Edwin Valdez Me too! I'm a Cultural Studies/Cultural Sciences major (specialized in literature, Cultural theory and Art theory) in College and I'm LIVING for katya right now!
Paul Smith he has a pulsing gold aura, to me it means he is here to teach the masses in a way that makes fucking waves, Massively Important and needed waves, waves that lift those people who have no way to communicate their feelings without a leader saying fuck yeah be a dumbass freak One of a fucking kid The real fearless free thinker is the one who proves admitting fear and accepting and helping those lost in the same fear is the person to want to be if you want to be happy I want to know Katya just to know her I'm ADHD as fuck and I hear him talk and I'm like give me that confidence in myself to accept how crazy I am and know drugs and bullshit isn't everything I am It's beauty My serious goals And I have so much appreciation, it proves it me of this spirit is here to help somebody, I was that somebody
Little Lushie He's not reclaimed sovereign mind yet. He is still deeply embedded in the system though he is on the right track. The main point is he is full of compassion and humanity.
It's surprising to me that when she talks, I feel no arrogance there. Even when she says she's the best, she's right. There's no arrogance, it's the truth, she is the best at it. When she speaks, it's never out of arrogance even for things like that. Most people, you'd say it was out of arrogance, not for her, She's too genuine to speak out of arrogance, at least that's what I think.
I think this message holds true: don't meet your heroes. For a lot of reasons. Mainly because it will never live up to what you think it will be. Never. You have this image of you bonding and connecting and talking to your hero and it being everything you ever dreamed of. You describe how much you love them, how much you have in common, you become best friends and exchange numbers. It's unrealistic and impossible and it will never be anything like that. And chances are you'll come away disappointed bc you feel like just another number: a fan in line wasting their time while they are in a rush, sweaty, tired, and painting on a smile. Even if the interaction is authentic, it isn't heartfelt. They won't ever know how much you inspire them and just saying "you inspire me so much" they hear it all the time and it becomes meaningless at some point and they just say "aw thanks" and you leave. and you can sometimes feel like you lost a hero, which can be a tragic for some people. It's better to just never meet them bc then you can always love them and be inspired and touched by them. Where if you meet them, you will feel disappointed.
I just sat through this whole thing and was fascinated by every second of it. Katya is the type of person I just wanna sit down with and talk about every single tiny detail life has to offer.
This periscope is bitter sweet in the sense that Katya has always mentioned how much she LOVED the meet and greets, and even if she did a shitty performance or wore a shitty costume due to exhaustion, she made up for it in the M&G.. but I 100% understand where she is coming from. It's an endless battle that she would never win. She's mentioned having disagreements with the promoters because she actually cares about human interactions and wants to take longer during M&G to get that substance of chemistry that she avails to others. But with becoming so mainstream it's become impossible to do that especially in a packed nightclub setting. Thankfullly I'll be seeing her in LA next week which is strictly a meet and greet so I'm praying not a crazy amount of people show up so I can get a genuine connection before she limits or cuts off the M&G. Will always love you guidance counselor Katya ❤️❤️❤️
Fame is weird. I love Katya and her work and crazy "brand", but if course I respect her and know she is a human being and needs to keep herself safe, sane and happy. While I would love to meet her in person and take a photo with her, I know she has the right to draw the line and say "no". We have to remember she is a person with boundaries and respect them.
Ugh, Katya was waaaaay too good for season 7. I really believe her and Bianca would have made season 6 even more amazing. They're both smart in and out of drag and know how to be humble.
I would hate doing meet&greets so I get it. I can see it being exhausting and even uncomfortable if you're doing them constantly. I love your spirit Katya. You're brilliant and so refreshingly authentic. Keep speaking your truth.
I listen to this a year later and I literally just stood in line for over an hour to meet her only a week ago. I guess she changed her mind? Idk she still was super super sweet and I love her to pieces and I always will. I feel bad that I was too shy to really get to talk to her because I would've loved to. I gave her a gift and hugged her a few times and got my picture and said thank you and left. She must've met over 200 people that night, she stayed past the closing time for the club to meet everyone. She's a sweetheart and I hope next time I see her, I can actually talk to her since I have my picture now
I love you! I fucking love you! You keep it 100 at all costs and bring a human and personable side to this industry. You are a bestie in my head! I love you and I am so inspired yet entertained by you! Girl, I'm sending you real love! Keep on shining baby, the world is fueled by your sparkle!
i feel you, I'm so amazed by this person, and I'm not that kind of person who considered famous any people (even when i live so far away from famous people hahaha) but this person is truly interesting, i don't want just take a picture whit him, i wanna have full intense conversation with this person (even when i don't speak proper english yet)
Agreed. I can't NOT watch his videos. Katya/Brian is utterly spellbinding. He's one of those people. He's got the "It" factor HEAVY! Totally one of my favorite human peoples
i am going to a meet and greet with katya tomorrow and i just watched this and she just summed up my feelings about meet and greets lol, i have never bought one for another queen or anybody for that matter. i just feel a very strong connection to katya and i'd regret passing it up. i'll be there to meet brian, not the obviously gorgeous biological woman she inhabits.
