Roxxy M. Malone is an award winning pageant queen and well known face in the St. Louis drag community.
For booking you can contact Roxxy on Facebook or Instagram
Add Roxxy on snapchat: robbielawson6
Transcription of above micro-podcast:
Interviewer: During our interview, Roxxy talked about pageant season and how she did, here is a clip from the interview.
Roxxy Malone: So this year I placed 4thoverall in the state of Missouri, which is super good. Out of 18 contestants, 56 tried to qualify, 18 qualified, and I was 4th.
Interviewer: That’s Amazing! Congratulations!
Roxxy Malone: Thank you. It was my first year making top 10 and the top 5. So I’ve competed for three years. In 2017 I was the Miss Gay Northwest, 2018 I was Miss Gay River City, and this year for 2019, I was Miss Gay Gateway, so my pageant success I guess you could call it was my first two years I placed 13th overall and then this year I cracked the top 10 and the top 5 by getting 4th.
To cite this interview please use the following:
Kaminski, Devon. 2020. Interview with Roxxy Malone. Sociology of Drag, SIUE, April 11, 2019.
Audio available at https://ezratemko.com/drag/roxxy-m-malone/
Interviewer: Hello!
Roxxy Malone: Hello! Is this Devon?
Interviewer: Yes it is! How’re you today!
Roxxy Malone: I am well, thank you!
Interviewer: Okay one second. Okay, this is being recorded, are you okay with that?
Roxxy Malone: Oh, absolutely!
Interviewer: Awesome. So, thank you so much for letting me bug you for this interview.
Roxxy Malone: No problem, it’ll be fun.
Interviewer: Hopefully! So, we went through, and we got some questions set up here. So, we’re gonna start with a little personal bit of history here, it’s like your artist personal history with drag. So, one of the first questions I have here is when did you first hear about drag and what was your initial reaction to it?
Roxxy Malone: So, the first time I was ever really exposed to it was probably like my senior year of high school which would have been 2010. I watched a show called RuPaul’s Drag Race. I found it on accident actually, I didn’t know what it was. But I started watching it and that was like my big first exposure to it and then from there it was just mainly watching that show and getting more invested in it and then one day I just decided I was going to take the plunge and do it myself.
Interviewer: That’s awesome! So like, 2010? What season of RuPaul’s Drag Race was it, do you remember?
Roxxy Malone: Oh, season one, terrible season, terrible.
Interviewer: I think they call that the lost season! I love it! So, you found it in 2010, so when did you start performing as a drag artist, like what made you want to start performing?
Roxxy Malone: So, I started in like 2015, yeah 2015. So, I’ve always been a performer like through high school and even in college, I taught and was a part of the color guard team at my high school and so like I’ve always been very theatrical based, very performer based already so it was kind of the want and need for attention and stage time again. And then as far as drag went, that was kind of like a solo chance for myself I guess you could say, to where it was even more about me. When they tell you drag queens are vain, they’re not lying. So, from there I did one show and I was like “You know what, we’re gonna fully invest in it, let’s do it!” and here we are.
Interviewer: Oh, that’s awesome! Do you remember when your first show was?
Roxxy Malone: It was! It was July 3rd, 2015.
Interviewer: So, was it like a 4th of July show kind of thing?
Roxxy Malone: No, so it was actually like a newcomer show, that was my first jump in.
Interviewer: Do you remember, if you feel like sharing, how did your family and friends react to you becoming a drag artist? Did they think It was like a one-time thing or did you tell them it was the real deal?
Roxxy Malone: So, my parents actually just found out about three months ago. So, I kind of hid it from them. My parents have always been super supportive of any decision or like me in general, but it was one of those like, do I want to try and tip the iceberg and let them know this now so I always kind of kept this from them, but now that they know they’re super supportive. They’re like as long as you’re happy and you’re not like out there getting arrested and, you know, causing major harm and all that kind of stuff, like you’re keeping out of trouble doing this and you seem to be happy and you love doing this, plus you’re good at it and ya make money doing it. So, like they basically told me they have no reason not to support it.
Interviewer: That’s awesome! That’s really good to hear. I like that.
Roxxy Malone: It was a very big weight lifted off my shoulders to hear it.
