The Bald and the Beautiful with Trixie and Katya - "Dirty Ted and Steffanie" with Kim Chi

Episode Date: October 20, 2020

Kim Chi joins Trixie and Katya to chat about how she built her own cosmetic empire, who she thinks is the best makeup artist queen, and what it was like performing with Trixie at early gigs at the Soho House. Plus, Katya and Kim Chi retell a story of how they were saved by a fan in a torrential downpour at Denny's. https://kimchichicbeauty.com/ Go to GreenChef.com/bald80 and use code bald80 to get $80 off across 4 boxes including free shipping on your first box Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Are we just going straight into it? You guys aren't going to be like, you guys aren't going to be like, hi, this is Trixie and Katya. Oh, we can do that later. We can do it later. No, we can do it later. We'll do, we'll do, um,

should we do it now? Whoa! Wow, yeah! We can do that later. We can do it later. No, we can do it later. We'll do, should we do it now? Whoa. Wow, yeah. We're waking up in the morning with Dirty Ted and Stephanie. 99.1 WFMK. It's Chris 101. Your morning, give me a brownie. Dirty Ted and Stephanie.

The worst Dirty Ted and Stephanie. The worst Dirty Ted and Stephanie. I love that. Can I be Stephanie with two Fs? Wait, what's that show? Do you remember when they were on that? Was it Maria Bamford or something where they're on the radio? It's like something,

something in the douche. That is so a radio show. Morning Radio is the last house on the left. I have done. Have you guys done Morning Radio on the last house on the left. I have done. Have you guys done morning radio on tour, like interviews on tour? I have, yeah. It's a. I can't.

I've done it. It's always two straight guys. Yep. And they're always like, so you do drag. You do people like that, huh? Tell me about that. Yeah. And you're like, oh, there's wigs.

Yeah, you put on a wig and people come see you at the show. They're always like, what's Rapal like? Right. Yep. Well, listen, I see what you're doing. I could never do that. I couldn't walk in heels. It's just like stupid.

Dirty Ted and Stephanie. Well, welcome to the morning pod. It is the morning. Thank you. It is a pleasure to be in the presence of two bald white men. Thank you. Oh, yeah. It's called the bald and the beautiful.

Yeah. So you're taking up the rear today. You're the beautiful. I'm the Asian bald. I think you have more hair than us. Yeah, you do. I can see it. We're not going to shame you. Right now. We've got a tight fade going on there. And Kim has beautiful brows and I believe you have microblading. I did like two years

ago. Did you like it or no? I liked it, yeah. It looks so real. But then I realized like half the time like I'm in drag. So it's like, who am I trying to impress? For who? Yeah. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

What are you talking about? She had, what is like demi-permanent. How long does it last? For a year. Microblading. Oh, is that like the tattoo? It's like, it's not permanent. It's like temporary eyebrow tattoo.

And is this what, for a mustache? No, eyebrow. I'm just kidding. Okay. Okay's like temporary eyebrow tattoo. And is this what, for a mustache? No, eyebrow. I'm just kidding. Okay. An eyebrow. Okay. Do you mind getting a semi-permanent mustache? It looks so real.

Well, basically, they take a little blade, and they basically sketch in hairs. Like individual strokes. And you liked it? I liked it, yeah. Maybe I should. Could I do that? Well, because if they don't do too many, it just blends in with your real brows, and it looks pretty. Yours looks probably the realest I've ever seen.

Maybe you could show me a picture afterwards. Yeah. How much did that cost you? How much did that cost me? $800. Like an average prostheser is about $800 to $1,000. Really? Yeah.

Oh, okay. But I mean, it's super detailed and personalized. I mean. Well, a tattoo, I mean. I mean, like every stroke is made with love, you know. Really? Yeah. You can really. She used to be in that business too

but it's pretty amazing if you're like i don't have hair on my head and my brows are not super full so i've wanted to get it for a long time but there's a healing period right um not for like a week yeah do you remember kim when you used to shave your brows and then you would decide to grow them back and there would be that? That's how I learned about the hateful middle stage. Oh, my. The middle stage is the worst because your hair is so hard and spiky. So no matter how much glue you put on, it's not going to be glued down.

What's the strategy? Just like a glitter moment every day? You just have to not do drag. Sunglasses. Yeah. Yeah. You can't do drag with those spiky. Or you know what I did?

Because I actually had to get in drag. Glitter. But, like, really big, chunky, craft glitter. Yeah. Will cover anything. Yeah. And then whenever, like, people are, like, getting close to you at meet and greet, you just tell them, I'm sorry, I'm having a bad makeup day. Or you just say, I'm sick.

I'm so sick. Don't get too close to me. I go, I'm sick of you. Leave the meet and greet. Trixie. close i go i'm sick of you leave the meet and greet tricksy no kim and i we i forget what tour it was kim where we had like an at-length discussion about how like when you're a drag queen on tour you got to pick your battles with glitter you know because five days a week glitter on your face oh that shit will like burn your skin

that shit will scar your skin yeah Unless you're doing really specific amounts that you change the location and you take it off like with duct tape or something. Yeah. But I mean,

you will start to eat away at your lids because of this. Like scrubbing. Scrubbing. Yeah. It's like you exfoliate that top of level

of that layer of epidermis off of your eyelid. Yeah. Like I'm sure that cheap glitter is just like colored with lead and all sorts of things

just not good for your body. Well, speaking of glitter, I have to tell you, I really enjoy your products. Oh, thank you. Yeah. I have one small bone to pick with you, but I have to tell you that the thing. Diamond Shards? Yeah.

Diamond Shards. I love it so much. I use it every single time I get in drag. It's so easy to get black glitter, right? It is fan-fucking-tastic. But why do you have 17 gold colors? I feel it. Because gold for every different skin shade.