Katya is amazing at the meet and greets. I met her at this show in San Antonio last week but I didn't realize she filmed this after. They were rushing us through because there were so many people and it was a picture line, but for the whole few seconds I got to meet her she was fun and wonderful and it still felt special to meet her. I don't know how they keep that up. I don't blame her for not wanting to do them.
Yesssssss Katya! I am so impressed with you. Keep on thinking deep. Keep on making choices in your career that sit right with you, keep up your integrity! I have felt the same way about meet n greets. Watching poor Chi Chi DeVayne do her huuuuuge Meet n Greet in Melbourne. Huge line. I was tired for her.
Instead of doing Meet-n-Greets, they should schedule you for something along the lines of, "Dinner With Katya". A small venue, like a supper club, with say 40-60 guests (@$100 a head + cost of dinner and cocktails).
God I just want to have an intelligent conversation with Brian. I feel like that would be so interesting. Like delving into the philosophies of life, tearing the world apart, layer by layer, until you get a deep understanding of why everything is the way that it is. That would make life so much easier, and the only person I would have that with would be Brian, because he would be so damn good at it.
A message to Katya and all you wonderful creatives out there! As a performer, you are already giving energy to an audience. People pay money to see you perform, you share your wonderful gift, and that's the energy exchange. To have the honor to meet you, take a photo with you, and be in your presence is SO special and valuable. I think that drag shows should evolve to offer a limited number of Private Meeting or In Person Gatherings that are priced above the ticket of the event and offered sparingly. And this is why: It takes a lot of energy, especially for introverts, to perform - give your all - and then redirect attention and be present for 100-200 people. As a fan, I would rather not receive a photo with my favorite queen and know that she is taking care of herself, is able to get the rest she needs, the alone time she needs, in order to continue a long career full of vitality and creativity. I don't need a photo to validate my appreciation for what you do. My showing up is proof that I appreciate what you do and you showing up is proof that you care about what you do. I think that fans can appreciate that entertainment is a business and when you're done performing, then you're done working for the evening. Placing boundaries, i.e. not doing more meet and greets, are a way of showing yourself love; and as a fan, I respect that! It gives me and all the other queens around you permission to show myself/ourselves more love. And like Ru says.... I love what you do Katya!
7:20 she literally bypassed my question so fast, it was hilarious, I could listed to Katya go on tangents for hours! She has very interesting things to say.
He is so smart and he is right. Why should we wait 2 hours just to meet someone? They are not a painting or something magical you know. They are just human beings just like us. Ahh God Katya is so smart lol
I run autographs at a convention every year and I know exactly what Katya is talking about! The talent always want to give as much time as they can and they want to give everyone at the con their time. However, due to the popularity rising rapidly (last year was 45k) it is impossible for everyone to get to meet someone. We always joke that our con could just be a three day signing session and people would be perfectly fine with that lmao! Fans need to realize that these performers/celebrities are people and can't always meet everyone or talk to each person for five hours. (As much as they want to) It is an exhausting process.
I LOVED his dissection of ball culture and drag in general. This is my first time seeing Katya's livestream and maybe I should watch more. He is a very intelligent and perceptive person. It's a shame so many fans (esp. the immature younger Trixie/Katya fans) won't understand this.
Oh My!! I knOW!!! As a Huge fan of Tim and Eric, and Katya, the two of them together in a pastrami sandwich. Yes. My life is Good - Perfect round table - Katya, Tim and Eric, Jon Stewart, Joe Rogan (podcast cool self, not acting self), Kathleen Madigan, Dylan Moran, and Koko the gorilla. I can't wait for dinner!
Katya is my absolute favourite ru girl, I understand where she is coming from but it upsets me i might ever lose the chance of meeting her. Living the other side of the world i have absolutely no chance of seeing her perform except when bots come to the uk, and now this has potentially put me off buying tickets for bots if she's completely going to stop meet & greets
I haven't finished the whole video yet, but I understand where she's coming from, but at the same time it makes me sad. I hope she can find a good balance to everything going forward. Also, I love that she loves Maria Bamford, since she is one of my all time favorite people!
I know this video is almost a year old, but it is so spot on. I'm not even a queen, but I can't imagine meet and greets are something most any celebrity wants to do. It has to feel hollow and exhausting. Considering how viscous some of the fans can be at times, I would be fearful being so attainable to the public. No other form of celebrity has that kind of accessibility; why would should we expect that of our drag racers? Perhaps more of a panel type of greeting would suffice some fans. Queens can chose to sit, chat and answer questions to those who really want to know their favorites.
I adore listening to her speak. especially after my herbal painkillers. It feels like the polar opposite of me journaling whilst simultaneously achieving the exact same therapeutic outcome. My anxiety riddled, guilt ridden millennial, burning out mind, feels soothed by the mere knowledge of another busy questioning brain just out there, doing its thing, making sure we aren't a silent, dumb, lesser generation. Unfortunately for me I would kill for a chance to talk with Katya/Brian. I wouldn't need a photo to remember that experience. One can always hope that our paths will cross at some point. We carry the weight of the world on our shoulders...............and our sweaty bodies give us away!!
