I have been a fan ever since you got bit by that monkey on the old letterman show.
Stop! Wasn’t that weird? That kind of TV doesn’t happen anymore. Primates nibbling on guests, you don’t see that these days.
Have you been slaving away on this show for a while?
Yes and no. We did three months in New York, and are now going on the road for a few stops.
Excited to come back to Philadelphia?
I adore Philly. Philly is plugged into the cosmic consciousness of coolness. Such a hip, laid back town. I was there for the Gay and Lesbian film festival, to kinda schmooze the crowd and I had a great time.
What can we expect from Everything Bad & Beautiful?
It’s a really mixed bag, anecdotal material, pulp culture, stand-up…all blended in operatic style. I think of my work as a pop rock opera. It’s my own version of a musical. Musical comedy was a huge influence on me. But the whole genre hit the wall and it needed to be deconstructed.
You love playing live, right?
I am always going to perform live. It never grows stale. There is always another layer of the onion to peel away. I find something worthy in every performance. Especially in this tawdry cheap consumer culture that we live in where fame is such a worthless commodity.
Fame is worthless?
Fame has been reborn as infamy, and anyone can be infamous. People are infamous for being talent less and tactless. But do they ever really make an impression? Do they uplift society? No.
Are you referring to the Hiltons and Ritchies of the world?
Not specifically. Our muses have become tawdrier. The people who inspire the creative people area vapid and shallow. It’s a deep-rooted problem.
Who are your muses? Who influences Sandra?
Carol Channing. Mary Tyler Moore, Lily Tomlin, Bette Midler, Stevie Nicks, Dusty Springfield, the list is kind of endless. It’s musical comedy back to musical. Anyone with a real original style, anyone who can be emulated not duplicated.
Can you be emulated?
Certainly, I have emulatable elements, that’s what is fun about my work. But I am an original entity.
Amen! If you had to choose between theater, television, singing, or comedy…
It would be almost impossible. Being a Gemini, I’m mercurial. I go back and forth between television and film, to doing my own work, writing and performing and singing. I get off from all of it.
Good lord, you are a busy girl.
I’m a whirling dervish, constantly moving and never at rest.
And you have a family at home too.
Oh yeah, sweetie. I oversee the daughter. I come home, I do the laundry, I sweep and I clean, all the glamorous behind the scenes mommy stuff.
How does a super-woman do it?
My girlfriend is a pillar of strength. We have a tight communication system.
How do you relax?
I hang out with my friends. Spend time with my mom. My daughter and girlfriend ground me.
And your good friend President George W.
I say get that bastard out of office, and let the people of the world go back to their lives. If you study and understand ancient history of the Middle East, the cultural growth and problems over the last hundred of years, and then listen to what this imbecile tells us…It’s hideous. We are over there for reasons that are hidden from the average person…We just need to get the fuck out of there. It’s too bad – the whole thing is a fucking mess.
Do performers have a responsibility to be vocal about political issues?
I think if you are a really powerful person, or your work generates that kind of power, you have that responsibility. So yes, you should be vocal, and there are ways of coming across without sounding too strident and didactic.
Has your attitude mellowed over the years?
My daughter has deepened my sense of self. Being in a great relationship for years, I am more appreciative of life’s little joys. As you go along the path in life, you learn what to appreciate. I haven’t lost my fire or passion, but I have a deeper sense of purpose.
Whenever I am feeling blue, I play the video of you on The View. That was really something!
Wasn’t it? I just went on there to do my shtick, and it became this national controversy. I just went in to do a freaking interview. I made some jokes, and this chick started freaking out on my ass. I couldn’t believe it. I was not jumping in a swamp of bullshit with this girl.
But it was soooo funny.
I am glad it got some play.
What else have you been up to?
Just did an episode of Las Vegas, which was awesome. And I shot a cameo on The New Adventures of Old Christine. I’ve been pitching a variety show to several networks. I would love to do some action/adventure meets European old school kind of film. Someplace where I can be funny, cool and seduce people, then kill them dramatically.
What do you watch on television?
My fave show is hands down Friday Night Lights. I love the way it’s filmed. It’s the sexiest show. The coach and shi wife are both hot. It captures a slice of America that I find fascinating. I TiVo it and watch every week.
What’s on the iPod right now?
Belinda Carlisle’s new album. It’s all in French and fantastic. She’s an old friend of mine.
originally published in HX Philadelphia by Matthew Ray