Hi, I'm Vivian Vanderpuss from
"Canada's Drag Race" Season 3,
and you're watching Xtra Magazine's
"After The Sashay."
Hi, Vivian!
Congrats on making it to the top
five. Let's start out there.
Thanks so much for, Russ.
Yeah, it feels absolutely incredible
being a top five contestant.
You have had such a wonderful run
on the show and I love getting to
know you as a character and an
artist. You got so close to the
finale, you could almost taste it.
How did you feel about sashaying
away when you did?
Well, first of all, I have to say
that getting that close tasted a
lot, um, like
Eve 6000.
I was like, there it is.
I know exactly what that scepter is
made out it.
And yeah, it's
I felt incredible.
I felt like I was really able to
show everything that I wanted to do
on the show. Like,
you know, I did all of the runways
and that was like a really huge part
of it for me. And I was just really
proud of all the things that I did
on the show, things that I knew that
I could do, and then also things
that I had no idea that I could.
Now, in this week's episode, you had
an extremely cerebral take
on mask for mascara.
I'm not sure it totally landed on
the judges, but it definitely landed
on me. You can find all of these
elements of performative masculinity
from all of these different eras on
your body, and each of them
eventually became coded as
feminine.
Can you talk a little bit more about
your concept for that runway?
Masculinity throughout the ages and
how these themes have termed
feminine later in history?
Yeah, so I'm super
proud of that look.
And when I was in the workroom,
before I went onto the runway, I
was like feeling my drag king
fantasy. And, like, I love
presenting as a drag king often
times on stage.
So that was really felt like really
authentic to me.
I thought this concept of,
yeah, basically exactly that,
performative masculinity throughout
the ages and taking like parts
of fashion
that, like hair and fashion
that were once seen as masculine
but is now more presented as
feminine. And, and now we're seeing
kind of like a resurgence of kind of
like just like non-binary
clothing and kind of just,
just like freeing ourselves from
those confines.
And that's what I found through
doing drag. So that's been my
experience loving like vintage
clothes and then women's vintage
clothes. And then now Vivienne in my
closet like kind of is blurred in a
lot of spaces.
And, and it was kind of just a
celebration of that, because I love
all of those kind of like,
I don't know, like archetypal, kind
of like Shakespearean.
Like you got, like the mutton
sleeves and the pumpkin pants and
yeah, Sean Malmos was the fabulous
designer, and he kind of, like, gave
me, like, a little bit more like the
enriched history on like all of
those, the certain aspect.
I just knew what they look like
visually.
But yeah, I just wanted to be like
fabulous, like, like
campy, gender queer bard.
And I feel like it was, that was the
fantasy.
It absolutely was.
And I felt also that it was a little
taste of the fluidity
of your drag, because on the show,
what we saw from you was a lot of
femininity, and that fits
into the package of Drag Race.
But if you take a scroll through
your Instagram, you have got
gender-fucked, you've got club kid,
and you've got sort of these soft
king looks that are more masc.
Can you talk a little bit about the
fluidity of your artistry in terms
of gender outside of what we got to
see on "Canada's Drag Race?"
My whole experience
doing drag has definitely been
a lot of that. Like it's been like
like throw everything at the wall
and see what sticks.
And not only in a way like
external validation and kind
of like show vibe, but also
what sticks with me, like,
internally and what makes me feel
fabulous and kind of exploring all
the different, like, the things.
And the I
like to think of my drag is
sometimes like Mr. Potato Head when
I'm putting a face together, putting
a look together because it's like,
"Well, I like, like this aspect of
this or like maybe this like really
fierce, like feminine eye, but then
with the mustache." And and just
finding what feels really good
for me and in my body and how
I can express it
outwardly and just kind of like
going on that gender journey.
I went on the gender journey, I
landed on cis male, ah!
Of all things, I know.
But it's,
it's so cool to still
kind of like swim in the warm waters
of gender. And I just like,
I feel like there are,
like, non-binary fashions.
I just absolutely love and like,
I love exploring that.
