Adele Bertei

The creator of the band the Bloods—the first out, queer, all-women-rock band—Adele Bertei has made a career as a singer, songwriter, writer, and director. Her resume, which spans decades and disciplines, is a who's who of the ’80s underground—performing and recording for artists such as Culture Club, Whitney Houston, Sandra Bernhard, and Matthew Sweet, to name a few.But her formative years bore little resemblance to her celebrity-studded adult life. In Twist: An American Girl, Bertei recounts her troubled childhood in 1960s and 1970s Cleveland, telling the story through the eyes of “Maddie Twist,” a stand in for Bertei herself. As she says about her alter-ego in the author’s note, “I needed protection while taking the journey back through the war zones of my youth.” Interlocutor Magazine presents Interlocutor Interviews, a podcast featuring in-depth conversations with creatives across art, music, activism, film, fashion, writing, and more. Enjoying our content? Help support us with a donation. Follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our newsletter for updates on our latest features. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.