Beloved Drag Race alum Alaska Thunderf*ck brings her space alien weirdness to KC
Photo by Albert Sanchez
Less than five seconds into our interview, Alaska Thunderfuck 5000 told us two important things: “I’m in Los Angeles—and I’m alive.” As we all know, in L.A., those two things aren’t always mutually exclusive. “I’m alive—and that’s such a blessing,” she added.
Seems Alaska—Ms. Thunderfuck, if you’re nasty—may be running on fumes. She has, after all, been hard at work rehearsing and putting the finishing touches on her upcoming nationwide tour to promote her latest album Red 4 Filth. (The solo tour was postponed from earlier this year when Omicron hit with a vengeance.) That’s on top of Alaska recently completing a three-week run of her own musical—the aptly named Drag: The Musical—which she performed at the Bourbon Room in Los Angeles.
The Pitch got a chance to dish with the hardest-working woman in dragbusiness to get the scoop on her album (which is out now), her interdimensional solo tour (which includes a local stop on November 19 at recordBar), and her love of all things Ace of Base.
The Pitch: When you started drag—what, like a decade ago now?—did you ever think you’d be omnipresent? I mean, you’re now an author, a recording artist, a podcast maven, and you’ve won RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars—gurl, you’re everywhere.
Alaska: No, I didn’t think that. I thought drag was just a hobby that was fun and fierce. And I just liked doing it. And I still like doing it. I’m not doing anything that different than when I started.
I don’t know that I’m really good at drag. My sort of mantra every time I’m getting in drag is ‘I don’t know how to do drag.’ Because I kind of don’t. There are some queens who are just really fucking good at drag and I don’t consider myself that.
I consider myself to be really lucky that people who are good at doing stuff are my friends. I can wear hair that looks great ‘cause my friends did it. Clothes that look great ‘cause my friends made them. It’s my pleasure—and I enjoy doing it.
Your long-awaited new album Red 4 Filth just dropped. What’s word on the street been since its release?
I think people really like it. I heard it’s really good for working out. Like, it’s really good workout music—and I appreciate that.
It’s got an early-2000s Christina and Britney vibe to it. Am I wrong? Was that by design?
That’s completely by design. I wanted it to be a time traveling experiment that we’re going back to a time where the internet was still a new thing, and we were all navigating this strange new world.
Also, can we talk about your cover of Ace of Base’s “All That She Wants”–it’s genius.
Thank you so much. I love that song. That was the first cassette tape I ever got. My cousin Chad got a fucking boombox and a cassette tape of Ace of Base. I was so jealous, and I was like, ‘I want that for my birthday!’ My birthday came around and I got it.
When it’s your first album that you’re listening to all the time, it becomes a part of you. So, it was really fun to live in that song for a minute.
Um, what’s with the video? Sort of zombie-meets-swamp-queen-meets-alien realness.
[laughs] It is. I cast my muse Bosco as the main character in this music video. She’s being trapped and controlled by this evil space lady and eventually breaks out. And then—in Act II—everybody is just covered in mud and climbing on a Tesla. Very Halloween.
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve been recognized—out of drag—by your voice alone? It’s very distinctive.
It’s always the voice. I can go pretty much unnoticed but as soon as I have to answer, ‘Debit or credit?’ — it’s over. It’s really over.
I love it when airplane flight attendants recognize me. That’s my favorite. I think they clock the voice and then they see me and then look at my name on the flight manifest. And then they Google ‘What is Alaska Thunderfuck’s real name?’ and then they’re like, “Oh, it is her!” And then we start talking! I love it.
I know it’s been, like, five years, but what do you remember most about the legendary Read U, Wrote U video. I need behind-the-scenes tea.
Well, I remember the dancers were very, very good. And I’m not that good at dancing. And they were very helpful in the sense they just sort of grabbed you and turned you and walked you over to the place you needed to be. They were very good at helping us look good—so I’m really grateful to the dancers.
And I remember I painted myself blue and I used the wrong kind of paint. It was flaking off of me and there were huge blue holes in my skin. (Did you have to reapply??!) I did. I had (the paint) right off the backstage. I had to get my armpits or anywhere the costume was touching. It was flaking off completely. What a pain.
You’re back on tour—which kicked off in Orlando on October 25th. Why start the tour in Florida, dear?
I don’t know. Someone makes those decisions for me. But I can’t wait—and the weather will be warm, right?
You come to Kansas City on November 19. What can concertgoers expect?
It’s sort of like an outer space, sci-fi movie but the soundtrack is all the music from my album. I’m excited to tell the story of Alaska in space. I’m changing clothes a lot.
From a reader: What quote do you want embroidered on a pillow that will be mass produced and sold at DragCon?
‘Anus-thing is possible!’ It’s my life’s philosophy.
Let’s say you could only lip-sync one song for the rest of eternity. What is it?
I haven’t lip-synced in so fucking long. Omigod—I guess it would be Whitney Houston’s ‘I Have Nothing.’ I would lip-sync that if it was the only one I was allowed to do.
Finally, I need a definitive yes or no—does pineapple belong on pizza?
Yes! I love pineapple. I know that a lot of people consider it just a Hawaiian pizza thing. Like, pineapple goes with ham. But I don’t eat meat. I just like pineapple and onion and green peppers. That shit is fucking good.
Alaska Presents The Red 4 Filth Tour 2022
Saturday, November 19 • 8:30 p.m.
