Evermoore, aka Connor Whitcomb, joined the demanding twelve-week all-out drag war with a little over a year of experience under her rhinestoned belt. But after the competition and as soon as the glitter settled, this young queen stood victorious, having charmed judges and audiences with her creativity, comedy and sheer will to make it to the top of the heap.
Evermoore started her drag journey as a member of the budding Le-Cher family but made the decision – with her drag mother Vivian’s understanding – to drop the surname Vivian Le-Cher and take Evermoore, building it up as hers to own. This 23-year-old Thornton native uses her established skills as a seamstress to better do what she describes as her real job: drag queen extraordinaire.
Now, as a member of Denver’s glitterati, Evermoore is ready to step out with her crown and start making waves in our city and beyond. Here's what she has to say for herself.
Westword: Congrats on winning the Ultimate Queen Competition! Aside from snatching the crown, what goals did you have in mind when you entered?
Evelyn Evermoore: Thank you! My biggest goal was using the judges' critiques. I wanted to grow my drag as far as I could. I also wanted to get my name out into the scene. So, um, mission accomplished, for now!
Tell us about the first time that you performed in drag.
Ugh, it was a mess. The show I was in started at noon on the Red Rocks Community College campus. I was so nervous I could hardly walk. I almost quit drag after the show because I was upset, but something about the whole experience stuck with me.
When the new season of the Ultimate Queen Competition started up that following year, I sewed my first dress, ordered the wigs and the boobs, and strutted on down to Tracks. So I've regularly been doing drag for just over a year.
What is the origin of your drag name?
Evelyn came from an Amanda Palmer album, titled Evelyn Evelyn, about conjoined twins who were abandoned at birth and raised on a chicken farm. Evermoore just kind of happened. I was daydreaming at work and suddenly it clicked.
What cultural icon do you admire the most and why?
I have so many that I can't pin it down to one, but my top picks would have to be Morticia Addams, Lady Gaga and Spider-Man.
Explain what it feels like to get into all of your drag and hit a stage.
Connor is an introvert, but Evelyn is the socialite he's always wanted to be. It's a way for me to share a part of myself that words alone can't express. Drag is why I have the close relationships that I do. Evelyn gave me the confidence I needed to open up.
Who and what inspires you to keep pulling out the makeup brushes every day?
It's me, really. I do drag for me, first and foremost. I spend most of my time out of drag (comfortably) alone at home. Drag is my connection to the world outside my living room.
Favorite brand/item of makeup?
I love Urban Decay. Their powders are really lovely to play with.
Name three very important items in your purse/drag bag that you can’t leave home without.
I keep a million safety pins with me at all times, a fan – especially now that it's summertime – and ideally some kind of snack: Cheez-Its, if you're wondering and want to bring me some.
Is there an item in your drag closet (outfit, jewelry, wig, etc...) that holds a lot of emotion or memory for you? If so, tell us about it.
I'd say it's my gold gown. I made it for my first pageant. I stoned it, custom-fit it, and then lost [the competition] in it. It’s my favorite.
When you’re out in drag, what one thing does everyone want to talk to you about? What do you wish they would actually talk to you about?
They all mention my waist size when I'm wearing my corset. I'm a teeny-tiny person, and a steel-boned corset plus my pads make my waist look near-invisible. I wish people would talk about food or pets. Mostly food.
If your drag persona had a theme song, what would it be?
One of the songs I performed at the finale, actually, 'Cause I'm a Blonde,” by cult comedian Julie Brown. It's campy, and Evelyn is just as much of a ditz as the girl in the song.
They’re casting the movie about your life. What actor and actress would be perfect to play both sides of your coin?
Um, Rowan Atkinson for both.
Which is harder, given your drag profession: tucking or having a relationship?
Well, this took a turn. Relationship, 100 percent. My job means I'm always in a club. I'm flirting with people for better tips, and I've got two personas. Drag also embraces and celebrates being a femme-identifying queer person, which isn't a popular option on the dating menu.
Giving "executive realness."
Carnefix Photography
I only recently started coming out to my extended family, and very few of them know I do drag. Most of them either have no idea what I do or think I'm a barista still.
My immediate family is very supportive. My mom came to every week of UQC, and my aunt came one week, too. My little brother has watched me get into drag and came to a show before. I'm lucky to have the support that I have.
What does the word “family” mean to you, and have you found your drag family here in Denver?
Family is anyone you can rely on. I've got my Le-Cher drag family, and I've got sisters like Vivica Galactica and Stella Ray that make my world go round.
Drag allows you to change or alter physical parts of yourself. Do you ever use that power to change any one thing in particular you don't like about yourself?
Doing my makeup actually helped me become more comfortable with the way I look. I'm happy with most of my features – except my nose. I'm just okay with my nose.
Giving "cutting-edge" realness, literally.
Carnefix Photography
There’s a bank error in your favor, giving you $15,000. What’s the first thing that you buy?
Groceries. But then a bougie Ikea bedroom set and a spa membership.
For all of the cost — monetary and emotional — and all of the blood, sweat, tears and drama, why do you want to make a career in drag? What does the art form mean to you?
Soooo much blood and drama... I've never been one to keep a nine-to-five, and I'm a night owl. It's getting on that stage and connecting with someone who gets what you're doing; the woman who told me that after I performed my Pulse ballad (shown below), she came out to her family. Plus, being paid to be pretty? C'mon, who wouldn't?
When we check back in on you in three years, what do you think you will be up to in your drag career?
I hope to be answering that e-mail on a plane ride to another country, being booked in some extravagant foreign show.
For more on Denver's drag scene, check out our original Diva Dozen list and our new Fresh Faces list for a peek beneath the wigs, heels and makeup of some of Denver's greatest queens. Catch Evelyn Evermoore at Pearl’s, 608 East 13th Avenue, every Wednesday, for her LGBT Game Show and as the newest monthly cast member in Drag Nation, at Tracks, 3500 Walnut Street. She'll be introducing a screening of To Wong Foo Wednesday, June 21 at 7pm at the Esquire Theater, 590 North Downing. Follow her on Instagram at @evelynevermoore.
