by
Max Steele
04-May-11

Some stars are so far away that we see their light only after they've burnt out, many light-years and galaxies away. Some stars are close enough to warm the Earth with their radiation, and pull us into their gravitational fields. Some stars live right here in New York City. Bridget Everett is a bonafide New York City star. Her nightclub appearances and karaoke heists have garnered her a cult following, and her show, At Least It's Pink with Kenny Mellman at Ars Nova made her a legend. You can also bask in her glory at Our Hit Parade, the smash hit cabaret series she hosts regularly at Joe's Pub. The powerfully talented singer took some time out of her busy schedule to shed some light on herself.
Bridget Everett photographed for EVB by David Kimelman

Max Steele: Let's start at the top. What's the first thing you thought when you woke up this morning?
Bridget Everett: Am I gonna not clean my room or not go to the gym today?
Max: When you're in the VIP lounge at the airport, hobnobbing with other celebutantes, how do you describe what you do to someone woefully ignorant of your body of work?
Bridget: [laughs] Girl, I can't afford to fly! But whenever anybody asks what I do, I just say I’m a singer. I still can't figure it out. All I know is when my mom told me the arts council from my hometown wanted me and Kenny Mellman to come do a show, I said no. I didn't want anyone to burn a cross in her yard.

Max: So Bridget, you're a true triple threat: actress, singer and dancer. Let's talk about your formal training. How long and where did you study to hone your skills?
Bridget: My friend Murray Hill says that I'm not a triple threat, I'm just threatening, but thank you. I actually studied vocal performance (opera) at Arizona State. I’m happy for the training and love that kind of music, but I didn't have the discipline to lead that lifestyle. Plus, too many turtlenecks in that crowd.
Max: I want to know about how you apply this training/technique to what you do now. Your sense of humor is so irreverent, but you're a serious singer. Did you always know you wanted to do this kind of comedic performance? At what point did you realize that the classical music lifestyle wasn't for you?
Bridget: Well, I know the importance of taking care of my voice. It's crucial. Especially the way I sing. I don't want to end up like Whitney. I stumbled into this kind of performance style. When I moved here, I only knew that I wanted to sing. I started going to see Kiki and Herb, Murray Hill, Sweetie - lots of downtown performers who blew my mind. Then one day Kenny heard me singing at a karaoke bar and asked me to sing with him at Starlight. That’s how it all started!

Max: Bach had the piano, Picasso had the paintbrush. What is your personal indispensable tool?
Bridget: Chardonnay, girl.
Max: Speaking of chardonnay, on your hilarious twitter feed you mentioned a 'Chardonnay Shocker' – what is that?
Bridget: The Chardonnay Shocker is when you wake up way too early because of all the sugar and can't go back to sleep. So then you're lying in bed reading blogs and watching porn and nothing can lull you back to sleep. Brutal.
Max: I heard that you have a knack for designing unique cocktail recipes.
Bridget: Yeah, as a longtime food service employee/connoisseur of delicious things I have been known to come up with a few cocktail recipes. There's a drink called the 'Copy This' that I designed. You can only get it at Planet Sushi on the Upper West Side. Equal parts plum sake, regular sake and vodka. Ice and lemon on the side. Assemble with chopsticks so as not to bruise the alcohol. It works.


