With her pitch-black hair and serious bangs and her rock bravado belter's voice, Bif Naked could be the long-lost daughter of pin-up girl Betty Page and Gwen Stefani's kid sister. Back in the record store racks with Purge ( Lava/Atlantic/Her Royal Majesty's Records ) after extensive touring, Naked, whose 1999 single and "Moment Of Weakness" left a tattoo-like impression on listeners, is here to purify the airwaves.
Beginning with the pissed-off pose of "Choking On The Truth" and the kick-up-your-heels beat of "Tango Shoes" to the Desmond Child-collaboration declaration of self-respect on "I Love Myself To Day," the No Doubt-like quest for love of "Regular Guy" and the sexual baptism of "Religion," Naked comes clean, and invites you to join her in the process.
Gregg Shapiro: A couple of years went by between the release of I Bificus and your new CD Purge. What were you doing during that time?
Bif Naked: When I Bificus came out, it came out August of '99. At that time that it was released we were on tour. We were doing Lilith Fair, shows with Kid Rock and the Cult. Then we did the Fuel tour and then we toured with Days of A New. Touring kept us busy for almost a year. Also, it was released in Canada a year previous and it was released in Europe the year previous. We had been touring for quite a while. We finally went into the studio to record Purge in 2000, the following year. Then we continued touring and then it came out in 2001 in Canada.
GS: Mostly you were involved with touring.
BN: Yeah, I love touring. My favorite thing on Earth is playing shows. I can't fucking believe that I can ... it's so much fun to just play a show every night. If I could play every night, I would.
GS: It's lucky you get to do what you love.
BN: Yeah, I can't knock on wood enough.
GS: "Tango Shoes" reminded me of the time that I saw you on Much Music, when you were going on a shopping spree with a fan.
BN: Yeah, that was "Gonna Meet a Rock Star." I took her to Betsey Johnson.
GS: Would you consider yourself a shopaholic?
BN: No, I'm not a shopaholic. I do like shopping in that I like the hunt. Shopping is like treasure hunting. Ultimately, I'm pretty girly as far as stuff like that goes. I like discovering stuff. I like makeup. But I also like getting new gym shoes. I have a real, a real fetish for books, like medical books, and Irving Layton's poetry, the Canadian poet. Yeah, it's just all about the hunt.
GS: "I Love Myself Today" is a rocking Bon Jovi-esque number that you co-wrote with hit-maker Desmond Child.
BN: Yeah, Desmond and Eric Bazilian.
GS: Eric's, from the Hooters, right?
BN: Yeah.
GS: What was it like to work with them?
BN: It was the only time in my whole life I went to Miami, when we wrote it. It was so exciting for me on so many levels. And Desmond is fantastic. I really, really think he's a great person and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with him. He has dogs, like I do. It was just really nice.
GS: Purge also has a couple of hidden tracks that turn out to be dance remixes of "I Love Myself Today."
BN: I love dance music!
GS: Are you ready to become a disco diva, worshipped and adored by hoards of gay men?
BN: God bless you! God bless you, let me send you a check. You know, we've always done dance remixes up here in Canada. We've got dance mixes for "Spaceman" and" Lucky" that did well in the clubs up here. There's a ballad on I Bificus called "Lucky," and there's an industrial dance mix of it in Europe. I love going out dancing. I hate straight bars for dancing, because up here anyway, they suck. Ultimately, I'm totally into going and seeing the sexy Filipino men in hot pants standing on the speaker. We're actually probably doing a dance mix for "Tango Shoes," too. I love dancing.
GS: Have you done any gay clubs dates for a dance track?
BN: No, but I would. How fun would that be? There's actually a wonderful drag show up here where they do two of my numbers. Can you imagine?
GS: How do you feel about that? How do you like being presented in drag?
BN: I love it. I am so fucking honored and privileged. I feel so privileged. I was on Lilith Fair and I heard that up here in Vancouver when I was away they had a big review called Lilith Fairy and Jason ( a drag performer ) had done "Moment of Weakness." Now, Jason is doing "Tango Shoes." It's just the highest compliment I've ever been paid in my entire life.
GS: I'm glad that you mentioned "Lucky," because it stands out on I Bificus. The gorgeous "Stolen Sidewalk" is another full-fledged power ballad. Do you want to do more ballads in the future?
BN: Well, there are a lot of songs, of course, that there wasn't room for on the record. Ultimately, I'm just a melodramatic princess. If my heart is broken, which it always fucking is, I will write so many sad, little lilting love songs. I'm sure if I put them all on a record my fans would think I'm suicidal. It's very emotive and cathartic.
GS: And it gives you a chance to do something different with your voice. You express yourself different vocally.
BN: Yeah, and I like performing ballads a capella.
GS: The song "Leader" is dedicated to "the psychopath-crazy-sadsack-stalker" ...
BN: ... and that's just one of them. In Canada, I'm the lucky recipient of five, that I know about. You know they're pretty run-of-the-mill love obsessionals. There's one fellow who's a paranoid schizophrenic who thinks I'm trying to kill him. I'm horrified. I hate it that these guys, they're all guys, that I know of, of course. Maybe a pubic hair I got in the fucking mail is from a chick, I don't know. I just feel bad for them, because I don't want them to be in pain.
GS: Is Her Royal Majesty's Records your own imprint?
BN: Yeah, I've had that label since 1994 with my managers. We created the label out of desperation in '94 when the label I was originally signed to back in the very beginning folded after about three months. I really had no other vehicle for putting my CDs out. So we've continued. We've been fortunate enough to be able to license everywhere and I've been very lucky.
GS: How are your dogs Nick Naked and Miss Anastacia?
BN: Nicholas and Anastacia...I had just had them out on a yacht yesterday. They're wonderful. Anastacia tore her crucial ligament last September, two days before we left on tour. She had to have surgery, poor little thing, and had staples in her leg. Nicholas had to have an emergency endoscopy for something he swallowed that obstructed his airway. Ultimately, they're fru-fru dogs. Yes they are, I would have it no other way. I just wish they were smaller, because I would take them on an airplane. I drive to meet the tour bus, usually. The band will fly to meet it, but I'll drive so that I can take my dogs.
