Wednesday, July 16, 2008


Brini is back!!

For the two of you who haven't seen her in action, Brini Maxwell has decided to grace us with snippets from her old NYC cable-access show via iTunes! Each episode is great fun, and I guarantee you'll end up taking copious notes. Also available is season one of her show on the criminally short-sighted Style network (uhh, where is season two, people?) as well as her book, Brini Maxwell's Guide to Gracious Living.

Brini Maxwell is the devilishly clever creation of New York actor Ben Sander. Coming across somewhat as Sue-Ann Nivens on acid, Brini delivers surprisingly helpful tips and tricks for those of us who, unlike such home-improvement divas like Martha Stewart, sadly lack 14 room houses, 7-figure incomes and hordes of (off-screen) gay boys devoted to keeping the copper pots clean. Brini's original show was shot in her tiny New York apartment, and was devoted to showing all of us how to make a small space cheerful, welcoming, and surprisingly chic. Brini whips up everything from Janet Lee's meatloaf to Dina Merill's strawberry pancakes on a hotplate in her galley kitchen, usually spurred on by her sidekick Mary Ellen (the hilarious Thom Hansen). I defy you not to Google her recipe for devilled eggs (all right I won't torture you, it's on her myspace page).

Her studied seriousness (and her slightly passive aggressive catchphrase "now why didn't YOU think of that?") makes Brini Maxwell priceless, but it's the honest usability of her tips, tricks and recipes that make her completely brilliant..

Photo borrowed from Brini's myspace page

3 comments:

Billy D said...

I used to love watching her on Style. Her meticulous observation of retro American culture is almost unbelievably thorough...using a tackle box to pack snacks for a transatlantic flight? Disgusting, and yet a hilarious commentary on the formerly luxurious state of travel.

tmp00 said...

you know what's weird? She's more subversive but has more useable content on her cable-access show. Style sanded off the rough edges, but she would trot out loony things like the artwork made from pills (her favorites were the "little blue ones" wink, wink...)

the oblitterati said...

I love it! Thank you Tom! I never knew something so genius was on public access. (though I do love the anti-genius of Midnight Blue)Just when I thought I could break my YouTube habit....