We were lucky to catch up with Watson Side recently and have shared our conversation below.
Watson , appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I’ll admit, I was a pretty annoying kid. I feel like that’s usually the gateway personality to a career in the arts. Yes, I did put on shows for my parents at home. Yes, I did take acting classes all through my schooling, and yes, I did do community theatre. I did every talent show and and every Spring musical. And most importantly, I was very annoying. I always thought I’d get into show business later in life. It was really never a doubt in my mind or my parent’s mind. They quickly realized that school was probably unnecessary for the career path I was choosing to follow, but they wanted to me to graduate regardless. My junior year of high school I moved from New Hampshire to California to live with my grandparents. Why? Let’s just say I was really really annoying. Anyway I started up my junior year at Laguna Beach High School where I also did, you guessed it…theatre. My junior and especially senior year was filled with guidance counselors harassing me at every turn. What colleges are you applying for? What are your college goals? You need to go to college. Unfortunately for them I am not only annoying, but incredibly stubborn. I wanted to be an actor. I didn’t want to waste my time, my money or my youthful face on college. Spoiler, I didn’t. The day after I graduated, I packed up my car and I drove to LA. Never looked back. No regrets. as the young people say.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a Drag King. You’ve probably never heard of one, and that’s ok, stick around. I am Watson Side, a male (ish) drag persona. In the broadest sense, my job is to entertain audiences with my over the top performances. When I moved to LA I quickly learned about Drag Queens and the wonder that is Rupaul’s Drag Race. Fast forward several years and many jobs and life choices later, I was watching this new show, Our Flag Means Death. If you haven’t seen it, great show give it a watch. There’s this character in the show called Blackbeard, a real pirate in our history, but this version of Blackbeard was fictional. While watching the show, I had this strong urge to perform as this character. I’m not sure why to this day, and at the time I didn’t know how. Where could I perform a male TV character onstage as a woman myself? Drag. I remembered that not only do drag queens exist, but so do kings! Living in LA I knew there were places that had drag performers, but how do I get in? Then I found Exposure Drag. Exposure Drag is a show that happens every Monday at the Offbeat Bar in Highland Park. It’s an amazing show that I’m lucky to have been a part of many times in the last few years. Every Monday, before their main show, they have a preshow show called, I Need A Tip Spot. This is the show I did for my drag debut at Blackbeard. I Need A Tip Spot allows new performers to get onstage, perform in front of a good audience and get that exposure. All I can say is…I got that exposure. I made four dollars that night, and I thought I was the coolest guy out there. To make a long story short, I begged and worked hard to get any gig I could possibly could. I got better, felt more confident and starting getting offered gigs. Now I do drag full-time, and I produce my own drag shows. So I guess you never know what TV show will change your life. Mine just happened to be a fictional show about gay pirates.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I wish I knew about community. Community is such an important resource and I feel like I only really found it a couple years ago. I grew up in rural New Hampshire. The community there was mainly made up of cows, truly they outnumbered the humans. When I first moved to LA, I was working as an actor. Everyone was out for themselves, and I can’t blame them as I was too. The first years in LA were very isolating, and I wish had found more community.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Being happy…and making money. Not to brag. I can’t say I’m rolling in it, but surviving as best I can. But, with that being said, I’m incredibly grateful I get to live my life as an artist without starving, most of the time. Being happy is the biggest reward of this career and I wouldn’t change it.
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Image Credits
Kat Theadora
Alex Sternin