Sandra Bernhard

Sandra Bernhard is #Blessed

By Charles R. Bouley II

Friday, May 1st, 2015 found Sandra Bernhard was in her element. She was doing her new show, Sandra Bernhard Is #Blessed in San Francisco at the Regency Ballroom. The show is part burlesque, part rock-n-roll, part comedy and skits and all Bernhard. She’s been an entertainment icon since the 1970s, breaking barriers, kicking down doors and taking names along the way. She is, as Madonna has sung, an unapologetic bitch, but in the best ways.

When I caught up with her I had just seen Furious 7 and mentioned whenever I hear about talented young men or women gone too soon, I am immediately brought back to the 1980s and AIDS. So many talented individuals died before their stars could shine fully.

“Yes, we lived that Holocaust, and yes, it is always sad. It was devastating then, especially in New York, but even now, it’s always a loss,” she commented “But as for people forgetting, or not remembering, I think in some ways you always remember but you move on, you move through, you live,” she continued

Observing life, and commenting on it, has been a staple for this dynamo.   Bernhard is also currently guest-starring on several episodes of the hot CBS Television series Two Broke Girls, with her first episode airing on March 30^th. She also appeared on episodes of the Fox Television series Brooklyn Nine-Nine this past year.

“Ya, that TV is all fine, it’s great and I’ve always loved it, but you have to, you must come out and see a show live. Get out of the house, get away from the gadgets, put down the phone, the pad, turn off the TV and go see a show live,” she continued. “There’s nothing like that exchange of energy, that play, that give and take.”

A mother to a teenage daughter the hashtag is more ironic than a nod to social media.

“Everyone today is hashtag something, Jesus Christ, I mean, really?,” she laughed. “And they’re all so frickin’ blessed. They post about their lives and they have to say they’re blessed, so I thought why not take that on. Why not explore what it is to be #blessed in today’s world,” she added.

As for her, she’s very careful online. When I talk about Periscope, the new app that lets anyone go live, she balks.

“A lot of people put their stuff out there for free, I’m not really in the habit of giving my shit away,” she laughed. “I mean truly, I’m an entertainer and the game keeps changing. The way we make money is live, in person, where we can speak to the people directly, connect.” she continued. “And sure I embrace online, you have to, but I also need to remember that entertaining is a business and the people in it aren’t doing it for a hobby or to kill time at a Paris cafe over a glass of wine and chat with strangers…”

As for her daughter, “no, not very much TV, iPhones, iPads and all of that. She’s never really been in to it except to find out things, to use it as a learning tool, you know, like it could be,” she laughed.

Bernhard has survived in this business for 40 years and shows no signs of slowing down.  She’s touring with the new show, still doing TV, and always looking for more. She’s remained brash, in the face, and always honest to the bone.

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