Adore Delano in conversation with Bianca Del Rio.
It’s been five years since Adore Delano sashayed into the Drag Race werkroom for the show’s sixth season (which is widely considered its peak) and introduced fans to her “hog body” and brand of Courtney Love-esque punk. The Libra, Azuza-born performer eventually placed runner-up, released three studio albums – one of which became the highest-charting release by a Drag Race alumni on the Billboard 200 – and garnered the biggest Instagram following of any contestant.
Well, she actually shares that title with her best squirrel friend, Bianca Del Rio, who just so happens to have volunteered as tribute to interview Adore for this issue. That is, in fact, not true – Bianca didn’t even know what magazine this was for. In this future Pulitzer-winning interview, the two iconic stars discuss dating as a drag queen, why Drag Race is a “completely different show” now, and whether Adore will really return for All Stars.
Bianca Del Rio:
Is this for Attitude magazine? I don’t know. This is so random, that I have to ask you questions that I either already know the answer to, or I just don’t care.
Adore Delano:
This is so gay. I love it.
Bianca Del Rio:
Well here it is. I’m asking you questions for GAY TIMES. We have some very important questions. I don’t know many of the answers to these, so I’m curious to know what you have to say. They’re not my questions, so you’re just going to have to go with it, got it? They might even get serious at some point. But I am fascinated. How have you been? I haven’t seen you in forever.
Adore Delano:
I know fucker, I just got home yesterday, we were doing a little tour, a round of gigs.
Bianca Del Rio:
So, here is our first question. How has life been for Adore Delano since the sixth season of Drag Race? I do believe you were on that season, correct?
Adore Delano:
Uh, no, it was seven. It’s been stupid, it’s just been like, you know this shit… oh my God, this is so dumb, it’s so interview-y!
Bianca Del Rio:
Well, I guess they assumed I’d get some in-depth information out of you. I mean I know the basics. You’ve been everywhere. So what’s been the best part?
Adore Delano:
Just the fans, it’s been an overwhelming experience from the beginning. I didn’t think I’d ever have this many fans around the world, so it’s cool. I just got back from Israel the other day, there were so many people. I was shocked that they even knew my name. So the fans and the support.
Bianca Del Rio:
I haven’t been to Israel yet, that’s amazing. It’s fascinating to see globally, obviously social media has an impact, with my old ass there was no social media growing up, so it is fascinating to see that many people are interested in what you’re doing, follow you, come out, buy a ticket. It’s wild, isn’t it?
Adore Delano:
Yeah, back in the day you just had to figure out like, ‘Fuck, what other show am I gonna do next to keep this going?’ But now the fans follow you so intensely on social media.
Bianca Del Rio:
It’s insane, but it’s good, right? I mean, it’s a lot of work, and it’s hard to find time to have a normal life. Since leaving Drag Race, what’s the biggest thing you’ve learned about yourself?
Adore Delano:
That I’m the most impatient person in the world. I thought I had so much patience when I was younger, but now I just hate everyone, I just wanna run them all over.
Bianca Del Rio:
Well, let me say that it doesn’t get better as you get older, because I’ve become this crotchety old man. Just people breathing near me upsets me, so I can totally relate to that.
Adore Delano:
Seriously. Every month I feel closer to becoming my dad. I hate everyone.
Bianca Del Rio:
It’s true, it’s one of those things where patience just goes out of the window. Life has a lot of start, stop, start, stop, and there just never seems to be enough time, which is why I lose my mind when people waste my time. Alright, next question. A lot of people say that season six of Drag Race is the best season of all time, why do you think the fans love it so much? Well, first, I have to agree, because season seven was dreadful.
Adore Delano:
I have no idea. The winner sucked. [Laughs]
Bianca Del Rio:
The winner’s gotten horrible press, horrible gigs, and now she’s interviewing you!
Adore Delano:
No, honestly, before I thought my favourite winner was Sharon until you won, bitch. You just have that winner’s quality and you’re kind of like the matriarch of the whole season. The top four really have a lot to do with it too. There was a great dynamic there.
