Inside Art Simone’s world: Drag droppings, spooky dolls & The Bachelor

0:00 Charmed is all about our collections and our memories and why they matter. Our keepsakes can be a representation of personal style and quality, a reminder of who we are. Some stories are worn to tell with Pandora. Keep listening for more. Why I so proudly love dolls now is because that's what I loved as a little girl. Yes.

0:19 And we have adult money and eBay, so we can do whatever we need. That's what's up!

0:23 That's what's up!

0:24 I think I beat a second or something.

0:26 Should have won.

0:26 I know. Second again.

0:28 Robbed again.

0:29 Oh my God, the Shannon Nolan drag.

0:41 Hi, I'm Sam Todd and welcome to Charmed. This is a show about the things we keep. The random little things, the sentimental things, the stuff that probably looks like nothing to anyone else, but for some reason you can never throw it away. Every episode, I'll be chatting to someone about the bits and pieces they've held on to and what those things say about the person they were when they found them. Because yes, sometimes we collect things. Some of us, a lot of things. But most of the time, I think we're really just trying to hold on to a feeling and a memory. Today, I'm chatting to Art Simone, and this episode is about what happens when something you create as a fantasy starts becoming a very real part

1:21 of who you are. We're talking drag. The wigs, costumes, makeup, heels, rhinestones, references, and ridiculous little treasures that go into building a character and the things you end up keeping because they belong to a moment you never want to forget. We get into the objects Art has collected along the way, the pieces that helped her build Art Simone, and what happens when a character you created gives you the confidence and freedom to become even more yourself. But first, before we get into it, we're going to throw to our Get to Know Me segment. Every week, I put a question box on my Instagram story pertaining to the topic of this week's podcast, and this one being drag. And while I am no drag queen, I am a drag race

2:05 super fan. So I put the questions to the floor. And the first question that came in is from Bree. She asks, if you had a drag persona, what would your drag name be? Oh my God. I'm already prepared for this question because my friends and I have played this game a million times before. This is my drag name.

2:20 It is Veronica Violet, which is inspired by my favorite band of my teens and childhood, even the Veronica's. I just wanted to be them so bad. They were so cool. So edgy. They still are for the record. So I want to take a piece of that energy. And as for the violet, I just like alliteration. I like the way it sounds. I like the letter V and then maybe my theme could be the color purple. Next question comes from Katie and she asks, what would be the one completely non-negotiable part of your drag look? For me, it would be everything rhinestone. Absolutely everything. That's a hobby that I really want to pick up. I want to start rhinestoning everything in my life. But my all-time favorite queen,

3:01 Gigi Goode, who was on Drag Race, she once said that she never wears rhinestones. And she is so fashionable. She is the pinnacle of fashion. But that is the one thing I disagree with her on. I think a rhinestone improves absolutely everything. And our next question actually connects to this. It's from Allison. And she says, who are your all-time favorite Drag Race queens? Obviously, as I just said, Gigi Goode. I believe I have such an attachment to her because I'm admitting I was late to the party with Drag Race. The first season I watched was season 12, which was her season. So I'll always have a soft spot for her. But I also love Plain Jane. I love how she is so direct. Like she says it how it is. She says people's names when she's talking

3:42 about them on social media. She just creates tea and drama. And I know it's bad to like that, but it's so salacious. It's so delicious. So I really like her. Of course, our Australian icon, Art Simone, who is today's guest. I'm just elated that she's coming on. And also an honorable mention for Drag Race UK season two. No season has ever done it like that one again with Bimini, Taste, Aura.

4:06 There was something about that season, the perfect mix of cast members, how they had the break in the middle for the pandemic, and then they all came back better than they were at the start. Impeccable season. And after the break, we're going to be joined by Art Simone herself. So stay tuned. You know, one of the things I love about this podcast is how quickly a tiny treasure can open up a whole story. A charm, a bracelet, a souvenir from a trip. For me personally, I love to collect Pandora charms and have been collecting them for my whole life. There are many types to collect and they all tell different stories. Whether it's exclusive charms you can only get when you visit a certain city or country,

4:44 charms you can earn from completing a marathon. That's right, I ran a marathon for a Pandora charm. or even rare vintage charms that I love scouring the internet for like their treasure. Each charm tells a different part of my life story and I love that I can wear and see my memories every single day. If you're thinking about the stories you wear or the moments you'd love to hold on to, you can discover more at pandora.net.

5:08 Art Simone has built an entire world around transformation Wigs, makeup, costumes, characters, references, and a whole lot of color, which we love here at Charmed. She has been doing drag for over 15 years, which means there's a lot of art history tucked away somewhere. Old costumes, early wigs, drag race treasures, things picked up backstage, and pieces that have survived every version of art along the way. Today, we're going all the way back to where art began, how her style has evolved, the things she's collected along the way, and very importantly, what she refuses to throw away. Hi, Aunt Simone. It is my absolute pleasure and joy to welcome you to Charmed as a Drag Race and Drag superfan. I am so elated

5:50 to have you here.

5:51 Thank you. Thank you for having me.

5:54 I know that you just finished a sensational run on Drag Race Down Under vs. The World where your peers called you the poster child for Australian drag and our greatest drag export. So I'm really, really thrilled to have you on today.

