Kiki and Herb

Kiki and Herb
Kiki and Herb in 2006
Background information
Origin	New York City, New York, United States
Years active	1989 (1989)–{current}
Labels	Mr. Lady, Evolver
Past members	Justin Vivian Bond Kenny Mellman

Kiki and Herb (Justin Bond and Kenny Mellman) are an American drag cabaret duo. Bond portrays Kiki DuRane, an aging, alcoholic, female lounge singer. Mellman portrays her gay, male piano accompanist, known only as "Herb."

Although Bond and Mellman are only in their late forties and early fifties, their characters are, according to their elaborate fictional biographies, more than eighty years old.

Bond and Mellman began performing together in 1989, and created the characters of Kiki and Herb in the early 1990s in San Francisco.

Their act alternates between musical numbers and long, seemingly inebriated monologues by Kiki. The musical numbers, often , draw on an enormous range of popular music, from Broadway musicals to Nirvana and from Britney Spears to REO Speedwagon. They have also covered songs by Suicidal Tendencies, The Mountain Goats and Butt Trumpet.

Although both performers live in New York City, the pair have performed in American cities from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., as well as in Europe.

In 1995-1996 Kiki and Herb appeared regularly at "Cowgirl Hall of Fame" in Greenwich Village, where they honed their show and built their fanbase. Among the devotees was John Cameron Mitchell (who later included Justin in his 2006 movie, Shortbus).