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"I saw it at a book store," says Bif Naked, "and just about shit my pants!" That's a fine endorsement, and we couldn't ask for a better testimonial for Mr. Skin's Skincylopedia. It's also a typically blunt statement from the notorious Canadian rocker and way-too-occasional actress.
Those of us in America first became aware of Bif with her breakthrough release I Bificus in 1999. Canadians had been getting Naked for much longer, going back to a stunning self-titled debut in 1995. Purge came out in 2002, and now Bif returns with Superbeautifulmonster. It's an impressively strong collection of straight-ahead rock tunes--which might surprise people who expect something more punkish from the tattooed love goddess.
There's nothing faddish or trendy about Bif, though. Her classic rock is only matched by her classic beauty. That's been showcased in a few turns on the big and small screens. She's shown up as herself on episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Showtime's The Chris Isaak Show. That amazing voice has also shown up in a few video games. Bif even made it to the multiplexes with a cameo in the horror flick House of the Dead (2003). ("I still haven't seen it," says the very wise Bif.)
Fortunately Bif had already scored a leading role in the Canadian indie Lunch with Charles (2001). She's a skinsation as a wild girl who abandons her bed and breakfast for the roaming life of a would-be rock star. Bif is also a blast in real life, as she reveals as she cruises Canada while on the phone with Mr. Skin.
This is certainly an overdue Skinterview. At this point, how's that stage name working for you?
I've gotten shit for it over the years, but I'm just too lazy to change my bloody name. I've been called "Bif" since the tenth grade. I was a bit of a tomboy. It was probably 1988 when I was in a band called Gorilla-Gorilla, and everybody had their cool punk-rock band name, like Joey Shithead from DOA.
I was one of the only girl rockers in the Canadian hinterland at the time. I can't remember whether it was myself or my band of merry men who came up with that last name. The idea was to advertise "Come see Bif Naked." I guess we thought more people would come see the band.
The name hasn't kept you from making a very mature album with Superbeautifulmonster.
I think I'm at a place in my life that's kind of different from when I recorded Purge. It always takes me about four years between records. That might seem like a great luxury, but, for me, it's because we're literally on tour all during that time while trying to carve out a living. A lot can happen to a girl in four years. In my case, that was one of the major transitions for women. Between thirty and thirty-five, I started to feel my emotions more deeply, and I laugh a lot more. Everything fucking makes me laugh, and that's a great place to be.
People still tend to lump you into a pop-punk ghetto, but you've always been more of a mainstream rocker.
Bless your heart. That's what I'd like people to hear, but what can you do? People look at me and they see these tattoos, and I'm not smiling in photos. I can only hope to win fans over one at a time.
I just hope people discover my songs and say, "That's not what I expected." Then there are others who feel like it's a bait-and-switch. They want me to sound like a female-fronted Hatebreed, and then they get me singing about how Daddy's getting married. Maybe it's a curse, but it is what it is.
You're also struggling with an image as an actress. We were really impressed by your work in Lunch with Charles (Picture: ).
I really got lucky with that role. The character was so different from how people perceive me. I had to audition for it, but it was probably the most nurturing experience I'll ever have as an actor.
As soon as you're famous for any reason, people start sending you fucking scripts. It doesn't matter if you can't act your way out of a paper bag. I was a theater major who accidentally got into a band. I stuck with acting, but good roles are few and far between. I get a lot of offers to play strippers, junkies, singers, and criminals. That's all well and good, but I'm not interested in that stuff--unless there's a fight scene where I can do martial arts.
Does that mean we're not seeing you in any roles for a while?
I did an episode of The L Word a couple of weeks ago.
That's very important news.
It was just a day shoot. I'm at a party at Alan Cumming's flat. I don't have a television, so I don't really know who he plays. My best friend in the world is a big fan of the show, so she freaked out and told me about all of the characters. I'm in a scene with Mia Kirshner, who's there with some other chick, and my date is some girl who looks like a guy. I've got about four lines.