I must be colorblind in regard to gold. I need a blue. I need a purple. Tell me they're coming. I love them. They're coming. They're all coming. The black, is it onyx it's called? The black one?

The black is fantastic. It's like black with silver pigments. Perfect for like a smoky eye. Just dab a little in the middle of your eyelid. And then the new pink, I'm obsessed with. They're so awesome. The white. The white is my like, it's like an off-white.

World dominance? Yeah, that one. That's like my, have I messed up my glow on my eyebrow and do I need to put glitter over it? I'll use that. They're so fantastic. They stay the whole, I can't believe how well they wear. And it's very glittery.

Yes. It's actually glittery. And the most concealer. This whore wears it on her face. I love the concealer. Oh my God. And the new, the whole,

the 1400 eyeshadows you just released. Beautiful. I am so, I'm so into it. And I'm, when the, when you're, you did the palette with Naomi released that came in the mail. Beautiful. I am so, I'm so into it. And when you did the palette with Naomi and that came, I was like extremely suspicious because all the colors are so, they look so bright. And I was like, these are going to be shit. No, I saw the selfie you posted.

They looked amazing. They're so beautiful. I'm so, thank you so much for sending me all that stuff. Of course. I love it. And if you guys are listening, all of them are available on kimchi shake beauty.com that's right kimchi shake beauty you better go you better go ahead and subscribe to that channel yeah you yeah you guys have beautiful beautiful content and the looks that people do the people who buy your makeup and post

the looks like yeah these are really talented people who are not professional makeup artists they're just feeling the fantasy i feel like that's like the um direction like the makeup world is like heading to it's not just about like makeup artists telling people what to do but it's about people at home creating trends the democratization of beauty yeah at the the sordid topic of coin along that lines i don't know if you guys have noticed this at your company but what with covid we saw like a little drop immediately and then people are buying as much makeup as always now or more even though they're not going anywhere yeah well makeup is for you exactly but i think at the beginning of covid everyone was like i don't shower i don't wear cologne i don't do anything yeah yeah yeah and

then they were like one day they looked in the mirror and they were like it's time it's time i'm not wearing pants but i'm gonna wear a were like, it's time. It's time. I'm not wearing pants, but I'm going to wear a full bead. Totally. It's Zoom drag. Seriously. I feel like the new trend is like having like the most like, you know, the best Zoom background. I've seen some like crazy shit with the Zoom backgrounds. Oh, yeah. And then just like the face fully done.

Well, I was telling somebody this about Zoom. You can take a HD picture of the room you're in when it's clean. And as long as the lighting doesn't change, you can sit there and keep a green screen up or whatever. Use your zoom background. And it just looks like your living room. That's incredible. Cause I was watching some YouTubers and I was like,

or they were doing lives. And I was like, how do they switch from green screen to their living room so fast? And I was like, their living room is fake. That's a picture. That is smart. I know. I'm going to take a picture of your living room so fast. And I was like, their living room is fake. That's a picture. That is smart. I know.

That is smart. I'm going to take a picture of your living room. Really? You like it? Yeah. Thank you. Trixie lives in a palace.

I love this house. You know what? There's somebody really rich coming over to do a video. Really rich. And I was like, well, just so you know, I don't have wrap home money.

I have reality TV money because I was like, this is like by far the fanciest house i've ever had as someone who's been to your various houses um i will vouch for this i like that we were pivot we're trying to plug kim's product and she goes no let's talk about all the shitty houses you've ever had you said wade no we were listen me and if you want to talk modest beginnings when i tell you me and Kimberly.

Are we talking about the garden level apartments? How did you know? Wait, how long have you known each other? God. Since like 2013? Okay. And you've lived together? No.

No. We were doing gigs together so often that I would come to Chicago, stay in her room, in her bed with her. Okay. And sleep like vampires. Okay. And that's how I learned that Kim Chi sometimes falls asleep with her glasses on, with her laptop on her chest, listening to Celine Dion

ear-splitting levels. Ear-splitting levels. Wow. Kim loves Celine. You still love Celine? I love Celine. Oh my god, is that even a question? Who doesn't love Celine? She's only gotten better with time because now she's off the little psycho. Do you

fuck with her Ave Maria do you know her her rendition of Ave Maria no oh am I behind on my Celine content no this is a while ago

but it's I'm sure you know it it's from a Christmas album I'll after the I'll I'll pull it up for you is it hard being

is owning a cosmetics empire is it hard um I don't it's all fun. So it doesn't feel like work. Yeah. Yeah. Really?

It's a lot more, um, it's a lot more admin work than you think it is. It's like, you think it's just like list lipstick. Yes. But like the steps into that are like an ending. Yeah. You're approving. You're in the lab with color swashes and goggles yeah it's a lot more like thing and by the time a product comes out you're like oh i remember when that started 16 months ago so like you know what i mean and are you like over it by

the time the product comes out yeah like by the time it comes out it's like well then you have to do the photo shoot and all that and then you're like check out this new product i know you've been touching it every day for the past like year and a half. Totally. Yeah, that's what Amy said because a while ago, she was like, we should do something together and she told me how long it takes. I was like, no, thank you.

Yeah. What I did, Oh Honey with sugar pill. You did a product with sugar pill too. I did, yeah. It took probably, Oh Honey probably took at least a year. And it was worth it

because I still use that fucking palette to this day. It's great. It's fantastic. We want to do an Oh Honey 2, like a second installment of it. Please do. And you did like a, I wear your, I know it's probably gross by now. The kimchi eyeshadow?

Yes. And the lipstick. That's my Halloween color every year. Yeah. Because originally we wanted to like launch it before the season eight like rolled out. But obviously makeup takes time. Forever. And they're coming out like later in that year.

