Call Them the First Child of Drag! An Interview with Toddy
Published on: Jan 8, 2022
Written by: Joey Hodgson
It’s official! The drag scene has a new winner as the new series “Call Me Mother” has crowned Toddy as the first child of drag. Now that there’s been enough time for everyone to catch up, there’s no need to hold back our excitement and discuss. We sat down with none other than the winner themselves, Toddy!
What was it like being in the house of Dulcet and being in a family dynamic?
The house of Dulcet was honestly a powerhouse. The viewers only got to see a tiny fraction of us supporting one another. I’ve never had a drag parent or siblings, so it was really special to be in an environment where your family’s success is your success and when you fail, you get booted out of the house, y’know! Family stuff! But seriously, Kiki and Felicia are my siblings for life!
What was your favourite challenge?
To perform: the roast for sure! Prior to covid I was doing standup comedy up to 10 times a week but I wasn’t able to do it for over a year. So getting the chance to make people laugh again was an electric feeling I will never forget! I also really got a chance to help the cast with their jokes. I had been “eliminated” the week before so I truly had nothing to lose.
What were your biggest hurdles throughout the competition?
I think drag kings and things are held to a higher standard. I knew that I either had to do flawlessly or I was outta there. That was a lot of pressure but I live for pressure! Ask my therapist, it’s a problem.
How did being in front of the camera change things?
It’s surprising how fast you get used to constantly being in front of a camera! I don’t think anything changed other than I knew I had to do slightly better makeup on 1080HD.
You talk about the importance of shining the spotlight on drag kings, what can us as viewers do to make that light shine brighter?
Follow drag kings. Be interested in their careers. Pressure local promoters, clubs and bookers that don’t book drag kings to book drag kings/things! Producers shouldn’t be able to say “all drag is valid” until their own lineups reflect that sentiment. Until then, your shallow words are a fart in the wind.
What can you do to help as a performer?
What can I do? I mean, I think I do already a lot. I mean, booking them, paying them, going out of your way to follow them on social media, lifting up their platforms. Right now we feel like the only way to make or break a career is through television, but I think as a community, we can change that. When folks go on tour with popular drag queens, they can book drag kings as openers, bring them on the road, highlight them, there’s so many things that can happen for us to give exposure to each other. That’s just not happening right now.
Any advice for an aspiring or new drag performer?
Go to shows and support shows and start meeting people and making connections and go to shows in face. Really start curating your brand and persona, and all of this stuff doesn’t necessarily have to happen on stage. A lot can be done as an audience member and there’s a certain amount of paying your dues that you have to do.
How was working with Peppermint? What did you learn from her?
She taught me how to not underestimate myself and my talents. I used to be, and still am a very high energy drag performer and kind of just like all over the place but Peppermint has a way of handling stillness in a way that I’ve never seen before. She really taught me the power of stillness and the power of creating this energy and holding it, you know? With the audience, you can just feel this visceral reaction of what’s coming next. It’s completely changed the way I write music, the way I perform, and the way I approach lip syncs. I think stillness was something that I was afraid of, but now it’s absolutely a superpower.
How have things changed for you since you've been crowned?
I was pretty much fully booked already before. I was not expecting to win, so I had kind of laid out my life in a way that I’m just going to get every single opportunity I can and make things happen for myself, which as a drag thing, I’m kind of used to doing that anyways. So I think the win more than anything, has just solidified the fact that this should be my full time career.
What are your next steps as the first child of drag?
What aren’t my next steps! I have an album in the making, a one person show ready to tour, a TV show in chats. I want to work as hard as I can to set the stage for all of the other opera singing non-binary lesbian clowns to come.
Watch Toddy and the other wonderful drag things, kings and queens in the first season of “Call Me Mother,” now streaming on OUTtv.
