'MO - June 2008 - (Page 22)

cover story It’s About Life, It’s About Laughs Sandra Bernhard talks to ’mo about the reason she’s coming back to Seattle, the reason she’s dusting off a 20-year-old show, and the reason she isn’t going to be giving up performing anytime soon. Text by Bryan Ochalla Photos by William Baker Sandra Bernhard’s no stranger to Seattle. “I love Seattle,” the comedian, actress and author says. “It’s a city I’ve been coming to and performing in since the ‘70s. My brother lives there and I have a lot of friends there, so I always look forward to going back.” She’ll soon have a chance to reconnect with her family and friends—and fans—when she returns in late June for the inaugural “It’s About Life Expo.” The 53-year-old performer, who became a household name—and a life-long gay icon—with her one-woman, off-Broadway show, Without You I’m Nothing, in 1988, will be wiping the dust from that show when she takes the stage during the three-day event taking place June 20-22 at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center. ’mo: Has it been strange to go back in time and look at the show again? Sandra: It’s not like I just put it up on a shelf and ignored it until now. It’s very familiar to me. Plus, I performed it for six straight months (back in 1988), so it left an indelible mark in my memory. It’s been fun to go back to it, though, and look at where things were then compared to where they are now. ’mo: Is it true you’ve added a few things to the show? Sandra: I thought I was going to add more than I ended up adding, to tell you the truth. The show was so long to begin with, and I ended up deciding there was no real reason to add a bunch of new stuff. Also, I’m working on an entirely new show right now, so it didn’t make sense to add too much to this one. ’mo: While prepping for this interview, it was interesting for me to look back at that show, at what you were like during that time Sandra: I don’t think anything has changed for me as an artist. I’ve pretty much stayed on the same course over the years. I have the same view of the world, I have the same concern for where culture is headed—maybe even more so now that I’m a mother. I deﬁnitely wouldn’t say I’ve reinvented myself over the years. My work has evolved and I think I’ve grown as an artist and gotten better, but I don’t jump around from identity to identity—I’m always Sandra Bernhard, and what was true then is still true today: buckle up, because it’s going to be an intense ride. I don’t let anyone off the hook, including myself. ’mo: So fans don’t have to worry that you’ll tone down anytime soon? Sandra: No. Au contraire. ’mo: Some might say a good example of that is your appearance on The View a few years ago (her comments about Mariah Carey infuriated Star Jones and her comments about Laura Bush sent Elisabeth Hasselbeck into an She’s just another little blond who’s had it easy and is trying to speak up for all those disenfranchised Republican women of America. Get it together, lady! in your life. Thanks to YouTube, I got to watch you and your old buddy, Madonna, when you were on Late Night with David Letterman in 1988, and it struck me how things have changed for both of you over the years. You’re both mothers now [Bernhard’s daughter, Cicely Yasin, will be 10 in July], you’re both at or nearing the big 5-0, you’re both into Kabbalah—it seems like a lot has changed to an outsider like myself. Does it feel that way to you? angry rant). What was up with that? Sandra: Well, when someone says something political that’s completely misinformed, I’m going to jump in—and that’s what I did. It was when Elisabeth Hasselbeck was ﬁrst coming into her political sea legs—which were very wobbly and still are—and I thought, ‘Who is this chick? Shut up!’ She’s just another little blond who’s had it easy and is trying to speak up for all those disenfranchised Republican women of America. Get it together, lady! It’s About Sandra

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of 'MO - June 2008

'MO Seattle - June 2008 Contents Letter From The Editor Voices Instant Activist Pet Project: Do You Dream About Your Pet? ’mo-BIZ: Anne Levison, Co-owner of the Seattle Storm Legally Speaking: Real Estate Buying Basics The Things We Do: Getting “Out”doors this Summer Seattle Pride Events Calendar ’mo Magazine Interview with Sandra Bernhard Anatomy of a Myth Form & Function: Turn Up the Heat on Your Triceps Gay City: National HIV Testing Day San Francisco: If Gay Had a Headquarters Book Review: Chronicle of a Plague, Revisited by Andrew Holleran Augusten Burroughs Coming to Showtime Network Sex and the City Romances the Big Screen SceneOut: People@Places Capitol Hill Guide

'MO - June 2008

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