Drag Queen Spotlight: Nashville Hott Talks KFC, Drag Advice, & Wild Audiences

August 16, 2023
JORDAN JAYRO

Oh hello there! Welcome back to another stunning Drag Queen Spotlight! Here, I will be showcasing a local drag artist that you need to know about! This week we’re chatting with Nashville Hott from Portland, Oregon! She’s a fierce drag queen and hostess! Nashville is also the mother of the House Of Condiments!

Fleshbot & ASG Max will be on the scene with Nashville at The Triple Lindy in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday, August 19th for Drag, Drinks, and Dicks!

I’m so happy I got to do this with Nashville! Check out her answers below, and don’t forget to follow her on Instagram!

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How did you get your drag name?

The first time I went out in drag, I was told to pick the name of my favorite designer and my favorite horror movie villain. The only designers I know are Walmart brands and my fav killer is Ghost Face, so I don’t think Champion Face has the best ring to it. Fast forward and I’m drunk in the back seat of a car. I open my eyes to a glowing, white sign. As my eyes focus, the sign reads “KFC Now Serving Nashville Hot Chicken.” I took that as words directly from the Lord. I just added the extra “t” to avoid a lawsuit in case I do anything untoward with their name.

How long have you been doing drag?

My first time being put in drag was in 2017 in a hotel room in Florida… Not as profitable as it sounds, but I started getting paid to host gigs in 2021, which is when I actually started.

When is your birthday? How old are you?

August 11th! And I'm finally 21! Or 34? 87? I stopped keeping track because I feel like time isn’t real and we will live forever once we all agree on it. Also, there is a weird ass stigma around age in the gay community. I think it’s super cool and fresh that I can still do the $hit I could when I was 16 in my 30s.

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Relationship status?

Single as a spinster! I’ve actually never been in a legit out-of-high-school relationship. I don’t know if it’s because of my looks, personality, or the fact that my Cricket Wireless cell phone doesn’t save numbers.

What was your first time in drag like?

It was a crazy realization that someone could make a difference by being a fierce clown. The first time I looked in the mirror I thought, “Holy balls! This is amazing!” Then the first time I went out was in Indiana (where I’m from originally), the folks just treated me differently. I had strangers coming up to talk to me (I looked BUSTED, but I think they were just being nice), other performers were actually talking to me, and my personality was fully fleshed out and it allowed me to just let loose and have fun!

What made you want to start doing drag?

I actually used to think drag was DISGUSTING. Ya know, that internalized Bible Belt homophobic mindset they tend to mass produce out that way? But what made me want to start was a combination of things. First was my first drag show at Someplace Else in Evansville, Indiana. I refused to turn and watch the performers until I heard the twang of that guitar intro in “Man, I Feel Like a Woman.” Second was my little brother who also does drag. He showed me Drag Race for the first time. It was the Snatch Game in season 4 and I was HOOKED. It wasn’t until then that I realized I could combine my feminine energy, comedy, and art all into one passion.

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Who inspires your drag (celebrities, other queens, etc.)?

The first few to pop into mind are Chyna (the wrestler RIP), Buffy, and Xena. I’ve always been a huge fan of strong femmes. As far as other queens, the list is so long. Adore, Trixie, Katya, Mistress, Bolivia Charmichaels, Honey Hart, Savannah O Bennington, the entire Haus of Condiments (to which I am the mother of, shameless plug.) and etc. I would say chairs, stumps, half-melted candles, and that picture of Jesus. Do you know the one?

Favorite song/artist to lip sync to?

Kesha. Hands down. Kesha is basically my go-to aesthetic!

Have you ever hooked up in drag?

Absolutely. A couple of nights ago, I walked out of an apartment when the sun was coming up with no shoes on. I looked in the mirror and saw my wig was crooked and my mouth look like I had a firecracker blow up between my lips.

What’s your favorite thing about drag?

Realizing that I have a positive effect on the world. It’s been the only thing I wanted to do ever is help people. Make a difference. I recently had someone come out to me as trans. I was the first person they told and they didn’t even know me. They said they hadn’t even told their partner yet because they weren’t sure how they would handle it. As much as this triple Leo loves the attention, applause, and spotlight, nothing holds a candle to knowing that your community sees you as a trusted person who is doing what they can to protect the community… I also LOVE hosting my own shows. It’s how I got my start and swore I will even host my own funeral.

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What are your hobbies outside of drag?

I’m AMAZING at watching TV, painting, writing, drawing, fucking around with photo editing. Hanging out with friends and such!

What’s the craziest thing you’ve witnessed in a dressing room?

One time, one of the members of the Haus of Condiments was headlining a show and really had to pee (we get ready in a lot of one-person bathrooms). Anyway, she starts peeing and everyone from the cast comes in and the host starts doing their power circle speech and gives her a shoutout for headlining the show. Everyone claps and woos and she just flushed. It was HILARIOUS!

Biggest pet peeve about working with other drag queens?

I HATE that look some performers give when they think they’re above it all. You know the look. It’s like they’re that one French fry in a box of onion rings. The one gift bestowed upon this one-person bathroom 6 people are changing in. It’s like a side eye meets a one eyebrow raise. You’re not better than us, Patty. You’re still a 26-year-old accountant from Branson, MO who has a receding hairline and drives a 1999 Ford Something. Calm your cutlets.

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Biggest pet peeve about audiences in nightclubs?

I absolutely LOVE a wild audience. It gets me revved up and going. A quiet audience makes everything so awkward. I perform in a lot of places that would be considered “straight” and sometimes there are folks in the room who may have never been to a drag show and don’t know the etiquette. So if I do a cartwheel into a split and I look up and people are just staring. It’s weird. Please clap and scream.

Any advice for someone wanting to start doing drag?

I have a couple that I tell folks who ask:

The green room is not untucked. If you go into a space and start reading people you don’t know, that’s a HUGE mistake. It comes off as insulting if you come up and call me old, fat, and bald when I’ve just booked you for a show not knowing who you are. I’m not booking you again.
Don’t just do things because everyone else is doing them or says you should. Your drag is your own. Don’t wear lip liner if you don’t want to. Take off your shoes during a number if you feel like you’re going to roll your ankle or your shoe breaks. $200,000 isn’t on the line. You’re getting paid $50 and two drink tickets. That’s not worth being in a cast for 8 weeks.
Be kind to everyone who walks through the door. These folks are coming out as a community to support your art and that deserves respect. Tell strangers hello and thank them for coming. You are no better than anyone in that room until they show you otherwise. Obviously, if they are a cunt, unleash all that pent-up childhood trauma on them!