious for me.

      And I’m one who also loves Tyra Sanchez. I know I’m in the minority lol. But she slayed the whole time. I can see that she clearly had some interpersonal issues she was working through but I think she showed growth on the show. She’s always going to be on the salty side, that’s who she is. I think her journey as a father weighed heavily on her too, and she was learning to navigate being a father and being a queen. Anyway sorry just babbling about Tyra lol. But if Raven would have won I would have seen that as well deserved, too.

      • eto says:

        Agreed on Tyra!

        I recently rewatched her season and she killed it. Never in the bottom 2 and the part in the last lip sync where she went right up to the judge’s table? I LIVED. her current attitude is regrettable, but at the time, I think she deserved the win.

        SPOILER
        I was rooting for Shea but I was absolutely floored by Sash’s lip sync against her. Legendary!

    • Lexilla says:

      This year’s winner was my favorite but I was honestly surprised she won. Then again, most seasons I’m torn about who should win. There are so few Raja’s out there!

  9. slowsnow says:

    “Life is a banquet and many people are starving to death”.
    W.O.W. Rupaul is the best.

  10. goodjuju says:

    RuPaul is, by far, one of the best humans to have ever human-ed.

  11. Lexilla says:

    RuPaul for President, Tim Gunn as running mate. Talk about wise, warm and honest men.