So I'm sat on a bathroom floor backstage at RuPaul's 'Condragulations' tour at The Ritz in Manchester. Well, I'm kneeling. Adore Delano (aka Danny Noriega) sits with a painted face and a Bianca Del Rio baseball cap on the toilet seat in front of me, despite offering it to me multiple times. I tell her she's the star, not me; and she laughs.
Adore Delano is a star. She radiates charisma, undeniably the most electric Queen in a warm meet and greet room full of eager drag fans scrambling for photos. She also seems genuinely overjoyed to see her fans, reaching for hugs from those in the queue and lighting up with every person who passes.
Under the cooler fluorescent lights of the bathroom I can see her a lot better. Her face is animated while she speaks and its bizarrely captivating to watch. Adore Delano is funny, gorgeous and honest. I like her.
I start the interview and we are interrupted by Sharon Needles. She opens the door, sighs then leaves. I lose my cool, then we continue.
M: Hi!
Adore: Hey!
M: Why did you start doing drag?
A: Um… because I’m crazy - no! Um, being a boy is boring and
when I got older I realized that you could make it a profession, like a career – I've been given this amazing opportunity called Drag Race and you can make this
your career. You dress up like it’s Halloween every day, making a lot of money
while doing it!
M: What would you tell yourself 10 years ago?
A: You’re awesome! I was so cool when I was 15! I was the
coolest teenager in the world, I was very gender bending, Pete Burns-y. I was a
really cool kid. I feel like I was more mature then than I am now, like I could
give myself advice now from back then.
M: Whats your favourite song on your album, 'Till Death Do Us Party'?
A: Oh my gosh… my favourite song on there; I think for me is ‘I Adore U’. I had the most writing on 'I Adore U' and it was just like a personal
experience I was going through, and 'My Address is Hollywood' was just a time
that I felt famous as a 13 year old and like, nobody knew who I was. The thing
Lady Gaga described about 'fame being on the inside' - that was my first experience
with that, going to Hollywood, thinking 'I’m gonna make it here. Not sure what I'm gonna do, but I'm gonna make it here, so yeah.
M: What’s the coolest venue you've ever performed at?
A: The coolest venue… I don’t know! Its so weird because
like I’m a Libra and (like I don’t know if you already knew that) but depending
on which mood I'm in, I really love those theatrical venues, like with the big
balconies - and the structure of old time venues and stuff like that but sometimes if I'm touring with my band I prefer a kinda rock setting – I really like a 'not-too-small-but-kinda-big' pub, but still a pub so like, not a huge venue. There's just
something cool about that gritty feeling; its punk rock and pop like that is so
much fun to me. I love it! I ask them if they can book smaller because I mean…
y’know, its fun!
M: So you, Bianca Del Rio and Courtney Act were Top 3 on
RuPaul’s Drag Race last season – What’s your relationship like with them both
now?
A: I love them! I was literally just tweeting Courtney right
now to tell her that they were playing her song here and I was so tired I
literally didn't know what was going on, so I was like “Is Courtney here?!” No, but I mean I love them! The other day; it was interesting, we were in a bar
and this fan asked Bianca ‘Are you guys really best friends?’ and she goes ‘No,
we’re more like family’ and I don’t even see her as a best friend – I literally
see her as my older brother. We just click, and we’re all so different, and we’re
all from different universes of drag but the most important thing that I talked
to you about at the beginning – we don’t really have to understand it as long
as there's a mutual respect in whatever that we do – its all about the grand
hustle and its just working your ass off and we all respect that and we all realize that. I love them so much. We were the only top 3 that held hands, and
when Bianca won my initial reaction was *gasp* but then I was like “fuck”, but
I'm so proud of her, shes a really good guy. Really good people.
M: Are you working on a new album?
A: Yes! We've started the writing and we’ll finish in May.
Hopefully we’re releasing it, although its gonna be pushed back because everybody’s
releasing an album now but we’re pushing it back to Autumn – around fall kinda?
M: Do you know when you’re next going to tour the UK?
A: I know when I’m touring next year… I’m touring with my
band here. I don’t think I should say that but yeah, I think I’m touring with
my band here in July and August. I’m excited! It’s so different y’know – a drag
queen with a punk rock band just being crazy and sweaty and gross. It’s fun.
M: Yeah – you’re incredible! I've watched videos of
you performing on stage and you seem to be in your element! But talking about
videos – I've also stalked your YouTube and one question has to be: When will Angel Baby return?
A: Oh man! Um, when I get fired from this job – no um, I've just not had any time! I've seen my mom 3 times this year, like I don’t even
have time anymore to do anything and the days that we have off I just sleep! I’m
like ‘So I’m not sleeping on a plane? This is an actual bed?’ People take advantage
of that – I could sleep all day!
BUY ADORE'S ALBUM HERE
VISIT ADORE'S WEBSITE HERE
CONNECT WITH ADORE ON:
massive thanks to project publicity and adore delano. you rock.
(and if that shit wasn't cool enough, on the way out I walked past Roy Haylock - i have been blessed.)