Bianca Del Rio:
I thought personality-wise we were all very different, and everybody brought something different to the show, which was great. I miss those days. When people ask me about the latest seasons, I’m like, ‘I’m watching a different show now’. Maybe it was different because I was on it, maybe I think of it differently because I’m old. Time flies! But it does seem like a completely different show for me in general. That’s also the safest way of saying I haven’t watched the latest seasons. I can’t keep up with it!
Adore Delano:
Same. Same.
Bianca Del Rio:
Occasionally, I’ll see a queen at the airport and they’re like, ‘Hi!’ and I’m like, ‘Oh… hi’, and they’re like, ‘You don’t know who I am?’ and I go, ‘Absolutely not’.
Adore Delano:
I’m really bad. I have to watch clips on Instagram to keep up.
Bianca Del Rio:
There you go. How did we live without social media? Out of everything, what is your favourite social media outlet?
Adore Delano:
When I’m drunk it’s Twitter, but in general it’s Instagram. I don’t know, I just like seeing what people are up to. I don’t post too much but I’m really nosy.
Bianca Del Rio:
It’s a safe way of being nosy! Alright, here’s the next question. You came back to the show for All Stars 2 and left pretty early, but have since voiced that you would return as a competitor in the future…
Adore Delano:
What?! When did I say this?
Bianca Del Rio:
I didn’t write the questions. Would you go back?
Adore Delano:
No, I wouldn’t. Maybe it’s because you’re asking me while I’m sober. I probably said that when I was drunk on stage to get a big crowd reaction.
Bianca Del Rio:
Wait, you drink?
Adore Delano:
Not today! It’s not 1pm yet. But no, I wouldn’t go back. Like we were saying earlier, it’s a completely different show now, I wouldn’t be comfortable at all.
Bianca Del Rio:
People have asked me that and it’s a weird thing, because I had a great time and I had a great run but I don’t know if I’d want to risk all that to go back. It’s hard. People ask me if I’d go back and I say, ‘Would you go back to high school? No!’ I came out unscathed, so I’m not going back. Okay, next question. Earlier this year, you tweeted that your life has been ‘on hold for three years’. Why is that? Is that another drunk tweet?
Adore Delano:
Yeah… this is probably me on a plane, thinking that I’m gonna write a book of quotes.
Bianca Del Rio:
[Laughs] Okay. Next question. It’s been two years since you last released an album. Can we expect new music soon? Oh, that’s a good question.
Adore Delano:
Um, not soon, no. I write like almost every day, but there’s a lot of things I am doing right now, like I’m doing this project that’s gonna take up the rest of summer, so I’m kinda just devoting my energy into that. If I try and juggle too much I’ll have an emotional breakdown.
Bianca Del Rio:
We don’t need that. We already saw that on All Stars 2. So you have a secret project coming up, that’s great. How has your music helped you through your dark times?
Adore Delano:
It’s therapeutic to write it down and not give a fuck about what people think about it, and hopefully it touches one little fag, you know what I mean? Something like that. I feel like I can communicate better when I’m writing than when I’m talking, it’s just better and shit.
Bianca Del Rio:
That’s a beautiful way to answer the question. Okay, we’re halfway through now. Do you think that drag queens are taken seriously as musicians?
Adore Delano:
Not as seriously as they should be. We have, like, Pabllo Vittar, but half of this shit should be on the charts and have billboards right now. We have a shit load of talented drag queens in like, Brazil, like Gloria Groove, all these people that could be mainstream over here that we don’t even give a fucking chance to. So no is the answer.
Bianca Del Rio:
Do you think that drag is the thing that turns people off? Because back in my day, you’d hear a song and you didn’t know who sang it, what they looked like. Do you think because everything is so visual, that’s turning people off?
Adore Delano:
I mean, I don’t think it’s necessarily a turn off, I think it’s one of those things that will always be taboo to people. I don’t know, it’s weird with some people, they just don’t get it. They just can’t look past the drag.
Bianca Del Rio:
Would you ever consider putting out an album as Danny?