6:06 Thank you. Thank you. I'm excited to talk all things drag. I know you've.

6:11 Got a lot of wonderful things to show us today, but to start, I want to take us all the way back to the start. What was Art Simone like when she began? Because I know you've been doing drag for about 15 years. Is that correct?

6:21 Yeah. Yeah.

6:22 16 now.

6:23 I'm old. I know.

6:24 I'm not old. But no, I started in high school. That's where I really got into drag. As a queer teenager, you know, you can feel really displaced sometimes. within the world and not really understand who you are or who you're meant to be or who, um, not going to express yourself the way you want to.

6:43 So, um, I used to use makeup and wigs.

6:47 And costumes as a form of escapism so I could be someone else just for a moment. Um, but it did actually start as like zombies and witches and vampires and all of that. And then I got really bored because you can only do so many skulls. And I went like, wait, there's so many other wigs.

7:02 I could wear.

7:03 So, Then it evolved into drag throughout high school. And then I just haven't stopped ever since. And, you know, my drag has definitely evolved over the years. I think I started a drag queen in a very self-serving way. It was to make me feel better. And it was to make me an avenue for me to express myself a certain way. But then I found the joy in making other people happy. And that's kind of where it sits now is sure I get to express myself, but I get to perform and give other people a sense of escapism for once now. I can kindly gift that back to them, which I think is really important, especially in these days, you know?

7:41 Definitely. And your drag character now is so beautiful and polished and pristine and fleshed out. But I know you said you started with these, like, spooky Halloween-type ideas. Is there any essence of that that still carries through to your drag today?

7:55 I think I've definitely gone back into that now.

7:58 I think the trajectory of my career, I. Went really, we called it like commercial drag for a while.

8:07 I was pink tresses and pink boas. I was in an Amy commercial. I was like corporate drag. And that's what I did for a very long time. And that's what I thought people wanted to see. But now I've found that people really enjoy when you show much more of a sense of self through your work and your presentation and your accessories.

8:24 And what you perform.

8:25 So I've kind of reintroduced that back into what I do. You know, I'm a bit more punky now and I'm a bit more I still love a pink sequined dress, don't you worry.

8:35 When the time is right.

8:36 Exactly.

8:37 The punk piece really stands out to me because I feel that there's quite a disparity between your personal style. If you haven't seen art out of drag before, you're in all black with the silver accessories. And then in drag, it's like all sequins, all colorful, quite crazy. But I'm seeing these punk elements come back in. When did that start happening again? And why was there such a disparity between the two to begin with?

8:59 It actually happened after the first time I was on Drag Race. Um, I, uh, presented the first time I did Drag Race season one, Drag Race at Under. I was like, all right, this is the first time Drag Race has ever been down here. I want to show what Aussie drag is.

9:15 And for the record, you were the first queen to come out on the first season of Australian Drag Race. What an honor.

9:21 I know. What a big opening.

9:23 Um, but I, I really wanted to present and document Aussie drag at its finest. So a lot of my references were all about, you know, Priscilla and, you know, celebrating all the people around me and the aesthetics that they liked.

9:38 So kind of less about you?

9:39 Yeah. I think it was still like a part of who I was as a drag queen.

9:43 But after that, I was like, I just want to do what I like now, you know, and I want to celebrate and curate a wardrobe and, you know, a list of performances that I can really relate to a bit more as well and what makes me unique and interesting.

9:58 So I've really learned into that a bit more.

10:00 Having watched the two seasons of Drag Race, I can really see what you're saying because in the most recent season, you came across this so fully and authentically yourself and so unshakable because you felt really confident in your drag. At least that's how it was coming across to me. Does putting on drag make you feel almost like superhuman.

10:19 I really think that everyone should try drag once.

10:21 It's my dream.

10:22 Yes. You've got to do it. It's my dream. You've got to do it.

10:24 I'm putting this out there into the universe for the next season of Drag Race Down Under. When there's a makeover challenge, I want to be the makeover guest.

10:31 Yeah.

10:31 It's all about manifestation. So put this in the universe right now. Okay. Yes.

10:35 I strongly believe about saying it out loud because that makes it happen. Yes.

10:39 It teaches you everything. You walk differently. People treat you differently.

10:43 And there's I mean, when you first start drag, there's a big sense of anonymity, anonymity.

10:49 That one to it. You're anonymous. People don't really know who you are.

10:53 And people didn't really know who I was out of drag until like I was fully on drag race.

10:58 Cause they, you know, you actually spend most of the time out of drag on camera.

11:01 So it's kind of cool that you can have a double life.

11:03 That's the thing, you know, you literally get to walk in someone else's shoes and see what the world is like.

11:10 And it's a bit taller up as well. So that's nice.

11:12 Yeah, and I feel like it must teach you something about sitting in discomfort because whilst you look beautiful, I can't imagine how uncomfortable it must be.

11:21 Oh, I tell you what, if I ever get captured by enemy territories and they try to torture me with anything about pain or discomfort, sorry, you're not getting information out of me.

11:30 Sorry, love. I'm not giving you the secret recipe. I'm sorry.

