It's a big month for Sandra Bernhard.
Tonight she's performing at Amagansett, and is in Norfolk Tuesday before returning to Manhattan's Town Hall Wednesday night to debut her new show I Love Being Me, Don't You?, along with special guests Liza Minnelli, Rufus Wainwright and Justin Bond.
The show's title is also that of her first officially released comedy album in over 10 years.
"It's a real comment on our society!" rants Bernhard, taking off on the show and album title.
"Everybody's talking about themselves 24-7, whether it's on Facebook or Real Housewives," she says. "Twenty-four f**king hours a day, and great art and music is being co-opted by these people and torn asunder! This is not what touches our soul but [is] contemptuous s**t--and people stand around and snark at each other just to be the center of attention."
Of course, Bernhard and other major artists, including her friend and recent collaborator Rosanne Cash, have made novel use of Twitter in reaching and expanding their fan bases.
"Artists and performers have been reduced to using these outlets," she continues, "so all bets are off. You've got to get your s**t out there any way you can. Being social critics and supporters of the arts is what we do for a living--and what propels us our entire lives."
Available at iTunes, Amazon and SandraBernhard.com, the CD was recorded live at San Francisco's Castro Theater last October at the Inaugural Out Loud Comedy & Arts Festival. While it was a gay festival, it wasn't the "typical gay audience, but my audience" notes Bernhard.
"The energy was really high and fun," she says. "And there was a big annual Air Force exhibition going on with all these fighter jets that was very disruptive--and the people who live their hate--and I launched into a tirade about 'America The Beautiful' and how it was so great to see fighter jets...and don't ask for health care and education!"
From there she "went into a total spontaneous combustion of ideas and thoughts and fun and hit the mark on everything," she adds. "I touched a bit on some of my old pieces because I need that s**t to fall back on. But basically it was all improvised and really fun, with a couple songs with just guitar accompaniment to satisfy the musical side of my audience and that side of me. Essentially, it was a one-off, and something you'll never hear again."
Looking ahead to Town Hall, Bernhard is excited about performing with her guests.
"Everyone does that in New York," she says. "I've just done it at Justin Bond shows, and he'll perform what we wrote together for our musical Arts And Crafts--which is inching its way to getting produced. And I sang with Rufus at a tribute for Justin and we hit it off. I'm a fan of the McGarrigles [Wainwright's late mother Kate McGarrigle and her sister Anna] so I've invited him to sing one of his mom's songs, 'Talk To Me Of Mendocino,' which talks about New York. And Liza! I did this thing with Liza on Bravo's Rocco's Dinner Party cooking show. She's such a sweet lady, and her legacy needs not be described!"
Minnelli will sing "Class" from Chicago, "about how everyone now has no class!" says Bernhard. For her part, she's "culled together a couple more obscure 'greatest hits,'" pieces, she says, and will do some new material as well.
"I'll cover the waterfront--like I do," she says, "but I've got to keep it tight, because I can go on for two and a-half hours!"
Bernhard will then head to Napa, Calif., on June 18, and is in San Francisco June 24 and 25 for Pride Weekend. Meanwhile, her appearance with Cash in St. Paul last month as part of Minnesota Public Radio's (MPR) WITS Series can be viewed at MPR's web site.
Subscribe to my examiner.com pages and follow me on Twitter!
Comments