Episode 732 - Lauren Lapkus
Guest:Lock the gates!
Marc:Alright, let's do this.
Marc:How are you, what-the-fuckers?
Marc:What-the-fuck buddies?
Marc:What-the-fuckineers?
Marc:What-the-fuck-a-billies?
Marc:What-the-fuck-tuckians?
Marc:What-the-fuckinavians?
Marc:What is happening?
Marc:I'm Mark Maron.
Marc:This is my podcast.
Marc:Welcome to it.
Marc:If you're just joining us, I'm going to keep saying that just to annoy people that told me not to say it because despite what you think, we get a lot of new listeners and they want to be welcomed properly.
Marc:How?
Marc:Welcome.
Marc:Welcome.
Marc:Welcome to you on your bicycle or at work or on the train or running in the air outside or at a gym.
Marc:Wherever you are, down in the mines, digging up things.
Marc:Whatever you're doing, welcome if you're new.
Marc:Today on the show...
Marc:Lauren Lapkus.
Marc:Do you know her?
Marc:She has a podcast.
Marc:It's called With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus.
Marc:It's new every week.
Marc:You can get on the Howl app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Marc:And she's funny.
Marc:Does characters and stuff.
Marc:Before I forget, tickets are on sale.
Marc:I think they're pre-sale today.
Marc:Whatever that means, you don't need a code, but tickets for my Carnegie Hall show on November 4th at the New York Comedy Festival are available.
Marc:I know it's a pre-sale today.
Marc:I don't know what that means really, but I know you don't need a code, so it doesn't matter.
Marc:NYComedyFestival.com will link you to the Carnegie Hall site to get tickets for my November 4th show at Carnegie Hall.
Marc:NYComedyFestival.com.
Marc:Dig it.
Marc:Carnegie Hall.
Marc:Very exciting.
Marc:Right?
Marc:God damn.
Marc:Yeah, get some tickets if you're around.
Marc:Make the trip.
Marc:It'll be an event.
Marc:It might be the last time.
Marc:I don't know.
Marc:Anyway, so that's that.
Marc:How's it going?
Marc:I'm not at a loss, but I don't know.
Marc:I'm not sleeping well.
Marc:I don't know.
Marc:I don't know what's happening.
Marc:I get up all over and over in the nighttime.
Marc:I get about four or five hours of sleep.
Marc:I'm walking around in a daze all the time.
Marc:It's weird, I guess, in that, you know, I don't have children to worry about their future.
Marc:I have my future to worry about.
Marc:But how long is that really?
Marc:You know, that's that's that's where that's sort of.
Marc:The area I'm in now.
Marc:It's like, how much time do I got?
Marc:And how much shit am I going to keep talking about doing that I never do?
Marc:Why can't I just fix my house, people?
Marc:These are grown up things.
Marc:I know it's anxiety.
Marc:I know it's like, you know, I should do it.
Marc:It would be nice.
Marc:But there's some part of me just thinks, what's the point?
Marc:Or I'll get to that.
Marc:And I imagine that's what a lot of people do.
Marc:You're going to get to it.
Marc:And then you just never get to it.
Marc:I got to make a list.
Marc:Not really a bucket list because that would be sad if my bucket list included like, you know, fix the back stairs.
Marc:That's that's one of your big got to do before I die things.
Marc:That's the saddest bucket list in the world.
Marc:Fix back stairs so nobody hurts themselves.
Marc:Close up area under house so animals don't crawl in there and die and shit.
Marc:Fix the hole in the floor in the dining room where you pulled out the antique heater.
Marc:And now there's just a board there.
Marc:Close up that weird cabinet in the hallway that used to be some sort of ancient old-timey hamper situation.
Marc:Permanently close that up.
Marc:Replace the window that was put in backwards in the second bedroom that you don't use except to hold some of your records.
Marc:Boy, what an exciting bucket list, huh?
Marc:Maybe fix wall in front of house where crack is that will ultimately lead to wall falling down.
