Vancouver based rocker Bif Naked has been flying solo on the Canadian music scene for over a decade. Her newest release Superbeautifulmonster is one of her best albums, and for her, one of the most personal.
"I would have to say from beginning to end, plus the songs that didn’t make the disc, all of them make it personal for me. I was in a really sad place in Biffy land and it felt like I was really baring my soul. I went through a very sick time in my personal life in the last couple of years and felt very vulnerable," the singer told GayCalgary.com magazine in an exclusive interview. "The song After Awhile I put at the end of the record because it really summed it up for me. It was me just being honest. To sing the lyric ‘save me from myself’ is a pretty hard thing to admit to everyone. The lyric ‘Bare knuckle boxer in the third round’ is from the fact that I felt like I was at the end of my rope. It wasn’t just the fact that I was unhappy with some stuff, it was the fact that I didn’t want to go on many times. At the beginning and end of the Purge tour, I unintentionally had an eating disorder. It was such a depth of despair that bore that song and it is definitely the summary of the last couple of years of my life. It was really difficult for me to kind of really admit it and share that experience with my friends and with strangers. My fans aren’t strangers, but a lot of people who would listen to those lyrics are hearing some seriously personal shit. For whatever reason, it was harder than the song Tell on you. I am such a good compartmentalizer, which is what makes me such a ‘successful sexual abuse survivor.’ Why? Hello, denial! Having a 50’s mother saying ‘Ok honey I know it’s devastating but lets all smile and go on.’ It is something that I have become very good at. I just couldn’t compartmentalize a lot of stuff before I wrote the songs and a lot of the writing is still really raw stuff."
Other favorites on the disc are the sexually charged Funeral of a Good Grrl and a haunting cover of Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters.
"I can’t wait until somebody does a dance remix of Funeral of a Good Grrl. Can you imagine the hot pants wearers standing on platforms shaking their booty to the lyric ‘Do it to me now?’ The Metallica cover was hard to do. When I went into the studio with producer Dave Fortman I said ‘I know you just came off your Grammy win with Evanescence, but please know I am not Amy (Lee) and I can’t sing like a fairy princess.’ Eleven hours later I was singing like a fucking fairy princess and I was going to hang myself. Working with Dave made me nervous and obviously I couldn’t fuck the song up because everyone knows it. Metallica is one of my favorite bands of all time and that is my favorite Metallica song. I have always wanted to do a cover of it, it was the right time and the right producer, but it was do or die. I find I have a lot of soft spots for sad songs. Ladybug Waltz is a really sad song because it’s about unrequited love, and so is Henry."
Naked recently was in town for a concert during Stampede and considers Calgary one of her favorite cities.
"It is a common fact that I love Calgary and it is the only other place in Canada that I would live in besides Vancouver. I have been coming here for so many years, I know my way around. I love the people and the weather, Chinooks, and the natural food store on 10th Ave, and my friend Jann (Arden) lives just outside of the city. You get all four seasons here and it doesn’t rain like it does in Vancouver. The rain there drives me up the fucking wall because I am freezing and my dogs don’t want to poop or pee in the rain. That is a huge issue for me, time is of the essence and I need expedient bowel movements from these animals and god forbid it’s raining because these two will fuck the dog all morning. I would make a good Alberta girl, I like Ford F150 trucks a lot and if I moved here, I would definitely get one of those because I would probably start dressing like a rancher. I think Calgary and I would fit, and it calls me, it beckons and whistles. Besides isn’t that where Gravity Pope Shoe stores started? Calgary has a Holt Renfrew so I would be fine."
Naked reflected on how Calgary fans helped her accept herself.
"We played the Republik so many years in a row, and one show there were a couple of really good looking girls who were really into the show and licking their lips and looking at me. The first time anywhere in the world that I recognized that I may be lucky enough to have Lesbian fans was in Calgary Alberta Canada, and that made me really happy. I’ve thought ‘This music is not just for breeders people, it’s music for everyone.’ It made me feel really good, especially at that time of my sexual identification issues. When I was in my early 20’s I was at a really delicate and impressionable age, behaviorally. It was an important realization for me because it validated me. At that point I was freaking out internally about being potentially bisexual, it was a real issue for me. It made me feel more comfortable, and made what I call my ‘switch-hitterness’ feel more validated."
Naked appreciates her GLBT fan base. It was part of the reason why she auditioned for a role in the popular TV series The L-Word.
"The Gay and Lesbian fans are very supportive. My best friend Denise is a card carrying Lesbian and very politically and socially active. She is funny because she keeps me informed on a lot of issues that I may not otherwise consider because I am just a fluffy tight dress-wearing typical bi girl in my thirties. The L-Word was extremely fun. I auditioned for it about four times before I got a part. The problem was one time I auditioned for a butch top and I am the furthest thing away from a butch top, I assure you I couldn’t pull it off. Denise was driving with me in the car on the way to audition trying to coach me on how to say things. Finally a couple of weeks ago the call comes in that I was finally going to be on. The scene was very short, I had four lines and it took nine hours. I am a gum freak and at one point between takes I had to pee, and so I was chewing gum, tried to spit it out in the toilet and it got caught in my hair. I had to get gum cut out of my hair, and the continuity person was not very happy with me at that moment. The cast was great and the crew was even better."
It isn’t her first foray into television; a few years ago Naked had a cameo on Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
"I remember that day very clearly because the snacks were quite lousy. They flew us in off of tour in the Eastern US, so you knew they were spending money. There was not even a bowl of smarties or peanuts people! That said, Sarah Michelle Gellar was absolutely resplendent in her etiquette. She was very polite and professional and came and greeted us on the set and was very gracious. I couldn’t believe that we got so much fan mail and E-mails from Buffy fans around the world. It was unbelievable, all because of one episode. It amazes me what a popular show that is."
The music industry can be tough, and Naked is as open about her life in discussion as she is in her music.
"I am still trying to survive. The key to success in any industry you are in is perseverance. As long as you are able to carve out a living, stay healthy, take care of your parents if they get sick, and feed your pets, everything else is just fun. People need to enjoy what they do, that is the key to success. Success is happiness not money. I pinch myself every day of my life because I dropped out of university, how far can I go in life? I can’t believe I can feed myself doing this or put gas in my car and I don’t have to get up and do a regular job. The side effect is that ultimately I have a really modified existence and it is really isolating. I don’t date anymore; my last date was over a year ago. The only time when I feel like somebody gets me is when I am playing, because I am safe and can be myself when I am on stage and having a mutual exchange with my fans. They are there because they ‘get it.’ I feel like those are the only people in the world that understand me and that I understand them. I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t play shows. When it comes to the show I can relax, exhale and be myself and feel accepted and with my friends. The most important part of my life is playing shows."
Bif Naked’s Superbeautifulmonster is available in stores now. Catch her on tour this fall.
http://www.bifnaked.com
Related Articles
Contributor Jason Clevett |
Person Bif Naked |
Topic Celebrity Interview |