11:33 Those 11 secret herbs and spices are staying locked in here. Don't you worry. Because yeah, you have to be, it is mind over Maddie. Like everything hurts, but I look good.

11:43 The eyelash, the itchy wig, the heavy earring.

11:46 No, now that you're saying it out loud, I can feel it all.

11:50 I take it all back.

11:51 You're on a comfortable couch with dark blue cushions.

11:55 Oh, I'm just lovely.

11:56 You're so relaxed.

11:57 I'm nice and cold. Yeah.

11:58 You're wearing flats.

12:00 Yeah.

12:00 Yeah.

12:01 Nothing is itchy.

12:02 No, just resting, resting, dormant state. It's a Having the best time.

12:06 What's the part of your looks that takes the longest to put on?

12:09 I think it's all the base work, which is the boring stuff. It's like you're blocking your eyebrows then to doing all your contouring and your foundation and everything before you then put all the fun stuff on top. That's the chunk that takes a long time. And that's something going back to Drag Race, which is so hard. They give you like an hour and a half to get in full. Like from you walking in going, it's a new day, wait in the workroom, to like being ready to walk down the runway.

12:32 Is an hour and a half.

12:33 This is the breaking the fourth wall tea that I wanted to collect from this episode. I wanted to know how long you actually get.

12:39 Yeah.

12:39 So only 1.5 hours.

12:40 Yeah.

12:41 For this kind of look.

12:42 Yeah.

12:42 And today this kind of look took you two and a half hours. Yes. How is that possible? You're in a pressure cooker. Yeah. And everyone's trying to talk to you.

12:48 And then you're like, and then I was bullied as a kid and it was really hard for me.

12:54 How did that make you feel vibe? Crazy.

12:57 And then your sisters start beefing next to you and you want to listen to the drama, but the clock is ticking.

13:01 Literally, yeah.

13:03 And it's a lot of like bartering with production being like, I will have this conversation if you stop the clock right now, thank you. I remember the first time I did Drag Race and we were like, an.

13:12 Hour and a half, how are we doing that?

13:14 And the producer stands up and she goes, Well, Sasha Velour did it in an hour and a half, so you can too.

13:19 I was like, she's got no eyebrows, okay?

13:21 And no hair half the time.

13:23 No, okay.

13:23 She didn't have.

13:24 To stick a wig down.

13:25 No.

13:25 Speaking of Drag Race, one of the reasons I thought you would be the most perfect guest for this podcast is because you started a series online called Drag Droppings of all of the things that you collected from the set of Drag Race. And this show is all about collecting things. What inspired you to start collecting the drag droppings? Yeah, I.

13:43 Don't know about you, but I think you might be the same. I find so much joy and energy in objects. Some people, like they don't feel attachments or anything to a single position in the world. I could pick up a leaf off the, weird, losers. But I could pick up a leaf on the ground and be like, oh, this is a pretty leaf.

14:05 I'll keep that.

14:06 I can't look at teddy bears in op shops. Anything with a face on it, I can't look at it because I have to buy it.

14:11 Yeah, yeah.

14:12 So I have always collected things or kept things and they're never.

14:18 They're not always the most like expensive, higher things.

14:21 It literally could be a secret off someone's outfit from a gig that I was doing and I.

14:25 Really love that night and I want to remember it.

14:28 Or you go to a concert and you take a piece of confetti that's been like shot out.

14:32 Um, so I've always done that my entire life.

14:35 Um, and I, uh, found these opportunities during filming Drag Race.

14:40 I was like, oh, well, that'll, That'll commemorate that. That's nice.

14:45 And they were the most random things, right?

14:46 That's what I mean. There's pieces of fabric. There's random sequins.

14:50 There's a nail. There's a piece of hair.

14:52 You took a skirting board off the wall?

14:54 I took a skirting board off the wall. No, it fell off the wall.

14:57 Oh, yes. You didn't damage it.

14:58 I did not.

14:59 Of course not.

14:59 No, everyone was kicking it for weeks. And then it just fell off. And Vibe was there. And she said, put it in your bag. And I said, good idea, Vibe.

15:08 It wasn't even your idea.

15:08 No, it wasn't. No, I'm innocent. I'm innocent. Yeah.

15:12 And you had all the finalist girls sign it.

15:14 Yeah.

15:15 Yeah.

15:15 Yeah. That's really nice. Yeah.

15:17 So I just love items like that, that like may look like, you know, trash to someone else, but they're really treasures and special things to me.

15:24 And, um, you know, especially when you're doing something like a TV.

15:27 Show, all you can take is your memories and whatever they decide to air, you know, so any bit of tangible stuff I could take with me to kind of remember everything and celebrate it in the meantime, because we shot the show and then it didn't air until like 10, 11 months later. So it's nice to have these objects to remember my sisters and my experience.

15:48 Yeah. And I imagine it, the time moves so quickly. You're in this pressure cooker. You're so stressed. It would be so easy to black out and forget everything that happened.

15:57 And I tried to journal.

15:58 But you get so tired and it gets the end of the day and you're like, my journals are so funny. I'll have to show them on a TikTok one day because They start off so like.

16:07 I'm ready.

16:08 It's going to be the best experience of my life. Today I had a piece of toast.

