Orville Peck finds the place where bull riding overlaps with drag pageantry in the new video for “Queen of the Rodeo,” a track that originally appeared on Peck’s 2019 debut album Pony.
Directed by Austin Peters, the eight-minute clip includes cameos by model Tess Holiday as well as drag performers Thanks Jem and Louisianna Purchase. Thanks Jem, a First Nations community member and drag queen about whom the song was written, stars as an unlikely pageant entrant who has to conquer her own fears to take home the crown. There’s also a brief, David Lynchian interlude where Thanks Jem sips on a cocktail and watches a video of Peck singing his song “Roses Are Falling” in the midst of a giant, heart-shaped rose garland.
“For all the LGBTQ+ and two-spirit community members working and performing in rodeos, ranches, and roadhouses across North America,” reads a caption that concludes the “Queen of the Rodeo” video.
The masked singer Peck has performances lined up at both Coachella and Stagecoach this year, along with headlining dates throughout March. The next one is scheduled for March 9th at the Van Buren in Phoenix, Arizona, leading up to an appearance at Luck Reunion 2020 in Texas on March 19th.
