Are you a fan of the TV competition "RuPaul's Drag Race"?
Then you're gonna love the upcoming season.
Discord Addams of St. Petersburg was among those lining up to be the next "America's next drag superstar."
Addams is known for his high-fashion punk rock maximalist personality.
Speaking to "Florida Matters Live & Local" Addams could not hide his excitement and honor to be part of the iconic show.
"RuPaul's Drag Race" is a reality show where drag queens compete in various challenges under the mentorship of RuPaul, the American drag queen pioneer. Contestants showcase their talents in fashion, performance and charisma.
Season 18 premieres Friday at 8 p.m. on MTV.
A viewing hosted by Addams begins at 7 at Coctkail St. Pete, 2355 Central Ave.
"We are throwing a gigantic party," Addams told guest host Sky Lebron. "They are going to have the TV show projected over the pool. Everybody will be able to watch. They've got tables and VIP service. It's going to be a lot of fun, and we will all be there celebrating together."
The interview below was edited for clarity and length.
What was the start of everything? What drew you to drag?
I started way back in 2011 and I saw Raja [Gemini win] on "[RuPaul's Drag Race"] Season 3. It changed my perspective on what my limited idea of drag was. It was also my way of becoming the rock star that I have always emulated.
I've loved Steven Tyler, the Sex Pistols, and I've always wanted to be that, but I was never able to sing. Drag was my way of being able to become the rock star that I always wanted to be.
What was your idea of drag before the mind shift?
You know, big hair, camp, lots of sequins. When you close your eyes and picture the word '"drag queen," that was what I pictured.
What would you say to people that still think of it that way?
I would say come to a Discord Addams show, and I will change your perspective on anything you think drag could possibly be.
I love to play guitar live. I love to shoot sparks from my belt. Sometimes I even staple money to myself. There are so many ways you can do drag.
You moved to St. Pete from Chicago. What was your life as a drag queen in the Windy City?
Cold. It was very cold.
When we moved here, all of my drag was so big and so large because I was freezing all the time, so I had to adjust to the climate here. Now I wear significantly less.
Was it the main reason that you made the move to Tampa? What brought you to this area?
I was going through a breakup with the city. My friend was going through a rough breakup. Me and my partner wanted to move into her house and help her take care of herself. She helped take care of us.
It was kind of this mutual, beautiful conglomeration; we just formed this beautiful friendship. She's been my friend since 15, so to be able to reconvene in Florida, it really just meant the world to all of us.
What is the drag scene like out in Tampa Bay area? How's your schedule work?
I perform pretty exclusively at Cocktail St. Pete. They really take care of me and all the drag queens here.
I would say that the scene in St. Pete is so beautiful and so rich. We all are doing completely different styles of art, but we're all holding each other's hands while doing it. We all uplift and support each other, and it's everything that I wanted a community to be and especially within the queer scene.
Was there anything that surprised you moving to this area?
There is a preconceived notion that drag queens can be catty, and that is definitely the case in some cities. Moving to Florida, it was the complete opposite of that. It was very surprising and wonderful; it would be hard for me to imagine not doing drag in St. Pete.
Let's talk about "RuPaul's Drag Race." You've been auditioning for the show for about a decade. How does it feel and what does that journey look like for you?
It's been pretty nonstop. My partner is my partner in-crime. We do everything together; he helps create all of my outfits.
All of our outfits are fully sustainable; they are fully upcycled, so we don't waste anything. Getting to showcase that in my audition tapes and on the "Drag Race," it just meant the world to us. Especially after auditioning year after year after year and finally getting the call when I think we're at our best selves right now.
RuPaul always knows. Every year I was, like, "Do they hate me?" and I got on this year. RuPaul, she knew this was the year for me.
How does that work with your schedule? How do you do tapings for that show? Do you have to stop doing your job for a while? How do you mix the two?
It's like muscle memory at this point. I've been doing it so many times, I feel like I could close my eyes and film this audition tape. It used to be very time-consuming; I would have to block off a month. Now I can just, "Yep, let's just whip it together. I know these questions."
You talked about upcycling a lot of your outfits. How do you do that?
We love to go thrifting and finding, like, old curtains and duvet covers, anything like that speaks to us.
My partner can make them into something that looks like it costs a million dollars, while we likely only spent $50 max. We save all the scraps from our old fabrics. We love to save old, broken jewelry — we never throw away a single piece of jewelry. You can put them on your lapels, on your shoulders, you can put it in your hair, on your face.
There are so many ways to look expensive and drag while not having to spend almost any money at all.
Is that a rarity to upcycle your clothes?
I think a lot of drag queens rely on a lot of different high-end designers now, and I think that they thought that that was the way to get on "Drag Race."
We wanted to show people that you don't have to have designer friends; you don't have to shell out a lot of money. You can bring back drag to what its roots were, which were upcycling, being crafty and resourceful.
I think that's what we need more of — especially right now, during how horrible these economic times are — I think that we need to inspire people to just be craftier. Stop using AI. Stop relying on things outside of your means. We can do anything if we put our minds to it.
How did it feel when you finally made the show?
It was so surreal.
I was at home wrapping Christmas presents in Ohio, and I was on the phone with my brother.
Then I saw a Los Angeles number coming through, and I was like, "You know what, this might be 'Drag Race,' but I don't know, but I'm gonna answer it, just in case." I was like, "Bill collectors never call from Los Angeles, so this has got to be."
And they moved me on to the next round. I was like, "Nope, this is it. I made it. I'm certain right now that I made it," and I just screamed. And we didn't stop working from that moment forward.
What was the first thing you did after you got the call?
We literally went right to Joann Fabrics.
My friends threw me a giant surprise party. They decorated the whole area to look like the work room. They made me a beautiful cake, all my friends came over.
And now all of my friends are flying in from all across the country to come to the premiere party that is going to be at Cocktail.
The taping for the season has already wrapped. The world is about to see you and your talent. How does that make you feel?
Because I've been preparing for over a decade, I'm just excited now.
I think maybe five years ago I would have been shaking in my boots, but now I'm just so confident in the artist that I have become. I'm so happy and confident with what I was able to showcase on the show. Now I'm just over the moon and excited for everybody to get to finally see it.
What is next for you? Are you going to continue to do shows out in St. Pete?
I do want to make a punk album, and I do want to be able to continue to showcase the upcycled fashions that my partner made. Merging the punk world and the fashion world together, I think that's the direction that I'm headed.
You have a really cool punk rock, Gothic aesthetic with your outfits. Where did that come from?
I grew up a punk kid in Akron, Ohio. Going to shows was basically everything I did every single weekend. Me and my friends were always, like, decorating our jackets, spiking our hair. I think that whole world just really called my name because the politics of it all, too.
Most punk kids are very heavily into antiracism, antitransphobia, antibigotry, and that's been a core staple of who I've always been. So getting to merge that into my drag has been really important for me.
This story was compiled from interviews conducted for "Florida Matters Live & Local." You can listen to the full episode here.
