Originals

Exclusive: Juno Birch misses the “crustiness” of drag

By Sam Damshenas

7th April 2022

Juno Birch wants to see more “silliness” in mainstream drag.

Ahead of her upcoming tour, Attack of the STUNNING!, the self-described Martian spoke exclusively to GAY TIMES about the current state of the art-form in popular culture. Drag has never been so in demand, with its influence felt in podcasts, music and television – thanks to RuPaul’s Drag Race – as well as social media.

“I think it’s pretty clear to me what it’s not there, and that’s talent. No, I’m just kidding!” jokes Juno, before saying an element of “silliness” and “not taking it too seriously” is currently absent from the scene. 

“Because drag has become such a mainstream thing now, people take it way too seriously and you’re expected as a drag queen to be this inspirational beacon of hope that says the right things all the time,” she explains. “But really, we’re just bastards in wigs, aren’t we? I missed that about drag, I miss how drag was always just in a bar and it was very casual, very rough.”

Although she misses the “crustiness” of drag, Juno thinks we’re moving towards a future where “imperfection” will make a comeback. Her comments echo those of Bailey J Mills, who recently told us that she was turned down for the third season of Drag Race UK, but admitted it was for the best as “there’s too much polish now”.

“She’s amazing, Bailey. I love her so much,” Juno says of the star. “She knows how to entertain a crowd. She’s brilliant, absolutely brilliant.”

Juno will invade the UK, US, Canada and Australia with her signature brand of “buffoonery and chaos” from 13 April until 25 June. Her aim is to “travel around the world attacking people” with her “stunningness.”

“I can’t wait to just perform again,” she says. “I’ve missed it so much and it’s gonna be a lot of old school drag, where you do a Shirley Bassey ballad and then it cuts into Mommie Dearest quote. There’s a lot of like Mr. Bean visual comedy humour.”

She adds: “I’m going to be telling some terrible jokes. I’m going to be giving birth. I’m going to be singing opera. It’s going to be stunning.”

Since the Manchester-born performer launched her drag career, she’s received praise for her “absolutely stunning alien drag queen” aesthetic and deadpan sense-of-humour – particularly for videos in which she makes a disaster supermarket on The Sims 2 and parades around Sainsbury’s purchasing five packs of Marigold Rubber Gloves.

The star has also met with acclaim for her ceramic sculptures, although she admits she hasn’t made them for the past “three years”.

“The sculptures were a hobby really before I started doing drag, and they were a way to pay rent because they made quite a lot of money,” she says. “I do bulk sculptures for Halloween and things like that. But I think personally, I just love doing drag more than I do doing sculptures. So, I kind of just like abandoned it a little bit.”

Juno reveals that one of her sculptures – the “green one with boobs out, where she’s holding a hot dog” – is actually in the possession of none other than her idol, Jennifer Coolidge.

“She insisted that she wanted to buy it from me. I was like, ‘No, I’m not taking your money Jennifer, I want to give it to you for free,'” Juno reveals, before delivering a pitch perfect impersonation of the Legally Blonde star: “She said, ‘No! Where do I buy this? Oh, here’s my bank details.’

“She actually put her personal address on a comment under a public post on my Instagram. I deleted it straight away. I said, ‘Jennifer, you’ve just put your personal address,’ and she was like, “I know! I don’t know what I’m doing.’

“She told me that she never bought anything online before, ever. It was chaos trying to get that sculpture to her but, do you know what, it’s worth it that she has something of mine in her hands.”

For more information on Attack of the STUNNING! such as dates and how to purchase tickets, visit here.