16:11 It was really nice.

16:12 And then the weather is this. And then as you get further through, they become dot points. And then the last one is like, there's like three days being like, it was good. I won.

16:22 I won.

16:22 Because it's just like so tiring.

16:25 How long are the filming days?

16:28 They're crazy.

16:28 So you, you know, get called from the hotel at like seven and you're back by 1130 midnight.

16:34 Wow. And then again, the next day, do you have a break? No.

16:37 So you usually do like six days in a row and then seventh day you get off.

16:42 But on the seventh day, you're usually doing something for the next episode. So for example, the next episode might be the wrap and roast. So they will let you know in advance and you spend that day writing everything.

16:53 Oh my God. That is so strenuous. All of the little behind the scenes things you're telling me makes it so much harder. People don't really think about all of that stuff. So you're underslept.

17:04 Yeah.

17:04 Working in all of your spare time.

17:05 Yeah. It's great though, because you don't have any other distractions. They take your phone, you're in a bubble.

17:11 So you genuinely have no phone, no way to connect with the outside world, no scrolling. There's no time to scroll, I suppose.

17:16 There's no time and you do, you know, there's no news, there's nothing happening at all.

17:21 And it's great.

17:21 You kind of regress into being like a teenager because you can't do anything for yourself. You have to ask to go to the bathroom. You have to ask for food. You have to ask for like, So you're just like, can I.

17:32 Go outside in the sun, please?

17:34 Like in school. Yeah.

17:35 It's like, I need to go to the toilet, please. Private drink, please.

17:39 So you just get to focus on the drag, which is really fun. And you have to give up, like, like you said, radical acceptance. You've got to give up all sorts of control in just also being a human being and like an adult. It's like, okay, well, I'm just, I'm just. Gone with the flow, which is not me at all.

17:55 Yeah, you just have to like float through the experience, right? So it's really good that you collected the drag droppings because they're like tethers to the moment.

18:02 Absolutely. Touchstones. Touchstones, I like that. Yeah, they're really nice touchstones.

18:07 What's the most special one that you took? Ooh. Not stole, took.

18:11 Collected.

18:12 Collected.

18:13 I think one of the most special ones I have is, of course, a piece or a couple of pieces now of the back curtain from the main stage of the runway, which is like, of course it just looks like some dangly beads, but it's so special because you are so nervous waiting backstage. So there's like, I look at this and I hold this and I just think of like way to go on. The fun thing is when you do the runway, they're pumping that, what was it? Hustle that cat by RuPaul.

18:42 So they're pumping it so loud on repeat.

18:45 And you're just like, revving yourself up to go. There's like a producer standing just off camera, like ready to let you know when to walk on. So like the sound of these and the feeling of these, just take me back to that.

18:57 May I touch a piece of the set?

18:59 You can hold both of them.

19:00 Another thing I wondered about is, can you hear the judges' critiques and commentary when you're walking?

19:06 So we do, we walk twice.

19:08 So the first time with music, so you can really feel yourself. And then the second time is the most awkward thing you have ever experienced.

19:15 There's no music.

19:16 It's just, it's you walking down a runway and a judging panel and they're going, oh, and you just have to be like, and they're like, oh, oh no, she better don't.

19:27 Oh, work it mama. And you're like, oh my God.

19:30 Incomplete silence.

19:31 Incomplete silence.

19:32 And so much so your outfit may be loud, like this one, or like, um, I had an outfit that was covered in, um, crystals and all you could hear as I walked was it like scraping up along the floor and you're like.

19:44 Wow, this is really fabulous character building.

19:46 Oh, it's crazy. But it's like, there's another experience. like it in the world. So you've got to enjoy it and remember it.

19:54 And the other reason I like these two is because it reminded me of how far I've come. Because my first season of Drag Race, they didn't give us lovely, you know, crystals and beads for our back curtain. It was just strip sequin fringe. So it was just a bit of fabric and I've got a piece of that too.

20:13 I didn't bring that today though, but, um, it reminded me of how lux we were now.

20:18 So that's so far from season one.

20:21 I know. So you can go there.

20:23 With all the treasures, how do you display them? Do you have a scrapbook or a ball display?

20:27 At the moment, these are all just in a manila folder. A manila folder. And a Ziploc bag.

20:32 I remember someone commented and they're like, oh my God, all these things you're showing, where do you store them? I was like, it's a piece of fabric and a crystal and a tuft of hair.

20:43 Love, I've got plenty of space for that. Don't you worry.

20:45 But yeah, they're just in boxes at the moment. Not really displayed. I think I like to... enjoy them in the moment and then pack them away for things like that. So I've still got like a box of treasures from my first season of Drag Race as well.

20:57 Especially now that you had such an amazing run on this season, it probably feels a lot better now looking back at season one. Yes. Did you hesitate for a while?

21:04 To go back? Yeah. Absolutely. And a lot of my friends and family were like, no, don't do it. Don't do it. Look what they did. Well, not what they did. Look what happened the first time.

21:15 And... They also, you know, they were there when I was dealing with it all and everything. And they were a bit scared about me going back, but it just seemed exciting and it seemed new. And, you know, I was on the first season of Down Under, amazingly on the first season of Down Under versus the Woodlands.

