Lazy Susan was the type of performer on Drag Race Down Under that from the moment we saw her, we didn’t know what we would see each and every time she hit the runway. With out of the box runways (“Sheer Genius”) and a wicked sense of humor and perspective, Susan displayed a consistency each and every week that took her all the way to the Drag Race Down Under Season 4 crown! As she was still relishing her win, I sat down to dish with Lazy Susan about the road to the Drag Race Down Under winner’s circle, her individual and unique perspective, and why Drag Race Down Under continues to have a special place in the hearts of fans.
MC: How does it feel to have won Drag Race Down Under?
LS: Pretty fucking chic if you ask me. It’s so fab. It was unexpected, I feel like heading into it the whole press tour we were going back and forth and we had this intense anxiety about which one of us was going to take it. It feels…I am really excited to make something of it and to do something with it. I have been wearing the crown like that one girl one prom night who wins and wears it and won’t let it go. This is my new story (laughs).
MC: Looking back, is there a moment that you looked around and thought to yourself “I think I could actually win this one”!
LS: I learned my lip sync every week. They didn’t show a lot of it, but every week I was in the mirror learning that lip sync getting ready. I thought I was just going home! It took me a while to think about it, then when I got home I was thinking “Yeah I won three times”…and I was like “Wait a minute, I won three times” (laughs) and I did start to internalize it. I don’t think you should ever count those chickens before they hatch though; I’m still waiting for someone to take it off of me.
MC: Each season of RuPaul’s Drag Race is like the most special of sauces. Each contestant and each challenge makes the show magical. This season of Drag Race Down Under in particular, truly was extremely popular with fans. What do you think it was that make this season so glorious?
LS: I think ut was just set on day one. The energy was really about the camaraderie. That is a group decision, it kind of happens subconsciously. I think because we were very aware that the show itself did not have this glowing reputation to begin with and there had been a lot of chatter online about the legacy of Down Under not being top tier. I think we all felt this group responsibility like we need to make this “the season’! I think for us we felt like we all had to work together here!
MC: Drag Race Down Under has produced some of the most amazing and historic talent to emerge from the franchise. What do you think it is about that franchise that gives it the perspective you just mentioned?
LS: We have this whole culture that is built around having to work together, Australia and New Zealand are these giant desert countries where if you didn’t have your friend to rely on to work together, you would just…die. You know, crocodiles? (laughs). I think it is built into the DNA of the country.
MC: Is there a moment on Drag Race Down Under that you look at as a large amount of roses or a tremendous amount of thorns?
LS: The rose would be the girl group challenge that we got to do. That was the beginning of all of us getting to know each other, very first day of drama camp vibes. We really were kind of bouncing off of each other. We got to start on promo day so we were together in a makeup trailer without cameras like ”What are you thinking”? That was amazing and probably the closest to real club drag that happened on the show, because it is about collaboration and getting a show together.
The thorn would probably have to be the sewing challenge. Even if you are an incredible sewer like Mandy (Moobs) is, it is a slog. You start at two in the afternoon, you go through until like two in the morning and you are just in a studio in the middle of the night. We were all losing our minds. Max Drag Queen went through each girls’ sewing machines, lit them on fire, and moved onto the next one (laughs)! It was a very bonding experience though.
MC: Your drag is absolutely and wonderfully out of the box. That said, what was it like presenting that “Sheer Genius” runway?
LS: What how and why?! It was something that I was advised by my drag sisters before I went not to take with me. It was like “If that breaks on the day…”. I got extremely lucky by the tech gods because that is a cheap piece of shit hologram (laughs)! I was so excited by it, but truly by the time it aired, I was over It like “Oh boring”! Getting this reception has been just incredible, it has been beyond my wildest dreams seeing people really like it.
MC: Here’s hoping whoever recreates it to that magnitude pays homage to you when doing it!
LS: My thoughts and praters to whoever tries, it is really scary and dangerous
MC: What is next for you as the winner of Drag Race Down Under?
LS: I feel an intense responsibility to do something worthwhile during this reign year, so I want to try so much to try and get as much drag on Australian television as possible. I want to try and use some of my film and television background to do that. There are a bunch of little projects that I would like to do with the money. To really showcase Melbourne drag, it’s a really specific community. I am wary to say too much because I don’t want to jinx anything, but hopefully I can do some chic things.
MC: The Vivienne just passed and you are the first winner I am speaking to since her tragic and sudden passing. The Vivienne was the first international winner ever and a force of nature. What do you think about her impact on Drag Race and the world of drag as a whole?
LS: Truly she is a titan of drag and it is a huge loss. It is unthinkable and so bizarre not to have her there. I would say she was one of the most talented and funniest drag queens we had. From Snatch Game to the world that she did with Monét X Change on Netflix she was one of the ones who was genuinely so funny. It is terrible, it is awful and it is so surreal to be at a time where we are starting to losing some of the divas. Everyone is just too young for this to be happening.
MC: What advice do you give the girls of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17 who just started their own experience?:
LS: I would say that the temptation all of the time is to think of love, creativity and joy as a scarcity mentality; but there is an abundance of all of those things. Go in and know that you can do whatever the fuck you want. No one can take away what you are good and amazing at. I think this group of four finalists was a testament to that. We are all such different performers and there was space enough for all of us.
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