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Mrs. Kasha Davis on Sobriety, Advocacy, and the Future

Mrs. Kasha Davis on Sobriety, Advocacy, and the Future

RuPaul’s Drag Race Season Seven queen Mrs. Kasha Davis may have left the competition early, but there is no way in hell she’ll fade into the shadows. This queen is here to stay and made a lasting impression on the Drag Race community. From her infamous catchphrase, “There’s always time for a cocktail!” to serving face during the Glamazonian Airways challenge, Mrs. Kasha Davis is a queen that will forever be in our hearts.

This year, she and Season Two alum Pandora Boxx will host the annual Power Gala, an event celebrating advocates for the LGBTQ community, on October 13 at the History Colorado Center. We had the pleasure of chatting more with the notorious MKD about her upcoming visit to Denver, her time on Drag Race, and future projects. She’s got the power!

Hello, Mrs. Kasha Davis! Is it time for a cocktail?
Well there’s always time for a cocktail! Or, I mean at this point, there’s always time for a cock!

What is your cocktail of choice?
Currently, it’s a nice Drift coffee with soy milk. I’m one of these gals who’s sober, going on for a little over three years now, but I used to love a good boxed wine.

Well, congratulations on your sobriety!
Thank you so much. It’s just a joy, and I’m glad to be able to talk about that too, because I know there are many people out there wondering if I can have a life if I quit my drug of choice, whether that be alcohol or etc. You can have any life you want, as long as you believe it.

You are hosting the Denver Power Gala with Pandora Boxx. What can audiences generally expect from a MKD performance?
Well, first of all, Pandora Boxx, I’ve known that old b*tch for so long, and we’re just so glad she’s still standing upright! But at any rate, I digress. I think what most people would expect from Mrs. Kasha Davis is just, you know, their auntie or their favorite crazy mom or grandmother and just a lot of love. I find that I like to do top 40 songs like Captain & Tennille that were top 40 40 years ago, minimally. So, you know, I will perform songs you either know, or you will know them after I do them.

So, you have worked with Pandora before? What is your relationship like with her?
Oh my gosh. Pandora and I originally did the skit from her YouTube sensation, which is now probably on like the dark, dark web or X-Tube, and it was called the “Gay Means Happy Show.”

She and I met, and she said, what if we brought Mrs. Kasha Davis and she was doing these cooking shows, and by the end of the episode, she was always drunk? So, basically at the time that was the story of my life. Life imitating art or whatever it may be. So, that is where “there’s always time for a cocktail” first came into play, because we were doing this skit and were just totally improvising. Every once in a while, in the midst of the recipe, I’d say, ‘Well, there’s always time for a cocktail!’ It was ridiculous.

Who are some of your other favorite Drag Race queens to perform with, and why?
Well of course I absolutely adore Darienne Lake. I think she is just an absolute brilliant performer, and she, Pandora, and I just recently did our show in P-Town together called “Three’s Company,” and we’re all from Rochester, New York. We were all on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Those two placed well, and you might remember me from the opening credits of Season Seven!

Anyway, I think Darienne is an absolute pleasure. I really have not had any horrible experiences with the gals. I really enjoyed performing with all of them. Delta Work is just one of the funniest queens out there, so she’s probably another one of my favorites.

Power Gala highlights and celebrates LGBTQ advocates. Is there an advocate you admire the most?
You know, I guess the best way I can put it is, when we have an ally of any type, when we have people who can come together and listen to one another and stand with one another in any type of situation where people are feeling singled out, then I’m their biggest fan.

What kind of LGBTQ activism have you personally been involved with?
I remember the time when Mr. Davis and I were never even imagining that we could possibly get married legally. I mean, we thought of course the rulings would make some sort of a difference where we could get closer to it, but being a part of some of those marches, even in Rochester, and being downtown, Steve and I were like, ‘Wow, this could really happen in our lifetime.’ So, it’s obviously very important for us now as we progress pass that.

Of course, we live in such an odd climate politically; it is so important for us to be out and involved and participate in Pride events, or, you know, really any place where we can and give kids of all ages that person to look to that maybe we didn’t have when were kids.

I absolutely love doing Blackfriars Drag Story; it’s not necessarily activism, but it is, in a sense, something that was never there for me as a child or even a teen. So, to be able to do this and be out and about and present in this day and age when there now seems to be so much more hate boiling to the surface. It’s up to us to go out there and show there is love.

I’m glad you mentioned Drag Story Hour. I was hoping you could tell us a little more about that.
I got to tell you, if there’s anything I can do daily or on a consistent basis, it would be Drag Story Hour. I believe if you think of your dreams as something that will happen versus want, I will have a children’s live show or television show at some point. I think it’s necessary. We have so many kids, but more so parents, wondering ‘How do I navigate this child, who is a little bit different?’

