And Don't f**k It Up!

 Book 3 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from January 1 - 12

And Don't f**k It Up!

An Oral History of RuPaul's Drag Race (the first ten years)

My Opinion

5 stars

Before reading:

I'm a strange Drag Race fan because I love the show but don't watch a single episode.  I watch all the recaps/analysis I can, both official (Fashion Photo Ruview and The Pit Stop) and unofficial (Sibling Watchery, Race Chaser, Bussy Queen, etc.) but the actual episodes make me uncomfortable because I don't like to see people flounder publicly.  I'll enjoy the highlights and lowlights without having to experience it in real time.  I can tell you who bombed the Roast challenges but will not watch the actual roasts.

A long way to say I'm very excited about this book but also not sure how familiar I will actually be since this covers the first ten years.  I have a passing recognition of pretty much everyone from season 5 on but I don't know much about the earlier seasons.

I hope it gives actual info and isn't too canned or polished.

Checking In (about 30% in):

The author was there from the actual beginning which helps with familiarity and I'm sure impacted how many people were interviewed for this book.  There are a wide variety of people involved with the show that participated and that says a lot about their feelings about the show, especially since I'm only through Season 3 which means they're taking the time to share about things that happened 10-15 years ago.

Interesting tidbit: the first conception of the show had queens bringing someone with them as a "sidekick" (like a friend or designer).  It would've changed everything if they'd done that so I'm glad they scrapped it but their reasoning was funny in this current time.  They couldn't imagine doubling the number of people in the workroom which would've been 18 total; current seasons have almost that many individual competitors.

Checking In (about 50% in)

There is a lot of variety in this book thanks to the many people that were willing to be interviewed.  It is skewing very positive about the show itself (I'm guessing the people that feel negatively about it either weren't asked or declined participation) but they are shit-talking their fellow competitors so it feels a little more authentic.

There's no reason to read this without some familiarity with the show but I will say you don't have to be a super fan with amazing memory.  The book goes by seasons and spends a little time at the beginning giving a recap of who was on that season and some memorable touchpoints.

Checking In (almost done)

Still loving it.  The photo inserts are nice too.

The interviews with Valentina made me roll my eyes, I can't believe how into the fantasy she is.  Just one quote for example: "...I was really honored to do that because I knew it was gonna be daytime drag in a car.  I know most queens look terrible in daylight and up close but I don't."  You can be confident in yourself without having to put others down.

I didn't know Cynthia Lee Fontaine hadn't been feeling well and was diagnosed with liver cancer shortly after she left season 8.  

 

Interesting tidbit: I can't believe Ginger Minj and Miss Fame are the same age!

The next chapter is "All Stars and Beyond" and there are only about 50 pages left so I don't think it will be enough.  With how in-depth the 10 seasons have been I think the author either should've left All Stars seasons out or gone in-depth with them as well (and I would've preferred the latter because I think All Stars seasons, especially All Stars 2, were game changers in format and helping the popularity and longevity).

The End

I wish there had been more about All Stars.

I enjoy drag for the entertainment and variety and artistry but as a cis white straight Midwestern mom, it was lovely reading about so many people finally feeling seen and represented and less alone through the show.  

Final Overall Thoughts

I realized I knew more than I thought.  I could get a visual image of pretty much every queen and highlight they talked about.  This book didn't disappoint so if you're in the demographic that would be interested, I think it's worth a read.

I'm glad there were supporters and believers that had the space and commitment to see the show grow as they worked through the various channels, formats, etc. to continually reinvent and showcase drag.