You may see them walking to class or maybe getting their favorite “pick-me-up” in the Einstein’s line, but did you know you were in the presence of a queen?
Boomer Russell is a 4th year PhD candidate studying biochemistry. Their day-to-day entails countless hours at the Ken and Blaire Mossman Building, but they spend their nights participating in an art form you may not have expected a PhD candidate could possibly have time for: drag. Her stage name is “Fatty Acid.”
Drag began as early as the age of Shakespearean theater, when a male actor would play a female role. The art form has now transformed into a wildly popular media sensation through social media influencers and shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race. It continues as a form of self-expression allowing a sense of fluidity and freedom for the LGBTQ+ community.
Russell defines drag from their own experiences, and how it has allowed them to explore a different part of themselves.
“I have a big feminine side I just recently started to harness and I feel like drag was a very hyperactive way to do that,” Russell said. “I’ve been in grad school for so long yearning for an outlet outside of school, because everything I’ve done my entire life has been centered around that. Where drag is purely for me an escape, a very fun way for me to be a part of our queer community in Knoxville.”
The name “Fatty Acid” originated from, and you might have guessed, science. Russell is a membrane protein biophysicist who studies lipid membranes and the proteins that reside inside of them, including fatty acids.
“When I was thinking of names, I wanted it to be ‘sciency’ because it’s my whole personality, and eventually I would love to do some science related drag ‘world’s collide’ kind of thing,” Russell said.
Though Fatty Acid made her debut at CORE on Kingston Pike four months ago, Russell remembers their first show like it was yesterday. This particular show was an open stage called “Monday Night Madness” and was centered around welcoming new queens to the stage.
It was a night that changed Russell’s life forever. They didn’t grow up in theater or practice dance like most queens, but they fell in love with dance through their Xbox Connect playing Dance Central growing up. They knew there was a queen waiting to be unleashed.
By June 13, 2022, they had practiced their make-up for months, refining every detail for their debut. From the track list, to the choreography, to the costume, everything was in place. What Russell couldn’t prepare for was the nerves.
“I went to work in Mossman, and wanted to throw up all day. I was anxious, I was freaking out, I was thinking about the songs and choreography I wanted to do for months. I was stressing about my wig falling off and all of these little things,” they said.
When the moment arrived, and Fatty Acid was going to make her big reveal, she said her mind was filled with a million different thoughts at once. The DJ announced her name, the music began, the red velvet curtain opened quickly, and Fatty Acid stepped forward into the spotlight.
“I remember doing this really silly cartwheel, because my goal was to do a cartwheel on stage and it was not cute and I was just hobbling around thinking that I just owned the place. Because when you are on that stage … you think you are the hottest person on the planet,” Russell said. “And that just fuels you throughout the whole performance and then you leave stage and you’re like ‘what did I just do?’”
One of their fondest memories of the night was the overwhelming reassurance and love that permeated the atmosphere around the stage. The applause rang through the bar and Fatty Acid won her first competition. The possibilities of this new world that opened for her felt endless.
Boomer Russell, a 4th year PhD student, performs in drag as "Fatty Acid."
The art of drag is learning what works best for the queen and how they want to express themselves. Being a student who works at the Mossman building has its perks when practicing drag. Russel found two couch cushions behind the building one day after working and used it for their costume in their performance.
“I got the couch cushions and a turkey carver and another queen helped me draw a hip pad form and I made them and frankly that did my body good. In drag everybody’s body is valid and everybody’s drag is different but it is important to build a body in drag,” Russell said.
“Yes my work takes a lot of brain power and so does drag … good drag is very smart drag. Because your whole career is based on the applause from strangers in the crowd.”
Harri Scari, a queen that has been in the Drag scene for five years, was judging a local amateur drag competition the first time she saw Fatty Acid perform.
“My first impression was that this person was a ball of absolute chaotic mess, fully and thoroughly entertaining because of it,” Scari said. “I think that Fatty is a breath of fresh air. There are other entertainers in town who might be more polished, but it’s been a while since I’ve had as much fun as I do when I watch Fatty. Fatty works hard and has a ton of drive, but it’s the fun that makes her feel fresh and invites us into her world. She makes you root for her and we really needed that in her town.”
Although Fatty Acid’s rise in the drag world came easy due to their bubbly nature, worlds began to collide when they had to learn to balance their school life and their life as a performer. One of the biggest challenges Russell faced was how to persevere against burnout.
Russell’s day to day schedule involves arriving at school at 8 a.m. and staying until 3 or 4 p.m., depending on the day. Then they start to prepare at 8 p.m. for their drag show at 11 p.m.
“Balancing the two is hard and I am trying to work that out now. I used to be really afraid of not being able to do drag. So any chance I could do drag I would, and that was a lot. I’m learning to take a step back and say no. I started to prioritize certain days to myself,” Russell said.
Russell’s influence has cascaded out of the drag world and into the campus at UT. Jake Johns, also known as Astrid, is a senior studying journalism and electronic media and a new arrival on the drag scene. Russell and Johns have bonded over their love of drag and learning how to navigate their responsibilities as students and as queens.
“Boomer is one of the most amazing people I have ever met,” Johns said. “They are constantly supportive and will ride or die for you. As someone else who has recently started drag, it’s really nice to have someone I appreciate so much to grow with in this community.”
Russell’s experience in drag has changed their entire outlook on Knoxville’s LGBTQ community.
“I felt very disjointed from the community. There was a lot of self-sabotaging. I didn’t go places or try to meet people. I am actually really insecure and shy. Once I started doing drag it really opened up new things, there was a flood of new people to meet,” Russell said. “I got more validation and got new perspectives and my confidence began to build, build, build. I feel so much more in tune with this community. I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t win that finale in my first competition.”
Boomer Russell has proven that success can come in many different ways. After recently publishing their first paper and kickstarting their drag career, they are eager to explore what the future holds.
“When you’re a student you are so hyper-focused on the goal, which is getting a degree or getting a paper published and now that I’ve seen that school isn’t the only thing I should be working on, because it’s not the only thing I love, it’s all very relevant,” Russell said. “It’s all a part of your person and your ability to maintain happiness.”