I joke in my one-woman show that I was a boy-girl-gal-girl-fella. It was okay to say I was a fella. I was different, and they didn’t know exactly what to do with me. It took some time for all of us as a family to figure that out. Now, we can make and provide these different examples. It’s OK to let kids explore, and more so than that, it’s never necessarily blatantly about gender or sexuality or something like that with Drag Story Hour, although it may come up. It’s more about some kid out there, and they are different than other children, and we need to treat that child, or adult, with kindness. It’s just, that’s the world we live in now. People feel freer to express themselves, and it’s not up for anyone else to judge them. It’s best to support one another.

Let’s talk about Drag Race for a hot minute. How has the show changed your life?
Oh my God, it has completely changed my life full circle. When I was auditioning for Drag Race, I auditioned all seven seasons, so they had to put me on because I wouldn’t stop begging, but you know, I was desperately wanting to find a way to be the artist I knew I always was. I was working in this career which was successful and I enjoyed for 18 years at Dial America, the call center that’s nationwide, but I wasn’t following my passion. So, by auditioning and being cast, and then of course touring, it gave my husband and I a chance to sit back and think, ‘Wow, this could really be a career for me.’

Like any business that has its ups and downs, when I started to first go full-fledged Mrs. Kasha Davis, I was then forced to take a look at my drinking, and it changed my life. By taking this career choice, I had to look at myself and say, ‘Wow, I have a problem.’ More so than that, now, through sobriety and clarity, I’m finding I can even be better as Mrs. Kasha Davis. So, it has changed my life in every way possible.

It’s funny, I go to a city and I meet the other performers or audience, and they say I was robbed, and they’re sorry I didn’t go further. I’m like, I wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for the opportunities I had while there. It probably would have been good for me to watch previous seasons to know what to expect when I got on the race, but at any rate, we won’t go down that road!

Do you feel like your aesthetic has changed since your time on the show?
Oh, well I am always known for my rollercoaster weight, but at any rate, I did learn a lot with makeup; you learn different techniques. Not just from the girls on the show, but from other people you meet while on the road. There are amazing people who have never had any interest in auditioning for Drag Race that you meet and get to perform alongside with. Also, your confidence level from continuously performing gets better and better.

What are your favorite and least favorite songs to lip sync to?
Well, I started this conversation out talking about all my divas, my ladies, my Liza Minellis, you know, Tina Turner, Captain & Tennille, the songs that I grew up with. I think if the song has too many words, we’re sticklers to make sure we know all the words, so if it gets a little bit too tongue twisty, I get a little ahead of myself, and I don’t like to lip sync that. Other than that, I mean, listen, it’s a matter of rehearsal. You got to do what you got to do, but you must feel passionate about it. You got to love it. If you’re out on the road and wondering what you should do, do what you love, and the audience will love it too.

If the opportunity presented itself, would you compete again?
F*ck yes! Of course! With All Stars, there is obviously a higher expectation because you are supposed to, quote unquote, already know what’s going on, but the fact of the matter is, it furthers your story. It gives you the opportunity to have your fans see you and maybe other people who haven’t seen you. It furthers your platform. We are lucky to have this platform to talk about not just drag and the performance aspect but also our personal lives. I think what the show does, it does so much for our community and for others out there in the straight community who are just wondering if they fit in.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about auditioning for Drag Race?
It’s the worst advice because everybody says it: just be yourself. When Trixie Mattel’s makeup seemed to be really popular, many people were trying it. And guess what, so did this b*tch. When I first came off Drag Race, my lashes looked like they were at the bottom of my nostrils. Darinenne was like, ‘What the hell is going on with your makeup?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know; isn’t this the trend?’ She said, ‘Girl, that’s their trend; it’s not working for you.’

So, we’re lucky to have the internet and television and other girls who can give you tips, but remember who you are and why you are making these choices. Is it that you have a beard and you don’t shave? It’s part of your aesthetic? You know, go for it! You don’t have to copy and emulate others. You do sometimes along the way to define yourself, but that really comes down to the point. You don’t have to go there. And you don’t have to be a bully either just to get noticed.

What are some upcoming projects we should be on the lookout for? What’s the next big thing for the notorious MKD?
Aw, you’re so sweet! Well, first of all, I had mentioned Drag Story Hour, so I have a fellow that I’m working with as an illustrator, and I have my children’s book coming out, called Little Eddie P, and that will be available starting at Drag Con.

Of course, Mr. Davis wants to make sure that you know that’s also available on our website, mrskashadavis.com. So, that will be available at the end of September.

I am also very proud to say Professor Angela Washko from Carnegie Mellon has been putting together a documentary, and I believe that the working title is called Workhorse Queen, and it’s following me all around the world, delving into these stories of me about now, my home, my past, and certainly where things are headed. So, that should be out and about, and she’s shopping it everywhere. Netflix, film festivals, etc. And of course, we must keep those good vibes out there for All Stars 5. Let’s go!

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