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Bianca Del Rio is not coy. As an insult comic and drag queen, Bianca (real name Roy Haylock) rose to prominence after winning RuPaul’s Drag Race, and soon after her insanely sharp wit was lauded by The New York Times, Joan Rivers, and, well, us. The live-taping of Bianca’s hilariously hate-filled show Rolodex of Hate — part of our new slate of Vimeo Originals and our first-ever stand-up special — is now ripe for the streaming. And needless to say, we were beyond thrilled to welcome Bianca to Vimeo HQ for a tour, an interview, and a shot.
I admit I was petrified for our interview, though. Someone who has made a career of insulting people might very well tear me to pieces, so when she arrived, I had a few well-crafted witticisms all set to blurt out. But before I could even extend my hand, she fawned over my sweater, tossed out an emphatic X-rated compliment, and my nerves were no more. It was apparent right away that Bianca Del Rio’s capacity for comedy is equally matched by her ability to endear herself to a room with a winning combo of warmth and humor.
Rolodex of Hate is packed with equal opportunity takedowns of just about everybody and it’s completely uncensored — just as the creator intended. And in that spirit, the interview below is edited only for length, not vulgar verbiage. So reader, be mindful if you’re one who goes weak at obscenities or heaps of willfully offensive analogies. This interview is not for you.
Rachel: Can you explain what a ‘rolodex of hate’ is and how the concept originated?
Del Rio will subject herself to a roast and 40th birthday party on Thursday (June 18) as part of a fundraiser for 'Hurricane Bianca,' which is described as 'a feature-length comedy about a New. Bob The Drag Queen @ Bianca Del Rio’s 40th. Birthday Roast. Bob the drag queen darienne lake courtney act bob darienne courtney shane jenek roast rupaul's drag race rpdr rdr drag queen drag season8 season6 ours 1000.
Bianca: I worked in bars for many years, so you deal with different audience components: you have the drunk straight white girl, you have the bitter f—g in the corner … you have all these stereotypes. So it’s basically a collection of hateful things that have worked out in my favor.
I think we all have things that we hate, things like …. Uggs. F—ing Uggs. Just gross shoes. They’re not appropriate, they’re not good for certain weather, and you know they smell. And if they don’t smell from the b—ch that’s wearing them, the sheep that had them before definitely funked them out. So I’ve collected a lot of that over the years.
You sold out performances of your show before you’d even written it. What was the process of actually writing it like?
It was very difficult to write because I’m not a good writer. Even through RuPaul’s Drag Race I was writing a diary, and I just stopped and was like, ‘I’m boring myself.’ I’m better in the situation. And for many years my shows were more improv and more in the moment.
So when it started last November, it took me at least a month to get my grounding because I didn’t have a director, I didn’t have an editor, it was just me. I didn’t trust anyone else to do it for me — because you know when it’s ready [and] you know when it’s wrong. But you don’t know ’til you try it. It’s kind of like fingering at prom.
For your special, you and Vimeo teamed up to do a live taping of one of your shows while you were on tour. How did that come together?
It was only recently that I received a call saying they were interested in doing it. And I thought ‘Well, this is great!’ and after, I turned down *every* offer with HBO and Showtime (I’m kidding). Because here was a company that was willing to take a chance basically on an unknown outside of a gay world or a Drag Race-affiliated world. They were willing to take a chance on something and put it out there and I’m uncensored, which are words you never hear anymore because everybody’s so politically correct and concerned about offending and they have to deal with advertisers, yadda yadda yadda.
And it was probably the easiest contract I’ve ever signed and the easiest transition — can we say transition? — it was the easiest Caitlyn Jenner I ever had into a situation.
But I also know they did their research, and they found out it was selling and working: by the end of the year it’s going to be 93 performances that I’ve done. From here to Vienna to Australia to London to Manchester, England to all over the States, places I never f—ing expected that existed, much less that had gay people. Ohio has gay people!
Piggybacking off of the censorship point, you open the show talking about political correctness and state that the evening isn’t for the lighthearted. Is there any line in comedy that you wouldn’t want to cross?
No. I say f—k it. It’s all for the taking. That’s the hard part of the world we live in now. You can’t say it because someone’s offended. But it’s also interesting to see people look around before other people laugh because they’re afraid to do it and be judged by it.
