Bothers Me.”

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xplained to Deon Brown

The witty (and a little bit bitchy) insights and stingingly funny Miss Coco Peru (Clinton Leupp) captured a national audience when she guest starred in the movie Trick (1999) and again in the zany cult classic, Girls Will Be Girls (2003). ION Arizona chatted with the star about truth, the tour, tea, and cum in your eye.

ION: In the movie Trick, you say, “I’m not one to gossip. It’s not my nature. Truth. Truth! Now that’s my nature.” Coco, can you be truthful for our readers?

Coco Peru: Of course I can. I’m always truthful. That’s what my shows are. People think I make stuff up and I’m like, “No, that’s all 100% what happened.” People think my husband is made up, and he’s been going on the tour with me and they’re seeing him and go, “Wait. Rafael really exists?” which is very funny to me that people think that I’ve made up my husband who I’ve been with for 20-something years.

ION: Your tour is called, “Coco Peru is Bitter, Bothered and Beyond.” When did your bitterness start, Coco, who hurt you?

Coco: I think the better question is who didn’t hurt me. There’s an element of truth to my—I don’t want to say “bitterness”—but we live in a world that has not been kind to queer people. I decided to be a drag queen who tells autobiographical stories. When I created Coco, part of my mission was to make the world better for us. As I’ve gotten older, there’s a bit of celebration in embracing one’s crankiness. I find that the more truthful I am about the things that bother me, the more people respond, they relate, and they’re happy that someone’s saying the things that they’ve always wanted to say. That’s very satisfying to me because, in the end, it feels healing—not only to the people who are expressing that to me—but also to me to feel somewhat validated in my thoughts and feelings, which I never had as a kid. I didn’t feel comfortable in my own body, not to mention in what I was feeling.

ION: People like authenticity—even when it’s cloaked in humor; they embrace it.

Coco: I agree. My husband was worried when I first started to talk about my age and growing older, he said, “Young people aren’t going to be able to relate to you if you keep talking about getting older.” I said, “I don’t agree. I think young people respond to authenticity, and they want role models and people to just be real and honest with them.

ION: What’s the best piece of advice you ever got?

Coco: I learned that you were meant to respect everybody who was working with you. I always tell young drag queens that, and to treat their audience and fans with respect. They’re responsible for you keeping a roof over your head. I’ve actually gotten very motherly or grandmotherly and said, “Listen, honey, you need to treat your fans with respect and you need to show up on time.”

ION: What’s the worst piece of advice you ever got?

Coco: Oh, let me think … Butch up!

ION: The movie Trick made audiences much more aware of you.

Coco: Trick allowed me to have that long monologue in the middle of the movie. It spotlighted not only me, but kind of what I do: monologues. It definitely put me on the map.

ION: How many times have fans asked you, “Did you ever get cum in your eye?”

Coco: Yes, they’ll come up to me with that question in order for me to say, “It burns!” Now, with phones, they want to record me saying it. I’m thrilled that even today, 20 something years later, people still talk about that moment.

ION: In the comments on one of your YouTube videos, someone posted, “I was very shocked when I learned that she was a man.”

Coco: I just find that so funny; I think that’s because my makeup is not what they’re used to in drag today when you consider Bianca Del Rio’s makeup or Trixie Mattel’s. They’re not used to seeing drag that looks natural and plain. They just didn’t realize that I was a man in a dress. I look like their aunt. I was wearing things that I bought at Ross Dress for Less or a store like Kmart. That was a choice I made when I created Coco in order to make myself stand out because I was already doing something different which was monologues, talking and singing live; I decided to create a character that was the opposite of what everybody else was doing, so I decided Coco was going to be “less is more.”

ION: What do you keep in your purse?

I always like a nice little bag of cough drops, like an old lady. I always have to have lip balm, Aquaphor. That’s a “must.” When I go out as Coco, I carry my perfume with me because I

ION: If you could be the spokesperson for any product,

Oh God! What kind of questions are these? I’m terrible at these kind of questions that come out of left field! You remember the old coffee commercials? What were those things? God, the little cans of coffee …

ION: The General Foods International International Coffees!

Coco: I did the “Tension Tamer” videos for Celestial Seasonings Tea. I’d be very good at branding a nice little tea company and having a tea party. In fact, I have a whole set of beautiful china that a fan sent to me from England. Old Country Roses by Royal Albert. He even sent me tablecloths and little knives. It was his grandmother’s. Honey, I’m set to do a commercial. “High Tea with Coco Peru.” I can make little finger sandwiches. I make an excellent egg salad. My husband loves my tuna salad.

ION: What is your favorite part of performing?

Coco: Actually, I have terrible stage fright. It’s all related to my childhood of feeling ostracized by my community, being made fun of and bullied. I still carry that with me into the world. As confident and as fabulous as I present myself, there’s still that insecure child that’s worried about being judged and made fun of. So I go out on that stage in a way to exorcise myself from that stuff. I am forced to have to be vulnerable in front of an audience and deliver. Conquering those fears is what’s so rewarding to me. To have an audience rooting for you and reminding you that you are loved, that you are valued, and that you do have a place in this world is like ... I hate to say because it’s corny, but it’s like a gift.

ION: Your show isn’t just “joke, joke, joke.” There’s a fine line between bringing the audience in and getting them to understand you without appearing pathetic. Do you know what I mean?

Coco: There’s a fine line between comedy and that sort of drama. My writing has evolved over the years. I try to ride that line and push the audience to something that’s a little bit more sentimental or serious or whatever, but then always follow it up with the laugh and not taking myself too seriously. That’s an important line to figure out and I think I have.

ION: You’ve performed in Phoenix before.

Coco: I’m always so pleasantly, wonderfully surprised at the diversity of my audience. The first time I was in Phoenix a a friend of mine booked me in this beautiful theater. In another adjoining theater there was a show about the Holocaust. I remember peeking out and there was an old couple—canes and everything—sitting right front and center. I ran back to my friend, I said, “They’re at the wrong show. They meant to go to the Holocaust show!” So he went out to them and asked, and they said, “No, we’re here to see Coco Peru.” They were the best. Never judge.

And I was sainted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in Phoenix. I’ve been sainted by other chapters, but that was the first time I had ever been sainted. It was such an honor. I get chills thinking about it. I really cherish that memory.

ION: Well, it’s nice to know that we rose to the occasion.

Coco: Yes, you did. Phoenix better come out while I’m still working and see me. This show is, of course, me telling my stories, but also it’s about addressing our past and then being able to push forward beyond it. I want to come and create a new fabulous memory in Phoenix … and I want people to have a great time.

Hey, Coco Puffs! Find out more about Coco at MissCocoPeru.com and check out her YouTube channel.

Don’t miss “Coco Peru is Bitter, Bothered, and Beyond” on Tuesday, February 28 at 7:30 p.m. at CB Live at Desert Ridge Marketplace, 21001 N. Tatum Blvd. with VIP seating, Meet & Greet available. Get tickets at CBLive.com