How did a 6'4", black, drag queen become a pop cultural icon? RuPaul, who got his start dancing at clubs in Georgia (yes, Georgia!), once said, "I'm a Disney character. My drag is pure Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny." This is true, RuPaul isn't overtly sexual. Actually, the female and male artists of today are nearly pornographic compared to RuPaul. However, even as a classy lady, who once told supermodels "You better work!", Ru has still dealt with a heap of prejudice and stigma.

Never to be dismayed, Ru's new show "RuPaul's Drag Race" debuts Monday, February 2nd 10pm EST/PST on Viacom-owned Logo. Various drag queens will compete to be crowned the grandest queen of them all. Here, an eloquent RuPaul sounds off on drag, Michelle Obama, a nasty run in with LL Cool J and more. You might be surprised -- but what's a queen without a little revolution?

Your new show is "RuPaul's Drag Race." How did this project come about?
We went all over town pitching the idea and Logo basically bought it in the room. It was just meant to be. Here we are, President Barack Obama has now taken office and there has been a shift in consciousness all over the world. Our culture has really been held hostage by this fear-based thinking. We are part of a new wave of hope, beauty, love and truth. That's how this happened; it started in the cosmos and the collective consciousness in our culture. During times of fear, gender experimentation, especially when it comes to men, really goes underground because patriarchal masculine culture is so revered.

What does it take to be a good drag queen?
It takes confidence. It takes believing that you are fabulous at all costs. If you build it, you believe it, we will see it. The same with a great actor, if you have that inner dialogue between your ears, in your heart -- we, the audience, will be it. That's all it takes, I've seen some girls with raggedy wigs, tore up shoes, who are fabulous and really sell the idea.

How do you balance that line of being an exploitative reality show with drag queens to being something positive?
I've used my own aesthetic and standards for my career. I've been able to transcend what our culture thinks of as subversive and our culture's prejudices about drag. I've really applied it to the show. We are not here to make fun or to make the girls look bad. Going with the production company, World of Wonder, I knew that we were safe with that because they revered drag in the same way that I do, which is a fantastic art form. It's so much deeper than a wig, a pair of high heels and some lipstick. It really goes into a spiritual place because the truth is we are all spiritual beings having a human experience. The clothes, our religious affiliation, our color, our race -- all of that is temporary, it's all just something we put on. That's really what prompted me years ago to say, "We are born naked and the rest is drag."

Tell us about the Obama Christmas cards that were all over the Internet -- you as President Barack Obama and in drag as First Lady Michelle Obama.
A friend of mine had come up with the concept. We knew that we not only wanted to promote our television show, but also bring in this new era of hope. There is a new shift in our country, I guess it happened before Obama and he captured that, put a face on that hope. That is where that came from. Drag is really tied to that bigger, clearer view of who we are on this planet. Drag, shamans and witchdoctors throughout the ages, as long as their have been tribes of people, there have always been drag queens or shamans who remind the culture it's a gift that you should enjoy. Don't take it too seriously, have fun with it, this is not who you really are -- remember who you really are. Our television show, the Christmas cards, it's all tied in to remembering who we really are, which is of hope and experiencing this life as a joyful gift.

Have you met the Obamas or had any contact with them?
No, I haven't. It's so exciting in my lifetime to witness this and also it's cool because Michelle, her presence, is ushering in a new era of strong, intelligent women. Her presence signifies the end of the bimbo era. In my lifetime, I never thought that would ever come back. Thankfully, Michelle in the White House means the bimbo era is gone and dead with it.

One might say that you have been embraced more by the white community than the black community. There is the assumption that black people can be a bit more homophobic. Is there any truth to that?
Absolutely, but it has so little to do with being gay or drag, it has so much more to do with being fearful and not willing to let go of an identity as a victim. When you have to let go of a certain identity that you've identified with for so long then have to reconstruct yourself -- that is such a daunting task for most people. So they'd rather stay in this victim space then to accept a new identity. If your identity has to do with being under threat then anything gay, anything that's outside of what the church says or anything that challenges you becomes a threat.

You did an episode of LL Cool J's "In the House" back in the nineties. How was that working with him?
It was hideous and horrible. He made it so difficult because he was so afraid. He was afraid that he made everyone else on the set not enjoy it themselves either. In fact, when I was ready to leave the show because he was ignorant, they all said, "Look, please stay, we have been dealing with his fear for so long that it's become unbearable." Just last week he had gotten into an altercation with someone about the OJ verdict because he believed that OJ was innocent and something happened on the set. So, I stayed, I did my episode, but to do this work, to excel on this planet, you have to be almost part therapist. Part psychology major to understand what's behind people's motives. He had said some really nasty stuff, he was all surly at the table reading -- just fearful and ignorant. I understand, but they're not paying me that much money, I don't want to be around it. But, they begged me to stay and I did it. I'm glad I did. He's a great teacher in that respect and this is important, I got to see myself in him. I got to see what I look like when I do that. It's not pretty so in essence he is a great teacher for me.

When you get to heaven, what is the DJ playing?
[Laughs] So, heaven for me is a place on earth. So I guess it's going to be Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven is a Place on Earth."