Q&A With Sharon Needles

Queen of the macabre Sharon Needles has just been crowned the winner of season four of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Needles – whose fans include Lady Gaga – tells us what’s next after a tumultuous ride on RDR.

Sharon, you’re officially now “America’s Next Drag Superstar.” Congratulations!
Thank you doll! There is nothing like being crowned “America’s Next Drag Superstar” to justify a little morning drinking!

How does it feel to not only now be the crown holder, but be such a voice to thousands of people who may not have one?
The second I can take out my white contacts and take off my black lips you’ll be the first to know. I haven’t even given myself a second to soak it all in. I always felt fame was the laziest job on Earth, and I have never worked harder in my entire life darling! It’s exciting, it’s humbling, it’s even borderline embarrassing. I think this is going to hit me one day down the road when I’m sitting down watching “Law & Order” with my cat, but you’ll be the first to know!

How did it feel when Lady Gaga commented on the runway look you wore designed from panty hose?
It was odd really. A year ago I was just a transgressional, drunk drag queen that was trying to make Pittsburgh laugh and forget about their problems for just one night. Overnight, it was instant success. It’s really hard to feel what you think you should feel in those moments, but I will never take for granted that someone as established and well known as Lady Gaga took the time to tweet me. It was incredible.

Ok, Sharon, three quick questions for you. We’re going to call this the “Plead the Fifth” portion of the interview. (Thank you Andy Cohen!)
Oh, I love games!

Of all of the queens eliminated before you, who do you think went home too early?
I would say Madame LaQueer went home too early.

What’s one really dishy piece of info that we may not have seen at home.
You know, I get asked this question all the time. This is a show about drag queens. It’s essentially adult grown men dressed up as 16-year-old girls. It takes six hours to do 42 minutes of an episode, and I guarantee you that World of Wonder uses every last juicy morsel! It’s the boring stuff that ends up on the editing room floor! [laughs] I’m pretty sure America got every last bitchy moment!

Looking back, is there any runway look that you think twice on?
The only look that I may have retweaked would be my final runway look; I thought it looked a little pedestrian, a little ready to wear. At the time, I thought I was balancing conventional female fashion with tentacles for fingers, but the way it read on television was lackluster in my opinion. I wish my farewell to Ru, the show and to the viewers had been a little more grandiose dahling!

What’s next for Sharon Needles?
I have one project that I hope to work on soon. It’s called sleeping! It’s a one-woman show, involving myself [and] my bed. I’m not inviting any audience members to partake in this project. It basically involves me laying vertically, closing my eyes and enjoying about seven hours of REM sleep. It’s going to be one of the most shocking art projects you’ve seen.

Any final words for your legions of fans, Sharon?
Absolutely! I want to wish everyone a Happy Halloween and “Hail Satan”!

sharonneedles.com
@sharon_needles

By Michael Cook