Justin Vivian Bond Embodies Marianne Faithfull At Joe's Pub

If you are a fan of Marianne Faithfull, like I am, then you are drawn to her raspy voice and poetic lyrics that resonate from another time, yet are just as relevant today. I grew up listening to her songs with my father, particularly Lucy Jordan – I have a dark father – but over the years have fallen in love with many of her other songs. So, when I saw that the infamous Justin Vivian Bond was going to perform a Marianne Faithfull tribute evening, called Sex With Strangers, it was an easy sell!

If you don’t know who Justin Vivian Bond is, let me enlighten you! Vivian is an American singer-songwriter and actor, who is known for their cabaret persona of Kiki DuRane in the stage duo Kiki and Herb. In addition to being incredibly talented, Mx Bond has been at the forefront of Trans visibility and activism since the early 1990s. With a strong stage presence and charisma Vivian is an icon in their own right!

So, what do you get when you have one icon personifying another – magic! Vivian’s raspy voice and sassiness took the night by storm as they sang many of Marianne’s classics and some of her more recent works with a full band behind them. The songs were punctuated by stories and anecdotes about Vivian’s run ins with Marianne Faithfull and their friendship that bloomed. Stories ranged from classic Marianne moments to one time when Vivian “saved Marianne’s life”. 

As both artists are getting older there was a special sensitivity to the wisdom and perspective that comes with aging. I personally really loved how Vivian used songs from all of Marianne’s career letting us get the full breath of the woman she embodies. But more importantly the woman she is now. 

Justin Vivian Bond is a bit of a fixture at Joe’s Pub. They are in fact performing next month as well – Justin Vivian Bond: Icing. So, if you didn’t get to see them this time, make sure you go out and see them at Joe’s Pub soon!