‘The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula’ Season 5 Finalists Talk Bloody Drag and Their Upcoming Tour
The latest season of The Boulet Brother’s Dragula marked the first time the titular drag artists stepped behind the camera and directed the series. With some massive set upgrades and their most diverse cast ever, Dracmorda and Swanthula Boulet delivered their most epic season yet. Now, they’re taking that magic on tour with season 5 winner Niohuru X and finalists Blackberri, Throb Zombie, and Orkgotik. They’re bringing beautiful monstrosity all over the United States this summer.
In honor of the upcoming tour, we spoke with Niohuru X, Blackberri, Throb Zombie, and Orkgotik about life after The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula, gifts from fans, and their favorite horror movies.
Dread Central: Before we talk about the tour, I wanted to hear about how The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula changed things for you as a performer and artist.
Blackberri: I think doing The Boulet Brother’s Dragula, it got me out of my comfort zone for me. I performed four, five times a week before the show, and you get complacent. You’re so used to the bachelorette parties and everyone celebrating their birthday, and you don’t get to be as creative and push yourself and do what you really, really love. Doing the show gave me an opportunity to explore things that I haven’t done since I started drag. I’ve gotten the chance to travel and meet different people in different cities and it’s kind of opened my door to a lot of things that I wouldn’t have thought about until I did The Boulet Brother’s Dragula.
DC: Oh yeah. Throb, what about you?
Throb Zombie: Well, it’s opened a lot of doors that I am so excited to see opening. It’s the first time in my life I’ve been able to really just make performing and creating art, my actual all-the-time career. Getting a chance to meet the fans, getting a chance to do a lot more traveling, to see other artists all over the country and soon beyond. It’s really helped me focus on who Throb can be. I like to think of myself as someone who’s very varied in their expression of drag. I like to do a little bit of everything. But I’ve just been so inspired by seeing such incredible artists and there’s been so much enthusiasm and support and rallying for the art I do. I’m just really thrilled to bring about the next chapter of what my art looks like and see it forming in real-time.
Orkgotik: I think performance-wise, it hasn’t changed me that much. I always try to challenge myself through my creativity and my artwork. But I’m attached now to the drag environment even more than before. I perform more in other settings, so it’s been exciting to lip-sync a lot now. But now I want to do something else. [Laughs]
Niohuru X: The Boulet Brother’s Dragula was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and it really pushed me to my limit. I grew so much as a human being and also as an artist. It really helped me confirm within myself that I can accomplish beautiful things when I set my mind to it. I conquered this mission and now I can conquer other missions in my future journeys. I can’t wait to see what the universe has planned for me and my heart is open.
DC: That’s amazing. Throb, you actually brought something up interesting about fans. What has it been like for all of you to meet fans and see the reactions to people watching The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula?
TZ: It’s been crazy. First of all, it’s just really an honor. Me and Jarvis Hammer just did a tour, just the two of us, the Two Dead Boys tour, and every single one of our meet and greets was sold out. Every single one of our photo ops had a line around the block. It’s overwhelming, but it’s incredible. Everyone’s really horny, so it’s intense.
DC: People can be a little bit weird and a little bit raw. I don’t know how to put it, but yeah, people are weird!
TZ: Yeah, there’s a lot of really horny lesbians out there. So simmer down, but also come on up.
DC: What about the rest of you? What have your experiences been like with fans?
B: Well, my fans are a little bit different. It’s been really cool to experience so many people. I feel like I’m a huge comic book and anime weeb, so it’s a lot of fun to have people who share my similar interests. I’ve gotten so many crazy gifts and it’s something I’m not used to getting. People appreciating my weirdness and my niche interests, I think that’s the most rewarding thing. It’s like I’m not alone in the world. I’m not the only one obsessed with K-pop. I’m not the only one watching that obscure 1970s anime from Bangladesh. People understand me. I think that’s probably the best thing.
DC: Wait, what’s the weirdest gift you’ve got or the coolest gift you’ve got from fans?
B: Actually I have it right here. This girl, she gave me a whole bunch of stuff, but she made me a bag with my face on it. But then it also has all these different looks. So there’s a moth, there’s this robot. On the back it says my name, Blackberri.
She also made me these coasters with the design that she sketched. They’re like wood coasters. Then she made me another one too with the same design from this Japanese artist.
DC: That’s incredible. Okay, wait, Throb, you ran and got something out of the cabinet.
TZ: Oh, I just got really excited. Someone got me a child.
B: Oh my God.