Marc:Perhaps change ugly linoleum tiles you put down in garage when you first put the floor in the garage and you had some dumb fucking idea in your head that it should look like a 1950s theme restaurant floor.
Marc:Why didn't you get a little jukebox for the garage initially, you dumb fuck?
Marc:It's quite a bucket list.
Marc:Oh, yeah.
Marc:And go to Scandinavia.
Marc:That's my bucket list.
Marc:Man, I hope I get to that stuff.
Marc:I'm feeling pretty good because I just had my 17-year sober anniversary.
Marc:That was on Tuesday.
Marc:I do have peace of mind to a degree.
Marc:I'm happy to be doing what I want to do.
Marc:But I got to fix my bucket list.
Marc:Seriously.
Marc:That was a sad bucket list.
Marc:Maybe take one of the first space flights.
Marc:I'm not going to do that.
Marc:I'm not going to do that.
Marc:I'm nervous on roller coasters.
Marc:I got to tighten it up, man.
Marc:I got to tighten the bucket list.
Marc:It shouldn't look like a home repair list.
Marc:That's fucking tragic.
Marc:Right?
Marc:Fix gate.
Marc:That's after I go to Scandinavia.
Marc:All I want to do, and I've talked about this before, and it's not even any of your business.
Marc:I'm just telling you what's on my mind.
Marc:I used to want to become a chef, and I was going to go to chef school, but I don't think that's a bucket list.
Marc:Again, I don't know how much time I have left.
Marc:I'm not dying.
Marc:I'm not sick, but who knows?
Marc:I want to use that time efficiently.
Marc:I got to break out.
Marc:I got to do something.
Marc:I got to go skydiving.
Marc:Maybe take some pilot lessons.
Marc:Perhaps I should learn how to...
Marc:Motocross, motocross.
Marc:Yeah, maybe that's it.
Marc:There's a lot of things I got to learn as an adult, but I don't know how much time I have left.
Marc:I don't know.
Marc:I just don't know.
Marc:Okay.
Marc:Again, there's nothing wrong.
Marc:Everything is good.
Marc:It's just something's going to change, man.
Marc:Something, you know, one day I'm going to get on these mics and I'm going to be like, guess what?
Marc:I'm a Mormon.
Marc:I don't know.
Marc:That's not going to be it.
Marc:Guess what?
Marc:I'm in the landmark forum and I need to tell you some things.
Marc:Nope.
Marc:That's not going to happen.
Marc:Guess what?
Marc:I'm a Buddhist.
Marc:Possible.
Marc:But probably not.
Marc:Guess what?
Marc:Born again Christian.
Marc:I don't think it's going to happen.
Marc:I don't think I can.
Marc:I don't think so.
Marc:Guess what?
Marc:I'm a Republican.
Marc:Nope, that's not going to happen.
Marc:Guess what?
Marc:I bought another bike that I'm not going to ride.
Marc:That is very possible.
Marc:Guess what?
Marc:I just bought a couch for my office.
Marc:That was really too big for the space.
Marc:That happened.
Marc:Yeah, so I have that going for me.
Marc:I have a very large couch in my office.
Marc:Oh, so Lauren Lapkus and I had met one time before briefly, before I talked to her in here.
Marc:And she's a very lovely, talented person.
Marc:And I think we talked pretty in depth, more in depth than usual about creating characters.
Marc:So that's something to look forward to.
Marc:And also her podcast, which is called With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus.
Marc:And Lauren will be at the Now Hear This Festival doing a live version of her podcast.
Marc:I'll be there, too, with my producer, Brendan McDonald, doing a little Q&A and a little back and forth.
Marc:That's October 28th through 30th in Anaheim.
Marc:Go to NowHearThisFest.com for more info.
Marc:And now listen to me and Lauren Lapkus.
Marc:Have you ever done one of those one-person shows where you do just like, it's amazing, she does 900 characters in an hour.
Marc:What's her name, Anna Devere Smith?
Guest:Oh, no, I know, I've never done that.