21:31 Feels correct.

21:32 Yeah. So I'm so glad I did. Yeah.

21:34 It was an opportunity to rewrite art history.

21:37 Absolutely.

21:37 Had to get the foot in there and you did it.

21:39 You did it.

21:40 I actually took him to drag race with me as a little touchstone from home.

21:44 I'm touching him because he's been to Drag Race. Yes.

21:46 So he traveled with me. These two actually, this has got a matching one for me and my best friend. I took my best friend's voodoo doll.

21:53 So is this a voodoo doll of yourself? Yeah.

21:56 Now, if you can't hate yourself, how can you hate anyone else? You know, sometimes you can be angry at the world and you're like, oh, damn it. No, I just think it's really camp. But it's really, really more that I've got, there's a pair of these. It's one of me, one of my best friend. And we have them at home. And I usually take his one with me whenever I go. I took him to Drag Race as well. But I just think it's camp.

22:21 Did you make this of yourself?

22:22 No, a friend made it for me.

22:24 A video of you.

22:25 Yes. Did you do it?

22:26 That's actually my wig.

22:28 That's actually my wig. I just put a pin in between Art's eyebrows.

22:32 This seems kind of cathartic because I imagine on the experience of Drag Race, this was with you, right? Or your best friend's on?

22:38 My best friend's on, but.

22:39 I was going to say, like having your voodoo doll, like maybe you've had a stressful day and you know you didn't do the best that you could have. I might like to come home and be like, you didn't say a funny joke and put your pins in my mouth.

22:53 I'm sure some therapists would say this is not healthy, but who needs to be healthy? You know, it's fine. I've got quite a collection of voodoo dolls actually. And it all started with my grandmother. I'm very hard on myself in terms of like, I want to do the best I can. And it's been like that ever since I was a kid. So, um, there was a kid in my class when I was super young that was always like just ahead of me in everything in terms of grades or like doing things.

23:16 Nothing's a better motivator, by the way.

23:19 I know.

23:19 As a very competitive person.

23:20 And, um, my gran would call him smarty pants.

23:24 And then one day I went to her house and she'd made a voodoo doll with like smarties on their pants. And she gave it to me and she said, there you go. I don't know if she put any real cursors in it, but, um. Maybe that's where I got to where I am today. Thank you, Gran.

23:39 Who else do you have voodoo dolls of?

23:41 RuPaul?

23:42 No.

23:43 Never RuPaul's.

23:44 No. My mum actually made me one recently as well.

23:49 But I won't divulge into who that is of or what that is of.

23:53 How very intriguing. I know.

23:54 You've got to give some mystery. The world knows everything about me. I want some secrets out there.

23:59 Speaking of spooky dolls, on Drag Race. You had the Delulu doll. Oh my God. Was that a LabooBoo joke?

24:05 Yes, it was a LabooBoo joke.

24:06 But the issue is the entire production team knew they had to keep an eye on that bloody doll because they knew I was going to nick that thing.

24:17 I wanted to know if it was good. Oh, I don't. You don't love it? I don't.

24:20 They knew I wanted it so bad. And when I got that script and I was like, Delulu doll, I'm going to want a doll.

24:24 Perfect. Love this.

24:25 That was made for you.

24:26 Yes, yes.

24:27 And I was looking after it. I kept fixing its makeup and its hair and everything between shots. And, yeah, they had to keep taking it. As soon as, like, they called cut, they're like, give us the doll.

24:39 I think you deserve the doll because you collect dolls as well, right?

24:43 Yes, yes.

24:44 I didn't bring, because I've got my cutesy things, my weird things, and then I've got a whole bunch of spooky things as well. But I thought I'd just bring the more cutesy things today. But I've got so many dolls. I also collect, like, vintage Barbie dolls from like my birth year, which is 92.

25:01 So specifically only 92?

25:03 Well, because you have to have some kind of parameters on a Barbie doll. There's millions in the world.

25:08 I specifically only collect the Disney Barbie collaborations because you can't collect every single one, though I would like to.

25:15 Yeah.

25:15 So I've got a lot of Barbies, but it also plays back to me as a kid when I really wanted a Barbie, but you know, I was a little boy, little boys aren't meant to have Barbies. And I used to play with my sisters and I found so much joy out of it. And it wasn't until like my adult life that, you know, this is what we do.

25:32 We reclaim things, reclaim our childhood. Or the first chapter of my book, plug, Life is Hard. And there's a big chunk about how I always wanted a Barbie doll. And mum read that book and she's felt guilty ever since. And she's like, I wish I could have, I wish I could have. So mum has gifted me a lot of Barbies in my adult years. And we have joy together, like unboxing them and dressing them up and setting them up and comparing them.

25:54 It's great.

25:55 That's really beautiful. And this is what we talk about a lot on this show. Like it's coming back to our younger selves. Like why I so proudly love dolls now is because that's what I loved as a little girl. And you just lose it somewhere along the way. But now that our frontal lobes are formed... We can come back to what is authentically us.

26:11 And we have adult money in eBay. So we can do whatever we need. That's what's up!