In all seriousness, do you and it'll always be enough. I always thought Katya or Alaska could do a TED talk. Btw I would however queue up for days to meet Elvira or my queen Alyssa Edwards.
I appreciate you coming out to speak on something that I have often thought about. Y'all must get tired. There are so many people who appreciate you it can be exhausting. You are just a person like everyone else. There is only so much of you to go around, and you have to keep some of you for you. Isn't it a NO NO to touch someone without their consent? poking? pulling? pinching? seems disrespectful no matter the reason (unless you are on fire). hope your owie feels better soon. thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.
I would want a picture to document for MYSELF and see one of the people I admire and find amazing so I can always have that memory. It wouldn't be for likes. I don't think anyone on my social media would know who I am talking about if I posted a picture of Katya and I xD But I would love to SHARE that experience of meeting someone so incredible to me. It's really not about the likes for SOME people. You know?
I agree. If you take a photo with someone or talk to them for a few seconds/minutes, you haven't really met them. It turns the fans into a crowd rather than people and it turns the person being met into character or idol. It's not fair to expect them to receive you wonderfully when there's so many people who want the same and you can't expect them to like you just because you like them. I'm glad Katya understands this. I think you have to think of why you're there, do you want to get a photo to post, or do you want to be friends? It's sad because no one wants a minute interaction, they want a full conversation, but there's just so many people in that line. It's cynical because I'd love to meet her but I've got to think of what I could offer her that other fans can't, but if I watch a performance they enjoy it and so do I. If I bump into them or it's a small venue, that's different. Honestly I probably just rather it because I'm shy.
I want to meet Katya and not "meet and greet". To me meet and greet is just saying "Hey how you doing? have a nice day." I dont want to do that. Just paying money just to meet you one, two, or how many times I pay to talk to one person. Waste of money and waste of time waiting in line. what I want to do is say "Hi I'm _____. Nice to meet you. I would like to sit down and talk to you. Maybe in the future we can talk a little more and become more than strangers." I want to meet her, go somewhere, sit down have lunch or dinner. If im going to meet you I'm going to do it right.
Yes!! I couldn't agree more about the 30 people in the meet and greet. I don't want to JUST take your photo, I want to MEET you! Talk to you, ask you questions, get to know you! I hate the photo lines, I feel like I was just posing next to a cardboard cut out.
it's so weird because i did a m&g at montreal and (katya is one of my favorit queen) but i went to miss fame, violet, alaska and notkatya because of the reason she said...katya is someone that if you dont really meat it's really not worth it. Even Alaska and thorgi was weird to just take a photo and two or three line but Pearl, violet, miss fame are really living and walking Pop art.
I don't have twitter or instagram but I would like to have a picture with Katya if I ever met her. Just for myself. Because I love her. : ) I get what she's saying though. Girl, I get it.
She should pick David Sedaris's brain about meet and greets. Granted, he actually loves meet and greets but he also has specific boundaries, such as no photos. Or he'll put people ahead in line if they are presenting some sort of energy that he needs in the moment.
The culture behind celebrity drag queens is quite different than normal celebrities in my opinion. It's somewhat cultish in a way because the art of drag is almost a polar opposite to modern celebrity things in that it's far more personal (which is perpetuated even further by drag race, where you get to see all of the queens for everything they are) so that it makes you feel like you know the person in question in a more personal sense than artistic appreciation. It can make you very obsessive and possessive over the queen, which can lead to some scary mental states and situations, especially for people like Katya who are so open about themselves, "warts and all" so to speak. Edit: I feel that it's also important to some degree to understand that this is something that Katya will never understand herself. Ever. This is because before she was famous, there was no one like her. The fact that she openly talks about these things is, in its simplest form, soul crushing because she's taking you and suddenly making you self aware.
Having listened to this I count myself lucky, or maybe not depending on ones perspective, but I've never had a celebrity 'hero' in any real sense of the word, I certainly admire, repect, and enjoy people's work and talent but have never felt the need to bow down before a celebrity who is doing something with their life that they love, and is largely voluntary
"Kim Kardashian is a fertility goddess". Katya somehow manages to assimilate a VAST ocean of cultural thought spanning pop culture, ancient history, world mythology, and more into an astonishingly perceptive world view.
Katya I met you the day after you posted this and I hate that you did Roscoe's if you didn't want to be there. I wouldn't like doing m&g if I was famous either because of my anxiety. I love you, and you should do whatever the fuck you want because you owe nobody. You bring much happiness to my life.
I totally get her point and it would be bad if she get too discouraged to do these M&G but i can't see any other way for her to interact with the fans the way she wants. It's not like she had the time to gather 30 fans in a barbecue to chat (altough i love the idea)
I went to BOTS this year and went to the meet and greet. I don't think that package was very popular in my city - which was good for me (I don't like awkward lines, I also have social anxiety) so it was more like a mingle and dingle. The other small group of meet and greeters were polite and the Ru girls were SUPER - I had a lovely convo with each of them and nothing felt rushed at all. Photos were kind of an afterthought (side note: I don't get how all the girls looked amazing and I have blown out zombie pupils in everyone, are you made of magic?). I really loved the experience, but if I felt like I was waiting in line for an amusement ride, yeah I can't say I'd enjoy that. I guess I was lucky.
