PEACE: Nothing can slow down Drag Race winner Bob the Drag Queen. Photo Credit: Jacob Ritts

There’s nothing quite like seeing a queen in all her glory—and this week, the South Bay has a chance to see why one wears so many crowns.

This Wednesday, beloved performer Bob the Drag Queen takes the stage at the San Jose Improv for one sold-out showcase of all that she has to offer. The Season 8 winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race is known for her wealth of talents, going back to her 12-plus years in New York City as host and performer at Barracuda Lounge. She starts 2022 with more projects than ever.

“I’ve dabbled on the stage a little bit,” Bob jests. “In general, I really enjoy, you know, just making people laugh. I’ve always been very much a people person.”

And there are plenty of people for her to entertain. On her current tour, Bob has sold out shows all across the country, but it doesn’t distract from her other gigs as the podcast co-host of Sibling Rivalry with Monet X Change, her hosting turn with HBO’s first unscripted series We’re Here and a brand-new comedy special, Bob the Drag Queen: Live at Caroline’s.

With all of that going on, it’s surprising Bob had time to make another big life change recently: a cross-country move from New York City to Los Angeles.

“When I moved, [New York City] was still in pretty intense lockdown, like Broadway was still closed and everything,” she says. “I was looking to purchase a home, and your money just goes a little further in Los Angeles.”

Since arriving in a sunnier climate, Bob has quickly adjusted to California life, seeing friends’ drag and comedy shows and hiking around Hollywood and Santa Monica. Yet, one of her favorite ways to explore Los Angeles is another method entirely—one she hardly used at all in New York City.

“I love driving, mainly to and from work. I also always love to pick my friends up from the airport,” she says. “Whenever one of my friends comes to town, I ask if I can pick them up. It’s so nice when there’s a friendly face waiting for them.”

While stuck in LA traffic, Bob prefers to listen to the corduroy tones of Ira Glass and This American Life.

“I love it. It’s so old lady but, you know, NPR is great. I listen to This American Life as often as I can,” she says. “But Ira Glass, if you’re reading this, can you please make some new episodes and stop posting reruns? Stop posting all those reruns, Ira!”

Of course, some of Bob’s longest drives took her outside of LA entirely. During the pandemic, Bob and costars Shangela and Eureka O’Hara were out filming the second season of their hit HBO show We’re Here, which follows the queens as they stage drag shows throughout small-town America. This season’s eight episodes span from Spartanburg, North Carolina, to Grand Junction, Colorado, and found the queens cautiously optimistic about performing during COVID.

“We were all kind of understanding what it means to [be safe]…no one was giving anyone a hard time,” she says. “This is what it is, you know?”

The show was recently picked up for its third season, set to start filming later this spring. For now, that means Bob can focus on another one of her favorite activities, one she has delved deeper into during shelter-in-place.

“I play video games. I mostly play video games or work, that’s what I do with almost all of my spare time,” she says. “My favorite hands down is Super Smash Brothers. I tend to either play Ganondorf or lately I’ve been playing King Dedede a lot.”

But it’s not all fun and games—Bob is and continues to be a hard-working queen. For this week’s performance at the San Jose Improv, her focus is bringing light and laughter to the crowd.

“I try to make each show special,” she says. “I’m just trying to engage with people on an honest human level, without the pressure of feeling like I need to. I’m just trying my best to get back in the game and practice my comedy. I’m getting back out there.”

Bob the Drag Queen
Wed, 8:30pm, Sold Out
The Improv, San Jose