Sandra Bernhard – Winter Rendezvous

The hellaciously hilarious comedian, actress, author and radio personality, Sandra Bernhard, will be appearing LIVE on Thursday, January 21, at the largest and longest-running gay and lesbian ski weekend in Stowe, Vermont. She will be bringing her rare brand of outspoken and insightful humor and song to the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center at 9 p.m., during what promises to become the event of the winter!

The entire event begins on Wednesday, January 20, through Sunday, January 24, 2016, and offers a diverse set of activities including five days of skiing
and snowboarding on Mt. Mansfield and Spruce Peak, romantic horse-drawn
sleigh rides, dog sledding, hot tub parties, bonfires, a huge kick-off party, wine tasting, a giant indoor pool party, pizza party, champagne and strawberries reception, downhill drag race competition, Provincetown’s DJ Mary Alice direct from The Boat Slip, an appearance by a Prince tribute band and of course Bernhard live and in person. All of the festivities will be taking place at one of the most beautiful ski resorts in the nation, Stowe Mountain Resort. For more information, call [email protected] or call (617) 504-3131. Passes may be purchased at winterrendezvous.com. 

Get Out! spoke with Bernhard, who is currently preparing her New Year’s Eve residency at Joe’s Pub, about her excitement and expectations regarding this epic winter event.

So are you brining your Flawless Zircons with you to Vermont?
I think I’m just bringing my keyboard player for this gig. It will be a little bit more intimate, sipping hot chocolate and sitting around the fire, so I think it will be the perfect gem combination.

You will just be doing it on that one night, Thursday, January 21?
Right.

Is this something different for you, out of the ordinary?
I haven’t done any kind of gay winter gigs. I can’t remember the last time. So, I think that’s always fun. Summer is a different vibe; everyone’s outside, running around, and winter is just a more intimate time. People want to be cozy, and they’re not likely to run out the door, so I think that’s what makes it a different vibe.

Do you ski?
No, I don’t.

I understand that this will be an awesome event even if you don’t ski.
Yes, it will be fun just being around that atmosphere.

I’ve seen you perform several times now, and I’ve noticed that gay men in the audience just can’t get enough of you. What do you attribute that to?
I think I’m somebody who makes people feel comfortable and at ease; at the same time, I like giving someone a boast. I’m not a particularly needy person. I’m not like a diva; I don’t drain people. I don’t need people around me to tell me how fabulous I am. I like to have real relationships, and most of the time I’m more interested in how other people feel than how I’m feeling. I get support being in the public eye, so I guess people feel that reciprocation. It’s refreshing for somebody who’s a performer.

I’ve spoken to many people after your show, and I feel like you have this enchanting style about you. You are laid back, but energetic.
That’s what I try to achieve.

I understand that your new radio show is getting amazing reviews.
I’m really very excited about it. I didn’t think I would be, but I really got in the groove, and I’m just thrilled.

Are you on the air every day?
Five days a week. I’m sharpening my tools.

I feel like you’re so current with everything, like you sit home and watch the news a lot.
It’s not so much the news. It’s more personal. Some of it is newsworthy, but I like to stay away from what everyone else is talking about. I try to keep it funky, a little more off beat. It’s right up my alley. It’s a nice outlet for all the things that I’m thinking about everyday, to talk about at the moment.

I think you are a great choice for The Winter Rendezvous because of the kind of audience that seems to be drawn to you.
Now more than ever people need to be comfortable. They wanna have fun, and they want to feel like the person that’s performing or entertaining isn’t going to have a nervous breakdown any minute. They like when people are solid and do their job, and everybody’s professional and in the groove.

Listen to Bernhard from Monday to Friday at 12 p.m. Eastern as part of “Radio Andy” with Andy Cohen on Sirius Radio. She will also be doing some more episodes of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and filming an episode of “Difficult People” for its new season. And don’t forget to check her out at the intimate setting of Joe’s Pub from December 26 to 31, where she will ring in 2016.

Bernhard will be appearing at Winter Rendezvous on January 21. Visit winterrendezvous.com for more informaiton.