People haven’t gotten more sensitive, we just hear more of their opinions thanks to social media. So if I say something about that plant [over there], then I’m plantphobic, then some f—ing plant group is gonna tweet me, then some other plant group is gonna say ‘We love cactus!’ and the other person’s gonna say, ‘Yeah, without water nothing grows!’ You know what? F—k all of you. Consider the source. I’m a man in a f—ing wig … you don’t like it? Don’t f—ing watch it.
And that’s what I think is lost. You know, I don’t like the Kardashians — unless they invite me on their show — but I don’t like them, and I don’t care about them, and I don’t give a s—t. They don’t give a s—t about me. So the point is I don’t entertain it, I don’t watch it, I don’t contribute to it. And I have peace in myself knowing that no matter how rich they are, or how fabulous they are, or how much they fooled f—ing half the world, they’re gonna die. And that’s that.
What I’m talking about are my experiences, especially in the show, with pedophilia and moments that I’ve experienced. No one can tell me that I can’t talk about it because it’s my story, and I can say it any way I want. And if I’m laughing at it, who the f—k are you to tell me I can’t?
Is there anything that offends you?
No. What could possibly offend me? Nothing. I know what I am. And I’m also discussing what I know and my perspective. It may not be yours and you have the right to change the channel or just not buy a ticket.
But I think people forget that. People are too quick to go, ‘Well, she’s done this, and our community [feels]… ‘ F—k your community. I don’t have community meetings. I don’t get a newsletter for every gay person that’s in the world. I don’t have chat rooms going ‘Hello! We’ve got six new members that are buttf—ing!’ I don’t care! I’m not standing on the steps of the White House with a bullhorn and saying, ‘F— the world! Pedophilia’s great!’
I think it’s hysterical. And you can either laugh it, you can be shocked by it, you could walk away from it going, ‘You know what? That’s f—ed up. But I’m glad he’s gotten through it.’ There are other things that are more important.
You touch on discovering drag and your sexuality in your show. Did you start out in comedy and then find drag, or vice versa?
I started out in theater. Theater was always the world that was magical. When my family didn’t understand me — and I didn’t understand myself, I didn’t know I was gay — it led me to theater. Here was a world full of people who are talented [and] who work together to create this stuff.
So wigs and makeup and costumes were part of my fancy. Then it led to doing drag, which was kind of like, ‘Would you like to do a bit part in this? Would you like to do a bit part in that?’ Then it snowballed. I guess I had the attitude or the comedic ability. So it started when I was 20, doing drag, and it’s been a wild road. But I’ve also said yes to everything there is. I didn’t turn down Vimeo!
And we’re very happy you didn’t!
What I’m saying is I’m a firm believer in, ‘You really don’t know.’ I’m willing to take risks to an extent — unless my gut says no, which usually just means I shouldn’t have had jalapeños and nachos. But you sit back and go, ‘What do you have to lose?’
What are the major differences between touring for Rolodex of Hate and doing the kind of improv from your earlier career?
You gotta remember TV’s a powerful thing. TV opened up the doors for me to do what I’m doing now, which is pretty amazing. I’ve worked in a bar on a Monday night where you had five people. The next week you might have had 100 people. No matter what, you still had to do the show. With it, that’s kinda where your chops came from and dealing with whatever’s in front of you. But then I did Drag Race, which opened up a lot more opportunity. I’m grateful for it but there’s more to do. In the end no one’s gonna care about, ‘Oh I paid my taxes in 2014!’ Great. Be forever known for that.
Five months after winning, my manager was like, ‘I think you should do your own show,’ and I thought, ‘OK great.’ Because at that point, there were a lot of younger people who were drunk who just wanted a picture with you because you were on TV. They didn’t care what you were saying, they weren’t paying attention, they were just all, ‘Whooo girl!’ So after 20 years of that, I’m good. But it meant that I had to take this opportunity to figure out what I wanted to present to the world.
How do you prep for that shift?
I try to pretend that it’s the same five people who saw me at the club that I was at [before]. It’s larger crowds [now], but I can’t think about that. Because if you think about that then you become egotistical.
I’ve also had good people who’ve surrounded me, who will sit back and go, ‘Not your best night.’ And I know it. Whether the audience knows it or not is a whole other thing, but I also try to be honest with myself. (As I sit here with makeup on.)
That’s really refreshing to hear.
I mean, come on, what’s the good side? People are like, ‘Ohhh, you must be tired from traveling!’ And I go, ‘B—ch, I’m not flying the plane. I’m sitting here drinking my Bloody Mary looking at some fat man next to me eating peanuts. I’m happy! You know, watching the same six movies I’ve seen.’
In terms of becoming Bianca Del Rio, how long does that take, and do you still do your own makeup or do you have a makeup artist?
Oh God, no. I would never spend money on another person doing my makeup. Part of the process is knowing you have to get ready and b—ing about it for an hour beforehand. You go, ‘F—k! I got to get in drag. S—t! I have to shave.’ And it’s not even the makeup. It’s the shaving that’s the worst. It’s shaving to your raw skin and then applying 10 layers, as you see, of glamorous shellac.
It’s kind of paint by number at this point. There’s nothing that’s like, ‘Ah! Now I’m her!’ It’s more like, ‘Girl, you’re still fooling them after all these years.’
On Vimeo, we have your Birthday Roast, now the stand-up special … is there anything you’d like to do in the future with video?
I’ll do anything! I shot a film this summer called Hurricane Bianca. It deals with something very serious that most people don’t realize: in 29 states, it’s legal to be fired for being gay. And everybody’s all about, ‘Equality! Gay marriage!’ Let’s talk about this. You can be fired for being gay. And it’s a serious topic but it’s done in a comedic way, which is the only way that I would do it because I didn’t want it to be too preachy and too LGBT.
RuPaul makes a cameo, Margaret Cho, Alan Cumming, some Drag Race alumni — and there’s also my favorite person, who is my archenemy throughout the whole movie and is so f—ing funnny, Rachel Dratch. How do you explain it? Working with talented people. Usually that’s how it is. The more talented they are, the kinder they are as people. It’s the useless people who are douchebags.
What would surprise people to know about you?
Besides the fact that I’m a man … spoiler alert! That I love to buy books on Amazon. I just love books. There’s that great quote by John Waters about how if you go home with somebody and they don’t have books, don’t f—k them.
So we’ve been chatting for awhile and I know your schedule is packed. I always have a bunch of questions prepared for interviews with footnotes like, ‘If they’re running away from you, end here. If it’s going well, ask more.’ So I have more to ask but --
Shut up, girl! Let’s go! Ask whatever the f—k you want. Vimeo’s gonna be payin’ my bills for the next few months!
OK then, last one before they take you away. What’s the message you want to put out with Rolodex of Hate?
That you shouldn’t take yourself so seriously, and always trust a clown, and realize your life could be much f—ing worse. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and look up ‘blackheads’ on YouTube. If you watch those videos of people getting rid of blackheads, it’s like tumors coming out of their backs. That is the worst thing the world. You ain’t got no problems. Syria, ISIS, nothing. You go look at videos where a man gets a blackhead taken out of his back after 25 years and it’s the nastiest f—ing thing. I got no trouble. I got no trouble.
And, just f—ing laugh. There’s humor in everything. You could go, ‘Oh my God. Somebody died.’ But then you could also sit back and say, ‘Oh, thank God! Because she was annoying.’ That’s a good thing. You could be at home having sex with a guy and then you fart and you’re going ‘Oh my God, I’m so sorry! I’m so embarrassed!’ Oh, f—k him. He deserves to be s—t on because he’s a dick and he cheated on you. That kinda stuff works out in your favor later. Just let it go. It’s not that serious.
There are no rules. I didn’t plan to be here with a wig sitting on a table drinking wine with a bunch of people I didn’t know two weeks ago. But you open yourself to it.
And I, for one, am thrilled to be partaking in this boxed wine with you. Anything else?
Just listen. People see a 10-second clip of something or just see a picture and then jump to a conclusion. Listen and hear. You may not like drag queens, you may not like clowns, but there may be some truth in it that you can relate to. Which is usually what every straight man in the audience says. After we finger them. He feels my message and came for the moment.
Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me.
Of course! No worse than a perm.