You're comfortable as an older artist and never seem to be trying to pass yourself off as a young girl. How does that affect your career nowadays?
Life just gets better and better. Each year is full of surprises. To my benefit, I really enjoy weight training. When I was twenty-nine, I got a little psycho in the head about working out and diet and fitness, and I got kind of skinny. I looked like a guy. I lost my curves, and it didn't look right.
Then I saw a picture of Sophia Loren on my thirtieth birthday, and I thought, "That's hot!" A light bulb went on over my head, and I started thinking about how the standard of beauty in Canada and the rest of the world are very different things.
One is based on cartoon characters from comic books, and the other is based on a fifty-year-old Sophia Loren. I'd rather be Sophia Loren.
What about the pressure you probably feel from the entertainment industry?
I did a fashion shoot in L.A., and I was changing on the beach, and there were these two girls working there who almost fainted when I took my bra off. I was like, "What?" They said, "We're sorry, but we didn't expect to see real boobs." That was a sad statement to me, that people expect to see breast augmentation. Honestly, I was too fucking lazy to do it before, and now I think, "Why bother?"
I'd love to do Playboy when I'm about fifty years old. My boobs won't look like a twenty-year-old's, but that's okay.
The first time I was made aware of MrSkin.com was when I was going to a radio station to do an interview. The DJ had my MrSkin page up on all these computer screens, and he was asking me if I knew about the site. And I was so excited, because that's fucking awesome. It's my social responsibility to show the world what real boobs look like. My mother agrees with me on that.
Since you're bisexual, we should probably close by asking if you've got a personal favorite nude scene.
The thing I like is a scene where people are losing control. There's a movie called Sea of Love with Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin (Picture: 1 - 2). I saw that at a particularly impressionable age, and I remember how he's kind of rough with her. It's a heightened moment of passion where he's necking with her against the wall.
I love Ellen Barkin. I think she's amazingly sexy. She has this other incredible scene in Johnny Handsome. Not a lot of nudity, but it's very passionate. Oh, and Uma Thurman's tits in Dangerous Liaisons (Picture: 1 - 2)! They're so beautiful. They make you want to scratch your eyes out.
Those of us in America first became aware of Bif with her breakthrough release I Bificus in 1999. Canadians had been getting Naked for much longer, going back to a stunning self-titled debut in 1995. Purge came out in 2002, and now Bif returns with Superbeautifulmonster. It's an impressively strong collection of straight-ahead rock tunes--which might surprise people who expect something more punkish from the tattooed love goddess.
There's nothing faddish or trendy about Bif, though. Her classic rock is only matched by her classic beauty. That's been showcased in a few turns on the big and small screens. She's shown up as herself on episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Showtime's The Chris Isaak Show. That amazing voice has also shown up in a few video games. Bif even made it to the multiplexes with a cameo in the horror flick House of the Dead (2003). ("I still haven't seen it," says the very wise Bif.)
Fortunately Bif had already scored a leading role in the Canadian indie Lunch with Charles (2001). She's a skinsation as a wild girl who abandons her bed and breakfast for the roaming life of a would-be rock star. Bif is also a blast in real life, as she reveals as she cruises Canada while on the phone with Mr. Skin.
This is certainly an overdue Skinterview. At this point, how's that stage name working for you?
I've gotten shit for it over the years, but I'm just too lazy to change my bloody name. I've been called "Bif" since the tenth grade. I was a bit of a tomboy. It was probably 1988 when I was in a band called Gorilla-Gorilla, and everybody had their cool punk-rock band name, like Joey Shithead from DOA.
I was one of the only girl rockers in the Canadian hinterland at the time. I can't remember whether it was myself or my band of merry men who came up with that last name. The idea was to advertise "Come see Bif Naked." I guess we thought more people would come see the band.
The name hasn't kept you from making a very mature album with Superbeautifulmonster.
