Kiki and Herb Return, part I
One night recently my roommate Tish bounded into my room excitedly clutching a latest issue of some fashion magazine she subscribes to saying, "Oh my god oh my god guess what guess what guess who's in the latest issue of Harper's Bazaar?" I responded inquisitively and non-plussed, "Courtney?" She shook her head no, quickly thumbing through the pages to show me. "Alexander McQueen?" No again. "Okay, Don, who do we really love in New York?" Before I had a chance to say the words she shoved the open magazine at me and there they were in an absolutely glamorous large photo gracing the Theater page of Harper's, a pair of dynamic performers whose brilliant act was born right he re in San Francisco and over the past two years has become a sensation in New York, a scandal in L.A. at Madonna's 39th birthday, and a tradition in many a jaded heart on both coasts around this cheery bittersweet Christmas season, the unforgettable Kiki and Herb!
There they were indeed, Justin Bond all leggy and sullen in a white mirabou jacket sitting atop the piano, a drink on one side and Kenny Mellman her brilliant accompanist at the bench, dressed in the finest formal wear this side of the captains table on a Princess Cruise Line. I know that they've gotten plenty of great press since starting their shows in New York, in Interview, Paper, Village Voice, and even more recently The NY Times, which had Kiki and Herb's shows sold out and turning away hundreds at the door, but for some reason seeing them in Harper's Bazaar really just kicked total ass! I was so proud of our former local talents who busted out of this town and worked diligently to establish their act in New York. Clearly Justin and Kenny have taken hold of "the city that never sleeps" and are currently working on bringing that magical maudlin world of mayhem, melodrama and mixed drinks known as Kiki and Herb to an off-Broadway production.
The Harper's Bazaar article also had the greatest lead-in sentence: " Kiki and Herb are cabaret's answer to The Blair Witch Project: no budget, lots of underground buzz, and so frightening to watch." The writer seems to have caught a glimpse of the qualities that prompted me years ago to refer to Justin Bond as San Francisco's most dangerous performer. There were so many moments I witnessed during Kiki and Herbs legendary runs at the now defunct Eichelbergers that were indeed frightening and awe inspiring, like the time she climbed across a table of guests and swung open the window and screamed "Just don't get too comfortable out there!" or her risky monologue about the then still missing kidnap/murder victim Polly Klass and the brutal rendition of "Pretty Polly," an old Irish folk song once done by Judy Collins full of cold stark, violent, grave-digging, imagery, or her medley of "Suicide is Painless," with "Smells Like Teen Spirit" merely days after Cobain's suicide, opening a show with a snappy rendition of "Niggahz and Bitches" by Snoop Doggy Dog or that one Christmas show medley that combined "We Wish You A Merry Christmas," with "Heroin" by the Velvet Underground, adding a whole new urgency to the often forgotten, "Oh bring me some figgy pudding" verse. In fact Kiki and Herbs Christmas shows were always delightfully un-cheery, Kiki unable to hide her disdain for the holiday as her saccharine smiles would melt away and the nice words of a traditional carrol would end up being spat out like a curse or insult, followed by a personal Christmas story of her own, something down-trodden and low, a tragedy that would make The Gift Of The Magi seem pleasant. Of course over the years Kiki has also ripped in to the entire religious meaning of Christmas with such blasphemous fury and ribald notions of the nativity that The Catholic League of Civil Rights of America included their act in a list of the ten most anti-catholic shows around.
Justin Bond's over the top characterization of Kiki is breath taking in its scope and depth and detail and history. The voice is strong and capable but enhanced with these airport lounge singer/cruise ship crooner/Shriner convention entertainer-isms, making for a sort of trash-charged cabaret style, vocals that hit harder, crack with emotion, verge on fragile or growl furiously. It's the between-song banter that really exemplifies where this voice is coming from, the telling of Kiki's personal and professional triumphs and tragedies. This is where Bond's talent soars, in storytelling-weaving the web of tales from a show-biz life, expressing her beliefs based on the events that shaped her and Herb's lives. Kenny Mellman, or Herb, has faithfully provided the music that launches, frames, embellishes, burns along with, and propels Kiki through a glimpse of their world with all the bent skewed awesome and instinctual performance genius necessary to match his partner. I've seen Kenny play so hard there was blood on the keys and that has always impressed me. This pairing of talents has such a symbiotic intensity that you just know Kiki and Herb would've died without each other if they hadn't met in that mental institution as children. There you have it-wasn't I just talking about Justin and Kenny and suddenly I referenced Kiki and Herbs personal history? With such fascinating characters presented so fruitfully, laden with theatrical nuance, and countless stories about them, the lines get blurred.
Needless to say, I was very excited to learn that after three long years since leaving San Francisco Kiki and Herb were due to return for a one night only appearance at a campaign fundraiser for Mayoral candidate Tom Ammiano. It seemed the perfect time for it, Kiki and Herb riding the crest of a momentous wave of success and media coverage could mark their return as triumphant and lend their talents in support of the first ever write-in candidate in SF history to make it to a run-off election for mayor, prompting a fresh rejuvenated hope for community representation here in "Everyone's favorite city," the place so many of us want to love again. As Justin said when we spoke the day before the show, "Kenny and I now live in a city (New York) who's Mayor is a fascist, so we understand supporting this campaign."
I had the opportunity to sit and chat with Justin and Kenny, drinking black hotel room coffee and smoking in a non-smoking room of a downtown hotel. Our chat was a bit unstructured and all of us admittedly weren't at our most vibrant. We decided later that based on jet lag and personal prime times for conversational exuberance we should have interviewed at 2 am instead of 5 pm. Nonetheless we covered a few choice topics of interest.
One of my favorites of course was all of the famous people who have come to see their show. They liked that one too. Justin was particularly thrilled on the night Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson were there and another night on one side of the room sat Gloria Steinem and on the other the late Quentin Crisp. Sandra Bernhardt has been to the show twice in the last month and they've talked to her before. "She said she wanted to write something for us," Justin added followed by a maniacal laugh from both of them. The list continued including Katie Holmes from Dawson's Creek, Rufus Wainwright, Momus, and Michael Stipe. They went on to describe a star-studded birthday party in L.A. for photographer Greg Gorman with a guest list that included Leonardo diCaprio, Kevin Costner, Holly Hunter, John Hurt, Rupert Everett, Mink Stole, Jason Priestly and more. As for upcoming magazine features to add to their already impressive list, Kiki and Herb were doing a photo session upon returning to New York this week with Vanity Faire, and current issues of the Advocate, and Genre have pieces on them. Kenny also mentioned that a guy he knows has written his Masters thesis on Kiki and Herb and that will appear in the Gay and Lesbian Quarterly in January.
continued