TZ: Yeah, for me, a lot of the people who come to my shows are haunt actors and weird, creepy creatives so they bring me weird baby dolls or severed heads. It’s been really cool. It’s kind of cool to be given gifts. I’m not going to lie.
DC: That is pretty rad. Someone custom makes you something. That’s so kind and thoughtful.
TZ: It’s very cool. And also we all got a ton of fan art. I’ve had a few people give us, well give me and Jarvis at least, original pieces they drew of us that we saw on the internet. But now I own it. We get to frame it, so that’s really cool.
DC: Do all of you have fan art, too? Have y’all seen some incredible fan art of all of you online?
B: That’s my favorite part. That’s literally my favorite part.
TZ: Literally the best part.
DC: That’s so cool. So what are you all most excited about regarding the upcoming The Boulet Brother’s Dragula tour?
NX: I’m excited to show the world that I’m not just a pretty girl. I can perform, too. Also, I’m excited to see my season five family. I’m excited to create art together and I always remember when we were in the get-ready room, how we got ready together, and I can’t wait to live that life again.
DC: Can you tease a look that you have planned?
NX: Yes, I have a different variation of my Hello Kitty look and I’m also bringing the original Hello Kitty look. It’s going to be very pussy heavy and the audience is going to need to bring umbrellas.
DC: Hell yeah. Very pussy heavy. I want that on a shirt. Orkgotik, what about you? What are you most excited about and can you tease a look for the tour?
O: It was really difficult to choose a floorshow look because I don’t have most of the garments. I threw everything in the garbage before I flew back to Argentina. It’s okay. I made everything myself, so it’s okay. So I’m making a lot of things new and I think they’re going to look really glamorous. I know that people think that I’m not glamorous at all, but [these looks] are going to look expensive. And I’ve been exploring with a material that I’m really excited about and that makes everything look really original.
DC: Hell yeah. Throb, what are you most excited about for the tour, and can you tease a look?
TZ: I’m mostly just really excited to actually perform for the audience and to get to see my fellow castmates also perform. We didn’t really get to be exactly in the audience for one another when we were doing the show. So getting to do that together on tour and really blow the audience away is very exciting.
I can tease one look. I am bringing a look I’ve done for The Boulet Brother’s Dragula, which I’m not spilling yet. But I wanted to also do a look that is very much for the horror fans in the audience. So I will be bringing a little himbo Ghostface for everybody from Scream, and I’m very excited about it.
DC: Oh my god, I’m so excited. And Blackberri?
B: I’m really excited to showcase what I’m going to be doing. I just kind of decided on what I was going to do three days ago because I’m really indecisive. Actually, I just did a horror convention with The Boulets a couple of weeks ago and they kind of told me what they wanted me to do. So that helped with one of my looks from the show. And the other thing is going to be a very nostalgic song. I think it’s something that everyone’s going to love and don’t forget, it’s not a phase.
DC: Okay, my last question. I know that we’re all mostly horror fans here, so I want to just know your favorite horror movie. If I haven’t just wiped every horror movie from your mind.
TZ: It’s not my favorite, but I’ll say a movie that just came out that I think is really great and more people should check out is Dark Harvest. For fans of 80s, 90s-type horror, you should definitely be checking out Dark Harvest. It’s fucking fantastic.
DC: I was just talking to someone the other day about how everyone needs to see Dark Harvest. So great.
TZ: So good. If you’re a Goosebumps kid and now in your mid-30s like me, you’ll like Dark Harvest.
DC: That’s an incredible way to describe it, honestly. Do you have one Nio?
NX: I’ve been loving the movie Audition. It’s the ultimate demonic femininity and I see a lot of [Asami] in me. It’s literally looking into a mirror.
DC: Hell yeah. She rules. Orkgotik, what about you?
O: I think I really love Martyrs. I was so blown away when I saw it. And also because there’s a lot of horror, but there’s a lot of deep thinking about the existence of life and the purpose in life and that whole thing about women being martyrs and bearing the pain. I think it’s mind-blowing. And the monsters are super iconic. That full metallic thing is perfect.
DC: And then Blackberri, ending with you. Favorite horror movie?
B: I think my favorite, oh my gosh, I love Ginger Snaps. That’s one of my favorite movies of all time. I always say Jennifer’s Body as well, but I feel like they’re the same movie, so maybe that’s why I love both. And Akira, I know it’s not traditional horror. I think that’s overall one of my top three movies of any genre.
Tickets for The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula Season 5 tour are available now.
Categorized:Interviews
