Adele Bertei and Sandra Bernhard in Conversation at The Strand
Jun 15, 7 PM EST • New York, NY: The Strand
Join two legendary badass women at The Strand for a memorable evening of conversation on June 15. Queer rock-and-roll artist and author—and Strand bookselling alum! (1977–78)—Adele Bertei and actress, singer, and author Sandra Bernhard will discuss Adele’s groundbreaking coming-of-age memoir Twist.
“One of the most original, amazing stories I've ever read” (Mary Gaitskill), iconic rock-and-roll musician Adele Bertei’s memoir Twist is her harrowing and electric story of transforming trauma through art, pluck, and imagination, as told through the inimitable voice of her young alter ego, Maddie Twist.
US Release: Mar 14, 2023 • UK Release: May 22, 2023
Hardcover ISBN: 9781736309339 • $28 • 256 pages
Paperback ISBN: 9798988670049 • $18 • 264 pages
Adele Bertei was born in Cleveland, Ohio, daughter of an Italian immigrant and a ballroom dance instructor. She became a ward of the state in 1967, with the rest of her childhood years spent in foster homes and reformatories in the greater Cleveland area. Emancipated at 17, she worked a series of jobs including OT assistant at a Veteran’s Hospital, a clerk at Salvation Army, and as one of the first women to work on the assembly line at the Ford Motors plant in Lorain, Ohio.
Her career in music began as singer in a rock band called Peter and the Wolves, performing at longshoremen and biker bars in Cleveland. The premature death of band-mate, legendary Peter Laughner of Pere Ubu led Adele to move to New York in 1977, where she became a pivotal figure in a counter-cultural movement of art, film, music, and literature. She was an original member of the critically lauded Contortions, produced by Brian Eno on the seminal No New York record. Reading prose and poetry, she opened for writers such as William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and Kathy Acker among many others. Adele acted in several underground films, including a lead role in Born In Flames by Lizzie Borden, films by Scott & Beth B., and films by Irish filmmaker Vivienne Dick. She’s been the subject of artists and photographers Kiki Smith, Richard Prince, Nan Goldin, Zoe Leonard, and David La Chappelle.
Adele has toured the world as a musician with her band, the Bloods – one of America’s first all-girl bands – and as backing singer with Tears for Fears. She has performed and recorded as a backing vocalist for artists such as Thomas Dolby, Culture Club, Whitney Houston, Sandra Bernhard, and Sophie B. Hawkins among others. She released records as a solo artist with both the Geffen and Chrysalis labels, and has had international dance and pop hits with Thomas Dolby (“Hyperactive!”) and Jellybean (“Just a Mirage”). She has written songs for artists as diverse as Peter Laughner, Thomas Dolby, Scritti Politti, Sheena Easton, Arthur Baker, Jamaladeen Tacuma, Matthew Sweet, Lydia Lunch, the Pointer Sisters, and Jellybean Benitez.
After relocating to Los Angeles, Adele worked as a behind-the-scenes director and ghostwriter, contributing concepts to hundreds of successful advertising campaigns. Her stories and essays have been included in compilations published by Semiotext(e), The New Fuck You; Adventures in Lesbian Reading (edited by Eileen Myles) and It’s So You edited by Michelle Tea for Seal Press, as well as Evelyn McDonnell’s Women Who Rock, published by Black Dog & Leventhal. She is the author of two previous books: Peter and the Wolves (a memoir) and Why Labelle Matters, a finalist for the 2022 Lambda Literary Awards. Twist: An American Girl is her origin story.
Performer, actress, singer and author Sandra Bernhard is now co-starring on season eleven of the hugely popular FX Television/Ryan Murphy series “American Horror Story” with this latest installation called “American Horror Story NYC” filmed in New York City.
Bernhard also appeared as a series regular in season three of the very successful FX Television/Ryan Murphy show “POSE” reprising her role as brassy but caring Nurse Judy Kubrak, who works with H.I.V./AIDS patients, following a memorable season one guest appearance and equally popular second season. She also previously did a special guest appearance on “American Horror Story: Apocalypse”, highlighting a successful, decades long television career.
Sandra is also currently in her seventh year hosting her weekly radio show Sandyland on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy channel 102, for which she won a broadcasting Gracie Award.
A pioneer of the one-woman show, Bernhard brings a completely unique and raucous mix of cabaret, stand-up, rock-n-roll, and social commentary to her live stage performances. Just before the pandemic she celebrated the 10 year anniversary of her iconic annual holiday shows at Joe’s Pub in New York City, while she also continues to tour throughout the country and overseas.
Extremely notable past live stage shows, which she has performed both on and off-Broadway, include Without You I’m Nothing, I’m Still Here, Dammit, Everything Bad and Beautiful, and #blessed.
Bernhard’s film credits include The King of Comedy, for which she was awarded Best Supporting Actress by the National Society of Film Critics, Track 29, Hudson Hawk, Dinner Rush, and the live performance film Without You I’m Nothing. Past television credits include Two Broke Girls, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Broad City, Difficult People, You’re the Worst, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Will &Grace, The Sopranos, The Larry Sanders Show and Roseanne. Music albums include I'm Your Woman (Polygram, 1986), Excuses for Bad Behavior (Epic, 1994) and the world music album Whatever It Takes (Mi5, 2009). She has written three books: May I Kiss You on the Lips, Miss Sandra?, Confessions of a Pretty Lady, Love, Love and Love.