

I am very excited to be chatting with Star of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 5, Alaska Thunderfuck 5000! Today we hope to get underneath the skin of Alaska, one of drag’s most compelling and utterly mesmerising Queens.

Completely otherworldly and outlandish, Alaska has seen a meteoric rise in popularity and recognition of her art since her season of Drag Race. With her dulcet vocals and alien good looks Alaska has released some great hit singles such as ‘Nails‘ and ‘Your Makeup is Terrible‘ and has recently starred as one of the American Apparel Ad Girls, with Willam Belli and Courtney Act.

We discuss Alaska’s unique style of drag, her experience on Drag Race and where she sees herself in the coming years.

We love your raw style, acid tongue and intelligent performances. Where do you draw greatest inspiration for your drag and your art?

Thank you for talking with me! I love your pussy.

Visually I’m inspired by the great beauties of the world: Divine, Britney Spears, and Marilyn Monroe. And musically, I’m a singer/songwriter just like Jewel.

You were certainly very entertaining to watch on Drag Race. How did you find being in the show and did it live up to your expectations?

RuPaul’s Drag Race is a dream come true! Nothing can describe it, or prepare you for the experience. And even as the family grows larger and larger, we Ru Girls still all have the unique and rare privilege of having walked into that big pink room. It’s like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, but with more wigs.

So what advice would you give to the girls going into RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 7?

My biggest advice to the girls of Season 7 is to make sure you have a catch phrase that can go on a t-shirt. I have a few, such as “Your Makeup is Terrible!” and “Hieeee!” which are both available on t-shirts, on my website and exclusively on Huntees.com.

You have travelled all over the world performing. Where would you say is the most exciting place right now for drag?

I couldn’t possibly pick just one. But I find it most exciting when self-motivated drag queens form artistic families and colonies around drag, burlesque, and performance art. The Bad Kids in Salt Lake City, and of course the Meth Lab in London are two examples that come to mind. They have tightly knit drag families that are creating some of the most exciting and inspiring work in the world.

We absolutely love your hit singles ‘Ru Girl’ and ‘Your Makeup is Terrible’. How much of a challenge is it to perform your own music? Is it a liberating or perhaps a terrifying experience?

I love performing my own music! As a famous singer/songwriter, I always love the chance to share my musical creations with the world. Such as my latest single ‘Nails’, because if you’re not wearing nails, you are NOT doing drag! The video was directed by Geek Mythology Productions and you can buy the single on iTunes, here!

Can you tell us, are working on an album?

Yes. But don’t tell anyone- it’s a secret!

So you were recently one of the American Apparel Ad girls with Willam and Courtney Act. How was it working with the girls? Did you want to kill each other at the end of it?

I love working with these men! They’re amazing. They are both very driven and talented and beautiful, and working with them I’ve learned a lot about hair, tucking, and how to get straight men to go to bed with you.

It was such a great experience doing the American Apparel campaign that we decided to keep working together on musical projects, such as on ‘American Apparel Ad Girls’ and ‘Dear Santa (Bring Me a Man)’.

Finally how do you see yourself as a performer developing in the coming years?

I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to travel the world and share my work with the world. It is a space we create when we come together; a space of kindness and togetherness and acceptance.

A place where gender rules are bent and broken, and we can take this with us when we leave the show and go back out into the world. So if I can keep doing that, through the means of music, filmmaking, and performance art, I’ll be a very happy extra terrestrial.

Find Alaska

alaskathunderfuck.com

twitter.com/alaska5000

youtube.com/alaskatron5000

Photography: Alaska Thunderfuck