Episode 1002 - Amy Sedaris
Marc:all right let's do this how are you what the fuckers what the fuck buddies what the fuck nicks what's happening i'm mark maron this is my podcast welcome to it does it sound different are you okay how's everything with you
Marc:I don't know how you're doing, but I had to move all my shit today and yesterday and the day before yesterday.
Marc:Things are happening.
Marc:Like right now, I'm talking to you in a completely different room.
Marc:It's I've never spent that much time in this room.
Marc:I had to move everything out of the new garage in order to get some work done on the space.
Marc:And it has to be empty because it's big work.
Marc:So given those options, I could go to a studio, rent a studio, do that, drive, meet guests at a studio, or I could just go upstairs in my house and put all the shit in there.
Marc:So now I'm in a strange room.
Marc:in terms of interviewing or talking to you or talking on the mics i'm modulating my voice in a weird way it feels like i'm surrounded by the panels that that kid julian nicholson made me he uh he actually came over him and his uh buddy and uh one guy's tool guy julian's a sound guy we moved all the panels that he made me for the garage up into this room i got to get some books up here i moved all the books
Marc:Again, out of the garage.
Marc:Every fucking one of my books.
Marc:Now, when I moved them over here to this house, I didn't go through them.
Marc:And there's plenty of books I don't need, but I didn't go through them.
Marc:So now they're all in stacks underneath my house, hundreds of books.
Marc:And now I've got to stack them up in here to make it muffled, to get it cozy.
Marc:Guests will not walk through my house, out the back door, into the garage.
Marc:But it's going to be a little more peculiar when I go like, yeah, we've got to go upstairs into one of the bedrooms.
Marc:There's no bed in here.
Marc:It was designated as an office space.
Marc:And now it's a studio.
Marc:but you do what you got to do so like i knew this had to happen i knew that uh you know if i didn't start the work on the garage that i that was going to get in trouble i don't know what that what that looks like when the city gets mad at you for not doing the work that you're supposed to do because you're in violation of a city ordinance or code what do they do put a lien on you do they take your home from you
Marc:I know they can do that.
Marc:I don't think they would do it for that reason.
Marc:I don't think, like, yeah, he didn't fix the garage.
Marc:He didn't get the garage up to code.
Marc:We're taking it back.
Marc:I don't know what the fuck happens.
Marc:I just know that one of the reasons I bought this house was for that fucking garage, and now I'm recording my bedroom like an amateur.
Marc:Pros record in the garage.
Marc:Amateurs record in the extra room.
Marc:But it's okay.
Marc:It's okay.
Marc:We're going to get through this together.
Marc:Amy Sedaris is on my show today who I love.
Marc:I love Amy Sedaris.
Marc:Who doesn't fucking love Amy Sedaris?
Marc:That's the big question.
Marc:What kind of monster doesn't love Amy Sedaris?
Marc:We go back.
Marc:We go way back.
Marc:I'll talk to her about it.
Marc:Man, I'm literally like right down the hall from where I sleep in a room right down the hall.
Marc:When I bring guests up, we're going to be like, yeah, it's my bedroom.
Marc:Right down the hall.
Marc:It's weird.
Marc:It's going to take some adjusting.
Marc:I'm sorry if I sound off.
Marc:It's just a little weird to be doing it in my house.
Marc:I like to walk to work.
Marc:You know, even if it's just to the garage.
Marc:I enjoy the walk to work.
Marc:Now, I just got to go down the hall, I guess.
Marc:Or upstairs from downstairs.
Marc:I don't know.
Marc:Anyways, me and Sedaris...
Marc:We go way back.
Marc:My first job in television that I reluctantly took because I was totally broke was around 1989.
Marc:Some of you may remember, you're probably in your 40s now.
Marc:If you watched the original, probably the second version of Comedy Central, it wasn't the Comedy Channel.
Marc:I think it might have just become Comedy Central.
Marc:Maybe it was the Comedy Channel.
Marc:I can't remember, but I hosted the last incarnation of Short Attention Span Theater.
Marc:which took place in a, the conceit was I was in the vault of Comedy Central going through tapes and showing you clips of things that was really just put together from promotional material for this or that.
Marc:It was kind of ridiculous, and it was shot at HBO Downtown Productions.
Marc:down on 23rd Street in New York, back when HBO had a piece of Comedy Central.
Marc:And they also produced Exit 57, a sketch show.
Marc:And that, of course, was, if you remember, Paul Daniello, Amy Sedaris, Jody Lennon, and Stephen Colbert were the...
Marc:So they were all down the hall with their crew from Chicago and other places and doing the cool kid improv thing, smoking cigarettes, writing things.
Marc:I was down the hall by myself with my guitar in my lonely office reading sad fan mail from from from people postcards and whatnot.
Marc:There wasn't a ton of it.
Marc:but I didn't have any writing to do.
Marc:I didn't have anybody to work with.
Marc:I had a writer, but I just would sit there and kind of like sit there by myself, get myself worked up, thinking I compromised everything, get myself exhausted, take a nap, probably masturbated in the office, alone, alone at work.
Marc:I think that it's probably not the best place to masturbate alone at work, and you shouldn't masturbate alone at work, but you can.
Marc:as long as it doesn't involve other people, especially by surprise.
Marc:I think that's the unspoken rule.
Marc:If you're going to tuck away into a place, a bathroom, or lock the door of your office because you got to rub one out or get off, this is any gender, you know, you got to do what you got to do.
Marc:Right?
Marc:Right.
Marc:Just, you know, keep it to yourself and don't look weird when you come out.
Marc:It's a little work advice.
Marc:But the point I was making is that that's when I met Amy.
Marc:So that was like 89, I think.
Marc:Was that right?
Marc:No.
Marc:92-ish, 93.
Marc:And I was just so envious of the fun they were having.
Marc:And I am now if I think about it.
Marc:I'm envious of people's ability to have fun in general.
Marc:But I'm glad that you can.
Marc:So Amy Sedaris is a singular force of comedy and humanity.
Marc:I mean, you might remember from the sketch show.
Marc:You might remember her from Strangers with Candy.
Marc:You might remember her from her talk show appearances.
Marc:You might have seen her in off-Broadway shows back in the day that her brother David wrote.
Marc:I know I'm missing things.
Marc:But right now, she's on a show called At Home with Amy Sedaris.
Marc:It's currently in its second season on True TV.
Marc:New episodes Tuesday nights at 10 p.m.
Marc:And on the truetv.com there, you can get the show on that thing.
Marc:truetv.com.
Marc:And this was a very pleasant reunion.
Marc:She's exciting to talk to because you really don't know.
Marc:You don't know what's going to happen with Amy Sedaris.
Marc:This is me talking to Amy Sedaris.
Marc:Did I say Amy Sedaris enough?
Marc:Here comes Amy Sedaris.
Marc:What flight did you take?
Guest:I left New York at 10 o'clock.
Marc:In the morning?
Guest:Yeah, but I stayed up late, and I thought, because I'm going to sleep the whole time, and I couldn't sleep.
Marc:I never sleep.
Guest:Sometimes I can, and it's just my mind wouldn't shut off.
Marc:Really?
Guest:I just couldn't do it.
Marc:Oh, to me, like I sweep, you know when I sweep, like right when it takes off for some reason?
Marc:Uh-huh.
Marc:Like, because I think of the oxygen change.
Marc:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Marc:Because they compress their, what do you call it?
Marc:They decompress the, whatever it is.
Marc:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Marc:What's the fucking word?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:yeah they changed the air supply in the cabin and i go out but then like 20 minutes later i'm up right in time for it to level off and then that's it that's it no matter how do you watch movies i do no i've tried to read but uh i find i sit to given time i will uh i will just sit and think about nothing
Marc:Whatever it is, I'll do it.
Marc:Sometimes bad things, sometimes good things.
Marc:It's best not to freak yourself out about personal matters on an airplane.
Guest:Oh, no.
Guest:Oh, my God.
Guest:No.
Marc:It's not a good time to be like, oh, why didn't I do that?
Marc:God damn it.
Guest:But I really loved your book.
Guest:Oh, thank you.
Guest:And I think David and I were reading it at the same time.
Guest:Oh, really?
Guest:So it was fun to talk to him about it.
Guest:But yeah, it was really good.
Guest:I laughed.
Marc:Oh, thanks.
Guest:And then where David said, you shouldn't be on the cover.
Guest:It's too good, that one.
Marc:He was hung up on that cover, man.
Guest:He is a way of a book.
Guest:It's celebrity books.
Marc:He sent me possible covers.
Marc:That was for Attempting Normal, I think, was the one.
Marc:And they had created this cover.
Marc:And for some reason, I sent it to him.
Marc:And it was very funny, his response.
Guest:Yeah, I think he told me.
Marc:There was a cat on it, and it was just this ridiculous cat cover of just a cat.
Marc:It had its mouth bubble was saying WTF, and there was a blue background.
Marc:And I sent it to David, and he goes, too much blue.
Guest:Oh, my God.
Guest:Isn't it funny when you have to do that kind of thing or marketing, and then you think someone else is going to be the right person on the other end, and it just very seldom is it, and then you have to get involved, and it's a lot of work.
Marc:And then it never comes out the way you want anyways.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Well, I mean, I'm always jealous of people that seem to have it together.
Marc:Like, that's a great book cover.
Marc:And also...
Marc:Do you ever make decisions and you're really confident about it, so there's no one to blame but yourself, but they don't hold up over the years?
Guest:Yes.
Guest:Or they were right.
Guest:They're like, it shouldn't be brown.
Guest:I'm like, I want brown.
Guest:And then it'll look better green.
Guest:No, it won't.
Guest:I like brown.
Guest:And sure enough, they were right.
Guest:They know it sells.
Guest:Sure.
Guest:They always say purple books don't sell because they're healing books.
Guest:That's in the healing section.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:But you go in a bookstore and you're like, okay, they're right.
Guest:You see what pops and, you know, it's so interesting to me.
Marc:But even with anything, with haircuts, with pants I wear on television, I'm like, what was I thinking?
Guest:Oh, clothes and mail.
Guest:Forget it.
Marc:So confident, though, when I did it.
Marc:I was like, this is it.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And then years later, you're like, what?
