From OG Foundress of Brooklyn Drag to “RuPaul’s Drag Race” breakout star (Season 8 in 2016) and All-Star (Season 3 in 2018) to Thorchestra classical violinist to “Dragnificent” life coach to touring queen of City Winery… Thorgy Thor is the absolute authority on everything, and she’ll be back in NYC for a special show on Monday!
Thotyssey: Thorgy, hello! Thanks so much for chatting with us today! Do you have all of your holiday shopping done?
Thorgy Thor: Hi, thanks for talking with me! I’ve been on the road for a month… so, no, lol. But, everyone I know is getting “gifts from the road.” I’ve stopped at every antique / vintage store and novelty shop along the way and picked up very strange Christmas gifts for my family. They will hate them all, but I had fun buying them!
You’ve had an epic 2024! Did the year offer a personal highlight for you? Just to name a few things off the top of my head: you toured, you made an epic appearance on The Pit Stop, you and Tammie Brown did a whole show in Brooklyn dedicated to the Scottish “Willy Wonka Experience” fiasco, you hosted the 13th Annual Start Out Awards, you performed with the International Pride Orchestra–
Wow, now that I’m thinking about it, I really did have quite a year! Let’s not forget that I performed solo violin with the London Philharmonic at Lincoln Center for “Summer in the City” for 3500 people! Breaking into such a classical world of symphonies has been fun, beating down the door.
I wrote a brand new Thorchestra show called Music And Fashion, which begins with cavepeople and works its way through time celebrating every decade! I had the honor of debuting it to a sold out crowd with the Winnipeg Symphony, so hopefully I can bring it to other symphonies in the 2025-2026 season!
Oh! And I finally got to experience PTown for the first time, in all of its gay glory and energy! I wrote an hour long musical comedy program with pianist James Sheppard, and had a blast immersing myself in Cape Cod charm.
It must be a crazy situation to have to organize rehearsals with all these orchestras, right?
Yes! I have performed with the worlds most prolific symphony orchestras for over seven years now. I lost track of how many Thorchestra shows I’ve performed, but I will never forget my first show with the Nova Scotia Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor Daniel Bartholomew Poyser. We sold four thousand seats in a few days, so the symphony administrators called me on the phone and said “Thorgy, we have never seen tickets sell this fast. Whatever you are doing, keep doing it because people are here for it!”
I’ve had the honor to perform solo Violin, cello and sing with the Charlotte Symphony, Toronto Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, London Philharmonic and the Boston POPS (to name only a few)! It’s always work to show up and charm the players into falling in love with me after they just played with Hilary Hahn or Renee Fleming the night before! Lol. I always feel as if they are thinking “who is this drag clown?” But after the concert, the players always come up to me and say “you are a powerhouse performer and this is the most fun I’ve ever had playing a concert in fifteen years. Thank you!”
RuPaul’s Drag Race has finally announced Season 17 cast! If you could’ve huddled all those girls in a room before filming started to give them advice, what would you have told them?
To go home immediately! I’m kidding. Take a breath and don’t let anyone intimidate you on set. Be yourself and don’t hold back…you only get one chance to make a splash. Also, Ru, when am I coming back for one of the new seasons….maybe North Korea VS the World!?
You were already an iconic New York queen and one of the true Shepherds of the Brooklyn Scene when you joined the Drag Race family for their 8th season in 2016! It seems like you are still able to keep up with all the comings and goings of that scene. Has anything about the evolution of Brooklyn drag, or perhaps drag in general since the rise of Drag Race, surprised you? Or pleased you, or annoyed you?
Well, I was OG Brooklyn. When I moved into Bushwick and hit the ground running, there were so few queens running around Brooklyn that I could count them on one hand. Now, I can’t keep track. lol. Every time I’m out I meet a new queen who says “My name is Poopy Diapers, book me!” So, it’s gotten ridiculous. I love that everyone has fallen in love with the craft of drag and I embrace the change… but, I sometimes miss the days of anonymity when no one knew my name and I met new people at a random show at Sugarland at 2am on a Monday night, then stayed up until 11am cackling and carrying!
I really thought Dragnificent was such a cute and fun TLC Network show, where you went out and helped women throughout the country that were stuck in a rut alongside BeBe Zahara Benet, Alexis Michelle and Jujubee! It’s something that the world could really use right now… might we ever see Dragnificent return in any capacity?
I love that you called it “cute and fun,” lol. I’m just being cheeky because we filmed that season for eight months. TLC kept adding dates of filming that went five months over the expected time. So, it was a lot of work, but we had a blast filming it. Unfortunately the Covid pandemic hit right as we were negotiating the contracts for Season 2, and it got put on the back burner while the world figured out what was going on. Then, We’re Here arrived and the network thought it would be too similar. That’s network TV! But, you never know… maybe I’ll get a call to film Season 2!
Any chance you’ll show up at the Glam Awards in January? Kandy Muse and Janelle No. 5 are hosting!
They asked me to host with Kandy! I had to decline the offer…. how am I going to fit on the stage with all that lip filler!?
You’ve been touring the City Winery circuit, and you’ll be at City Winery NYC on December 23 for Thorgy Does Christmas! What can you tell us about what we can expect from this show?
OMG! What a blast this tour has been so far. Myself and pianist James Sheppard put together one hell of a musical comedy variety show! It’s unlike anything you’ve seen, if I may say so myself! ha! The show is for everyone. We are doing Christmas classics on violin and piano, interspersed with original songs and hilarious parodies for the holiday season. Of course, no “drag” show is complete without a little audience game show as well. We wrap presents live on stage, make a mess and take the audience on a journey to summon the Christmas spirit. If anyone has seen me perform before, I do not hold back with spilling the T and voicing my opinions….so get ready for some juicy stories! It is truly one hell of a music variety show! We are ending in my home town in NYC on December 23rd, after traveling to fifteen other cities. Get a ticket! See you at City Winery NYC on Monday at 8pm. You will absolutely not be disappointed.
Then on the Season 17 premiere date of January 3rd, you’ll return to BK Backyard for the start of your weekly Drag Race viewing party!
Yes! So excited to be back the entire season! We started this show in 2021, as it was the only outdoor venue / brewery [in Brooklyn] at the time. I was only going to do one season, but the audience kept coming and I received so many messages in my inbox saying “you better bring this back, it’s the best viewing party in NYC, hands down.” I realize there are other viewing parties but, if I may toot my own horn….we f’ing bring that energy every single Friday night. I am not hiding in the back room, I am floating around table to table chatting with the audience for two hours!
Doors at 7pm. Episode at 8pm. Live shows with me and my amazing co-hosts, Miz Jade (the Queen of Shade), Phaedra Phaded and DJCJ! There will also be very special guests this season, including some of my Rupual’s Drag Race sisters making a splash throughout the season! We give out free prizes and shots the entire show beginning to end. It is truly a carry! Make sure to book a seat early, as it sells out… and seats are first come first serve. Full bar and food available with huge screens at each private table.
What else is coming up for you?
I have a secret project that I’m filming in February–shhhhhh! And I’m rehearsing for my next Thorchestra show with the Rochester Philharmonic in February as well.
Finally: what’s your favorite Christmas song?
Anything off of Barbara Striesand’s Christmas Album! It’s my favorite. Bing Crosby vintage as well.
Happy holidays, Thorgy!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Thorgy Thor’s upcoming area appearances, and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkTree and her website.
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