You could fit into a compact what I know about drag so, naturally, who better to interview Pittsburgh’s own Alaska Thunderfck? Yes, you read that right. Alaska Thunderfck. The local queen who describes herself as “big, beautiful, and bat sht crazy” is about to come strutting right into your living room as a contestant on the next season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
“I HOPE PITTSBURGH WILL BE ROOTING FOR ME JUST AS MUCH AS THEY WOULD THE STEELERS OR THE PENGUINS … AND EVEN THE PIRATES. ALTHOUGH, I HOPE I DO BETTER THAN THE PIRATES.”
Alaska has been gracing the drag stage for the last six years (and even longer if you count dressing up in her grandma’s best and sashaying about the living room). It may have been a silly question to ask the queen who won the first pageant she ever entered but I had to know: why drag?
“It was the only job I was qualified to have,” Alaska says. “My mind is always so focused on drag that it makes me unemployable anywhere else.”
Getting into drag, she says, is like being a nun. “You get the calling, and you just realize there is nothing else you can do.” (It is unclear if that call comes from God, Neiman Marcus, or a bottle of vodka, but it is obviously persuasive.)
So what’s in a name? On a particularly high holiday (St. Patrick’s Day), a young not-yet-Alaska was engaging in a colorful discussion with some friends about — of all things — the various forms into which cannabis may be refined. “Someone mentioned ‘Alaskan Thunderfck,’ and the words just struck my brain like lightning.”
According to CannabisSearch.com, this particularly potent strain is considered a powerhouse in the medical marijuana field, known for rapid onset followed by a strong, euphoric state. That name is bit too risqué for television, you say? Well, fear not. Like the mind-bending herb from whence her title came, she, too, has been refined. On Drag Race, she is simply known as Alaska. (One name worked out well enough for Cher.)
SHE SAYS THAT THE ONLY TIME SHE FEELS “NORMAL AND COMFORTABLE” IS WHEN SHE IS UP ON STAGE. “I PERFORM FOR THE AUDIENCE. WHETHER IT’S FIVE PEOPLE OR 1,000, I WANT EVERYONE TO HAVE A GOOD TIME.”
Alaska draws her inspiration from numerous places, from the self-made queens, like Divine and RuPaul, to the incandescent Marilyn Monroe. Her biggest inspiration, however, is anyone who is brave enough to get up on stage and perform in drag. “New, young drag queens inspire me so much. They always remind me just why I got into this in the first place.”
She says that the only time she feels “normal and comfortable” is when she is up on stage. “I perform for the audience. Whether it’s five people or 1,000, I want everyone to have a good time.”
As Alaska puts it, drag queens are clowns. “Really pretty clowns that are just there to make you feel good about life.”
From the Miss Fishbowl Pageant to the Miss Happy Hooker Pageant, Alaska is no stranger to success. All of this success has not only led Alaska to her spot on TV, but it has also garnered the attention of bars and clubs all over the country. Once the cast of season five was announced, performance venues from St. Petersburg, Florida to San Francisco, California wanted a hit of Alaska Thunderfck.
And with so many shows under her garter belt, there are bound to be a few standouts.
Once, Alaska took to the stage in an ensemble made of shiny yellow plastic, accompanied by two well-built gentlemen bearing pig masks. Not to be outdone or forgotten, Alaska threw inhibition (and hygiene) to the wind and submitted herself to what she described as a “lovely golden fountain,” provided by her porcine pals. Eat your heart out, Gaga.
Expectations are especially high for Alaska’s upcoming appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race. She’s following in the footsteps of last season’s winner, Sharon Needles, who just so happens to be Alaska’s girlfriend/ boyfriend/partner/you get the idea. To absolutely no one’s surprise, there has been a bit of pessimistic outcry over this on the Internet. There are those that claim Alaska was only chosen to be on Drag Race because of her relationship with Sharon. Alaska simply laughs and admits that she is inclined to agree with them. “Sharon has made everything better for me,” she says. “I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. Every success of mine, I can thank her for.”
Alaska has but one simple request for her fans back home: “I hope Pittsburgh will be rooting for me just as much as they would the Steelers or the Penguins … and even the Pirates. Although, I hope I do better than the Pirates.”
After a most entertaining interview, Alaska Thunderfck has motivated this drag neophyte not only to set the DVR to record the next season of RuPaul’s Drag Race (which premieres Monday, January 28) but also to snag tickets for her show on Saturday, February 16 at Cattivo in Lawrenceville. (She will understand if I bring a poncho.)
Behind the scenes of “Alaska Beauty”
- More than 300 Freedom roses were deliciously
deconstructed to create the bed of rose petals. - 6 bottles of Veuve Clicquot champagne were
enjoyed during the several hour shoot. - More than 10 hairpieces and wigs were available
to create the luscious locks and various photo shoot
looks. - 8 Equal employees, Delta Foundation staff, stylists
and assistants “rose” to the occasion to help make
things picture perfect and lend support. - Mara Rago shot more than 800 photos of Alaska while
precariously perched above on a 15-foot ladder
above her.
