James Macfarlane sits down with the one and only Danny Beard to discuss their debut Fringe show Danny Beard and Their Band, life since winning RuPaul's Drag Race UK and why the art of drag is the ultimate escape.
It’s all glued together with me being a sassy, shady, clown
Danny Beard! How are you?
Honestly life’s never been better, I feel so incredibly lucky!
You’ve had an incredibly busy year, your latest success winning Season 4 of Drag Race UK – congratulations! How has the last year been for you?
It’s been a wild ride, I always say Drag Race can be a dream making machine, and it really has been so far! I’ve worked with some incredible people and done some really fun things and have so much more to come!
You’re making your Edinburgh debut with your show “Danny Beard and Their Band”. For those of us who’ve never seen a Danny Beard show, can you tell us what we can expect?
Yeah I shoulda come up with a better name really shouldn’t I? Basically, it’s just me and a band. (laughs) No it’s an interactive, improvisational comedy show, good old school drag cabaret for today! I’ve rehearsed most songs with the band, and some songs the audience come up with on the night. And it’s all glued together with me being a sassy, shady, clown. Every night is different from the last in some kinda way so I end up with people saying things like “I was there the night you called that woman Susan Boyle and sang a country version Raining men!”
Is a run at the Edinburgh Fringe something that’s always been on your radar? What made you want to create a show for this year’s Fringe?
I’ve wanted to do it for as long as I’ve been wearing heels, but I never really thought anyone would wanna see it. I’ve been doing drag cabaret for pushing 10 years so it’s been a long time in the making. This year I’ve taken this show on the road and the reception has been incredible so the fringe felt like a natural fit for it its chaotic, heart-warming and joyful energy, and to see the reaction so far has just been the best part really!
We’ve seen you lipsync before on Drag Race, but for this show, you’ve got a full live band supporting you. As a performer, is there more of a sense of safety knowing you have the backing of a band, compared to a lipsync? Which do you prefer?
I can’t bare Lip-sync, that’s not to say I don’t appreciate it as an art form, I do, but it’s not what I do. I’m a singer and I love to connect to music that way, this band are incredible and to be working with each one of them makes me feel so lucky! Between them they have racked up an incredible list of people they have all worked for and with and there talent really shines through!
Last year, two of the bigger drag queens that performed Fringe shows were Bianca Del Rio and Jinkx Monsoon. This year’s Fringe is absolutely packed with kings and queens performing shows. What do you think it is about the art of drag that audiences are drawn to?
It’s the ultimate escape, when the wigs, and the lashes are on you know it’s not reality anymore, we can approach topics or say things we don’t really mean if we want to, and sometimes we can let the person behind that slip through and the audience love it.
Finally, we’ve got some fantastic drag artists from Edinburgh. Will you be checking out any local shows?
Absolutely not. I’ll be getting pissed with the locals and eating as much fried food as I can.
Danny Beard & Their Live Band is at the Underbelly: Udderbelly at 9.40pm from 21st – 25th August for tickets go to www.edfringe.com