Interviewer: I’m sure! So, you hid it for a very long time, I guess now you can really, really embrace it! Do they come to any of your shows?
Roxxy Malone: So actually, that’s how I found out my mom knew. She showed up to one and I was not prepared for it. So, my cousin, one of my cousins has been very adamant, like she’s known for a while. She was the cousin I told everything to. She was like you know what, your parents are gonna love this because I know that they love you for who you are, and I was like yeah, they probably would but like I’m not ready. Well she decided to take it upon herself and say I think you’re ready and brought her to one without me knowing and it kind of opened that door to were now it’s like you know I was ready. But I had doubted it myself.
Interviewer: That was probably pretty intimidating at first but I’m really glad to hear that it went well.
Roxxy Malone: Yeah, it could have went real bad. But it didn’t.
Interviewer: That’s good. So, another question I have here is where did your drag name come from?
Roxxy Malone: So, when I first started, I thought I was going to try and be really funny and like a comedy kind of person. So, my first drag name ever was Roxxy Moron cause it’s like a play on words, get it.
Interviewer: Oh yeah!
Roxxy Malone: But whenever I dove into what kind of drag artist do I wanna be, that didn’t fit the persona that I wanted. So, I kept my first name, which is Roxxy, that’s always been like the name of choice for me and then my last name, Malone, came from one of my favorite movies called Showgirls, that’s the girls last name.
Interviewer: Nice! That’s a good one. There’s a lot of people that use names that they’ve put together from inspirations like movies and stuff like that. It’s really cool to hear that people are drawing from things that mean something to them.
Roxxy Malone: Yep!
Interviewer: So, it sounds like you started talking about your style of drag. There’s a lot of different terms, or types and styles, from glamour queens, male impersonators, comedy queens, stuff like that. What would you describe your style of drag as being?
Roxxy Malone: So, the number one thing I claim myself to be is a pageant girl. So, I’m a pageant queen, that’s what I do. But I also don’t limit myself. So, a pageant queen is what I am, that’s what I do for like “a living” I guess you could say but I can do comedy, I can do everything else. I may not be 100% solid in it like I am pageant wise, but I can do it. But if I had to say one, I’m a pageant girl, that’s it, fully.
Interviewer: I’ve seen some Facebook pictures and it looks like you’re in the middle of pageant season?
Roxxy Malone: It actually just ended.
Interviewer: How’d you do?
Roxxy Malone: So, this year I placed 4th overall in the state of Missouri, which is super good. Out of 18 contestants, 56 tried to qualify, 18 qualified, and I was 4th.
Interviewer: That’s amazing! Congratulations!
Roxxy Malone: Thank you. It was my first year making top 10 and the top 5. So I’ve competed for three years. In 2017 I was the Miss Gay Northwest, 2018 I was Miss Gay River City, and this year for 2019, I was Miss Gay Gateway, so my pageant success I guess you could call it was my first two years I placed 13th overall and then this year I cracked the top 10 and the top 5 by getting 4th.
Interviewer: That’s amazing, I bet, that’s awesome, congratulations!
Roxxy Malone: Thank you! Not cheap. Not cheap at all!
Interviewer: Not cheap at all? There was a question in here about how much does drag cost and some people didn’t want to ask that question because they felt like it might be a little bit too prying which I can understand since you’re getting into personal finances and what not. But, you know, since pageantry is expensive on its own do you have a second job to help fund your drag or is drag your full time job?
Roxxy Malone: So, I do have a full-time job but I don’t use that as a means to pay for drag anymore. So, in the beginning you have to, it’s like starting up a business. You have to invest money to make money kind of a thing. But now, thankfully, I work almost… well no not even. I work every weekend in drag. So it’s like my second job, but it fully pays for itself now.
Interviewer: That’s awesome! So where do you do shows mostly?
