It’s a showdown of the Queens this week as Gottmik and Violet Chachki bring their Knockout Tour to Edmonton October 22, Calgary October 23 and Vancouver October 28th. GayCalgary.com caught up with the two recently in advance of the shows.
Chachki, the winner of Season 7 of Rupaul’s Drag Race, and Gottmik from Season 13 first met during the Covid impacted Drive-in Drag tour. They shared a trailer and realized they had a lot in common, and the rest is her-story.
"Mik was on a later season than me, and I think it's about having similar career goals and feeling aligned and having a partner in crime," Violet explained. "That's really what it's about, having a sidekick and having a chosen family and being there for each other. And we both are really detail oriented and are into fashion and aesthetics and so it just felt natural."
The two host the No Gorge podcast and were featured in the Grammy performance of Sam Smith & Kim Petras’ Unholy. Gottmik recalled how special the evening was.
"That was everything getting to be there. Kim was such a trailblazer for the trans community, it was really an important moment for the trans community. That's going to be such an iconic moment. So being able to be there and support both of them. I love Sam so much. Just always been supportive of me. And same with Kim. I used to do her makeup, so it was just such a full circle moment, and we were just so honored to be there for such a historical moment for the community."
"It was just really cool to be on the red carpet and to be there with Kim winning her Grammy and just to be apart of it, it was like it just feels good to be representation in those spaces for people maybe that have not seen queer people on those types of stages or those types of carpets, those types of events. It feels good and it feels very punk as well," added Violet.
Gottmik made history as the first trans-masc competitor on the series. Since then, more diversity in Trans and even a cis-female contestant have been featured across the different shows.
"We always are talking about how the industry is just so new and in the mainstream sense of it, and it's so crazy sometimes we're comparing ourselves to other industries and I'm like, right now we're paving this path for this industry in the mainstream for the first time, this has never been so in household name level, mainstream straight America has heard of RuPaul. It's so crazy and it's so wild that we are experiencing it and pushing that forward as we speak. World of Wonder did put me on the show, and it is probably a risky game for them at the time, they were like, okay, things are working really great for us and do we really want to introduce a trans guy right now? I was so blessed that I did really well, and the audience had such a great acceptance for me and my story. And then after that they put so many other types of drag queens on and then there's King of Drag, which I got to judge on and we finally have a drag king show and I've seen so many amazing people supporting that."
It's inspiring to meet fans that are inspired by them.
"I am inspired a lot by the people that are there at my show and then going to my meet and greets and hearing everyone else's stories. Every day I'm learning a new story and there's so many more stories that need to be told and so many more boundaries that need to be pushed and doors that need to be broken down. I always remind them to keep telling your story because it's so valid and there's so much more ground we have to cover as a community. And especially right now with everything that's going on this is the time that we have to be louder and prouder and really tell those stories. Me being on Drag Race was only four years ago, I cannot even imagine how far we're going to push this and how strong we're going to get as a community. Drag is just such a cool art form and everyone gets to express themselves in such different ways all through the love of drag. It's everything."
It can be overwhelming the number of options for TV drag content, and many queens and shows are touring at the same time. Mik said Knockout stands out with its burlesque, fashion, live singing and ariel stunts.
"We are doing our own music live vocals. I think that's one thing that really separates us from a lot of people is that we have worked with some amazing music producers to produce original music. One of the producers we work with is Grammy winning, Aerial dancers, over the top costumes, everything you can expect from us as far as aesthetics goes, and live instruments, just a very, very large production for a traveling show."
"For me personally, I am in my own lane and it's taken a lot of work to get in that lane and it was not easy. And 10 years ago, people looked at me as someone who was undeserving and untalented, and I had to really fight against that for a long time. You either have it, or you don't. And a lot of people especially now's like a copy and paste thing. And I think drag has become homogenized and commodified. I think season 7 was sort of around them was a turning point, especially with social media on the rise in 2015 and things shift, and things change. And I think with any reality TV show, which is what drag race ultimately is, you have a few people that really stand out and have longevity and then the rest are just contestants on a TV show. And I think that that is the case with a lot of television shows and Drag Race is no exception."
While the platform and support can be great, there is a lot of toxicity in any fanbase. Add on the rampant transphobia online and attacks on the Trans community, Mik said it can take its toll.
"As trans person and I wake up every day and feel different, sometimes it just feels too much. Every day there's a new law or something trying to shut me down and tell me I'm not who I am, and it feels like a lot. But then I have to remember that I have a platform and even if I didn't, we have such an amazing community that we all right now need to come together and look at the queer history. The queer community have been through so much together and it just takes coming together and being loud and proud and showing them that no matter what law gets passed, we are not going to change who we are because there's a bill in place. We're not going anywhere no matter what happens. I just have to remind myself that and remind myself that my voice matters and everyone's voices matter because when all the voices are together, it's really fucking loud and that's what a democracy is all about and that's what we should as a community be all about. And yeah, I think for mental health wise, I also think therapy is necessary," they said.
"I felt a lot of pressure to say the right thing or do the right thing for a really long time. But now I realized it's just the best thing you can do to make a difference is just live authentically and be yourself and share your story. And I know if I was a child and I had the vocabulary to understand what trans was, and then I had all that pushback, and it would probably feel like the end of the world. My advice to any of the trans kids out there would just be we're really blessed to live in a time of social media and try to find someone out there like you online or in person and find your queer community. I know I’m; I'm really blessed to live in Los Angeles where they have such amazing trans groups, trans wellness centers and the LGBT centers and those are all over and they offer such amazing groups and programs and therapies for free for all ages. And so I would just really try to find your queer family and support system and make sure you're safe and really find that because the second you do, you feel like you're not alone. The second you don't feel alone, you have time to heal yourself and grow as a person."
In addition to the headliners, each show features local talent. Edmonton will have Pepper, Emmona, and Felicia Bonet. Calgary will see Karla Marx and Nearah and Farrah Nuff. Violet explained the importance of including local Queens in the show.
"I've been doing drag since 2012 and when Drag Race Queens would come through Atlanta and I would get to work with them, it was a really big deal for me. I remember just having it be aspirational for me as a local queen and I think those experiences were important for me to shape me as a queen. I's just part of being a queer person. A lot of queer people don't have the best blood family. So it is about a community, about passing it along and about creating those spaces for the next generation to come through. That's why I think it's important and it was important for me in shaping my drag career, continuing the legacy."
Violet promised an unforgettable show.
"It’s going to be a fabulous night. I think the world is in such a crazy state right now that just creating a 90-minute spectacular escapism is so crucial. For me it's like therapy and I think people just need a break from all the chaos that's going on outside of those theater doors. And that's what drag has always been for me, is escapism. What we try to provide is a safe space for people to come, be themselves, relax, look at something spectacular, and really enjoy the night and support queer art at the same time. So that's what it is for me, and I hope that we can provide that for other people as well."
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Contributor Jason Clevett |
Person Gottmik | Violet Chachki |
Topic Celebrity Interview | Drag Queen | Drag Race |
https://events.seated.com/violet-chachki-gottmik
The Knockout Tour: Violet vs. Gottmik
Edmonton Oct 22 – Union Hall
Calgary Oct 23 – Palace Theatre