Justin Vivian Bond. Her last name is the same as Ian Fleming’s eternal spy, and her life is like James Bond in terms of glamor and international travel, sans the danger.
Living in San Francisco in the late 80s/early 90s, Bond rocketed to fame, with the nightclub act KiKi and Herb, performed with Kenny Mellman, her raucous piano player. Kiki Dukane, her character, was a washed up, boozed out nightclub singer trying to make a comeback. Fueled by the AIDS crisis and the right-wing politics and policies of the time, she funneled her anger and frustration through the character of Kiki. Playing in small clubs and venues in San Francisco, Kiki and Herb attained, to say the least, a cult following from the LGBTQ community.
The crowds grew bigger and bigger, and Bond and Mellman moved to New York, where the cult following moved to a new level and they became the toast of the town. They regularly sold out shows at Cowgirl Hall of Fame, the Knitting Factory, and Fez Under Time Café, and went on to record an album, and appeared in a film. Bond and Mellman decided to call it quits in 2004, with their last show at Carnegie Hall, but it didn’t last long, as they quickly came out of retirement, bringing the act to Broadway in 2007, and being nominated for a Tony award.
Performing at Joe’s Pub (Photo courtesy of John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation)
In 2008, Bond decided it was finally time to pull the plug on Kiki and Herb and go solo. Since then, she regularly performs at Joe’s Pub in New York as well as other cabarets, and small venues around the United States and in Europe. In 2021 Bond collaborated with the opera singer Anthony Roth Costanzo, to perform a cabaret act, Only an Octave Apart for a short run at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn. It was a smash success and went on to play in Dublin and the West End in London, followed by an album.
Where were you born and where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Hagerstown, Maryland. It was, and is, a very conservative town. I left the day after I graduated from high school.
What did you want to be when you were a kid?
I knew from a very early age that I wanted to be an entertainer. My first speaking role was in my church Christmas pageant when I was 18 months old. I haven’t stopped since.
When did you know you wanted to be a performer?
I don’t remember there ever being a time when I didn’t want to be a performer. I also knew I wanted to be a visual artist, a writer,
and a singer. Fortunately, I’ve had success in all those fields.
Which crowd or group did you run around with in high school?
In high school I hung out with the art nerds. Any free time I had was spent in the art room or working on creative projects. I also spent a good amount of time entertaining the other kids in the class while they were drawing. Working on projects in the art room was when and where I felt safe during high school.
I saw your alleged last Kiki and Herb performance at Carnegie Hall in 2004, which I will never forget. Why did you retire Kiki & Herb, and why did you bring them back?
We took a break from Kiki and Herb in 2008. After 15 years I was ready to do other things. In 2016, to celebrate my first 25 years in show biz, Joe’s Pub here in New York and I collaborated on a yearlong retrospective of different shows I had created including my first show “Dixie McCall’s Patterns for Living” which opened in San Francisco in 1989. One of the shows from that season was a reunion of Kiki and Herb. After the pandemic, we reopened The Harvey Theater show at the Brooklyn Academy of music with a holiday show which we toured nationally the two following Christmases. This year, we’re taking a break again. Hopefully, we will do something new before too long.
You went to Saint Martin’s College in London. What did you study and what was the experience like?
When I turned 40, I asked myself, “What is the most glamorous thing I could do right now?” and I decided that it was time for me to finally pursue my masters. I applied and was accepted into the Scenography program at Central St. Martins. It was very strange to headline a sold-out show at Carnegie Hall on September 17 and a week later to be standing in line at the foreign students luncheon, being served still frozen samosas thinking, “What the hell have I done?”
Which singers and performers influence you the most?
Marianne Faithfull, Julie London, Patti Smith, David Bowie, and Fred Astaire were all big influences. The person who probably had the most impact on me was Judy Collins. Judy is primarily known as a folk singer, but her repertoire includes many genres, from Broadway musicals to Duke Ellington songs, pop songs, and classics from the great American songbook. From her I learned that I don’t have to be limited to any genre, which is why I chose to be a cabaret singer. As a cabaret artist I can say or sing anything I want. It’s total freedom.
Do you have other artistic pursuits besides performing?
I’m a visual artist primarily working in watercolors. My work has been shown in numerous galleries, including the New Museum in NYC, and it is part of the permanent collection of the Victorian Albert Museum in London. One of my pieces will be on display at the Victoria and Albert East when it opens in London this spring. My memoir, Tango: My Childhood Backwards & in High Heels, won the Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Nonfiction. I also made my opera debut at the Vienna Staatsoper in Orlando in 2019.
You won the prestigious MacArthur Foundation Genius Award in 2024. Was it a surprise, and how did you feel after you won?
Yes. It was a surprise. The MacArthur Fellowship is not something you apply for so it wasn’t something I was really thinking about or expecting. It’s been very gratifying to have my career put in a context which acknowledges the scope of my work and the cultural impact it continues to have. I’m very grateful.
Who dresses you for the stage and which designers do you like best for your stage wear?
I’ve collaborated for many years with Marc Happel, who is the director of the costume department at the New York City Ballet. Marc is brilliant. He’s created all my Kiki costumes since the late 90s as well as many of the costumes I’ve worn for my solo shows. When the counter tenor Anthony Roth Costanzo and I premiered our show “Only an Octave Apart” I asked my friend Jonathan Anderson, who is the creative director of Loewe, to costume us and he a beautiful job. I love him.
What do you think will be the effect of the new policies and laws for trans people will be in the new administration in 2025?
I shudder to think. The outsized hatred being thrown at such a small minority really shows how spiritually and intellectually bankrupt these people are. If they weren’t so busy bullying people, it seems like they certainly wouldn’t have much else to do. If you need to feel a sense of accomplishment and you aren’t very good at things then just tear something down, and when it’s been destroyed proclaim yourself a success. We’re facing a lot of unnecessary destruction.
What are your favorite travel destinations? Which venues and cities do you like most performing in?
I’m absolutely in love with Portugal. I’ve had some wonderful times performing in Porto. Of course I love London, and San Francisco which is my second home. I always have a great time in Paris. My favorite, my city, is New York, and my favorite venue is Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater where I’ve been performing for the last 25 years.
Where and what will you be performing in 2025?
I’ll be at Joe’s Pub throughout the year, at Feinstein’s in San Francisco in June, and I’ll be at the opening of the V&A East in London. Hopefully. Anthony Roth Costanzo and I will be remounting our show, and my work will be in several art exhibitions. I never stop. Glamour is resistance.
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