MS: When I searched databases for past articles and interviews about you, peer-reviewed academic journal articles popped up. Of the following three titles, which one you would be most likely to read? 1. “The Mouth that Launched a Thousand Rifts: Sandra Bernhard's Politics of Irony.”

 

SB: Ooooh.

 

MS: 2. “‘Without You I'm Nothing': Sandra Bernhard's Self-referential Postmodernism.” 3. “Trans/positioning the (Drag?) King of Comedy: Bisexuality and Queer Jewish Space in the Works of Sandra Bernhard.”

 

SB: I’d probably go with the first one—I think that sounds engaging. I’ve been told over the years that people have written theses [about me], and that I’ve been a topic of discussion in classes about post-modern feminism, but I’d never go read them because I just don’t think it’s a good thing to do to yourself, any more than I would read 99% of the reviews or interviews that come out in general because, you know, I give the information, I try to be honest and always keep things creative and fresh—that’s my job. And if somebody admires that, and takes things out of it that are intellectual, I’m of course delighted and honored.

 

But I will read reviews that I am hoping are going to be good only because they’re important for my longevity as a performer and making sure people are reminded of what I do. The Stephen Holden review of my last show at Joe’s Pub was very important to me, and I was nervous about it because he’s given me mixed reviews over the years—usually good, but sometimes not good—so this was, you know, important. Of course, it feels good to get a good review, especially in New York or Los Angeles or San Francisco where I have my constant audience. You know, the years go by, and if people aren’t reminded every couple years about what you’re doing and that you’re keeping it original and not just, like you said, phoning it in, they tend to just think, ‘Oh, she’s just gonna do that again,’ but I always try to surprise and do something like I did in San Francisco that night.