Stream the all-hilarious, all-uncensored Bianca Del Rio’s Rolodex of Hate, now on Vimeo On Demand.
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Roy Haylock (born June 27, 1975), better known by the stage nameBianca Del Rio, is an American drag queen, comedian, actor, and costume designer best known for winning the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. New York magazine named Del Rio one of the top 100 Most Powerful Drag Queens in America in June 2019.[1]
Early life[edit]
Haylock grew up in Gretna, Louisiana. He is of Cuban (on his mothers side) and Honduran (on his fathers) descent[2] and is the fourth of five children. He started acting and designing costumes for plays at West Jefferson High School. After high school, he decided to move to New York City and worked at Bloomingdale's for nine months before returning to Louisiana.[3]
Career[edit]
Haylock has primarily worked as a costume designer. In 1993, he won a Big Easy Entertainment Award for Best Costume Design for Snow Queen at the age of 17.[3] He has been nominated for 13 Big Easy Entertainment Awards for costume design, winning six. Haylock has also made costumes for New Orleans Opera.[4]
In New Orleans, Haylock started performing as a drag artist in 1996 in the play Pageant.[5][6] The local drag queen Lisa Beaumann saw him in the play and later cast him in shows at the nightclub Oz.[3] Haylock won the New Orleans Gay Entertainer of the Year for three years as drag queen Bianca Del Rio.[4][7]
In 2001, Bianca Del Rio was selected as co-grand marshal, with Pat 'Estelle' Ritter and Rick Thomas for Southern Decadence XXIX.[8]
Haylock moved to New York City after Hurricane Katrina[9] and worked as a costumer for Broadway shows, ballet and opera, having worked for Barbara Matera, Ltd.[6][10] He also performed in drag as Bianca Del Rio, including in cabaret with Lady Bunny at XL Nightclub. Notable events included a roast of Patricia Krentcil, better known as 'Tan Mom.'[11][12]
Haylock starred in the first regional production of Rent (following its initial Broadway closing) at Le Petit Theatre in New Orleans, playing the role of 'Angel' opposite Christopher Bentivegna as Collins.
Del Rio was featured in the web series Queens of Drag: NYC by gay.com in 2010. The series featured fellow New York drag queens Dallas DuBois, Hedda Lettuce, Lady Bunny, Mimi Imfurst, Peppermint, and Sherry Vine.[13] In 2011, Del Rio appeared on One Night Stand Up: Dragtastic! NYC by Logo TV. The episode was filmed live at the Bowery Ballroom and was hosted by Pandora Boxx.[14]
Bianca Del Rio at RuPaul's DragCon LA, 2018
He appeared on the cover of Next for their Summer Yearbook 2012 issue.[15] Del Rio appeared on the variety show She's Living for This, hosted by Sherry Vine, in 2012.[16]
In December 2013, Logo announced that Bianca Del Rio was among 14 drag queens who would be competing on the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. She quickly became a front-runner among the contestants and a fan favorite, eventually reaching the top three. On May 19, 2014, Del Rio was crowned the winner of the sixth season over runners-up Adore Delano and Courtney Act. She was the second winner and fourth contestant to reach the finale without having to lip sync for her life, and is the first contestant in the history of the series to make it through the entire competition without ever placing low or in the bottom of a challenge. Del Rio is also the first Hispanic winner of RuPaul's Drag Race.
In 2013, Del Rio was announced as the lead in the independent film Hurricane Bianca, written and directed by Matt Kugelman. An Indiegogo campaign was created to finance the film and was sponsored by Fractured Atlas, a non-profit art services organization in New York City; the campaign raised over $30,000.[17] A sequel, Hurricane Bianca: From Russia With Hate, was released in 2018.[18]
Following her success on Drag Race, Del Rio has written and toured several stand-up shows, including The Rolodex of Hate (2014), Not Today Satan (2015–16), Blame It On Bianca Del Rio (2017–2018) and now, It's Jester Joke (2019). [19] She has also performed as a host on the Werq the World Tour alongside other Drag Race queens.[20]
Filmography[edit]Film[edit]
Television[edit]
Web series[edit]
Music videos[edit]
Theatre[edit]
Comedy tours[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bianca_Del_Rio&oldid=902136288'
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