Guest:well i know i have like decades decades of conan appearances of me me i'm making bad decisions so but it's good when you make a right decision or it comes to you last minute and i'm at the right time and you just can't even believe it and you're like you just can't move forward till you find this hook and then you find it and you're like wow it just comes together yeah i love that yeah that's happened maybe once
Guest:Oh, I hate missed opportunities.
Guest:You know, like when editing, when I watch, I'm like, God, if we just had more time to think about it, I could have, it would have been such a good idea.
Marc:When you're like improvising or something?
Guest:Oh, or you're just shooting the show, you know, and you can just think of something last minute.
Marc:Oh, later?
Marc:Yeah, later.
Marc:Oh, we kind of tagged that.
Marc:Let's go back in.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:put the setback up that's hard because it's hard to read up you know if you can't change it why watch it or read it right you know that's my attitude all the time just like i'm not i don't want to see you know if the color's going to be off yeah it's something that you know i'll just go crazy so you edited all of them of the uh of the new show at home with amy sedaris yeah i sit through editing paul does you know paul and i both paul danello yeah paul danello hey so he's you guys are the producers and he's writing it with you he
Guest:Paul and I, this was our show idea, and he pretty much writes the show, and he chops the wood, and I help decorate it along with a few other people.
Marc:So the pitch was essentially a home show with you that's a little skewered with weird elements and weird characters that come in.
Guest:I had two books, a craft book and a cookbook, entertaining book.
Guest:And then I literally slid them across the table and was like, this is what it looks like.
Guest:Because everyone gets so confused.
Marc:But those books were pretty earnest in some ways.
Marc:Yeah, they're real.
Guest:And the humor came from Paul making fun of me trying to take something so seriously.
Guest:I'm like, Paul, this has to be real.
Guest:I don't like cookbooks.
Guest:But, you know, he's great.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:You guys have been working together for a long time.
Guest:For a really long time.
Guest:And he has a full-time job at Colbert.
Marc:Oh, right.
Guest:So it's always about, and he has kids and he lives in Maplewood.
Marc:Where's Maplewood?
Guest:It's in New Jersey.
Marc:Oh, he lives in Jersey.
Guest:I go there a lot.
Guest:I don't mind Maplewood.
Guest:It's just the journey.
Marc:Yeah, it's, what is it, Northern Jersey?
Marc:Oh.
Guest:No, you'll never hear me say, was that British territory?
Guest:Or was that Southern?
Guest:When people say, is that on the east side of the street?
Guest:I'm like, come on.
Guest:I worked at this restaurant once where they were showing me how to do the tables.
Guest:And they said, now the salt and pepper goes east and west.
Guest:And I go, come on, really?
Marc:i don't talk like that i never know where i am you kind of know north and south i do not know okay well it's better that we don't we don't need to give out his address on the show like you just tell me the street number and how many what are his kids names but uh exactly but it's so funny because i i mean i knew you guys you know way back like we have this weird uh secret are
Marc:Yeah, the secret history.
Marc:But we were both at HBO Downtown on 23rd Street.
Marc:It was not a real studio, but I was shooting there.
Marc:It was basically a floor of an office building.
Marc:They built this little studio where I was shooting short attention span theater and I was miserable.
Marc:And then at some point, you guys came in and Exit 57 was there.
Marc:So I was alone in my office.
Guest:Playing your guitar.
Guest:School of the Blind, like on the second floor.
Guest:They put the boxes together and all.
Marc:Right.
Guest:We had so much going on on that block.
Guest:That was so funny.
Marc:I know.
Marc:And Nancy Geller was there and Nina Rosenstein.
Marc:And the other guy, what was that other guy's name that always scared me a little bit?
Marc:He just walked around quietly.
Marc:He was like the executive.
Marc:But it was back when HBO had an interest in Comedy Central.
Marc:Like they owned it.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And they produced your sketch show.
Marc:Right.
Marc:And my silly clip show.
Marc:And stand up, stand up.
Marc:And Politically Incorrect.
Guest:That's right.
Guest:And that was the first time I saw the dynamic of, like, a Nancy Geller and her assistant Dawn.
Marc:Oh, yeah, Dawn.
Guest:It was the first time I saw that kind of relationship, abusive relationship.
Guest:And then I just saw people in this position typing, and I thought they were secretaries, and they got all mad at me.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And I said, happy Secretary's Day, and they all turned on me, like, we're not... And I was like, I don't know.
Guest:You look like one on TV.
Guest:You know, that's what you're supposed to... Anyway.
Marc:God, I couldn't... Those were lessons where I did show business.
Marc:Everybody's an assistant or a producer, an associate producer...
Marc:Oh, my God.
Guest:Or you leave the room and they panic.
Guest:Where are you going?
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:We're just going to go.
Guest:You know, Jesus.
Marc:Right.
Marc:Because you guys like it was I remember that like it was just a bunch of empty desks and there were there were empty offices.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Right.
Marc:Because we were like the last holdouts there.
Marc:And they had then then they had that whole basement.
Yeah.
Marc:Full of props from early Comedy Central like you know cuz they went and cleaned it out one day That's where I got that guitar and like that's funny But you guys were all in your own world and I felt like such a fuck and I've talked to we loved you were like the perfect neighbor Remember we would slowly wander into your office and let's go all the play guitar Yeah, looking at fan mail feeling like I wasn't living up to my my comedy potential while you guys were wearing wigs and
Marc:laughing and smoking and there's all kinds of exciting young people coming in and out you know like writing people with energy interesting haircuts that's where I met Stoli and Jodi right right right and then there was the other guy that seemed to have some sort of dread situation going on
Marc:No?
Marc:I dread.
Marc:He was a writer.
Marc:It was you and Mitch.
Marc:Was it not Mitch?
Marc:Mitch was there.
Guest:Colbert and Paul.
Marc:Steve Colbert, you.
Marc:Those were the people that were on the show.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And you guys were just churning it out over there.
Guest:Oh, yeah.
Guest:And Joe Forrestal.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:joe forestall that's joe that's the one you were oh yeah that's he didn't he didn't scare me but yeah but he was he was a nice guy he was like a queen cut seemed to have a shit together like uh i don't know about that but but like he looked like professional as opposed to the creatives slick he seemed slick smoke cigarettes a mouse in a in a cowboy boot he came over to my apartment once and there was a mouse and he stomped on it with a cowboy boot
Marc:I did that once in my life at a restaurant, and I didn't know what else to do.
Marc:It was stuck on a sticky trap, and everyone was just standing around looking at it.
Marc:Oh, yeah.
Marc:And I felt bad for it, and I killed it, and I never quite recovered.
Guest:No, you got to use the traps.
Marc:I know, but it was the restaurant.
Marc:I had no idea.
Marc:Were you working at the restaurant?
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:I was working there, and no one was going to do anything.
Marc:You're just going to throw it away.
Guest:Isn't that terrible?
Guest:People just throw it out the window.
Guest:You know, just they get it on there and they toss it out a window.
Guest:Can you imagine that?
Marc:I don't know.
Marc:I don't know why I ever use those sticky traps.
Guest:Oh, awful.
Marc:They're terrible.
Marc:And a lot of times you don't know that there's one on there for years.
Guest:Or you just see the tail.
Guest:That's happened to me before.
Marc:Or they chew off their tail.
Guest:In a trap, I've seen just the tail.
Marc:Because they chewed it off and got out?
Guest:I guess so.
Guest:Yeah, but even PETA will use a slam trap.
Guest:It's more humane.
Marc:Yeah, because it's right away.
Marc:But that was really the first thing you did, right?
Marc:The Exit 57 in terms of television?
Guest:Yeah, I was doing a play with David.
Guest:And then Nancy Geller came to see the show, and then she offered us this sketch show, and then we brought Colbert from Chicago and put together the group.
Marc:You did a show with who?
Guest:My brother David and I would do plays.
Marc:Oh, right, right.
Marc:And so that's how we were doing a play, and I guess- And Gellar was like, you guys are wonderful.
Guest:Yeah, she wanted us to call the show Balls.
Marc:Balls?
Guest:Balls.
Marc:But I was scared of Nancy.
Guest:Yeah, I just didn't know people like Nancy.
Marc:Well, I think she was the one that championed.
Marc:She was the producer of Politically Incorrect and was with Bill Maher forever.
Marc:Bill Maher was her guy.
Marc:And she was there since the old days with Michael Fuchs.
Marc:She was like an original sort of HBO person.
Marc:But like, where did you come from?
Marc:I mean, you know, everyone knows like your brother and you're involved in his stories and you have that other brother that's very funny.
Marc:The rooster.
Marc:The rooster.
Marc:Is he still funny?
Marc:Is he still?
Guest:Paul's still funny.
Guest:Paul's still funny.
Marc:And you have two sisters?
Guest:There are six kids, four girls and two boys, but then we lost a sister, so now there's five kids.
Guest:But I always say that because I'm still not ready to say there are five.
Marc:Right.
Guest:So six.
Marc:And your dad's still around?
Guest:My dad's 95 and he's still around.
Marc:Right.
Guest:David wrote a really funny story about him in the New Yorker a couple weeks ago.
Guest:It was really good.
Marc:Because he's a little Trumpy?
Guest:Yes, he did vote for Trump.
Guest:So did my little brother.
Marc:Oh, Rooster.
Marc:The Rooster had to, I think.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah, right.
Marc:And you're Southern.
Marc:If you're Southern and your nickname's the Rooster, you really don't have the options of women.
Guest:Hey, my hands are tight.
Guest:What do you want?
Marc:And the last time I talked to David, he had been spending a lot of time picking up trash along the side of the road.
Guest:He still does that.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:It's a full-time job.
Guest:I mean, you can't go anywhere without... He's got to get his bag and his claw, and you're like, oh, my God.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Wait, he does that here too?
Marc:In New York?
Marc:He's got a claw he travels with?
Guest:He's got a grabber now because he's picked up some pretty horrible stuff.
Marc:But that's his thing.
Marc:No matter where he is, is that an eccentricity?
Marc:He can't stand litter.
Guest:He can't stand it.
Guest:And it gives him a job.
Marc:Wasn't he knighted for it?
Guest:Yeah, he's got a truck with a pig on it and his name on it and everything.
Marc:Where, in England?
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:But wasn't he knighted or given some sort of proclamation from the queen?
Guest:Yes, he was.
Guest:And he went there and he met her.
Marc:Well, he's got a truck with a pig on it?
