Kiki and Herb may be the most unlikely act to ever play Carnegie Hall. But on September 19th, they take to the renowned stage for a farewell performance. Kiki, a boozy, volatile chanteuse and her long suffering accompanist Herb, are the alter egos of Justin Bond and Kenny Mellman. Together they perform twisted renditions of songs from Leonard Cohen to Eminem, with hilarious, intensely dark patter threaded between. The final show is called “Kiki & Herb Will Die for You.” We brought them to Studio 360 to see why they decided to end it all.

Kurt: We're going to close the show today with what may be the most unlikely act to play Carnegie Hall: Kiki and Herb. Kiki is a chanteuse she's a lady of a certain age, and Herb is her collaborator and, if I may say so, long suffering accompanist. They are the alter egos of Justin Bond and Kenny Mellman. Together Kiki and Herb perform twisted renditions of songs from Leonard Cohen to Eminem. And, Kiki keeps up an intensely dark, complicated patter about her struggles with pretty much everything. The September 19th concert at Carnegie is called “Kiki and Herb Will Die for You”. It's billed as their farewell performance.

Kurt: Kiki and Herb welcome to Studio 360

Kiki: Thank you, very much, I think.

Kurt: You are, to coin a phrase, one of hardest working acts in show business.

Kiki: Well we've been performing since the mid forties, well even really earlier than that ya know. When Herb and I were young we were contained in an institution, now so me and her are practically like a shadow, ya know. But ya know, after what? After like, seventy years, it's like what (snore) me and my shadow. Yeah you know, it's like there's nothing there but yet it's everything. Ya know.

Kurt: And the history that you've shared together, the places you've been, the experiences you have had together, does that feed the creative process? Does that make you who you are as performers?

Kiki : Hey, I, we're just a couple of song and dance people. I don't who what this creative processing is?

Herb: Yeah, liquor.

Kiki: I sing a song, I entertain the people, ya know. I go out there I do it.

Herb: We don't think too much (over Kiki)

Kiki: Ya know, I don't know we have a creative process.

Herb: We just do it.

Kiki: It's like what the hell is that? I'm not no Vincent Van--, I'm not cutting my ear off or anything

Herb: We learned some new songs, and stuff.

Kurt: And what will you play for us here today at the studio?

Kiki: We are going to do a little melody of music that's sort of a hip kind of medley for the young people basically.

Kurt: Ladies and gentlemen, Kiki and Herb.

(60's medley starts and dips under)

Kurt: Now you are masters. Or should I say mistress and master of the medley?

Kiki: Well it's a lucky, what do they say, it's a lucky kind of thing that we're known for that because quite frankly part of the problem is that I can't remember the lyrics to an entire song, so I just go onto the next one so Herb is pretty good at picking up on those things you know.

(medley continues and ends)

Kurt: And that was the fabulous Kiki and Herb. Kiki and Herb are the inspired creation of Justin Bond who performed vocals and Kenny Melman on the piano. Justin and Kenny, did you just start doing this one night and-

Justin: Yup, actually I did. I showed up for a party and I was supposed to entertain and I was in just such a bad mood and in the course of getting dressed I created this character and I didn't have cab fare, I was young, I was poor and I was supposed to go to this boy's birthday party and I didn't have any money. Miss Kiki came out and demanded they pay the cabdriver. Just was an insane crazy person at this party, it was so liberating.

Kurt: And, and the music, the songs, the melodies, how do you two go about the two of you creating that part of the show.

Kenny: We, you know, bring the songs to the table and you know, I'm sort of a medley master, so you know it is sort of a strange—

Justin: Medley master, hmm.

Kenny: You know, you cant really get a job doing that really anymore, but um certain songs fit into the Kiki and Herb universe and fill in plot points or fill in emotional points that aren't filled in, like I've been saying recently it's like creating a film score that underneath Justin's monologues is this score that is guiding the audience to different emotional platforms and stuff like that.

Kurt: If we could before we go, return to the world of Kiki and Herb, and take us out and end Studio 360 I would very much appreciate it.

Kiki: Thank you very much.