Roxxy Malone: So, it’s all basically in St. Louis, that’s where I’m based. But I’ve been in the Bastille in Soulard, I’m going down the days of the week just so I can remember. On Tuesdays, so Mondays I’m usually at the Soulard Bastille, Tuesday’s I’m at the Grey Fox Pub where I host my own show called C.U. Next Tuesday, Wednesdays I bounce between either Bubby and Sissy’s in Alton or Rehab Bar & Grill in The Grove, Thursdays sometimes I’m at Grey Fox for their what’s called discovery night which is like an up and coming night, I’ll either mentor or I’ll host it, Friday, is kind of like the depending where I’m at, I’ve been at the St. Charles at this bar called Leo’s pub and grill, Bubby and Sissy’s, Rehab, no not Rehab, sorry, Grey Fox. Grey Fox is like my home bar. Saturday typically I’m at Grey Fox, I’m on cast there for Saturdays. Sundays, like bar PM or I’ve been at Hamburger Mary’s for the Sunday night showcase so it just kind of depends, but I’ve been everywhere in the city.
Interviewer: That’s awesome. So, you get to do a little bit of traveling doing what you love kind of a thing?
Roxxy Malone: Oh yeah, it’s great. Sometimes. It’s exhausting.
Interviewer: So, another question we have here is you said it was exhausting. So, what is your life like as a drag artist, kind of a day to day kind of a thing.
Roxxy Malone: So, a typical show day… I work a 40-hour job on top of it. So that’s like my main focus I guess you could say cause you gotta pay rent and you gotta live, but sometimes like as soon as I get of work like I’ll start getting ready. Do the show, go home, de-drag, reset myself, go to bed, wake up for work the next day. So, like me, I’m constantly doing something, but I chose that life for myself so I can’t really complain about it too much.
Interviewer: So, is drag like your down time pretty much? So, you like doing it, but it’s like more of a relaxing job?
Roxxy Malone: Yeah! It’s more like therapy at this point. It’s a chance for me to kind of be myself and it is like a second job, but I love it, so I don’t necessarily constitute is as a job.
Interviewer: They say if you do what you love then you never work a day in your life.
Roxxy Malone: Fully.
Interviewer: So, it sounds like you’ve been doing drag for a minute now. Are you part of a drag family? Like a house or a collective?
Roxxy Malone: So, I am now. I actually just got adopted last July. Her name, the mother of the house, her name is Alicia Markstone. She’s actually from Missouri, then she moved to Florida, and now she’s back. But she is a legend all over the country which is really like kind of nerve wracking to be a part of because you kind of have to like, set your expectations to live up to that. But she has been like a reigning national title holder of Miss Gay US of A at large, that’s like her national title that she’s gotten. She’s also a seamstress so she sews for people, like especially pageant people, all over the world.
Interviewer: That’s awesome. So as the drag mother, is she helping you guys out since she’s back?
Roxxy Malone: Yep. She pushes us harder than anybody I’ve ever met. So, whenever she adopted me, I was kind if plateauing in my persona where I was just kind of accepting what I was, accepting what I was doing, cause it was working. But when she adopted me, she said that’s mediocre to me, and if you’re going to be a part of this family like you are, you’re going to improve yourself every step of the way. So it’s very hard to hear because every artist is kind sensitive in their own right because it’s their art and it’s how people view it but I can say now like yeah it was very difficult to hear in the beginning but I needed to hear it because it propelled me to where I’m at now. So last year I was only working maybe only once or twice a week and I would say now I’m working 4 or 5 days a week in drag alone.
Interviewer: So, she’s pushing you to become better.
Roxxy Malone: Yep.
Interviewer: Hello?
Roxxy Malone: Sorry! I didn’t know my phone was that low!
Interviewer: All good, all good. It happens all the time actually. So, we were talking about how your family was pushing you, your drag family, to do better and kind of renewing your love for your art.
Roxxy Malone: Yep.
Interviewer: That’s awesome. So, we talked about where you performed. So, what goes into getting ready for a performance kind of thing?
Roxxy Malone: So I always say… I have a drag child as well… but I always tell my child any time you wanna get in drag you have to shower. I don’t care if you showered at the beginning of your day and you think you’re clean, you must shower because when you’re under all of those tights, all of those pads, all of that makeup, all of everything, it’s gonna make you even more sweaty than you ever thought you’d be. So, if you have a good clean base underneath, you’re not gonna smell funky. That’s what I tell everyone though. That’s step one. Always shower before you get in drag, I don’t care what your day looks like, you must shower. Two, typical, I shave my face. I only shave half of my chest because that’s the only part of the body anyone sees, I know that’s probably a little bit too much information, but it is what it is. Next, I start painting my face. So, I can take upwards of 45, no I wouldn’t say that… like an hour, hour and 15 minutes to max of two hours to paint my face. It just depends on what I’m doing and like how I’m feeling that day. So, like full time for getting ready so like makeup, hair, nails, and then body costume would be two hours total.
