Getting Real with Sandra Bernhard

Sandra Bernhard will be performing @ The Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, CA, May 1.

veteran actress who earned her chops playing opposite of Robert De Niro in 1983’s The King of Comedy, directed by Martin Scorsese, Sandra Bernhard is a marvel on the big screen (she was nominated for an award over her scintillating portrayal of the evil Minerva Mayflower opposite of action-star Bruce Willis in the epic comedy film Hudson Hawk) or the small one. Her iconic portrayal of Nancy Bartlett on the groundbreaking, award-winning Roseanne is one of the reasons the sitcom won everything from an Emmy to a Peabody. 

Sandra Bernhard plays Darlene Linetti on Brooklyn Nine-Nine—a sitcom about the lives of a fictional precinct within the New York City Police Department—Bernhard is a mother to one of the detectives on the show, and her performance and delivery are perfect for the blend of romance and wit the character encounters throughout the series. Several seasons later, the show’s chemistry is certainly successful, largely because of the unique comic performance that Bernhard adds to the mix.

Previous to the success of Fox’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine, ABC Family’s Switched at Birth (another show she soars in), CBS’s 2 Broke Girls and FX’s You’re the Worst, Bernhard was making them laugh for money at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles, California, where she socialized with show business gods that still affect the scene to this day like Richard Pryor and Paul Mooney. Hard work and big laughs paid off for Bernhard, which is how she ended up on The Richard Pryor Show long before network television had a right to be that cool. Bernhard went on to act in other legendary shows such as Law & Order: SVU, Will & Grace, The Sopranos, The L Word and Ally McBeal.

Anyone with the right instincts can write a joke. It takes real talent to do all that and still have a mind that makes music. Bernhard is more than capable of hilarious stand-up comedy, but her shows also feature singing, dancing and live, original music. She’s composed more than a dozen albums, including the genre-breaking LP’s I’m Your Woman and Whatever it Takes. Bernhard is also an accomplished author who has written several books including Confessions of a Pretty Lady and Love, Love and Love. 

Her latest live personal production, Sandra Bernhard Is #Blessed, is a perfect example of the original chemistry this Renaissance woman is capable of. A genius concoction comprised of equal parts musical performance and comedic social commentary, the show has already been praised by critics throughout America to Australia as being the ideal set for fans who like to see the truth told in raucous style by a virago that is as vicious as she is vivacious. While the scripted part of the 70-minute show (which also stars her personal band, The Flawless Zircons) is the reason to go, the impromptu wordplay is what makes each evening so unique. Bernhard has the brass to interact with audience in a spontaneous manner that rivals the abilities of any of her previous co-stars. 

CULTURE was fortunate enough to speak with Bernhard. How did a beautiful, young Jewish girl from Flint, Michigan end up being one of the mightiest queens of modern comedy and beyond? Bernhard was nice enough to give us her personal take on life, happiness and the pursuit of liberty.

“Your work is your work. Your life changes, your observations change. Your internal mechanisms change . . . Every day, life is just flipping the cards and seeing something else with what you just got. You have to keep moving.”

Since you are obviously one of the most brilliant comedians of all time, in your opinion, how is the profession of stand-up comedy doing right now? Totally awesome or needs improvement?

I think there are a lot more opportunities and outlets to practice stand-up comedy than when I first got started. Back then, you just wanted to get a chance to perform. Now, there are almost too many people doing stand-up comedy. There’s a point where so many comedians are talking about the same things that it can get redundant. I am lucky I have a very rich personal life and my unique take on the world. I try to stay away from observing or watching other comedians. It becomes derivative unless you have a fresh take on the world. There are so many people out there talking about the same things. I try to stay away and travel the world and have experiences so I can talk about something new.

The next presidential election is going to probably be a fight between Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton. What do you think of that? It seems as if no matter who wins, there will be plenty of opportunities to make jokes about the candidates, the election and the eventual winner.