Not to mention independent makeup. Sugar pill, kimchi cup. Like that's not Revlon. Because you're not dealing in millions of quantities. Yes. And we don't own a lab. Also, I think that was around the time where like Jeffree Star like was causing all the labs to be backed up. Right.

Because like all his stuff was selling so well that there was like he was like keep up with the quantity yeah i mean especially as a new company i don't know i i actually don't even know what which labs you guys use but for us sometimes it's like if that's the same lab that makes all these huge brands i know that i'm not the top priority for you you know what i mean i get it you ever thought about mixing it in the tub might as well yeah let's go get some pigments yeah yeah how long ago has it always been your dream to have a makeup company yes yeah yeah you're achieving your dreams do you feel satisfied i've always wanted to be a boss but like a hard one really yeah kim fires people for no reason like the one where you like i come into the office and everybody stops breathing for a second. Oh my god!

Wow. That's incredible. But I mean, no, it's not. You really are, I mean, you're probably the best makeup artist for drag queens. No, no, no. The best drag makeup artist is Layla McQueen. That's what I said! Layla McQueen is like, oh my god.

I feel like you're just like an artist. I feel like your makeup skills go broad like they go they span much more of a broad kind of depends on my motivation like how motivated am i today for cleaner lines right or like conceptual looks i mean yeah leila is really like who wouldn't want to look like leila that look is very uh it's right on that line between like an Instagram makeup and like a showgirl makeup. It's like it looks good in person. It looks so good. Everything is like perfectly

blended. Perfect. Yeah. And she has the best blend and the best graphic lines. She does. It's so incredible. Yeah, she's bomb. She doesn't have that alcoholic hand. Yeah. Well, maybe she does. You just gotta shake your body with it at the same time.

She's fierce. I think you probably are one of the best because i also something that you do is when you're on tour and stuff you never do the same makeup twice and like when i change a color in my makeup i think i've moved mountains yeah you've reinvented the wheel yeah kim like changes the look the like the shapes on her face yeah. I just get bored of doing the same thing. So, like, if I were just doing the same face every day, I probably would have quit drag. Really? Oh, damn. Yeah. I don't have a huge problem with it, only because, like, the people I wanted to be, like, look the same every day.

I mean, but also, your makeup is iconic, so there's, like, no need for you to change it. You did a good job on it. Kim did it on my channel, and she kind of slayed it. I haven't seen that. I saw your Halloween look, which was incredible. When you guys were the Boulay brothers. Oh, the Boulay brothers. That was fantastic.

And I have such a hard time drastically changing my makeup. That was a drastic change? Yeah, I remember when you dressed up as Katya. And you looked nothing like Katya. Nothing at all. But no, but it was a black eye and a red lip. Yeah. And I was in a red nightgown.

Two inches of white underneath. Which I always do. It was just so your, it's just your signature look. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It was hard.

And then you just have a way of like changing the look totally and doing things nobody's ever done. Like, do you remember this was so long ago? You did that eye look that was all geometric shapes. The square one? Yes. And I was like, who would even think of that? Are you an illustrator?

I used to be. So my background is fine arts and graphic design. Oh, that makes perfect sense. Because a lot of great makeup artists can't translate to 2D. But I'm not surprised that that's your background

because you have such a illustrative approach to makeup on. But it's just so different though. Like I'm an illustrator and I couldn't, doing makeup was very but just it's so different though like i'm an illustrator and i couldn't doing makeup was very difficult because it's the it's just different medium you know like i've always loved like playing with different mediums and being touchy-feely with that sounds gross i think you also have richer references than most drag queens most drag queens are pulling from the same four pop stars do you know what i mean absolutely yeah and you're probably

oftentimes doing your own thing in that department. Off of my own world. Yeah. Who is your ultimate, like, who are some of the ultimate pillars of female beauty for you? I mean, Pat McGrath. Okay. Like, just the work that she's done, you know, like, on the runways. Like, game changer.

You did makeup for her. I did, yeah. Kim did makeup for Fashion Week for her. What was that like paris tell us everything um basically um i wasn't necessarily doing anything but i was just like backstage just like watching like all the makeup artists work and just like assisting and it was behind the stages of giovanni Louis Vuitton, Stella McCartney. Holy shit. Miu Miu. So just like seeing all these like supermodels up close and.

Were they just 14 years old? Yup. They're also young and they're also like scared and like timid. And I saw Kim Kardashian backstage at the Givenchy show like five hours before she was robbed. Wow. No robbed. Wow. No way. Yeah. And did they see you and her in the same room

when the robbery happened? So you had five hours to plan it. That's ambitious. I was like, oh, this bitch is here. I saw her at the American, or the Influencer Awards, and I was just like, whoa. It was crazy to see her.

I saw her and Tyra the same night, and I was like, whoa. Is she very short? She's short. She's short and she's so curvy. It really is like a genie bottle. But also she's like way tinier than you think she is. Yeah.

Because she's curvy like on camera. She gets captured kind of like bigger. Yeah, she does. But she's still a tiny person. Okay. We're going to take a break. Okay. Good transition.

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Hello, hello, hello. Kim and I have known each other,e. Hello, hello, hello. Kim and I have known each other, what, 2012, 13? 13, yeah, probably going on seven years, eight years. And I think I saw Kim at Market Days outside. I remember it was like, I think you were working for this party company, and I remember it was like the end of Market

Days, and you were in drag. You were flowers on your head, long hair, and you were like collapsing a table, like taking down the event alone in drag. I was a down and dirty girl, you know, like I've done. Oh God. I used to, before like I made it in drag race, I've done all sorts of weird shit in drag.

We both, do you remember that Soho House gig, Kim? Oh my God. What happened? Kim and I were fortunate enough at a certain point to get a lot of odd gigs, especially in Chicago. Don't you think there was a lot of gigs where they were like a straight gig looking for one drag queen?

