The ideas for Drag Race came from my experience in the business. All the challenges came from everything I’ve done, which is radio, producing myself, marketing myself, dissecting what it is that could take me from below 14th Street to mainstream Betty-and-Joe Beercan. And we also wanted to celebrate drag as an art form, which during the post-9/11 era had really gone back underground.
When a culture is engulfed in this hostile fear, gender identity issues really have to go underground because people don’t have time for it and it fuels their fear. But everything is cyclical and I could sense that it was time again.
Also, with my own legacy, to bring these young kids through me to build a platform for them to become stars. Because, truth, I was the only bitch in the game for 20 years at this level. So now, my girls rule the world! Apparently all the girls round the country hate my girls because the only way to get a booking is if you’re alumni from RuPaul’s Drag Race!”
—A modest RuPaul explains the origins of her hit reality series, in Spin magazine.
CleJoke
True no one shows up for the local queens anymore. RU’s girls have stepped up the game. Local girls need to incorporate fire and live animals in their act to get noticed. LOL
Vince Smetana
I wish Ru’s girls could do impressions on Snatch Game. Not just one or two of them. Oh well.
redcarpet
OOOOH girl channeling Ms. Tyra.
Fitz
I believe that is true, but I think that there is more– for a while Rue barely showed up anywhere, and honestly looked SO poorly. (like, VERY poorly), and I think since gotten healthier and a pounds of filler. SO the return of Rue might also be about a return to health. I’m not trying to be mean, I am glad sh is hear and I enjoy the show.
ScaryRussianHeather
Uh, there is nothing modest about the Spin interview. And he contradicts himself, vaguely conflating 9-11 WHY?.
QUOTE:
“Our culture had to ease up on the hostility on the gender issues,” says Ru. “Obviously, I made it through the ’90s at first, when Clinton got into office. But towards the late ’90s, there was a feeling of hostility, especially after ’98. I went on Hollywood Squares in 1999 and I could tell that the audience, even some of the stars on the panel, there was a certain animosity towards me and what I was doing.
At that point, I was so exhausted from not just explaining myself, but trying to explain drag and reminding people I am an entertainer, I am not a fucking ambassador to keep reminding you what the difference between a transvestite and a transsexual is…Barbara Walters would interview me, and she knows the answer, but she’d always ask because she thinks she’s doing a service to the people at home who don’t know.
Well, fuck those people at home who don’t know! There’s nothing you can do that will bring them up to speed, so stop kowtowing to them. Actually, it’s their choice, really. We want to make programs for smart people. Don’t lower yourself for fuckin’ idiots.”
He simply became BORING to most people after Supermodel,he was never ALL THAT MAINSTREAM anyway, had nothing fresh to offer. Then NY got bombed. Ok fine, blame that. eyeroll.
DarkZephyr
@ScaryRussianHeather: Don’t pretend you don’t watch the show, girl!