Her natural habitat of Halloween may have ended for another year but Peaches Christ is now preparing to bring her festive camp and cantations to London! Watch out….children! *Cue only the most evil of cackles*

Having hosted Christmas Gaiety with conductor Edwin Outer for the last seven years in one of our favourite cities, San Francisco, Peaches & co. are now bringing the Christmas Chaos to London’s Royal Albert Hall on 3rd December. We catch up with Peaches to discuss Christmas Gaiety, potential UK guests and being Drag mother to both Bob & Jinkx. However does she do it?!

Hey Peaches, the last time we spoke was 2017, having lunch in San Francisco. It feels forever ago! Since then you’ve had your 25th Anniversary of Drag! Congratulations! How did you celebrate it?
Haha!!! I don’t think I did celebrate it! I remember talking about some sort of acknowledgement event but then it just kinda came and went and I was busy with other stuff and the 25th Anniversary just sorta slipped through the cracks.

For better or for worse, how would you compare the drag scene in 1995 to 2022?
Well, in the mid-nineties drag was still really underground and grungy. There was a sort of new punk drag scene that was emerging full of performers doing really edgy and challenging stuff, sort of testing the limits of what drag could be. Surprisingly, in 2022 I would say that things are less edgy and perhaps drag has become a bit more basic due to the insane rise in popularity it has enjoyed. I never imagined drag would become this popular and mainstream. It’s mind blowing.

Last time we spoke about Sitges’ Horror Film Festival which we finally attended for the first time last year on your recommendation! Thank you! I know you’re headed to the UK for Christmas Gaiety but are you headed somewhere spooky in Europe beforehand?
Ohmygod, I so wish I could attend Sitges again! That is such an incredible film festival. I was however to attend the Slash Film Festival in Vienna which is also one of my all time favorite film festivals. They do an incredible job and I was there this year to celebrate their spotlight on queer horror. It was fantastic. I’m not sure if I’ll travel out of London when I’m there for Christmas Gaiety but I think there’s plenty of spooky stuff in London, right?

Totally. One thing we have learned since we last spoke is that you are the Drag Mother of both Bob & Jinkx?! Is this true?
Talk about sibling rivalry! Yes, I’m the proud drag mother of a gaggle of queens that include Bob, Jinkx, Abbey Roads from Seattle, San Francisco’s Cosimo and Diamond Rose, and one unsuccessful abortion, Veruca Bathsalts. It’s a motley crew for sure. I like to think of us as the Church of Christ but Bob calls us the legendary house of potbelly.

Haha…give us some gossip on those family dinners, please!
Of course I have loads of stories about Jinkx and Bob. I guess generally, one thing that’s true is Bob is an agitator and knows exactly how to push Jinkx’s buttons and I’ve watched Bob gleefully get under her skin a few times. It’s a very healthy family dynamic.

Today we are here to promote you performing Gaiety at the Royal Albert Hall, no less. Major! Have you seen anyone perform in the Royal Albert Hall before? How are you feeling about performing there?
I’ve never been to the Royal Albert Hall before so my very first visit there will be to perform our Christmas Gaiety show. I feel like it’s all so insane. I never imagined I’d be performing in symphony halls, let alone co-writing and producing a show with Edwin for the Royal friggin’ Albert Hall. It’s nuts. I’m going to savor every minute of it. My dear friend Patricia Quinn has been telling me about her experiences there and just how special it all is. I feel like it’s a real honor.

It’s perhaps more of an austere venue compared with The Castro Theatre. Does performing in these more haughty kind of venues bring out even more of a mischievous/rebellious side to you? Haha…
Yes. Absolutely. How did you know? In fact, I feel like I’m sort of towing the line between giving the audience what they want out of a “Peaches Christ experience” and perhaps just stepping over the line enough to be outrageous enough without getting fully kicked out or not invited back. It’s a balance for sure!

You first performed Gaiety last year, what updates have you made to the show and how has the change of country changed anything for you in terms of references?
We’ve actually been doing Gaiety in San Francisco for six years now and the show is truly a classic variety show so it’s always changing depending on where we are and who the guests are. The Royal Albert Hall will be a very unique one in that regard.

Can we expect any UK guests joining you onstage? Any hints?
There will absolutely be loads of UK guests! One is a dear friend, practically a daughter to me and she’s best described as bald, beautiful, Mancunian cheese. Is that a strong enough hint? But don’t worry, our guests aren’t all savory – we’ve also got chocolate cake coming. Another hint!!!!

Now we end every interview with a Mariah question but I know you are not a fan. However since we last spoke a photo has emerged of Mariah with your good friend Elvira. What common ground do you think they discovered?
Haha, I’ve actually heard all about the wild origin story of that photo and it’s just so fantastic! They were both flown in to perform at some exotic private locale by a prince who’s a fan of them both. I guess this means he’s gay. The guest list for that party was INSANE. But beyond that I’d say that Elvira is the queen of Halloween and Mariah is now kinda the queen of Christmas so they’re both holiday icons? That kinda works, right?

See www.royalalberthall.com for tickets and more info.