美国国家公共电台 NPR 'Flats Are For Quitters': RuPaul Talks Drag, 'All Stars' And Identity Politics

 

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

The newest season of "RuPaul's Drag Race" on VH1 has just begun. It's an all-star season. And the show has never been more popular. Each week, the queens perform in front of RuPaul and a panel of judges for a spot in the Drag Race Hall of Fame and $100,000.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE: ALL STARS")

RUPAUL CHARLES: You need to show that your charisma¹, uniqueness, nerve and talent is bigger, fresher and better than ever - hashtag #AllStars3. Gentlemen, start your engines. And may the best all-star win.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: And just a warning to our listeners, expect some fresh language ahead as we sashay through the drag queen vernacular². Emmy-Award-winning host RuPaul Charles joins me now from our bureau in New York. Welcome to the program.

CHARLES: Hello.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Hello (laughter). So give us a snapshot. I guess no spoilers. But what's in store this season? Lots of fan favorites are back.

CHARLES: Yeah. You know, these kids have already been through the process. So they have an idea of what they're in for. So it's always interesting to see what they've learned from their first experience and what they're going to bring to this all-stars experience.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Some people may not know this. But drag can vary dramatically based on where a queen grows up and what her strengths are. There are comedy queens and pageant³ girls and stunt⁴ queens and queens who do a lot with very little. How do you choose what to showcase in these different traditions?

CHARLES: Well, the cast is an ensemble⁵. So we want to represent as many of those genres⁶ as possible. Now, when the show first started out, we couldn't do certain genres because they were a little bit too out there for your average viewer or someone who's new to the art of drag. So as the show has progressed, we've been able to introduce different genres that people may not be familiar with.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Like what?

CHARLES: Well, when we initially⁷ started the show, we didn't do gender⁸ f-word, which is what I started out doing, which was smeared⁹ lipstick¹⁰ and a ratty wig¹¹ and combat boots and really sort of a protest to the male-dominated culture that we live in and also a protest to the synthetic¹² femininity that we all live with. But when we had Sharon Needles on - she was in the fourth season - she had the personality to usher¹³ that mentality¹⁴ into our competition. So it was because of her we've been able to allow other girls who possess that quality onto the show.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yeah. And in an NPR interview with Sasha Velour, last season's winner, Sasha said a lot of people still, quote, "expect drag queens to be masculine out of drag and hyper-feminine in drag." But this seems to be changing.

CHARLES: Drag isn't just - isn't about just looking like a woman or not looking like a man. It's an expression of shapeshifting. And we all have that ability to shape-shift and to - listen. You've heard it before. We are all God in drag. Now, most people can't accept that concept because it's too big a concept for them to accept. And they feel more comfortable where the roles are assigned to them, and they don't have to think that much. So the whole drag thing - it's a huge concept. It's not just, oh, look how pretty I am.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I have a bone to pick, though. One of the contestants¹⁶ performs her routine in dance flats in the episode that I saw. And she gets called out by the judge, who is looking for heels. And I feel like I have to take a stand here. I feel that queens should also be free from the tyranny of heels. I want to know where you stand on that.

CHARLES: Well, I'll tell you where I stand with it. Flats are for quitters. I mean, it's as simple as that.

(LAUGHTER)

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Oh. That hurt. That hurt.

CHARLES: Well, life is difficult. Life hurts. Life is not easy. You have to decide if you're going to be a winner or a quitter.

(LAUGHTER)

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Oh, my Lord. As you mentioned, I guess the drag scene has always been a place that pushes boundaries, specifically with identity. And there's so much talk now about labeling communities correctly so that they're seen and understood. How does that come into play in the show? You've had your first openly trans contestant¹⁵. Where does the show fall in that conversation?

CHARLES: Humans like to put things in a box, so they can assimilate them and go, oh, OK. I got you now. But the truth is, in this life, you don't really have to understand everything, you know? And that's - there's such freedom in that. And I know that people who are artistic¹⁷ understand this very well.

Like the concept of God - I don't have to know what God is. I don't have to think of it as a male or a female. I just know that there is something I can sense. There is something. And I don't have to know what it is. And the same is true with gender and - I mean, I said it earlier. We are all God in drag. You don't have to choose anything. You could be whatever you want. And no judgment¹⁸.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Right. But many, I think, in the younger generation feel that, actually, it's important to have labels. It's important for those labels to be recognized. What is a transgender person? What is a queer person?

CHARLES: Recognized for who, though? I mean, you know, if you know who you are, who does - what does it matter? You don't want to give your power away to anyone else. They're not seeing me. It's, like, who cares if they see you? If you see you, that's all that matters, Dorothy. You had the heels on. Just click them. Click them, girl. Well, why didn't you tell me I had to click - all I had to do was click my - because you wouldn't have believed me. You had to find out for yourself.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Does that mean that it's not important to have there be a discussion and a recognition?

CHARLES: Listen. I've been to the mountain top in this whole realm of things. I've been - lived in the outside - in the fringe for years. The truth is - and every ascended¹⁹ master will tell you the same thing. You create your life.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: What's your advice, then, to, you know, people coming up in this? What do you tell them?

