Last year as part of the fabled NYC cabaret venue Joe’s Pub’s 25th anniversary season, multi-disciplinary artist and downtown darling Mx Justin Vivian Bond presented an evening of song and poetry for, by, and about the outrageously gorgeous, mythical icon of dissolute glamour: singer/ songwriter Marianne Faithfull who rose to fame in the 1960s and went on to become an eternal muse to countless artists in the music, literary, and fashion worlds.
On the eve of the premiere Marianne wrote: “Sending luck and love to dear Justin Vivian Bond who is about to embark on something extraordinary- a musical evening dedicated to little old me! How wonderful. Fly high like the divine songbird you are; I’ll be sending blessings across the water. Lots of love Marianne. Xxx”
Sharing the inspiration behind Sex with Strangers, V wrote: “When I was 16 years old on my way to work at the Dairy Queen in Hagerstown, MD I heard Marianne Faithfull’s, ‘Broken English’ on my parent’s car radio, and my world changed. She had impeccable taste in music and her brilliant songwriting reflected the hard-earned wisdom, magic, honesty, and sensuousness that bore witness to a lifetime of journeying toward self-knowledge. The title of my show ‘Sex With Strangers‘ is from a song on her 2002 studio album, ‘Kissin’ Time‘ which she co-wrote with Beck. She was and remains a template for survival, and for me, she has provided a lifetime of inspiration. My band and I will perform stripped-down versions of her songs focusing mostly on songs from the latter part of her career in order to highlight their power and emphasize the poetry of their lyrics. As a song interpreter who is in their 60s it is especially meaningful to me to sing words that were written from the perspective of an adult woman, to feel and express the depth and hard earned wisdom of a mature and enlightened person.’
Reviews
Justin Vivian Bond
Justin Vivian Bond
Awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Bard College in May of 2025, Dr. Bond is also the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Grant, an Obie, a Bessie, a Tony Award nomination, an Ethyl Eichelberger Award, The Peter Reed Foundation Grant, The Foundation for Contemporary Art Grant for Artists, and The Art Matters Grant. Their memoir Tango: My Childhood Backwards and in High Heels (Feminist Press) won the Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Nonfiction. In March of 2025 they were given the Audie Award for Best Non-Fiction Narration for their work on the audiobook, Candy Darling; Dreamer, Icon, Superstar written by C. Carr
Viv has self-released several full-length recordings, most notably Dendrophile, and Silver Wells and as one-half of the legendary punk cabaret duo Kiki & Herb they toured the world and released, Do You Hear What We Hear? and Kiki and Herb Will Die For You live at Carnegie Hall.”
This coming September they will be celebrating the 35th anniversary of Marianne’s legendary comeback concert Blazing Away in the site where it was recorded, St. Ann’s Church in Brooklyn, with the world premiere of a new show Flaming September.
Mx Bond has been at the forefront of Trans visibility and activism since the early 1990s.
Soho Theatre Walthamstow
186 Hoe Street, Walthamstow, London, E17 4QH
We are a 5 minute walk from Walthamstow Central tube station, which is only 20 minutes from central London on the Victoria Line, and 15 minutes from Liverpool Street station on the Overground.
There are numerous buses that stop nearby and outside the venue.