RuPaul concluded his book tour for memoir “The House of Hidden Meanings” with a stop at The Observatory on Wednesday, March 19.

It was a full-circle moment for the drag superstar, whose childhood in San Diego played a significant role in the reflections about his life. Most of that childhood he spent planning to leave San Diego, which he did at 15 by dropping out of Patrick Henry High to go to Atlanta with his sister. “It was a sleepy, little conservative town, and I had dreams of becoming supermodel of the world,” RuPaul recalled.

San Diego’s lingering influence on him was clear, as he called out local attractions and Mexican restaurants much to the audience’s delight. Even his idea of freedom was shaped by the car-centric city. “I always loved cars. Cars represented freedom to me,” RuPaul said. At 11, he stole his father’s Toyota Corona while visiting him, driving with his sister through Cerritos, only making right-hand turns.

Between jokes and spiritual advice, RuPaul painted a vivid picture of an ambitious yet heartsick child learning about life from the streets of Lemon Grove more than his parents. “We were ripping and running the streets, and it was a real education. I didn’t need City College after that,” the 64-year-old media mogul said. After three years in Atlanta, he returned to San Diego to get his GED and give Downtown’s community college a “valiant effort” before pursuing his career as an entertainer in New York City.

Many of his childhood dreams have come true.

“Supermodel of the World” may not be an official title, but it is the album that launched his career into a talk show host and actor. Today, RuPaul is the most famous drag queen in the world with 16 Emmys, a Tony, and three GLAAD Media Awards. Despite being an international figure frequenting the silver screen, his jovial and at times spiky demeanor keeps much of himself private.

Some of that was his own trauma leaving him out of touch with himself.

He describes his husband Georges LeBar being the barometer of RuPaul’s own emotions. If LeBar was excited for a trip to Europe, then RuPaul would be too. LeBar’s struggles with substance abuse made RuPaul reflect on whether drugs and alcohol were his own escape from dealing with his inner struggles.

That need to escape stemmed from an incident in childhood when his father had been out all night partying, only returning in the afternoon the following day. His mother poured gasoline over the car with his father on the other side of the car begging her to put the matches down. RuPaul explained when he remembers this, it is with the sweeping view of a dolly camera, turning to look at the fire department and neighbors gathered across the street with him and his sisters. He disassociated in that moment and did not return to his body until getting sober years later. RuPaul’s description of becoming sober was vulnerable, revealing a depth to him not seen by the public. “Once you start the process of unraveling all of that debris in our consciousness, it’s a painful process.”

Much of the hour-long show was spent teasing the audience then shifting into a sage. His advice ranged from therapy-talk about reparenting the inner child to spiritual beliefs on mindsets affecting health outcomes.

For the neglected child and now successful adult, the tour stop was a triumphant return to his hometown, marking his growth from an audience of his family to hundreds crowded into the North Park theater to hear his story.

“The House of Hidden Meanings” can be purchased where books are sold, including at one of North Park’s independent bookstores.