Interviewer: That doesn’t sound too bad!
Roxxy Malone: No, not really. You get faster at it as you go. Like in the beginning, most people start getting ready like SUPER early. But that makes sense for them, they want to take their time, they want to make sure everything is right. But as you start to know yourself and how fast you can get into body, know how long it takes you to style hair on your head, how to put make up on, all that kind of stuff, you get fast. It’s almost like girls getting ready in the morning. It’s just that on a more extended scale.
Interviewer: I feel that! Very relatable!
Roxxy Malone: Like let’s say you’re thirteen years old, just now getting into makeup, I don’t know what age girls usually get into makeup anymore. But you’re kind of slow at it, you take your time but then like say you’re in college and it’s finals week, five minutes and you’re out the door.
Interviewer: You are so right.
Roxxy Malone: You just know what to do, you know what’s gonna make it look right for the day. It’s the same thing.
Interviewer: So, you’re really good at getting ready and of course you’re mentoring someone else so what’re the biggest challenges of doing drag and being a drag artist?
Roxxy Malone: As cliché as it sounds, it’s really like finding yourself. It’s really easy in drag to try and mold yourself to what you think people want. A lot of newer girls do that because they want to start working right away, like they want that validation that what they’re doing is right and I fell into that too. But it’s really… you have to find yourself and what makes you special because they’re going to book you, or whoever, but because you’re different and because you bring something different to the table, not because you copied little Suzy down the street. They don’t care. They can find anybody that can do that. But finding yourself and finding what makes you special is gonna which is gonna make you different and that’s more bookable.
Interviewer: That makes sense. So, trying to find yourself is kind of the hardest part?
Roxxy Malone: Yep. Fully. We live in a world now where social media is a huge aspect to everybody’s life, so you see a lot of other people doing things that work for them, but it’s finding what works for you is the hard part. But like I said if you can find what works for you it’s not gonna work for anyone else that same way.
Interviewer: So, I guess I probably should have asked this in the beginning, but what pronouns do you use in and out of drag?
Roxxy Malone: So, in drag, I use she. That’s kind of like, that’s me, I’m a drag queen. Out of drag, this is the confusing part that always throws everybody for a loop. So out of drag, I’m a boy. A hundred percent. Like I identify as a man, but in the drag community we don’t go by or necessarily talk as if we’re boys. We talk as if we’re still in drag. So, a lot of people don’t know my boy name, but they know my stage name so it’s very much that. And for me it doesn’t bother me as much because I know how I identify out of drag and we know each other as drag friends. Yes, we’re friends outside of drag but that’s just kind of how it works, I guess. Now some performers don’t like that like, they’ll say I’m a boy out of drag, please respect that, and that’s fine but just for me it doesn’t bother me.
Interviewer: That makes sense. So, it sounds like you’re pretty comfortable, how has drag impacted your confidence as a person?
Roxxy Malone: Yes, a hundred percent. So, in the pageant system that I run for, I run for the Miss Gay America system and their tag line is “boys will be boys, and female impersonation is an art” which is beautiful, like that’s cool but me as a boy is not confident. You’ll find me kind of sitting in the corner like not talking to many people except for the people that I already know, but in drag I am untouchable. That’s how I feel. Like as soon as I put everything on, that’s my armor. Nobody can touch me, nobody can say anything that’s gonna like, hurt me because that’s my armor. I can’t explain how it works but it’s just my suit of armor. I could speak to anybody in drag, but you put me in front of people as a boy and I’m the most timid person you’ll ever meet.
Interviewer: Well that’s good! It sounds like it really helped you find comfort and security in who you are. So, has drag influenced your sex and gender identity?
Roxxy Malone: Hmm, Nope!
Interviewer: Has it influenced how you think of gender as a whole?
Roxxy Malone: Yes. So, when I first started drag, I did not understand how the T in LGBT, which is trans, how it worked. I didn’t understand it, I thought it was just people in drag, like you were in drag you were trans, that’s how I thought it was. But that’s not the case. You learn a lot about people doing drag itself. So, I have a lot of people that I’m close with that identify as nonbinary, they don’t go by either gender and for me it’s just getting to know them on a different level and me being able to understand it. Because you’re not… nobody is exposed to that on a regular day to day basis. Like people don’t just walk around and say, “hey this is how I identify,” that’s not how it works. Because it’s all safety for them, they want to make sure they’re safe and secure and I’m all for it. Like I’m not gonna go tell everyone that I do drag all the time, like you don’t know what’s out there, you don’t know how people are gonna react.
Interviewer: That’s true.
Roxxy Malone: It’s sad to say that we live in a scary world where you don’t know what’s gonna happen in five minutes.
Interviewer: That is very true. Oh, I had something… So you said it’s a bit of a scary world out there… and knowing what you know about drag now, if you could go back in time, like as Roxxy, what advice would you give to your younger self?
Roxxy Malone: So, when they ask us this question in interview every year for the pageant system, like what would you tell to your younger self, my answer never changes. It’s always like you need to celebrate who you are now because it’s gonna make you happier down the road later and even if people don’t understand you, it’s not their right to understand you.
Interviewer: I like that. So we’re moving into some questions about how you feel about drag in general… is there anything you feel like I missed? Is there anything that you want to get out there to other people who might find this interview?
Roxxy Malone: Yeah! So, everybody… well I don’t want to say everybody cause that’s too general I guess, but drag is now mainstream with RuPaul’s Drag Race, it’s very mainstream. Everybody knows who, well not like everybody, I can’t say everybody, a lot of people know what drag is based on a TV show and that’s not the case. What you see on tv is not what you see in real life. So, if you enjoy what you see on RuPaul’s Drag Race, go out to a bar and actually see it for yourself because you’ll probably fall in love with it even more. RuPaul’s Drag Race is not local drag, that’s not what drag really at its core is. That’s kind of it. If you love RuPaul’s Drag Race and you love drag based on that, go support those local girls who are actually doing it on a day to day basis and not getting paid like thousands of dollars to show up at a bar for an hour.
Interviewer: True. So, it seems like you kind of answered a few of these other questions, like, how do you feel about RuPaul’s Drag Race kind of thing.
Roxxy Malone: I love it! My on-stage question this year was how has RuPaul’s Drag Race, Will and Grace, and How I Met Your Mother I think it was, has it effected the LGBTQ+ community in a positive or negative light. My answer is simple. We all have to start somewhere. There has to be some kind of introduction to what everything is so those three things I personally feel that it’s been a positive thing because without it you’re starting with nothing, you don’t even know what’s out there. It’s like Drag 101.
Interviewer: That makes a lot of sense. So, if you could change one thing about the drag scene or the drag community, what would it be?
Roxxy Malone: To include all styles. St. Louis has a really big opportunity with that to where most venues and even performers are segregated by what kind of drag they do and it’s honestly the biggest annoyance of my life. Because at the end of the day, we all do drag, like it’s just drag. Granted we all do different parts of drag and different aesthetics of drag but at the end of the day, the makeup comes off and we’re still human.
Interviewer: I like that a lot. So, like you said, people are watching RuPaul’s Drag Race and are getting like a false image or idea of what they think drag is. What do you think some of the misconceptions are that people have about drag?
Roxxy Malone: Like it’s a very film art… Like you see very minimal representation of drag, like good… or not good, I don’t wanna say good drag, because like they gave good drag because they have money for it. But you get, a lot of these girls on the show don’t act like that in real life. You get like a sense of a false storyline. As of, let me think of one girl in particular, I’ll just compare the two. So she’s on season I think they’re on season 11 now… her name is Vanessa Vanjie Mateo and if you look at her from the season she’s on now to last season when she was on, you can totally tell she was scripted because you don’t know who she is. She’s playing two different characters on two different seasons so like right there to me, you can tell it’s scripted. You don’t really get to know them as a person necessarily. You get to know them as what did the show want. They’ll tell you all day that the show is not scripted but you can tell that it is.
