Ahead of her upcoming performance at The Great Estate Festival over Jubilee weekend, as part of Madame Wong’s House of Wrong, we caught up with RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Elektra Fence to chat all about the show, as well as her time on the hit BBC series, the power of women and, her undying love for Jane McDonald…
First off, we just want to know, how are you doing? We know you had that horrible train experience [Elektra was physically and verbally hassled by a group of men and women on a train from London to Manchester] so, how are you after all of that?
I’m good! It’s Pride season coming up and I was thinking, these homophobic attacks are still happening, trans people are getting attacked, non-binary people are getting attacked; people are getting attacked for being who they want to be and, this is why we need Pride.
It’s crazy, isn’t it? That people get so offended by looking at someone for how they dress or want to be and they decide to descend on them to pick on them, or be a di**head. Why do people have to be such nasty, nasty pigs? It blows my mind. What gives them the right?
I would never choose, or would never pick on someone for how they decided to dress, or how they decided to approach life. It’s not me. It’s not the way I was brought up. It’s not the way I am as a person, it just blows my bloody mind.
A lot of people think that nowadays, homophobia and bigotry is exclusively a male thing, but I know in the group [in Elektra’s experience] there were four women, sitting back and laughing, so that’s clearly not the case. How do we continue to push back against these sorts of people and stand strong?
That’s what upset me the most, it was the girls, because most of my friends are female-identifying people. It’s like, how can these girls laugh? How can you find that attractive, this man picking on someone? Pulling them on top of him and saying these homophobic things; I would not find that attractive. For me to find someone attractive, it’s not just about how they look, in my eyes, it’s their personality as well. I wouldn’t wanna take that home to my parents.
This is why we need Pride. Yes, it’s their 50th anniversary this year and, from day one, the first Pride was a protest, wasn’t it? Are protests legal still? Or have we banned them?
Yeah, Pride has to happen. We’ve got to remember what Pride is actually for. As well as having a good time, it’s also a celebration of who you want to be and how you choose to live your life, but we’ve also got to remember what Pride is for.
I should be Prime Minister! Could you imagine me in Parliament? Free sausage rolls for everyone! Tuesdays are no longer Tuesdays; Tuesdays are known as Sausage Roll Day.
You’ve got an exciting Jubilee weekend coming up! You’re performing on the Friday (June 3rd, 2022) at Madame Wong’s House of Wrong, so can you tell us a little bit about what to expect from your performance there?
Expect Elektra! Expect me jumping off heights into a split, spinning on me head, giving you a nice performance, getting the audience going, living my best life. I’m bursting at the seams for this, it’s gonna be so much fun. It’s the fifth year and I think there’s gonna be 10,000 people, which is incredible. It’s gonna be a busy weekend for me because the day after I’ve got Mighty Hoopla as well, then it’s my fiancé’s birthday the day after that, so it’s gonna be a busy, busy weekend! But I’m so excited for this, I’m so excited to perform in Madame Wong’s House of Wrong! It’s just gonna be fun and, I’ve not done Cornwall yet, so I’m excited for that! It’s gonna be cute. I’m gonna arrive earlier so I can try a Cornish Pasty, I can have a Scone… I don’t know which way they do! Is it jam on top, butter first?
Which way do you do it?
Oh God! I’m probably gonna offend the Cornish people now, aren’t I?! Don’t do this to me! Oh God, can you f**king imagine if I rock up and do it wrong! I do butter, cream, then jam.
Will you be taking part in any of the circus workshops across the weekend?
Oh of course! I’m a bloody clown myself, so yeah! Of course, I will! I’ve got the energy. I might be in Cirque de Soleil one day!
Let’s talk a little bit about your time on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK! You’re a phenomenal performer as we’ve all seen, so what was going through your mind on the show, especially during those lip syncs that we saw?
I was just having fun! I was there to have a good time. I’m so grateful for the platform it’s given me because, now I can do good with the platform, working with charities and things like that and, obviously doing fun things like the gig I’m doing at Scorrier House.
Drag Race, I loved it and, if they called me now and said ‘Would you like to come back for All Stars?’, I would say yes, in a heartbeat, because my drag has changed and elevated so much since the show. I’m a different queen now so I want them to invite me back so I can show Ru what they missed!
We’ve got to ask, was it true that jumping off the Drag Race stage got you into trouble?
No, that’s just a vicious rumour! Just a vicious, nasty, nasty rumour. Ru was laughing, Michelle was like, ‘what the f***?’ That’s my favourite meme. She was like ‘girl, I’m so glad you can laugh at stuff like this’, it’s so funny.
We have three questions we’re asking everybody we chat to, for Female First! The first is, which women in your life do you admire that have shaped you?
My mum. She’s disabled, she was born with cerebral palsy. My mum has always proved people wrong, proved doctors wrong and she’s just an inspiration. That’s where my line came from for my exit in the show, ‘never let anyone tell you, you can’t be something’, because the doctors told my grandma to lock my mum up, throw away the key and let her just rot. My grandma said no and then, my mum’s proven them wrong by having three children with no disabilities. She’s the best mum in the world and I love her to bits.
Also, Jane McDonald!
Who have been some of your favourite women to work with in your career so far?
Fun question! So, my favourite women to work with… Michelle Visage! She’s a beast of a woman, she is incredible, the things she does, I admire her.
Victoria Scone, first AFAB queen on Drag Race UK!
I want one more… I’ve worked with Jane McDonald in my mind. She was incredible, she told me I was the best thing she’s ever seen. We both shared a pie together, we basically did a show together, she sang Memory from Cats and, I did the dance for her as a cat and, we shared pie and peas after the show and we just fed each other pie and peas. I’d say about 14 pies and, she poured gravy all over me, it was just incredible.
Finally, what does the idea of ‘woman’ mean to you?
Power. The word ‘woman’ is powerful to me. The idea of ‘woman’, we wouldn’t be here without women. It’s a woman’s world. We need women. Women are the backbone of the world, they are incredible. I think women should be in power in every country. Women are just the best and, I’m a very big feminist and I love all women and all female-identifying women. I just love them. The word ‘woman’ to me means power, in a good pair of stilettos! Men can wear stilettos too, just saying!
Elektra Fence will be performing at Madame Wong’s House of Wrong on Friday 3rd June, 2022 at The Great Estate Festival Jubilee Bank Holiday Weekend on 2nd – 5th June in Cornwall https://www.greatestatefestival.co.uk.
Tagged in RuPaul's Drag Race