‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Alumni Violet Chachki and Gottmik Rumble in Rose City on Knockout Tour
Kendrick vs. Drake. Lana Del Rey vs. Ethel Cain. Nicki Minaj against the world. Now Violet Chachki against Gottmik? Not quite.
All is well between the RuPaul’s Drag Race former students, but the No throat Podcast co-hosts know as well as anyone that feuds are big business in the pop landscape. The world-class drag artists play with this theme in their show The Knockout Tour, a revue blending live singing and circus cabaret with boxing-themed drag, on Friday, November 7 at the Roseland Theater. Chachki and Gottmik are supported by a local delegation of night stars: Boujee Cherry, Lylac, Dria Dore and Lizzo Watch Out for Big Grrrls former student Jayla Rose Sullivan.
Fractions even appear in the Drag racing cinematic universe – the season 7 winner and season 13 runner-up had their own minor but public dusting this summer along with others Drag racing the former Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova, but Gottmik tells WW that The Knockout Tour is a celebration of the arts that brought her and Chachki closer together.
“We thought it would be fun to do a show together where we’re not trying to do the same thing, but doing our classic vibes separately and doing it in a more boxing-like setting with rounds,” she says. “I just asked myself why ruin this moment, and I wanted to feel the mood of the audience, and it fits the theme so perfectly.”
Chachki is a renowned burlesque performer whose residency at Crazy Horse Cabaret broke barriers as the Parisian revue’s first male performer (Chachki is gender fluid, using she/her/them pronouns on and off stage). Gottmik also made history as Drag racingThe first trans male artist of (Kade Gottlieb uses it off stage while Gottmik uses his/her/their pronouns). As a makeup artist, Gottlieb has painted some of the most famous faces in pop culture, including Ariana Grande, Cindy Crawford, Paris Hilton and Tinashe. Grande, for her money, recently named Gottmik and Chachki among the best of all time Drag racing candidates on the podcast Shut up Evan with Evan Ross Katz.
Both artists appeared on the world Vogue covers and have collectively lent their portraits to major luxury fashion houses like Gaultier, Louboutin and Versace. They star in the music video for Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ Grammy-winning song “Unholy” and performed onstage with the singers at the 2023 ceremony. Chachki and Gottmik have visited Portland before, either as solo artists or as part of a touring ensemble, but The Knockout Tour marks their first rumble together in the Rose City.
“We produce and curate this art ourselves, and it’s a lot more work. It’s literally our baby,” Chachki says. “I think the difference is that when we go on a gig, we’re hired as independent contractors, and we just show up and do the best we can with what they provide us in terms of technology and production. But with this, we have hands-on control over every part of what happens on stage.”
Chachki’s iconic aerial circus act rubbed off on Gottmik, who will also take to the rafters at Roseland. Gottmik’s avant-garde rock’n’roll aesthetic will always hold true for both performers, fearlessly teasing the boxing ring. Along with Sam Smith and Kim Petras, Chachki has worked with alternative pop stars such as Alice Glass, Brooke Candy and Allie X (Tommy Lee also contributed to her EP Gagged ten years ago). Gottmik’s foray into music is more recent, but it will feature guitar licks with live vocals. In addition to Gottmik’s singles “SKULLFUCKER” and “HOLY DISCO” and the duet “TKO,” Gottmik announced that Portland will hear previously unreleased songs.
“You’re going to see aerial, live vocals, lip-syncing, costumes, dancing, stand-up. It’s quite a variety show,” Chachki says.
“I feel like right now, especially in drag, it’s becoming very homogenized and commodified, and this show is really about who we are as artists and how we stand out.”
Gottmik and Chachki know pop culture can be a blood sport, but the drag superstars are proud to support Portland’s drag scene when they take to the carpet this weekend.
“As queer people, it’s about generational community, passing it on, raising the next generation and paying it forward,” says Chachki. “It actually helps me as an artist, because I feel like I have a better understanding of what’s going on, you know, outside the world. Drag racing bubble.”
SEE : The Knockout Tour at Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th Ave., 971-230-0033, roselandpdx.com. 8 p.m. Friday, November 7. $51.25 – $61.75.
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