She's influenced a great many artists since her arrival in the late 1970s, but there can only be one Sandra Bernhard. She made her bones when few female comics were household names. She earned a Best Supporting Actress award from the National Society of Film Critics for her performance in The King of Comedy (1982), then launched a series of memorable one-woman shows, one of which became the concert film Without You I'm Nothing and book Confessions of a Pretty Lady. If this bio seems short, it's not because her life merits little attention. It's because thousands of words wouldn't cover her achievements, and we'd rather devote that space to her words rather than ours.

WEEKLY VOLCANO: Let's go straight to your current tour. What are the key topics, and what should we look forward to?

SANDRA BERNHARD: It's not so much topical as a personal show, so my work is kind of evergreen. There are stories, some true, some fictional. I build a whole world based on my travels and experiences, so it's not about things we've heard 20 million times. It's all woven around music, with my musical director, Mitch Kaplan, on piano. The songs are rock ‘n' roll. Some are original tunes. The show takes you on a journey, comedically, musically and dramatically, so it's a whole world pulled together through my unique vision.

VOLCANO: Which would you say are weirder, the true stories or the ones you made up?

BERNHARD: I'll leave that to audiences' interpretation. Some people think, "Oh, that was true and that wasn't true." You never let people on to what is or isn't. I like to keep it ambiguous.

VOLCANO: For all your success, I don't think a lot of people know you've charted several times as a singer.

BERNHARD: I've had dance songs and stuff out there. Yeah, a lot of people like the songs I've written, some with Mitch Kaplan. I think I have a pretty keen ear. I wish I'd focused more on it in the beginning, but you can't do it all. I'm glad I get to do as much as I do.

VOLCANO: We live in a reactionary time, and a lot of your material has been about social politics. That leads to joke backlash. How are you able to deal with all that?

BERNHARD: It's dependent on where everybody else is. If it's around an election, of course everyone's all heated up and crazy. The loons come out of the woodwork, especially on social media where everybody can weigh in without having much to back it up. You turn off your computer and go about your life. I've tried to stay away from unnecessary controversy. It doesn't interest me. I'm a performer. I'm an entertainer. Yes, I like to touch on things I believe in and think are important, but you have to find the right outlets for all that.

VOLCANO: Do you read comments on your own page?

BERNHARD: No, absolutely not.

VOLCANO: What fascinates you?

BERNHARD: Interesting people I admire, in all walks of life. I'm a huge fan of Serena and Venus Williams. I love to watch tennis. It takes such total concentration. I love people who've perfected their craft and done it on their own terms and change the face of their particular world.

VOLCANO: Are you athletic? Are you a good dancer?

BERNHARD: I love to dance for fun, sure. I'm not a dancer in the sense of somebody who can be choreographed. I'm athletic at the gym. I like to work out, walk, move. I've never really taken on a sport per se, but I stay in very good shape. I like to be strong and keep my core together.

VOLCANO: It seemed like right after you broke out nationally as a standup, which was fast and huge, you were great and well-reviewed in a Martin Scorsese movie. How did you make such a smooth transition? Was that planned, or did people come find you?

BERNHARD: I knew I wanted to go into acting as well as live performing, and I worked really hard for that role and happened to be the right person for it. You can't really say how some things happened or didn't happen. I auditioned for it. A lot of other people did, too. It was the right place at the right time and I was the right person, so it was kind of a natural segue for me.

VOLCANO: You've turned up in dozens of sitcoms over the years. I was happy to see you on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a show I love.

BERNHARD: I'm also on five big episodes of 2 Broke Girls. They air over the next month and a half.

VOLCANO: Was there ever a proposal or pilot for giving you your own sitcom?

BERNHARD: There have been conversations. I've created scripted shows that haven't been picked up, but that's where all my energy is right now: getting back into something fulltime on television. I'm hoping all the things I'm doing now will be a stepping stone to that over the next season.

VOLCANO: In 1991, you had the honor of playing the first out lesbian on a sitcom (Roseanne). Were there people in your camp telling you not to do that?

BERNHARD: No, because it wasn't about that. "Nancy" started off being married to (Tom Arnold's character, "Arnie"), and the punch line was he was so awful she became gay. It was really never, "Oh, we're gonna write a gay character." That's just where she ended up going because it was fun and there wasn't anybody like that on the show, or on TV, so it was a natural evolution for that character.

VOLCANO: Not to segue into this from Roseanne in particular, but you've certainly been in a position to watch how extreme celebrity can change people. How have you been able to stay grounded?

BERNHARD: I surround myself with people who are very real, whether they're creative people, people in the business, or friends of mine. I just live my life, y'know? That's a conscious choice you can make, or you can fall into that dramatic, over-the-top diva position. That's not how I want to live my life.

VOLCANO: Any career regrets?

BERNHARD: Not really. Maybe there were projects that didn't work out that I wish had, but I keep getting to do what I do, pretty much on my own terms. So I don't look back with any terrible disappointment.

VOLCANO: Any mountains left to climb?

BERNHARD: Just doing what I do while branching into other things the business has to offer, whether it's doing television or film, maybe a play at some point in New York. That'd be fun. There are things I'm looking forward to, something new and different.

VOLCANO: Are you working on a book from this tour?

BERNHARD: I've had book ideas for a while now, but until I have a platform to really sell it, I probably won't end up doing one until the money's right and the exposure's right.

VOLCANO: How do you think the scene has changed for female comics over the last few decades? Is it any different now?

BERNHARD: Oh, it's completely different. There are so many women doing standup now it's unbelievable. It always surprises me how many people are out there doing it, and I think it's kind of watered down. It's harder to see who's got talent and who doesn't. Of course, people break through like they always have, but there are a lot more outlets. I don't think they're necessarily great outlets, but there's definitely a lot more exposure for people, whether it's on blogs or websites. People can create their own world, but you still have to reach enough people.

VOLCANO: Why do you think it's so hard for some young women these days to self-identify as feminists?

BERNHARD: I think the world has changed, and their vision of the struggle women had to go through back in the day doesn't resonate. But more than ever now, women are fighting for their reproductive rights. Women around the world are fighting for their rights in general. I think it's a very relevant thing to be involved with and concerned about. I think a lot of women are concerned, but of course there are always people who are just going to do what they do and ignore what's important in the world.

VOLCANO: Which governor annoys you more, Sarah Palin or Mike Pence?

BERNHARD: Well, since Mike Pence is a governor now, and I think there's something very relevant going on, I would imagine he's the one who's most annoying. All these reactionary governors and politicians who pander to the fundamental base are concerning, but ultimately it always backfires so you really can't get too bent out of shape about it. It's just the craziness of the world we're living in.

VOLCANO: Anything you want to add?

BERNHARD: I'm looking forward to coming. I love Washington state. It's a great place. I don't know if I've ever preformed in Olympia per se, so it should be fun.

VOLCANO: You'll find it a very welcoming environment. It's Berkeley North.

BERNHARD: Yeah, that's what I've heard. Cool!

SANDRA BERNHARD IS #BLESSED, 9 p.m. Saturday, May 2, Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia, $30-$100, 360.754.6670