Biography

Not to be confused with the other MTV VJ of the same name, this Julie Brown is a comedian, singer, songwriter, and actress best known for a series of mid-'80s novelty hits including “The Homecoming Queen’s Got a Gun” and “Trapped in the Body of a White Girl.” Born in Van Nuys, California, Brown began her career in the comedy clubs of Los Angeles and San Francisco, performing a campy act that mocked valley girl culture and celebrities like Madonna. After a couple television sitcom roles and a small part in the Clint Eastwood comedy Any Which Way You Can, she was discovered at a comedy club by Lily Tomlin, who cast her in the 1981 comedy The Incredible Shrinking Woman. Three years later, Rhino Records released her debut EP, Goddess in Progress, which featured the single “I Like 'Em Big and Stupid,” along with early versions of “The Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun” and “Earth Girls Are Easy.” In 1987 she moved to the Sire label and released the Trapped in the Body of a White Girl album. A year later she starred alongside Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, and Jim Carrey and helped co-write and co-produce Earth Girls Are Easy, a film based on her song. She became the second Julie Brown to be employed by MTV when, in 1989, her show Just Say Julie began a three-year run on the network. Work in television and film would keep her out of the recording studio until 2005, when she issued the single “I Want to be Gay.” In 2008, Brown released a sequel of sorts, "The Ex-Beauty Queen's Got a Gun," with lyrics that mocked Sarah Palin. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi