I'm alive when that energy exchange takes place There's a sort of magic when you fill a venue with people who are strangers to you and to each other and somehow connect with them all and bring them into the story going on stage. My most affirming moments always happen on stage. Outside of Dragula, what was a drag-related experience that felt affirming to you? I also deal with duct taped tits and a rubber dick all the time too!Ī post shared by Landon Cider DragKing on at 11:52am PDT But I must secretly love the backstage anxiety attacks I give myself when going from one face to a completely new one in 30 minutes.

But I always have a story and a fully visualized characterization to go with it, which makes mid-show makeup changes a bitch. I found historical kings and male Impersonators like Hetty King and Storme Delarverie and their careers were extremely inspiring! Kings like Sexy Galexy from Australia painting colorful boy drag faces helped me realize there was so much more than doing 'passable' or male illusion drag and from then on I wanted to explore it all.Įverything! I get bored with one style so I incorporate a lot of diversity. There wasn’t a local king scene for me to experience so I turned to the internet. But there have been many moments where misogyny reared its pink-tipped head and I did what any good dyke would do: strap in on and fuck the patriarchy.ĭid you have drag kings that you looked up to, or people that you feel get left out of the drag canon but are important to recognize historically? Local queens saw and encouraged my potential out the gate and I now enjoy the respect I've earned from most of the community with the hard work I’ve put in throughout the years. What has been your experience as far as acceptance for drag kings in your communities? Here, we talked to Cider about his experience as a drag king, the people he looked up to, and what you can expect out of his reign of terror.Ī post shared by Landon Cider DragKing on at 3:04pm PDT In their release about the win, the Boulet Brothers said the performer 'has worked for years to carve his way through a male-dominated field with determination, grit, creativity, dignity, and an infectious positivity that is inspiring in this day and age.' He also judged Alaska Thunderfuck's Drag Queen of the Year Pageant in May, where he helped to crown Dragula season 2 contestant Abhora as the winner. And throughout the competition, Cider seemed to glide through it all with ease, eventually landing on top of the heap and winning $25,000.īut Cider is no new face to drag. He would be one of the first drag king to perform on the show - out of drag, Kristine BellaLuna is a cisgender lesbian. When Cider’s casting was announced, it was historic. Since 2016, that’s expanded to a horror-themed televised drag competition which, this year in its third season, streamed on Amazon Prime.

The Boulet Brothers have been building their own inclusive, spooky drag dynasty for quite some time now. But maybe, Landon Cider’s historic win on the Boulet Brothers’ Dragula series, is the sign of a change. Maybe it’s because they don’t have their own RuPaul standing as not only a bright point of representation, but as a behind the scenes powerbroker on their behalf. Drag kings do not get the same mainstream love and attention as their sisters.

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