GAYLETTER

Bridget Everett is starring in a brand new theatrical event ‘Rock Bottom‘ which is part of Joe’s Pub‘s New York Voices series. It’s her first major show since 2007 and it’s “written by Everett with Tony-winning writing duo Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman and Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys…” We have been a fan of the wild performer for a while now and finally had a chance to have a lovely conversation with her about what to expect from her latest show, which prez she’d sleep with, big penises, motorboating, chardonnay, being a feminist and having fun while pulling her tits out.
 

Who inspired you growing up? My mom is super funny and crazy, first her, then the standard; Lucille Ball, Richard Pryor, John Belushi. I like crazy people. My mom is a little crazy, she is the original crazy and from there that’s my comfort level — being around crazy people.
 

 
Does your fire come from your mother? Yeah, I think so, that and a little chardonnay and desperation mixed in.
 

 
Do you consider yourself a feminist? Yeah, totally. A different kind of feminist maybe than some, but you can’t really define it, you can’t say that a feminist is really one thing. I definitely feel empowered as a woman, mostly when I am on stage, I can do whatever the fuck I want, that’s part of being a feminist, doing exactly what you want.
 

 
I think that’s one of the things we love about your performances…

Who would you rather have an affair with, Bill or Barack? Bill, I used to be exclusively black, but now I am into other things — Bill is not creepy, but he is a little dirty. I think Barack would be up and down missionary and Bill would be a freak.
 

So you were really into interracial then? for a time, now I sort of welcome all members…
 

Barbara Walters told me to ask you this question: Have you had an affair or dated a lady? I haven’t, I’ve kissed a couple women along the way, but I’ve never really gotten in there, I’ve never really done the shit you’re supposed to do…
 

What do you mean? The pussy action? Yeah like pussy on pussy, or however exactly it goes…I wouldn’t even know what to do down there, I’m sure somebody would help me out, you know walk me through the steps.
 

I’m sure with some of those ladies you wouldn’t have to do much Yeah but I’m a team player and I want everybody to be happy, I want to be part of the action, I want to be on the front lines, I want to round all the bases, if I’m gonna do it I’m gonna do it.
 

What’s the worst thing that’s happened during one of your performances? The trouble with that question is that I like the bad things that happen, because I think that they are life’s little scars, I feel when something bad happens I enjoy it because I really try to find weird and creative ways to get out of those moments, so I actually kind of get off on them.

I did one time sit on some guy’s lap and he was older, and he whispered into my ear “I just had surgery on my knee…” and I heard he had a hard time getting out of the theatre. I hope I didn’t send him in for round two.

So tell us more about your new show ‘Rock Bottom’ — do you feel that you’ve hit Rock Bottom? Well, almost. I guess eventually that’s where people who live like me are headed. But basically I wrote a song called “Rock Bottom,” which I felt was a good umbrella for the different stories and content in various shows and things I do.
 

So you prefer white wine over red, correct? Yeah, I prefer chardonnay, Napa Valley or Sonoma. California chardonnay.
 

I remember when you were at The Standard Hotel performing at a benefit after hurricane Sandy, you grabbed a bottle of chardonnay. Was that planned? No, it’s never planned. I never know what I’m going to do. I just look for sturdy surfaces where I know I can stand. The Boom Boom Room, for that fundraiser after Sandy, that place was real nice. I went up to the bar for a glass of wine before I got my drink tickets and they were like “oh, that’ll be 21 dollars” and I was like “fuuuck, I’ll just wait til I’m on stage,” and so I got up on top of the bar and grabbed a bottle of wine. That’s a great way to get a free drink, or four free drinks, and once you put your mouth on it they don’t always ask for it back.
 

Were you nervous you would accidentally torpedo Bill De’Blasio’s election chances when you performed for him at his benefit? I was, and in fact I asked some of the people organizing the fundraiser if they really wanted me to do a political thing, and they just said be yourself but don’t go crazy, and then I saw who else was on the bill and I thought these are all crazy performers. Just because I do crazy performances and whip my tits out on stage doesn’t mean I don’t care about New York you know, and whatever you can do to grab people’s attention is a good thing.
 

You were great in the Sex and The City movie, how did that role come about? I worked on a show at Ars Nova called ‘At Least It’s Pink’ which Michael Patrick King co-wrote and directed. He kept me in mind for the movie. I still had to audition, which I hate doing because I’m horrible at it…but they were very gentle with me and I got the part!

What’s your favorite place in New York? My friend Larry Krones’s house. He makes my dresses, he is the House of Larreon. When I started performing I used to just wear House of Dereon, you know Tina Knowles, Beyonce’s mom. She was the only one really making stuff for big girls, her and that other lady Kimora Lee Simmons, but I just couldn’t get myself to buy her shit even though she makes good stuff for big girls. But then Larry started making me dresses and we called it the House of Larreon.

So I usually go over there Sunday night, we gossip, and we have some chicken titties for dinner, it’s all you can drink and really fun, so that’s my favorite place.

Where are you happiest? On stage singing, it sounds so corny, but really singing is the love of my life and I’m never as happy as when I’m singing.
 

What are 3 things you would take to a deserted island? A bottle of Chardonnay, I mean a case of Chardonnay, a big bouncy man with a huge penis and a fluffy kitty cat.
 

What do you want people to take away from your performances? My intention is for people to walk away having had a great time, knowing where there’s no risk there’s no reward, and it’s just tits. Some people are really freaked out by nudity or sometimes I motorboat people, and I’d say “it’s just tits” is a good lesson. I never plan nudity or anything, it just happens. I’m a big girl and you might see my tits, and if my biggest crime is I like to have fun and drink a little wine, that’s not so bad.

What’s your relationship to the queer comunity? Most of my best friends are queer. I’ve always felt most at home with my gay and trans friends, we just have the same sense of humor and I don’t even really think about it that way, like gay or trans, they just happen to be my friends. I actually get nervous around straight people and if I happen to go to a party and its all couples and babies I’m up against the wall scraping the wallpaper. I grew up in Manhattan, Kansas, the little apple, and as soon as I moved to New York the first friend I made was a gay guy. I had gay cousins growing up, but there wasn’t a lot of queer activity in Manhattan, Kansas in the 80s. When I made my way to New York I found a home, and the majority of that home was being around a set of people who just didn’t give a shit. I met Murray Hill years ago and Murray is one of my closest friends, and it doesn’t even really cross my mind that he’s trans, it just happens to be who I like to hang out with.

What do you want to be remembered for? I would like to remembered as like “you remember Bridget? She was so fucking crazy but she was also pretty nice.” I want to be remembered as a a nice person ultimately, a good person, but also like a crazy bitch that tore the stage up.

For tickets of her show ‘Rock Bottom,’ click here.