Bif Naked, born Beth Nicole Torbert, has spent decades being unapologetically herself. First, as an aspiring musician from Winnipeg playing with punk bands Gorilla Gorilla and Chrome Dog, and later, as a solo artist who wrote deeply autobiographical lyrics about her life.
On stage, she’s known for her rebellious and rambunctious spirit. Her fearless attitude, iconic black bangs and tattooed body were an inspiration to young women everywhere growing up in the mid-1990s and early 2000s. At 54, Torbert still embodies that rebellious enthusiasm that first enamoured her to the Canadian public — just in a new way.
“I think it’s very punk rock to have wrinkles,” she told Yahoo Canada. “I’m a bit determined to make sure that I maintain my rebellious punk rock ways. As a Gen X punk rock woman, it’s important for me to wrinkle normally and not fight it so that the other Gen X women can see that I’m representing.”
The singer is reflecting on her life and three-decade career in a new documentary directed by Pollyanna Hardwicke-Brown: BIF NAKED, a definitive look at the life and career of one of Canada’s most unique and enduring artists.
Through rare footage and intimate interviews, the film captures Torbert’s unwavering fearlessness and positive attitude throughout many life challenges, including sexual assault and surviving breast cancer.
Torbert opened up about what it was like as a trail-blazing young woman dominating the ‘90s punk scene, approaching aging in the spotlight and how she’s unexpectedly stepping into the most creatively liberating chapter of her life to date.
‘I really had to be fearless’
In the male-dominated punk rock music scene of the ‘90s, Torbert had to carve out her own path. As a young female artist, she toured Europe and played between 250 and 300 shows per year, where stage-diving and mosh pits were the norm.
“These were really mean and nasty tours and I was the only girl,” she said. “Being a girl, I really had to be fearless and very unapologetic. It was frowned upon to be a girl on stage. I felt I had to be twice as rambunctious to be considered half as good as my male counterparts. I took a lot of pride in being very fearlessly aggressive on stage.”
Her longtime manager, Peter Karroll, whom she describes as a “guardian angel” throughout her entire career, played a major role in protecting her while she toured with male bands.