She's Still Here, Damn It! An Interview With Sandra Bernhard

By Tony Peregrin in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 1, 2010 6:20PM

Sandra Bernhard, comedian, actress, and provocateur may be 30 years into her career, but the Flint, Michigan native continues to push boundaries with her pointed observations, her comedy and her music. “Whatever It Takes,” her new album—which is her first in 15 years devoted entirely to music and not comedy—fuses rock ‘n’ roll with intense blends of African Soukous (Congolese rumba), Raï (Algerian “rebel” folk music), Rwandan dance and hymns, and Brazilian samba—all topped off with lush string arrangements. And, oh yes, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders lends her vocals to one the tracks. Pushing boundaries? Actually, it’s more like Bernhard gathers them up and tosses them into a blender. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Bernhard returns to “Chi-Town,” as she endearingly calls it, over Valentine’s Day weekend, and it’s clear she’s got nothing but love for the Windy City. Expect an electrifying fusion of satire, cabaret, and sizzling rock ‘n’ roll, along with her trademark, gleefully unedited view on the state of contemporary culture.

“A lot people anticipate that I’m going to be bitchy, hardcore, hard to deal with, defensive,” admitted Bernhard, 54, to a New York Times journalist last fall, but in fact, we found her to be accessible, engaging with a curiosity that was refreshingly reciprocal, and hilariously self-deprecating.

Chicagoist: I think the last time you were in Chicago was in 2008, when you performed at the Steppenwolf Theater on Halloween. What can audiences expect from your show at the Lakeshore Theater over Valentine’s Day Weekend?

Sandra Bernhard: A whole lot of love, love, love, and more love! And titillation, fun, sex, rock and roll—I’ll be there with three of my musicians, and we’ll be doing some original songs and some covers, and some groovy stuff I have been working on for the last 3-4 months. If I get bored with the same old stuff, I just keep adding on more and more, and layering and layering, and the show eventually evolves into a whole new show before I even know it’s happening.

C: Do you have any favorite hangouts, restaurants, or bars that you haunt while you’re in town?

SB: I love to walk along Michigan Avenue and do a little shopping. And all of the restaurants in Chi-town are obviously great. When I am in different cities, I love to go out to a restaurant after the show and bump into people that were at the show. I gotta tell you, it’s sorta hard with the cold weather, to do some of that. And I have a tendency to lay low when I’m on the road. When I’m working I really try to take care of myself, because I don’t want to show up to a performance and just phone it in. I’ll make up for it when I get back to Chicago, though. Finding great food is the number one thing I love to do when I’m there.

C: Speaking of not wanting to ‘phone it in’ what was it like to work side-by-side with the legendary Chrissie Hynde on the new album?

SB: Chrissie is a good friend of mine, so it was a special treat for me. She happened to be in New York when we were putting the finishing touches on the album, and she was able to come in and do her part on it.

C: Where were you when the idea for “Whatever It Takes” first took root?

SB: [Modern English’s] Ted Mason approached me at this event we were doing for women who can’t afford to get a mammogram, and he said he had this idea to do a world music album and that he needed someone with a strong point of view to be the front person, and to collaborate with him on the project. I basically said, sure give me a call, but I didn’t really expect to hear from him again, right? But he called the next day. We started working together on the ideas and the music. We wanted to do an album that was reflective of the end of the Bush era. And musically, it’s beautifully done, and it’s not so didactic that you can’t relate to it, it’s very lush and layered. I am very proud of it. When you’re not on a major label, it can be a challenge to promote the project, but it’s the kind of album that I think will stick around and have a very long life.

C: In an interview with the New York Times, you talked about the difference for you between singing on stage and doing comedy on stage. You said that with comedy “you are so exposed” and that you “feel sick with comedy, when you can’t make them laugh.” Do you still get stage fright right before you hit the stage, Sandra?

SB: You are standing on the edge when you are doing comedy, and there is nothing to back you up. It’s raw, you are out there, and you can’t retreat into music. You know, the moment when the music strikes up you have that protective shell that you can fall into, but with comedy you are bearing your soul. When I go on, I put myself in a heightened state, you have to. There is a little nervous energy that’s there, but I’d call it stage energy, not stage fright.

C: One thing I continue to be frightened of is Pat Robertson. What was your reaction when he claimed that the devastating earthquake in Haiti was the result of a pact that country had with the devil?

SB: This is the language they trade in. They’re idiots. Religion has co-opted the whole world. The only thing you can really get from religion is its spiritual essence. If you can tap in to that, you get something from it, but if you follow it verbatim you’re in trouble. Remember, religion and the Bible were written by man, and they’re really not applicable to where we are today.

C: Any words of advice on how to deal with the ultimate weapon of mass destruction, Sarah Palin?

SB: I think the best thing we can do is stop talking about her. I talked about her in my act, like, a year and a half ago. There is nothing about her that is rooting her to this earth. I have nothing good, nothing bad, nothing indifferent to say about her. Nothing is the answer.

C: Would you say your attitude has mellowed over the years?

SB: You can’t help but evolve as you grow. If I was the same person that I was when I was 19 and just starting out—well I would be very disappointed! I’ve had countless relationships since then, countless performances, and countless experiences. I’ve been with my girlfriend for over 10 years, now. My daughter is 11. We just got a puppy. Everything is more open for me now, and I am more excited by life. I focus on new friendships and new relationships with people, and I am just a more compassionate person. Or try to be.

C: Who are your muses? Who influences you, Sandra?

SB: The same people who influenced me when I starting out, from people in the music industry like The Stones, Tina Turner, Streisand, to Mary Tyler Moore and Catherine Deneuve. I draw from all worlds, from fashion, beauty, just anyone I encounter, especially if I notice something deeper inside them. As far as my day-to-day experience is concerned, my girlfriend inspires me, my daughter, my good friends, my creative collaborators. I am inspired by travel, and I love to experience history, beauty and mystery.

C: How do you unwind or relax after performing on stage?

SB: Sometimes I go back to my room and unwind and read, or watch TV and get a good night’s sleep. Taking care of myself has always been essential to me, especially in this environment which is so beat up, you have to supplement your life with quiet, solitude, peace. I just picked up this book while on vacation and it’s called Hit and Run, it’s about how Sony lost $3.2 billion by hiring John Peters and Peter Guber as co-chairmen. My girlfriend is a big reader and a writer, so I read her stuff.

In terms of TV shows, it’s more like I like to channel surf late at night. I’ll catch a little Rachel Maddow, I like to watch tennis, especially if Venus and Serena [Williams] are playing. Last night we were just watching Sea of Love, I love old movies. I like The Office, and Modern Love, although I can’t really watch TV during prime time because I don’t let my daughter watch TV on a school night.

C: As you probably know, Vanity Fair has recently published a collection of their most notable Proust Questionnaire celebrity responses, and the book features your responses to the questionnaire, which were originally published in the August 1999 issue of the magazine. At that time, you said your personal motto was: “Kiss ‘em, slap ‘em, send ‘em home.” Is that still your motto in 2010?

SB: Well, no, I am in a relationship with my girlfriend, who actually works at Vanity Fair, so obviously now my motto is “Kiss ‘em and go to sleep.”

Sandra Bernhard, Feb. 11—14, Lakeshore Theater, 3175 N. Broadway, 773-472-3492, $46