The punk rock icon reflects on more than three decades on the road, surviving cancer, confronting trauma and ageism, and finding new reasons to keep moving forward.
By Carter Hammett
With pulsing hits like “Spaceman” and “Lucky” I was half-expecting punk rock singer Bif Naked to be brash, outspoken, loud. But no, I got just the opposite: She’s demure, soft-spoken, shy, almost.
The subject of a probing new documentary, simply entitled Bif Naked, the singer is gearing up for a series of summer dates that will likely take her across the country (dates were still being finalized during our conversation.) Some engagements include an acoustic set following a screening of the documentary along with a Q -and-A.
“They did an amazing job on the documentary,” she says. “It’s true to my life story. The director kept the integrity of the film. She was a fan and did a meticulous job. It’s not sensationalized and I’m grateful for that.”
Indeed, the film, now playing on Super Channel, captures highlights of her performances over the years; countless shows that document a life on the road.
“I don’t measure distance in miles I break up distance in driving hours: Vancouver-to-Edmonton is 14 hours. It’s easier to tour the United States because towns are closer together.”
“My first tour was in 1990, I was 19 years old and we drove from Winnipeg-to Vancouver and later Quebec City. Our first van was a Ford Econoline and in those days we were doing four tours a year in a van. It went on like that for 15 years,” she laughs.
“We went down the west coast to San Diego and sometimes we’d make $20 other times, we just got gas money.
“I’ve picked up a lot of hitch hikers. For me, I was a runaway and long-haul drivers picked us up,. They saved our lives many times.”
In the early days, when money was scarce, the band would sleep in the van on top of their equipment. “I’ve slept in vehicles more times than I care to remember,” she chuckles.
And life on the road does not occur without incident.
“One time in San Francisco, this nasty individual broke into our van while we were sleeping in it and tried to rob us. We thwarted that plan with a tire iron.
“Another time we were in an Eagle bus and somehow the exhaust kept coming into the bus! There was so much carbon monoxide we got sick and it affected my voice.
Those days seem a life time ago for the singer, born Beth Torbert, in New Delhi India to teenage parents attending boarding school. She was later adopted by American missionaries and spent part of her childhood in Kentucky before the family moved, eventually settling in Winnipeg. She later graduated from John Taylor Collegiate and studied Theatre at the University of Winnipeg. At one point, she tried pursuing a career as a stand-up comic.
She sang with several underground punk bands before releasing her eponymously titled solo record. In 1998 her second album I Bificus took off and she hasn’t looked back since. She’s toured with everyone from rapper Snoop Dog to Foo Fighters, and her music’s been featured on numerous soundtracks.
In 2009, she released The Promise, recorded while she was undergoing treatment for breast cancer. She’s survived chemotherapy, a mastectomy, kidney failure, divorce, heart issues, and, not least, sexual assault among a host of other challenges and lived to tell the tale.
“All of us can see through social media, can see what people go through: our parents, our health, our kids,” she says. “I just believe if we live long enough we to through a lot of loss, but also finding joy.”
These days life on the road’s a little easier but she still looks forward to a little mobile escape from time-to-time.
“I’m a big fan of driving. Been driving since I’m 16 years old. I always hope I can drive…that’s the only fear I have about aging; that I won’t be able to. When life is stressful one thing you can do is go for a drive.
“Resilience is a big part of our shared humanity, especially as we get older. Tina Turner was in her 70s, and still in a mini skirt and heels. If you’re able to do it and remain in demand, why wouldn’t you want to? I hope I can keep doing it as long as I can.
“I’ve worked twice as hard to be half as good. Ageism happens regardless if you’re a rocker, a chef or a nurse.I don’t take it personally.”
For more info check out her web site at: bifnaked.com