26:16 I have all my brats lined up above my makeup desk. So when I'm getting ready, I can be inspired. You know, do a little bit more. Do you have a choice of souvenir when you go to things like DragCon?

26:26 Oh, well, DragCon is a bit different. But my choice of souvenir in general is always a magnet. I was going to be my magnet collection as well. But I can't fly with that many magnets.

26:37 I'm sorry.

26:37 The whole plane would get stuck to other things. Because we've got hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of magnets. And they're also kind of boring to travel. Like, here's my magnet from when I went to the giant koala.

26:48 That's nice.

26:49 Here's the dog in the taco box. I like that.

26:51 So is it every single city that you've gone to on tour, you have the magnet for?

26:55 Yes.

26:56 It's a classic.

26:56 You can't go wrong.

26:57 And the uglier, the better. They have to be the ugliest magnet you've ever seen. Like, graphic design is my passion. Like, I want to see... Like, the foulest magnet that I can't believe they've produced thousands of.

27:11 We always pick the ugliest ones.

27:12 I love the graphic designers. My passion means.

27:14 I love them.

27:16 The tackier, the more heinous, the better.

27:19 Yes, yes, yes.

27:20 Oh, one thing I want to ask about is I just saw on your Instagram story that you just got your badges from Drag Race down under Versus the World.

27:29 Finally.

27:29 I think they had to have them, you know, under lock and key.

27:33 But I finally got them. I brought one of them here today because.

27:36 Much like the royal family, I don't think they should all travel together in case something happens to the plane.

27:40 You can hope, man.

27:41 The funny thing is, me receiving it was the first time I'd seen one because on set, they hadn't been made yet. So we just had old ones with stickers on them.

27:51 You did not.

27:51 You did not. That was so exciting.

27:54 And they wouldn't let us take those, rudely. That was another thing that counted every single time.

27:59 I was about to ask, why are you just receiving this if you received them on the show? So you left badgeless.

28:04 Yes, I left badgeless. No wonder I was taking pieces of fabric. Wow.

28:09 You should wear it.

28:10 I know.

28:10 Oh, it's gold though. It would clash.

28:11 Is it solid gold? No. Oh, like the color is gold. We wear mixed metals in this house.

28:16 Oh, really?

28:17 Yes.

28:17 Oh, I don't know about that. That's my lifestyle choice. I'm sorry.

28:20 So you commit to only one metal.

28:23 Usually. I'm so much so that I'm usually even like, say if I've got a crystal, everything has to be like clear.

28:27 You can't mix AB. So I think my nails may have an AB on there. Don't tell anyone.

28:31 I love the particular nature of that. I personally am an advocate for mixed metal and even rose gold. Do you like rose gold?

28:39 Yes.

28:40 Okay.

28:40 Did you lie?

28:42 No.

28:44 I don't feel any way towards rose gold. I don't wear it personally. I have a rose gold ring I wear because I'm part of a show called Fountain Lakes where we do Kath and Kim drag parody plays across the country.

28:59 And my Kath's day-night... wedding ring is rose gold so i.

29:03 Don't know gets it yeah she's a fashion icon oh she.

29:06 Is a fashion icon thank you it's nice to be unusual actually correct me if.

29:09 I'm wrong you haven't shown any of your drag droppings from season one online yet not yet no can you tell me about any of the things that you collected so.

29:17 I've got a piece of etc etc's um big coat she wore for our finest sheila in the bush runway it's when she was eliminated actually.

29:26 I love her. I met her once at an event. She was so nice.

29:28 So I met all these beautiful gum leaves and flowers and everything made her a tool. So I've got one of the gum leaves that fell off when she'd already gone home. I was like, oh, I've got this plush cat that was a prop that Miss Maxie Shield, Maxie Rister, peace um used for her infomercial on the on the season and when she was eliminated she gifted it to me because she like i was like i miss my cats i miss because we were like bonding over missing our pets and everything and she knew i miss my cats So she left me a note and, like, left me the cat there.

29:56 As a gift.

29:57 And it's even more special now.

29:59 Yeah.

29:59 That you have that cat from her.

30:00 Absolutely, yeah.

30:01 And then I've got one of the ties from Electra's design challenge because she made a dress out of ties. Lots of notes from all the girls as well.

30:10 A plane ticket from when I was going over as well. Lots of little things.

30:14 I've even got, like, a star that was off at Citra's headpiece for a runway that she never got to wear either.

30:20 So while it doesn't mean anything to anyone else... I remember it.

30:25 And that's the whole point.

30:26 Yeah.

30:26 You know, something that was really prolific on that season was styrofoam wigs.

30:30 Yes.

30:31 Is that a specifically Australian thing?

30:32 Yes. Yeah, yeah.

30:33 Did we invent that?

30:34 Well, we popularized it.

30:36 So foam sculpted wigs were made popular by Maud Boat, who is a drag queen from Sydney. And she was making them out of necessity because wigs are expensive.

30:51 They're hard to travel with.

30:52 In Sydney, they were doing production shows that would run for months at a time, and you needed stuff that would last. So she used to make them out of chicken wire and styrofoam from the side of the road, and she'd sculpt them with a fork. And then over the years, she developed a new technique and new products and everything. Then they were referenced in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the movie. They've just become so synonymous with Aussie drag. And I love that about them. I love it.

