With RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under about to launch its fourth season, Australian drag queen Maxi Shield sat down with the program’s American host, Michelle Visage.

Maxi Shield: Michelle, welcome to Sydney, Australia. I’m so happy to have you in my city.

Michelle Visage: Thank you, Maxi. I’m so happy to be in your city.

Maxi: Here we go. Are you excited about taking over the hosting role of Drag Race Down Under?

Michelle: Wow, you went right for the hard question, didn’t you, Maxi? It’s the big question, isn’t it? Excited doesn’t cover, doesn’t encompass, doesn’t fill. It’s an honour. It’s a gift. It’s a blessing and I am so excited to be in that chair.

Maxi: You have such a longstanding friendship with RuPaul. What’s the secret for that longevity?

Michelle: I think that when you truly love somebody, and this can be taken in friendship, it can be taken in a relationship, when you truly love somebody, you are their biggest fan. You are their biggest cheerleader.

But at the same time, you love them for everything, for all of who they are. And I think that that’s what we are. We love each other for who each other is, and we think the same and we feel the same. And if we’ve ever not, we would laugh at each other and be like, “Girl, no”. And I think there’s just so much love, communication and openness, and that is the secret. Just love each other fully. We’ve never had a fight in 30-plus years.

Maxi: You’re so busy. You’ve got radio, Drag Race America, UK Versus the World, International, Down Under, and you are playing Morticia in The Addams Family in Concert. I know you’ve got an incredible glam squad. How do you keep the canvas so fabulous?

Michelle: It is tough. It is tough. Water, sleep. I am a really boring person. I don’t go out and I will literally sit there counting on my fingers to make sure I get eight hours of sleep if I can. It’s important. I work out six days a week. I go to the gym no matter what. So if everybody goes to dinner, I go to the gym.

Maxi: And you’ve got to keep moving.

Michelle: Honestly, walking is key. My husband and I walk three and a half miles every day. And when I’m away, I can’t because I’m working. So I go to the gym and I even do a treadmill just for half an hour, just walking, nothing crazy. And the older you get, [it] gets harder. So sleep, hydration, skincare, sunblock, treadmill. Lame but it’s upkeep, it’s maintenance, for a reason.

Maxi: We’re both huge Madonna fans. Why is she so special to you?

Michelle: I don’t even know if I could put that in words. I try not to have too many people that I idolise because sometimes you get let down by building up idolatry. But Madonna has always been the one for me because I think she represented everything I wanted to be, and then she did it in the way that she wanted to do it. I was a girl who didn’t come from a lot, had to work for everything myself, was never handed anything. And I feel like Madonna was the same way. So I always put her up there. And my whole young career when I was in a girl group and everything, I always wanted to be the next Madonna. And it wasn’t until, I think I was like 40, when I realised, “Oh, I don’t want to be the next Madonna. I want to be the first Michelle”. It took a long time, but she was the trailblazer in so many ways, but mostly the queen of, “I did it my way”. And that’s amazing to me because everybody has written her off hundreds of thousands of times. They still do. And she’s still out there, sold-out concerts every night, still doing it at 65.

Maxi: Drag culture seems to be the safe haven for a lot of queer people. Why do you think the drag community is so important?

Michelle: To me, it’s the heartbeat of the world. It’s the people who never felt they belonged or never felt like they had a place. And I’m in that group. And for me, when I found the queer community and the drag community at the same time, really, it started off in ballroom dancing. If you’re asking me why is it so important, it’s because I’m not the only one. There are millions of people, not thousands, not hundreds of thousands, there are millions of people that are walking around right now with no place that they feel welcome, no place that they feel at home, no family to speak of that they can feel comfortable and open and, most importantly, safe. So when you do find your chosen family, there’s a sense of, “I’ve come home”. And being an adopted kid, for me, it was even more impactful... Not that I had a bad upbringing, my parents loved me, but when I found my queer family in New York City, something ignited. I knew it. I was at peace. That’s where I belonged. So I think there are millions of people that feel the same way, and they bring light and laughter and colour and acceptance.

Maxi: Some people say that drag, oh, it’s just a mask you hide behind. Why can’t you just do it anyway?

Michelle: What’s wrong with hiding behind a mask? Sometimes we need to hide behind a mask. So if that’s your armour, then OK, have that moment. Some people aren’t where other people are and they need to hide to express themselves. That’s OK. When they’re ready to take the armour off or take the mask down, then that’s up to them. I think drag is all of the above. An armour, a mask, regalia, accessories, accoutrements. Whatever you need to make yourself feel good, that’s what drag does.

Maxi: What do you think of the politicisation of drag? Conservative politicians weaponising [things like] drag “story time”?

Michelle: Well, it’s an excuse. It’s an excuse. I think it’s pathetic. It doesn’t belong there. Drag needs to be out of their mouths because it really has nothing to do with them. Drag queens want nothing to do with their children. Drag queens want to entertain, make people smile, make people happy ... Yes, that’s what drag is here to do, make people empowered and strong and happy. So to use it politically is the same thing as using religion. They’re just trying to wag the dog, “Look over there”, to take the attention off what the real problem is ... I’d much rather have a drag queen reading to me and my children. I think it’s beautiful. And I think the political weaponising is just an excuse, a deterrent to distract from the real problems at hand.

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Maxi: Finally, what is unique about the Australian drag culture that’s a bit different from, say, American, UK or European?

Michelle: Australasia and the UK are very similar in many ways. America’s very aesthetic-driven. It’s the kids who grow up now watching Drag Race and learn on Instagram and YouTube. And by the way, they are so amazing to look at. But if you play a song for them to lip sync to, I think you’re going to get a different outcome than the UK or Australasia. I think there’s a lot more heart in Australasian queens. America’s based on aesthetic and Down Under is heart and performance and what a f---ing piss-take. You guys are so funny. You laugh at everything. You get everything. Even with critiques, I can tell you critiques and you laugh and you’re like, “Yeah, you’re right”. There’s no bounce. There’s no pushback. There’s no clap-back because you get it. You have such a big heart and such a great sense of humour. And that’s what I love about Down Under drag.

Maxi: Thank you so much, Michelle Visage.

Michelle: Thank you, Maxi Shield.

The new season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under premieres November 1 on Stan. Stan and this masthead are owned by Nine.

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