Justin Vivian Bond returns to UK stage in ‘Sex With Strangers’ – a tribute to Marianne Faithfull
"I once saw a queen mixing her and her boyfriend’s sh*t together"
New York queer cabaret royalty returned to our shores when Justin Vivian Bond joined long-time collaborator Kenny Mellman on a UK stage for the first time since 2007 with Kiki & Herb are Trying! at the Soho Theatre Walthamstow last week. Those lucky enough to have experienced the sheer devilish delight that is an unhinged Kiki’s recollections of a somewhat dubious past will know the return was long overdue. This week, from 11–12 July, Bond returns with solo show ‘Sex with Strangers‘, an extraordinary tribute to the late artist, muse and survivor Marianne Faithfull. “When I was 16 years old, I heard Marianne Faithfull’s, ‘Broken English’ on my parents’ car radio, and my world changed,” they say. “She had impeccable taste in music and her brilliant songwriting reflected the hard-earned wisdom, magic, honesty and sensuousness that bore witness to a lifetime of journeying toward self-knowledge.”
Three words that sum you up for the uninitiated…
Silly, sassy, smart. I just went with alliteration. You could also add insouciant, too, because I really don’t give a shit.
Most unexpected career high?
Anytime I get to perform with or for one of my idols blows my mind.
Best advice you’ve been given?
Mother Flawless Sabrina told me I shouldn’t be afraid of moving into larger venues because I owed it to myself to discover how large my audience is.
And worst?
I was told to “butch up” by my professors when I was in college. I went to a gym for the first time and hooked up with a hot South American dude, so I made the most of a bad situation. Never went back, though. I don’t exercise.
What’s your happy place?
Oysters and cocktails with my besties at the bar around the corner.
What deserves to be banished forever?
Most of the -isms. But I think I’d begin with misogyny.
One thing younger queers won’t ever understand?
The annoyance of a “busy signal” when you’re trying to call somebody.
Your weirdest gig?
Kiki and Herb once did a benefit for a trans woman to have her balls cut off, freeze-dried, and turned into hacky sacks [bean bags].
Most unhinged fan interaction?
After a show once, this army soldier knocked on my dressing room door, and I asked him to unhook my bustier. Things got a little wild after that.
The wildest thing you’ve ever seen backstage?
I once saw a queen mixing her and her boyfriend’s shit together to eat as her talent in a beauty contest. I gave her some breath mints before the interview section.
Hopes for the future?
I hope people will start being nicer to each other. Fake nice is fine, by the way. Be evil behind my back, thanks.
What would you have as your epitaph?
I want to be buried under a big leafy tree with a plaque that says, “Here lies Justin Vivian Bond, Forever Shady.”
Justin Vivian Bond on…
Their trans journey
I think the most liberating moment was when I realised I wasn’t a woman trapped in a man’s body but that I was a person trapped in other people’s expectations of what I should be.
Creating Kiki
Much like today, it was during a very dark time for the trans/queer community, and I was very young. I decided to create a boozy, funny, much older, “been there, seen that” type of character so I could address all the fucked-up shit going on in the world without sounding too earnest. It worked.
Justin Vivian picks their top-three entertainers
David Hoyle
The world’s greatest living entertainer. Period!
Marianne Faithfull and Nina Simone
Joint second! Their music meshes seamlessly with the lives they lived.
Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette
This French artist was one of the original multi-hyphenates. Known primarily as a writer, she was also an actress, a painter and a mime. Like me, she refused to be categorised. Also, her books about female desire were subversive and revolutionary, and sexy af.
Sex with Strangers’ with Justin Vivian Bond is at Soho Theatre Walthamstow on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 June, click here to get your tickets.