Yup. Oh, okay. And one time we did an event. We did an event. We met on Facebook. I messaged her and was like, I like your, here's some pic. I think I sent you videos of me performing. It was like, please book me.

And she did. And I was like, all right. And then years later we do this event at the Soho House. And it's me and Kim. New Year's Eve, right? New Year's Eve. Yep. New Year's Eve in Chicago at the Soho House.

And it was really fun. But we got a nice big private. Remember that bathroom? Yep. The bathroom was huge. It was like the size of a mansion. Like a mansion bathroom. And it was one of those hotels that has like a boxing ring.

Like it's fancy. Jesus. Soho House is glam is glam okay and i've been to the la one that chicago one is beautiful well you can only get a membership if you're an artist but like a rich artist yeah i think the yearly membership is like just to just to be able to go there period i think there's like an entry fee of like it's not like 30 grand or something something ridiculous yeah just to go keep the riffraff out yeah Yeah. Keep out the trash. The trash. So Kim and I got booked there and it was fun. And we got a huge dressing room to just get ready by ourselves.

And they knew they wanted us to do numbers, but they didn't really plan out. No one knew where we were going to perform or when. So for Trixie, they put her on top of a bookshelf. On top of a bookshelf. That is maybe like four by four. Yeah. Six feet off the ground. Maybe it's just a bookshelf. On top of a bookshelf. That is maybe like four by four. Yeah, six feet off the ground maybe.

It's just a bookshelf in the middle. Like you step out of an elevator and there's a decorative bookshelf and I'm standing on it lip syncing. Queen B. Queen B. And then Kim, Kim had it worse. I think you went first. Because Kim, they just had her on the floor and they started Kim's song. Kim's doing We Are Siamese If You Please.

Because the theme was like 1920s and my idea at the time was like, the Orientalism was really big in the 1920s so let me perform this. Kim tried to give these rich people concept. So Kim is luckily a few inches taller than everyone else and the music starts and the music

is about half as loud as it should be. I couldn't even hear the music. Literally barely hear it. And Kim is in the middle of a crowd,ishing doing we are siamese and people when i'm telling you are either not noticing her like backing up slowly what is she doing yeah she gets through the number like no applause people barely knew the number was happening but the money was good the money the money was cute at the time the money was like oh my god we're rich we're like we're getting new wigs and a dinner. Yeah.

In that, though, that, I mean, I've been in a variety of humiliating performance experiences, and that doesn't sound bad because you can just pretend that you're not performing. Yeah. You're not on a stage with the music half as loud as it should be with everybody expecting a show. So that's not that bad. The quiet music is really hard. When you can hear yourself lip syncing.

When you can hear the shoes scuff the floor. Yeah, like college gigs especially. Always. I've done a college gig here. I think it was USC or something. And the music was so, so, so, so quiet that I could hear myself breathe. Yes. Yeah.

I mean, the colleges, if people don't know who are listening, the colleges are usually given, their LGBT centers given a certain amount of money. And at the end of the year, if people don't know who are listening, the colleges are usually given their LGBT centers, given a certain amount of money. And at the end of the year, if they don't use it, they lose it. So if they have money left over, they usually book a famous drag queen for the gay people of the college. And the college kids are thrilled.

Yes. However, it's usually in a carpeted multifunction room. Yeah. Or cafeteria. Yeah. Seriously. Yeah.

And it's like, it's just so humiliating. I, we did at North, Northeastern university. We did every year. It was the coveted college gig. And you go out on the carpet. yeah and it's like it's just so humiliating we did at North North Eastern University we did every year it was the coveted college gig and you go out on the carpet

and you're like why didn't we do a sound check why didn't we do a sound check we know every year it's gonna be horrible and every year it was it was like I could hear

and it's like everybody's so excited and it's just so awkward or when they start screaming that you literally can't hear anything yeah yeah yeah yeah and then they scream they're also not drunk so they scream when you come out and then

they sit quietly and they sit quietly and watch the show and you're like oh which is so humiliating i don't know how to do this it's really sobering sometimes when you realize how much alcohol is part of a drag show because when everyone's 18 and they've never even been to a real drag show oh my god it's a little shocking but you know who I really give props to? Shangela. Because Shangela is the queen of college gigs. Like it doesn't matter where the college is.

Like it could be like somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Back swamp university. Shangela will be there. Yeah. Performing her like 15 minute like mix.

Beyonce mix. Beyonce mix. Instagramming the whole performance. And the sound could be low but Shangela is just like turning it out, shaking her head, like giving death drop.

Well those college gigs pay good. They pay better than clubs. So girl, tour the colleges, like giving death drop. Well, those college gigs pay good. They pay better than clubs. So girl, tour the colleges. And you know what's great about the college gigs? It starts at usually 7. You're done by 9.30. Oh, yeah.

And because there's no alcohol, you're not dealing with any drunk people. And all the kids are actually respectful. So respectful. Terrified of you. They think you're a celebrity. Yeah. And a lot of those schools have an annual endowment that's bigger than most countries GDP so

yeah like Harvard you down with GDP you know what I mean it's tough those college gigs but I mean they're always I'm gonna be honest

I never feel like doing them and then afterward I'm always like in bed at 1030 like this was nice before Drag Race it was the only high paying gig yeah

the college ones it's still probably unless you're touring a solo show it's probably some of the best paying gigs there are however before Drag Race I don't know only high paying gig. Yeah. The college ones. It's still probably, unless you're touring a solo show, it's probably some of the best paying gigs there are. However, before Drag Race, I don't know if this was your experience, if you do a college gig, which is probably pays like what, $200 to like $500. Oh yeah, didn't you do a Chicago one? As a local queen.

