224 - Dr. Cheddar Gorgeous - A Cultural Icon’s Guide to Courageous Connections and the Healing Power of Drag
“The very existence or the notion of a queer family is testament to the fact that blood bonds are perhaps not as foundational as we like to think that they are.” - Dr. Cheddar Gorgeous (A.K.A Dr. Michael Atkins)
I envy you. Honestly, I do! You, who are about to experience the brilliance of this episode for the very first time, are in for an extra special treat. With glitter on top. This one had me hootin', hollerin', AMENing, and researching tons of new-to-me things. Ladies, gentlemen, and those who eschew binary categorizations, please welcome the extraordinary Dr. Cheddar Gorgeous in conversation with our own amazing Anne. That's Doctor Cheddar Gorgeous, btw, as in PhD for real. As in darling of RuPaul's Drag Race UK s4. As in renowned drag performer, celebrated artist and activist, mind-blowing academic, and all-around beautiful human.
"Drag in its foundation for me is a relationship art.” It’s with this sentiment that Cheddar begins, and it's where all roads lead. Anne and Cheddar cover a ton of ground on this journey: the healing art of drag, post-apocalyptic survival, negotiating with "the enemy," the binary baked into sexual and gender classifications (even within LGBTQIA+ spaces), the demise of genuine debate, and the value of productive tension. It's this last idea that really resonated with me.
"Productive tension creates the best art, conversations, and relationships," observes Cheddar. Emotionally resilient communities respect the transformative power of productive tension in all its challenging, sticky, painful glory. Drag families, like other chosen families formed outside the confines of biological attachments, navigate that tension in the open, often with clearly defined boundaries, Cheddar explains. Their interpersonal dynamics, not blood, become the true ties that bind.
Healing is also a welcome byproduct of productive tension. Healing also fuels much of the transformation that occurs when a performer embodies their drag persona, onstage and off. "If we're thinking of drag as a form of healing," reflects Cheddar, "it's great as long as you've got someone who can guide you and help you manage it and keep your drag monster in check––because we've all got one!" That's what real community does; it holds us accountable. "It's a willingness to be in a position of precariousness together," adds Cheddar. "You listen, and you negotiate, and you figure something out together, and you learn from what each other doesn't know."
I'm bookmarking every sentence that falls from Cheddar’s perfectly applied lips for future reference.
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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
GUEST CONTACT AND BIO
Talent Representation
Dr. Cheddar Gorgeous (A.K.A Dr Michael Atkins), is an Academic, Drag performer and visual artist based in Manchester, England. Their body of work stretches across a broad spectrum of arenas. The alien deity is most well known as the star of Channel 4’s Drag SOS as well as BBC’s RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 4, however, their work was born from their roots in underground queer club culture, academia, and activism. The depth and breadth of their take on the power of drag as have quickened their reputation as an advocate and educator of the more serious, complex and profound dimensions of queer culture that is able to move between niche and popularised mediums which a whimsical charm that is able to captivate audiences of multiple dispositions.
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