Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: RuPaul

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip:

RuPaul

In my big gay church there is a wing dedicated to The Divas Who Represent. They're not all flashy or cocks of the walk - in fact, some never officially came out of the closet during their lifetime - but they are all extraordinarily gifted, sharing their songs, music, and insights, allowing the world at large to learn, in the most subtle of ways, what it's like 'being green'. Thanks to their gifts and their bravery, they help make the world a little more gay every time their voices are heard. And that's been their true super power all along... their voice; they were heard. They mattered. And, whether they liked it or not, they represented!

One such lightening rod, the spark which started a fire?

The sublime RuPaul!

No arguing with this queen. What she puts down is law.

And she's earned it. This diva works harder than any other in the business. 

Disciplined. Focused. On point.

And if you make the mistake of thinking that it all came by accident? Well, then, you don't know this queen. 

She is a thinker. A planner. A schemer and a dreamer. Early on, she developed a philosophy of life, a point of view, a mantra - embracing her 'otherness' and turning it into a strength.

From there? She took the world by storm, elevating an art form whose time had finally come.

Yes, there have been the detractors, but this queen? She doesn't give a frack!

If she hang up her spurs tomorrow, this icon will have done more - for not just drag, but the  community as a whole - than any other gay ambassador (with the exception of Elton John).

But don't count on it. It'll never happen.

This queen built a kingdom: one she is going to rule over forever.

The gospel according to her?

Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from her lips.

The topic? Life, Success, and The Matrix

"Life is not to be taken seriously."

"Honestly, it's important to not take this whole process of life on this planet too seriously. And you need games to remind you that every aspect of your experience on this planet is a game. And you have to be a good sport. You have to strategize, and you have to have fun."

"I love games. My favorite thing on this planet to do is to play games. And if you don't enjoy games, then you're really missing the point of what this life is."

"Life's journey - it unfolds for you as you are ready for it."

"I don't think there is a life in the mundane 9-to-5 hypocrisy. That's not living."

"I've lived my whole life in the life - I've lived my whole life doing the thing, I've been doing my own thing. And I think my life speaks volumes about what one must do."

"The secret of success in every field is redefining what success means to you. It can't be your parent's definition, the media's definition, or your neighbor's definition. Otherwise, success will never satisfy you."
 

"Personally, I experience success when I enjoy what I'm doing. I love the creative process, even if the end result isn't embraced by anyone else."

"It's true in everything, not just in drag: To be a success, you have to understand the landscape. You have to know thyself, and you have to know your history so that you can draw from people who have figured out the equation you are faced with. It's not rocket science."

"In my life, I've been able to really examine society in a way most people who aren't outsiders don't get a chance to do."

"There are only two types of people in the world. There are the people who understand that this is a matrix, and then there are the people who buy it lock, stock and barrel."

"I remember being 14 years old, making a pact with myself. I would never join into the matrix, never join into the status quo, and I would always fight it. It always felt like I was on an operating table and the anesthesia never worked." 

"This is an important thing: People who live in the mainstream and the status quo think that everyone else is there to serve them."

"Usually, people who don't have a broad perspective see gay people as servants - as people who are there to make them look good."

"People don't know how to place me in their consciousness. They think, 'Oh, you must be here to make me look good. That's what gay guys are, right? You're an accessory for my straight life.' Just because your limited view is that everyone's there to serve you and that you're the only person in the world. It doesn't work that way."

"I don't think drag will ever be mainstream because it's counter to what the mainstream directive is, which is picking an identity and sticking with it for the rest of your life."

Cover Girl (You Better Work) - RuPaul

Don't Go Breaking My Heart - Elton John and RuPaul

Sissy That Walk - RuPaul

And one last parting shot...

"It's important to find your tribe."

"I had mentors, growing up in gay life - older gay men who told me about our history and the history of art and culture - but somehow, the younger generation missed out on that synergy."

 

"For my tribe, the people I found years ago, we've found sanctuary in the irreverent, in the off-center, in the quirky... And that's how we stay entertained, and that's how we stay engaged in what would otherwise seem to be a really cruel world. A really harsh world."