Every year since 2015, we have crowned ourselves some drag ambassadors, to represent the bar inside and outside the space. The new title holders are decided by management and announced at our annual Stiletto Awards. In 2023, we crowned Tugs and Rexy, and so, just before they step down, we wanted to let you get to know them!
Q: What was your first time at EVO like?
T: It was joyful! My earliest visits to Evo were at a time in my life when I wasn’t super active in my own queerness. Although I identified as bisexual back then, I felt outside of the queer community and wasn’t sure how to immerse myself. Evo was (and still is) incredibly welcoming and exciting, but back then I was too anxious about taking up space that I felt I wasn’t gay enough for. Obviously this was my own internalized homophobia and trauma response coming through, with some social anxiety sprinkled in there. Sure glad I got past all that!
R: My first time at Evo was a trip. I moved here from a small town in the Northwest Territories, and as far as I knew I was the only person who even dabbled in drag in the whole province (whether I’m right about that or not is another story). I was so excited to see all the amazing performers, but still so scared to talk to anybody. A very friendly drag queen had recognized me from social media and came up and spoke to me. A couple weeks later, this performer had told me to come to the next show in drag to potentially be booked, so I did and I was booked the next week.
Q: When was your first Evo performance?
T: My Evo debut was King Itchy’s Frat House in the fall of 2021. My drag dad Colin Bae helped me prepare for my entrance into the local drag scene and had gifted me a lace front goatee. I was giving the unclest uncle vibes to ever uncle that night, holeh. That’s how the Uncle Tugs nickname came to be.
R: Following the multiple interactions I was booked on May 10th, 2015. And with that performance I was booked in a newbie show two weeks after that, which also happened to fall on Rob’s 38th birthday.
Q: What did getting crowned mean to you?
R: Getting crowned to me meant a lot. I was at a point in my career where I wasn’t feeling seen. I felt like people didn’t connect with me anymore. With the crowning I felt like I was on someone’s radar, and the response was so overwhelmingly positive that I felt seen again.
T: I’m still humbled to have been crowned! I honestly was so surprised when Rob called my name out on the microphone. I think you can visibly see the shock on my face on the DOH video 
It felt so affirming to be recognized as not only an artist but as an honoured member of our community, which is something I hold in high regard. To be seen in my identity as a masculine of center 2 Spirit drag artist was just so meaningful to me. It was a humbling experience.
Q: Name a couple evo memories that stand out, from your reign or before
T: Oh geez there are so many now! One of my favourite memories was the night of Trina’s birthday last year. It was supposed to be the Lady Camden night but she had rescheduled. The show went on anyway and we stayed after to celebrate Trina. That night will always bring cherished memories of queer joy with some of my favorite people. The family I found through Evo is truly beautiful. Other favorites are opening for Ilona Verly, Evah Destruction, and Kita Mean, three very different drag artists that have each influenced my own passion for the artform in their own way. There have been countless epic local drag shows and dancing nights at Evo!
R: One specific memory that stands out to me over the years is Chelsea Horrendous Stapling $10 bills to her body… I was GAGGED it was so good… also ow… but so good! Another memory that made me so happy because it was so funny was Lourdes the Merry Virgin performing Sarah Silverman’s cover of “We Didn’t Start The Fire”, with the cover consisting of the most searched themes from Pornhub… I laughed so hard I almost keeled over!
Q: In what ways is Edmonton’s queer scene moving in exciting and promising directions?
R: I love the direction that the Edmonton scene is going in, particularly in the diversity of performance styles. We got queens, kings, things, creatures, and monsters from every walk of life!
T: Despite the tense political climate surrounding drag and queer and trans identities, our community is still pushing through and finding new ways to take up space. I hope to see more queer owned businesses and queer led initiatives, as our community has so many talented, motivated, and intelligent humans. The amazing thing about Edmonton queers is their fierceness. We here baby! And we’re making waves!
Catch the stepdown of Tugs and Rexy, Sunday February 18, at the 2024 Stiletto Awards!