Interviewer: Yeah, I kind of have to agree there.
Roxxy Malone: And it’s not RuPaul’s Drag Race, it’s every kind of reality TV show. You can tell it’s scripted. They already know what they want when they cast you.
Interviewer: Yeah again I kind of have to agree there.
Roxxy Malone: But you know when you see promos out you know who’s gonna be that sassy, problematic, excuse my language, bitch… you know looking at them because of how they portray them. You know who’s gonna be innocent and just sit in the corner. They show you it. Like they’re not silent about it. But with that if it’s your first time around drag and you show that about drag people are gonna believe it because they don’t know.
Interviewer: So, what do you think could be done to help change that misconception that people are getting?
Roxxy Malone: Really, it’s just you see it on TV, go support it in real life.
Interviewer: So that kind of leads into if you could pick on thing you want people to know or learn about drag, what would it be?
Roxxy Malone: We’re human. You know, mistakes happen. There’s a lawsuit going on now, with a Hamburger Mary’s.. I think it’s in Florida.. where the performer touched an individual and the individual is now suing the Hamburger Mary’s location because she like broke her nose because she shoved her face into her chest. And it’s that kind of headline, and once again it’s everywhere, you see a sports team and it’s the same thing, they see that this happened and they think all queens are like that. That’s not the case, we’re all different. We all do different things, we’re all different people. Like to put us in one box is like saying that you know, all chips are the same or… all food is the same.
Interviewer: So, drag is like a whole different box inside of a box that you think should be opened up more for everyone? That more people should be open to that experience?
Roxxy Malone: Yep. Only if they’re comfortable though because not everyone is going to be comfortable with it and it’s not our place to say you have to be comfortable with it. Some people just never will be and that’s fine, that’s them.
Interviewer: I’m curious how drag has impacted your social identity. Can you share how drag has impacted one or more of your social identities such as gender, race, class, things like that?
Roxxy Malone: Yeah, so we’ll talk about class first. My family has always had money, like not even trying to brag about it, that’s just how it was. Both my parents had good jobs and all that kind of stuff… but when you see a lot of these drag artists, you know… they don’t have the money for it. You can tell what they invest their money in, we’ll say that. And it’s fine, it’s their art, if they need to put on a $3,000 dress to feel glamourous, by all means, do it. So, I’ve noticed that a lot, you can kind of tell somebody’s social class, and even economic class based on the kind of drag that they do. But that doesn’t limit to say that someone in a we’ll say “lower class” can’t be fabulous and glamourous and spend their money because it’s all about where you put it. Where you put that money. The extra money or whatever. Lastly like social, I’m more of a social person. Like now, if you would have asked me two years ago to do an interview I would have probably said uh are you sure? But now I’m like let’s talk! Let’s go!
Interviewer: So, do you think your social or economic class has influenced the type of drag you do?
Roxxy Malone: No, I’ve always wanted to do pageant. I’ve always kind of wanted to be that glamourous girl, I just didn’t know it. And for me I’m the type of person that if I want something, I’m going to work hard enough until I can get it.
Interviewer: That’s awesome. So, it looks like I actually made it through all the questions! I know I said I probably wouldn’t, but it looks like you answered some of them without me having to ask! I really appreciate it! So, one more time though, is there anything you feel like I missed or that I didn’t ask in a good enough way?
Roxxy Malone: There’s only one last thing I would have to say, and this is advice for not only you, but anyone would listen to this. It’s drag is a melting pot of individuals and styles, aesthetics, and people and y’know everything under the sun. So you can appreciate whatever kind of style or you can adore and we’ll say “obsess” over and prefer whatever kind of drag you want, I’m not saying you can’t, but just know that there is a difference between appreciating somebody and the art that they do and not being rude about it. Like there is not place in this world for somebody to be hateful over what somebody else is doing. We have no room for it. Like you should appreciate whatever kind of drag they do, like you don’t have to prefer it.
Interviewer: I agree! I would really like to thank you again for giving me this time and sharing your story with me. I hope to make it out to some of your performances!