Drag Me Up Episode 2: Alex Suarez

Hey everyone, I'm here with the beautiful and talented Alex Suarez. How are you tonight? I'm doing pretty well. It's it's a wild ride. Just to get through a day, so I'm here. So I kinda wanna know what like following me on social media and eventually And I was getting out of high school. So and really Really?

He had told me. He had let let me know. But I was like, yo dude. I was like, if she's gonna ask him That was my boyfriend. So uh how did she kind of react to that? Um the the first thing she said was, Oh, so you you've been lying to me'cause about like don't lie to me. Like just fill me in. Sure. or you know, just kind of general

And then just immediately just kind of threw it out to everybody. I think in just a I want everyone to hear this for me sort of fashion. Yes. Uh But I I think that's really interesting that um I I think for a lot of people the the question kind of it's not that Everybody's sphere. But I think one of the bigger things is like w when is the right time? Exactly. Are we supposed to be

So it's not exactly an easy thing to bring out. No, the the timing is just never No, there's never really there's never a good

Exactly. And I don't when I like my my stepdad I've had stepdads so like there stepdad was gonna find out through my mother. Sure. Um but I mean telling my dad was kind of a different story and when I was down in Lima, Peru, like what, four years ago now, I told him and he was just like no Well. He was just like, No, I'm not at all and then he wanted to get drunk and talk about it, but like I I don't deal with him nowadays.

the very least. It's just like, yeah, you had me and yeah you raised me, but like now that I'm out of my own, like you owe me that little bit of support. At least a little bit of support. Yeah. That that's all We're not meant to function by ourselves and without people around us to kinda build us up. You know, like the worst Yeah. So like your parents are kind of doing that to you if they if they don't acknowledge you like that. They're like they're putting you in a box. Yeah, totally.

wasn't really a community feel. So it's I've I knew I was part of it, but I hadn't felt part of it until I started dating my boyfriend and kind of moving to a Yeah, and to it. And I think a lot of times what happens in these little these little Georgia towns is that there just aren't any gay people. Two gay kids in my entire school.

Yeah. Like I didn't know when I came out I was like I'm a man I 'cause I've fucking played football and I was hyper masculine and just stupid. But you know, I I think something, you know. Like I don't even like going into fucking seawater'cause I don't know what's down there. I feel like mystery water. I I'm terrified. Yeah, when you don't know. Either A, you're gonna I'm gonna put on a lot of bravado and act like I know or B it's I'm not even getting anywhere near

Georgia is a is a small city in the middle of cowbasters. Yeah. I did the took the more necessarily getting super masculine, but was just kind of like a kind of easing into it. I now I'm sitting here with uh nails painted, things like that. 'Cause it's fun. It is. You fit in so well. Yeah. Because you were just so

was with Demi and I. I Demi went in full drag. Yes gone. Uh and I we had people I'd we had never met before stopping and asking us for pictures. Demi in in her makeup and just full look. Probably won't see again. Never see again. They were some of just the nicest people for those maybe two or three You're like, what do I do here? Exactly. I mean you're just not it's one of those I don't really

What do I do next? Yeah, like where do I go from here? I think there's a whole book about that. could just hand you a copy of that right as you come out because that's what it was like it'd be great to have a handbook this. Like here, here's your brush Exactly. Welcome. Welcome. Here's the you got the first step done. Now here's a And I think something like that would be so incredibly useful. Um animal But it become more and more a part of it through

interesting is uh it kind of leads into uh like how did you what was your first exposure to drag? Um First I I when I Little gay boy, the eight I'm so thankful for that group of girls'cause they really and they got me in a church bar. And so And Miss Kitty. And I was like, okay, here we go. And she gave me a big old hug and a kiss and she told me how sexy I was. And that was my first experience with drag queens. But Just I let that go. I let that go. Yeah. But but I just there was something

before I started dating Demi, I'd I'd seen an episode of RuPaul's Drag Race, like most people. Yes. Uh in that Uh but uh Demi at the time took me with my first drag show in Douglasville to the Divine Spaces, which amazed me. In Douglasville? My first drag show was in Douglasville, Georgia. Where does she live? She does. I love her.

But sometimes I'm like, Girl, where the fuck are you performing? I have'cause I have no idea half the time. Like this first one was when she was not actually in, she was just taking me to it. She had performed in it before. I am sitting here in Douglasville watching a drag show. Like I would expect it in somewhere like Atlanta or Athens. Oh yeah. I knew there was at least some sort of drag scene.

pockets of dragon Georgia that are really good. And I think it's'cause there's only five or six fucking queens around. Sure. Um But yeah, it's like I knew there was some like a scene in Atlanta and uh knew a little bit about here in Athens. Uh but even still at the y'all's newbie night. Okay. Um and it will I it was incredible. Thank you. Um I thought it all but then to see a lot of the uh these relatively new queens all coming out and performing. It was incredible.

I ended up doing two numbers that night. Like I knew like I remember seeing that show and then all like having to be you were hosting it but then having to do two numbers in it, kind of having double duty that I I you know what, and I didn't get paid to do those fucking numbers. My job that night was just to be there and host. Sure. But I mean of course these girls with their damn shenanigans they put me on, which is fine. And and I

Yeah, it's it's past that like oh my god, I'm just happy to have a Yeah. And like, you know what? That that feels Uh

I get I can feel that same thing of it's sometimes it's just nice to have the opportunity to go out. Oh and that's why we did the newbie night. We we Four years this summer. So it Queens that were in it. Yeah, I was just like, yes. Like I knew I was going'cause uh Demi was performing in it. And then I was amazed And I knew at least one or two, that was their very first performance. Yeah.

Even just even if they don't necessarily get their uh name out or some get another thing, they got to at least perform at least once. Oh and and let me just say like if the show director, you need to watch that bitch because she or he is so excited.

Definitely. So why would My feeling I feel like the audience can tell, can feel the excitement coming from the performer because I know seeing some of those queens and the few Like I could feel it coming from them. Yes. Like they were like almost giving it more than they're all because Yeah, that's that's what's impressive and I don't think people always get is that most of the like most of y'all are y'all came from like working or school or something in interface.

Go out and perform. And then have to come like wake up and do it again. Sure. I mean and I think that's something that people don't always get is that you I mean you still live Atlanta. It's j it's not easy to make it as a full time. Продолжение следует... still have day jobs. It took them a second to get here. This is y'all know bitch I did fucking eight hours of class today. I went to work.

So and obviously I know when you're doing drag you're having a good time. Oh yes. But you're still putting on a performance. Yes. Well and the whole We're like people under here, you know. We're not in drag all the time. Exactly. We're not living this we may look fabulous, we may look beautiful, but you know And you see how fucking stressed out exactly like you realize like on the for those like three or four minutes, like you look gorgeous. You step back stage and you realize Exactly.

well because I've seen some people not crash and burn but kind of just throw things away like a job or like, you know, housing or, you know Certain things and I'm just like you have F I would say fairly well established tween here is the here that especially important to like to these up and coming, but to make it sustainable, even just as a hobby, you've got to be able to take care of everything else going on. If your if your head's not right and you're not like Because trust me.

I gotta get some gas and I gotta make sure I got some groceries, which I never do. See exactly there's so much to it. There's more to it. going to work, getting back into school, that sort of thing. You you need crease like you need cre Jump all just straight into it and forget. You know, and you can't you can't step away just

Yeah. Unfortunately part of life is that there's a lot of mundane to Fill your fucking fantasy and be really dead tired at work the next day. But and and like Yeah and but take some pictures, you know. I hate it when a girl is like, girl Bitch, it takes two seconds to ask someone to take a picture of you. Exactly. See well that's like

We had pictures taken because I and I didn't have a full thing done because it was my very first time. But even still, we were we were both like, Okay, we look good. I mean even if it's not for for social media purposes. Yeah, it was just for the fact of I feel good about this. I wanna like I wanna be able to see this because you worked on it. Exactly. Like it's one of those

That wasn't it's uh that was not the primary purpose of me doing this. It's like we look good. I wanna be able to, you know, keep this around because we work you were at this time and what you looked like. Because I look like shit right now. You know, like I think that's a good way of looking at it though. I had not thought about that. or look that way. And there's a little more of the a little more of a symbolic of kind of not necessarily looking for the picture for what it's.

Do I like am I in somewhere better than I was, or do I need to try and get back to where that was? Yes. And I think that's really kind of what a performer can be and who they are and yeah, you're not seeing people's mistakes, you're not seeing their fuck ups, you're not seeing like how bad it can be for them, but what you are seeing is like them putting it out there. Exactly. You're fucking working more than I am. Like like

It can work for you. Exactly. It's got me paid. Yeah, I mean it worked it's one of those it worked for me, it could work for you, it may not be if it if it has the chance, why not do it? to take a picture of you. They'll take a picture of you. Here you go. Exactly. You're in drag. People get it. Yeah, I mean i i they it's one of those that I mean they they'll they'll definitely work with

I'm sure you can go up to anybody in that show. And like and make get the right get that one friend. Is that one friend that that knows I I would make you look right. I would make you look so good. Because I don't know. That's just that's been part of my success.

It's one of those just kind of I think it's important to kind of know like to what capacity is this are you is this is drag Exactly. Take care of you. Everything else will gotta follow line. Drive can be part of your therapy, but bitch. Make sure you got a car, you got a roof, and you got somewhere to fucking eat.

so important for people and both in and out of the drag community, like with whatever they Biggest things to hear is that don't like don't get overwhelmed by it that you to the point where you forget about everything else until Yeah, it's just one of those I mean like anything it's you can't always make it everything. Uh and I definitely

is your drag name. It seems like the first thing I'm always asked is when I mention that I date a drag queen is oh my gosh, what like w what is her name? Where do generator or if it's just like right off the spot I was like I'm not a drag queen so I don't know. So I like for me I'm always that's kind of one thing I'm always curious about because I I have met some queens with some very And some of the more relatives. Uh and s even

more a little on the more normal side from what I've heard as compared to some. Uh so I'm just kinda curious sort of where that came from. Oh uh y I mean I Oh very nice. No one no one could say it. They were like No one could say that shit. Uh and you know, I was fucking young. I didn't I didn't care. Yeah. But um I don't know. I I I think my drag name

You do very androgynous drag'cause at the time I was, you know, just poor. I don't have any wigs, so I just perform without a wig on. Yeah. It's a fishnet. Um But I it kind of I I think my drag name staying my name, my legal name was this moment for me where I was like, Okay, I am not And like And I'm a f I'm fucking an heels three hours later after I get out of wrestling practice. Yeah. So I I

A character in myself. Like I I knew that I am like See I think that's really interesting that not seeing it as a either different persona or a character, but just Whatever you wanna because I have people that know me from from different points in my life. Sure. And It doesn't. Because that's like I mean for me it's always been he and him but there has Yeah. But you have someone be like, Hey girl, everyone's a big thing.

Transman or or something like and I don't mean it. And no of course not. Nobody means it. Like I say dude a lot. And I don't and I don't exactly but that's like part of my experience and I can't speak on other people but I definitely Doing something like K Girl, something like that or vice versa. Doesn't mind basically.

'Cause it's just hard. Well, it's like when I was odd um bye. And so because I'm dating a guy, a lot of people refer to me as gay and it's not I think when I very first came out, it didn't necessarily bother me, but I would notice myself correcting people because I thought Now it's just like whatever. It doesn't matter because that's that's the biggest thing is the title doesn't matter to what it is. Because I know So how how can I expect you to get that right? Exactly.

How would you know that and I tend to have generally prefer men to women, but even still Like, how can I expect anyone to know that unless uh they unless they've just previously talked about it or something like that. Like and I feel like that's Go ahead and assume. Yeah. Yeah. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. You'll you'll know It's very obvious when someone is like intentionally trying to do something or if they just accidentally m like misuse a product.