Huh? You did a Chicago one, right? I did, yeah. But the problem is, they literally take like months or two to pay you. Oh, sometimes six months. Yeah. Yeah. And for like a struggling drag queen who probably spent like the last of your money to like

Uber there. To get there. Yeah. Like waiting for that like waiting for that check to come in the mail is like brutal. Yeah. When you transitioned from a local queen to a drag race queen, did you, um, how is that adjustment? Did you live?

Did you love it? Did you live? Did you live? Did you live girl? The audience loves me. Kim was, I mean, not to- I was loving them. You were famous before Drag Race.

Not to toot her horn. She was pretty, at least Instagram famous compared to most of us. So I was already doing a lot of out of state gigs. Yeah. Shut the fuck up. No, Kim was traveling before. Oh, wow. Oh, so this is an old hat for you.

But it's just like, Kim was like traveling before. Oh, wow. Oh, so this is old hat for you. But it's just like. It came on like a bigger scale, you know? Yeah. And I'm sure that obviously the pay. Yeah. Obviously the pay like increase was like drastically different. You like making money. But Kim started like.

But the difference is. Go ahead. But the difference is when you haven't been on Drag Race. I feel like people just like appreciate everything you do like way more yes and then after you go on drag race people like look at you with like the same way like they watch a show oh yeah like as if like they're like michelle visage like picking apart everything you do on stage a hundred percent people also like the fans of drag period they are more more into saying so-and-so doesn't get enough. Like that's the cool thing to say versus like I've noticed everybody,

like the more quote unquote famous I got, the more critical become of you. Yeah. Yeah. If you're like a queen who went home fifth, who doesn't have her own tour, people are like, you're the best.

Yeah. And then if that same queen, maybe I'm triggered, goes on to win a television show and have hit album stuff, people are like, but do you deserve it? But she can't even do this.

But it's like, does she have to be able to do that? Yeah. Or I love the fans taking a break from DMing queens to kill themselves to DM Jeffrey Bauer Chapman to tell him to kill himself. And then go back.

Like the judges are too hard on the Queens anyway. So, and so please end it all. Please kill yourself. It's so funny because the judges jobs are to judge. And I feel like this year they've, people have been so critical and it's like, well,

you're the audience. You're not even being paid to judge. And you're seeing people are just more critical because they're sitting at home. Yeah. Nothing else to do. Arm armchair drag talk about the show that you just watched online armchair drag queens it's true hashtag armchair drag queen i think that my favorite thing you've ever said like i've ever

heard you say is i won't you don't teach me how to do drag i won't teach you how to be a dumb bitch yes don't tell me how to do drag i won't teach you how to be a dumb bitch don't tell me how to do drag I won't tell you how to be a stupid bitch I have no chill no chill anymore I mean the fans are pretty you're like very universally loved I think yeah thank god because you're so you're I think people celebrate you for what you're good at which your attitude toward drag has always think people celebrate you for what you're good at, which your attitude toward drag has always been. Kim celebrates Queens for what they're good at. Yeah.

I don't see a very nice person. Well, wow. I gave you my bed. Kim used to, yeah. Kim used to sleep at probably all my apartments in Milwaukee. Yeah.

In my garden level. Did you sleep on the love sack? I've slept in the love sack. You used to have Kim used to sleep At probably all my apartments In Milwaukee Yeah In my garden level Did you sleep on the love sack I've slept on the love sack You used to have a love sack And for some reason Every meal had to be pizza Like you ate pizza Like there was no tomorrow

My diet in my 20s Was really not It was pizza and candy Yup Oh Like I just I'm still there Kim told people

I'm gonna tell you what you told Kim told Amy from Sugar Pill When you meet Trixie Just so you know When you give her a hug She crinkles because her pockets are full of candy wrappers. It was true at the time, though.

I was so into candy. I'll never forget the time where we went out for like an actual lunch when I was visiting Milwaukee. And I think I got like a nice like stir fry or like veggie stir fry with some like chicken and something. Trixie ordered broccoli cheddar soup, fried cheese curds,

and she was dipping the fried cheese curds into the broccoli cheddar soup. And that was her meal. Wisconsin. Wisconsin. And all those rappers cut to 10 years later when your brown chiclets are getting ripped out of your face. Cut to Dr. Sun being like, were you a pirate? Did you work as a pirate? How many beer bottles have you opened with these teeth?

Do you have rickets? Yeah. It was different times. But you were like, when I first met Kim, I'd never seen somebody do drag like you did. Really? Don't you think? I feel like my numbers back then were more conceptual and weirder. Way weirder.

Like Kim looked, let's be honest, better than like all of us. And all of her looks were right on the line of like fashion and like fantasy. Oh, wow. And then her numbers would always be a song no one really knows. And so there's just something very magical about that. Did you ever, did you ever encounter audiences like kind of, I mean, if when you do songs that people don't know or like you do anything that's a little offbeat, did you ever encounter audiences like kind of, I mean, if when you do songs that people don't know, or like you do anything that's a little off beat, did you ever encounter people like,

or were people, you know, I've never had that issue personally, just because, just because you're so good. No, not at all. I think she also goes into it knowing they might not know this song.

But the thing is like, I like to perform the songs that I listened to. And those just happens to be the song that not everybody might know. But I like listen to a lot of indie pop, you know, just like my jam. Yeah. Because I feel like if I can't connect to the music, like I'm not going to feel it. Right. But I feel like the more I do this, like the more I get like anxiety about performing now.

Back then I was just like, I'm just going to do whatever, have fun, be stupid. Totally. But now I feel like every move that I do, it's like, Oh my God, there's also being videotaped. Yeah. You know what I mean?

It disseminated across the world instantly. And the YouTube comments are like, she can't even walk. Yeah. It's like, all right. And when you're doing five gigs a week to like, I don't know about you guys.