Guest:Yeah, he's got a truck with a pig on it.
Marc:So you were born where?
Guest:I was born in upstate New York.
Guest:And then when IBM moved to the South, we moved to the South.
Guest:So I moved to North Carolina when I was three.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And then David was like, David went to Chicago to the Art Institute and he called me and he said, oh, there's this place in Chicago called Second City.
Guest:It's perfect for you.
Guest:You should really move from Raleigh and not be the funniest waitress there.
Guest:And instead, why don't you think about doing something else?
Marc:David said that?
Guest:Yes.
Marc:Was he in Chicago?
Guest:He was in Chicago.
Guest:So he got me to move from Raleigh to Chicago.
Guest:And so I started taking classes and then I got in the touring company and
Marc:Did you ever do stand-up?
Guest:No, I never did stand-up.
Guest:And then I got on main stage.
Guest:And then I was going to New York to do plays with David.
Guest:Then he moved to New York.
Guest:And then I eventually moved to New York.
Marc:But when you got to Chicago, because now Chicago is the center of the comedy universe.
Marc:Right.
Marc:But when you went, it wasn't really, right?
Marc:So when you got to Second City, who was there?
Marc:Are there people we know there?
Guest:Well, that's where Meg Colbert and Danello, Chris Farley, Tim Meadows.
Marc:Before SNL.
Guest:um yes obviously yes and so um oh so what was the fucking it was fun what was farley like as a as a young man just working on improv man he was funny he wasn't we toured i toured with him for a second and then i got into another touring company and paul did second city and then with with farley and then nick he quickly moved up to main stage uh-huh
Guest:So I worked on a couple industrials with him.
Guest:He was really sweet.
Guest:Very nice.
Guest:Went to church every Sunday.
Guest:I think he set his girlfriend's house on fire in the past.
Guest:By accident?
Guest:No, on purpose.
Guest:But he was lovely.
Guest:His whole family was.
Guest:They'd sit there on the bench and support him and watch him.
Marc:Was he always that sort of like... Yes.
Marc:That was his thing.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:See, that's the weird... I've noticed that about...
Marc:About improv, it's almost like a comedia dell'arte, like there are types, you know, and he seemed to like, you know, people lock in.
Guest:The Jim Belushi part, you know, there's like the types of.
Marc:Yeah, like there's, you know, the mousy one, there's the roar, and then there's the thinky one, the snarky one.
Marc:Right.
Marc:But like, but you don't seem to be confined to that.
Marc:I mean, like when you were doing it, it seems people find their innate caricature of themselves.
Marc:Right?
Marc:Right.
Marc:Is that sort of the goal of it?
Guest:Well, no.
Guest:Well, when I was there, too, it's usually it was like four guys and two girls, too.
Guest:So it was always a weird, you know.
Guest:And then when McNapier started directing, he was like, let's have three girls and three boys or he would change it up a little bit.
Marc:So when you get there, did you like were you working?
Marc:Did you like what were you what was Chicago like?
Marc:Did you?
Guest:I waitressed.
Guest:I got a job.
Guest:I had like three waitressing jobs plus two classes.
Guest:I worked at a grocery store, which I loved.
Guest:And you move around a lot.
Guest:But it was nice because David was there.
Guest:What was he doing there?
Guest:Art Institute.
Guest:And then he was teaching at the Art Institute.
Guest:He graduated and then he started teaching there.
Marc:So when you get there, you get to Chicago, you go sign up, you audition for the thing.
Guest:You go through a training program, take classes.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:And then at the end, it allows you to audition.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:And then I got picked, and I got to tour, and that's when I toured with Colbert and Danello.
Marc:So you and Colbert, I don't know how many people know that about Steven, that he was this improvising dude.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Because now he's the talk show character.
Marc:Oh, I know.
Marc:And some days I think he enjoys it.
Guest:What a grind, right?
Guest:No shit.
Guest:What a grind.
Guest:Can you imagine?
Guest:No.
Guest:I mean, wow, every night.
Guest:I mean, I remember Letterman telling me once during a commercial break, I was doing a play and he was asking me if I was getting tired of doing the same material every night.
Guest:And he said he got tired of doing that after six weeks.
Guest:Six weeks, he was like, I'm done.
Marc:He said to me once after I did a stand-up set, I sat down and on the break he goes, you can make that stuff work on the road?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And we're back.
Guest:Yeah, he was great for doing that kind of stuff, wasn't he?
Guest:You ever do heroin?
Guest:And we're back.
Guest:He would say the strangest things to me.
Guest:I really miss him.
Marc:Are you still in touch?
Guest:The last time I talked to him was maybe three years ago.
Marc:Oh, really?
Guest:He called me out of the blue.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:My phone rang, and he was just calling to say hi.
Marc:Oh, that's nice.
Marc:Yeah, it was great.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Those are those calls where you're like, are you okay?
Guest:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Guest:Like, oh, my God.
Marc:Like, what are you doing?
Marc:Why are you calling me?
Marc:Am I part of a list?
Marc:Is this a final act?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:So, okay, so you go, how long do you tour on the road?
Marc:Two years.
Guest:I toured for two years.
Guest:I went everywhere but North and South Dakota.
Marc:See, you do know North and South.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Do you know which one?
Marc:Oh, here you go.
Marc:I've never been.
Guest:That's the only place in the United States I've never been.
Marc:Huh.
Marc:But for what reason?
Guest:For touring company.
Marc:We just travel all over.
Marc:They avoided it?
Marc:I guess so.
Marc:The Dakotas are off limits.
Marc:The Rose Gold.
Marc:Yeah, it's like no second city is allowed in the Dakotas.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Just didn't get that door.
Marc:But did you do the same show?
Marc:Do you do the same show?
Marc:How many people?
Guest:Then Paul and Steve and I started doing our own stuff.
Guest:I was living over a deaf girl.
Guest:She was five years old.
Marc:You were living over a deaf girl in New York?
Guest:Yeah, I was living above her with her mother.
Guest:And I was very inspired by her because everything was so visual with her.
Guest:So she went and she saw that show.
Guest:Circus, how do you pronounce it?
Guest:Circus de Soleil or whatever.
Marc:Circus de Soleil.
Marc:Cirque de Soleil.
Guest:She came back from that and was describing it to me.
Guest:So I went out and got tumbling books, how to tumble.
Guest:And so that was the first time we put our own material in the show.
Guest:Because normally when you tour, you do the best of Second City.
Guest:Steve who?
Guest:Colbert and Danello.
Guest:And I got tumbling outfits.
Guest:We learned a routine and we did it every time on the road.
Guest:So it was fun getting our own material.
Guest:Then slowly we started getting more and more of our own stuff in.
Guest:So that was new.
Guest:We kind of started that.
Marc:Did you do it for the deaf girl?
Marc:Oh, yeah.
Guest:That's my test for everything.
Guest:If I can turn the volume down and still tell what's happening or if it's entertaining in some way, you know, like Stranger with a Candy, I'd go home and watch it without the words and I'd be like, okay, I see what's happening.
Guest:Or like when I did the books, I thought if you can't read, if you're illiterate, you can look at the pictures and you'd still be something, you know, might trigger something.
Marc:Right, right.
Guest:You'd still be inspired.
Guest:So that's always my test is for any project that I do is who else, you know, what other level can we hit?
Marc:Right, right.
Marc:To make sure that anybody can enjoy it.
Marc:Anybody.
Marc:Yeah, exactly.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:In that face for Strangers with Candy.
Marc:Oh, Jerry.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:All my muscles are in my face.
Guest:People are like, your face, your skin.
Guest:I'm like, it's because I mug.
Guest:It's from making faces.
Guest:Colberry used to say I'm an idiot savant and my savant's making faces.
Marc:So you're tumbling out on the road, and then you come back, and you put together the sketch show?
Guest:Well, then it fell into our lap, and Gellar was like, why don't you do this?
Guest:Well, I was doing plays with David, and that was ultimately my goal.
Marc:What were those plays?
Marc:Because I kind of remember it.
Guest:At La Mama.
Guest:Oh, right.
Guest:And then we did one at Lincoln Center.
Guest:Oh, I saw one.
Guest:Which one did you see?
Guest:Oh, probably One Woman's Shoe, maybe.
Guest:One Woman's Shoe.
Marc:That's good.
Marc:Oh, my God, because you did it.
Guest:One tape exists of that show.
Marc:But that was one of those things.
Marc:I think we were still at HBO Downtown.
Guest:Yeah, probably.
Marc:And you were doing it.
Marc:And then I went to see that.
Marc:I'm like, I should quit.
Guest:Oh, that was good.
Marc:They're doing such interesting stuff.
Guest:that's how david felt when he saw boogie nights because at one point we're like let's write a movie let's try to he saw that he's like i will never write a movie that was you know you love it so much that's like he was doing show what was one woman's shoe about i remember there was a big shoe on stage social services for us to get money from the government or something we had to put on a one woman show right but there was a misprint you know when they wrote one woman's shoe but this but this is the the this is the idea this didn't really happen
Guest:You know, that's what the play was.
Marc:Right, right, exactly.
Guest:So we were all like on welfare.
Marc:Right.
Guest:We had a big cutout.
Guest:Hugh Hamrick, David's boyfriend, did the sets, and there was a big wooden cutout, you know, the shape of a big shoe.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Sets were beautiful.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And you lived in the shoe?
Guest:Yeah, I lived in the shoe.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Why not?
Yeah.
Marc:A lot of weed.
Guest:A lot of weed.
Guest:That's when David got high.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:We'd sit there and oh my God.
Marc:What an idea.
Guest:What an idea.
Guest:Laughing really hard and it would change completely the next night and he was like, we have, you have to stop.
Guest:You know, these are the sets.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And what in, in that, that period in New York, that was like, I don't.
Guest:90s, right?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:But like, yeah, but that was sort of the end of like that feeling of experimentation.
Marc:Am I wrong?
Marc:Am I getting old?
Marc:But like, it just seems like La Mama still meant something.
Marc:Like people were still doing.
Guest:That was Joe's Pub.
Marc:Right.
Guest:Joe's Pub is where you go now.
Guest:When people come to New York, where should I go?
Guest:A theater?
Guest:I go, go to Joe's Pub.
Guest:You know, they have great people there.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Do they do full shows like that?
Guest:Well, they do like cabaret, like Bridget Everett has a show or Cola Scola.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:You know.