Guest:I've only done, in terms of performing on stage with my characters, I've only done showcases and things where I would do five minutes of characters or whatever.
Guest:But yeah, this was the first time I was able to do it on a bigger show.
Marc:What, your show?
Guest:Yeah, the Netflix show.
Marc:The characters?
Guest:Yes.
Marc:The characters.
Guest:I didn't call it that, man.
Guest:Yes, you did, man.
Guest:I mean, that's what the series is called.
Marc:Yeah, well, who came up with that name?
Guest:I don't know.
Guest:Someone at Netflix.
Marc:No, stop it.
Marc:You had some control.
Marc:It's your show.
Guest:No, no, because they're all called that.
Guest:It's like the series is called The Characters, and then each one is named after each person who did an episode.
Marc:Oh, yeah.
Marc:Wait, they're not all you?
Guest:No, no.
Guest:It was basically Netflix had eight alternative comedians who do a special and they put it under one umbrella called the characters.
Marc:I like how you use the term alternative to alternative comedians as if that that's exists.
Marc:Well, I think what it means is... I was part of the invention of it, so I'm curious to see how you interpret it.
Guest:I was going to say, I feel like maybe I'm talking about a different thing than how you might typically... But what I mean by that is just someone who's not doing typical stand-up and whatever.
Guest:I don't do stand-up, and so this is an opportunity for me to do what I do.
Marc:Right, right.
Marc:Sketch performer.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:But some of them, some of the people do stand up, but it's still a little bit more like alt.
Guest:I wouldn't say it's just like.
Marc:No, no, it's not mainstream.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Do the job, sell some drinks.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Place kind of stand up.
Guest:I get it.
Marc:It's a different job.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:So, okay.
Marc:So there's a bunch of these episodes with different alternative comedians.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And who are those?
Marc:Who are your peers in this undertaking for Netflix?
Guest:Kate Berlant, John Early, Henry Zebrowski, Paul Downs, Doc Brown, Natasha Rothwell, Tim Robinson, and me.
Marc:I am so fucking out of the loop.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:I know none of those people.
Guest:Well, a lot of the people are like people that you might not have heard of, which is cool, which is what's so great about it.
Marc:No, it's exciting.
Marc:You're like, hey, that guy's pretty funny.
Marc:I'd like to see what he comes up with next.
Guest:Yes.
Guest:You should watch John early.
Guest:I think he's like the best comedian.
Guest:He's the genius.
Guest:So fucking funny.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And he does characters.
Guest:He does.
Guest:But he does stand up and stuff.
Guest:Oh, really?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:I'll have to look and see.
Marc:Where does he do that stand up at one of the nerd outlets?
Guest:I don't even know where he is, but he does stuff in New York, too.
Guest:He lives in New York.
Marc:I've sort of done this weird thing where I started out in comedy clubs, and then we did alternative venues, and now everything's an alternative venue, and I seem to be moving more back towards comedy clubs.
Marc:I talk to a lot of sketch people and I've been brought around by them and I understand it's a viable and exciting and fun way.
Marc:I'm actually jealous of all of your abilities to work with other people and be pleasant and creative.
Marc:I've done that.
Marc:I did it, but late in life.
Marc:But where are you from?
Marc:Are you from the Midwest?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:So you're a Chicago person?
Guest:Yes, I grew up in Evanston, if you're familiar at all.
Marc:Yeah, that's Evanston.
Marc:Yeah, I've done the, I used to do the, what was that theater right there?
Marc:Main stage.
Marc:Oh, yeah.
Marc:In Rogers Park.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:That's right by there, right?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Rogers Park is right on the border of Evanston.
Guest:Right.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And there's a little area in Evanston because by college.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And there's a frozen custard place.
Guest:Yes.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Custard's Last Stand.
Marc:I don't know if that's the one.
Guest:That might be different.
Guest:We have Mustard's Last Stand, which is a hot dog place.
Guest:Oh.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Chicago is about meat.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:We love it.
Marc:And so you grew up there like in that's a nice suburb.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I think it's like the best suburb.