Adore Delano:
No. I just don’t like my name. I think it sounds stupid.
Bianca Del Rio:
Well, if your name is Danny, it is silly compared to ADORE, yeah. So you would never express yourself in the form of Danny, where it’s like, ‘Hey this is me, no gimmicks’, or do you find that Adore just comes with the package?
Adore Delano:
I mean, probably eventually when I’m old and doing a farewell tour, but like, I just think I have more experiences as Adore that shapes me the way I am because we work so much, especially when I’m drunk I can lose myself in, not the character, but it gives me more confidence.
Bianca Del Rio:
Got it. That makes sense. Good answer. You recently appeared in Taylor Swift’s video for You Need To Calm Down. How did that come about?
Adore Delano:
Well, her people hit up my people…
Bianca Del Rio:
And apparently her people were not interested in me. I would like to know for my own personal reasons!
Adore Delano:
They just emailed. We all played different pop stars, and they said that I looked like Katy Perry. Whatever.
Bianca Del Rio:
Now, on that same topic, there’s been a lot of uproar – which means three gay people on Twitter – who say that Taylor is using the LGBTQ community for her own personal gain. What are your thoughts?
Adore Delano:
I mean… is Iggy [Azalea]? Is Miley [Cyrus]? It’s just because they like it. First of all, I think it’s because it’s so popular right now with the kids, and they have such a young demographic, that they do kinda use… well not use it, but they’re not dumb, and at the same time it doesn’t mean they don’t like it. It doesn’t mean they’re not fans of it.
Bianca Del Rio:
I’m always fascinated with people when they say that someone’s using the gay community. It’s like, whether you’re Taylor or Iggy or Miley, somebody gay is doing your hair, somebody gay is dealing with your clothes, it’s just part of their world. So I don’t see how they can live a straight life and not be involved with gay people. I think it’s great to celebrate. I personally had Miley come to my show and hang out and drink and cut up and have a good time, and she’s great, so I don’t see why that would be an issue. There’s obviously some blog or somebody online that always has to say something and make a big deal out of everything.
Adore Delano:
We’re just the new video hoes. Remember in the 90s they had hoodrats, we’re the new video hoes.
Bianca Del Rio:
Now they’ve moved on to cross-dressers. You’ve been open about being non-binary, how has drag helped you discover your identity?
Adore Delano:
I don’t know if it’s drag necessarily, I think it’s just getting older and having the language for everything you felt when you were younger. I used to be super ambiguous in high school, to the point where my substitute teachers would think I was actually a little girl, and it never bothered me, but as you get older and you explore who you are, you figure out who you are – even sexually, you know, fucking around the world, getting to taste the whole world. [Laughs] Being a whore helped me.
Bianca Del Rio:
Well, that’s good. I found my inner clown, you found your inner whore. It’s good. Is there much difference between Danny and Adore?
Adore Delano:
Yeah there is…
Bianca Del Rio:
Three drinks?
Adore Delano:
Yeah, three fucking drinks and I’ll fight a security guard in drag! I was actually on tour with you, Courtney and Darienne when this happened, they locked me out of the dressing room because I went to say hi to the fans and then I started screaming at a security guard.
Bianca Del Rio:
Well, to be fair, a lot of people who come to the shows dress like you. Nobody would ever come dressed as me because I have just one dress, but the thing with you is that young fans dress up like you, so when you went out the security probably thought you were just one of the fans at the show.
Adore Delano:
I’m more shy as Danny. I would never do that to somebody out of drag, yeah. I’m so confusing.
Bianca Del Rio:
It’s almost like when you put on the wig it’s like, ‘Ooh, power’. I get it. What’s the biggest misconception that people have about you?
Adore Delano:
I don’t know that I’m the character that I’ve created. Well, it’s not really a character, but the confidence that I have when I’m in full drag, they think I have that out of drag. Like if I’m in Mickey’s or whatever in WeHo, people will be like, ‘Wow, you’re so calm, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you partying?’ And I’ll be like, ‘What the fuck, get the fuck out of here?’
Bianca Del Rio:
What people saw on television, they just assume you’re like that 24/7, right?