Marc:But like it just felt like it was wide open creatively.
Marc:And now I don't even know who lives in the East Village.
Marc:Do you still live over there?
Guest:No, I live in the West Village.
Marc:Oh, that's nice.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I've always lived in the West Village.
Marc:Do you have?
Guest:I lived on, I called it Fia Gettin' Cocksucker, but I'm Christopher and Bleeker of all corners.
Guest:I lived there for 18 years and then I just moved up the street, basically.
Guest:So I'm still in the same area, just a different part of Sixth Avenue.
Marc:And you can call it faggot and cocksucker because you have such a... Because that was the Christopher Leaker.
Marc:I know, I know.
Marc:But you have a loving gay following, apparently.
Marc:Oh, my God.
Marc:I guess you're sort of, you're sistered in to the community.
Guest:Yeah, who knows now?
Guest:I posted something on my Instagram account recently.
Guest:It was someone defaced the poster of the show that was hanging up.
Guest:They knocked out my front teeth with a Sharpie.
Guest:And someone was like, Amy, there are women in shelters who don't have their two front teeth or have dental issues.
Guest:And I'm like, oh, shut the fuck up.
Guest:You know what I mean?
Guest:I was like, delete, unfollow, click, bye-bye.
Guest:It's like, oh, what are you talking about?
Marc:Someone told me a story about their sister who was teaching, who got a job teaching theater.
Marc:And they were doing like checkoff or something.
Marc:And there was issues with some sexual inappropriateness in the play.
Guest:Oh.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And some of the students that she was teaching walked out of the classroom because it was triggering.
Marc:And she was asked to change check off when she was teaching.
Marc:It's like, what the fuck?
Marc:Where's it going?
Marc:Look, I can understand certain things, you know, that that are like inappropriate and could cause some sort of triggering of trauma.
Marc:But, you know, it's check off.
Marc:Right.
Marc:Like, look, I've always been sensitive and certainly I've seen things that have made me go like that sort of hurt me.
Marc:But like, you know, and then I just sort of like, OK, you know, then you move on.
Guest:Yeah, you move on.
Marc:I don't move on.
Marc:Are you nervous?
Guest:no maybe i don't know if nervous is the right word but i just don't it just seems to be getting a little bit out of hand yeah a little bit but then i watched this documentary last night called um you might get it wrong is it rain festival is it like or fire festival this fake concert that they were going to do oh yeah yeah yeah the guys who ripped all those people off and then some people flew down there and they're like but i hated everybody in it except the locals the locals who were doing all the work and everything but
Guest:that kind of person, that kind of white person and everything.
Guest:I was like, wow, it's really interesting to watch something where you really hate everybody in it.
Marc:Right.
Guest:Except, you know.
Marc:For being horrible.
Guest:The locals.
Guest:Yeah, or just the kind of people.
Marc:Disrespectful.
Guest:Even watching them go to this island with dragging luggage behind them.
Guest:Like, why would you bring rolling luggage over sand and rocks?
Guest:It's just stupid.
Guest:And I just... It's weird.
Guest:It makes me so mad.
Marc:Yeah, it's very strange what people prioritize and how they live their lives.
Guest:Just that kind of...
Marc:I don't understand it.
Marc:I don't.
Marc:But, you know, it's like we've been in this business long enough.
Marc:I've seen people I know become monsters.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And of one kind or another.
Marc:You know, but I'm I'm not even talking about doing bad things.
Marc:I'm talking about people whose egos become so large that that like you're like, who the fuck are you?
Marc:Right.
Marc:Who treats people like that?
Marc:What do you know?
Guest:I love hearing about that stuff, though.
Guest:I love it when I hear someone arguing or fighting.
Guest:I miss that about working in restaurants when people be like, I'd like to see the manager, please.
Guest:It's like, oh, yes.
Guest:I can't get enough of that.
Guest:I love to walk into a store.
Marc:If I know people working there and cause a big scene.
Marc:How about watching the other server throw something at the chef?
Marc:What the fuck is this?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:This is what you...
Marc:that the the sort of like the the cook you know server dynamic like and then you got to the point where you're like he's he's in one of those places today don't don't fuck with him i don't know if he drank too much or what's going on but don't don't make any but how's the expediter today is he okay the one with the burns all over his arms some hot french fry lights
Guest:I miss working in the restaurant because it's, it's just, I love making cash.
Guest:I love working with the public.
Guest:I love side work and I love doing it when I didn't have to do it.
Marc:You like side work?
Guest:I didn't mind it.
Guest:I mean, back in the day, you know, you just good character study and rolling silverware, just having a job to bitch about, you know, you always have to have a job to bitch about and,
Guest:You know, sometimes I miss that.
Marc:Sure, you're up on all the drama of everybody.
Marc:And because everybody's there, like, as much as you are, you can really keep up with, like, all the fucking stuff that people are going through.
Guest:Why am I working Saturday night?
Guest:You know, oh, yeah.
Marc:Yeah, it's like, what happened with that guy?
Marc:Oh, you don't want to know.
Marc:I do.
Marc:I'm rolling silverware.
Guest:Or you look at a paycheck.
Guest:No one's expression is ever the same.
Guest:You look at anyone who opens an envelope.
Guest:It's always something's always off with the paycheck.
Marc:What is it?
Marc:What's FICA?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:It's $2 short.
Guest:Are people who really know their paycheck stuff?
Marc:Oh, man.
Guest:I was always amazed by that.
Marc:Oh, yeah.
Marc:I still don't know mine.
Guest:I don't.
Guest:Or crafters are like, it cost me blah, blah, blah to make three of these.
Guest:It's like, I don't know.
Guest:I sell it for a dollar.
Guest:It's just allowance money.
Guest:No profit.
Guest:Something to do with my hands at 3 a.m.
Marc:Do you still craft?
Guest:Yes.
Guest:Well, I was really good at, I found my thing that I was really good at, making these potholders, but they stopped selling the loops, the kind of loops that I like, so I've lost my, you know, now I just make lighters, cover lighters.
Marc:Covered lighters?
Guest:I take Bic lighters and make my own covers.
Marc:Oh, really?
Marc:To sell.
Marc:I kind of remember those.
Marc:They used to make like ones that you could slide them into, like rock bands on them and stuff.
Marc:What do you make them out of?
Guest:Different, you know, sometimes I'd make them different characters.
Guest:It depends who the audience is, who I'm going to sell them to.
Guest:I'll cater to those people.
Guest:Other Jerry Blink fans, fine, I'll do some Jerry Blink lighters.
Marc:Oh, I see.
Guest:Dumb Dumb lighters from the Dumb Dumb rappers because it says save rap to make stuff.
Guest:So I like,
Guest:This is a great idea.
Guest:Little things like that I'll craft, you know.
Guest:So you pick an audience?
Marc:Do you do contract work?
Marc:Do people reach out and go, like, we really love... Then I don't want to play.
Guest:Yeah, I'll do it because I want to do it, but don't expect me.
Guest:Cupcake business, no, no repeat business, cash only, don't call me.
Guest:You pick up from my doorman, I don't want to see you, I don't want a thank you letter.
Guest:How many do you want?
Guest:Twelve?
Guest:I'll give you eight.
Yeah.
Marc:Done deal.
Guest:Done deal.
Marc:I always think about the restaurant thing because when my life got bad, I was like, what is my experience?
Marc:After a certain point, you're in show business 20 years and it's not working out.
Marc:It's like, well, I could always like, oh, fuck the last job I had.
Marc:I was a grill cook.
Guest:Oh, God.
Marc:In Brookline, Mass.
Marc:And then there were times where I used to go, when I'd go meet people, like one time I remember going to a meeting at HBO and we went to the cafeteria there and I was meeting with my manager and an executive of some kind, but I saw the guys cooking on the grill and I'm like, oh, I wish I could.
Guest:Your skill.
Marc:Yeah, like why can't I just be doing that?
Marc:The victory of a successful egg flip.
Yeah.
Guest:Well, when I was doing Strangers, I was working at Gourmet Garage during Exit 57, and there was a point where we had to reshoot the opening.
Guest:I was like, I can't.
Guest:I just started this job at Gourmet Garage, and there's no way I'm going to call in and say I can't work.
Guest:So someone else did that part for me.
Guest:And then when I was doing Strangers, I was working at Mary's Fish Camp.
Guest:But then it becomes like people just... Where's Mary's Fish Camp?
Guest:It's in West Village.
Marc:What is that?
Guest:It's a fish restaurant.
Guest:It's really good.
Marc:You were still working there when you were doing Strangers?
Guest:Yeah, I would still work, you know.
Marc:Serving?
Guest:Yes.
Guest:And I'm allergic to shellfish, but I got the job.
Guest:But, you know, then it became kind of a bit like people might come by and then you feel like you're doing it for the wrong.
Guest:I just wanted to wait.
Guest:I just wanted to make cash and I wanted to wait on people.
Guest:But then I had to stop because it just seemed like it was about something else.
Marc:Oh, because people were like, did you know that Amy Severs is here?
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Or it was taking money from other people.
Guest:I didn't want to take someone else's shift that really needed.
Guest:I didn't really need the money like that.
Guest:Like I said, it's fun to act like a waitress when you don't have to be a waitress.
Marc:Right, but you also like the engagement.
Marc:There's something about having real work to do as opposed to sitting around smoking weed.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Well, that's a full-time job, isn't it?
Guest:Where's me out?
Guest:Where's me out?
Marc:All right, so how long did Exit 57 run?
Marc:Like three seasons?
Guest:God, that's a good question.
Guest:I don't know.
Guest:Do we do maybe two seasons?
Guest:Do we just do one?
Guest:I don't know.
Marc:How did the idea for Strangers with Candy happen?
Guest:I had an idea I wanted to do something about after school specials because I really liked, I just made, everyone did.
Guest:And then I went to Paul and Steven and Steven had the idea that I'd learned the wrong lesson and Paul had the idea that I would be this older woman, you know, that goes back to college.
Guest:So it all kind of, we all brought something to it.
Marc:So funny, you think about it or you laugh.
Marc:You just think about her and you laugh.
Guest:Jerry.
Marc:I do, yeah.
Guest:That was a really, and I was very aware that was a fun, that was going to be a good time that we were all going to look back at this moment.
Guest:We were in the woods making each other laugh.