If my, if I had gigs Tuesday through Sunday, I'd pack one suitcase of looks and do the probably same numbers at every show. And then it becomes a white noise of like, all right, my music starting. Yeah. You you're not nervous but now it always feels like maybe it's getting older maybe maybe it's getting smart enough to know like wow i guess when i was younger i was so dumb i didn't realize how many people were watching i feel like i was like way more fearless back then and now like is this song somebody? Well, have you been canceled? Not yet.

I've been canceled over something that wasn't my fault. The Florida thing last year. Oh, yeah. Yes. I remember being particularly delighted to see you canceled. It's fun to watch like the care bearer of drag go down. You know, I mean, like the whole thing was like not my fault. It was like the booking agent who I don't work with anymore.

But when you're canceled, people just don't want to see it. Like it doesn't matter what your story is. Oh, they just want to cancel you. Oh, it doesn't even matter. And they want that apology and they want it quick.

Yup. They want it. And that's why we're going to give you this opportunity. I guess you're wondering why I came on this podcast. Well, it's time to address the truth and nothing but the truth. Katya and I always say, what's the one we say all the time? This is a video I never thought I would make. I was completely blindsided.

Oh, your silence is deafening. Your silence is deafening. Your silence is deafening. And speaks volumes. Speaks volumes. Speaks volumes, yes. And the other day, Courtney Act said like, Courtney Act tweeted like,

I got white eyeliner in my eye and now I feel like I have cataracts. And I responded, this is dangerous rhetoric, weaponizing the vocabulary of people with cataracts. And it's disappointing and I'm unfollowing.

Because for some reason tearing down courtney was probably the most pc person this is dangerous rhetoric but we've all been doing drag long enough like none of us started drag because we wanted everybody to like us it wasn't because everyone thought we were cool. Like in 2012, which I know you've been doing drag longer than us. 2006. And I've been doing drag, what, maybe two years longer than you,

Kim? How old are you? I am 33. 33. And you started in, I started in the fall of 2012. Uh-huh. And I started in like 2008.

Eight, yeah. But Kim was so good so fast. You really were. Kim started in 2012. Uh-huh. And I started in like 2008. Eight, yeah. But Kim was so good so fast. You really were. Kim started in 2012. And she looked like that good in 2000. I don't know. I look like a foot.

Oh, come on. You did. It is funny to look back and think like, whoa, me and Kim were wearing so much makeup, which is like nothing compared to now. Yeah. But I do think when I met Kim, because we were getting ready together so often, it became almost like, now that I sit next to somebody

who also wears a lot of makeup, the sky is the limit. Yeah. But not only we used to wear a lot of makeup, it kind of became like a competition to see like who can be in the most pain and hold out the longest. Yeah.

Because we'd host these parties and we put on like the heaviest like headpieces that we made ourselves. It's like a ton of hot glue. Trash. Garbage. Painted garbage. Toys.

Uncomfortable outfit and heels and then just host a party from what? Circuit parties. 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. Are you fucking serious? Me, her, Shay, Pearl would host, Vixen would host circuit parties. For seven hours. No. So guys in fag tags would be comfortable dancing on drugs yeah and we would

be there in i mean martyrs there was a party where kim wore a white metal bird cage this big at least on her head with a live bird in it for what six hours six hours yeah the the feats and by the way the money was fine but the feats we were going to were really crazy. But I think it's because we, honestly, Kim really set the level. I always felt like it's Kim's party. I have to look the best

I've ever looked if I can. That's insane. I go-go dance one time, never do it again. In retrospect, I should have just won with Flask. None of the StarCraft boys were looking at us.

No one was looking at our flask. Oh, no one cares about us. They look at each other and they're trying to find K. Well, they get a picture with us and then they go look at each other. Yeah. There was something fun. Do you remember though, Kim?

Do you remember being like 2 a.m. and we're in pain, but we get a case of the fuck it's and then we're on stage like wiggling. Wiggling and trying to like go to dance, give them like extra, but no one is looking at us. Nobody. Me, Kim, Pearl, and Shay giving the only no movement. Wiggling. Wiggling.

And mossing like the worst little song if you know it. Everybody needs a man. Let's get soaking wet. Circuit. We were circuit parties. Yeah. That's my idea. Hell.

It was fun at the time because at least we weren't really expected to perform usually. So we got to turn looks that were really like fragile and crazy. That's cool. And also like, I mean, growing up, you know, like as a sheltered gay, I was never exposed to that culture. So then being fully thrown into that life, it was something fun and refreshing at the time. Yeah.

You were so famous in Chicago so fast. Among the circus like people, yeah. In clubs and stuff. I mean, your name was so good. You were taller than everybody else and you looked,

you looked really amazing. How many times did you audition for Drag Race? Just one? One, yeah. Wow. How many times

did you audition? Five. Damn. Five or six, I think. Yeah, five. At least five. At least five. Wow. Yeah. You only did one. Wow. I or six, I think. Yeah, five, at least five. At least five. Wow.

Yeah. You only did one. Wow. I'm the booger. Booger. Fully booged. Yeah, I did it because me and Pearl did it. And then Kim did it the next year.

And then Shay did it the next year. But I don't know how many times Shay auditioned or anything. I'm not sure. I think maybe like two or three. I mean, this is just i love us i love pearl i love everyone shea was the one out of all of us where i was like that horror will win drag race because she was just so good at everything she was really really good at everything and she was hard working like she would go to she'll go to a cabaret show and then quickly

like run and like do our show with us oh Oh, wow. And then like go like do another show like afterwards. Because she could dance. Yeah. She could rap. Yeah. She could burlesque. Not to mention we're gluing things to things. Shay's at her house making a corset from scratch.