Well I think it’s unfortunate that nobody really new like Obama has come along. Somebody who has a different vision for the world, instead of something we’ve all seen before. The ones we’ve had aren’t working for a certain extent. I love Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. But people aren’t willing to see the machinery for how it works, so they don’t know who they should really be voting for. I’m sure it will be Hillary Clinton. I hope so. There is no doubt in my mind that Jeb Bush has no pluses whatsoever. I hope Hillary can break out of the mold and promise something different.

What do you think of cannabis? Is it the devil’s vegetable, or is it wonderful indeed?

I think that it is important that [cannabis] is legal. I think kids shouldn’t be arrested or thrown in jail for it. I don’t use drugs at all, including cannabis. If you are a casual drinker or a casual smoker, that’s fine. It should be legal, but people should get their shit together without [recreational] drugs. I think life is a series of challenges, and that means you have to rise up to the occasion without a crutch. 

You’ve done stand-up comedy, and you’ve done network television. You are great at both, but which is the most challenging to pull off successfully?

Well, they are totally different mediums. I just got done shooting episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Switched at Birth, and I had a lot of fun. In television, it’s a collaborative effort. When it’s live and your own work, you can work on your timeframe. They are both different disciplines. They both have merits. Anything self-propelled and creative is a discipline. That’s just the nature of performance. Maybe it takes more discipline to do stand-up because you are on your own.

You were on the hit ABC television show Switched at Birth. What was it like performing that kind of family-oriented material?

I did four or five episodes. It was a little more dramatic than Brooklyn Nine-Nine or 2 Broke Girls, so the character I played had more serious personal life. Yeah, I thought that it was cool. There are so many great, smaller shows. As an actor you adjust to whatever you are given. My character had a lot of personality, so I enjoyed the experience.

You’ve been on a lot of hit sitcoms, but I’ve noticed that the two you are on right now still seem very different than one another in terms of comedy. Brooklyn Nine-Nine seems more absurd and yet slightly plausible, like Hudson Hawk (1991), which you were also in. They are both different. For instance, one is filmed before a live studio audience. 

“I think that it is important that [cannabis] is legal.” 

2 Broke Girls is more of a traditional sitcom. That has a consistent storyline, while Brooklyn Nine-Nine is much more modern and crazy. It’s a little more offbeat. Similar to Hudson Hawk. That’s a very good comparison. It is also a lot of fun because I get to work with Adam Sandberg and all of the other great people on the show. It also has a lot more improv comedy. 

Your latest stand-up comedy creation is entitled Sandra Bernhard is #Blessed. Where did you get that title? What are you saying to the world, this time?

I got it from the absurdity of social media. I thought it was the silliest idea in the world for a hashtag. It was just a spoof on the idea. I’m saying the same thing as a lot of my works . . . life is bizarre, life is an opportunity. It’s a chance to travel with me, to journey with me and my life. There are some humorous moments. There are serious ones. My work is edgy, demanding, sophisticated. You are signing on to take a journey with me. I sing, I have my band, I interweave music with everything. It’s big, fun, and it’s very me, but I wouldn’t classify it as just pure stand-up comedy. My show has music, humor and critical commentary, so it’s more than just stand up. I didn’t really try to be just a stand-up comic. I just used that world to launch my career. I eventually incorporated my music into it. I wanted to break out and do something bigger. My show is more sophisticated. 

Now that you are a mother with a teenage daughter, has your approach to stand-up comedy changed?

It hasn’t. Your work is your work. Your life changes, your observations change. Your internal mechanisms change. There are certain things I wouldn’t do or talk about because I’ve already talked about it. There are always new portions of life to talk about. Every day life is just flipping the cards and seeing something else with what you just got. You have to keep moving. But I still do comedy the same way.

“Life is bizarre, life is an opportunity.”

What is your veteran advice to performers who are just getting started?

My message has always been stand on your own two feet. Respect yourself. Find your center. Always be able to rely on that. This is my message for everybody. Get to know yourself before you know other people. When you start out and you are young, you borrow from different people, but later on you have to be yourself to be successful. 

For more information, head to www.sandrabernhard.com