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

While LVL Up undergoes construction, the newly minted LVL Uproar on First has been an excellent interim host for events like karaoke and live music. This Saturday, they cover it all in a layer of glitter as Drag Arcade takes over the brewery for a night of drag, dancing, performance and gaming that’s sure to jostle your joystick. Hosted by bewitching Bay Area drag queen Ava LaShay, and with booty-shaking beats provided by DJ Frank From Mars, Drag Arcade opens up a whole world of gaming-related drag puns and personae based around consoles like Killer Queen, Cruisin’ USA and, of course, Pole Position. Game on.

Drag Arcade
Sat, 7pm, $5
LVL Uproar, San Jose

Silicon Valley Pride is gearing up for the 40th anniversary of the event, which takes place late summer in downtown San Jose. To garner support for the annual festival, organizers are holding a series of fundraisers leading up to the main event. The Sweetheart Ball, one such function, took place over Valentine’s Day weekend.

The next one takes place this Sunday, Feb. 22, at Mosaic Restaurant: the much-anticipated Silicon Valley Pride Drag Brunch.

For $20, brunchers will be treated to a brand new menu and a show featuring local drag queens and DJs. Bottomless mimosas cost another $10.

Diners are encouraged to dress in their flashy finest so they can get their portraits taken by photographer Lawrence McCrorey.

Featured entertainers include local favorites Mona Lot Moore, in full face a dead ringer for Cher, and Alina Malletti-Galore, a longtime mentor in the South Bay’s drag community and perennial contestant in Miss Gay USofA.

Money raised benefits the Gay Pride Celebration Committee of San Jose, a nonprofit that produces Silicon Valley Pride festival and has served the local LGBT community for more than four decades.

San Jose’s first gay rights rally took place in 1971. The following year, one of the first gay newspapers in the nation, Lambda News, began to promote the event. Within a few years, the annual pride festival in San Jose featured political speakers, dozens of community sponsors, live entertainment and a parade through downtown.

In 2014, organizers rebranded from San Jose Pride to Silicon Valley Pride, to give the event a more regional focus.

Silicon Valley Pride Drag Brunch. 11am-2pm Sunday at Mosaic Restaurant, 211 S. First St., San Jose. $20, tax and tip included. For more info: 408.282.8888.