Guest:No one was in charge.
Guest:We didn't even know we had an audience until Paul and Stephen wrote a book called Wigfield.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And we went on a little book tour.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And when we did that tour, we were like, who are all these ugly people?
Guest:And then we were like, oh my God, they're Strangers with Candy fans.
Guest:This is fantastic.
Guest:And I love the audience for Strangers.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:How many of those did you do?
Guest:We did three seasons and they still haven't canceled the show.
Guest:But they did strip mall came out.
Guest:So someone took over, you know, and then they picked up strip mall.
Marc:Did they ever want you to do a movie?
Marc:We did a movie.
Marc:You did, right?
Marc:We did a movie.
Marc:Now I remember.
Marc:And what happened with the movie?
Guest:It came out.
Guest:Letterman, for some reason, I don't know how we even got a script, but he got a script somehow and then they called and they said, Letterman really wants to produce this and make it happen.
Guest:I was like, you're kidding me.
Guest:That's amazing.
Guest:We shot it.
Guest:All I think about with the movie, it was in the summer and I had a turtleneck on, a fatty suit, a wig, jeans, boots, and I just, my mind was black.
Guest:It's hard to work in the heat.
Guest:That's all I remember from that movie.
Marc:It's hard to work in without a suit.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:I shot something in Birmingham and it was hot and I was like miserable.
Guest:Oh, it's terrible.
Marc:Because if you're shooting on a budget, it's never quite right.
Marc:There's never a trailer.
Marc:It's like, you know, there's an air conditioner over there.
Guest:Oh, yeah.
Guest:Oh, no, no.
Guest:Sorry.
Guest:There wasn't.
Guest:Sorry.
Guest:It's unplugged.
Guest:Oh, my God.
Guest:Budgets.
Marc:So now there was a period in time where like you became more of a personality than somebody who could be seen in a thing.
Marc:You were just sort of like, oh, there's Amy.
Marc:Oh, wait, there's Amy.
Marc:Like she's in that show.
Marc:There she is on Letterman.
Marc:But you were just like you were doing a little random.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And was that the plan or just the way it unfolded?
Guest:I think I never had a plan.
Guest:My only plan was going to Chicago and then going to New York to be with Dave and do the plays.
Guest:But after that, I didn't really have a plan of action.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And then everything just kind of landed in my lap and then I went down that road or this road.
Yeah.
Marc:But you had agents that were sort of like, do you want to do this one part?
Marc:Because you did Law & Order and shit.
Guest:Yeah, I got to do Law & Order.
Marc:But you wanted to.
Guest:Oh, yeah.
Guest:All I wanted to do was look at someone and say, have you seen this person?
Guest:Show me an ID.
Guest:I can do the knitted brow.
Guest:And that's all I wanted.
Guest:I don't want any lines.
Guest:I panic when I'm like, oh, my God, there's a lot of lines.
Guest:I'm like, there's too many lines.
Guest:I just want to, just give me a walk on, get a laugh, and I'll leave.
Guest:I don't need more than that.
Guest:You don't want, anyone can do this.
Guest:I can't.
Guest:I'm not going to, you're not going to have any moments with me.
Guest:I'm blocked emotionally.
Guest:It's like, you know.
Guest:But I love to guest star on other people's show.
Guest:It's a lot of fun, especially after doing your own show.
Marc:And you did a lot of them.
Guest:Yeah, got to do a lot of them.
Marc:It's fun.
Marc:And people, they would just, you were like a pinch hitter.
Marc:You're like, bring Amy in.
Marc:We don't know where to get a laugh here.
Marc:This story kind of hit the wall.
Marc:Bring Sedaris in.
Guest:She's with props.
Guest:I'm always in the prop department or FedEx.
Guest:I go straight to FedEx.
Guest:Can you mail?
Guest:Can you?
Guest:You know, always.
Marc:What do you mean?
Guest:Just wanting, like, you know, if I bring this in or you need to order 250 cupcakes from me, I'll charge you a dollar a piece.
Guest:That'll be $250.
Guest:I'll bring them, you know, the crew would love them.
Guest:I'm always, oh my God.
Marc:This is what you would do on set?
Guest:Always.
Guest:always cupcakes yeah cupcakes because i was in a cupcake business i was selling them out of my apartment and cheese balls and then i got that mouse problem and then you got a mouse problem from the cheese balls yeah okay can you i mean it was the size of the moon to a mouse it was like with the nuts on the outside oh yeah yeah and that was a business that was a business cash only out of my apartment but but did you were you was did you have a kitchen that you were allowed to do that in
Guest:Yeah, it was alley kitchen, you know, a galley kitchen.
Guest:It was really tiny.
Guest:My kitchen's not much bigger now.
Guest:But I mean, was it licensed?
Guest:Don't you need to?
Marc:Oh, yeah, no, no, no.
Marc:Come on.
Marc:No, it's licensed.
Marc:So people just had to know that you were selling cheese balls?
Marc:Yes, word of mouth.
Guest:Cheese balls and cupcakes.
Marc:I think we talked about this once before.
Guest:But then everybody was making cupcakes, and then Magnolia happened, and I was like, then I didn't want to play anymore.
Guest:You were pre-Magnolia?
Guest:Around the same time, actually.
Guest:But then I didn't want to play anymore, and I wanted to sell my cupcakes for a dollar.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:And they were selling theirs for much more.
Guest:Yeah, four.
Guest:And it's like, come on, it's a cupcake.
Marc:People used to wait online for Magnolia.
Marc:And it's like, I like cake, but I don't know if the cupcake thing was ever my bag.
Marc:I don't even know why.
Marc:I mean, I like a nice cake, but I was not going to go crazy.
Guest:Right.
Marc:It was butter, right?
Marc:It was all about butter.
Marc:Right.
Guest:Yeah, butter.
Guest:When I would travel, I would load up my suitcase because it was cheaper.
Guest:You know, like it was five dollars a pound in New York and I could go when I traveled outside of New York, I could get it for like three dollars a pound.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Load up my suitcase with butter frozen.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Or come home, fill my freezer up.
Guest:I was always obsessed with tracking, you know, trying to find cheap butter.
Marc:Really?
Marc:Uh-huh.
Marc:Now, did you need to find cheap butter, or was it just something that you got into the habit of?
Guest:Well, when I was making, I was making a lot, you know.
Marc:So saving a couple dollars on a brick of butter was a good thing?
Guest:Yeah, butter's expensive.
Guest:So you would... And then dairy went up, milk went up.
Guest:I can go on forever.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:But you would go to Minneapolis for something?
Marc:Yes.
Marc:And you'd be like, where's the supermarket?
Guest:There's Costco's or Walmart's or whatever.
Guest:And that's where I was like, oh my God, you can get this for $1.99 a pound in New York.
Guest:It's five.
Guest:It's ridiculous.
Marc:Did you ever buy new luggage to bring butter back?
Guest:No, I had decent luggage, I think.
Marc:That's a good question.
Guest:I know, just bottle.
Marc:Like I'm at Costco that's really cheap and they have luggage over there.
Guest:Best time to go to Costco is on the 1st or the 15th because people get their government checks.
Guest:And it's packed and no one knows how to drive their carts.
Guest:Nobody.
Marc:Why is that the best time?
Marc:Because of that confrontation?
Marc:It's crazy, yeah.
Guest:oh the wheels aren't working they don't know how to drive it like everyone just fucking stay to the right like yeah no how about the person that's not thinking and just kind of wandering in front of you or just it's the best right i guess i just love i can't get enough of stupid people but do you do you do you confront them or do you just watch i just watch yeah oh i watch because they sell those swings lounge swings you just sit on that all day and you'll sit there and watch people go by
Marc:When did the relationship with, like, when did Letterman start having you on?
Marc:Because you were on there a lot, right, over time?
Guest:Four times a year for a long time.
Guest:I think I was doing a play with Sarah Jessica maybe around 2002.
Guest:And he was a big fan of David's, my brother.
Guest:So he just started having me on.
Guest:And then he would call me if somebody canceled.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And I liked it because I really worked for, you know, I always took notes, kept a notebook and always wrote down stuff that might be a Letterman thing.
Guest:But I'm not a joke writer and I'm not a comedian.
Guest:So I just thought of just to have a conversation with him and what he might find interesting.
Guest:And he allowed me to ask him questions, which was fun because everybody wants to know stuff about Letterman.
Guest:So when he would say something like, I was making dinner last night, I'm like, what were you making?
Guest:Who for who?
Guest:Where were you?
Guest:He'd just give you a little bit.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:You guys were funny together.
Guest:Yeah, he was great.
Marc:Yeah, it was like, for me, I did panel once, right like the last year he was on.
Marc:I was like, I got in under the wire.
Marc:It was like one of the greatest things in my life.
Marc:I don't think people realize how important it was to us for him to approve of us and let us on there.
Guest:I know.
Guest:Then he started going in the wings to say hey to me.
Marc:Oh, really?
Guest:I'm like, oh my God, it would freak me out just to see him off that stage.
Marc:He, I never really, just sitting there, like if you could make him laugh, it was the best thing in the world.
Marc:It really was.
Marc:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Marc:And that studio was so great.
Marc:I miss him.
Marc:You've been doing BoJack Horseman forever too, right?
Guest:That's fun.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:People love the show.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:But like you haven't watched, I haven't watched that.
Marc:Okay.
Marc:I don't, I'm not that animated guy.
Marc:I wish I was.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:David did an episode where he plays my mom.
Marc:He did.
Guest:And I haven't watched that episode yet.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:He plays Princess Carolyn's mother.
Marc:I was on the episode of The Simpsons.
Guest:Oh, I wish.
Marc:As me.
Guest:Oh, wow.
Guest:You lucky doc.
Guest:I'd love to do that show.
Guest:How perfect is that show?
Marc:It's great.
Marc:And I interviewed Krusty.
Guest:Wow.
Marc:Krusty was on my podcast.
Guest:Oh, that's fun.
Guest:Oh, that's great.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:They won't let you do it?
Guest:They haven't asked me to do it.
Guest:I'm not going to, what am I going to call them?
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:I know I wouldn't call them.
Marc:No?
Guest:I mean, I don't think so.
Guest:If they, you know, they'll think of me, maybe.
Guest:Something comes around.
Marc:Do you do commercials?
Guest:I did one a while ago, and I love, yeah, it was for a laundry detergent.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:But I, you know, and I always wanted to do a commercial.
Guest:I got shingles a couple years ago, and the first thing I did was drag myself to the phone, and I called my agent, like, give me a shingle.
Guest:I was in so much pain.
Guest:I was like, oh my God.
Guest:I was like, yes, I really have it.
Marc:Are there shingles commercials?
Guest:Yes.
Guest:People are doubled over in pain and it is so painful.
Guest:It is so painful.
Marc:It is all over your body?
Marc:You're on fucking fire.
Marc:Really?
Guest:All over, yeah.
Guest:Did you have measles?
Marc:I thought if you had measles or something.
Marc:I don't know.
Marc:Chicken pox.
Marc:Chicken pox, right.
Guest:And you can get a shot for it now, but I mean, I was offered the shot vaccine, but I said, no, I'm never going to get shingles.
Guest:And I was talking to a woman who talks to dead people over the phone, and I think I was so open to her that that's how I got it.
Marc:Really?
Guest:I think so, yeah, because I wasn't stressed out at the time at all.
Marc:How'd you meet this person?
Guest:I'd heard about her for years.
Guest:Laura Lynn Jackson, I think her name is.
Guest:And everyone was talking about the same person.
Guest:I didn't know it, but my sister had died.
Guest:And I just thought, you know, I'm going to call this woman and see.
Guest:And it was fascinating.
Guest:And then David wrote a story about it called The Spirit World.
Marc:Oh, okay.
Guest:Yeah, it's a really good story.
Marc:And did she contact your sister?
No.
Guest:She did.
Guest:She kind of, you know, she sounded a lot like my sister.
Guest:She didn't have my mom's voice down so much.
Guest:But Tiffany was there and Phil Hoffman popped in for a second.
Guest:But we didn't record the conversation in the conversation.
Guest:I guess the dead people go through.
Guest:She's what do you call that person?
Guest:It's not a channel, but it's like medium.
Guest:Oh, a medium, but she's just kind of there, and they kind of go through her, so these voices, and she said other dead people might try to get in on that channel, and you might not know them at all, but whatever, you know.
Marc:So this is at your apartment?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Should we come over?
Guest:No, it was over the telephone.
Marc:Really?
Guest:Yes, and then... And it was you, David?
Guest:Just me by myself.
Marc:No, no, I took notes, and I was telling... And Phil Hoffman just came over?
Guest:No, no, Phil was one of the dead people that... Oh, that came up?
Guest:That came up.
Marc:You guys were friends, right?
Guest:Yeah, I've got somebody else here.
Guest:And I was like, oh, it's Phil.
Guest:She goes, it's funny.
Guest:Someone else asked about him.
Guest:And she's like, yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:But you knew Phil when he was alive.
Marc:I did.
Marc:He was a sweet man, right?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Phil was great.
Guest:We used to play a lot of fun games.
Guest:I'd be like, okay, you have to act like you passed out on top of me.
Guest:And I have to try to get out from underneath you without waking you up.
Guest:Or we would stage fights because I had peeping Toms from my apartment.
Guest:And I had all this breakaway china that I'd gotten from a job.
Marc:Right.
Guest:and I would just have him break them over my head, and I would break them over his head.
Guest:So he was really fun at playing games like that.
Guest:I'd blindfold him, and I'd say, all right, I'm going to do something.
Guest:I'd put high heels on, blindfold him.
Guest:Be like, I'm going to do something.
Guest:You have to guess my action.
Guest:Like, what am I doing?
Guest:What am I looking for?
Marc:Oh, yeah?
Guest:Yeah, he was fun that way.
Marc:And you just did it just to do it?
Marc:You had game night?
Guest:Yeah, just to do it.
Guest:Something to do.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Did you know he was spiraling?
Guest:I didn't.
Guest:No, I heard.
Guest:And then I ran into him once and he was sitting at a bar having a beer.
Guest:And I thought that was unusual.
Guest:But, you know, we had a nice conversation.
Guest:And I think it was a year later he passed away.
Marc:Oh, it's so sad.
Marc:It's sad when people pass away.
Marc:As we get older, you know, it's just sort of like, what the fuck?
Guest:I know.
Guest:I know.
Marc:Do you get, I have these ideas in my head, like, okay, if you make it through your 20s, then you've got a good shot at making it into your 50s.
Marc:And if you make it through your 50s, then you might make it through the long haul.
Marc:But the 20s and the 50s,
Guest:Oh, interesting.
Marc:That's where people go down.
Marc:I don't know why I've decided that because it's probably not true.
Guest:I like that you've thought about it, though.
Guest:I always tell people I'm dying.
Guest:I'm going to have six months to live.
Guest:It's easier that way.
Marc:Just in case?
Guest:Just like it, yeah.
Marc:But your health is good.
Guest:But I know it's just terrible when people pass away.
Guest:It's awful.
Marc:But I don't have kids.
Guest:Oh, my God.
Guest:Can you imagine?
Marc:No.
Guest:No.
Guest:No.
Marc:I mean, like, you know, I'm not married.
Marc:I was married twice.
Marc:I didn't have kids.
Marc:But, like, I'm not cut out for it.
Marc:And I don't feel bad about it.
Marc:Because I was thinking about that today.
Marc:Like, you know, people are like, well, your pets are like your kids.
Marc:And I'm like, not really.
Marc:Because they're my pets.
Marc:And that's what I can manage emotionally.
Marc:Right.
Marc:Right.
Marc:Right.
Marc:You know what I mean?
Marc:They're consistent.
Marc:You know, cats are, you know, I don't have to worry about them getting involved with drugs or disappointing me.
Marc:You know, they remain.
Marc:They're there.
Marc:You know, you have a dynamic with them and it doesn't really change.
Marc:They get older, you get older, but it's, you know, they're consistent.
Marc:Right.
Marc:You know, they're going to die, but like I can handle that.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:I can't handle the wild card of like, you know, I'm not like, you know, my cat didn't come home last night with my car.
Marc:I mean, maybe it didn't come home last night, but that's another issue.
Marc:I don't let him out.
Guest:But you know what I mean?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:But you've never been married.
Guest:Never been married.
Guest:I don't have kids, but Danilo has two boys.
Guest:I'm the godmother and I'm a good godmother.
Marc:But you were with Danilo for years.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I dated him for eight years.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:But, um, I never wanted children.
Guest:The same thing.
Guest:I just wouldn't, I mean, I can't even watch a movie where it's like disappearance or someone gets taken or I'm like, I can't, you know, I'm worried about the kids that I didn't have.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Like, I literally sort of like, if you let me think about it, like I can go through the whole thing.
Marc:Like, is he still breathing in the crib?
Marc:Is he still like, Oh yeah.
Marc:Like, I can't, like I can picture it.
Marc:And then there's people there, they're, they're sort of like, Oh, you'll get, you'll, you'll adjust to it.
Marc:I'm like,
Guest:I don't know.
Guest:I don't know.
Marc:I'm full of panic over nothing.
Guest:Right.
Marc:If I adjust to it, that kid's going to be nuts.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Oh, yeah.
Guest:Stick with cats.
Marc:Right.
Marc:Because you have to let them be their own people.
Marc:Right.
Marc:Okay, good luck.
Guest:Let them free.
Guest:I know.
Marc:But you have so many siblings.
Guest:And get a driver's license at 16, driving these kids.
Marc:Yeah, yeah.
Marc:But are you an aunt?
Guest:Yes.
Guest:My little Paul.
Marc:Rooster?
Guest:Rooster has a daughter.
Marc:Uh-huh.
Guest:Madeline.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:She's great.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:And she's 15.
Marc:How's that?
Marc:Is it good being an aunt?
Guest:She's adorable.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:And I see her when I go to North Carolina.
Marc:Good kid?
Guest:She's very shy.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:You know, and good, yeah, good kid.
Yeah.
Marc:And what's your old man doing?
Guest:Dad?
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:He's turning 96 soon.
Guest:Dad's hanging in there.
Guest:He loves life, loves living.
Guest:How's his brain?
Guest:Gets a kick.
Guest:Every time I wake up and I'm alive, I can't believe it.
Guest:He's still sharp as a tack.
Guest:Really?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:That's great.
Guest:I mean, he's deteriorating here and there, but he's really, you know, really doing well.
Guest:I can't imagine what... He just lives by example.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And I can't... I would be bitching and complaining.
Guest:He never complains that he's aching or anything.
Guest:And I just can't imagine if I lived to be that old.
Guest:Oh, my God.
Guest:Then I'm going to be like, this is what he was going through.
Guest:This is what it's like.
Guest:Why didn't he say more?
Guest:You know what I mean?
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:But we're getting old.
Guest:We sure are.
Guest:And whenever I complain, I'm like, I sound like an old person.
Guest:You can't even have a landline anymore.
Guest:I've just been dealing with trying to get the voicemail on my landline.
Guest:They're like, my friend looked at me and said, Amy, I have to tell you, you have to let it go.
Guest:They don't want people to have landlines anymore.
Guest:They don't.
Guest:You have to embrace your cellular phone.
Guest:And if you want people to leave you a message, they're going to have to leave it for you on that.
Guest:And I'm like...
Guest:And I heard them, and I was like, okay.
Guest:I can still have a phone, but it's just making... Things are getting harder.
Guest:And there's Joni Mitchell.
Guest:Joni was telling me Joni Mitchell had said, you know, technology's a pain in the ass.
Guest:You have to answer three questions just to turn a light on.
Guest:But it's true.
Guest:Like, why do you...
Guest:Then you sound like an old person.
Marc:But the comfort of the landline.
Marc:For me, there was something about watching television where you just turn on and you see what's on and you just watch that.
Guest:I still do that, yeah.
Marc:But for years, for me, it felt like, well, someone's making decisions and putting these shows on for me.
Marc:like i'm not the only one up right now there's a guy you know who's at the place putting the shows on nice oh boy and then i had a landline for a long time and then nothing came through there but weird you know solicitation calls i know that happens
Marc:But what is it about the... I had dead people on my voicemail.
Guest:And all those messages, gone.
Guest:Gone when I had to switch it.
Guest:Because it's a long story about this cyber optics thing coming in.
Guest:So AT&T is like, you can't have a hard landline anymore.
Guest:So if there's a storm or a blackout, my phone would still work.
Guest:And then all those people who had cellular phones would come over and want to use my phone because the chargers went out.
Guest:But that's not the case anymore.
Guest:So now if there's a blackout... You don't even have an option of a landline?
Guest:No, these people told me I don't.
Guest:You can't really.
Marc:Huh, because I feel like with Spectrum, you still can get a landline.
Guest:Yeah, but you plug it in with your TV.
Marc:It's all connected.
Guest:And I never bought into that because if I was late on a bill, everything goes out.
Guest:You know what I mean?
Guest:I could be late on a phone bill, whatever, but I never wanted everything tied together.
Guest:I'm not into that.
Right.
Guest:I'm going to look into this Fios, though.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I've been hearing good things about Fios.
Guest:And when all this promotional stuff for the show's over, I'm going to- What is Fios?
Guest:I need a project manager to help me do these things.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And I want to find out, how do I find a young whippersnapper who's going to do all that icky stuff?
Guest:Because when people come to my house to do work, I say, well, since my husband died, I don't really know how to operate this remote.
Guest:Can you help set it up?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Because it's just, they look at me and it all makes, I got a rabbit hopping around, places of mess, like, okay, lady, wands everywhere.
Guest:And they'll help me.
Guest:But that line gets me, saves me a lot since my husband died.
Guest:What else can I do for you?
Marc:You still have the rabbit?
Guest:Teen, it's a new one.
Guest:I just found out teen after four years is a male.
Marc:Oh.
Guest:sick took her to the hospital they're trying to put a catheter in they said amy this isn't a female rabbit it's a male rabbit so now i live with this big queen in my apartment seven pound queen and i'm like wow it's shocking for everybody yeah everything changed yeah new rule noodles so what so how do you watch television on my tv set
Marc:Right.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:But I mean, just cable, basic cable, or you have cable, you don't buy into the package.
Guest:I don't tape stuff.
Guest:What do you call that?
Guest:What do you call it?
Marc:DVR.
Guest:I don't have a DVR.
Guest:I might have it.
Guest:I don't DVR anything.
Guest:If it's on, I watch it at that hour, that time, as far as shows like that go.
Marc:Well, I think we grew up at the same time, and I guess we must be sort of nostalgic.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:for what we grew up with.
Marc:Yes.
Marc:Well, it feels like the show you're doing now has that feeling.
Marc:It's sort of a strange throwback, timeless feeling to when TV was like you had this weird kind of personal relationship with these personalities that I guess people still do, but it's very different.
Marc:Like sometimes when I go to the gym, I'll see Hoda and Kathie Lee, and there's some part of me that's comforted by it, the kind of daily presence of somebody making something in their kitchen.
Marc:Right.
Marc:But growing up with it, I miss three channels.
Guest:Right, I know.
Marc:Right?
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And maybe two cable things.
Marc:And I guess that's old people talk, but it seemed like everybody was a little more connected.
Marc:Don't you?
Marc:Yes.
Marc:And it just annoys me that everybody, you just have these worlds where people live in completely different worlds.
Marc:People you're right next to on the train, you have nothing in common with them other than you're breathing the same air and they're a human.
Marc:Right.
Guest:Right.
Marc:Everything else, you know, like they, they're just, I don't, I don't, you know, different information, different everything.
Marc:It's, I don't know what happens now, but I guess we are talking like old people.
Guest:I know.
Guest:No rollerblading.
Marc:You can't get rollerblading anymore?
Guest:No rollerblading.
Marc:Oh, you're going to be yelling.
Guest:No, it's just like, yeah, like old people.
Guest:I'm like, oh, okay.
Guest:Well, fine.
Guest:I'm an old person.
Guest:Why can't I still have my, you know, I still shop from Vermont country catalog.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:i still get ll bean catalogs you know i don't even think that's politically right and like i still like think i look through ll bean catalogs and i'm like i bet you i could make that look cool and every every time i've ordered anything from them no way the chamois shirt maybe that's it that's it but now they make things longer like even you can't even get t-shirts in a three-pack anymore because they're really long or what about just haynes pocket tees yeah
Marc:In the maroon color or the three pack with just the basic colors, 100% cotton, Hanes with the pocket that a younger me put his cigarettes in.
Guest:And you can't get that anymore?
Marc:I kind of looked for it.
Marc:I didn't get the feeling there's weird blends.
Marc:They feel weird.
Marc:It's hard to find a good t-shirt.
Marc:But the pocket tee, I imagine they're still around, but I remember looking recently.
Marc:And, you know, sometimes you can find things on eBay.
Marc:Right.
Marc:But I remember there was a period where I just had to wear a pocket tee and some sort of flannel shirt because of this guy I went to high school with who I thought was cool.
Marc:I'm like, I got to dress like that guy.
Guest:He's got him.
Marc:Jay, I don't know what happened to that guy.
Guest:Oh, you don't know?
Marc:No, I think he went off the deep end.
Marc:I don't know if he came back.
Marc:Tell me about this Vernon Chapman fella.
Marc:who vernon yeah i love vernon yeah like because you've you've worked with him like i don't know a lot about him because i was poking through your stuff and i know that show that i i didn't watch i mean i think i watched one of the uh harshie holler yeah the harshie holler that's where i met vernon and um and then he produced you know the first season of our show they didn't do the second season but they did the first
Guest:Of this one?
Guest:Yeah, and I just ran into Vernon, and I think he's funny, and he has a new show out, and I've heard great things about it.
Guest:I don't know the name of it, or it might be on Adult Swim, but I heard it's really good.
Marc:But he's sort of like this mysterious genius type of character.
Guest:He is.
Marc:And what is it about him, though, that how do you identify when like with comedy, like obviously you're improvisational and, you know, I can be funny in a moment.
Marc:But he seems structurally funny that he's able to to do things, you know, that are like insanely unique and push the boundaries.
Guest:Yeah, he's just really smart.
Marc:Oh, yeah.
Guest:And he can give you really good advice.
Guest:Like I was telling him on the show, it's so ambitious.
Guest:I play like five characters in one scene.
Guest:He's like, you can just make it easier by incorporating other things into your show that you don't have to be in, but it can still... Right.
Guest:He just has good ideas.
Guest:He's really smooth, very cool, and very, very funny.
Guest:And I just really like him.
Guest:And he's the kind of guy who walks on the street with nothing in his hands.
Guest:You know what I mean?
Guest:I've never seen him carry anything ever.
Guest:Oh.
Guest:And his arms are a little bit longer.
Guest:So it's like really fun.
Guest:I see my neighbor all the time.
Guest:I like that about Vernon.
Marc:Yeah, I envy people that don't, you know, pack for the week for the day.
Guest:Yeah, that's so good.
Marc:If I get in my car, I'm like, do I have enough snacks?
Marc:Am I going to run out of liquid?
Marc:I should make a tea.
Marc:I got to drive over the hill.
Marc:I have to do many things just to drive.
Guest:What's this neighborhood like?
Marc:It's a very old neighborhood.
Marc:It's been around for a long time.
Marc:This house that I'm in is built in 1908.
Marc:Oh, wow.
Marc:This is one of the oldest little corners.
Marc:And I just came here on a fluke.
Marc:But it's very interesting because you saw the streets, a nice wide street with these a lot of older houses.
Marc:But like five minutes away, this is another thing about getting older.
Marc:Like I got Whole Foods 10 minutes away.
Marc:Oh, wow.
Marc:Not even Trader Joe's five minutes.
Marc:Walgreens.
Marc:I love Walgreens right there.
Marc:And there's a place right by Fresh Fish five minutes away.
Guest:Do you feel like it's a community?
Marc:I do, but I haven't got to know them too much, but the people across the street have a little get-together when they kind of got settled.
Marc:Yeah, and I met some of the neighbors, and there's the history fanatic who's managing the historical integrity of the neighborhood, and he's on top of that.
Marc:There is definitely this movement around me to make the neighborhood a historical neighborhood, which I'm okay with.
Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Guest:How long have you lived here?
Marc:And I guess almost it's coming up on a couple of years.
Marc:Oh, just a couple of years.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:And do you miss and what do you miss about New York, if anything?
Guest:And you lived in a story.
Marc:I did for a long time.
Marc:And I lived down when I was doing that show way back.
Marc:I lived I lived a third and 16th for a while.
Marc:And I was subletting a weird apartment, I think, in the first season of short attention span theater.
Marc:I don't know what I miss.
Marc:I like that I know how to be there.
Marc:You know, like that's one thing you get from living there is like you get there, you're not intimidated, you take the train, you know the things.
Marc:But a lot of what I guess the energy that I used to feel going there like is not the same.
Marc:Like I still feel energized being there, but like I don't feel...
Marc:as connected it's like some younger version of me was thriving on that i see as an older person you know i go and i i notice there's a lot of things that aren't there but i like to eat and i like to walk around and i you know and i like to to see a couple people when i'm there but i don't um and i don't even mind being on the subway but like i'm after three days i'm good yeah yeah okay
Marc:you know what i mean but like you've been living there forever and the thing that people i don't think realize about new york is that once you you kind of lock into your neighborhood you know that that's your thing you know it's not like you know how do you handle new york it's like well i go to that guy for you know i see him every day because i buy the thing there and then i do that over there and then there's a you know two blocks away i do the other thing right that's your fucking life that's your life and then once in a while you'll be in spanish harlem out of nowhere like wow i should really go to other parts of new york sometime you know you never knew
Marc:Up to, you know, past the Bronx in the nice area.
Marc:I didn't know there was a park here.
Guest:Yeah, yeah.
Guest:So that happens a lot.
Marc:What's at the museum?
Marc:That's where you get people.
Guest:The gift shop.
Guest:That's what I know is at the museum.
Marc:But I'll go, like, I find myself going to that stuff more that I don't live there.
Marc:Like, I'll go to the New Whitney.
Marc:I'll go see stuff.
Marc:My girlfriend's a painter, so, like, you know, we do that kind of thing.
Marc:Like, so I get exposed to things when I was in New York.
Marc:It's like I knew it was there.
Marc:Oh, yeah, right.
Marc:But that was enough.
Guest:Yeah, right, right.
Guest:You just know it's there.
Guest:You don't need to, yeah.
Marc:One time when I went back, I was staying right near Lincoln Center, and I was like, I'm just going to go over there and see what's on, music-wise.
Marc:Oh.
Marc:Right, and I just went to some sort of classical concert.
Marc:I didn't know anything about it, but it was like 40 bucks.
Marc:I'm like, fuck it.
Marc:Good for you.
Marc:How much for the good seats?
Marc:Like 50?
Marc:I'm like, all right.
Marc:And I had a free night, and I just sat there, and I watched people play woodwinds.
Marc:Wow.
Marc:And strings.
Marc:And then when I go back, sometimes if I'm by myself, I'll go see jazz at Lincoln Center because why the fuck not?
Marc:Like I said, I don't have kids.
Marc:I'm not in debt.
Marc:What's stopping?
Marc:Why?
Marc:It's like if you treat New York like that, sort of like this is a special thing.
Marc:It's not like everybody goes to it.
Marc:You can always get tickets to go see jazz at Lincoln Center, right?
Marc:Right.
Marc:What do I know about jazz?
Marc:Not a lot, but fuck it.
Marc:40, 50 bucks.
Marc:I'll go see the best in the world play this stuff.
Marc:And you just sit there.
Marc:Right.
Marc:Two hours.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And you do what you want.
Guest:And you can do it.
Guest:You can do anything.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Anytime.
Marc:It's like same with plays.
Marc:I go see more theater now that I don't live there.
Guest:Yep.
Marc:Like you can just, because like for me, the big obstacle is like, oh, I got to go.
Guest:Oh, I know.
Guest:And now love a cancellation.
Guest:You're like, oh, we don't have to go now?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Great.
Guest:Great.
Marc:But what do you do to entertain yourself other than look at your rabbit and cook things?
Guest:You know, sometimes I'll go to see theater.
Guest:You go out to a movie.
Guest:I've got my group of friends.
Guest:I'll come over or go over there.
Marc:You friends with Jodi still?
Guest:Yep, she works on the show.
Guest:She does?
Guest:Oh, that's great.
Guest:She works on the show.
Marc:She's doing well?
Guest:Yep, she's doing well.
Marc:We were neighbors for so long.
Guest:For so long.
Marc:It's so wild.
Marc:It feels so far away from me.
Marc:But like, man, they were there for a lot of shit, man.
Guest:I guess they still live in the same place.
Marc:Yeah, it got re-bought.
Marc:Like apparently, I think Leo Allen was living in my old apartment.
Marc:Oh, right.
Marc:And I still, I was on the lease for whatever reason.
Marc:And the guy sold the building and the new guy goes, are you Mark?
Marc:And he's like, no, Mark's like, is Mark here?
Marc:And Leo's like, no, he's not here.
Marc:He's like, well, you're the new guy.
Marc:Here's your lease.
Marc:Wow, it was that easy.
Marc:It was fine.
Marc:Astoria was so amazing.
Marc:It's like where I live now.
Marc:A lot of people don't know about this neighborhood in a way.
Marc:But Astoria was like, I guess it's come up a little bit, but you could just walk two blocks and you're like, where are all these people from?
Marc:What is this food?
Marc:What language is that?
Marc:It's great.
Marc:I could go around the corner and get Egyptian pastry.
Marc:Right.
Guest:You can't do that here.
Marc:I didn't do it a lot.
Marc:You can do it.
Marc:Yeah, you can get that kind of stuff.
Marc:But it's sort of nice.
Marc:That's the one thing about New York is coming upon stuff.
Guest:Just like, what is this?
Guest:Yeah, all of a sudden you're in Chinatown.
Marc:Right.
Marc:It's amazing.
Guest:Little Italy.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Well, God, say hi to Jody for me.
Guest:I will.
Marc:And this is the second season?
Guest:This is the second season.
Marc:And tell me who else is working on it that I know.
Marc:Well, Pasquese's on it.
Guest:Sure.
Guest:Cola Scola's got a big part.
Guest:We have guest stars from Ann Dowd to, I mean, it's Billy Crudup, Juliette Lewis.
Guest:It's crazy who we got on the show this season.
Marc:Because they love you.
Guest:It's really great having them on there.
Guest:But I'm happy with the show.
Guest:It looks great.
Marc:And Jodi Wright's?
Guest:No, Jody gave a producing job this season.
Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Marc:I'm so happy.
Marc:How's Stoli doing?
Guest:I haven't seen Stoli in a while.
Guest:Last time I saw him, he came by set and he seemed to be doing well.
Marc:The same.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:I used to love going down there back when I smoked weed.
Marc:I think when I quit doing drugs, I gave him, I had this bong that I had for years just in case I needed to smoke out of a bong.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And at some point I'd put an ACDC sticker on it.
Marc:And I think he has it.
Marc:Probably.
Marc:I wonder if he still has it.
Marc:It was so weird having that relationship.
Marc:I do miss that.
Marc:Right.
Marc:That sort of apartment thing where you're like, what's going on in there?
Marc:Like, I don't know what happened to everybody.
Marc:Like, Crazy Mary.
Marc:You would have loved Crazy Mary.
Marc:Ask Jodi about Crazy Mary.
Marc:She was like the sweetest woman.
Marc:When you'd see her, she'd go, oh, hi, how are you, little woman?
Marc:But then you'd hear her screaming at nobody in her mouth.
Guest:Just going off the fucking rails.
Guest:Yeah, I would have loved Crazy Mary.
Marc:She was great.
Marc:But living in an apartment building, one woman jumped out.
Marc:She always dressed like some kind of nun or something.
Marc:She jumped out of the window and killed herself.
Marc:And then the woman next door to me, this little old lady, she died in there, and I didn't know it.
Marc:Oh.
Marc:for like weeks and like when they came because she didn't have family I felt so fucking bad because it was right next door and you know when they finally came to to get her you know I was like I had no idea and the cops are like you don't smell that and I'm like people cook from a lot of different places that's a good answer first of all and did you what did that smell like
Marc:Well, yeah, well, now that I think about it, well, you know, you smell like a dead rodent, and you kind of know that smell, but I didn't know dead person.
Guest:No, I've never smelled a dead person.
Marc:You know, and I don't question smells when you live in an apartment in Astoria.
Marc:No, no, no.
Marc:You don't want to be judgmental.
Marc:You don't know what the fuck people are up to, and you just kind of let them live their life.
Marc:But I remember, like, when we, in that building, like...
Marc:There were so many different types of people.
Marc:And like in that fucking building after 9-11, I was there during 9-11.
Marc:So was Jody.
Marc:And the people downstairs from me, the mother worked in the building and she lost her life in the tower.
Marc:Oh, my God.
Marc:and two daughters.
Marc:And then another guy in the building was one of the emergency workers who was down there right at the beginning, you know, going through the rubble.
Marc:And, like, that day, you know, when we saw it happening, you know, like, I remember because, like, my fucking...
Marc:My there was a leak.
Marc:I think they lived upstairs because there was a problem with the bathroom and it was that day and everything was crazy and weird.
Marc:But there was a leak and I went up there and I knocked on the door and I'm like, what's going on with the shower?
Marc:You know, and then I realized they were all sitting around the TV and she was gone.
Marc:Wow.
Marc:And then the guy who was the the emergency worker, like.
Marc:you know a couple days later i saw him in the hallway and he just started crying and like and that was like so thoroughly in new york you know horror show and just but like the community of new york that tightness of people i do miss that yes like i believe that people like take care of each other there you know your neighbors and they'll like if you're in trouble they'll fucking show up yeah it's true
Marc:Right?
Marc:Even if you barely talk to them.
Marc:You know, if you pound it on someone's door, it's me from across the hall.
Guest:They all come together.
Guest:Emergency team.
Marc:I miss that.
Marc:You know, because I like knowing that.
Marc:Like if shit goes down, like we're all on the same page here.
Guest:Right.
Marc:It's a good feeling.
Marc:But when Jodi moved in, because I was there, I think, when she moved in there.
Marc:And the guy who owned our building was Carlos, and he was a Dominican dentist.
Marc:And he didn't have a license to do dentistry here.
Marc:He would have had to go back to school.
Marc:He was a bodybuilder, and he was this weird little guy, Carlos.
Marc:And Jodi, I remember Jodi called him because her oven wasn't working.
Marc:And he came up, and he looked in her oven, and he said, if it was a mouth, I could fix it.
Guest:that's good yeah well but it's not so i won't so i can't so i gotta go exactly well i'm glad you're doing well you seem good yeah what are you doing in town uh tca's tomorrow
Marc:Oh, so you got to go out to Pasadena?
Guest:Yeah, I have to go out to Pasadena.
Marc:To that hotel?
Guest:I guess.
Marc:Uh-huh, yeah.
Guest:Yeah, so I'm doing that.
Guest:But I'm staying at the sunset, so.
Marc:Oh, that's nice.
Guest:I'm still, I'm like, just still want to stay here.
Guest:So I'm going to do that tomorrow, and then I go right back.
Marc:Okay.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Well, congratulations.
Marc:Thank you.
Marc:Nice talking to you.
Guest:Nice talking to you.
Marc:Good times.
Marc:That was Amy Sedaris.
Marc:It was so good to see her.
Marc:She brought me cat toys.
Marc:So her show, At Home with Amy Sedaris, is currently in its second season on True TV.
Marc:New episodes Tuesday nights, 10 p.m.
Marc:Also at truetv.com.
Marc:Oh, also, my tour dates.
Marc:Go to WTFPod.com slash tour.
Marc:I've got dates coming up in a lot of places.
Marc:I've got, coming up, I've got the Wheeler Opera House.
Marc:This, what is it?
Marc:Saturday, March 23rd.
Marc:The Wheeler is in Aspen, Colorado.
Marc:Then Salford, England, April 4th at the Lowry.
Marc:London, England, April 6th at Royal Festival Hall.
Marc:Birmingham, England, April 8th at the Rep Theater.
Marc:And Dublin, Ireland at Vicar Street, April 11th.
Marc:But then there are dates in San Diego coming up.
Marc:In Raleigh, North Carolina.
Marc:In Madison, Wisconsin.
Marc:In Vermont.
Marc:Burlington, Vermont.
Marc:In St.
Marc:Louis.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And more will be added in time for the tour.
Marc:So, uh...
Marc:No guitar today because I got to figure out how to set it up.
Marc:Because again, I'm in a new environment.
Marc:I think I'm going to walk down the hall and take a nap.
Marc:Boomer lives!
Boomer lives!