Bianca Del Rio’s ‘Dead Inside’ tour gave us life
My questions are serious,” someone said to Bianca Del Rio last month at the press conference for her “Dead Inside” comedy tour.
The drag queen perked up and said, “We love serious questions.”
“I want to ask, what are you looking forward to eating in Manila?”
Bianca cackled.
The person with the mic continued, “At the same time, what do you think about Filipino guys?
“Maybe I want to eat a Filipino guy,” Bianca responded, ever so quick-witted, making everyone laugh for the nth time that day.
It was the queen’s third time in the country and the day before her show at the New Frontier Theater. We were at Novotel Manila in Araneta City for her press con. Inside the ballroom was a mix of journalists, content creators, members of LGBTQ+ organizations and drag queens, some of whom had been contestants on “Drag Race Philippines.”
One of them stood up to ask Bianca, who won season 6 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” for advice.
“Hi, I’m J Quinn, I’m from Season 3 of ‘Drag Race Philippines.’”
Bianca replied, “And, how did it go? It’s all good?”
“It’s not good, girl,” J Quinn said as the room exploded in laughter and screams. J Quinn wanted to know what tips Bianca has for RuGirls who didn’t thrive after their season. Bianca is the perfect person to ask. She is, without a doubt, one of the most successful queens to emerge from the franchise.
Bianca said, “When our season was airing, I started doing every club gig there was. Then I planned the show, and I was doing the show anywhere I could do the show. Now, over 10, 11, 12 years, all I have really done is tour … I’ve always kept that momentum rolling. You have to go to the audiences. At the time, I said yes to every club gig there was, whether the pay was $100 or $1,000. I think a lot of drag queens get on ‘Drag Race,’ especially now, and assume that once they’re on television, I’ve got it made, and people are gonna pay the top dollar. That’s not how it works. You have to win over an audience. Anytime you can perform, go and do it … I say go to the audience. This is the best way to do it.”
Her advice for baby queens? “I often get asked what’s the right way to do drag. There is no formula. I think that you should do whatever makes you happy. Who am I to say you can’t do this or do that? I think everybody’s welcome, and you should do whatever makes you happy, and if you don’t like it, then you go, ‘This was fun. I had a little moment.’ And then you move on, or you end up a bitter old drag queen like me, 52 years later, and you realize that, oh, wow, this has just been the journey. I think you gotta do what makes you happy, you truly do.”
What makes Bianca happy is going onstage and making people laugh. She did just that the next day at “Dead Inside,” the third comedy tour she’s brought to Filipino audiences, thanks to LA Comedy Live. Just like at her previous shows, nothing was off-limits and everything and everyone was fair game. Bianca doesn’t need to lip sync or dance to entertain crowds—her wit is enough to whip an audience into a frenzy. That’s what happened that night at the New Frontier Theater—her unapologetic, no-holds-barred brand of comedy had us hooting, hollering, screaming, gasping. Funny how “Dead Inside” made us feel so, so alive. It was a wild, wild ride, and that’s how Bianca likes it.
The show is testament to Bianca’s brilliance and fearlessness. The “Drag Race” universe can keep growing with more and more franchises, seasons and queens but there will always be only one Bianca Del Rio.
Here’s Super’s one-on-one interview with the hilarious queen.
How’s 2025 going so far?
Not so bad for me, but I think the world is struggling. It started out a little grim for us in America … We get a new president, an old president that’s a new president, which is kind of frustrating, especially for our community. It’s a little depressing, but fingers crossed, I’m hoping for the best. I’ve also made some healthy choices for myself, which is to try to drown out the reality show soap opera aspect of all of it, because, you know, many years ago, I was invested in it every day, watching all the madness and reading everything there was. And now I’m kind of taking a little seat back where, if it’s important, I’ll get the headline and I’ll figure it out. But I can’t be invested in it because it took so much out of us.
What have your favorite stops been on this tour? You’ve been doing it a while.
Over a year now. Yeah, you know, it’s crazy. It sometimes becomes a blur. I don’t even realize it until I’m calling a friend and they say, “Where are you?” And I go, “Oh, oh yeah, here I am.” Like, I literally flew here from Hawaii yesterday, and in my brain, I don’t know why I thought the flight would be four or five hours. No, it’s 11. My brain doesn’t translate all of that madness. So my favorite stops are anywhere the people are, you know. It’s been a wild ride. We’ve hit many, many places. Maybe I’m a little biased but I have to say that most of the foreign countries are the better audiences for me. In America, I think that they’re so used to drag or they’re so used to us being so accessible that it becomes kind of monotonous. I have to say that international fans are the best. They’re a little more excited and you get to go to them and have a good time.
Do you still get surprised by audience reactions?
I’m surprised. I was convinced for a while that half the people in the audience thought I was Hello Kitty, I didn’t think that anybody even knew who I was. So I’m always surprised by all of it. I usually get the most surprised during the meet and greets, because that’s when you get a moment to chat with people, you get to hear about their lives and hear about their stories, and hear about what they know about you or how much they hate you. That’s happened, oh yes. You’ll have a girl and her boyfriend, and the girl will be like, “I love you,” and the boyfriend says, “I hate you.” It’s brilliant. Bringing people together, that’s what I’m there for.
Do you still get nervous before shows?
