As the new season of the hit TV show kicks off, the stylish judge reflects on her friendship with RuPaul and the uniqueness of Australian drag.
When the gay community was wholly outside the mainstream, drag shows were its off-off-Broadway, a kind of razzle-dazzle that turned the back corner of a neighbourhood gay bar into a smudged reflection of the New York stage. They were complete with showgirls, sequins and 11 o’clock numbers, those show-stopping songs that close out big-ticket musicals.judge Michelle Visage first saw drag when she was 17.
The complicated cultural side note – how drag interacts with trans culture, whether it is offensive, whether there is a trans perspective on drag – is a thorny issue for some. Visage, as a cisgender woman, is perhaps unqualified to comment. When I tackle the subject with her, she readily admits she “can’t speak on behalf of trans people”.
If the show’s producer and host RuPaul is the deity at the centre of the cult of worship that surrounds theformat, then Visage, the New Jersey-born singer, actress, dancer and former showgirl, is its breakout star.Michelle Visage– you could also wonder what they’re putting in the tap water.
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