an interview with
Brittany Brave
Interview by: Jennie Bull
Brittany Brave
Interview by: Jennie Bull
JB: Your event, Bad Bitch Brunch, is happening on March 29th at the historic Stonewall Inn and features an all-female / queer lineup. Why are spaces like this important, especially now?
BB: Well, I think they've always been crucial, just because it's a collection of voices that are always marginalized, doubted in society, and fighting for mainstream respect and credibility. Now given our current administration / overall state of the world, it’s actually a survival technique to create these spaces and this programming for people that are literally having their rights taken away. It's an act of rebellion, it's a big push back, and it's a safe space, which I think a lot of people need.
JB: How did Bad Bitch Brunch come to be?
BB: I curate it and take it across the country. It’s a very Miami show; when you watch, it’s very Miami in all the best ways. It’s naked and sexy and loud and sassy and fucking chaotic. Bad Bitch Brunch was born out of spite, at the time I was working for a very misogynistic company in Miami. I was the only woman they ever put on the payroll, they would host events and there would be no other women but me. After arguing with the founder, I told them to give me the Sunday show. I wanted to produce a Sunday show that was all-women, and a brunch. I did two brunches with that company before I realized he was going to do everything in his power to self-sabotage it. He never really believed in it, I took it away and trademarked it, I did it on my own.
JB: Your comedy style is very Moody, have you always been this confident in your sexuality and identity? If not, what happened?
BB: I think I always had a good amount of confidence, and I always knew I was a sexual person, a blunt person. But I think going through a really abusive relationship, that was plagued with unplanned pregnancies and then very planned abortions, and a lot of abuse and toxicity, helped me awaken who I was. That relationship actually brought me to stand-up comedy.
On the topic of being transparent and really loving yourself through everything – the good, the bad, and the ugly – stand-up will do that. Stand-up comedy has really made me love myself, it’s thick skin x1000; standing in front of a room of strangers when it’s not going well, sticking to your guns and still loving yourself at the end of the night. The entire process of comedy is all about self-discovery and accepting what’s vulnerable and real about you, relating to strangers who aren’t as comfortable talking about it.
JB: Would you say that comedy has been a release or outlet for you to heal some of the traumatic parts of your life?
BB: 10,000%. It was the thing that made me now want to k*ll myself after my relationship. I didn’t know where to turn when I was in something that was so toxic and draining. I knew I needed to leave him but I felt like I didn’t have anything worth living for, which was really dark but real at the time. The only thing that could inspire me to keep going, was performing and making others laugh. It’s been really healing, and I think now I’m in a really good spot. Now that I am mostly healed, I am in a position to actually help heal people and make comedy from a place that resonates with others.
JB: What would you say to the people out there who are hesitant to be vocal and live authentically as themselves?
BB: Do it, lean in, even if it feels weird at first. It’s going to get better and it’s going to get easier. It only feels weird to be loud and authentically yourself because we live in a society that tells women, gays, and queers that it’s not okay to be themselves. All the resistance is put in place to stop you. Practice makes perfect, keep showing up, keep being yourself, and stop apologizing.
JB: How is the Brittany on stage different from the Brittany in the bedroom? What would surprise others about your sex life?
BB: I actually have a bit about this where I say that the more dominant a woman is, sometimes that means the more submissive she is in the bedroom. That’s true for me, maybe not for everybody, but it’s an observation I’ve had for myself. Sometimes, I am so tired of taking charge. I want to be taken care of, I want to play something that I’m not. I almost like to be a little disrespected or submissive, because I hate that in any other context of my life. It’s kind of freeing and therapeutic in that way. I’m not very dominant in the bedroom because I’m too tired from everything else.
JB: Amen to that. Now what we’re all dying to know, what gets you in the mood?
BB: The first thing that comes to mind is, I used to be a dancer, so I find that when I sweat every day, not even for aesthetic reasons, but moving my body and testing my body always makes me feel like the sexiest. But sexually, I'm a woman and I'm a comic and an Aquarius, so mental connection gets me in the mood. I need to really want to fuck someone's mind, for lack of a better term – fuck their brains out. That’s almost more important than anything physical, how someone carries themselves and moves through life.
BB: I am on tour. I am jointly based in NYC and Miami and have shows in both all the time. Bad Bitch Brunch is a great one. I am very active, if not too active, on Instagram, and have a mailing list for updates. I also have a podcast called Big Yikes. It’s about vulnerability and making mistakes and owning it, and how funny and human that can be. Every week we have cool people come on and share their big yikes moment. I hope it makes other people feel a bit better about the times that they’ve fucked up, because in all these moments we truly convince ourselves that we’re the only people to ever fall flat like that. It helps to tune into something and hear someone, that you may know, say they’ve done something similar; you feel a little less alone and a little less hard on yourself.
In the mood for more? Join us on March 29th for Bad Bitch Brunch, use promo code MOODY for 20% off your ticket. SEE YOU THERE.