Julie Brown began her career when she was discovered by comedy legend Lily Tomlin and cast in a small role in the film, The Incredible Shrinking Woman. She is probably best known for hilarious songs like “The Homecoming Queen’s Got a Gun,” ” ‘Cause I’m a Blonde,” and “I Like ‘Em Big and Stupid,” roles in films like, Earth Girls Are Easy, and Clueless , and her Madonna:Truth or Dare mockumentary, Medusa: Dare to be Truthful. This is only a snapshot, however, of her long and multi-faceted career. The Van Nuys, California native had her own show, Just Say Julie, on MTV back in 1989, and has been an actress, comedienne, singer, composer, writer, director, producer, voice-over artist, and mother.
September 2010, Julie releases her latest album, Smell the Glamour which includes “Another Drunk Chick” (parody of Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok“) and “ Big Clown Pants”(parody of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance“), two of twelve awesome parody singles from her new album, are currently available for purchase on iTunes.
GAS had the great pleasure of talking to Julie recently about her new album, what she’s been up to, and what’s on the horizon.
When asked whether “Another Drunk Chick” was written strictly as a response to Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok” or whether it was a social statement, Julie replied:
It was more of a social commentary. Because the idea that it’s just a celebration of going out getting high, drunk,. I mean just a crazy thing, right? And Lady Gaga has a song like that, too, called, “Just Dance,”… And I do love Lady Gaga, I really do… And I was like, “This is what kids are listening to. Getting drunk and going out. I have to do something with this, ‘cause it‘s just so wrong…” I hate that this message is getting out there.Yet at the same time I get that this song is really catchy and really fun. So, I think that’s why I… was making fun of it. It’s very involving… You find yourself humming that song, yet the idea of it is just so… bad. I had to do something about it.
Being a mother of a teenage boy certainly influenced her in writing this song, but deeper than that, she grew up around alcoholism and has very strong distaste for the whole idea of glorifying drunkeness and getting high.
Among the other songs on her album is the single, “Big Clown Pants” (a parody of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance“) Julie says that she loves Lady Gaga and was inspired to write the song, much like her other great inspiration, Madonna, inspired her to write the mockumentary, Medusa: Dare To Be Truthful. Many of the parody songs from Medusa (a parody of “Vogue” et. al.) will be included in her new album, as they were never released on an album previously. Also included on her new album is an updated version of “‘Cause I’m a Blonde,” which was also never released. Fans of Julie Brown have been asking her to release these songs on an album for years, and now they’ll finally get everything they’ve hoped for and more with the release of Smell the Glamour.
In addition to the other songs on the album, Julie is re-releasing another favorite, “I Wanna Be Gay.” When she left the repressive attitude of Catholic school and went out into the world as an adult, she made friends in the gay community and was awed by the way they were just free with who and what they were.
The idea that being gay is everybody’s built that way for it, you know… the song is… expressing just how they feel without any restriction… Gay people… That’s how they really feel. They’re not conforming… So I think all these people in some ways are envious of that idea of just being who you are without conforming… The song’s sort of a celebration of that… Being gay is fantastic… Even though I’m not.
Miss Brown really hasn’t spent much time in the spotlight for many years, and GAS found the reason for her absence was motherhood. Julie is a divorced, single mother, raising her son alone. She told GAS that motherhood came first in her life and her career second. Julie has had small roles in film and television, and has spent time doing some writing. In fact, she was one of the writers for the incredibly popular Disney Channel’s hit show, Camp Rock, where she also played one of the camp’s counselors. While she’s not working on Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, she’s been busy with other projects, such as writing jokes for the show Melissa and Joey, starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence, which airs on ABC Family on Tuesday nights. Right now, she’s directing the video for “Another Drunk Chick.” She also told GAS that she has two screenplays she’s finishing up — one comedy and one drama — that she plans to begin work on when her son leaves for college. She plans to direct and act more when she’s not responsible for his daily life anymore.
“He’s really almost 17, so really… two years left of high school to be around… and then I’m just gonna kick some A**… That’s my plan.”
Don’t forget to take names when you do, Miss Julie!
©Gossip Ain’t Sweet, LLC 2010
