Comedian, actress, writer, singer and author Sandra Bernhard is a supreme badass any time she gets a microphone or pen in her hand. The camera loves her too, as she has been on an impressive number of TV shows and movies over the course of her 30-plus-year career.
But it’s the stage where the out entertainer shines brightest. Bernhard has a new show and album, “I Love Being Me, Don’t You?” that she is ready to take on the road. And, lucky us, Philadelphia is one of the first cities to host the edgy new brilliance and musical interludes she has up her sleeve when she performs Jan. 10-14 at Painted Bride Arts Center.
PGN managed to get a few minutes of conversation out of the busy and in-demand performer to find out what awaits the City of Brotherly Love when Bernhard roars into town.
PGN: What can your fans expect from your new show? SB: I think it’s just a wonderful mix of music and monologue and great observations and cultural references, theatrics and great stories. You know, everything I always do but updated to the minute and, as always, very personal.
PGN: If people were to catch more than one of your shows in Philadelphia, would they be the same show? SB: No. I try to … Well … I don’t try. It just happens. Like tonight, I usually end up improvising and adding things. So I try to do something unique every night.
PGN: What is the creative process for your shows like? SB: It’s kind of just endless. I may start a new show and then, a year later, that same show with the same title could be a completely different thing. As the months go by and I add material, they end up being kind of new by the end of it all.
PGN: Does having such a fluid show keep the musicians who back you on their toes? SB: The music pretty much stays the same. I’m talking more about the material. Over a certain amount of time, I might add a song but, from night to night, the music stays the same because that’s something that has to be together.
PGN: Does the current political and social climate factor into your new material at all? SB: Absolutely. How could it not? Being a sentient person who is involved in the world and deeply concerned about it, there’s no way you can’t include it.
PGN: Are there any areas of pop culture that you think you are above wanting to know about? SB: It’s not about being above [it]. Intellectually, there are things I don’t want to waste my time on. A lot of the reality television and things that used to be referred to as the History Channel is now “Ice Road Truckers.” All that kind of trash doesn’t appeal to me, but I guess it appeals to somebody.
PGN: Have you ever been approached to do a reality-TV show? SB: Oh sure, many times. And I’ve managed to turn them down every time. PGN: What musician or artist would your fans be most surprised to find out you are a fan of? SB: Gee, I don’t know. I just added a new song into my show here by Neil Sedaka. My fans, they would be surprised to learn I’m a Neil Sedaka fan.
PGN: What is the most exotic place being a performer has allowed you to go? SB: I don’t think it’s been in conjunction with my performance but just in general the most exotic place I go to and have been to a few times is Morocco, just because I can go there. I guess my career has afforded me to be able to go there but it’s not because I perform there. But who knows? Maybe someday I’ll perform in Morocco.
PGN: How long can you go without being on stage before you are itching to get back on? SB: Probably a month or something. Six weeks.
PGN: Do you keep up with the comedy scene in the United States? SB: I’m not that familiar with the comedy scene anywhere else. I think a lot of really fun new people have come up through the ranks. A lot of the ladies are really great. They are some of the best: Kristen Wiig and all the ladies from “Bridesmaids” are really funny.
PGN: Do you feel that comedians are more scrutinized for what they say on stage these days and, if so, do you have a problem with it? SB: I think there’s an immediacy to it. Definitely people pick up on it because of the Internet. I think things that would have gone under the radar 10 or 15 years ago just end up places because they are filling space. So if you say something a little bit controversial, it might just show up and they might make a bigger deal out of it than was ever intended.
PGN: Do you think comedians like Tracy Morgan should be taken to task for the things they say on stage? SB: Yes and no. I think a lot of times people say things on stage to a certain audience and a lot of it is a throwaway. I didn’t see it. I didn’t follow it. I’m not particularly a fan of his. So it didn’t have any impact on me. I find him kind of dull. But I’m a huge fan of Paul Mooney. He discovered me and Paul has said some very controversial stuff. Very smart. But just to say stuff to be shocking and not because it’s backed up with some real depth and dimension, you should be taken to task just because you’re not a very good performer.
PGN: How are your newer/younger fans discovering you? SB: Probably through social media, for sure. I Twitter quite a bit and a lot of people that didn’t know the range of my work have discovered it through there.
PGN: Do you ever get approached by younger performers looking for advice? SB: Oh yes, all the time. It’s very nice and flattering. I tell them to get out of the business. No, I’m just kidding. I tell them you have to roll up your sleeves and just do it. The most important thing for any performer is to have your own point of view, and that’s the hardest thing to find.
PGN: Does anything surprise or shock you anymore in the entertainment world? SB: Only when it’s something really good. I was surprised and delighted by Lady Gaga’s Thanksgiving special. That was cool. She did a real special and she managed to weave in all these aspects that were very surprising. When it’s a positive thing, I think it’s more surprising than when it’s a negative thing.
PGN: Are you currently working on any new film or TV projects? SB: I’m writing a TV pilot for myself and Lisa Lampanelli. Hopefully that will be done this month and we go out and pitch it in California.
PGN: For a project like this, are you aiming for mainstream television? SB: Yeah, it’s definitely written for network. Not that it couldn’t end up on cable but it’s written for network. We’ll see if they want it.
PGN: Is that more of a sign that your writing is going toward the mainstream or is it a sign that mainstream television is looking for something more edgy? SB: It’s a combination. I can be mainstream. I’ve done all manner of TV shows. As an actress, I think I can do that. But I think as a performer, people want things that are more out there. It’s easy to write something mainstream for Lisa and me because it’s just a straight-ahead idea.
Sandra Bernhard performs “I Love Being Me, Don’t You?” Jan. 10-14 at Painted Bride Arts Center, 230 Vine St. For more information or tickets, visit www.sandra-bernhard.com or call 215-925-9914.