Searching for America's next drag superstar is never easy and now a whole race begins with season seven. RuPaul's Drag Race on Logo continues to grow in popularity on the Logo Channel.
Revving up this time is New York candidate Miss Fame. First taking on the modeling world then moving into makeup has not been an easy road.
Windy City Times: Hi, Miss Fame—good to track you down.
Miss Fame: I was just at a fitting.
WCT: I don't know how you do it.
Miss Fame: I don't, either. I need to clear my head.
WCT: Your life is about to get crazier.
Miss Fame: I guess this is what I wanted, right?
WCT: I remember Adore Delano told me from last season she just wanted the new cast to start so it would die down.
Miss Fame: I can understand that, and it hasn't even started yet! The volume ups expectations, and [the] attention is so much. The opportunity and platform [have] been a dream of mine for a lifetime. I wanted to be inspiring and help other people who have had difficulties and didn't have it easy, the people that have had to work their ass off to make something. That is my whole purpose.
People may look at me and think there is no way I have had to struggle because of how Miss Fame looks but my journey to this point was far from easy. I am taking this chance to really be human beyond the persona. I can't wait to be more influential and uplifting to the community. I think we need more advocates and more support.That is important for me but in the meantime we need to show up, be creative, look gorgeous, and be on for camera so that is the other side. I want to have a memorable impact.
WCT: You are originally from New York?
Miss Fame: I'm from Templeton, which is in Central California. I grew up on a farm where I had hundreds of chickens and all of the barnyard animals you would expect. I would show them in the fair and wear my little 4-H uniform. I was snatching trophies when I was a wee lad or a little girl!
That was my life. It was surreal and gritty, far from anything I have experienced today.
WCT: Was it a conscious decision to go glamorous?
Miss Fame: I have always been obsessed with shiny things. I would watch Wheel of Fortune with Vanna White, who wore big earrings and had shiny white teeth. I saw that at a very young age so there was something about that. I felt like my life was supposed to be glamorous and sparkly. I felt that was my story even though I was working outside, building fences, and feeding cows. I let me life evolve and I learned hair. I moved to San Francisco to model as a boy and do runway shows. I was edgy, having tattoos and a mohawk. I was told to go to Europe or New York with that look. I met Mike Ruiz at a fashion show and he asked me to do a shoot with him. I made a conscious decision to move to New York after that.
WCT: Where did you learn makeup?
Miss Fame: I have been drawing portraits since I was kid. I did faces and flowers. I sold art in the beginning when I was working in salons doing hair. When I moved to New York I had a galleries worth of work and used that to help me pay my rent. I got hired at MAC Cosmetics. I was a club kid at the same time where I would wear crazy outfits. I was very androgynous. I was still a boy and untucked. I wore makeup but when I started working for MAC I learned more about it
WCT: What is the origin of your purple alien queen outfit on the first episode?
Miss Fame: That is from my costume designer Garo Sparo. I'm holding a dress of his in my arms right now. He has always covered my back for appearances. He fits me to impeccable taste. I love how I look in a Garo dress.
WCT: Where did the name Miss Fame come from?
Miss Fame: Miss Fame was inspired by the power of fame and dreaming for something big. I think you have to title yourself in the direction you want to go and who you want to be. My original name was Fame Fatale; then, Britney Spears released Femme Fatale. I dropped the "Fatale" and added "Miss." It was a dominatrix idea. The "Miss" makes it more solid.
We live in a modern age where fame makes you get seen. I was sending out my energy in radio waves to the alien ship beyond the stars!
WCT: Favorite song you like performing?
Miss Fame: I have been listening to Madonna's Erotica. The whole album is powerful and unbelievable.
I'm a huge Missy Elliott fan. I am so glad she did the Super Bowl. I grew up with Missy and Lil' Kim. I listened to hip hop and R&B. I don't necessarily perform that music as Miss Fame, but I am a huge fan.
WCT: You have three tattoos?
Miss Fame: Yes, and my favorite is on my left arm. It is a rooster and my first tattoo. It's a big cock. People will get their feathers ruffled when they hear that. I got it when I was 21. I wanted to make a statement. Chickens are my favorite animal. I have loved them since I was kid. I used to spend time out on the farm hanging out with my birds. There were no kids that lived near me so they were my friends. I hatched eggs under my bed in an incubator. I was a serious farm boy. I thought I was going to be a vet, not a drag queen!
WCT: Do you have pets now?
Miss Fame: No; I live in Manhattan and don't have the space. I would if I could. If I had a backyard I would have chickens. I definitely will have them again one day.
WCT: If you won the $100,000 from RuPaul's Drag Race, what would you do with it?
Miss Fame: I would be investing that money back into Miss Fame. I would take care of my designer and make sure people have the means to create even more. I would use that money to really build upon my empire.
I would also like to take my mom on a little vacation. Her life has been real so I would like to give her a little fantasy.
Place some important Ru dates on your calendar. Drive over to The Vic for an early RuPaul viewing party on Saturday, Feb. 21, as the show begins nationwide March 2. Miss Fame appears solo Friday, March 20, at Roscoe's Tavern.
Past contestants from Drag Race battle it out at the House of Blues in Chicago on Feb. 19. Visit www.VossEvents.com .
