In dusty Jakarta, I grew up fascinated with the world of drag queens. At age eight, fresh from a trip to my aunt’s at Sunter (an area famous for drag queen hustlers), a big-haired phenomenon jumped in front of the car and started singing, dancing and demanding to be paid for the entertainment at the same time. It was my first encounter with a drag queen.
Years later in Jakarta, a teenage date at a roadside stall was interrupted by a Beyonce impersonator, and when my date refused to pay for a rendition of ‘Crazy In Love’, he got bombed by a mouthful of expletives. Even later on in Singapore, watching Kumar at a stand-up show made me tingle with glee as she proceeded to dish out sassy one-liners about every single person in the pub.
Generally, it was their grit and quick sense of wit that I admired most. To be hustling on the streets of Jakarta — and have a sense of humour about it — is something quite commendable. On the other side of the globe, America’s most commercially successful drag queen today, RuPaul Charles, also made a name for herself in the ’80s by performing underground shows in Atlanta and New York.
Somewhere between her start in show business and where she is now, there were music videos, modelling jobs, living in a park with other homeless drag queens, performing with her idol, Diana Ross, and starting a small reality show on television called RuPaul’s Drag Race.
While drag performance has traditionally been the antithesis of all things conventional and primetime, there is no denying the shift in public attitudes towards the culture. When it first aired, RuPaul’s Drag Race was a small, low budget show. It has since grown into a well-funded franchise where the contestants have become stars in their own right. And one of them is the lovely Manila Luzon — who is currently “busy dressing in women’s clothes and touring the world with a fierce group of RuPaul’s Drag Race queens.”
“My persona is just me, but with better hair and clothes,” says Karl Westerburg, more lovingly known as Manila Luzon. “I find inspiration in everyday things that make me feel comfortable or nostalgic, from my favourite childhood cartoons to whatever I’m eating for lunch. Then I make those things as glamorous as possible.”
A contestant on Season three of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Manila was a quick crowd favourite. She was beautiful, she had the physique to pull off the craziest of outfits (made from scratch) — including a sort-of sexy pineapple get-up — and was a great competitor when it came to challenges. Manila flourished in a season where there were many strong characters: The uber cool and talented Raja, the never-not-nude Carmen Carrera, the ever-so-determined Shangela and more.
Despite roadblocks, Manila emerged as runner-up on the show and her career continued to blossom. “My favourite moments were making lifelong friendships with like-minded creative people and being able to showcase our craft for the world. But, more specifically, dunking Carmen Carrera in the dunk tank on the show — especially considering I throw terribly.”
With its campy sensibility, RuPaul’s Drag Race is unlike any other model hunt show. The queens are tested on their skills in piecing together outfits (bonus points if they can sew), teamwork, impersonations, lip-synching, on-camera and stage performances, stand-up comedy, and even their ability to ‘read’.
We’re not talking alphabets or phonics here, but how adept they are when it comes to dishing out sassy remarks to one another. There’s nothing mean-spirited about it, of course — it’s all done in the spirit of jest. And it definitely requires sharp wit. According to RuPaul, reading is fundamental to being a drag queen — as is “self-expression and self-acceptance…and lots of glitter,” according to Manila Luzon.
While it may look like just fun and games, being on Drag Race is also gruelling. Individuals are kept on their toes challenge after challenge, and even when the show is over, there’s the probability of touring the world. Past the sequins and lamé, Manila is very much like all of us on a lazy weekend. “I don’t have much downtime, but when I do, I like to cook for my boyfriend, spend time with family and catch up on much-needed rest,” she says.
She also adds that it’s a challenge to juggle the touring life with her personal life. She jokes, “As I get older, my priorities have shifted. I want to be home more. I’ve been wanting to grow a beard, but I work so much it never has a chance!”
Despite queens coming and going on the show, her biggest takeaway is the family that remains. From touring together to supporting each other’s personal projects, the drag queen community is a tight-knit one. Even with the showbiz agenda on Drag Race, RuPaul also addresses issues like abandonment, coming out, and choosing your family. Even beyond the boundaries of Drag Race and drag queen culture, Manila feels the community needs to stick together.
“I went to the Pink Dot festival last year. The LGBT community in Singapore is so brave for coming together to show the world how proud they are to be themselves. I want to encourage them to keep representing more and more until our community is accepted,” she reflects.
She’ll be returning to Singapore with killer queens for the RuPaul Drag Race Battle of The Seasons tour on June 10. On top of touring, Manila is set to publish a fictional series called Sickening Adventures, starring herself. She tells us, “I’m co-writing it with best-selling author Matthew Rettenmund, and each book stars a different queen in a unique story. Mine will be set in Asia. Like RuPaul says, reading is fundamental.”
We look forward to more reading and sickening times when the queens land in unsuspecting Singapore. Hallelu!
RuPaul’s Drag Race Battle of the Seasons: 2016 Extravaganza Tour is at Kallang Theatre on Sunday, Jul 10. Info and ticketing details on the LA Comedy Live! website.
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