Recently in New York, I accompanied musician John Oates on part of the media tour he was doing in support of the new book that we wrote together, his memoir, entitled Change of Seasons. For the most part, the dozens of interviews that John did on radio and television were pretty solid. As usual with this kind of back to back day of appearances, some were better than others.
But there was one that stood out for the both of us. After appearing on the Howard Stern Wrap-Up show at SiriusXM, John was taken down the hallway, away from the beehive celebrity bustle near centered the Stern show. There in the back, tucked away in her own quiet corner studio, is where actress-comedienne-monologist Sandra Bernhard broadcasts her hugely popular and highly acclaimed SiriusXM Radio daily live show, Sandyland on Andy Cohen’s Radio andy channel 102. show.
I think both John and I knew that the moment this interview started, that it was special. For one, it was not an interview per se. I would call it a conversation, but it was even more than that. Within just a few moments, Bernhard had begun leading John down a thoughtful and mysterious conversational path that revealed things about John that I didn’t even know, and I’ve been writing with him for more than two years.
L-R, Me, Sandra and John Oates
It's hard to describe, much in the same way it's hard to put words to a brilliant jazz artist’s improvisations. She simply took the conversation places that were at once and enlightening, provocative and intimate.
I was simply observing the two of them until Bernhard looked over at me and wondered who I was. John explained that I was his co-writer, a microphone was quickly placed in front of me and she seamlessly wove me into the show. Spontaneous and in tune with her own instincts, she just creates her own flow.
Bernhard’s magic on the air is producing more than just dedicated listeners and rave reviews. On June 6 in Beverly Hills, she will receive The Gracie Award for her radio show, in the “Radio” category for “Interview Feature, National” for her Sandyland: On The M Train one-hour special that aired this past fall. Her guests on that special were Debbie Harry and Chris Stein from Blondie.
I wanted to speak with Bernhard for this piece, but rather than just write her words down, I thought it would be best to include the audio. It's not exactly the same as hearing her hold forth on the show, but I think you'll get a sense of just how smart, intuitive and utterly unique she is as a conversationalist and storyteller.
There are many voices on the radio today, and I listen to many of them. But after experiencing Bernhard’s show in person, I can't think of anybody I'd rather listen to these days, regardless of whom she happens to be talking to. Bernhard has proven herself over the decades as an extremely talented woman whose performances on stage and screen alike are always steeped in a naked sense of truth and honesty that can be funny, insightful, provocative and even brutal at times. She's a raw nerve representation of the human condition. And she is an artist that has always stayed stubbornly true to her craft. On the radio, it's no different. In fact, it's arguably enhanced by the fact that simply behind a microphone, there is nothing to fall back on besides her brain, her heart and her soul, which all combine to create an experience that reminds the listener just what makes radio such a magical medium in the first place.
Our conversation: