This is Chris Draghi and on this edition of SNAPSHOTS, I am joined today by the outrageously hilarious and always glamorous Winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6, she is on the road performing her “Dead Inside” Comedy Tour and she will be hitting DAR Constitution Hall in Washington DC February 24th, it’s Bianca Del Rio!!!
Bianca Del Rio: Hello, Chris! Thank you for having me, how are you?
I’m good, thank you for taking the time to speak with us! You know, it’s actually our 15th year here at The Rogers Revue and similar to you and the cast of Drag Race, Congratulations on the 15th Anniversary of the show!
BDR: Isn’t it crazy! You know, I feel in many ways like, so connected to the show, yet so far removed. Like my season, people remind me of it, was 10 years ago! So much has happened in those past 10 years yet in many ways it feels like yesterday! Yes, what an amazing show what an amazing showcase and platform for drag performers so I’m beyond grateful that all of that happened for me 10 years ago, it has been a wild ride, Chris. AND I like that your last name is Draghi, I like Draghi, yes mama.
You know, I always said that if I were a drag queen, I would have to do something with that because it was God given to me, you know?
BDR: Yes! Christina Draghi. Yes.
So, are you watching this season or are you waiting until you’re back on the Pit Stop?
BDR: You know what? I haven’t started the season yet. I’ve been behind because I also don’t like to watch it in time like everyone else because I get annoyed, I want to see all of it in the moment. I’ve been preparing for the tour recently so I figured once I’m out on the road and fully settled, then I can catch up on all the episodes, which is when I actually like it most when can get two or three in there, because you get a better feel of what it is, you know? You get a better feeling of who you hate and who you love, whereas episode by episode it changes so quickly, so once I get the show up and rolling then I have the opportunity to catch up on all the madness.
Right, and then you’re on Twitter getting everyone’s opinions – and you know everyone has their opinions…
BDR: Oh, of course! It’s crazy how that’s become apart of our lives and I think that’s why, you know I obviously started a drag career in 1996, which had nothing to do with Twitter or people’s opinions on that level, so that’s one of the reasons why Twitter doesn’t affect me, but I can only imagine if I was a 20-year-old drag queen and on television for the first time and feeling bombarded by everyone’s opinions and views because we’re so influenced by that now. It doesn’t bother me because I know that people who get upset or get offended are gonna die, so… it doesn’t upset me, it doesn’t upset me.
Well look, I want to dive into the main reason we’re here today, your “Dead Inside” tour – and to start, where did the name of this tour come from? What does it have to do with the show?
BDR: Well, when we plot and plan these shows, it’s months in advance, so I usually look for the vaguest titles possible because it gives you freedom to discuss whatever it is you want to discuss, and because, I would say 70-80% of my show is scripted and the rest of it will happen in the moment with the audience as far as crowdwork – or dealing with people live and in the moment. I like to keep the title vague because it gives me an opportunity to explore what happens, I mean, look what happens in a news cycle within the first month, things change so quickly.
I didn’t want to get stuck talking just about myself or talking about my view on a scripted piece of information. So, for me I like to leave it open and “Dead Inside” is mainly about me being an elderly drag queen and what I have to suffer to function in this world and my view on the world as it is, which then leads me to all the madness that is happening. So, that was the ticket and also as a glamorous corpse, I would say my face appears, that “Dead Inside” just seemed the most fitting, you know?
I love that, doing that gives you a lot of room to play with things, so I’m curious then what fans can expect from the show? How does it differ from past tours? I know this is your sixth tour since you came off your win on Drag Race.
BDR: My sixth! You know, I always say, expect the unexpected because I never know what’s gonna happen – each night the show is different, as I said, I’m dealing with scripted material and sometimes you come off the path and so it goes here and you realize, oh shit, I didn’t talk about half the things that I wanted to discuss that’s scripted over there. So I like to keep it lose – don’t make a joke – I like to keep it loose so that I can play with the audience each night and then reassemble it, it’s like little blocks that I have.
Sometimes, it’s been on occasion, where something newsworthy will happen five minutes before I go on stage, and that becomes a rant that lasts 15-20 minutes. So it really is seen through the eyes of what’s happening in the world – things shift dramatically. But, I must say, it’s not for the faint-hearted… if you’re sensitive this is probably not the show for you. We’re there to laugh at me and yourselves.
Well, that’s what you have to be able to do and from a queen who’s notorious for her reads – for those who might not get it – what would you say is the art to simply just not giving a f***?
BDR: Being old! Have you noticed every old person you know does not give a f*** – I’m so glad you said f*** – listen old people are the realest f***ing deal, they’ve got a date with Jesus already set to go, and they are ready to say f*** it, this is how I feel, this is what I’m about, and I respect that because you lived the life – you probably kept your mouth shut for many of those years because people said “it’s not right, it’s wrong,” say whatever the f*** you want. We’re all gonna die! That’s it! We’re all gonna die. And if there’s anything I hate most, is someone who preaches, as we know – from Republicans to Christians – who preach that this is the world and this is how we’re supposed to live, and they’re the biggest hypocrites – they are! They can’t even follow the rules. So my thing is, what I hate worse than a liar is a two-faced b**. Just own it. Be real! I say be real as I sit here in a wig, but you know what I mean!
And you’ve done all of these solo shows around the world – would you ever be interested in putting together a show with someone else, or is Bianca always going to be a one-woman act?
BDR: I like the artistic freedom of working and traveling alone… I’m not opposed to working with other people if it’s the right fit, you know?
This is just the performing that I enjoy. It’s just that the right projects haven’t come along, so to speak, or the thing that battles you all the time – timing! If it works out in the schedule. You know, this show that I’m starting now, I’ll be on the road through 2025, so if there’s something that fits in the pockets of time – sign me the f*** up. I’ll do anything. I’ll do anything.
I love that. I love that enthusiasm. And I have to also say, you know, I loved your performance in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, the musical.
BDR: Oh, yes. I had the best time getting to do that. Well, you know, here was this amazing show that was happening in London. And Michelle Visage from Drag Race, who we all love, was actually performing in the show in London. And I happened to be in London and I was able to go see her in it, said hello, blah, blah, blah, and left. And then a couple of months later, I got a call from the producers of the show saying, hey, we’d like you to be a part of our show. And I thought, “oh, as the Michelle Visage character?” I’m like, oh, as the b****y, nasty, hateful school teacher who doesn’t think that this drag queen has a future in drag? Like, oh, I don’t know if I’m right for that. And they said, no, no, no, the other part. And I was like, what other part? And they said, the elderly drag queen.
And so that’s where, Chris, I had to face the facts that, you know what? This might be it. This is the ticket. So they said, we’d like for you to do it. And I hadn’t done musical theater in quite a few years, mainly because my my drag world had kind of blown up in the other direction. And I thought, all right, well, let’s talk dates and let’s figure it out. And what key is this song in? Like, what, what, what, what? And they broke it all down. And I was a little hesitant because I thought, do I really want to commit to this and to that schedule? And, you know, I have much respect for Broadway and West End performers and knowing that the stamina it requires and the challenges it requires. If they were willing to work with me with the window of opportunity that I had and they said, listen, we really want you to do it and we won’t take no for an answer. So I couldn’t say no.
So I was able to do it. I did it once, had a great experience for the first, I think I did it for like eight weeks originally. And then I went back and did three months. And then obviously I did it in Los Angeles when it came here to America. So, you know, I leave that door open. It’s a wonderful show about acceptance and celebrating drag. And, you know, sometimes other countries do things a little better than we do. And this was one of those stories where it’s not too preachy. I felt it was a great – I don’t want to say story – but a great celebration of drag and accepting someone. The door is always open to go back and do it any time that I can.
Are there any other roles on the horizon and, if not, what would your next dream role be?
BDR: Nothing is currently on the horizon, but obviously I’m well-suited for Romeo & Juliet (as a one person show), Doubt (for religious reasons), and the musical version of Downton Abbey where I play the tap dancing Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham.
What’s next for Bianca after finishing up her world tour in 2025?
BDR: PORN!
See Bianca Del Rio for the Dead Inside Comedy Tour coming to DAR Constitution Hall this Saturday February 24th. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster. To see if Bianca is coming to your town go to https://www.thebiancadelrio.com/dead-inside-tour
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