Guest:I mean, maybe I'm biased, but I feel like it is like it's like a liberal town and like it's very diverse.
Guest:It's cool.
Guest:It's not like, you know, there's a lot of like really boring suburbs right around there also.
Guest:So I feel like I got the good one.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:I've grown to love Chicago.
Marc:I think it's an amazing place.
Marc:And I'm very I'm happy when people come from there.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Where are you from?
Marc:I grew up in New Mexico primarily.
Guest:Oh, cool.
Marc:But I spent a lot of time in New York and I spent time in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Marc:So Chicago was sort of like I was late to it.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And you get there and you're like, holy shit, this is its own place completely.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:It's got its own style, its own sense of itself, its own kind of ethnic diversity, weird kind of like a lot of the people that came to the Midwest were from Baltic regions.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah, I think that's true.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:So it's like, you know, a lot of the Ukrainian, Polish, you know, good, there's healthy.
Guest:My family's Lithuanian.
Guest:Lithuanian?
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And you look Lithuanian.
Guest:Thank you.
Guest:Is that possible?
Guest:Yes.
Guest:I mean, I'm half Lithuanian.
Guest:I look very Lithuanian.
Marc:Like, I mean, do they have accents Lithuanian?
Guest:I mean, they have Lithuanian accents, but I couldn't do that for you.
Guest:I wouldn't really know how.
Marc:My parents do?
Guest:My dad speaks Lithuanian and stuff, but he's American.
Marc:So he's first generation American?
Guest:Yeah, they moved when he was a baby.
Marc:Oh, not like when Ceausescu was there killing everybody and pushing people out?
Guest:No, I don't even know, man.
Marc:Is that the guy's name?
Marc:I'd like to think it was.
Marc:There was some trouble in Romania with a fairly corrupt leader of sorts that did some bad things and enabled some bad shit, but it was probably...
Marc:uh after your dad okay because i remember it yeah well there you go i don't know the history of lithuanian i don't know anything about that really so you had no interest of sort of like where am i culturally from i'd like to go there like i've actually thought about taking a trip with my dad and going there but i besides that i don't i haven't like does he go back he's been back a few times does he still have family there really yeah i don't even know what to what what to expect i don't even know what where is it
Guest:I mean, I don't, first of all, I'm working on my geography.
Guest:This is actually a thing that I'm trying to get better at right now, which is like learning where all the states are and all of the countries are.
Guest:Consciously, you have to.
Guest:Well, because it's actually like so sad when you like, have you ever like, I'm sure in school, like where you have to fill in like an empty map and like fill in all the states and like then you realize like how little you actually know.
Marc:I think I could do it.
Guest:You could do it?
Marc:I think so.
Marc:The South gets a little confusing.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:But the middle, the left, and the right.
Marc:Yeah, I could do it.
Guest:All the little ones in the top?
Guest:Oh, I'm bad.
Marc:How many little ones?
Marc:There's not that many little ones out there.
Guest:Like Delaware and then like Vermont and like all those little.
Marc:Vermont's pretty big.
Guest:Yeah, I guess it's bigger than that.
Marc:But Delaware and Rhode Island are pretty tiny.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:But that's it.
Marc:And New Hampshire and Vermont, that's tricky.
Marc:Virginia, West Virginia is tricky.
Marc:South Dakota, North Dakota, you should be able to figure out.
Marc:But then it gets a little confusing around Virginia, the two Virginias, the North Carolinas.
Guest:I think, and I think the like four corners I get confused about, like, but you probably would know those better because you're from New Mexico.
Marc:Oh, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona.
Guest:It's like Colorado.
Guest:Well, wait.
Guest:Oh, right.
Guest:Utah.
Marc:Right.
Guest:Yeah, whatever.
Marc:Man, this is fucking great.
Guest:I'm doing horrible.
Guest:No.
Guest:Whatever.
Marc:No, it's, I understand why it's confusing, but I know New Mexico is right next to Texas.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Right beneath Colorado and right next to Arizona.
Marc:And then Utah is up there.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:I get it.