I've touched on on the spectrum at different points. I don't even know where the fuck I am on the Kinsey scale, you know? Like, I don't know. So I I know that They start finding like It's starting to really That doesn't mean you're gay, it just means you like to suck dick. If you like fucking your bitch every night and sucking some dude's dick in the fucking AM, like go ahead. You are straight.

straight. I'm not gonna try to convince you otherwise. I think it becomes that people lo like almost become too uh caught up with okay, well where do At some point it becomes does that really matter? And we're all on this fucking spectrum Like to me it becomes at the end of the day, date who you want to date, love who you wanna love, and just kinda go about Who's making these rules? I don't even know. I have no idea. No, but I I will.

give you ever a bit of like I I don't even really use pronouns. That's a thing. And I think But in general, if I'm referring to somebody, I use their name. I think that's the way a lot of people are. I don't know their name, I'm like them, that person over there. Sure. I don't know who the I don't know their fucking name. I've met'em like twenty times, but I don't know their fucking name. Sure. Baby Queens, remember people's names, damn it.

If there's any advice you can learn from the podcast today, is remember steeple's names. Uh and sometimes that's what's funny to me. But only knowing their drag name. Yeah. So I'm seeing these like men dress dressed as men looking normally, but still referring to them as whatever sort of drag name they have. Yeah. One of the strangest experiences men Well, I refer to them and and they're this like I didn't know dot com's name, her real name. until like a month ago. See it's star.

See it's the exact opposite with me though with my boyfriend. I have trouble, especially at shows. I have to get used to refer Using Dimmy. Exactly I've used Dimmy instead of his real name. Uh like if I'm talking directly to Whereas if I'm talking about and about her using she and her and using Demi because I'm so used to seeing him away. Demi out, see Demi and very rarely Dimitri. Exactly. And like that's that's the point. Everybody's

Oh yeah, the biggest exact the biggest difference I notice is there's just a a shift almost in confidence when you're up on stage. But I think that's any performers that you're And I was like, yeah, cigarette. Like, I'm gonna be like, no, girl. Like, yeah, no. Don't really want to give you the sun day. Like, that's I'm past that.

Exactly. I've got my five people that I deal with and that's about all I can handle. It's like look, I've got five people, I just I don't have room for six. This is all I can handle. But no, I think that's like that's the big

separate like realizing there's not a separation in the performer and the person. That it's all the the biggest difference is they look different. Yeah. But can only imagine that being a very kind of a pretty strange thing to happen because and most of the and most drag queens are really really weird gay boys. Who hang out and play video games or watch fucking anime, I don't know. So

Yeah, it kinda goes like like anybody. It's like put yourself in that same position. Yes. Oh my god. Like Oh my god. Right now they're not the performer. Exactly. They are just being like they are no longer performing. And in retrospect Like that's great. That's amazing. But sometimes I'm just like me and my partner of two years just ended things very recently. Luck. Oh gosh. I was like, I'm real drunk right now. I don't know how you Well that's understandable, but uh

That in and of itself is rude. Obnoxious and just not. But it definitely does not help the circumstances given definitely are n were not ideal to be having someone just come up to s like some complete Ha ha ha. I'll cuss you and your ugly kid out. no difference between the person you see perform Just in like boy clothes or whatever it may be.

I think it is like that with a lot of performers that uh people tend to forget that there's no difference between when you're up on stage and when you're when they're like just walking But read the situation a little bit. Oh, yes. There you go. That's that's what I'm looking for. Read the situation. Just take that extra. Second of thought, just take it. You know,'cause some people are so fucking impulsive. Like is does this look like it's a good time?

Yes. Like just em is she in the midst of conversation right now? I'll wait. Exactly. That is, to them you're I they just saw you perform or know who you are. And so they're excited to have a chance to meet. But even still it's one of those just read it for like five seconds. Are they like Am I am I walking off stage blotting my fucking forehead? Like trying to get to the back, like don't grab me. Yeah. Don't grab me, please. Like

They'll be back in a minute. You can grab them in. Just kind of wait and let it just again, it comes down to read the situation. Oh my god, yes. And

um our monthly so show at Church Bar every Third Thursday. And we have also our newest venue is Wayward Night Club. And that is every Fourth Friday? I don't know. If you follow me on social media, you'll find out. But um yeah. I just wanna say good luck with that and Alex, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. Uh it was a pleasure. everyone. Uh keep spreading the love.