Metrosource Minis: The LGBTQ World & Beyond

Drag Out The Vote with Phi Phi O'Hara

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

1 out of 5 members of the LGBTQ community is not registered to vote and this election and Jaremi Carey, creator of Drag Race's Phi Phi O'Hara, ain't having it. As a co-chair of Drag Out the Vote campaign, their initiative is to mobilize drag artists across America to increase voter participation in their communities this November with big name to local city Queens.

In addition to Jaremi’s Phi Phi O’Hara character, he has stayed in the social media spotlight through his photo projects of 365 Days of Drag as well as his Harry Potter inspired Wizardry series, where he recreated looks from both the male and female characters. Jaremi has one heel in the drag world, and one foot in the cosplay scene.

We chatted with him about the campaign, his time on Drag Race, and surviving quarantine with your boo.  

00:00:06 - 00:02:02

This is metro source minis, the official podcast to Metro source magazine and home of short form interviews with your favorite personalities from the lgbtq world and beyond. Quick, Fun and informative. It's metro source on the go, out in proud since one thousand nine hundred and ninety. Well, hello, hello, hello, this is metro source minis. I'm your host, Alexander Rodriguez, here with natural source minis. I'm so excited. Today we are ready to drag out the vote with our guests Jeremy Carry, me to carry me. I'm rhyming. Jeremy Carry, riddle me this, riddle me that. Watch out, girls as bitches back. Jeremy Carry is an American drag performer, cosplay artist, actor and singer who came to international attention as a runner up on the fourth season of Rupaul's drag races. Fifty Oh Haarah. His cosplay and drag social media series covering three hundred sixty five days of drag and thirty one days of Harry Potter Inspired Wizardry, have gone viral and most recently his first character, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, was posted as the start of a new series to draw attention to his current campaign, drag out the vote, which includes the use of drag to engage voters of all streets of life to sashay their way to the Poles, and Jeremy has appeared in a number of music videos with other drag race alum as well as a solo artist. appeared on skin wars, Andy Collins. Watch what happens live and it is the most adorable feature on twitch. Please welcome Jeremy Carry. I got hi's amazing introduction. I love your whole lay out. They're like you're all setting your little layer. I literally just got this is my streaming room, but I literally just got done streaming. So yeah, hi, all right, and I love how your hair matches like you're like yeah, yeah, all right. We're gonna jump right into it. On Metro source minis. Now Start off on a serious note. We have taken a few steps back in terms of...

00:02:02 - 00:04:03

LGBT quality during this current political and social climate. Our youth are going back in the closet, they're dealing with suicide issues, they're scared to come out, scared to be themselves, and I know that you're coming out wasn't exactly the best. Can you share a little bit about your story and offer any advice to our youth or anyone really that's that's coming out. You know, I've I mean I grew up in Texas and a very religious family and very Republican family as well. So I had a girlfriend, not because I didn't want you. I'm attracted to women, or was at the time. And and for me, I my dad beat me up when he found out I was gay, like all this stuff, but I do, I do think it's changed a lot for the good and I think like the younger generation is so there's so much smarter and there's so much more open and free, and I think that's really cool. I think the most important part when coming out is that to make sure you have a safe environment to do so. You know what I mean. Yeah, now I know that you kind of you kind of survived on your own. You kind of had to make it on your own. Where did you draw that strength from? Yeah, yeah, yeah, gotta live, you know what I mean. Like, I was homeless for a while and I used to like some Saba's truth. I used to like couch surf and like find I would like date guys, you know what I mean, to just have a place to sleep at night and that's a sad reality with a lot of lgbt youth, you know I mean, and if with their families kicking them out of their house. And for me, it was just like I had to live, and so I have to make it okay. I'm let's talk a little drag race are. You have been very vocal about your experience on the show. Do you think that or expect a little bit? A little bit? Do you think your experience was...

00:04:03 - 00:06:00

...different because you entered the competition as a performer whose character was fifing O'hara, rather than the other queens whose whole lives were their characters? No, I think kind of sound shady. This gets on so shady now. That takes I think. I think there's people that need the show and and it's great because what they do is they do dragon, they do it well and and that show is great for showing off their skills. But I do so much more than just drag and for me, when I got there, and I probably because I would again going back to being like a homeless and fighter and everything like, I had a fight for my place on this and this planet. For me, being in the scene, the setup where everyone tells you what to do and say and who to be. Just I was sick of it, you know what I mean. So I was just like, I'm not doing this, I can't put up with this. The first season, like, also season four, was it was fun because I love a villain. Who Doesn't love a villain on TV? Like and I like I knew what I was doing. It was so fun, like creating these moments of drama and everything was story producers and Sharon. But when all stars to came around, I was so sure of who I was, not only as an adult but like as an artist, that I for someone to tell me, like what I was doing was not good because it wasn't to their standards of art. I was done. I was like, I'm not putting up. Yeah, now I'm a huge fan of your cosplay. Your Harry Potter work was amazing. And then when I when I saw your social media today, but to say, Ruthie up, they are got that look that looks so on point. I'm using good three hundred and sixty five days of drag, but I can barely put on matching stocks. What is what is your creative process in creating an implementing a campaign and and your look what each one on...

