It was the gay gasp heard around the world: RuPaul’s Drag Race fan fave Manila Luzon given the last “sashay away” during the season three finale and placing second to fellow “Heather” Raja Gemini.
Faster than you can say Mimi Imfurst she could have easily dropped from the pop culture radar, but her irresistible personality, incessant drive and unique aesthetic (who can forget that pineapple dress?) left audiences longing for more.
And more they shall receive when she no doubt steals the show on RuPaul’s Drag U.
With a burgeoning cult status, Luzon, who got some heat for her depiction of racial stereotypes, has her sights set on world drag domination; and judging by the number of people eager to meet her last weekend at the L.A. Pride festival (clearly outnumbering sovereign Raja’s fanbase, BTW) her future is shinier than a Chinatown Birkin bag.
Taking a breather from her jam-packed schedule, the self-proclaimed “Asian glamasaurus,” who’s riding high on the kimono tails of her reality TV fame, exclusively gabbed to us about exercising her right to deny friend requests, her side gig as a hitman and her affinity for the other, other white meat.
LGBT Weekly : You are one popular bitch! You didn’t even have room to add me as a Facebook friend, so I was forced to ‘like’ your fan profile.
Manila Luzon: Oh, I’m sorry! It’s getting really hard. But I’m actually on my fan page a lot more than I am on my regular page, so I kinda feel bad for my real friends and family.
When are you gracing San Diego with your presence?
Soon I hope, maybe August. I’ve never been to San Diego, but I recently was in a drag show that was reminiscent of your famous zoo.
You’ve been doing a lot of traveling lately. Any interesting TSA stories?
I’ve got the process down to a science. My suitcase is exactly 50 pounds; occasionally it goes up depending on how much I got tipped the night before, and I wear slip-off shoes to whisk by the security line as fast as possible. My secret is I never take the liquids out of my carry-on and place them in a plastic bag. I can’t believe I just said that, they’re probably gonna put me on a list now because of my make-up.
What’s the craziest thing to happen to you since you first appeared on Drag Race?
People who say they’re my fans trying to hit on me! I’m like ‘honey, that’s cute and all, but if you really were a fan of mine you’d know I’m a married woman.’ I can’t blame them for trying though, I’m just so goddamned irresistible. Trust me, I know; I take myself home every night.
Remarkably you’ve managed to keep your 9 to 5 graphic design job. How do you juggle all those balls?
I’m a drag queen, so I’m used to juggling balls, or shoving them in between my legs for that matter, but I’m really blessed that the company that I work for is very supportive during my stint as the drag queen from TV and has allowed me to take a leave of absence this month. After July, my schedule will surely clear up and I’ll be able to work Monday through Friday and perform somewhere fabulous like San Diego on the weekends.
Do your cubicle buddies think you’ve become impossible to work with?
No. I’ve always been impossible to work with. Fame hasn’t really changed me at all. Well … I guess I have changed. Now that I’m in the public eye I have to watch my behavior and become more politically correct.
No! Not you!
I know, I know. I don’t scream hateful things to random people on the street anymore as much as I used to. I’ll still do Asian accents at the drop of a hat though.
More on that later. Where does that Manila Luzon drive come from?
Drag is something I’ve always wanted to do since I was a little boy and I’d always dreamed of becoming a fabulous drag queen. Both in and out of a wig I’m always the same person. The only difference is that with the wigs and the corsets and the pantyhose on I’m just more uncomfortable. Maybe that’s where it stems from.
Was it hard growing up in Minneapolis as a mixed/gay kid who to top it off was named Karl Westerberg?
For some reason I had a normal childhood. Don’t get me wrong, I had my awkward Lady Gaga ‘little monster’ phase when I thought no one loved or understood me, especially when you don’t want to look different and just fit it, but my parents raised both me and my sister telling us that we were beautiful and that it was OK to be different.
Did drag help you come into your own?
When I got in my mom’s make-up kit and put some lipstick on, I remember looking in the mirror and thinking, ‘Ooh I look pretty.’ Funny thing is after I took it off I realized I was attractive, so drag helped me achieve that. Don’t get me wrong it was busted drag, but it still helped me come out of my shell and made me comfortable in my body.
Any advice for aspiring queens?
To never stop trying. Every time I get in drag I try to make it better than the last. I always want to improve, and achieve a better look than the last time. I always try to be creative, because I consider drag to be an art.
Speaking of looks, you wore a dress to the 2011 GLAAD Media Awards with an oversized blue ribbon on it, and recently tweeted a link to a vintage video showing Crystal LaBeija flipping out after not placing in the Miss All-American Beauty pageant. Is that a message to Raja?
[Laughs] Of course not! If I was to lose to anyone I was glad it was Heather. But in all honesty I would have loved to have had that freak out moment after not winning and snatched the crown right off Raja’s head and caused a scene, but that’s not really me.
Tell me something scandalous that will make this interview go viral.
Scandalous? I could never say something scandalous about my drag sisters.
Wow, taking the high road. That’s very admirable.
Well, hold on. I am pretty sure Carmen Carrera is not a dude. Thing is, I’ve seen her naked, but have never seen any male genitalia. I want to see the paperwork like Shangela said. I also heard she’s packing so I’d like to see that as well. You know what they say about those Puerto Rican boys.
Because of the show, Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park” accidentally became your signature lip-synch song. Any health concerns recreating that unforgettable cross-eyed freak out over and over?
I love performing that on the road. There’s nothing better than putting on a big black diva’s song and singing like a crazy person. I don’t break out in tears like I did during the show because the emotional situation isn’t there, and also because my fanilas ask to take pictures with me after the show and I don’t want to ruin my make-up.
I’ve always admired people who can go cross-eyed on cue. I could never do that.
Have a couple of drinks, it’ll just come natural.
During that performance you famously wore a Big Bird look and on Drag U you rock a Cookie Monster-inspired frock. Do you have a weird Sesame Street fetish you’d like to share?
I don’t have any more Sesame Street costumes in my wardrobe. It was just homage to my memorable moment on Drag Race. I love costumes that have a theme, even when it hits you over the head with it.
You should consider getting a Snuffleupagus-inspired dress to complete the trifecta. That’d be way sexy.
There’s no way that fur trunk wouldn’t fit in my suitcase.
On U straight women are given well-deserved glamovers. If you were to pick any man in the news right now to give a drag makeover to, who would it be?
Maybe Raja. I bet she would be very pretty is she were in drag.
Snap! You share the spotlight with prior Asian Drag Race alumni Ongina and Jujubee. Did anyone get you three confused during the taping?
No. I’m 6-feet tall and Ongina is literally the size of a frickin’ Barbie doll and she doesn’t have hair. And nobody would confuse me with Jujubee because I had her killed.
I think you just gave away the last episode.
Yes. I kidnap and murder Jujubee during the season finale.
You took some heat for propagating racial stereotypes. Did Ongina and Jujubee (before her passing) have any beef with it?
No, they all thought it was funny. The thing is that most Asians found the humor in it. It was the non-Asians that got offended.
I thought for sure you’d answer: ‘Yes … Mongolian beef.’
Oh, we don’t eat beef. We just eat cats and dogs, darling.
Hey, ‘Well-behaved women seldom make their Facebook blow up,’ the old axiom goes …
I’m having a lot of fun and I’ve received a lot of support and love. Who doesn’t love to be loved? It’s a great feeling. Now I understand why people want to become famous.
RuPaul’s Drag U premiers Monday, July 20 on Logo.