Marc:And then Oklahoma, a little piece of Oklahoma there.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:That one I know.
Guest:It looks like a pot.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:You got that one?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:I'd probably be tricky with Illinois and Ohio and the other one.
Marc:I guess Iowa.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Indiana.
Marc:Maybe I'd have a hard time.
Guest:I'm good at those.
Marc:You are?
Marc:But that's just because I know them all.
Guest:Because you lived around there.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:You drove around.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Really?
Marc:Made road trips?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:My family was in Indiana and Ohio.
Marc:I was just there.
Marc:I was just in Iowa.
Guest:Oh, yeah.
Guest:That's boring.
Guest:It starts with an I. Yeah.
Guest:I've never been there, actually.
Marc:And you're going to say, did you say it's boring?
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:It's my guess.
Marc:It's beautiful.
Marc:It's probably boring.
Marc:It's how you look at it.
Marc:I had that realization.
Marc:All right, so what, you got big family?
Guest:No, I have a brother.
Marc:Were you Catholic-y?
Guest:No, I'm Greek Orthodox technically.
Guest:Really?
Guest:But I don't subscribe to any religion.
Marc:How'd that happen?
Guest:My mom is Greek and then that's how she grew up.
Guest:That's the only church I've really gone to.
Marc:Good costumes.
Guest:Yeah, gorgeous.
Marc:The priest's got good costumes.
Guest:Big hats.
Guest:Nice scented incense coming through.
Marc:Big hat, right?
Marc:The full thing?
Guest:It would all be in Greek.
Guest:I don't, I didn't know.
Guest:I mean, it'd be like for like funerals or like Christmas, Easter.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I just don't really, then it fell off at a certain point.
Marc:Sure.
Guest:We stopped saying we would go.
Guest:My mom got mad.
Marc:No more Easter.
Marc:She goes though, right?
Guest:No.
Guest:Then she said, well, she works at a Catholic school, so she goes with her school.
Marc:So she's got that taken care of.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:There's some checking in.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:She's all set.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:But yeah, well, I mean, Greek, so that's good.
Marc:You grew up with good food, right?
Guest:Yeah, I mean, I don't really care about food.
Guest:I'm like not really someone who cares about that.
Marc:Really?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:What do you care about, Lauren?
Marc:Come on, don't make it so hard.
Guest:I'm not making it hard.
Guest:I just don't care about baklava doesn't mean I'm like making it hard.
Marc:Baklava is pretty special if you got the taste for it.
Marc:It doesn't thrill me.
Marc:I saw a piece of it the other day and I didn't go like, oh, I got it.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:It's hard to find good baklava.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Filo dough in general has gotta be really right on the money.
Guest:Oh yeah.
Guest:You know more about it than I do even.
Guest:I feel like I'm a plain hot dog person.
Guest:I don't really like... No brats?
Guest:I like brats, but I don't put anything on my food.
Guest:There's a lot of foods I've never had that's really... Wait, you just eat a hot dog with nothing on it?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I've never had a pickle.
Guest:No roll?
Guest:I like the bun.
Marc:Whoa, whoa, back up.
Marc:You've never, what?
Guest:I've never had a pickle.
Guest:I've never bitten into a peach.
Marc:What?
Guest:I didn't have a blueberry until I was like 20.
Marc:But that's a pathology.
Marc:There's something wrong with you.
Guest:I don't know.
Marc:I mean, how do you go through life and not go have a pickle?
Guest:I was very picky when I was little and I just really didn't want to eat anything I didn't know.
Marc:So you're one of those persons that when you were a kid, you ate the same thing like every night.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Oh, my lunch was exactly the same from kindergarten all the way through high school.
Guest:I had the same thing every day.
Marc:What was it?
Guest:Peanut butter sandwich.
Guest:No jelly.
Guest:Like the bag of chips and like a cookie or whatever.
Guest:And like a drink.
Guest:Like I just had like the peanut butter sandwich every day for like my whole life.
Marc:And were you picky about the peanut butter?