00:06:00 - 00:08:05

...a different process. I'm three hundred and sixty five. I just finished filming all stars to it hasn't even aired yet, and a listen. I got into our argument and it really likes stuck with me because she was like, we'll see who people believe, who could who has the most followers? And I was like really, so this is a follower thing, you think, because, like, I didn't have this many followers at the time, that no one's going to believe me and so, which I'm H and so I was like, what can I do with true talent, not not as not a show back in the up to make me a star, but true tell what could I do? And this is before they even aired all stars, even announce the casts. And I was like, you know what, I have a look book of stuff that I can't do, like on tour, like the show's on tour. It's like the super fast you have. You have minutes to change. And so's and my fantasy five were like full on elaborate body paints and stuff. I was like, what can I do? And so I was like, you know, how about every day I release a new nude look in this book that I doodle in. And then I didn't realize, like how, how could? A day goes by and like how many looks it added up, and I'm thankful for like a I went like the vintage chop, a lot like the sters by Shit. And then Bianca del Rio, when she she I happen to get her when she was moving. I live in New York, so when she was moving from New York to La she's clearing out like all her drags. She gave me like bags and bags and bags of Shit that I used for three hundred and sixty five days of drag. And then Harry Potter. I was like, all right, I'm not going to do another photo series of three hundred and sixty five, but what lent like three in this of my photos? What photo series could I do and elevate it from the last time I did it? And I so I did the Harry Potter series with like insane prosthetics and costuming and makeup transformations, and I that time I switched it up with gender and I did whether it was a male or female presenting or Gremlin Monster. I did that. And then now with this one, the trailblazing woman. It's not just me, it's women from around the world. Now I did like maybe four or five transformations, I believe me, before and but this time we're shining light on women around the world. It's remarkable and it really really...

00:08:05 - 00:10:01

...shows off so much of your creative aspect in your a whole personality. You have so many different creative traits. And I want to talk about drag out to vote, inspiring the LGBT community to get out and vote. Surprising fact, one out of five members of our community are not registered to vote and I was like what, well, what? Yeah, thanks, the reaction thing. Reaction, no, no, what? Why do you think that is? I think that, like, especially with you, I think there's just a lot more issues that that they're focused on at the moment then then voting again. It goes back to me like being homeless and, you know, finding out couch to sleep on. I think, like, especially with you, they're trying to figure out who they are, navigating through that and and which is important, just trying to survive rather than voting for them. But now it's essential. You need to vote to survive and this election is is super important, especially for our rights because they're slowly being stripped away. And I remember when Donald Trump was elected president. I remember just the fear of not knowing what he his administration would do, and I was engaged at the time and out of fear my husband, I just went straight to the courthouse to get married. We didn't have our dream wedding that we wanted. We just went to the courthouse just so if anything happened, maybe we'd be grandfathered in, you know, some program which is sad. That's like, that's sad. The thing I shouldn't have to think like that. So I just think that I'd like to think the the administration for opening her eyes. So a lot of politics and wanting us, pushing us to care more, which I will say that that's for sure. Well, I think if there is any good it's that we have been challenged as a community and other minority groups socially and politically. So we are now having to fight and this younger generation is going to have more of a respect of how our our gay rights started in the first place. Well, and I think it's so cool because they, like I said, they're so free and open and brave and like...

00:10:03 - 00:12:03

...they know the power that they have and it's so cool to see an eyeful old thing this like really follow. But I'm so proud of like, especially my younger fans, and following that I see going out there and marching in the streets, are raising money or being a new dragon bastard, or now for this new program which I got the book. So cool. Now I'm how can we, as your fans, support drag out the vote? Well, I'm simple, well, simple, follow you. Guys can follow them on every social media. That's that's super easy. But a lot of people think like, Oh, I don't have any money, I can't give or donate, and a lot of people, especially with this pandemic, that is a very common thing. A lot of us lost our jobs, and so you never know the power of a retweet or sharing information. And the cool thing that Jackie Huba, the creator drag out the vote, and I've talked about is that it is so important. Social Media, it's so easy to retweet something and not do your research on it, and with drag out the vote they're putting out accurate, important information that needs to be shared and it costs zero and everybody's on their phone, everybody is at its Jeff sups constantly. It takes zero effort to retweet something and share something. You never know who's going to say it in the power of a tweet. So all right, I want you to give me a little relationship advice, because you have been in a relationship for quite a number of years, as you as you mentioned, you were married. Wow, wow, sorry, single boys and girls, relationship advice do you have? I can't even get a date. I you know. So I was joking about it because I'm I'm always on tour Beo prior to the pandemic, and so my husband I really never saw each other and it was like in passing. It's so it gave us like that chance to miss each other, you know, and and come home. And then now it's every day. No, but it's been it's been great. And we argue. That's part of it. I think a lot of people think that, especially, and I had this until you you argue and...