31:17 I didn't know the backstory because to me they look mega expensive. They're completely sparkly. They're huge. So I thought they were just like a really expensive item that for some reason hadn't translated to other countries. The backstory that it was a necessity is fascinating.

31:31 Yeah, yeah. And they're now kind of seen everywhere.

31:34 Like my friend Filmbox who makes them professionally, she's made them for Katy Perry. She's made them for Vegas shows. They're kind of... moved out from just the drag world as well, which is really exciting.

31:47 Now, with all of these looks that everybody worked on to put together for Drag Race, when you're done, what do you do with them? Do you keep them, rework them, archive them? Yeah.

31:56 So a lot of different things happen. I, well, can you guess? Do you think I give them away? Do you think I sell them? Do you think I get rid of them?

32:03 No. No.

32:04 So I've got outfits from the last 16 years, if not longer, some from when I was a teenager, so much so that my two-car garage has turned into my wardrobe.

32:14 It's an art Simone archive.

32:15 Yeah.

32:15 You should sell tickets.

32:18 Show and tell days.

32:20 So they're all there, but I'm glad I've kept them because I will pull from that wardrobe constantly throughout my life and throughout careers. And although an outfit may seem really specific at the time that I've made, there'll come another time where I'm like, oh, I can pull that.

32:34 I can use that.

32:35 That's probably the most specific one that you had to make for Drag Race.

32:38 Or for drag race. Or in general. I can tell you another one.

32:40 It could be the whole world.

32:41 I have an outfit made of Kohl's mini little shop figurines from when that was the, yes. And from aprons and this, and because I, the story behind that is I, collecting things, the first year that those Kohl's mini shops came out, obsessed.

32:57 So this was of your own volition. This was not a partnership?

32:59 Well, so the first time I fell in love with them, they did a competition where, I don't know, you could win some money or something and you had to submit a photo. So I made a big headpiece out of them, um, and did like a drag photo. And, um, I think I came second or something.

33:14 Should have won. I know.

33:15 Second again.

33:16 Robbed again.

33:17 Oh my God. The Shannon Knoll of drag. The next year they brought back the promotion.

33:21 Yeah.

33:21 And the Coles team reached out to me. I got all of them in advance. They gave me a full set. I was like, I don't have to collect them. Other opportunities do come up where I've been lucky enough to be part of exhibitions where my outfits have been on display and they'll ask for a specific one that they've seen a photo of, um, So a lot of my drag race looks have been in galleries across the country.

33:38 If there was going to be one art simone look that they were going to take, which one would it be?

33:43 I think it would have to be my paints by look from my entrance look from the first season. And that outfit is two of the world. It's been on, like I was, I wore that on The Bachelor when I was on The Bachelor years ago. I wore it on my entrance look. I've traveled into it and I've got so many fun things. And I think it's such an iconic art look.

34:00 But wait, you were on The Bachelor? Yes.

34:03 I wasn't a Bachelor. Oh, okay.

34:05 But no, back in that, like, you know, Abby Chatfield season with like Matt, Dr. Matt as The Bachelor. I ran one of the dates, one of the episodes. And this is when The Bachelor was huge. I honestly, I got more like social engagement on one episode of The Bachelor than I think I did in an entire season of Drag Race.

34:26 Really?

34:26 It was nuts.

34:27 And I think too, because I was exposed to a whole audience that had never really seen drag before.

34:31 But yeah, I got to run one of the dates. I did like a... Paint Your Inner.

34:35 Queen art class where all the girls had to like paint themselves. And it was the funniest episode because they were nightmare fuel.

34:43 And it was so funny. I'd never done anything like that before in my life. It was crazy.

34:48 I had an earpiece in and they were like feeding me questions to ask the girls and to like prompt different things.

34:53 And this was the golden era of The Bachelor. Yeah.

34:55 And I walked in, they'd been going for like weeks and weeks at this point. So they were in it. They were in the bubble.

35:01 And there was a lot of, tension and drama and everything through all of them. But I'm just walking in. I don't know who any of them are.

35:06 I'm just doing a date. I'm a drag queen.

35:09 But it was so fascinating. And I walked in and I was like, I want to do this for the rest of my life.

35:14 And I haven't been back.

35:15 So Bachelor, if anyone wants to give me an earpiece and get me to ask questions and make people cry, I'm all up for it again.

35:21 So it's not the painting party, but you want to do?

35:24 No, I don't know.

35:25 You can do that.

35:26 No, I can do that whenever I want. It's fine. Every time I do my makeup, it's a painting party. It's fine.

35:36 Well, now we have arrived at my favorite segment of the show. This is called Show Me Your Charm, where we each bring something to show each other pertaining to this week's topic. Would you like to take the floor first and show us what you brought?

35:47 What I've got for you to show you is, speaking of Barbies from the 90s, I've got my little slumber party Barbie. And she's special for a few different reasons. One, because she was eventually gifted to me by my mother. And she's my tour Barbie because she's a soft body Barbie.

36:08 I've never seen a soft body Barbie before. Tell us more.