I think drag race girls should act and be treated like drag queens, you perform, you slay and then you hang around in a bar and act like a bitch. It's a performance model that works brilliantly because there's a refreshing and fulfilling duality of untouchable divaness and relatable humanity
Well yeah but non drag race queens don't meet and greet, they just hang at the club and obviously if they don't want to they go home, I think it should be less formal like the old days
i honestly hate that all of the drag race queens that come here only come out for like 5 min (for their performance) and then disappear until the meet and greet . The only queen that didnt do that was laila. (ive seen like 18 drag race girls without counting the repeats )
I have always felt like this and I can't imagine paying extra money for VIP or whatever, or for M&G. I want to support my fave queens by buying their shit, by watching their shows. I want them to put out more shit and more shows. I hope they figure a way to monetarily make that happen and grow the distribution of drag.
I think she is firstly and foremost an artist. Her background and her drag show how much thought she puts into art and the importance she holds for that. I think she's acutely aware of the privilege of being on Drag Race and the opportunities that affords her and wants to make the most of it and not squander any opportunity. I also think, she's extremely intelligent! She's not just here to get drunk and party, it's all much more than that.
Maybe you can get little red tickets with numbers on them and just get people to come up when their number is up. That way nobody is waiting in line. Like call 1-20, then 20-40, so on... Also, maybe you could limit the tickets and they cost a bit extra on top of the show cost?
Meet and greets: as an artist you aren't an unlimited resource for everyone to have a piece of even though that fame has come because of the support of those fans, people need to understand that... Why not try doing additional to the big shows (instead of meet and greets) a couple of small intimate shows of 40-50 people in the audience where there is a mixture of performance but a big chunk of time is not scripted and just allows to interact with and talk with the audience. No meet and greets just an "Intimate evening with Katya" where you get to do your thing and then interact with people on your terms and they get to interact with you in a somewhat more meaningful way related to topics of your choice... Perhaps it's just a thought... In any case I hope you find a way through to a more meaningful interaction with the people that adore you.
I admire Brian to death (obvious fact seeing my profile pic) but for him to say that only famous people have something to offer in instagram is ridiculous. Any person with a good taste, a curious mind and a good eye for photography can have a more interesting account than a lot of famous with 1000 selfies in theirs.
katya is so smart. i dream of having a discussion with her.
Me too
Edwin Valdez Me too! I'm a Cultural Studies/Cultural Sciences major (specialized in literature, Cultural theory and Art theory) in College and I'm LIVING for katya right now!
This man is exquisite and a very special spirit.
Yes, agreed! This comment deserves a gold star!
Paul Smith he has a pulsing gold aura, to me it means he is here to teach the masses in a way that makes fucking waves,
Massively Important and needed waves, waves that lift those people who have no way to communicate their feelings without a leader saying fuck yeah be a dumbass freak
One of a fucking kid
The real fearless free thinker is the one who proves admitting fear and accepting and helping those lost in the same fear is the person to want to be if you want to be happy
I want to know Katya just to know her
I'm ADHD as fuck and I hear him talk and I'm like give me that confidence in myself to accept how crazy I am and know drugs and bullshit isn't everything I am
It's beauty
My serious goals
And I have so much appreciation, it proves it me of this spirit is here to help somebody, I was that somebody
Little Lushie
He's not reclaimed sovereign mind yet. He is still deeply embedded in the system though he is on the right track.
The main point is he is full of compassion and humanity.
Paul Smith Biological woman*
It's surprising to me that when she talks, I feel no arrogance there. Even when she says she's the best, she's right. There's no arrogance, it's the truth, she is the best at it. When she speaks, it's never out of arrogance even for things like that. Most people, you'd say it was out of arrogance, not for her, She's too genuine to speak out of arrogance, at least that's what I think.
So true. She's just so real and real recognizes real! This comment is real honey!!!!
Truth! Truth!! Truth!!!
I agree, one hundred percent
Yeah, he seems like the nicest person ever and what a fun treat. Wish that could be a friend of mine.
but is it arrogance (fashion)?
God I wish I was able to articulate as well as Katya does.
Katya needs to do podcasts, I would pay.
The visuals are a big part of her appeal too though. Her YT channel is awesome.
it happened
Craig & Katya Whimsically Volatile
I think this message holds true: don't meet your heroes.
For a lot of reasons. Mainly because it will never live up to what you think it will be. Never. You have this image of you bonding and connecting and talking to your hero and it being everything you ever dreamed of. You describe how much you love them, how much you have in common, you become best friends and exchange numbers. It's unrealistic and impossible and it will never be anything like that. And chances are you'll come away disappointed bc you feel like just another number: a fan in line wasting their time while they are in a rush, sweaty, tired, and painting on a smile. Even if the interaction is authentic, it isn't heartfelt. They won't ever know how much you inspire them and just saying "you inspire me so much" they hear it all the time and it becomes meaningless at some point and they just say "aw thanks" and you leave. and you can sometimes feel like you lost a hero, which can be a tragic for some people. It's better to just never meet them bc then you can always love them and be inspired and touched by them. Where if you meet them, you will feel disappointed.