Not necessarily nervous. I get—what’s the best word to use? I think I get heightened excitement, and I hope that I remember everything in the order that I want to remember it. The thing is that once you’re flying, it’s great, but before you start, I always go, how do I start the show? What do I do? Especially if I’ve had a break, if I’ve had a day or two in between, my brain goes, “How do I start that?” Once you’re out there, you’re just flying, which is amazing. And I have learned the one thing I have to do, which is my latest thing, because I’m just old, I have to write the number, what show it is, 110, 112 and what city I’m in, just in case I slip up. I have it there for reference, so that I just go, oh yes, that’s where I am. You don’t want to say “thank you, Honolulu,” when you’re in Manila, they will kill you.
Do you find that people expect you to be funny all the time? And does that get exhausting?
When you’re in the monkey suit, I call this my monkey suit, you have to perform. This is the life that I chose. Now, when I’m at Starbucks, somebody will say, “Read me,” and you go, “Well, it doesn’t work that way.” But I think that in general, I always try to find something to joke about and something to break the ice with people and also make people feel comfortable. I don’t know if you know this, but some people think I might be mean, and some people think that I might be a little intimidating, which I find shocking, so I have to find a way to make it normal, because I am a normal person. You have to find that balance.
You do your own costumes, which is amazing and not surprising, because you used to do costumes on Broadway. How do you choose your color themes for each tour? And because your tours are so long, do you ever get sick of the colors?
I’m so sick of it. I’m sick of neon. I’m sick of neon at this point. I am so f*cking tired of neon. If it were up to me, I would wear black every day of my life, because it’s just easy—something black and sparkly. But then with each tour, I go, “Okay, well, what colors do I want to put out there so that I have a variety of things that I can wear?” And then I tell myself, I’m not going to get sick of it, but I’ve been sick of it for a while. We’re almost done. We’re almost done.
You’ll finish the tour in February. Is there anything you do to celebrate the end of the tour?
Go home. That’s what I do. That’s how I celebrate the tour. I go home. It’s funny, because people always say, “Are you gonna take a vacation after you’re done?” No, I’ve been everywhere. The last thing I want to do is pack a suitcase. I often say I’m like the Queen of England. Well, not dead, but I’m like the Queen of England, where I vacation in my own house. To be home and to do normal things, I would enjoy having a week at home where I could buy groceries. That would be nice because when I’m home, I’m like, “Do I buy that head of lettuce? I can’t because I leave in two days.” So those little things are nice. You get to reenergize, regroup, and then you’re back out again to perform. I do enjoy my downtime, I must say.
You live in Palm Springs. What do you love about it?
Palm Springs is a desert. It’s very hot and a lot of old people live there. I moved there so that I look young, which was the ticket. That’s the way. You don’t get plastic surgery, you just move to a city where there’s old people and you immediately become the young one. So that’s why I’m there. It’s a lovely place, you should visit. No humidity at all so it’s the exact opposite of this. It’s dry, dry.
You’ve done so many things. Is there anything you still haven’t done that you want to do?
You know, I have no idea. I’ve gotten to perform onstage, I’ve gotten to do movies, a bunch of TV. I even did porn. It’s not the sexual stuff. I’m in the scene right before they have sex. So it’s the important plot that’s helpful. I don’t know, I don’t know what the future holds. I’m open to anything. You never know what’s gonna happen. You never know what’s around the corner. So let’s see what happens.
Should we all be moving to Bluesky?
Oh, I moved. I moved because we’re supposed to … there’s a lot going on in America now. So everybody was saying, move over. And I’m that old person where I’m like, “Oh God, I got to subscribe to something else and start up a whole new thing.” But if it means getting rid of one, I’m not mad at that, because then it just replaces it. I just don’t need another f*cking thing to get online and do it. And that’s the reason why I don’t do Tiktok is because, you know, Plastique doesn’t want my competition. Because, you know, she thinks she’s the pretty one. I think if it replaces one, it’s fine. But I do hate the beginning, and I kind of have mine set up where I can just type one thing and it goes to all of them, because it’s too much to go back and forth.
You were at DragCon last year. We’re gonna have a new batch of Filipino queens who are going for the first time. What would you like to tell them? What are your tips? How do they survive DragCon?
Comfortable shoes. Don’t try to be c*nty and fierce and wear some big ass fancy shoe. And if you do, wear it for the pictures in the beginning, and then find a comfortable shoe or wear something long enough to cover your feet, because you’re going to be there all day, if you’re smart. Also, stay in your f*cking booth. Be in your f*cking booth. Don’t have people walk around and they see your name and you’re not there. You don’t want to do that. You don’t want to not be there. Because then people go, “When is this b*tch going to come back?” Also, they love to make a maze [at their booths] where you turn the corner, you can’t see the queen. Don’t be an assh*le. Just have yourself right there in the center where people can see you, they can see the line moving, and they’re more willing to take a picture with you. That’s what you’re there for. It’s not some f*cking maze. I don’t know who some of these queens think they are. It’s like they’re a piece of cheese, and the rats have to go around this maze to find them, and then when you finally get behind there, they look like sh*t, and you’re like, what is all this f*ckery for? Be available for the people. That’s what it’s about. You want to engage with the people that are there to support you, and what better way to do it than being in your booth and being accessible? I think that’s very important. People lose sight of that. And also remember, it’s fluorescent lighting. That’s all I’m saying. Wear bangs, get some softness around your face.
