Drag Superstar Bianca Del Rio Explains Why She Wants to Wreak Havoc on the World Again with Latest Tour

EDGE: Tell us about your new tour, "Dead Inside."

Bianca Del Rio: I'm excited to get back on the road again. I think it's time for me to spread my hate to the masses. It's been about a year since I ended my last tour, which was pretty big. We did 129 shows in 27 countries in 99 cities. I feel it's time to wreak havoc on the world yet again.

The tour begins on February 11th in San Diego. We've got lots of shit to talk about. I mean, so much happens in the world, and so much happens so quickly nowadays, that we have to find the humor in it because we are in some dark times. I feel like I'm always saying, "We are in dark times." I don't want to be that miserable person, but we must find the humor in it to get through it.

EDGE: Why are you dead inside?

Bianca Del Rio: Can't you see me? I mean, listen, I am dead inside, rotted. We went back and forth with the title. "Dead Inside" seemed the most fitting. It explains that I'm fearless because I'm approaching death, and it matches my face. We couldn't say rotten inside, because that is a little too specific. I just thought dead inside works, because I'm kind of numb to what's happening in the world. A lot is going on.

EDGE: This is your sixth stand-up comedy tour. How have they evolved over the years?

Bianca Del Rio: I would love to say that I have a full orchestra, but sadly it's me, a table, and a glass of wine. It started as a Jack-and-ginger cocktail, and now I've moved to wine because I am of a certain age.

I would say the audiences have gotten bigger, which has been great for me. I thoroughly enjoy connecting with them.

About 10 years ago, when I started the first tour, I had this idea of what the show should be, and I am still trying to get there. I was concerned with creating everything that was scripted, and it's not my way. When I started drag I worked in bars where there were alcoholics still drinking at 1:00 AM on a Monday night, and they don't care about scripts. I slowly eased myself back into a mixture of scripted and not scripted, because it's amazing what the audiences can give you in a live environment. There's nothing better than live interaction between you and the audience. Some of the best stuff happens in a doctor's waiting room, my show, and the airport. So, interacting and putting people in one room is what I enjoy. What has evolved is my connection with the audience, and the fact that I still get to do it after all these years.

EDGE: For you, are there any subjects in comedy that are off-limits?

Bianca Del Rio: Hell, no! I'm a drag queen. As gay people, they are ruining our lives right now. They are taking away our drag brunch. This is horrible. They're taking away our mimosas. We can't have this. No, I don't think anything's off-subject, as long as it's funny. That's the game here. I think that through social media, we have forgotten that humor is what matters. I think in print things look one way, and I think hearing it secondhand is another thing, but having it heard on stage in the moment with context is what makes it fun. So, no. I'm the biggest joke there is. So, there is nothing off-limits.

EDGE: Do you think that you can get away with saying things because you are in drag?

Bianca Del Rio: I look at it this way: Drag is the packaging for me to say the things that I say and help others to find the humor in it. I also want to find people to laugh with me. If I wasn't in drag, then I guess that'd just be a politician. Wouldn't that be the same? At least I add a little glamor to it.

EDGE: Your touring must-haves are...

Bianca Del Rio: I am beyond fortunate. I know you're going to think touring is glamorous, but it's not. I don't have the luxury of spending days in certain cities or staying in amazing hotels. That's not my thing. When I'm out on the road, I'm out to work. We spend a night in one city, and then I am in another the next night.

I am fortunate enough to travel by bus, which is a huge blessing in my life. Many years ago we traveled by plane, which was quite challenging, because we had to drag all my luggage around. That's why they call it drag – you are always dragging a suitcase from one place to another. Having the bus is amazing, and I'm so grateful I get my little room on the bus. One must-have is having the bus properly air conditioned and properly heated, because we we are going all through America and Canada and, following that, we continue all over the globe.

White wine is definitely needed. As I said, I'm a fancy lady who drinks that now because I can't do the red because of my acid reflux. So, white wine is a must-have, and on occasion you might need a Xanax if the roads get a little rough.

I don't think I have to mention eyelashes and a wig. Those are the three things that have made my life a lot easier. Some people say that I need therapy, but I say all I need is wine and a little Xanax to help me.

EDGE: Your superpower is making people laugh. When did you realize that you were funny?

Bianca Del Rio: I don't know if funny was ever the word they used when I was younger. It was an F-word, but it was never funny. I think I knew that I was different. When you're told that you're different, and I don't mean different in an "Oprah Winfrey" way. I was not like everyone else. I didn't have the same interests as my brother or my cousins, so I knew I was different. I guess the best way to stand out was to make fun of myself or to just go along with what they were saying or laughing about. That's kind of always been my nature. Then, as I got older, I realized just saying the truth gets me a laugh. Let's be real here: No matter how you break it down, underneath all of this I'm still a person. I find it very interesting now that, as made up and painted as I am, the more honest that I am the more enjoyment people get from me.

EDGE: Where do you find humor?

Bianca Del Rio: In the mirror. I was having this conversation with someone else recently that I am so demented and dead inside that I can even find humor at a funeral. There you are in that moment where you're thinking, "Oh, my friend is gone, and what do I do?" And then your brain goes to, "This bitch owes me $20, and now she's dead." I try to find humor in all of it, and sometimes it's in the wrong places and at the wrong times, but I guess that's the gift of it.

EDGE: How do you describe yourself in three words?

Bianca Del Rio: Fearless, clown, and obnoxious.

EDGE: Why should people come out and see this tour?

Bianca Del Rio: Because I am ready to wreak havoc on the world. I'm ready to come back and have a good time. I think everybody deserves a good time out. I'm starting in January, which means the holidays are over and hopefully you have gotten rid of your family, so now it's time to treat yourself to something wonderful and funny. I think it's important just to get out and laugh.

Follow this link for upcoming dates of "Dead Inside" tour.