Casting a reality show is seemingly like making the perfect stew; every ingredient has to be perfect, as well as go well with the other ingredients. Putting “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 2” winner Alaska is like putting the pot on the stove and turning it up to nuclear! Sharp tongued and statuesque, Alaska is ready to face whatever potential “fears” come her way on the newest reality offering from VH1. I sat down for a chat with this glamour-puss where we talked touring with drag queens vs. living in a haunted house, to the possibility of some new music coming from this superstar, and of course, what she finds truly scary in today’s times (with the help of sage words from drag icon Coco Peru).
What is new in the world of Alaska? Between making music and being “Scared Famous” you are busier than ever! Absolutely! Right now, I am on tour with Courtney Act and Willam, The AAA Girls, and we have three shows left on the tour. It’s been really amazing!
So you are going to be wrapping up the tour and then we are going to get to start watching you in the “Scared Straight” house! Talk about changing it up! Girl, you don't know scary until you've been on tour with two other drag queens. (laughs).
What made you want to take the opportunity and do “Scared Famous”? There are some pretty heavy personalities in there, like Drita D’Avanzo and “New York” herself, Tiffany Pollard. Well, once they asked me, I started thinking about it and it was like “why not” you know? I love scary stuff, I love scary movies, and I definitely don’t scare very easily. I also got to support a charity during the experience, and mine was the Los Angeles LGBT center.
Do you do a lot of work with the Los Angeles LGBT Center on your own? I have been working with them for a while, yes. I love them so much, they give a lot of resources to younger people. It is hard enough to be young to begin with, but to be young and gay on top of it, it’s that much more difficult. Kids get thrown out of their houses, things like that. They give resources to so many kids and they really do some great work.
Entering the “Scared Famous” house looks super spooky! Was it scarier entering this house or scarier entering the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” work room? The thing is, the women on “Scared Famous” are strong, lovely and were so incredibly welcoming of me coming into the house. I really felt so familial, especially with Eva (Marcille) and Drita. I hope that it comes across that way on the show too. The are just amazing and strong women, and I fucking love strong women. I idolize them.
The trailer for the show definitely looks like there is a fear for each and every one of you to tap into. Was there anything you definitely knew you did not want to do once you entered the “Scared Straight” house? I said right off the bat, they better not make me eat some weird “Fear Factor” shit. You are just gonna have to tune in to see if they tried it with me.
Is there anyone on this cast that you definitely thought you may not get along with or really surprised you? You know what, no. None of them thankfully surprised me in that way. I am sure that none of these people knew who the fuck I am (laughs). I thought at first they would think I was a mole of some sort, but everyone was so chill and so great.
Be it “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” or touring with the AAA girls, you definitely are able to take something away from the experience. As a matter of fact on “All Stars” you took the crown, winning the competition! What were you able to take away from the “Scared Straight” experience? I took away that I am so fucking pampered. I love wi-fi and cell phone reception and Starbucks and air conditioning! I mean, the air conditioning was running, but it’s a big mansion and it seemed to be running at ten percent capacity and full of stage lighting and things like that. We were definitely baking (laughs). I realized that I am a pampered princess and I am happy with what I have!
How was touring been with the other girls? Three drag queens on one tour could make for some interesting backstage stories! It’s been really cool. The show is really cool and weird. There really has not been anything like it.
Are we on the verge of getting another Alaska album? “Poundcake” was true experience and you just released your new track “Valentina”, an ode to one of the most polarizing queens on Season Nine. Well I guess you are just going to have to wait and see. I just think I may be able to deliver something for you....
The world is very scary now indeed. What is scaring you the most in real life? There is so much! (laughs). I think it’s reactionary action. Knee jerk reactions. Whether it’s violence or hate speech or discrimination, that is what really scares me. We live in a time, where as my idol Coco Peru says, “we used to just talk shit to our friends in quiet corners, now we have Twitter and we literally shout it into a loudspeaker into the universe”. I think it can get very inflammatory and people really do more harm than good sometimes. I think the solution is that we all need to sit down and shut the fuck up for a little bit and maybe listen more than talk for a change.
So after a quick cameo on last season’s “The Celebrity Apprentice” and now “Scared Famous”, could any other reality shows be in your future post “Drag Race”? I could see you in the “Celebrity Big Brother” house or taking a turn on “Dancing with the Stars” You know, I’m not much of a dancer, but I would sure take a crack at “Dancing with the Stars”! I think I would definitely need to be paired with a tall partner though, because I’m a tall ho. I’ll be waiting for the phone call how about that? (laughs).
“Scared Famous” will premiere on Monday, October 23rd at 9PM ET/PT. Pictures courtesy of VH1