Fans of queer geek culture have been part of the RuPaul’s Drag Race fabric before, but Season 16’s Megami is truly embracing all aspects of the community. Following their departure from Drag Race (following the Rusical challenge), this New York City doll is fully prepared to dive into the art of the queer geek culture full force! I spoke with Megami post elimination and she dished on her feelings on her departure from Drag Race, representing for queer geeks everywhere and the Melissa McCarthy moment that brought a tear to Drag Race viewers eyes everywhere.
Michael Cook: You truly have been a trailblazer on RuPaul’s Drag Race, right down to your part in the Rusical being chosen by a classic game of rock paper scissors!
Megami: (laughs) You know, I am a queen all about firsts. The first sign held up in the Talent Show and the first role in a Rusical chosen by rock paper scissors; I’m a trailblazer!
MC: You are truly entrenched in geek culture and it’s so refreshing to see you representing both your amazing drag and that culture on the global platform that Drag Race is.
Megami: That has always been my viewpoint from the beginning. I started as a cosplayer going to New York Comic Con, Anime NYC and all of these conventions in New York City. I am a queer non-white person and in many spaces like that, it is very cis, het, white male centered. Any time someone can take up space and say “Hey there are queer geeks out here, there are women here, people of color are geeks also”. We’re all here and we all love geek culture, video games and comic books and all of that stuff that is important to me. I am glad that I can bring a little bit of that energy to a national stage and let more people know that its okay to be queer and a comic book nerd or a gamer…that has been lovely.
MC: Now that your Drag Race journey has ended how do you look back on it now?
Megami: I think that there are all kinds of complicated emotions all kind of mixed up. The only way that I can describe it is like a roller coaster, there are so many intense highs and so many intense lows. Overall, it’s just an incredibly exciting, thrilling and life changing experience. I think with more time and once the wounds heal a little bit, I will look back on this experience with nothing but fondness and love. It’s still a little bitter on my tongue right now though (laughs)!
MC: One moment on Drag Race that I would venture to guess will always be a fond memory will be Melissa McCarthy walking into that Rusical rehearsal, don’t you think?
Megami: Honestly, it didn’t register to me at first because Adam (Shankman) kept saying “My assistant, My assistant”, they set up the punch line very early. When she walked in, it wasn’t processing in my brain like “Wait-this is Melissa McCarthy”; I am thinking it was Adam’s assistant. Then everyone started screaming and I was like “Oh my God, this is not his assistant”! That was definitely very memorable and she gave us all that cheese, she came in with a bunch of coffee and snacks. We got Melissa McCarthy cheese!
MC: Looking back on your Drag Race experience, what do you think your rose and thorn are?
Megami: My rose is obviously the girl group challenge. Not only because I won the episode with my team, but because I put so much effort into getting there. It was a little bit traumatizing to watch, even more than the elimination, that I was nervous the entire time leading up to. I don’t get that emotional in front of people so it was a little intense. Getting to show people that I have so many more talents that just holding up signs and I can do a lot of other things. The reaction from fans really coming around and rallying to my side saying “Yes she’s incredibly talented” has been really amazing and affirming. I am so glad that people got to see it.
I don’t know if there is a thornier thorn that getting sent home on RuPaul’s Drag Race, nothing else kind of stings as much. Especially in a challenge where I didn’t do poorly. I guess its a comfort where other girls have gone home on challenges where they really screwed it up and I at least went home on a challenge where it was unanimously agreed that you may be going home, but you still did phenomenally; I’m glad for that. It didn’t work in my favor ultimately, but at least this Rusical was fantastic and my little group got to perform the best two songs!
MC: I don’t know if you’ve been watching, but you are suddenly one of the trades of Season 16!
Megami: Oh I didn’t realize that everyone else noticed (laughs)! Well you know, I am very glad that I can unofficially be the trade of the season. So hot bears of America please come and meet me at the meet and greet and maybe I’ll greet your meat later (laughs)!
MC: With this global platform that you now have, what do you think is next?
Megami: I would really love to be able to just travel to conventions all across America. Maybe in the capacity of being a special correspondent at San Diego Comic Con and get to interview people. Just to share my love of geek culture. I would love to be on the next season of Dungeons and Drag Queens. I watched last season and I love Bob (The Drag Queen), Monét (XChange), Alaska and Jujubee, but I am a queen that actually knows how to play Dungeons and Dragons so that would be right up by alley!
I started Twitch streaming also because I am a huge gamer. My love and connection to the geek community, especially the queer geek community has been showing me so much love since day one. They understand my references and the very niche interests that I have. Connecting more with queer geeks all around the world is what I really want moving forward.
Follow Magami on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megaminyc/?hl=en
RuPaul’s memoir The House of Hidden Meanings is available for pre-order now and will be released on March 5th.
You can pre-order here: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-house-of-hidden-meanings-rupaul?variant=41074376441890