A Stylish Queen And Provocateur
Stretching the perimeters of drag as we know it is Acid Betty, who intrigues all who cross her innovative and imaginative path. She draws you into a fantasy world, infused and mastered with paint, color and costume, far more fierce than anyone has ever dreamed. Acid Betty emerges from this collage of a carnival-like canvas on season eight of “Drag Race.”
Aside from her quest to bring drag in to a different light, she is also an artist, aiming to share her talent with the museum and art gallery world. I don’t think it is possible for a human to be any more creative than she. Check out her unique creations at acidbetty.com.
Get Out! was fortunate to be able to catch this provocative queen in the midst of touring for the season eight premier of Logo’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
So, how many voices do you hear inside your head?
Way too many to count. A lot of them, and they all have a very strong opinion of what I should do and where I should go.
Who taught you how to paint and design the way you do?
I kind of collect it as I go. I was obsessed with special effects. I wanted to be a special effects artist when I was a kid. I was very much into horror and gore. I also was a theatre kid, so I picked up theatre makeup doing that. Then when I went to college, my first job was in a costume shop. I learned how to sew, stitch, pattern make and all that. So I combined them all. That’s where I got it all.
I kind of feel like you tend to challenge the boundaries of drag as we know it, at least in New York.
Thank you; that’s the goal. I like to call myself a provocateur.
How has being on “Drag Race” changed your life or your outlook on your career?
It’s made me be more aware that what I’m doing and my choices actually have a big impact, because the audience has just grown immensely. I feel more responsible, in a way. I feel I need to look a certain way, act better. Overall, it’s been really exciting. I hope to, like you said, maybe change some people’s minds about what they expect from drag queens in general. Instead of just lace fronts and realness, drag can include being an alien or a fantasy creature. It doesn’t have to be just a passable woman.
What advice would you give a new queen aspiring to be different?
There’s that voices thing again. Don’t listen to people or any other voices that are telling you that maybe your difference or original ideas are not right. They are true to you, and you if believe that you are expressing yourself honestly, then you are. When someone is really vibrantly honest, sometimes people don’t like it at first. I hate to say like Lady Gaga, even Madonna, Cher, Grace Jones, there are a lot of famous people that were breaking ground and are kind of famous for that. They weren’t liked by the mass public right off, and some still aren’t liked by the mass public.
Do you have a “bestie” on the show?
There’s girls that I like, especially Bob, who is maybe one of the best people I’ve ever met. I tell him once in a while that I’m so lucky and happy that I got cast with him.
Good, cause he loves you too.
I’m glad, cause I’m so lucky. We know of each other from New York. I’ve seen some of his shows, but I never got to work with him. I have only seen him in passing. So I think it’s such an honor that I got cast with him. Now he’s one of my sisters. The reason why I like him also [is that] he’s similar to me. We both speak our minds. Most often people know exactly what we are thinking and doing right away. We’re not ones to bite our tongues. I think that’s why we get along. Often I might fly off the handle or go a little crazy, and then there’s Bob right behind me, saying, “What Acid meant to say is this,” or, “Let me help you understand why she’s freaking out.” So I think he’s become one of my good friends.
Is there anything aside from the show that you’d like to promote for yourself?
Just go to my website. I’m trying to become an artist, so go buy my art prints.
I saw them. They are amazing!
Thank you! I would love to try to move to the museum world and be more artful.
Drag Race airs Monday nights at 9pm on Logo.
Facebook.com/AcidBetty
Twitter.com/@acidbettyrocks
