Drag Icons Celebrate Pride with ‘No Gorge’ Tour

Renowned drag superstars Violet Chachki and Gottmik have united for their first U.S. tour to celebrate the 2022 Pride season.

The “No Gorge” Pride Tour, which kicked off last month and will conclude July 14, will give fans and allies alike an intimate chance to watch and connect with their favorite queens. Audiences can expect exciting, gender-bending burlesque from Violet, along with a riveting rock-inspired drag performance by the well-known transmasculine artist, Gottmik. What makes this tour so special is the fact that it’s not set in theaters. Rather, the duo is performing in local community bars, making the show accessible to all.

Hims & Hers has joined forces with “No Gorge” as the exclusive telehealth partner, and this partnership will consist of educational awareness around hair health and mental wellness through a unique social media campaign, as well as curated Pride packages with the queens’ favorite Hims & Hers products. Additionally, the company will be providing free access to mental health services available through their platform to 125 in-house crisis support volunteers at The Trevor Project.

OFM caught up with Violet and Gottmik to talk more about the tour, Pride, and what we can expect next.

Thank you both for taking some time to chat with me about the “No Gorge” Pride Tour! How has it been going?

Violet Chachki: It’s definitely been a challenge because it’s a completely self-produced tour. Not only are we really stepping into our own as drag superstars, but we’re coordinating everything else that’s involved, such as travel and all creative aspects. So, it’s been challenging in certain ways and a learning experience in other ways. I’ve learned a lot, and it’s been a lot of fun. I’m having a great time.

Gottmik: Yeah, I started working at this level of drag this past year, so I was a little nervous stepping into this production role, but I definitely could not do it without Violet. She’s been on quite a few tours in her life and has produced her own solo tour, so she kind of has a feel for what’s going on already. This tour has been chaotic, but good. I’m super glad that we’re together.

Can you tell us what audiences can expect from the show?

GM: I think the show is a perfect mix of who we are. We have a couple gorgeous duo numbers that are very edgy, but they still give off classic showgirl vibes. We literally have rhinestones everywhere; we have top of the artistry costumes, and we are going back and performing at bars that we’ve traveled to so many times in the past. It’s been so fun bringing this new, refreshing vibe to their bars.

VC: Post-COVID, things were very difficult. We were doing drive-in shows, so we really want this show to be up close and personal. So, we’re at local queer bars, local gay dives, up close and personal with all the fans, and I think that’s how most people experience drag. We thought about that in a very specific way because if people are going to be so close to us in a bar setting, everything needs to be head-to-toe perfect. The costumes, the choreography, the music, etc. It’s interesting in that way, and then like Gottmik was saying, I think my burlesque style and Mik’s punk rock style, we sort of merged them together and made a mashup of a show.

Being at these local bars and dives, that probably makes the show so much more special and meaningful, doesn’t it?

VC: Yes, absolutely. We do an audience participation segment, and we really get to interact with the crowd.

If all goes successfully, would you like to do the “No Gorge” Pride Tour annually?

VC: (Laughs) I don’t know if I could do it every single year, but we’re talking about doing another leg. We both love Halloween, and we were going to do some sort of Halloween tour last year. Everything is still in the works now. There’s a bunch of stuff up in the air, but we will possibly continue the tour with a second leg of some kind. We don’t know yet.

GM: We are literally best friends. Like, we have a web show together, a podcast together, so we are definitely not going anywhere—as a little pair. I think in the future, I don’t know if there will be a full annual tour, but we will always have little moments where we’re going to be able to be out and about with everyone.

VC: Definitely more gigs coming up.

What do you enjoy the most about working and performing with each other?

GM: Violet and I just have very similar brains in a lot of ways. We have very similar personalities and opinions on things, so it’s been fun being able to go on stage, and like I said, I’ve been to so many of these bars before solo, so coming back and getting on the mic with my favorite person in the world, reading each other, laughing, taking shots, and connecting with everyone, it’s a completely different vibe. It’s amazing.

VC: For me, I’ve been touring for almost six years straight, and it can get very, very lonely on the road. It’s so cliché sounding, but it’s true. So, it’s nice to have someone here, and we can go out and have fun. We have the same perspectives, similar interests, similar needs, so that can make touring way more entertaining. As much fun as performing is, after the show, you truly do just go to your hotel room alone. It’s nice to have a companion.

What does Pride personally mean to you both?

