RuPaul's Fiercest Queens Speak Out Before the Crowning of 'RuPaul's Drag Race Season 4' Winner

Television
by Nigel M. Smith
May 1, 2012 4:42 PM
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Chad Michaels, Sharon Needles and Phi Phi Nigel M Smith
Season four of "RuPaul's Drag Race," arguably the most creative reality show out there (and no doubt the most fabulous) concluded last night with RuPaul crowning Sharon Needles as America's Next Drag Superstar during the reunion special, taped in front of a live audience last Thursday in Los Angeles.

Now as fans of the show are no doubt well aware, each of the three final queens (Sharon Needles, Chad Michaels and season baddie Phi Phi O'Hara) taped a different ending for the episode, with each of them walking the last runway as the season's winner, to avoid potential spoilers via the blogosphere. Last night's win was therefore a surprise for Sharon and the contestants who all (except for pint-sized queen Kenya Michaels) attended a live airing of the reunion at New York's new XL club.

Before the show got underway on Logo, I sat down with the Sharon, Chad, Phi Phi and fan favorite Latrice Royale (who went on to win the fan voted Miss Congeniality award) at XL, to talk about their time spent on the show.


Sharon Needles Logo

Sharon Needles

You're one of the few queens I keep track of via YouTube. My favorite's of you hitting up Olive Garden with your pals on your birthday, in full drag no less.

We pick a different one every year. That one was outside of Pittsburgh. We do it every year because it's the most embarrassing place on the planet. Who doesn't love an Olive Garden?

Their bread sticks are the best.

I know! And when they say, "When you're here, you're family," we always look at the name tag of the waitress and say, "Hey Lolly, if you're family can you pick up the bill tonight? Cause if you're family, you're paying." [Laughs]

Throughout the season you kept expressing surprise at how far you had come in the competition. Are you owning the spotlight more now?

Well, yeah. It's so humbling to become famous that you don't want it go to head. But there are other times where you know that you deserve this attention, and you just have to soak it up. I go real back and forth with my opinion on fame. When I wasn't famous I loved to view fame, and now I'm famous I can't remember why I wanted it. Now it's so odd to me. It wasn't what I thought it was. It's a lot of hard work!

It also gives you this platform. What do you want to do with it?

I'm just happy to work. I don't want to get Gaga-fied. I don't want to have to make a product that's so deliberate about the message, because there never was a deliberate message with me. I just wanted to be a punk rock brat who made a mess and made people laugh, reminding us of how ridiculous and fun nightlife is. I never wanted to be a role model, and now I'm kind of in the position where young kids look up to me. They see something in me that I do not see in myself. It's a hard work, it's a responsibility, but it's a pleasure to do it.

"I went in this show to be a nightmare, and I just ended up being everyone' s teddy bear." -- Sharon Needles
But I never want to tell kids what to do. I don't want to tell them, "It gets better." I don't want to do that. Art should speak for itself.

Let's take that Gaga thing a bit further. A lot of the judges compared you to her, or lined up your drag alongside her brand...

I love commercial art. I'm a huge fan of Lady Gaga. I didn't want that responsibility. It's really hard to have kids come up to me crying, because it makes me cry. I don't feel like I'm strong enough to guide them through what they need. But you know, they find so much solace in me. I went in this show to be a nightmare, and I just ended up being everyone' s teddy bear.

You never got to choose a song to perform to. If you had to lip-synch for your life, what song would you choose and why?

I would have used "A Good Imagination" by Gladys Knight and the Pips, that Dina and Latrice did. I love that song! I do it on the road on the time. I like to remind people that even a soulless monster can do a soul number.

If you could star in the biopic of someone's life who would you choose?

Um, I guess I would want to play Elvira. She has such a great story and I kind of look like her. Maybe Janice Dickinson too. Tammy Faye Baker? I can't pick!
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