Thirty-five years ago, Patty Brard graced the cover of the January 1988 issue of Playboy Netherlands. The former Luv' singer achieved a tour de force when she appeared naked in the Dutch edition of the notorious men's magazine and caused a sensation in Holland.
Photographer Paul Huf enhanced the beauty of the 32-year-old media personality. Patty's sexy pictures were not photoshopped as photo software was not common practise then. The readers could enjoy the diva's natural sex appeal years before she underwent breast augmentation and used fillers and botox.
After a succession of bad career moves, the publication of Miss Brard's naked photographs put the enfant terrible of Dutch showbiz in the spotlight again, generating lots of publicity in the media.
Patty was then a member of the jet set and was married to Carlo Nasi, an Italian record producer and music publisher as well as one of the heirs to the FIAT empire. She and her husband had a daughter named Priscilla, born in 1983, and the happy family lived in Los Angeles, CA.
At the time, the ex-Luv' member hit rock bottom in her career, although the Dutch tabloid press often published articles about her.
After Luv's break-up, her solo records (except her debut single "Hold On To Love" in early 1981) flopped.
Patty Brard during her "Hold On To Love" era in 1981
Patty found her salvation as a TV presenter. She co-hosted the popular Candid Camera-like program "De Bananasplitshow" with Ralf Inbar on TROS between 1983 and 1985. The TV show was a huge success in Holland and Belgium, and some episodes peaked at seven million viewers!!!
Patty Brard & Ralf Inbar: Bananasplit's golden duo
The ambitious Indo-Dutch celebrity tried her luck abroad. In Italy, she co-presented the highly successful Sanremo Festival on RAI Uno with Pippo Baudo in 1985 but never got big in Dante's country.
Pippo Baudo & Patty Brard
In October 1986, La Brard started to co-host "Bingo", a Flemish music chart program on BRT in Belgium. Pé Vermeersch, Paul de Groeve and Bart Peeters were the other presenters of Bingo.
The October 12th, 1986 issue of Flemish magazine Joepie featured an article about the Bingo team:
Story - December 23rd, 1986 : Patty Brard's goodbye to her child
In June 1987, BRT fired Patty Brard. "Her musical knowledge was too limited, and her interviews were not great," Bingo producer Tom Huybrechts said about Patty in the June 16th, 1987 edition of Limburgsch Dagblad.
Limburgsch dagblad - June 16th, 1987
Click here to read the article online
Story - June 16th, 1987
Late August 1987 saw the premiere of Pim de la Parra's film "Odysée d'amour" starring Patty Brard in the cast. The movie was not a box-office success and didn't revolutionize the history of cinema.
Patty Brard in Odysée d'Amour (1987)
Moreover, the prima donna, who made frequent round trips between Los Angeles and Holland in the 1980s, was rumoured to be involved in American projects that never materialized (including a role in a sequel to "Charlie's Angels" and on "Falcon Crest").
Music, television, cinema, failed projects in America...Patty Brard didn't have the Midas Touch back then and went through many ups and downs in the post-Luv' years. That's why the resourceful celebrity took a chance on Playboy. The January 1988 issue sold so well in Dutch kiosks that Patty appeared for an interview in the follow-up issue.
Playboy - February 1988 (with Brigitte Nielsen on the cover)
Including an interview with Patty Brard about sex and fidelity
Playboy boosted Patty's career for a while. In the following years, the larger-than-life VIP bounced back. She participated in two successful comebacks with Luv', and hosted popular TV shows on RTL and SBS.
Source: Playboy, Vintage Erotica Forums, Luv' weblog archives, Delpher, Toen gisteren nog vandaag was...