¶ Gray Matter
gray matter is a houston drag performer who is appearing in the current dragula season six now . Gray took an unusual route to make it to this competition and is the franchise's first bona fide scare actor . He has worked with houston's phobia haunted houses since he was a teenager .
Gray surprises all of the traditional drag queens that are on that show with his immaculate looks and wild performances . That proves that drag is not able to be put into one box . Please welcome Gray Matter to Queer Voices .
Hello everybody . It's a pleasure to be here .
Now I was curious how did you get started doing drag here in Houston ? I had read a profile of you that mentioned Meteor . Did you actually perform there ?
So I did not perform at Meteor , but it was , I think , 2016 . Every , I think , thursday night we would just go out in drag and that's kind of when I was playing with the high femme drag and the heels and that . But those were good times . But I was very sad when Meteor closed . I was too .
I miss it . Well , actually when they first opened , it was opened by these two lawyers . They were so nice . And then it kind of went through a couple of incarnations and Charles Armstrong ended up doing it . But I loved that space . It was really great .
It was great and that was so you Think you Can Drag . So it was an amateur drag night . So I was kind of just feeling the waters when it came to doing drag . And it was a lot less stressful if I just show up in drag because you know I was going to be there anyway .
So I didn't get on stage there and but here I am now yeah , no , and it's impressive .
how did you learn to do these effects , makeup , I mean , that's not a traditional skill that most people have , so I started playing with special effects makeup the first time .
I think I was 13 , going to a Halloween party and I bought some pre-made prosthetics that had skin with safety pins going through them . And then I fell in love with haunted houses . I started as a scare actor when I was 16 at Phobia Haunted Houses . The following year I became a supervisor . The year after that I became a manager .
My monsters kind of just had a transition in them where I was more masculine and just male presenting and then it kind of just got weirder and weirder and I realized , like you know , I love Drag Race , I love drag , I can contour my face , I can wear lashes and it's still considered drag .
So I've pretty much done every character I can think of and I really do like just mixing and doing masculine , feminine , but pretty much everything I do is just a weird creature and it's pretty genderless . Drag has been very binary , like in its roots , and we're moving to more of a non-binary , inclusive society , well , as the LGBT community is .
I don't know about the rest of the world , but the whole argument that what I do isn't drag doesn't bother me . I know what I do and it's fun and I love it and I like doing whatever the hell I want to do .
Well , did you ever hear from like traditional drag queens ? When they found out , did they like kind of come at you or anything like that . I know there were some conversations I heard .
Yeah , I mean , I have been a fan of Dragula since 2016, . So I saw it with previous contestants a lot with Dolly and Orgotic , and you know it's just a tired conversation and a couple of girls did bring it up . It wasn't personally from them , but they're just like how do you explain this to a drag queen that does pageants and is full traditional drag ?
and I'm like , just open up your mind a little bit well , there's so many and even with you mentioned drag race , yeah , the big mothership , that kind of started this tv craziness . But I really think the bouleys and one of the things that I love about dragula is from the jump .
They included all genders , they included kings , they included people that were non-binary , they included like everything they just said you know what ? Rupaul's not going there . Let's just crack this nut wide open . So inclusive already , I mean , and now the drag race is kind of scrambling to catch up .
I mean , honestly , you see them kind of trying to go down some alternative paths and it's not quite working out . In fact , even one of your fellow contestants this season did drag race , felt boxed in , ended up on dragula . So there you are . It's an interesting transition . Do you sew as well , because your costumes are amazing .
I can sew but I'm not a seamster . I have Yajaira DeHill designs do most of my looks and she's incredible . I come at her with a vision and she can escalate it . I know she went through a lot of pressure getting Blackberry's package ready so I knew she was the one to go to .
Blackberry's package was impressive , and yours so far has been just impressive too . I mean , I was just like my jaw just hits the floor when you come out . I'm just like what thank you , where is ? this person ? Where has he been right ? One thing I'm noticing on the show , though your costumes always incorporate this color gray .
