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Sandra Monica Blvd. Pulls In to the Carpenter Center As Sandra Bernhard Attacks the Stage
By Karel (Charles Karel Bouley II)
sandrabernhard - photo credit Maro Hagopian, SiriusXM Radio -7138 smaller versionI now officially can’t count the times I’ve interviewed Sandra Berhard for various radio shows or publications. And each and every time I do, we are both at different places in our lives and the country is usually in some unique situation as well. But that doesn’t often phase this dynamo who maintains a monthly tour schedule, as well as Sandyland radio show on Sirius XM, modeling for people like Marc Jacobs and generally being the beloved New York-based art icon that she is. But she’s also a mom, a woman, an entertainer and an American. And it’s THAT she likes to talk about.
“Well, the whirlwind cavalcade this time will roll in to Long Beach and spread lots of joy, love, happiness and hopefully some laughs,” she begins this time, talking to me for my daily Karel Cast radio show and GED Magazine.
That sounds very generic, I say, after all, we are in the era of Trump, surely she’s going to go THERE.
“Oh, why, for the love of God, aren’t you just sick to death of it all,” she continued. “Truly, isn’t that why you go to a show like mine, to forget about it, laugh at it, to be reminded of just being human and the things that happen in every day life. Those are the fun things, the funny things, the things to think and laugh about.”
And she should know. In 1988 her one woman show “Without You I’m Nothing” played off Broadway for six months. She began in the Los Angeles comedy scene of the 1970s, and she hasn’t stopped working since. Often as infamous and famous, she is a unique champion of equality, dignity, boldness and sheer fabulosity. I once saw her change on stage, her entire wardrobe there, and when she broke in the sequined tribute to Sylvester nearly lost my mind. Over the years she’s made us laugh, think, get pissed off, and sometimes just go , “Hmmm…”
“There’s so much that flies at us at the speed of light these days, it can get hard to remember it’s all so simple sometimes. Especially in comedy and performing. It’s a great place to be, to explore, to challenge but it also needs to be relevant and entertaining. I hope this show in particular delivers, I really think it does.
Sandra Monica Blvd. Coast to Coast is the latest incarnation of a performer who is always doing something: performing live; writing books (she’s written three); recording live albums of her shows and traveling the world.
Her daughter, Cicely Yasin Berhard, is still a constant joy of Bernhard’s life, but, “she’s grown now, she’s on her own. We gave her all we could, raised her to think for herself, how to deal with the constant barrage of the world, at least we hope, right? But being a mom certainly does change you, and it’s those kinds of experiences that I find far more interesting than a lot of today’s issues,” she added.
Enduring, fun, funny, serious, outrageous, bold, strong, sexy…Berhard can channel what she needs whenever she needs it, which is why she’s survived in a very rough business. She’s reinvented in the new decades, revamped, retuned, expanded (satellite radio, stage, screen, books, almost every medium) and has even joined social media.
“Although, I don’t give a lot of things away on social media, you know? Why let others make money off you or take your art, your work, for free. I don’t understand performers who just give it all away on Facebook or Twitter or wherever. I still like people to come see me and have fun with me in person, so, please, do!”
Yes, do, this Saturday the 16th at the Carpenter Center for the Arts or whenever Sandra Monica Blvd. Coast To Coast pulls in to your town.
To hear Karel interview Sandra go to The Karel Cast at ReallyKarel.com and be sure to watch his weekly cable TV, online and Revry show, Karel: Life In Segments at LifeInSegments.com email feedback@reallykarel.com @reallykarel twitter and facebook.com/realkarel

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