36:11 And she also looks a little bit haunted because she's got those eyes that you can change with like hot or cold water. Except because she's so old, she's kind of trapped in an in-between stage. So she looks slightly blind. And I think that's beautiful.

36:26 Does she have milky eyes?

36:26 Yes. She's got me looking up.

36:28 Oh, like an aging puppy.

36:29 Yeah.

36:30 That's my aging puppy. Isn't she beautiful?

36:32 Oh, the body is indeed soft. Yes.

36:34 So it's very floppy. Yeah, yeah.

36:36 So I take her with me wherever I go for touring. I tour all the time across the world. She's always traveled with me. And she's got the same perfume as my mom. So she smells just like my mom, which is a nice little touch.

36:49 She does smell like a mom.

36:50 Yeah.

36:51 Is this a Chanel perfume?

36:52 I don't know. I feel like it could be Chanel number five.

36:54 I'm sure if mom's watching now, she'd want me to say, It's something French and really expensive. And I just think it's so funny because she came with her travel case and she looks like she's trapped in prison.

37:03 Wherever I take her.

37:05 In her travel case, she has just a brush. That's all she earns.

37:07 And a washcloth to change her. But I've never brushed her hair because I don't want to ruin her set.

37:13 The piece of fabric on her head looks like it could be a drag drop.

37:16 Isn't she? I know she's beautiful.

37:18 She's beautiful.

37:18 She's my little touchstone of home. I take her wherever I go. She's toured the world with me. She was just in Vegas with me. She was just in Vegas to Newcastle. She's going to be in Rockhampton tomorrow. We're just going everywhere. And I just think it's like, like I was saying earlier about reclaiming a part of my childhood that, you know, I wish I had.

37:38 And now it's like a connection.

37:39 And a wonderful moment with my mom that I get to celebrate when I'm away from home.

37:44 So I I think that's beautiful. That's my little lady.

37:46 It is extremely beautiful. Especially the fact that she smells like your mom.

37:50 Yes. And yes, so she's floppy body. So I think, have you ever seen a Barbie do that?

37:54 Never.

37:55 Never. Can she do a death drop? Well, it's so nice that you brought something that your mom gave you because I also brought something that my mom made for me. it's very divine timing because she made this for me for my birthday a few years ago and it is my birthday this week oh my goodness for my birthday thank you she hand made me a game of guess who guess rubes edison it is a handmade rupal's drag race version of guess who this is from a few years ago it goes all the way up to us season 13 and it even includes Down Under season one.

38:33 Oh my goodness.

38:34 With one Miss Art Simone. What? In the famous pants.

38:38 Oh my God. That's the look.

38:39 That you referenced before.

38:40 That's the look.

38:41 Isn't that crazy?

38:42 That is incredible.

38:44 She hand cut out the cards for every single queen.

38:48 Oh my God. She has to do the second edition now.

38:50 Yeah.

38:51 She needs to do an updated version. But every queen.

38:54 Oh my goodness. Does she watch Drag Race? Or did she just research it for you?

38:58 She just researched it for me.

39:00 Oh my God. She's like. I don't know who Tempest du jour is. Okay. All right. Good for her.

39:05 I think I remember her saying she had such a great time reading all of the names and looking at all the photos.

39:10 Oh, that's so cute.

39:12 Isn't it amazing?

39:13 I love that.

39:14 Maybe we can play it after.

39:16 Yes.

39:16 But I have one last question for you before you can leave. And I hate this question.

39:21 Okay.

39:22 As someone who collects many treasures and treasures them all equally. Yes. But you have to answer it.

39:26 Yes.

39:26 If you could only keep one singular thing in your entire life. archive, what would it be? I know it's terrible.

39:38 It's terrible.

39:39 Okay.

39:39 What would I take? What would I keep? Oh my goodness. I don't even sell anything. Stop this.

39:46 Okay.

39:48 And I can't take my cat with me.

39:50 Do you know what I've actually got, which I haven't, which is so out of the realm, but it's a very heartfelt to me is I have, um, uh, my grandfather's watch that, um, is so special to me because he was a very important person in my life.

40:02 I don't know. It's not exciting. Sorry. I wish I could say.

40:04 Doesn't need to be.

40:05 That's so beautiful.

40:06 Everything else is replaceable, you know, but something like that is not. So I think I'd take that with me.

40:12 That's really, really lovely.

40:13 Yeah.

40:13 And unexpected. Yeah.

40:14 Yeah.

40:15 Just a boring watch.

40:17 It's nothing boring about it if it's special to you.

40:19 Yeah.

40:19 Well, it's been such a joy to have you on. Thank you so much for being so generous, sharing all of your items and all of the Drag Race tea.

40:27 Allegedly. Allegedly.

40:29 I've loved talking to someone who loves things as much as I do. So thank you so much.

40:33 Thank you. It's been a pleasure. Keep collecting, bitches. Let's go.

40:38 Thank you so much to Art for coming on, and I will see you all next week for another episode. Don't forget to stay charmed. In this episode of Charmed, we discovered some fascinating keepsakes and the memories that go with them. We all have stories that live in the items we choose to keep. Catch you again on Charmed and keep those collections safe till next time. Some stories are one to tell with Pandora.