True!!
So true
Idolization is just limerence
I just sat through this whole thing and was fascinated by every second of it. Katya is the type of person I just wanna sit down with and talk about every single tiny detail life has to offer.
This periscope is bitter sweet in the sense that Katya has always mentioned how much she LOVED the meet and greets, and even if she did a shitty performance or wore a shitty costume due to exhaustion, she made up for it in the M&G.. but I 100% understand where she is coming from. It's an endless battle that she would never win. She's mentioned having disagreements with the promoters because she actually cares about human interactions and wants to take longer during M&G to get that substance of chemistry that she avails to others. But with becoming so mainstream it's become impossible to do that especially in a packed nightclub setting. Thankfullly I'll be seeing her in LA next week which is strictly a meet and greet so I'm praying not a crazy amount of people show up so I can get a genuine connection before she limits or cuts off the M&G. Will always love you guidance counselor Katya ❤️❤️❤️
The people's princess... Stole the words right outta my pituitary gland
Fame is weird. I love Katya and her work and crazy "brand", but if course I respect her and know she is a human being and needs to keep herself safe, sane and happy. While I would love to meet her in person and take a photo with her, I know she has the right to draw the line and say "no". We have to remember she is a person with boundaries and respect them.
Ugh, Katya was waaaaay too good for season 7. I really believe her and Bianca would have made season 6 even more amazing. They're both smart in and out of drag and know how to be humble.
I love these. I could listen to your stream of consciousness all the live long day.
The amount of intelligence and self-understanding is so apparent in every word. Id take a conversation over a picture any day .
I feel like this single video changed my life a little bit
I would hate doing meet&greets so I get it. I can see it being exhausting and even uncomfortable if you're doing them constantly. I love your spirit Katya. You're brilliant and so refreshingly authentic. Keep speaking your truth.
All I took away with was that I'd love to have a book written by Brian. 💜
I could listen to him talk for hours and never get bored. He is such an engaging, intelligent person.
I listen to this a year later and I literally just stood in line for over an hour to meet her only a week ago. I guess she changed her mind? Idk she still was super super sweet and I love her to pieces and I always will. I feel bad that I was too shy to really get to talk to her because I would've loved to. I gave her a gift and hugged her a few times and got my picture and said thank you and left. She must've met over 200 people that night, she stayed past the closing time for the club to meet everyone. She's a sweetheart and I hope next time I see her, I can actually talk to her since I have my picture now
I love you! I fucking love you! You keep it 100 at all costs and bring a human and personable side to this industry. You are a bestie in my head! I love you and I am so inspired yet entertained by you! Girl, I'm sending you real love! Keep on shining baby, the world is fueled by your sparkle!
i feel you, I'm so amazed by this person, and I'm not that kind of person who considered famous any people (even when i live so far away from famous people hahaha) but this person is truly interesting, i don't want just take a picture whit him, i wanna have full intense conversation with this person (even when i don't speak proper english yet)
Agreed. I can't NOT watch his videos. Katya/Brian is utterly spellbinding. He's one of those people. He's got the "It" factor HEAVY! Totally one of my favorite human peoples
Katya dripped sweat all over me last saturday and I am only slightly ashamed to say it was amazing.
i am going to a meet and greet with katya tomorrow and i just watched this and she just summed up my feelings about meet and greets lol, i have never bought one for another queen or anybody for that matter. i just feel a very strong connection to katya and i'd regret passing it up. i'll be there to meet brian, not the obviously gorgeous biological woman she inhabits.
asmrchive how did it go?
Katya is amazing at the meet and greets. I met her at this show in San Antonio last week but I didn't realize she filmed this after. They were rushing us through because there were so many people and it was a picture line, but for the whole few seconds I got to meet her she was fun and wonderful and it still felt special to meet her. I don't know how they keep that up. I don't blame her for not wanting to do them.
...people wait in line to meet fake Santa
Yesssssss Katya! I am so impressed with you. Keep on thinking deep. Keep on making choices in your career that sit right with you, keep up your integrity! I have felt the same way about meet n greets. Watching poor Chi Chi DeVayne do her huuuuuge Meet n Greet in Melbourne. Huge line. I was tired for her.
Instead of doing Meet-n-Greets, they should schedule you for something along the lines of, "Dinner With Katya". A small venue, like a supper club, with say 40-60 guests (@$100 a head + cost of dinner and cocktails).
Soo glad that you are relatable and a Star! Do what you have to do! Trust your instincts. That's what got you where you are. You are amazing!!
God I just want to have an intelligent conversation with Brian. I feel like that would be so interesting. Like delving into the philosophies of life, tearing the world apart, layer by layer, until you get a deep understanding of why everything is the way that it is. That would make life so much easier, and the only person I would have that with would be Brian, because he would be so damn good at it.
I hope to one day have a meaningful conversation with you, Katya. You seem like an awesome, real, honest person.
