Meet Watson Side | “World Class” Drag King

We had the good fortune of connecting with Watson Side and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Watson, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I never felt like I really had a choice in the matter. Call it destiny, fate…whatever. It was clear quite early on that I would never be a bank teller, a firefighter, an IT consultant…I could go on. I remember watching the opening number from the 2013 Tony Awards on Youtube over and over again. I was 14 at the time. But even before that, my dad had a vision for me and my two sisters. We were the Gould Sisters, a modern take on the Andrew Sisters. We could all sing well and my dad pushed us to perform and sing wherever they’d let us, even an impromptu song in the lobby of the hotel we were staying at for our family vacation. I never really want that though. I was headstrong, (surprise, surprise.) I wanted to sing on my own and sing songs that came out after the 1950’s. No offense to Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. Years later when I moved to LA, it was to pursue acting. I did that for awhile, but pretty quickly realized, although I could be quite the drama queen, professional acting was not for me. I knew I still wanted to be onstage, so I went back to my roots and pursed being a professional singer. I loved my jazz standards, but that wasn’t want the mainstream audience wanted, and no label wanted me. American Idol didn’t want me either. So I switched gears. At the time, I was working at Warner Bros. Studios as a tour guide. There I learned way more about production than I had even known. I became extremely interested in production and pursed a career in that. I worked in production for 5 years, doing things and working for shows I NEVER thought I would be a part of. It was magic. But unfortunately what they don’t tell you about production is that, with the magic, comes the tragic. The 17 hour days, the physical and mental pain, the production politics and degrading environment. 5 years was my cap, and so I left. May 9th 2022, my first drag gig. I was actually still working production when I first started drag. But after I got my first taste, I was sold. I got to work for myself. I could act, sing, produce art…without anyone else’s vision clouding mine. And 3 years later, I’m still at it, and getting to use all those creative passions I tried so hard to have years ago. Why did I pursue an artistic or creative career? The answer is, I had no choice. I’m a performer.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m so proud to be where I am in my creative career. It’s only been three years, but truly I never thought I’d be where I am today. There’s a lot I’m proud of, but one in particular is my own monthly show. I did enjoy a lot of the time I spent in production, so it’s been really fun and special to be able to do that in addition to performing. When I first started my show, the biggest hurdle was, how do I make my show available to the widest audience? During this time and even still, there is a lot of controversy around drag performers, performing/reading to children. As cliche as it sounds, children are the future, and I don’t want any of them growing up fearful and hateful towards the queer community. Therefore, I decided to have my show be completely kid friendly, so that parents would feel comfortable bringing kids to see and experience the fun and joy that drag brings. Yes, I’ve gotten hate and pushback for that, but I wouldn’t change a thing. My show’s two year anniversary is coming up, and I am so proud that my show’s audiences include those of all ages who love and support our community. Drag is defined in so many ways: Drag is gender play, drag is theatre, drag is political, etc…But for me, drag is fun. All I want is to entertain, to bring joy and make others laugh. But as two wise women once said, drag is art, and art is subjective. What you see in a person’s art isn’t always what they intended you to see. Many might just see me as a woman in men’s clothing, and to them that’s drag. While I’d like to think my art presents more than that, I will always understand that art is subjective, and no one can define yours, but you.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well I think a great spot for a delicious lunch and hand brewed beer is Lawless Brewing Co. If you’re there on a Sunday, you might even see a drag show happening there…*wink*

Another great lunch spot I’d take anyone to is Aroma Cafe in Tujunga Village. Then maybe a trip up to Malibu for a beach day at Matador Beach. Then dinner at Paradise Cove where you can dine with your feet in the sand.

On Thursday nights I’d recommend going to the Free Clinic show at Rocco’s in West Hollywood, hosted by the lovely Annie Biotixx.

Like any good friend/drag performer, I would of course have you visit Santee Alley where you can shop shiny fabrics and sparking jewels till you drop! Then we’d fill up on delicious sushi from Ms. Fish in DTLA.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My partner and now newly fiancé deserves a whole lot of credit from me. We started dating 7 years ago when I was just a sweet little gal from the east coast who wanted to be a star! Now my fiancé is in a love triangle with Watson Side AND that sweet gal from the east coast…and he loves it! He has been incredibly supportive from the get-go, even without knowing the slightest thing about drag and the queer community.

I also want to thank my many drag mentors and supporters including Johnny Gentleman, Loretta Lust, Jay Kurt, Charles Galin King and Imara Del Chique. And of course thank you all who have supported me throughout the years, you are appreciated more than you know.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/watson.side/

Other: https://www.instagram.com/watsonswillies/

Image Credits
Jamie Kaufman
Alex Sternin
Kat Theadora