So I feel like in fashion, I feel
like out of the binary
because like what, what is that all
about? You know, the women's section
was always way more fun than the
men's section, let's be honest.
I thought that it was very
interesting to see masc drag
on the runway.
I know you work very closely with
one of Canada's best drag kings,
Eddi Licious.
I'm wondering what you think that
having kings on a show like
"Canada's Drag Race" might offer.
I feel like it just makes
sense. And I feel like when you are
more when you include it, when
you bring everyone to the table, it
literally just enriches it like it
just becomes a more spectacular
table. You're not taking anything
away from from queens
by including kings and I feel like
you see that just across all
platforms.
Any less is so incredibly
talented. I would love to see them
on the show. They can do everything.
They can sing.
They can act. They do aerial.
They do .
They do, like, circus.
They do the sword stuff, sword
stuff.
They do literally everything.
They're incredible.
And I think that
I mean, we've seen it done on other
platforms. I think it's just a
matter of time before "Drag Race"
does it.
On "Canada's Drag Race" Fierce
talked a lot about sabotage.
I want you to set the record
straight. Did you sabotage
Miss Fiercalicious?
I think that Miss Fiercalacious
sabotaged herself by
not believing in himself.
I'm
like, "You're telling me with a face
like that and with legs like that
and with those huge,
beautiful eyes that you couldn't do
a ballad? Come on, sis." Like,
that's, like, just looking beautiful
and just flowing and all.
I honestly, I'll tell you,
like, I was not concerned with
anyone else.
I kept, I was like so in my own
head, especially earlier
in the competition,
that I was like, "I don't have time
to be worrying about sabotaging
people." I'm like, I truly am just,
like, and I didn't give anyone what
they wanted. That's the thing.
I was like, "I sabotage to you, I
guess, all equally,
and you're welcome to that."
Um, yeah,
I was just really focused on what I
wanted for me and Giselle, to be
honest. I've seen that you and Fierce
were recently working together in
Chicago at the legendary Roscoe's,
and that you've been palling around
a little bit.
Tell me, where is your relationship
with Fierce today as her saboteur?
I am obsessed with Fierce.
I love her so much.
I love her. I'm like obsessed with
her drag.
I think that she is a spectacular
person. I think she's also a diva.
But like also that whenever
you're a drag queen, like,
you know,
I yeah, I think that she's a really
spectacular person and she's got a
really good heart and she's so
smart.
I thought that it was so sweet.
We got to see your dad, Paul,
who got choked up over your
fearlessness.
It seems like you come from such a
supportive family.
Yeah, I'm very, very
privileged to come from a family
where when I came out, they were
all, like, very supportive.
And you have just really been
involved. And I guess my whole,
like, drag journey, they're all in
southern Ontario, so it feels like
worlds away sometimes.
But yeah,
it's been they've been really,
really supportive of the whole
journey and I'm really glad that I
could actually show them my art now,
because this was the first time that
they've seen me perform, or do drag,
really.
Like in a in
a more expanded platform
than just maybe Instagram stories.
Now, before I let you go, I want to
talk about two of the most important
creatures in your life, Bijou
and Apple.
Tell me about your cats, Vivienne!
Okay, Bijou's skulking
around somewhere here. She's like
an apex predator.
But Bijou is like a little two year
old. She's like brindle, and she is
like, terrified of everything.
Every time the AC unit comes on,
she, like, bolts off of everything.
She's terrified.
She was born on Salt Spring Island
under a power line, and I'm
convinced that she has electricity,
just like, in her body.
Like that's where they found her,
like in a box under those huge power
lines. So I think that she just has
lightning in your body, and that is
why she's so wild.
And then Apple
is a rotund
diva. She is a ginger baby.
And I've had her for
going on 14 years now, and she's
been all across Canada with me and
went through college with me.
And has seen so many boys
come and go, and she's just been
there. She's been my my ride or die,
low key because I feed her and also
I, you know, keep her captive in the
tower that is my
apartment.
Thanks for watching Xtra's "After
The Sashay." Now you can find
me on all social media
@VivianVanderpuss and find fabulous
merch at VivianVanderpuss.com.