A message to Katya and all you wonderful creatives out there! As a performer, you are already giving energy to an audience. People pay money to see you perform, you share your wonderful gift, and that's the energy exchange. To have the honor to meet you, take a photo with you, and be in your presence is SO special and valuable. I think that drag shows should evolve to offer a limited number of Private Meeting or In Person Gatherings that are priced above the ticket of the event and offered sparingly. And this is why:
It takes a lot of energy, especially for introverts, to perform - give your all - and then redirect attention and be present for 100-200 people. As a fan, I would rather not receive a photo with my favorite queen and know that she is taking care of herself, is able to get the rest she needs, the alone time she needs, in order to continue a long career full of vitality and creativity. I don't need a photo to validate my appreciation for what you do. My showing up is proof that I appreciate what you do and you showing up is proof that you care about what you do.
I think that fans can appreciate that entertainment is a business and when you're done performing, then you're done working for the evening. Placing boundaries, i.e. not doing more meet and greets, are a way of showing yourself love; and as a fan, I respect that! It gives me and all the other queens around you permission to show myself/ourselves more love. And like Ru says....
I love what you do Katya!
7:20 she literally bypassed my question so fast, it was hilarious, I could listed to Katya go on tangents for hours!
She has very interesting things to say.
He is so smart and he is right. Why should we wait 2 hours just to meet someone? They are not a painting or something magical you know. They are just human beings just like us. Ahh God Katya is so smart lol
I run autographs at a convention every year and I know exactly what Katya is talking about! The talent always want to give as much time as they can and they want to give everyone at the con their time. However, due to the popularity rising rapidly (last year was 45k) it is impossible for everyone to get to meet someone. We always joke that our con could just be a three day signing session and people would be perfectly fine with that lmao!
Fans need to realize that these performers/celebrities are people and can't always meet everyone or talk to each person for five hours. (As much as they want to) It is an exhausting process.
I LOVED his dissection of ball culture and drag in general. This is my first time seeing Katya's livestream and maybe I should watch more. He is a very intelligent and perceptive person. It's a shame so many fans (esp. the immature younger Trixie/Katya fans) won't understand this.
katya sounds so smart and well thought out, honest and humble
Katya's love of Tim & Eric cement my love for her.
Oh My!! I knOW!!! As a Huge fan of Tim and Eric, and Katya, the two of them together in a pastrami sandwich. Yes. My life is Good - Perfect round table - Katya, Tim and Eric, Jon Stewart, Joe Rogan (podcast cool self, not acting self), Kathleen Madigan, Dylan Moran, and Koko the gorilla. I can't wait for dinner!
Yeah, I found that out and it was like a love lockdown.
And Kids in the Hall! 😍
the way he talks is so full of compassion and truth and i could listen to him forever and just take advice
Katya is my absolute favourite ru girl, I understand where she is coming from but it upsets me i might ever lose the chance of meeting her. Living the other side of the world i have absolutely no chance of seeing her perform except when bots come to the uk, and now this has potentially put me off buying tickets for bots if she's completely going to stop meet & greets
+Josie Shaw
Definitely the most expressed depth.
The most compassionate. The most humanitarian.
I'm meeting her at the end of the month in Brighton :) you might be able to get tickets for somewhere still!
Josie Shaw same boat girl!!
I haven't finished the whole video yet, but I understand where she's coming from, but at the same time it makes me sad. I hope she can find a good balance to everything going forward. Also, I love that she loves Maria Bamford, since she is one of my all time favorite people!
I know this video is almost a year old, but it is so spot on. I'm not even a queen, but I can't imagine meet and greets are something most any celebrity wants to do. It has to feel hollow and exhausting. Considering how viscous some of the fans can be at times, I would be fearful being so attainable to the public. No other form of celebrity has that kind of accessibility; why would should we expect that of our drag racers? Perhaps more of a panel type of greeting would suffice some fans. Queens can chose to sit, chat and answer questions to those who really want to know their favorites.
I adore listening to her speak. especially after my herbal painkillers. It feels like the polar opposite of me journaling whilst simultaneously achieving the exact same therapeutic outcome. My anxiety riddled, guilt ridden millennial, burning out mind, feels soothed by the mere knowledge of another busy questioning brain just out there, doing its thing, making sure we aren't a silent, dumb, lesser generation. Unfortunately for me I would kill for a chance to talk with Katya/Brian. I wouldn't need a photo to remember that experience. One can always hope that our paths will cross at some point. We carry the weight of the world on our shoulders...............and our sweaty bodies give us away!!
I wonder if Katya is an introvert. I am and meet and greets would be exhausting if I were one of them!!
Lindsey Luna He is, he's a self claimed INFP
Oh that makes sense! I'm an INFJ super close to his Myers Briggs.
I'm an INFP too, no wonder I want to hang out with Katya so badly
That's so cool, so am I- I know it means nothing, but it's nice to have something in common with a person you really respect, you know?
We could all form a Soul Train line and she could just high-five everyone as she boogied on down, lol. Somebody do that at the next Con.