Adore Delano:
Yeah, for sure.
Bianca Del Rio:
I have only three more questions for you. What’s dating life like for you? Well, you already said you’re a whore. But what are the pros and cons of dating as a drag queen?
Adore Delano:
I mean, it’s easy to pull some dick. I’ll just be like, ‘Hey, what’s up’ and usually it’s like, ‘Oh whatever, they’re probably not into me, they just wanna have a good time’, so I’m down, it’s whatever. But the cons are the same thing. I like it, but I don’t. It has a sad part too. You’re just like, ‘Oh man, now you can’t find some real shit’. But we’re not getting all deep and shit.
Bianca Del Rio:
Well also with your work schedule, it’s hard just to have a normal life for yourself, let alone a relationship. I find that anyway. Plus everybody my age is already dead. Okay, so now we have… what’s your relationship like with your fans? I’ve witnessed this, and they’re wild.
Adore Delano:
I try to be as nice as possible, but you can’t be overly nice because they’ll mistake your kindness for weakness. But I notice a lot of the fans have been super good with me. Back in my American Idol days they were some crazy motherfuckers, but these ones are like friends. I don’t know.
Bianca Del Rio:
I witnessed it with you on the ABCD Tour, and it was so interesting to see the different dynamic everyone brings out. I mean, Darienne has specific guys that liked her, Courtney had all these guys interested because she’s pretty, and you had all the young girls, and then I had all the people in wheelchairs. I guess everybody’s scared of me so they stay away, but your fans are super excited when they meet you. I think you also have a great relationship with fans on social media too, which is great. I usually just go on Twitter and write something hateful and let them fight it out.
Adore Delano:
It’s like a little troll drive by and then you go back under your rock.
Bianca Del Rio:
I get on a plane and turn off my phone! I like to poke the bear and run. Okay, here is your final question in this in-depth interview. Where do you see the future of drag and Drag Race?
Adore Delano:
Whitney Houston.
Bianca Del Rio:
What the hell?
Adore Delano:
Because she believes the children are our future!
Bianca Del Rio:
I look at drag differently. For me it’s a job, so to speak, but do you think it’s helpful for younger people? Do you think it’s important for kids to do drag? Or do you think they should wait until they’re older to figure it out?
Adore Delano:
I think it’s important to let kids do it as young as possible, as long as it’s their decision to express it themselves. Like, I can’t tell you how many parents who I see forcefully dress their kids in ridiculous outfits for DragCon and it’s like, ‘Poor kids’, but for those kids who choose to do that, it’s important. I was one of those little artsy kids that wanted to do that, and I couldn’t do it because of my parents.
Bianca Del Rio:
You have a great mom who’s supportive of everything, though.
Adore Delano:
Yeah yeah yeah.
Bianca Del Rio:
It does make me a little nervous at times. Actually I’m not allowed around children, even though I’m a clown, which is a little difficult. My final question is, what are your thoughts on Brexit and Theresa May?
Adore Delano:
I don’t know if that’s the best way to end this!
Bianca Del Rio:
You don’t even know who she is, do you?
Adore Delano:
Yes I do, you piece of shit!
Bianca Del Rio:
Who is she then? Who is Theresa May?
Adore Delano:
She’s basically the UK version of Trump, and she’s like resigned now, right? I just got into an argument with somebody in London about her. He was like, ‘You guys have Trump’, and I was like, ‘You guys have Theresa May, shut the fuck up!’
Bianca Del Rio:
Well I’m so glad you’re keeping up with politics. I’m very proud of you. I didn’t think you could answer that question.
Adore Delano:
I watch The View every day on my DVR.
Bianca Del Rio:
Okay, that’s where you get your information from. The View. Great. Well this has been a fun interview, I got to ask questions I never thought I’d ask in my life. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I will see you when I get back to Los Angeles.
Adore Delano:
Alright bitch, I love you. Text me.
Bianca Del Rio:
Love you too, bitch. Bye.
Photography Davis Bates
Fashion Tyler Lambert
Latest
