'Drag Race' star Bianca Del Rio talks surviving social media, 'cursing somebody out' on new tour

The world could use a bit of social media advice.

After all, there's nothing like more than a year of a global pandemic and accompanying lockdown to drive folks into their phones, spending countless hours scrolling and over-sharing.

Bianca Del Rio — the comedian and drag queen known for the suffer-no-fools attitude who delivers to more than 4 million followers across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram — has some advice on how to survive online, reports the Asbury Park Press, which is a part of the USA TODAY Network.

“The big thing is just don’t take that (stuff) seriously," said Del Rio. "You know, it’s phantom people. I would say 90% of them you’re never going to meet in person. You’re never going to see them, you’re never going to worry. And I just make it a choice just not to put anything personal about my life, it’s just silly.

"I mean, Twitter is not therapy — for me it is, because I like to troll. But I think just put out there what your thought is, tell us what you’re eating for dinner, I don’t care. But when people get soppy and sappy and want to tell a whole story or are looking for love and affection, oh, get out of here. Delete, block, unfollow. I just can’t. I think it should be fun, and if not you will truly lose your mind."

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Del Rio, the winner of "RuPaul's Drag Race" Season 6, has developed her own screen time strategies.

“In 2020, it was like the go-to thing to do — you’re checking Instagram, Facebook and Twitter," she said. "And what was crazy about it (was) I found myself spending so much time (doing that), so now I purposely just don’t bother with anything serious, unless of course it’s a fundraiser or something that I have to celebrate or spread the word for.

" ... So you’ve got to make that time for yourself: Go for a walk, have a drink and then look at Twitter, that’s what I do. That’s why it’s so rotted.”

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This fall, Del Rio re-enters the real world for her "Unsanitized" stand-up tour, which has 44 stops across the country including in Indianapolis, New York, Nashville, Denver, San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, Phoenix and San Diego. It begins Sept. 10 at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee and ends in Los Angeles at the Theater at the Ace Hotel on Nov. 10.

While Del Rio hit the road earlier this year for a run of drive-in dates as part of Voss Events' "Drive 'N Drag Saves 2021" tour, she said she's looking forward to performing for audiences again.

“We’re all so happy to see other people — that’s the wildest, craziest thing ever," she said. "You know, I’m usually a pretty jaded (expletive) but I am looking forward to seeing actual people again.”

The last year or so has been a lot, to put it mildly. So as she prepares to return to the stage, what's on Del Rio's mind?

“What’s not on my mind? That’s one of the reasons I called it ‘Unsanitized’ because number one, we were dealing with a pandemic. Everybody’s been washing, wiping, covering, masking," she said. "And also that we have a lot of social media warriors in the world right now, sitting home on their computers, giving their input, telling us what we can and can’t say in the world."

We've all been dealing with some especially trying, profoundly strange times. How does Del Rio plan to distill that down into something audiences can laugh at?

“I think it’s (about) just getting out there and discussing the insanity that we all experienced," she said. "The pandemic is one thing, obviously, but just the behavior patterns, the way we existed, the way that everybody is performing from their home now, (with) Skype and interviews. We’re like, ‘This is so much easier’ on one extent, and the other one is kind of like, ‘I miss people, I miss going out, I miss cursing somebody out in their face.’ ... I’m anxious to see how people are going to react when we go back to civilization."

For tickets and the latest tour announcements, visit thebiancadelrio.com/unsanitized-tour.

Alex Biese has been writing about art, entertainment, culture and news on a local and national level for more than 15 years.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: 'Drag Race' star Bianca Del Rio talks new tour, social media survival