In all seriousness, do you and it'll always be enough. I always thought Katya or Alaska could do a TED talk. Btw I would however queue up for days to meet Elvira or my queen Alyssa Edwards.
im all for this idea. everyone benefits from it.
coffycup75 funny you say this because she literally tweeted yesterday she wants to do a TED talk style lecture at dragcon '17
I appreciate you coming out to speak on something that I have often thought about. Y'all must get tired. There are so many people who appreciate you it can be exhausting. You are just a person like everyone else. There is only so much of you to go around, and you have to keep some of you for you. Isn't it a NO NO to touch someone without their consent? poking? pulling? pinching? seems disrespectful no matter the reason (unless you are on fire). hope your owie feels better soon. thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.
this was one of the most insightful things ive seen in a minute
I hope I run into Katya in a bar one night.
I'm Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova and I have something to say
Yes! I would LOVE to see a Katya TED talk
This was inspirational!!
i feel like i gain IQ points and general happiness whenever i watch these late night talks, i love katya
Your monologue is superb. That can make a fantastic show. JOYCE Grenfel. Look her up. Or Dsme Edna. This is a great talent that you have.
I would want a picture to document for MYSELF and see one of the people I admire and find amazing so I can always have that memory. It wouldn't be for likes. I don't think anyone on my social media would know who I am talking about if I posted a picture of Katya and I xD But I would love to SHARE that experience of meeting someone so incredible to me. It's really not about the likes for SOME people. You know?
totally agree
I agree. If you take a photo with someone or talk to them for a few seconds/minutes, you haven't really met them. It turns the fans into a crowd rather than people and it turns the person being met into character or idol. It's not fair to expect them to receive you wonderfully when there's so many people who want the same and you can't expect them to like you just because you like them. I'm glad Katya understands this. I think you have to think of why you're there, do you want to get a photo to post, or do you want to be friends? It's sad because no one wants a minute interaction, they want a full conversation, but there's just so many people in that line. It's cynical because I'd love to meet her but I've got to think of what I could offer her that other fans can't, but if I watch a performance they enjoy it and so do I. If I bump into them or it's a small venue, that's different. Honestly I probably just rather it because I'm shy.
I like Katya! 👩🍳♥️♥️♥️
my favorite person in the world
The eloquence!
I want to meet Katya and not "meet and greet". To me meet and greet is just saying "Hey how you doing? have a nice day." I dont want to do that. Just paying money just to meet you one, two, or how many times I pay to talk to one person. Waste of money and waste of time waiting in line. what I want to do is say "Hi I'm _____. Nice to meet you. I would like to sit down and talk to you. Maybe in the future we can talk a little more and become more than strangers." I want to meet her, go somewhere, sit down have lunch or dinner. If im going to meet you I'm going to do it right.
Haha yes, Detox gropes everyone! My arse didn't mind at all :D
I want to be a fan turned friend. I could sit and listen to/participate in conversation with Katya all fuckin day.
What a Human BEING!
plzzzz can he just write a book of all this shit i could listen to this kinda stuff all day
Yes!! I couldn't agree more about the 30 people in the meet and greet. I don't want to JUST take your photo, I want to MEET you! Talk to you, ask you questions, get to know you! I hate the photo lines, I feel like I was just posing next to a cardboard cut out.
36:00 one of the reasons why I love and respect Katya
I love this.
it's so weird because i did a m&g at montreal and (katya is one of my favorit queen) but i went to miss fame, violet, alaska and notkatya because of the reason she said...katya is someone that if you dont really meat it's really not worth it. Even Alaska and thorgi was weird to just take a photo and two or three line but Pearl, violet, miss fame are really living and walking Pop art.
I don't have twitter or instagram but I would like to have a picture with Katya if I ever met her. Just for myself. Because I love her. : ) I get what she's saying though. Girl, I get it.
ur ideas are amazing
and it helps that u're cute
She should pick David Sedaris's brain about meet and greets. Granted, he actually loves meet and greets but he also has specific boundaries, such as no photos. Or he'll put people ahead in line if they are presenting some sort of energy that he needs in the moment.
just realised how handsome he is.. and definitely on the inside too !
The culture behind celebrity drag queens is quite different than normal celebrities in my opinion. It's somewhat cultish in a way because the art of drag is almost a polar opposite to modern celebrity things in that it's far more personal (which is perpetuated even further by drag race, where you get to see all of the queens for everything they are) so that it makes you feel like you know the person in question in a more personal sense than artistic appreciation. It can make you very obsessive and possessive over the queen, which can lead to some scary mental states and situations, especially for people like Katya who are so open about themselves, "warts and all" so to speak.
Edit: I feel that it's also important to some degree to understand that this is something that Katya will never understand herself. Ever. This is because before she was famous, there was no one like her. The fact that she openly talks about these things is, in its simplest form, soul crushing because she's taking you and suddenly making you self aware.
omg i watched the whole thing
Having listened to this I count myself lucky, or maybe not depending on ones perspective, but I've never had a celebrity 'hero' in any real sense of the word, I certainly admire, repect, and enjoy people's work and talent but have never felt the need to bow down before a celebrity who is doing something with their life that they love, and is largely voluntary
I wish I could run into her at a bar and just listen to her talk. She’s so interesting and I don’t even know her yet.
