Whether dripping in Mugler or in a barely there garment on stage, Detox continues to be one of the most in demand queens in the industry today.
While she has left a return to “RuPaul’s Drag Race” in the past (for now), Detox continues to travel the globe and telling the stories we all should be hearing. I sat down for a chat with Detox (our first since All Stars 2) and we dished on life as a drag superstar, why speaking about the legends is so important, and why she is always going to be a “futuristic sex bot woman!”
Detox, it's been a minute and we have not gotten to speak since “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 2” press time! Your number based on the classic film Mannequin remains a fan favorite; how many times do you think you may do it during larger events?
I probably only do it once, especially during the bigger shows.
You and your sister Heather could most definitely have your own reality show. Since seeing her first appear on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” during a makeover challenge, we have got to watch your relationship evolve and grow.
We’re like conjoined twins, we share the same brain. We’re uncomfortably close for some people, but we're soulmates. I'm so lucky I get to experience so many things with her.
There must be something in that Orlando water because performers like Ginger Minj & Roxxxy Andrews, those are the type of dynamic talents coming out of the Orlando area. What do you think it is about Orlando that puts out just such drag excellence?
I think it’s just a melting pot of all kinds different performers. You have the Disney performers which I kind of equate to Broadway performers, the New York kind of kids because it's very theatrical and musical theater driven. Then you have your your trans goddess performers that are all multinational title holders. You have your comedy queens, you've got your club kids. When I first started doing drag, I was more of a club kid. That's how Roxxxy and I are so close, because we started doing drag around the same time in different circles and we’ve just maintained our friendship and obviously throughout the years have gotten even closer with our shared experiences. There are just so many influences there.
It's our duty, I think, to keep their legacies alive also. To talk about them and reference them and share their stories and let people know about them because we wouldn't be where we were, if it wouldn't for all of the hard work that they've done to make it viable first us to have a career like this.
Speaking of legends, it has been said for years there should be a “Drag Race” season with Sherry Vine, Joey Arias, Varla Jean Merman and all of those queens that truly helped lay the groundwork for a generation.
It would be brilliant! All the casts have said it, I actually just emailed one of the producers the other day because I went to Jim Flint’s birthday, who owns Miss Continental.
It would be so incredible to bring onto the show to make over the girls, who are the icons that drag who are like, well known, established queens who have been in the game for so long and are established. We’re losing so many legends and it would be a great opportunity to share their stories, to legitimize the fact that drag is not this new phenomenon that it's been happening all over the world for a long time. To shed light on them, give them a spotlight and let them share their stories. I think it would be such a beautiful episode.
It is refreshing though, because so many people work to get onto “Drag Race” as their end goal in the industry today. You were on an early season, did an “All Stars” season that is looked at as one of the best seasons ever, enjoyed your experiences, and moved on.
I enjoyed my experience which obviously has changed my life; I really loved it. There's a times where I'm like watching my friends on the show and I'm like, “That does look like fun, I do miss that experience, maybe I would do it again.” Then you open yourself up to all of the negativity that's out there in this community and there's also a lot of stress. It’s different now though. I know that they give you a stipend and you get paid more and, you know, it's obviously it's even more exposure. I'm also at a point where I work a lot and I haven't stopped working. I was working hardcore on the road before I even filmed the show since my my group DWV. I’ve been very fortunate and very blessed and I don't necessarily need it.
I’m going to finish with this because as you, I am a huge Thierry Mugler fan. What is one piece that you would absolutely love to add to your collection?
The penultimate would be the fembotrom suit. That is what made me fall in love with him in the early ‘90s. That has been a constant thread in my aesthetic, my adoration of him, my love of aliens and futuristic space-sex-bot women! That would be the dream.
Follow Detox on Instagram @theonlydetox
