Bob the Drag Queen, along with Rupaul’s Drag Race stars Milk, Kim Chi, Trixie Mattel, Chi Chi Devayne, Pearl, Roxxxy Andrews, and Acid Betty will be taking over TPAC’s James K. Polk Theater for a Christmas Drag-stravaganza sure to make even the Grinchiest Bah-Humbugger gag with glee.
In preparation for the show, Bob the Drag Queen talked with Out & About Nashville about the show.
When asked about her inspiration for drag, it was an easy answer. “Bebe Zahara Benet. She really inspired me. She seemed like such a reflection of me, which really inspired me.”
Bebe was on the first season of Rupaul’s Drag Race. Her drag is very outgoing and campy. It’s easy to see the inspiration. They share a lot of similarities, although Bob is much funnier.
For those who watched the season Bob was a part of, the audience was privy to one of the more memorable feuds in drag race her-story. Derrick Barry, the iconic Britney Spears impersonator, was a contestant on this season. Things stayed nasty all season with catty remarks and quick-witted repartee.
One of Bob the Drag Queen’s most memorable lines was “Is Beyonce scared of Britney? Then Bob ain’t scared of Derrick.” Barry was a very heavy hitter, with a Vegas gig already under her belt, but he couldn’t stop the moving force that was Bob the Drag Queen. The fighting was some of the most delicious we’ve ever seen on the show.
Things must have cooled down quite a bit though. In our interview, she tells me this about their current friendship: “Derrick is a good friend of mine. I love Derrick, a lot actually. We don’t get to work together a lot, unfortunately. But I think Derrick is a really great performer.”
Bob the Drag Queen has gone on to be a successful music video performer. The most popular (written with friend of O&AN James Wilson of The Paisley Fields) is a wildly catchy electro-pop dance number that is just a ball of fun. It features Toddrick Hall and several other familiar faces, including Tennessee native Kip Patterson (drag queen Luxury).
“The idea for the video was me brainstorming with the director. It was also born out of necessity. Seeing what we had and what we could do with it. I mean it was so awesome. We even used my real life personal assistant. And it was funny. All of my power came from that purse.”
On the show, we learned that Bob is very politically active. Bob’s social activism landed her in jail at one point as well. Her and a handful of other drag queens were protesting for gay marriage in New York City. They held up traffic and unfurled a large banner and held up the traffic. They had tipped off local press, so police were there ready with zip ties. Though the jail time wasn’t that long, it stirred something that keeps the activist fires burning. Our interview was conducted the Thursday before, and Bob being an avid gay rights activist, had some thoughts.
“I wish I could say that it has surprised me, but it hasn’t. It’s pretty much where the world is. It’s not shocking that Trump has risen to popularity. It’s not shocking that this election has been a complete circus and quite embarrassing on the world stage. What I did find shocking is the number of undecided voters. There have been more undecided voters this year than ever before in the history of voting.”
However, Bob is coming to Nashville to spread holiday cheer. Being on tour around the holidays can be taxing, but Bob seems to be rolling with the punches. “Starting touring, or well, to be honest, I’ve never been off tour really. The show really has opened me up to a whole world of people who would have never known I existed in a million years. I have family in Nashville. People forget that I’m really a Southerner. I grew up just down the road in Columbus Georgia.”
On who she’s most excited to perform with on the tour coming through Nashville, she said, “Acid Betty is one of my all-time favorite drag racers. She’s one of the most amazing, underrated queens out there. So disgustingly talented in so many more ways than she’ll ever tell you because she’s one of the most humble people I’ve ever met.”
The show is set for December 16 at 8 PM. You do not want to miss this. You can purchase tickets at tpac.org or by calling the box office at 615-782-4000.