“It was amazing! “The compliment to season 2 of “Drag Race France” which ended last weekend on France 2 does not come from anyone. It comes from Fenton Bailey who created in 1991, with Randy Barbato, World of Wonder, the production company behind “RuPaul’s Drag Race”. Without him, there would probably never have been such a competition of drag queens on the tricolor public service. The 63-year-old Briton, who has lived for many years in Los Angeles (USA), gave an exclusive interview to 20 minutes.
The opportunity to return to the French adaptation of the cult format and its specificities, to evoke the phenomenon “Drag Race” which has a dozen versions internationally (Canada, Sweden, Mexico, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Philippines …) and to talk about the political dimension of this art.
What did you think of season 2 of “Drag Race France” which has just ended?
I found it spectacular. I had been really impressed by the first season, but there, it was still a notch above and it was incredible. We often see it in the different adaptations of “Drag Race”, on season 2, everyone is more comfortable, looks more confident, more relaxed and enjoys the filming more. But this is by no means a criticism of the first season!
When the French production submitted to you their wish to shoot the final in public, which had never been done until then, except in the United States and Thailand, did you give the green light immediately?
The question did not really arise. It was above all a story of technical device. The final could not be live because, if the show has a large audience in France, it is also very popular internationally. Today, we are at a point where viewers, from one country to another, are no longer used to waiting to watch a program. They want to be able to see everything at the same time as everyone else. Otherwise, it frustrates them. So the finale couldn’t be live, because we had to have some time to translate everything, do subtitles, and put it on the WOW Presents Plus platform so that everyone could enjoy it at the same time. moment than the French public.
According to you, what makes the specificity of “Drag Race France”?
The quality specific to the French adaptation lies in the sense of design and visual [« sense of design and visualization »]. It’s very elegant. American drag can have a very “Hollywood” aesthetic. I would say “couture” is a term adapted to French drag, the outfits are brilliantly designed. Another highlight is Nicky Doll.
That’s to say ?
She brings to the show her experience as a queen who herself was a candidate for “Drag Race” [elle a participé à la saison 12 américaine en 2020]. She has a lot of empathy, she supports all the participants, she is very involved, attentive to each one. She’s good at getting things done. She is also a very nice person.
Do you see things to improve for season 3?
No. I can’t conceive that the show could be better because I thought season 1 was already at this level [il fait un signe de la main pour indiquer un haut niveau]so I’m surprised season 2 is here [il élève sa main d’un cran]. There is real ambition, attention to detail. I came to the set of season 1 and, I don’t remember who had reacted like this, but, as it turns out that there is a whole English vocabulary and gimmicks reused from one country to another, there, someone said, “There’s no way there’s any English on the show!” And I thought that was fantastic.
The Francophonie is represented in particular in “Drag Race France”, “Drag Race Belgium” and “Drag Race Canada” with queens from Quebec… Would it be possible to see a French-speaking “All Stars” arriving soon?
I think that’s a very good idea. Absolutely yes. Moreover, Rita Baga, candidate of “Drag Race Canada” presents the Belgian version. It’s very exciting to see the family grow like this. Of course, ‘Drag Race’ didn’t invent drag which has been around for centuries, in different forms, in different cultures, but some 600 contestants have passed through one of the versions of the show and I can’t wait to see next releases. Because, without criticizing talent shows like “The Voice” or “New star” – which are very good – more often than not, you participate and that’s it. However, “Drag Race” is a springboard for artists who can then pursue their career as they see fit. The show puts the spotlight on an art and celebrates it. I am delighted that this is taking on a national and international dimension. Nicky Doll is an example of a queen who has broken into the world, as [la Thaïlandaise] pangina or [la Canadienne] Jimbo, among many others.
When you launched the very first season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” in 2009, did you think the concept would become the phenomenon that we know?
As a TV producer, we always hope that what we propose will be THE concept, otherwise why put the energy into it? But on the other hand, it’s very rare that something breaks through and connects so much with the audience. In retrospect, I tell myself that we should have known because Randy [Barbato] and me, when we met [la drag-queen] RuPaul in the East Village of New York in the 1980s, we thought that this kind of drag was something special, incredible and that we could only enjoy the spectacle. Sure, he’s from the LGBTQ community, but drag isn’t just for that audience, it’s something anyone can enjoy. There were so many queens, before “Drag Race”, who performed in clubs and didn’t get the recognition or the opportunities that the show can provide. These pioneers moved things forward and made this moment possible.
In recent years, in the United States, but also in the United Kingdom, France or, more recently, in Lebanon, drag queens, shows and readings have been attacked by conservatives and far-right movements. What does this remind you of?
Harassment, attacks, are tragic. If we look at this from a broader historical perspective, we see that the LGBT community has been ignored, repressed, marginalized, for generations and, suddenly, with “Drag Race” and in many other ways, it is finally visible. And so we see the backlash [« le retour de bâton »] in opposition to this visibility. It is important to fight. We are all worthy of being seen by others. History has shown that those who set out to cause this setback, and this is good news, always fail. We are only going forward. To those who would like to reverse the course of things, I say: “Shame on you, you are wrong and you will fail. We are here and we will not leave! And then it’s absurd, drag queens, just like the trans people also attacked, are not a threat to children. It is a lie invented to divert attention from the failures of our leaders and politicians, incapable of solving the important problems: purchasing power, global warming, inequalities, etc. As RuPaul says, “You’re born naked and the rest is drag.” This is also true for far-right political figures: everyone chooses their uniform.
“Drag Race” did not invent this discipline but made many young LGBTQ people want to get into drag. Do you feel a responsibility to enforce this art?
Yes, we feel a responsibility, but if the show causes something, I hope it’s because it helps young people to recognize who they are, what they feel, and that if they feel like that, there is an option for them. Myself, as a gay man, when I was young, it took me a while to find my tribe. There were no shows with LGBTQ people – let alone drag shows – on TV. I found my clan later at downtown New York. I hope, in a way, “Drag Race” offers an opportunity for those who can’t, to find their community. That’s the magic thing about television: it can open us up to things and people that we wouldn’t necessarily have encountered on a daily basis.
How do you respond to people who feel that “Drag Race” makes drag art too mainstream and loses its authenticity as an expression of a counter-culture?
This is a criticism that I don’t understand. It is not tomorrow the day before that we will see the opening of a Disney “Drag Race” amusement park. And even if it did happen, would that be a bad thing? As a community, we LGBTQ people tend to internalize oppressions and think that we only deserve to live in the shadows or on the margins. If that’s what some people want, great. But me, it tires me, I don’t want to feel like a second-class citizen. I thought for a long time that I had a problem. However, this is not the case and I am not really interested in living in the shadows and the margins.
In the United States, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has just been renewed for a sixteenth season and a ninth season “All Stars” has been signed. Do you think it will continue like this for years and years or that at some point it will have to take another direction?
I’m not necessarily the best placed to judge, but I want to believe that the show is reinventing itself. It has evolved and changed over the years and it will continue to do so. The program depends on the artistic sense of the talents, their creativity. As long as there is charisma, uniqueness, and talent, there will be a show. And then there are other shows with drags, “We Are Here” (HBO), “Drag Me To Dinner” (Disney +)… there is room for several concepts and it is good to have competition, it pushes us to be the best we can be. Could conservative forces destroy this? I do not think so.