Yeah. Yeah. And she's gorgeous. Gorgeous. Gorgeous. And she wears a lot of makeup. She wore a lot then. But she wears, I mean, she used to wear really.

Chicago was really a city of big makeup. i was a city of good drag i wish chicago i wish new york would shut the fuck up and then chicago would maybe like speak you know what i mean everybody on drag race is like i'm from new york new york city yeah but chicago is really where it's at with the drag yeah i mean don't you think kim like there was sort of a stereotype we always thought about, which was like LA was the stereotype of naked drag Queens and swimsuits trying to be on TV. Oh no, no.

I think like the joke was like New York is where failed product or fraud failed Broadway actors do drag. Yeah. And LA is where failed actors do drag and Chicago is where failed artists do drag. Oh, totally. Oh, that's, that's hard, deep and vicious. And the other do drag. Oh, totally. Oh,

that's, that's hard, deep and vicious. And the other kind of stereotype was that like in Chicago, we like in the Midwest, at least we looked great, but we're bad performers. And I mean,

I think there was probably a little truth to that compared to like New York Queens who are back flipping and doing comedy and singing. And looking like Krusty the Clown. And hosting like shows for like two hours straight. Yeah. Like just themselves and the mic. But they're in like a low ponytail wig with like a hoodie. Looking like whodunit.

Yeah. Looking like whodunit. So, and then in New York, it was like naked drag queens with real hair wigs. In New York? Or is LA? LA. LA's naked drag. Yeah.

Yeah. And then where we, I mean, don't you think we kind of went too above and beyond? I mean, I remember us doing like nail changes. We did nail changes between numbers. That's insane. And these nails were like contact lens like three inch like like claws yes we all wore claws long and they had to be painted you know painted to match the outfit you know do you remember how many times we'd be out there

before the gig spray painting nails in the street because they had to make nails to match the outfit girl i don't know it was just like a thing that was happening in chicago at the time yeah and honestly it was just among each other because the audience didn't care yeah it was just it was like a competition among us to like one up each other wow yeah like i noticed you have four stones on your fingers i have five you know the only thing we were doing between numbers is sucking dick by the dumpster so i guess we didn't really do any of that you know you and i were pretty like asexual drag queens wasn't an erotic endeavor at all for you i think like even like among our friend group at the time no one was like really hooking up in drag interesting no no it's very boston we really felt

like i didn't not to be like artsy but we really felt like not dressed up sexy. We felt dressed. We felt dressed up like art. Yeah. Clowns. And even though everybody looked good, I do feel like that city to this day has a, you can look great and act a fool. You know what I mean? You can look like a piece of art and then do a stupid number.

And that can be like our entire existence was basically making fun of drag. Yeah. Like we perform like the dumbest songs possible and then do the dumbest shit that can be a thing. I feel like our entire existence was basically making fun of drag. Yeah. At the same, yeah. Yeah. Like we perform like the dumbest songs possible and then do the dumbest shit on stage while looking ridiculous. Ridiculous.

Like ridiculously put together but also like stupid at the same time. Mm-hmm. And then there'd be the random gigs. I mean, but do you remember

like Milwaukee Pride or like there'd be a few gigs that paid good that were sort of like outside the club but gigs like that weren't, you don't really make money. I mean. You don't really make money.

I was always living check to check in drag. Always, always. Never had anything saved up. Yeah. Like sometimes I would overdraw my account taking Uber to the club, get paid, deposit on the way home. So I don't like overdraw my account. Oh yeah.

But for some reason taxis were so cheap in chicago it is like uber anywhere it's like between like five dollars twelve dollars tax yeah taxis in chicago like to from kim's house to the gig five bucks wow i don't know why they're so cheap in that city yeah i don't know but it's great did you ever get um did you ever get hit on by the taxi driver in drag never everyone. Never? Everyone else have. I never have. That is shocking to me. I rarely get it.

Because you know how everyone gets those messages from the chasers? Yeah. I've never gotten those messages. I don't believe it. No, I'm like. I wish I got those messages, but I've never gotten those messages. Never got the chasers. I don't believe it. This was supposed to be my year to hook up in drag, but I never gotten those messages. Oh, never got the chasers. I don't believe it.

This was supposed to be my year to hook up and drag. And then Corona said, yeah, she's still, she's waiting. She's waiting to put that turtleneck on. Yeah. I'm ready to put that turtleneck on. Should we take another break? Yeah, we're going to take a break. Are you Dave?

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You can totally save, just not exactly like Dave. Save like only you can at tdinsurance.com slash ways to save. TD. Ready for you. This episode is brought to you by Nespresso. Elevate your morning coffee ritual. From the first sip of coffee in the morning to the on-the-go cup. Make every morning unforgettable with Nespresso. Discover a world of possibilities with or without milk.

Visit Nespresso.ca to learn more or a Nespresso boutique near you. After decades of shaky hands caused by debilitating tremors, Sunnybrook was the only hospital in Canada who could provide Andy with something special. Three neurosurgeons, two scientists, one movement disorders coordinator, 58 answered questions, two focused ultrasound procedures, one specially developed helmet, thousands of high-intensity focused ultrasound waves, zero incisions. And that very same day, two steady hands. From innovation to action, Sunnybrook is is special learn more at sunnybrook.ca slash special and we're back with dirty ted and stephanie welcome to bald and the beautiful after midnight the bald and the beautiful my teeny tiny cunt oh Oh my God. He tiny pussy. Oh.

Kim, you miss touring? I do. I genuinely do. I miss being able to travel to places. Can I ask you about Work the World? Yes, of course. You may ask me anything. Tell me about it.

Okay. We've never been on it. We've never been. I've actually never seen it live. Oh, really? I've seen clips of it. I've seen been on it. We've never been. I've actually never seen it live. Oh, really? I've seen clips of it. You know, I've seen it on the whatever. But I love that show.

