|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RuPaul (born RuPaul Andre Charles on November 17 1960) is an American drag performer, dance music singer, actor, and songwriter who gained worldwide fame in the 1990s; appearing in a wide variety of television programs, films, and musical albums. Though a catty attitude is often associated with drag queens, RuPaul intentionally displayed a "love one another" attitude to be set apart from them. Although primarily known for an extravagant drag queen persona, RuPaul has performed as a man in a number of roles, usually billed as RuPaul Charles.
BiographyBorn in San Diego, California, RuPaul's tumultuous youth was marked by the bitter divorce of his parents. He struggled as a musician and filmmaker in Atlanta during the 1980s. It was there that he participated in underground cinema, helping create the low-budget "Starbooty" (and an album by the same name). In Atlanta, RuPaul often performed at the infamous Celebrity Club (managed by Larry Tee) as a bar dancer or with his band, Wee Wee Pole, which included the late Todd Butler. He was famously the only drag queen allowed to dine in the venerable Majestic diner -- probably because he regularly tipped the wait staff. He entered the public eye in 1989 with a cameo in the music video for The B-52's' immensely popular single "Love Shack."[citation needed]
Musical careerHe began releasing dance/house albums with Supermodel of the World in 1993, spawning the dance track hit "Supermodel (You Better Work)", which was to be the advent of Rupaul. The music video became an unexpected success on MTV channels, as grunge-rock (Nirvana) and gangsta rap were popular at the time. RuPaul's friendly, drag queen image catapulted him to celebrity status through this first release. The song itself peaked at #45 on the Billboard Hot 100, which was regarded as an unlikely accomplishment for a drag entertainer. It also charted on the UK Singles Chart, peaking within the top 40 at #39. The song found the most success on the US dance music charts (otherwise known as the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart), where it peaked at #2. It was through massive airplay and heavy rotation of the song's music video on the MTV network that the song became famous, as well as promotional TV appearances on programs like The Arsenio Hall Show.
His next two songs/videos, "Back to My Roots" and "A Shade Shady (Now Prance)" both went #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts and further developed her campy persona. Between them, House of Love was released without a video. It failed to place on any US charts, despite rising to #68 on the UK Singles Chart. RuPaul caused a bit of controversy at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards when he was given the opportunity to present an award with legendary actor Milton Berle, who performed an altogether different type of drag early in his career. The two had conflicts back-stage, and when Berle inappropriately touched RuPaul's breasts, RuPaul ad-libbed the line "So you used to wear gowns, but now you're wearing diapers." A surprised Berle replied, "Oh, we're going to ad lib? I'll check my brain and we'll start even." The press picked this up as a crack in the "love everyone" message RuPaul presented, and depicted the incident as a young newcomer treating a legend poorly.
In 1995, RuPaul was signed to a modeling contract for MAC cosmetics, making him the first drag queen supermodel. Various billboards featured him in full drag, often with the text "I am the MAC girl." In 1996, he landed a talk show on VH1, appropriately called The RuPaul Show, where he interviewed celebrity guests and musical acts. Nirvana (even though Kurt Cobain committed suicide in 1994), Duran Duran, Taylor Dayne, Mary J. Blige, Bea Arthur, Dionne Warwick, Olivia Newton-John, Beenie Man, Bow Wow Wow, and the Backstreet Boys were notable guests. His co-host was Michelle Visage, with whom he also co-hosted on WKTU radio. On one notable episode, RuPaul brought gay porn culture to Middle America with featured guests Chi Chi LaRue and Tom Chase. RuPaul also helped launch the return of WKTU radio in New York City in 1996. RuPaul would serve as host (with Michelle Visage) of the morning show until 1998. He also released his second album, Foxy Lady, in 1996. Despite his growing celebrity, it failed to chart within the Billboard 200. However, the leadoff single "Snapshot" found success in the dance market and went to number four on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. It also enjoyed limited mainstream success, charting at number ninety-five on the Billboard Hot 100 (which was his second Hot 100 entry). Because of his strong fan base within the gay community, RuPaul has performed at gay pride events and numerous gay clubs. In 1997, he released a Christmas album entitled Ho, Ho, Ho. He has had guest appearances in many films, including both Brady Bunch movies, in which he played Jan's female guidance counselor. In the late 1990s he released his autobiography, Lettin' It All Hang Out. In 1997, RuPaul teamed with Martha Wash to remake the classic disco anthem, "It's Raining Men". It was during this time that he appeared in Webex TV commercials and magazine ads. In 2001 he recorded with Brigitte Nielsen, credited as Gitta, the Eurodance track You're no lady. In 2004, RuPaul released his third album, Red Hot. It received some dance radio and club play, but very little press coverage. On his blog, RuPaul discussed how he felt betrayed by the entertainment industry, particularly the gay press. In one incident, it was noted that the magazine Entertainment Weekly refused to review the album, instead asking him to make a comedic contribution to a fashion article. He likened the experience to "a black person being invited to a party, but only if they'll serve." Despite his apparent dissatisfaction with the release, the leadoff single "Looking Good, Feeling Gorgeous" hit number two on the dance chart. The second, "Workout", peaked at number five. The album itself only charted on the Top Electronic Albums chart, where it hit number nine. When asked about this in an interview, RuPaul said, "Well, betrayed might be the wrong word. ‘Betrayed’ alludes to an idea that there was some kind of a promise made to me, and there never was. More so, I was disappointed. I don’t feel like it was a betrayal. Nobody promises anything in show business and you understand that from day one. But, I don’t know what happened. It seemed I couldn’t get press on my album unless I was willing to play into the role that the mainstream press has assigned to gay people, which is as servants of straight ideals."[1] In 2006, the remixes of "People are People" went to number ten. Recent TimesTemplate:Wikinews On June 13, 2006, RuPaul released ReWorked, his fifth album. It features reworked versions of songs from his back catalog, as well as new recordings. The first single is a re-recording of "Supermodel (You Better Work)". The remixes have, thus far, reached number twenty-one on the U.S. dance chart. June 20, 2007 saw the release of "Starrbooty (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) on iTunes in the US. A CD version is available from RuPaul's official website. The album contains new tracks from the singer as well as interludes with dialogue from the movie. The flim was released on DVD in October 2007. RuPaul will be working on his ninth studio album. It will be a mix of dance-oriented pop and Euro-dance sound. Also on board is a 2nd remix compilation as well as his much anticipated "Greatest Hits". Notes
DiscographyAlbums
Singles
Other Works
DemosDuring 2006, a series of "demos" were available to download to fans through the official RuPaul MySpace page. 09-07-06
10-11-06
10-27-06
11-10-06
BibliographyFilmography
See also
References
|
Sites |
Searched sites for "RuPaul" |
|
Results 1 - 2 of about 2 |
About Thumbshots thumbnails | | |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