I think I'm at a place in my life that's kind of different from when I recorded Purge. It always takes me about four years between records. That might seem like a great luxury, but, for me, it's because we're literally on tour all during that time while trying to carve out a living. A lot can happen to a girl in four years. In my case, that was one of the major transitions for women. Between thirty and thirty-five, I started to feel my emotions more deeply, and I laugh a lot more. Everything fucking makes me laugh, and that's a great place to be.
People still tend to lump you into a pop-punk ghetto, but you've always been more of a mainstream rocker.
Bless your heart. That's what I'd like people to hear, but what can you do? People look at me and they see these tattoos, and I'm not smiling in photos. I can only hope to win fans over one at a time.
I just hope people discover my songs and say, "That's not what I expected." Then there are others who feel like it's a bait-and-switch. They want me to sound like a female-fronted Hatebreed, and then they get me singing about how Daddy's getting married. Maybe it's a curse, but it is what it is.
You're also struggling with an image as an actress. We were really impressed by your work in Lunch with Charles (Picture: ).
I really got lucky with that role. The character was so different from how people perceive me. I had to audition for it, but it was probably the most nurturing experience I'll ever have as an actor.
As soon as you're famous for any reason, people start sending you fucking scripts. It doesn't matter if you can't act your way out of a paper bag. I was a theater major who accidentally got into a band. I stuck with acting, but good roles are few and far between. I get a lot of offers to play strippers, junkies, singers, and criminals. That's all well and good, but I'm not interested in that stuff--unless there's a fight scene where I can do martial arts.
Does that mean we're not seeing you in any roles for a while?
I did an episode of The L Word a couple of weeks ago.
That's very important news.
It was just a day shoot. I'm at a party at Alan Cumming's flat. I don't have a television, so I don't really know who he plays. My best friend in the world is a big fan of the show, so she freaked out and told me about all of the characters. I'm in a scene with Mia Kirshner, who's there with some other chick, and my date is some girl who looks like a guy. I've got about four lines.
You're comfortable as an older artist and never seem to be trying to pass yourself off as a young girl. How does that affect your career nowadays?
Life just gets better and better. Each year is full of surprises. To my benefit, I really enjoy weight training. When I was twenty-nine, I got a little psycho in the head about working out and diet and fitness, and I got kind of skinny. I looked like a guy. I lost my curves, and it didn't look right.
Then I saw a picture of Sophia Loren on my thirtieth birthday, and I thought, "That's hot!" A light bulb went on over my head, and I started thinking about how the standard of beauty in Canada and the rest of the world are very different things.
One is based on cartoon characters from comic books, and the other is based on a fifty-year-old Sophia Loren. I'd rather be Sophia Loren.
What about the pressure you probably feel from the entertainment industry?
I did a fashion shoot in L.A., and I was changing on the beach, and there were these two girls working there who almost fainted when I took my bra off. I was like, "What?" They said, "We're sorry, but we didn't expect to see real boobs." That was a sad statement to me, that people expect to see breast augmentation. Honestly, I was too fucking lazy to do it before, and now I think, "Why bother?"
I'd love to do Playboy when I'm about fifty years old. My boobs won't look like a twenty-year-old's, but that's okay.
The first time I was made aware of MrSkin.com was when I was going to a radio station to do an interview. The DJ had my MrSkin page up on all these computer screens, and he was asking me if I knew about the site. And I was so excited, because that's fucking awesome. It's my social responsibility to show the world what real boobs look like. My mother agrees with me on that.
Since you're bisexual, we should probably close by asking if you've got a personal favorite nude scene.
The thing I like is a scene where people are losing control. There's a movie called Sea of Love with Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin (Picture: 1 - 2). I saw that at a particularly impressionable age, and I remember how he's kind of rough with her. It's a heightened moment of passion where he's necking with her against the wall.
I love Ellen Barkin. I think she's amazingly sexy. She has this other incredible scene in Johnny Handsome. Not a lot of nudity, but it's very passionate. Oh, and Uma Thurman's tits in Dangerous Liaisons (Picture: 1 - 2)! They're so beautiful. They make you want to scratch your eyes out.
