Life’s a drag — and she’s loving it

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This article was published 04/07/2019 (2483 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There are two moments from his time on RuPaul’s Drag Race that stand out in Brian McCook’s mind: meeting Hollywood legend John Waters and being told he was a freak (in a good way) by RuPaul Charles.

The Boston native made two appearances on Drag Race — a reality television show created by Charles that aims to crown America’s next drag superstar — as Katya Zamolodchikova, a character self-described as “just your average Russian, bisexual, transvestite hooker,” first on Season 7 (she finished in fifth place and was voted Miss Congeniality by fans) and then again on Drag Race All Stars Season 2, where she placed in the top three.

During her time on the show, Katya built up a devout fan base thanks to some truly cutting and brilliant humour (look up her Björk impersonation; you will not regret it), stunning runway looks, a well-rounded performance skill set and McCook’s self-deprecating and painfully honest discussion of his struggle with methamphetamine addiction.

McCook, 37, has no hesitation being open about his addiction and recovery. He says he’s not a good liar and doesn’t have boundaries.

“I’m not good at hiding things, so it’s like whatever’s on my mind and whatever I’m dealing with I just put it out there and that’s what happened on the show. It’s a big part of who I am and what I go through; it’s kinda nice to have everyone be aware of it, so it’s not this big secret,” he says. “There’s that expression, ‘We’re only as sick as our secrets,’ and I have none, so there ya go.”

McCook was up front again last year, letting fans know he had relapsed, explaining he had hit rock-bottom and needed to take some time off from doing drag, including postponing performances on his current tour, Help Me I’m Dying.

In a culture so latched to the idea of relevancy, McCook did have some fear stepping away from his career in order to focus on recovery would be detrimental, but has now found solace in a better work-life balance and is grateful his fans gave him the time he needed to get back on track.

“It is difficult to step away because you think if you stop, everything will stop, but you know, I had to tell myself to stop freaking out, it’ll be there when I get back, everything’s fine,” McCook says. “In terms of recovery I go to 12-step meetings but mostly (I’m) saying no, really getting into the practice of saying no to things and not feeling like, ‘Oh my god, my career is over, this opportunity went to someone else.’ Whatever, man! It’s all good.”

But now McCook is back, still working on his recovery and continuing with the Help Me I’m Dying tour, a character study that goes through the origins of the Russian Katya character, as well as his other character, Trish, a “junkie from south Boston.”

“It’s very weird, it’s certainly not for everybody, but it’s very fun,” he says.

In the 10 years since RuPaul’s Drag Race first went on the air, drag culture has turned into a true industry. There are drag conventions and drag brunches, there are drag shops and drag merch and entire cultural movements rooted in the actions or catchphrases or characters from drag shows. And many Drag Race alum, Katya included, tour all over the world with their shows, something that has only recently become a realistic expectation for these performers.

McCook says his time on Drag Race changed his career entirely (”I mean, it went from a silent movie to an IMAX feature. It went from Charlie Chaplin to Avatar,” he says with a laugh) and agrees much of what he and his fellow Drag Race competitors have accomplished would not have been possible a mere decade ago.

“Hell no. Not at all. Absolutely not. The best you could have hoped for was a modest national theatrical tour like Lady Bunny or Sherry Vine or something like that,” he says.

“This is a whole new market, and there’s a whole new set of goals and dreams for drag queens and it’s pretty incredible.”

erin.lebar@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @NireRabel