Lounge singer Kiki DuRane, accompanied by her longtime piano accompanist Herb, first appeared in San Francisco in the early Nineties. The duo were the alter egos of Justin Bond and Kenny Mellman.
Kiki & Herb are a tribute/send-up of old lounge singers, reminiscent of the cabaret culture of the gay scene, a punk rock treatment of singing standards, and a tribute to the art of living life in pain.
In a 2002 interview, Bond explained the inspiration:
When I was growing up I liked to watch The Carol Burnett Show. The artists that were on were people like Steve and Edie, people that had really been hip and cool in the fifties and early sixties. Then rock and roll came in and overnight they were no longer hip — they were totally square. It looked like the sky was the limit, and then all of a sudden this big shoe came down and landed on their careers. But they didn’t stop — they’re touring now. What would it be like to have your entire life invested in that career track and all of a sudden get to a point where it’s too late to change — to be stuck there.
A more recent interview with Justin Bond covers current solo performing.
From Kiki & Herb’s out-of-print debut album Do You Hear What We Hear? (released in 2000), here are two selections that cover a myriad of songs. The opening number includes the songs “Sleigh Ride,” “Make Yourself Comfortable,” “Creep,” “Dancing Queen,” “You Have Placed a Chill in my Heart,” “Oh Happy Day,” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” The next medley consists of “What Child is This?,” “Deep Inside” and “Crucify” (and includes musical saw from Moses E. Josiah and a cameo appearance at the climax from Debbie Harry). The emphasis is placed on the Nativity story, with a dollop of guilt. (“Deep Inside” is a brilliant choice for a diva, combining two great queens: Mary J. Blige and Elton John.)
Kiki & Herb – Whose Child Is This? (Medley)