CHARLES: It's the same story as the beginning - from the beginning of time. Know thyself. Understand what you really are, not your - the clothes you're wearing or what some pronoun someone is calling you - because, you know - start from the inside. Know yourself. Be yourself. Do what you want to do, just so long as you don't hurt anybody else. It's very simple.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I do want to ask you one more thing. In a recent New York Times article, several queens mentioned it's hard to get club bookings these days without having been on your show. And I think that's obviously a testament²⁰ to the show's success. But you are now, I guess, a queen-maker. So what do you say to queens trying to make it in the drag scene who haven't been on your show?

CHARLES: You better get your act together, girl. You better step it up, honey. You better get up on this show. Listen. This is - it's business. This is not some democracy. Just because you have a pair of cha-cha heels and a pussycat wig - that you deserve - that's an ego²¹ thing. Everything's going to be fair. It's like, you know what? Let me tell you something, kids out there listening. Life is not fair. Life is not easy. You have to work for it. And if you're not willing to work for it, you will fade away.

And listen. All the challenges on our show are based on what I've done in my 35-year career - from radio to television to designing clothes to producing and writing - whatever, whatever. I do whatever it takes. That is the lesson not only for drag queens but for everyone who wants to be on this planet and wants to survive. You got to put the work in. You got to work. You better work.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Thank you so much for joining us. RuPaul Charles, host of "RuPaul's Drag Race" on VH1 - that was amazing.

CHARLES: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SUPERMODEL")

CHARLES: (Singing) You better work - cover girl - work it, girl. Give a twirl. Do your thing on the runway. Work - supermodel. You better work it, girl - of the world. Wet your lips...

1 charisma   

n.(大众爱戴的)领袖气质，魅力

参考例句：

• He has enormous charisma. He is a giant of a man.他有超凡的个人魅力，是个伟人。
• I don't have the charisma to pull a crowd this size.我没有那么大的魅力，能吸引这么多人。

2 vernacular   

adj.地方的，用地方语写成的；n.白话；行话；本国语；动植物的俗名

参考例句：

• The house is built in a vernacular style.这房子按当地的风格建筑。
• The traditional Chinese vernacular architecture is an epitome of Chinese traditional culture.中国传统民居建筑可谓中国传统文化的缩影。

3 pageant   

n.壮观的游行；露天历史剧

参考例句：

• Our pageant represented scenes from history.我们的露天历史剧上演一幕幕的历史事件。
• The inauguration ceremony of the new President was a splendid pageant.新主席的就职典礼的开始是极其壮观的。

4 stunt   

n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长

参考例句：

• Lack of the right food may stunt growth.缺乏适当的食物会阻碍发育。
• Right up there is where the big stunt is taking place.那边将会有惊人的表演。

5 ensemble   

n.合奏(唱)组；全套服装；整体，总效果

参考例句：

• We should consider the buildings as an ensemble.我们应把那些建筑物视作一个整体。
• It is ensemble music for up to about ten players,with one player to a part.它是最多十人演奏的合奏音乐，每人担任一部分。

6 genres   

（文学、艺术等的）类型，体裁，风格( genre的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Novel and short story are different genres. 长篇小说和短篇小说是不同的类别。
• But confusions over the two genres have a long history. 但是类型的混淆，古已有之。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译

7 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

8 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

9 smeared   

弄脏； 玷污； 涂抹； 擦上

参考例句：

• The children had smeared mud on the walls. 那几个孩子往墙上抹了泥巴。
• A few words were smeared. 有写字被涂模糊了。

10 lipstick   

n.口红，唇膏

参考例句：

• Taking out her lipstick,she began to paint her lips.她拿出口红，开始往嘴唇上抹。
• Lipstick and hair conditioner are cosmetics.口红和护发素都是化妆品。

11 wig   

n.假发

参考例句：

• The actress wore a black wig over her blond hair.那个女演员戴一顶黑色假发罩住自己的金黄色头发。
• He disguised himself with a wig and false beard.他用假发和假胡须来乔装。

12 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。

13 usher   

n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员

参考例句：

• The usher seated us in the front row.引座员让我们在前排就座。
• They were quickly ushered away.他们被迅速领开。

14 mentality   

n.心理，思想，脑力

参考例句：

• He has many years'experience of the criminal mentality.他研究犯罪心理有多年经验。
• Running a business requires a very different mentality from being a salaried employee.经营企业所要求具备的心态和上班族的心态截然不同。

15 contestant   

n.竞争者，参加竞赛者

参考例句：

• The company will furnish each contestant with a free ticket.公司将为每个参赛者免费提供一张票。
• The personal appearance and interview of the contestant is another count.参加比赛者的个人仪表和谈话也是一项。

16 contestants   

n.竞争者，参赛者( contestant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The competition attracted over 500 contestants representing 8 different countries. 这次比赛吸引了代表8个不同国家的500多名参赛者。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency. 两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

18 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

19 ascended   

v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He has ascended into heaven. 他已经升入了天堂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The climbers slowly ascended the mountain. 爬山运动员慢慢地登上了这座山。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。

21 ego   

n.自我，自己，自尊

参考例句：

• He is absolute ego in all thing.在所有的事情上他都绝对自我。
• She has been on an ego trip since she sang on television.她上电视台唱过歌之后就一直自吹自擂。