Max: What kind of warm-ups or special rituals do you do before performing?
Bridget: I don't fuck around when it comes to that. My old roommate Jonjon Battles could tell you that! My shows can be reckless but I have to take care of my voice. I consider myself a singer before anything else. I always take a nap, then I get in the tub and tell myself stories. After that, I vocalize and do some stretching. If I’m doing Joe’s Pub, I always go to Indochine for their Vietnamese coffee (p.s. the bartender is hot). That's about it, except for some stretching. I’m not a flexible girl and I always wake up with sore muscles and/or bruises. Sadly, not from getting laid, which consequently has never happened after a show unless it's with someone I was already seeing. Life isn't fair. Anyway, in the early days, I used to lose my voice a lot, and when that happened it would get really dark in my brain.
Max: I'm curious about the telling yourself stories in the tub. Like, rehearsing monologues? What stories? What kind of bubble bath do you use?
Bridget: I use whatever bubble bath is on sale but I like Mr. Bubbles or whatever that stuff in the pink bottle is called. And yeah, when I write a story, it's pretty much just an outline, so when I’m in the tub before a show, I review the facts and pray that it all comes out on stage. Plus, it somehow feels very glam to be in a bubble bath and it makes me feel like a lady - and that's saying something.
Max: Tell me about your writing process. When you're putting together a performance, how much of what the audience gets is improvised and how much of it is scripted?
Bridget: I worked on a show with Michael Patrick King who told me that whenever I say something or think of something funny I should write it down and that's what I do. I keep a notebook or record ideas on my phone, then I sit in the bathtub and play around with those stories until I get an idea of what I want to say. After that, I hit the stage and hope for the best. It’s largely improvised. I have a horrible memory and drink enough that I’m just lucky to remember the words to a song.
Max: What's one lesson your mother taught you?
Bridget: She taught me every lesson! I constantly quote her. My favorite is, "Always eat something before you go out to dinner so you don't embarrass yourself." My mother is probably the funniest person I know, but it's never on purpose.
Max: In high school yearbooks, there's always a 'Class Clown' a 'Most Likely To Succeed' and 'Most Popular'. What was your high school title?
Bridget: I won a few, but 'Most Likely to Win an Academy Award' is the most hilarious. I took serious pride in 'Most Typical Senior'.
Max: What was your style in high school? What are you gonna wear the night you accept that first Oscar?
Bridget: I basically stuck to Levi's and boat shoes, but I would occasionally make a splash with some of my brother's WilliWear hand-me-downs. Now I’ve evolved into a more elegant House of Deréon look. But if I make it to the Oscars, I would definitely wear the house of Larréon. My friend Larry Krone has started making me one-of-a-kind dresses that are magic. A recent fave is the pussy dress - sort of inspired by my mom and Little Richard.
Max: Tell me a little bit about Our Hit Parade, the series you do at Joe's Pub with Kenny Mellman and Neal Medlyn. How did that come about?
Bridget: Kenny and Neal were upstate hanging out with Neal’s father in law, Peter Schjeldahl, Kenny’s partner Brendan Kennedy and Neal’s wife Ada Calhoun. Collectively they came up with the idea for doing it. Then they asked me to join. So happy they did. Not just because the people that do Our Hit Parade have become like a great big family but also because it's like boot camp. The show is a great exercise for staying on your toes. I love it.
Max: How did you come to work with Ad-Rock from Beastie Boys?
Bridget: We're on a softball team together - also with Murray Hill and Neal Medlyn. I told him I had just booked a solo show at Joe’s and he said, "Well, if you need someone for your band," and I was like "really?" and so I asked him and he said yes. Pretty crazy. I love working with him. In fact, all the guys in my band are pretty amazing.
Max: You seem to really connect with people when you're performing. How important is audience participation at your shows?
Bridget: Well, it's everything. I think of the whole night as a conversation. The more I feel like I can trust the audience, the further I’ll go. Plus it's cheaper than therapy.
Max: What has been the best audience interaction of the last year?
Bridget: My friends John and Bill have been together for over 50 years. I knew they were coming to a show and wanted to dedicate my favorite love song to them, 'That's All'. Bill took my hand at the end and it was one of the most special moments I’ve ever had on stage.
Max: The worst?
Bridget: Probably the night I did a show with the flu. I mixed milk and chardonnay while telling a story and it looked like, well, let's just say it curdled.
Max: You're known to inspire a cult-like devotion among your fans. Tell me about getting recognized offstage.
Bridget: People are super cool and kind and I’m grateful to have fans. Even if it’s when I’m at my day job, which can feel humiliating.
Max: What do you have to say about Gwyneth Paltrow?
Bridget: There are people in this world that enjoy happy hour and there are people that don't. She's a don't. That's all I’m prepared to say at this time.
Max: When you're finally on VH1 Divas, what will you have in your dressing room?
Bridget: I’m simple. Chardonnay, a bottle of water and 30 Rock's Dot Com.
Max: What is one thing you did not believe in before but you have found to be true?
Bridget: That you can be whatever you want to be when you grow up.
Bridget Everett and The Tender Moments will be performing at Joe’s Pub, Thursday, May 12
Our Hit Parade will be at Joe’s Pub, Wednesday, May 25


























