Laila McQueen Interview

Laila McQueen hails from Glaucester, Massachusetts and brought an interesting range to RuPaul's Drag Race season eight. From Beetlejuice to Gloria Gaynor, Tyler Devlin danced to the beat of a different drum.

The show "shook up the juice and saw what came loose" in the end of episode two.

Nunn spoke with McQueen before the show aired on the red carpet at Metro.

JN: (Jerry Nunn)We have Laila McQueen here from Gloucester. I never know how to pronounce it.

LM: (Laila McQueen) Glah-stur. Everyone fucks it up. Did you see The Pregnancy Pact?

JN: No.

LM: For all you kids out there that is where they filmed it the Lifetime movie. The Pregnancy Pact was my high school!

JN: Classic. I have been there. It is a seaside kind of town, right?

LM: It is technically an island. You can't go to my house without crossing over some bridge over troubled water!

JN: There's a lighthouse there.

LM: I'm sure...

JN: Do you spend a lot of time in Provincetown?

LM: I go to Provincetown every summer. I love Provincetown. I always feel overjoyed when I am there. Boston is, well Boston...

JN: Was it easy to come out there being a gay friendly place?

LM: Yeah, it was fine. It was weird at first because my town was very, very small. It is super tiny, and an island so it was weird at first but I kind of just didn't give a crap!

It was what I made of it. When I came out it was a little hard at first but then I was like, "Screw everyone else."

JN: What music are you performing these days?

LM: I love Queen. I love Marilyn Manson. I like to do a lot of '80s pop. I am stuck in an '80s rut!

JN: Rockin'!

LM: Totally!

JN: What is one thing you learned from RuPaul's Drag Race? If you could take away one thing what would it be?

LM: I learned that you have to live in the moment more. You can't just ball up in your shell. When you are given that opportunity just do it and be yourself. Rise to the occasion. People that love you will always love you. The people that hate you, well you can't do anything about it. So just keep doing you. If you worry about what you look like then that will give you anxiety.

JN: That is good advice for everyone.

LM: It is hard to follow but good advice!