Bob the Drag Queen—who won RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2016 and has since starred in other reality shows such as HBO’s We’re Here and Peacock’s Traitors, as well as several comedy specials—released his debut novel this month. Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert (Gallery Books) imagines the iconic abolitionist coming back to life and creating a hip-hop album.
American Libraries spoke with Bob about his longtime fascination with Tubman, as well as his inspiration for the novel and accompanying songs.
What role have libraries played in your life?
When I was younger, I used to go to the library in Clayton County [Georgia] near me all the time, and I would pick up hobbies. I think the first library book I ever checked out was an origami how-to book, and I taught myself origami.
And then as I got older, I made a joke about libraries that haunts me to this day. I’m a comedian as well. I was on my podcast [Sibling Rivalry], and I jokingly said, “Abolish libraries.” And now that quote follows me everywhere I go. Librarians come to my shows, and they’re like, “Abolish libraries?” Like, I was kidding. I was kidding.
How did the idea for your novel come to you?
I was working at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre as an actor in 2018, and I had an idea for a play. I think I just finished reading The Good Lord Bird [by James McBride]. It’s a historical fiction piece about John Brown, the abolitionist. I thought it was such an interesting book, how they took this historical figure and just kind of made up their own story. I couldn’t put it down.
I also have an obsession with Harriet Tubman. Once you hear the breadth of her story—not just like, “She freed some slaves,” but really hear the story—anyone who’s listening will be like, “My God, this is one of the most interesting people who’s ever walked the face of the Earth.” And I also love hip-hop music. So I kept thinking, I would love to write a play about Harriet Tubman coming back to life and writing a hip-hop album. I like to write the kind of art and do the kind of art that I would like to see myself.
I still have dreams of it as a play. I wrote [and recorded] two original songs for the audiobook [and included the lyrics at the end of the print version]. I’m really, really proud of this book. I might have worked harder on this than anything in my life, to be honest.
How far does your fascination with Harriet Tubman go back?
It started in childhood when we were asked to write book reports. I always wanted to do mine on Harriet Tubman. But then it advanced as I got older, once I started reading different biographies and stories about her and found out how extensive her abolition work was. [For example,] Harriet Tubman was the first woman to lead a military mission for the US military [the Combahee Ferry Raid of 1863].
Were there any musical acts or hip-hop eras that you drew inspiration from when creating the songs for the book?
So, I’m a millennial. I’m like, super-duper millennial. I’m 38 years old. So the era of rap where it was like Collision Course, which is [an EP made by] Linkin Park and Jay-Z, or “Party like a Rockstar” [by Shop Boyz]. This rap-rock era was really, really big for me. But also R&B, like Mary J. Blige, was really big for me as well. Sonically, that was the inspiration. Harriet Tubman was a musician herself. She used music in her work as an abolitionist, too.
I like to write the kind of art and do the kind of art that I would like to see myself.
If the book becomes a play, do you have a dream cast in mind?
I’m scared to announce my dream cast, because what if I’m not cool enough for them to want to be in it? But in my dream world, [rapper] Doechii would play Harriet Tubman. I would literally float to the moon. Not to sound like a hipster, but I really liked her before she was super famous. I’m also chronically on TikTok, and she famously said she makes TikTok music. She’s just amazing.
Throughout the book, Harriet helps the character of Darnell, a Black music producer who has left the spotlight after being publicly outed as queer, address his internal battles and find emotional freedom through adversity. Did you pull from any personal experiences when developing his character?
For sure. Darnell is kind of like me if I was more reserved, if I wasn’t such a loudmouth b———. Darnell would be the depiction of me, but I am incredibly loud. I’m actually a combination of the way I’ve written Harriet and Darnell. They’re both just really extreme versions of me.
Throughout your nearly 20-year career as a drag artist, you’ve done stand-up comedy, TV, music, theater, and podcasting, and now you’re a published author. Is there any creative feat you still hope to undertake?
Down the line, I hope I can dabble in behind-the-scenes creative [work] like directing, maybe even creative direction for other artists. But right now, I’m focusing on me. I always say to people, “‘Drag’ doesn’t really tell you what I do on stage; it just tells you how I dress while I’m doing it.” You have drag queens who are dancers, singers, comedians. By trade, I’m a stand-up comedian. When I say I’m a drag queen, someone might think, “Oh, you do a Tina Turner impersonation,” or, “You lip-sync.” That’s not really 100% what I do. I am a stand-up comedian. That is my bread and butter.