It seems like there's a little touch of it somewhere , right . It's not all like . The first couple of looks I noticed were really prominent gray and then , like your easter rabbit , kind of just had a touch of it . It didn't have like a prominent thing . But I also noticed that you haven't exposed brain in most of them . Is that like a signature ?
so my signature headpiece is gray matter . It identifies me as I shapeshift and evolve into different characters , so I think it keeps me recognizable . It also really helps with my branding . So before I actually adopted that signature version of it , in my looks I'd always end up putting something down the center of my head .
So I just unconsciously morphed into that and last year I did a couple looks without it and going back , I wish I incorporated them in that as well .
It's very striking . It's immediately I know . Well , let's talk a little bit . I know we can't dive into the show because I know you're under this auspice of NDA and all that other stuff . So let's talk about Houston a little bit and the drag scene here . Are you a part of the alternative drag scene ? Are you aware of it or what's that like ?
I'm definitely aware of it . I don't have a home bar here in Houston . Usually when I'm in character I'm doing it for the haunted house . I did recently . Well , in the last three years I got sober so I kind of took a step back from nightlife , but I know Houston has something going on every single night of the week .
As far as drag and drag performances go , ripcord usually does the Dragula viewing party . I don't think they're doing it this year , but Annalee Taylor and Luna of the Lilies are some of my favorite drag performers here in Houston , always up to no good .
¶ Finding Success in Dragula
Yeah , well , it's interesting . I noticed Barcode is doing a lot with Preston's Cabinet of Curiosities like a theme show here and there and things like that . And really Houston is the first place that I saw this style of drag , I think , because I was used to , I came from the South and I saw lots of pageant-y female presenting .
You know , all of that was associated with kind of the typical thing and I've been really proud of houston at least blowing it up a little bit . I'd love to see somebody come in and push even more , and I think you're definitely one of those people that could do that very easily .
And actually I wanted to ask you , like , what are your plans to do after you finish slaying dragula ? I mean , what happens after this ?
yeah , right now I'm getting through the busy October season and then , once my schedule frees up a bit , I will start touring a bit , you know , to small venues and other events , like I'm doing the one with the Boulets on the 26th of October . So I'm just going to see where life takes me .
Obviously , I want to get in front of fans and be able to connect and relate with them . And be able to connect and relate with them that's kind of what this whole thing is about . Is being able to travel to different parts of the states or even abroad would be incredible .
So that's what I have right now , but definitely just being able to show the world who Grey Matter is and what I'm capable of .
Were you nervous before the show aired ? Were you thinking , oh my gosh , how are they going to react to me ?
I think there's always that fear that who knows what's going to be said or how it's going to be shown or how it's going to be perceived , but so far it's been overwhelmingly positive .
We've had a few toxic fans saying bad things about other performers , which I do not condone You're not supporting me by tearing down another artist but overall it's been incredible .
It's tough and I think it's one of those things when you're online toxic fandom everybody has them . I mean it's , it's wild . Even on my little small scale stuff , my blogs and things like that I noticed there's people that are detractors and it's like they just exist for this . Yeah , and and always , and , and .
Like the boule said in their podcast , they said you're kind of the anointed one . Right now , everybody really is feeling very positive about you . You made a real impact quickly and quickly became a fan favorite .
I think I noticed that my boards are blowing up gray matter , gray matter , gray matter , and it's so fun to see because and I think blackberry was kind of similar in the trajectory of I was really nervous . I was like , oh , how's she gonna do on dragula ? And then everybody just kind of embraced her .
So houston I mean , don't underestimate the houston scene for producing really great competitors for this franchise .
I cannot wait to let everybody down , just kidding , don't you haven't already done it . I know , I know Blackberry and Blackberry is so funny and just fun to be around and you did get to see a little bit of that on the show . But Blackberry is far more than what was just seen on her 10 episodes of Dracula .
Well , well , that's a problem too is it's edited . They have a storyline . I mean they're gonna make you kind of a character and they're gonna keep that in there . So they probably couldn't get that . And then , plus , blackberry was doing a very specific thing for the show , right sometimes is out of her box .
And I think this bearded beauty of texas I mean , come on , she's a little bigger in real life , you know broader , more of a comedy thing , and she brought that to dragula . But you're bringing the horror , you're bringing the scare actor and things like that . But you're an awesome performer and I think everybody was really surprised .
Where did you learn to perform ? Did you do theater , or is this just your scare actor ?
when I was 16 was the only time that I was actually a scare actor . The the rest of the time I've been able to interact with guests that are outside of the park waiting to go in the houses , and that kind of acting and performing is a lot different , because you're not jumping in and out of a dark hole . You're being seen 360 .
If someone's not scared of you , you're not jumping in and out of a dark hole , you're being seen 360 . If someone's not scared of you , you interact with them , try and make them laugh . You're taking photos with people so you always want to look your best because you're representing yourself in a photo that someone else is going to take away .
But basically just being able to do that over the past 15 years has really helped with the Just being in front of cameras and interacting with people . And underneath my scary exterior I'm really just a silly , wild little goblin . So I enjoy the more whimsical acting . Great , if you're scared , that's cool too , but I just like entertaining .
So I think that definitely helped being on the main stage of Dragula and then or the Boulez Brothers Dragula and then also . I did a lot of videos with my friend Blacktip Betty that featured my art . So I already kind of knew how to work with the camera and stuff . So that definitely gave me a leg up
¶ Exploring Queerness and Horror Culture
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I'm going to go into your personal life just a little bit , if we can . When did you come out , as I mean ? I suppose you identify as queer . I mean what ? Yes , personal life just a little bit if we can , when ?
when did you come out , as I mean ? I suppose you identify as queer . I mean what ? Yes , yeah , so I'm a homosexual . Yeah , so am I .
So I came out a little bit later in my teens I was , I believe , 19 when I first came out and I did not like the color pink , I did not like sparkly things , all these things that I kind of grew up to kind of push away , pushing away the gay , basically so .
And then it took me several years to kind of embrace my queerness and that's when , you know , I started wearing makeup and playing with sparkly things and my love for drag kind of just started shifting around there . So I started playing with contour and that's really when I kind of started to enjoy life .
A lot more is embracing my queerness , not trying to just fit in , rather to stand out . And you know , sometimes it can be scary , especially living in Texas , but I usually know when I can play up my acts and stuff like that .
I'm amazed to hear you say that , because you're very emotionally mature . It took me a long time to be really comfortable on my skin , and it may have been just the areas that we both grew up in . I probably came out a little bit earlier than you , so it was a different world , you know obviously .
And now it's it's I'm not going to gonna say it's embracing , but it's a little bit more forgiving than it was . Yeah , but all right I hear about .
I hear a lot about people in grade school these days that , yes , you know , coming out is not even really a big thing anymore , and I know that changes depending on where you live , but I think we're headed in the right direction .
Yeah , thank goodness for that because really like you , I of I hid into my late teens . I was terrified . Yeah , I didn't want to be identified as that . Yeah , but let's talk about horror too . Like , when did you get into horror , were you ?
always a horror kid . I was a horrible kid so I remember my brother . My older brother has a fascination for horror and he would have these books and I remember seeing like Freddy and Jason and being incredibly terrified but also very intrigued .
But I was also the kid that would check the closets and under the bed and pray that a plane wouldn't crash into my house . As a kid , like I was , I was very scared but also very intrigued with anything that go bump in the night . I really liked goosebumps . So I think that's really kind of where my love and fascination came from .
I think it's interesting . I think a lot of people . I have anxiety . Admittedly I'm even treated for it , but I love horror and that doesn't really make sense , because I'm one of those big scaredy cats that , like you , I would check under the bed . I'd check the closet . It can't be open , it can't be closed .
It's got this you know , but I love the genre and I've always been a fan of it and it's always been one of those things and that's why , like when Dragula came out , like you mentioned , in 2016, . Wasn't that when the web series came out ?
Yeah , yeah , I mean oh , web series came out , yeah , yeah , I mean I was , oh my gosh , thank goodness somebody married these two worlds and I think that the you know we talked about earlier about being gay and liking sparkly things and maybe ariana grande and things like that but I think that there is this whole subculture of queer people that embrace this kind
of darker stuff too , and I think we get underestimated that . It's a part of our fabric as well , I mean , and queer horror , you know , I mean I think it's they kind of go hand in hand . You go back to the earliest stuff and Bram Stoker , the author of Dracula , was rumored to be homosexual .
He was in love with Walt Whitman and supposedly I mean all of these different things were kind of woven in there .
Yeah , I mean , it's totally it's , it's there , it's in the fabric of it . So it's it's interesting that you kind of gravitated towards that .
I did too , and we both ended up here on this end of the spectrum and you know , we're kind of seen as outcasts by society and I don't know why it's a common , common thing for queer people to gravitate towards horror , because I feel like it's something that just came to me naturally .
But I'm so happy that there is so much love and fascination for all things horror in the lgbt community all right , real quick .
What's your favorite horror franchise ?
oh god you know if you have one . So when it comes to horror movies , the thing that I like the most is the artistry , and it can be a two-second moment of the film . So I don't think there's necessarily a favorite franchise or something that I'm obsessed with .
I do like older movies , pre-cgi , because there's a lot more that goes into the set , design and construction and practical effects , and that's really what I live for . There is a place for CGI , obviously , but the original Aliens were great . Still , my favorite movie of all time is the Cell . It's just a wonderful masterpiece and that's what I love .
All right , break some hearts . Single Relationship Married .
I have been in a relationship with my boyfriend for over four years and I haven't told the world that yet . But you know it was coming anyway , so there you go what is his reaction to all of this ?
is he kind of a fan of this kind of stuff too , or he ?
has always watched brulee brothers dragula . He was listening to the podcasts before I was . He's kind of used to all my haunted house shenanigans so I think that kind of prepared him . It is a hard . It's kind of hard to deal with until you're actually dealing with it because you can only prepare yourself so much , but everything's been overwhelming .
There have been a couple fans that just take things to the extreme , but I'm handling it all with grace and dignity and I appreciate all of the attention well , you're a handsome guy .
I mean , let's face it when you get into your confessionals . It's kind of like dolly . It's kind of like oh my gosh , he's kind of cute out of drag yeah , because I have nothing .
I have nothing of value to add , so all right .
Well , thank you , gray matter , for talking about I could talk to you all day because I am such a horror fan and I've been such a new fan of yours and tell us about where we can go . Like I know I want to buy some of your merch because your shirts look incredible . Where can we find ?
you , it's at gray matter FX that's gray with an E , and then my website that I run and I ship out my own merch and everything is gray matter FXcom .
Yeah , and you've got shirts . Do you have anything like special besides that ?
I saw the shirts but I have shirts , I have some enamel pins , I have signed Polaroids , I have a couple other little odds and ends . I do stickers , custom bolo ties . I'm just trying to do a little bit of everything .
¶ Reality TV Reflections
Yeah well , get ready , because I'm sure you're about to go into overdrive with these rabid fans . Oh my gosh , that's the goal . Well , you'll be there easily . So congratulations on making it to season six . It's a particularly wild cast . I can't wait to see how this all turns out . We're all rooting for you here , though , so you've already made us proud .
I mean , it's already like everybody's like oh wow , he's doing so well hello , thank you so much .
It's a pleasure being able to watch the show , kind of as a fan as well , because I don't remember what the hell happened in most . A lot of people say that If I said something and I have to send an apology text later , I will do it .
A lot of people say that . I think it's one of those things you begin to forget that those cameras are picking up everything , right ?
Something very small gets picked up , and that's how it's seen . So far , I've been pretty good .
Never read the comments .
I learned that I'll read comments on my own posts , but it's just exhausting reading everything else .
Yeah Well , good luck with all of that , and we'll see you on the . I'm sure there'll be a tour and you'll probably be on it , so we'll see you . I sure hope so , and if not , then just take over one of the bars .
Yeah , you can't get rid of me , no , and I'm glad we can't . All right , well , thank you , of course it's been a pleasure , take care .