VC: I think the month is sort of a time for us to really capitalize on who we are, and I’m proud year-round. For me, it’s not just about being proud during June. I think we live our lives in a very loud and proud way year-round. The word “Pride,” again, it sounds so cliché, but it’s about living authentically and taking up space as a queer person wherever we go.

GM: One-hundred percent. Truly, just being out, proud, and open about your most authentic self is the bravest thing that anyone can do. I am obsessed with Pride, and I love the month so much because it’s a time to be even louder and more open. You get to tell your story 10 times more with brands and companies that don’t normally push that. Some people view that in a negative light, but I love it. I love that companies are like, “OK, this is our month to dedicate it to you, gorge,” and I love being able to work with new, fun brands and talk about my story and journey because you never know who’s going to see it or who needs to see it.

This Pride Month, I have my merch in Target, and let me tell you, if I saw a trans guy or a drag queen shirt in Target when I was growing up—I was a Target whore (laughs)—I would have freaked out. So, I think it’s so important for all these companies to be doing that. As capitalist as it may seem, it does bring joy and importance to a lot of people’s lives that wouldn’t usually have access to that.

Do you remember the first Pride event you ever attended?

VC: Mine was Atlanta Pride, and they do Pride in October around National Coming Out Day. I remember going in drag to the festival, and I was wearing fetish heels. I wasn’t going to take them off because I was very committed to, don’t ever let them see you sweat. Now, not so much (laughs). I can take my shoes off whenever I want. Anyways, even though they made me really uncomfortable, I felt safe at Pride. I was underage, too, so I wasn’t going to bars yet, but I remember thinking this was my once chance to go somewhere in drag and feel safe.

GM: My first Pride was Phoenix Pride when I was 15 years old. I remember not having the language for where I fit in the community yet, but I knew it was somewhere in there. I didn’t have the language to say I was trans, and I knew I wasn’t a lesbian. That wasn’t the vibe, so I was like, “I don’t know where I’m at on this, but I know I’m somewhere, so I need to go to this festival.”

At first, my parents did not want me to go. Being a 15-year-old Catholic school kid, they were not into it, but somehow, I convinced them to let me go with a few friends. It absolutely changed my life. I remember seeing my first drag queen, my first go-go boys, my first everything in person. I was like, this is it! I don’t know what it means to me, but this is whatever I am. I was obsessed.

Hims & Hers has joined forces with the “No Gorge Pride Tour” as the exclusive telehealth partner. What are some of your favorite products and why are you excited to partner with this brand?

VC: I love the minoxidil spray. Like I said, I’ve been doing drag for a long time now. So, I’ve been snatching my face, using wigs, snatching my hair with ponytails, doing all of it. Talking about my hair health and just making sure that I’m covered as far as any damage I might have incurred over the years is super appreciative, and I’m super grateful that they’ve come on board and supported us.

GM: I love these calming drops that they have. I have so much anxiety in my life, and it can sometimes really get to me. The first time we got them, Violet was like, you need some of these calming drops, and they actually worked! I was literally vibin’ and chilling on the couch.

What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform?

GM: I have so much more I want to accomplish. From a political standpoint right now, there are so many anti-gay and anti-trans bans and laws that are trying to get passed, and as drag queens, we’re supposed to be the forefront of that. I love being able to go on tour during Pride with Violet and being able to talk about it on stage, take up space, scream, and be proud on the mic every night. I feel like I want to keep pushing that. Telling my story and keep breaking boundaries. Then artistry-wise, girl, I haven’t even started (laughs). There’s so much, and I have some exciting things coming out with her. The limit does not exist in the artistry department.

VC: Yeah, I’m in a similar boat. We are performing in states that want to ban children from drag shows, and it just seems like every couple of weeks, there’s something new that’s sort of undermining our rights and hindering us in some way. The fight never ends, and we must, like Gottmik was saying, be loud, proud, and take up space. Then creatively, there are so many things that I want to do. There are so many projects in the works, whether it’s makeup, fashion, photography, or video work. I have so many ideas, sometimes too many to accomplish, but I just need to keep on chugging along. It never ends.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention or plug?

VC: We are trying to become more regular with our No Gorge podcast, and hopefully, we can possibly squeeze out two episodes a week. We don’t know. There’s so much to talk about and so many hot topics going on that we have opinions on, and we want you guys to listen. So, make sure you tune into the No Gorge podcast.

Stay up-to-date and connect with Violet on all social media platforms @violetchachki, while Gottmik can be found @gottmik. Click HERE for the “No Gorge” Pride Tour’s schedule.

Photos courtesy of Hims & Hers