"Kim Kardashian is a fertility goddess". Katya somehow manages to assimilate a VAST ocean of cultural thought spanning pop culture, ancient history, world mythology, and more into an astonishingly perceptive world view.
I would love to spend time with her
if i become a millanaire i will let katya have access to it ...lol
Gregorie Vincent I will let Katya manage it
This person is wildly intelligence
Katya I met you the day after you posted this and I hate that you did Roscoe's if you didn't want to be there. I wouldn't like doing m&g if I was famous either because of my anxiety. I love you, and you should do whatever the fuck you want because you owe nobody. You bring much happiness to my life.
I totally get her point and it would be bad if she get too discouraged to do these M&G but i can't see any other way for her to interact with the fans the way she wants. It's not like she had the time to gather 30 fans in a barbecue to chat (altough i love the idea)
I'd pay money just to stand in a smoke pit and hang out with Katya. But I can see that some shyer fans might need the formality of a meet & greet.
I know, I'd love to sit next to her on a train or something on a long journey, or maybe talk to her while shes hanging out outside doing nothing
I went to BOTS this year and went to the meet and greet. I don't think that package was very popular in my city - which was good for me (I don't like awkward lines, I also have social anxiety) so it was more like a mingle and dingle. The other small group of meet and greeters were polite and the Ru girls were SUPER - I had a lovely convo with each of them and nothing felt rushed at all. Photos were kind of an afterthought (side note: I don't get how all the girls looked amazing and I have blown out zombie pupils in everyone, are you made of magic?). I really loved the experience, but if I felt like I was waiting in line for an amusement ride, yeah I can't say I'd enjoy that. I guess I was lucky.
My phone gets me out of a lot of situations but I always apologize and add I have to take the call because it's work related.
I think drag race girls should act and be treated like drag queens, you perform, you slay and then you hang around in a bar and act like a bitch. It's a performance model that works brilliantly because there's a refreshing and fulfilling duality of untouchable divaness and relatable humanity
yeah I agree! unfortunately for some queens (like katya) it's tiring.
Well yeah but non drag race queens don't meet and greet, they just hang at the club and obviously if they don't want to they go home, I think it should be less formal like the old days
ah I get it, make it more of a hangout
Yeah like why you gotta have lines? But I guess they might get harassed and shit
i honestly hate that all of the drag race queens that come here only come out for like 5 min (for their performance) and then disappear until the meet and greet . The only queen that didnt do that was laila. (ive seen like 18 drag race girls without counting the repeats )
I get it. Hugs. 🤗
Pretty sure Brian's the next Buddha
Love the way you think.
It's sad that you find someone as amazing as Katya on this planet and you are unable to sit down and have a legitimate conversation with them.
I have always felt like this and I can't imagine paying extra money for VIP or whatever, or for M&G. I want to support my fave queens by buying their shit, by watching their shows. I want them to put out more shit and more shows. I hope they figure a way to monetarily make that happen and grow the distribution of drag.
Funny crazy charismatic Katya 😂💗
Can someone explain to me if it seems like Katya is a really smart business man or if she actually likes being a drag queen or both?
chaunceey chery i think both, katya is a jack of all trades
I think she is firstly and foremost an artist. Her background and her drag show how much thought she puts into art and the importance she holds for that. I think she's acutely aware of the privilege of being on Drag Race and the opportunities that affords her and wants to make the most of it and not squander any opportunity. I also think, she's extremely intelligent! She's not just here to get drunk and party, it's all much more than that.
chaunceey chery She's a smart & creative individual
Both.
Her longest Periscope yet... and I made it through the whole thing (in installments).
Maybe you can get little red tickets with numbers on them and just get people to come up when their number is up. That way nobody is waiting in line. Like call 1-20, then 20-40, so on...
Also, maybe you could limit the tickets and they cost a bit extra on top of the show cost?
OMFG Katya is coming to Mexico fUCK * sweats profusely *
aww, i love Maria Bamford too.
ugh ffs I love katya so damn much.
you gals should come out to New Zealand.
Meet and greets: as an artist you aren't an unlimited resource for everyone to have a piece of even though that fame has come because of the support of those fans, people need to understand that... Why not try doing additional to the big shows (instead of meet and greets) a couple of small intimate shows of 40-50 people in the audience where there is a mixture of performance but a big chunk of time is not scripted and just allows to interact with and talk with the audience. No meet and greets just an "Intimate evening with Katya" where you get to do your thing and then interact with people on your terms and they get to interact with you in a somewhat more meaningful way related to topics of your choice... Perhaps it's just a thought... In any case I hope you find a way through to a more meaningful interaction with the people that adore you.
The witching hour is between 2. To 4 am
The Sharon voice reminds me of session 9
My name is Katya Zamolodchikova and I have something to say 😂😂
I admire Brian to death (obvious fact seeing my profile pic) but for him to say that only famous people have something to offer in instagram is ridiculous. Any person with a good taste, a curious mind and a good eye for photography can have a more interesting account than a lot of famous with 1000 selfies in theirs.
Clara Conde what about your profile pic? You're both receding?