It's the best. Extravagant. It's an extravagant production. Do you feel like the only one? What is it? Do you feel like the only one? When I'm on that stage, yes. But also, like, first year, you know, we just had, like, like a back screen and, you know, all the queens doing their own thing.

And now every year the stage props gets more and more ridiculous to the point where last one we had these like two giant like stairwell things holding like a giant globe. And we only used them like twice in the show. Oh, yeah. Wasn't like Asia holding one? It was crazy so the premise of the show for like last year was um we are the universe is in danger but we don't know from evil entities but we don't know what this evil entities are we never find out oh wow and keep them yeah keep them hanging and we represent different planets we're goddess of the different planets and then when we get through all the planets at the end we all come up with giant stabs and we put it in this chair and when all the stabs are

in this throne rotates to reveal the host asia who you've seen the entire show and it goes into the closing number that is so weird the whole time we were like what is this evil entity that we were supposedly fighting against the call was coming from inside the stage and like the dramatic reveal at the end is like the host that's been there the entire time

the whole time I mean a lot of you know usually it's people you know right yeah the perp it's somebody you know, I mean, a lot of, you know, usually it's people, you know. Right. Yeah. The perp is somebody, you know. It's like she's been here the whole time.

So she's evil or she's saving people. We don't know. Well, most car crashes happen within 100 feet of the house. Open to interpretation. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So it was like a philosophical piece.

I love that. The evil is inside of you. And it's just, it's somebody, you know, you leave know. You leave the club or the stadium thinking. It's a thinker's drag show. But the show is built to have one number per person, kind of. One number per person and... An opening and a closing and a group and all that stuff, right? Yeah.

And each person has a little gimmick. Like Cameron Michael drops down from the ceiling. And amazing dancers. Amazing dancers. Beautiful dancers. Beautiful dancers. you know like camera michael like drops down from the ceiling and amazing dancers amazing dancers beautiful dancers beautiful dancers like plastic satira gets like lowered from like the ceiling while like there's snowflakes falling everywhere wow and god damn it you did that was it was it the year you did that number with the dress with the people under it right yeah with the long fabric incredible can i ask how they travel with all that fabric? How does, like,

how do you even get into that? Um, you sort of have to like design the outfit in a way where you can like shrink down. Yeah. But the outfit itself is like an entire suitcase on its own. Wow. It was just fabric that kind of like, I'm assuming just like hitches to your waist.

Yeah. Wow. And then there's like, um, people in the side, like pulling like the pedal one by one right wow and one time i think it was amsterdam um when the helpers were pulling off the pedals there was like no rail bar or anything like behind them so he just like fell straight off the stage

and like oh no to the ground was Was he okay? Casualties. He's okay now. She was like, he's dead. He's passed on. But the whole time I'm watching this happen and I see him just like

go over and I'm like, well, the show must go on. Wow. You were the evil that night. I was the evil entity. Yeah,

you were the evil entity. The sinister and evil entity. I'm dying to do that show. I want to do that show. Work the world? Yeah. You think they would let me work the world? I Yeah, you were the evil entity. The sinister and evil entity. I'm dying to do that show. I want to do that show. Work the world? Yeah. You think they would let me work the world? I'm sure you could, yeah.

I would love to do that show. You'd have to probably commit to a lot of dates. I don't want to. You want to do one? No, I want to do six. Okay. Limited engagement. This is a call to action.

This is how we get our gigs now. We come on the pod. We say, this is what I want. It can happen. Yeah, this is what I'm capable of. This is what I'm willing to accept. Wait, Katya, can we talk about the time when we were on tour together and we got stranded at denny's i don't i don't know if you remember this or not was it in a rainstorm yes stranded at denny's i do what happened so after like the show we're like we're really hungry

let's go to like denny's or something and get breakfast and so we went to denny's and our call time was i think 4 a.m and it was like 3 a.m and we had just finished eating and then there was like a torrential downpour torrential and it was like a small town where there's no cabs anywhere so we were calling fans for like a good like 30 minutes right yeah and then what do then we got a fan. So then Katya had to tweet like, hey, could someone please help us get back to our hotel? Does Uber didn't exist? That town didn't have Uber.

Oh, that is stranded. Stranded. Yeah. Can someone help us? The tour we were on, like if we didn't make it back in time, they would have left us for sure. Bucktooth, Mississippi. Yeah. Whoa. I think it was Arkansas. Was it Arkansas or something like that? I don't remember. tour we were on like if we didn't make it back in time they would have left us for sure Bucktooth Mississippi yo yeah whoa

I think it was Arkansas was it Arkansas I don't remember where it was yeah yeah yeah but then these like two random fans

were like nice enough to like come out to the Denny's in the rain yeah it was amazing was it worth it the food

I think so yeah Denny's is lit food Food is always worth it. Yeah. Well, Kimberly. Is this over? In a moment. Can you believe it? Just like that. Like sands through the hourglass.

Do you want to let everyone know where they can find you? Yes. My products are available on Kimchi Chic Beauty, which is available on KimchiChicBeauty.com. Press the pink button oh my god beauty so find me on instagram or twitter talking about keto wait what now keto the diet the diet i saw your tweet this morning kim said i haven't had carbs in six hours and i can feel my body going into ketosis

and then i followed up with saying never mind i just had toast for breakfast Kim said I haven't had carbs in six hours and I can feel my body going into ketosis. And then I followed up with saying, nevermind, I just had toast for breakfast. Manage your expectations. Keto light. Keto. Keto. Keto.

Keto and a speedo. Good for you. All right. All right. On behalf of Dirty Dennis, we just want to thank you so much for joining the pod. It was an incredible time. We hope you come back soon in the morning again. Bye.

Bye. Kick button. Oh. Oh. Oh. Bye.