00:12:03 - 00:14:03

...people are like, oh, it's not going to work, we're done. No arguments happened, and and and I think, yeah, they need to happen so you can learn and grow from that. And and I think it's just you have to be secure and your relationship. Like my husband I are super secure. We know who we are, we know about the end. We're coming home to each other and maybe that comes with age and everything. But it sounds so cheesy and it's so cliche. It's really truly is. But when it happens and you meet that person, you truly will know. And it's like I met him in the club, out of all play, a hopeless place, as Rihanna says, and we it was like instant, like I was like, like, I'm gonna marry him. And it's so funny because I used to laugh at like, you know, you watch these couples in there, like I just looked across the room and sawl and new and I was like, okay, but it's so true. It's and it will happen. So how dare you, sir? So lucky. But it's funny because being home stuff with somebody, you're like, I didn't realize he was a mouth breather. I oh well, okay, I will say this. So there's been my husband does Snore, like Oh my God, and because I haven't really been home to experience it, and so thou sometimes like if I do not go to bed before he falls asleep. I will go like lay in like the living room and fall aslee because it is so loud I cannot. He's gonna get mad at this, but it's true. It's more loud. So, okay, let's play a little rapid fire before we go. Are you ready? Let's it. Okay, biggest onstage. Mishap oh I fell on stage at Mickey's in Hollywood, and then Perez Hilton put it on his website. Okay, well, hit miss. Okay, celebrity. Who would want to give a cosplay makeover too? Oh, Angela and Julie who? That would be fabulous. What is the challenge that you would add to drag race? I have said this for a bazillion years that they...

00:14:03 - 00:16:00

...drag race Queens go on the road so much and they have to go from place to place to place, sometimes straight from the airport to the GIG, and I think be so cool for their first time meeting each other the moment that they get off that plane, that they have to get and and makeup in the car and go to set and that's how they're introduced. Well, that's a really good challenge, like almost like amazing race, and it really does challenge you on like car drug. Oh, I love that. Okay, strangest fan request or comment, Oh my God, I get the daily. I will say this. One time, though, I wouldn't say it was an Ohio, Indiana, one of those, and they, the promoter, gave out where I was staying and my hotel room number. Yeah, and they went to my room and they were unlike five dollar bills, which I'll dare you should be like a twenty or some give. They were like literally writing on messages like please come out and see me, and then they slide under the door and then I think we had a call security and then switch my rooms. But yeah, that was really weird. Oh my God, I'd be like a sand picks slider undergrap not just the TORDA. All right, Jeremy, what's the strangest thing, or at the shadiest thing you've seen backstage at a drag show that you've seen happened? I I've never seen anything shady, to be honest. You mean, I w see fights and cat fights, but as far as like breaking up glass and sticking it up and Shit, I've never seen like anything shady, because you know it is grow up in Texas like bitches. If they have got that, they got something to say, they'll say it to you right in and there, and so, oh yeah, we handles it like yeah, there really wasn't anything crazy. Now, all right, I tell all of our audience where you want them to find and follow you. So I'm on all of my social media's as under Fifi O'Hara. Still, until they let I can't change it because I'm a verified account. And so, yeah, I've got it. Yeah, so I'm an instagram. It is at Pithu Haara still, but...

00:16:00 - 00:16:57

...on my twitter it's at just Jeremy. So you can find dust. Yes, all right, it's been such a pleasure talking to you. You can also read a little bit more of our interview in Metro source magazine at Metro sourcecom. And drag out the vote, everybody, get out, get out and help. All right, this has been my chat with Jeremy Carry and that's our episode. I'm your host and lead writer from Metro sours, Alexander Rodriguez. You can follow me at or on Instagram at Alexanders on air, and you can binge listen to all of our episodes featuring your favorite celebrities from our issues. Until next time, stay true, stay you Bo. That has been another metro source mini like. Share, subscribe on your favorite podcast player and check out the latest issue of Metro Sports magazine on newstands or online at Metro sportscom. Follow us on Facebook, instagram at natural source and on twitter at Metro Sports Man. Until next time, he fast.

In-Stream Audio Search

NEW

Search across all episodes within this podcast

Episodes (48)