Guest:I mean, yeah, I buy the same one forever.
Guest:What?
Guest:Like a Skippy or a Jif peanut butter.
Guest:So, okay.
Guest:Straight up regular.
Guest:Creamy?
Guest:Creamy, or maybe sometimes I have a chunky.
Marc:Oh, so that was the big breakout thing?
Marc:Like, what am I going to do today?
Guest:Yeah, but I just like, I eat to live kind of thing, so I don't really care about that.
Marc:Do you get no joy out of eating?
Guest:I do, but I feel like I have a sensitive stomach, so it's not as fun to just have some crazy meal that I feel sick after.
Marc:But you'll eat a plain hot dog.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Actually, I moved to Silver Lake recently, and there are more vegan restaurants and vegetarian things, so I've been leaning that way, and it's been making me feel better.
Guest:I don't do it for everything, but if I'm ordering something out, I'll try not to get any cheese.
Marc:Oh, yeah?
Marc:Which place you go?
Guest:I like Squirrel.
Guest:That's good.
Guest:I like Mohawk Bend.
Marc:Oh, yeah, Mohawk Bend's a lot of fried stuff there.
Guest:But I always, I get like vegan pizza or like, which I normally would think was disgusting.
Guest:But it's really good.
Marc:Do you ever go to Elf Cafe?
Guest:Yeah, I've been there.
Guest:That's good.
Guest:It's kind of fancy.
Guest:Well, they're very like pretentious there.
Guest:Like they kind of just act like everything is important.
Guest:I don't give a shit about any of it.
Marc:Yeah, it's like three tables.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And there's like weird shit on everything.
Guest:Like there was like harissa dust on like something.
Guest:What is that?
Guest:I don't know what that is.
Marc:Well, I like harissa.
Guest:I don't even know what it is.
Marc:It's like a Moroccan hot sauce.
Guest:Oh, well, okay.
Marc:Then there was dust on it.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Well, the dusts get a little.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Why'd you bother?
Marc:Just come on.
Marc:Just give us the stuff.
Guest:Just the idea of it.
Marc:All right.
Marc:So you're moving away from just peanut butter sandwiches.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I haven't eaten one in a few years, actually.
Marc:I will be honest with you.
Marc:I'll eat a cheeseburger plain.
Marc:I don't put anything on the cheeseburger.
Guest:Okay.
Guest:So I'm not a freak.
Marc:No, no.
Marc:I go out of my way.
Marc:I just like, if it's good cheese and burger, just no ketchup, nothing.
Guest:Don't fuck with it.
Marc:Don't fuck with it.
Marc:So when did you start doing, running away from your emotions and life with characters?
Guest:High school, I started doing improv at I.O.
Guest:when I was a senior in high school.
Guest:So yeah, that makes sense.
Guest:Yeah, there's probably something to that.
Guest:I don't know.
Guest:I don't really don't analyze it that deeply.
Guest:You don't.
Guest:Well, I mean, I don't know.
Guest:Do you feel like you got into comedy because you were like fucked up?
Guest:Is that what I feel?
Guest:Everyone always wants to say that.
Guest:Like, I don't know that that's like necessarily true for everyone.
Marc:Well, I can only speak from experience.
Marc:I think like if I wonder, I guess the real answer comes from what compelled you initially.
Marc:Like what was, you know, like if someone's a class clown or somebody's, you know, doing a thing, you know, it's usually for attention of some kind.
Marc:So then you kind of pick that apart.
Marc:Like, why do I need this attention?
Marc:What did I not get or what do I need?
Marc:And, you know, and then sort of like you can build a whole sort of thing
Marc:you know, inner life for yourself based on your, your, uh, your needs and insecurities.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I mean, I definitely needed attention.
Guest:I, but I feel that I got a lot of that.
Guest:So I also don't know why I needed so much.
Guest:Like my parents were attentive to me and they were nice, stable people.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:So like, that's, that's the thing that I remember when I was still together.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Wow.
Guest:45 years or something.
Marc:That's crazy.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:But I remember when I was doing improv, I was with like, I was like 18 and all my classmates were like 25.
Guest:At the IO.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And I remember hanging out with them and then they'd be like kind of talking about why they're all fucked up and why their lives are all bad.
Guest:And then like they made fun of me because mine wasn't or whatever.
Guest:And that was like kind of a thing where it was like, I'm just, I just like being funny.
Guest:And whatever.
Guest:But I'm sure there's more to it.
Guest:But like at the time, especially, that was just.
Marc:Yeah, no, you're like, that would make you the rare thing.
Marc:But I didn't think, like, I think innately, and this is just my own opinion, because there's no real proof of it.
Marc:But I think younger people who are involved with sketch are certainly a bit more well-adjusted than comedians generally, because just by virtue of their ability to work with others.
Marc:Do you know what I mean?
Guest:Yeah, that's interesting.
Marc:Like there's a collective to it.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Like you're not so fucked up that you're like, no, I don't need nobody.
Guest:Right.
Marc:Who's going to do it?
Guest:Right.
Guest:There is something about tell me what to do.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:There's so much stand up is like, don't fuck you.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:I'm doing it this way.
Guest:Right.
Guest:And you really can't do that.
Guest:It was with improv, especially against the rules.
Guest:Well, yeah.
Guest:I mean, you just everyone hates you.
Guest:There are people like that, but they suck.
Marc:It's a democracy of sorts.
Marc:You're voted out by cold shoulders and backstabbing.
Guest:Yes.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Well, there are these types within the improv community, like the sort of Comedia Della Arte things.
Marc:There's always the fat guy that drinks too much, it seems.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:There are the tropes or whatever.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:But not even onstage tropes.
Marc:It seems like there's offstage tropes as well.
Marc:Because the heroes, I imagine the heroes of people in sketch are different.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:They're sketch people.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And that can go back to Second City or back to SNL or whatever.
Marc:And I guess a heavy guy would be like, well, I guess I'm going to be that guy.
Guest:Chris Farley guy.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:yeah i'm gonna drink a lot well yeah i think for those types of guys there are like clear role models where it feels like you're allowed to do that or that it's like right i celebrated so then you funny fat guy there you know that's not yeah that's important yeah that's very important to tv and movies we need him we need a funny fat guy every few years i don't know if we even have one right now i feel like it's oddly josh gad right now in like a way that like no one expected
Marc:I think that's true.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:But not in an open-a-movie kind of way.
Guest:Right, right, right.
Marc:But, yeah.
Guest:He's just there, and we're like, cool.
Marc:Wow, is that true?
Marc:I guess that's sort of true.
Marc:Oh, Kevin James was sort of a... Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Marc:Kevin James was a pretty big star fat guy.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And he had the classic sort of not self-destructive, but kind of like can't help, uncomfortable fat guy funny.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Sorry, so ImprovOlympic, I've talked to a lot of people from a lot of different strands of improv.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Not so much that one.
Guest:Oh, yeah.
Marc:Why'd you pick that one?
Guest:Well, it was actually recommended to me by my teacher in high school, and he, because I basically, like, wouldn't get into any play at school and, like, really wanted to.
Guest:You auditioned?
Guest:Yeah, I auditioned for, like, every play and musical, and I would only get into, like, we had, like, a variety show type thing that we did, like, a sketch show, essentially, and I would get into that, but that was it.
Marc:Why didn't you get into plays?
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:I don't know.
Guest:I'd love to see my auditions.
Guest:I'm sure I was really nervous.
Marc:You're a song and dance person.
Guest:I mean, to some extent, but not really.
Guest:My school had really talented people also who were just amazing.
Marc:But really talented in a very specific way that enabled them to do musical theater in high school, but they didn't have any real creativity, so they're not doing it anymore, I bet.
Marc:Probably.
Guest:Probably mostly.
Guest:Yeah, I know that one.
Guest:But there are some that are really successful.
Guest:That you went to high school with?
Guest:Yeah, she's a little older than me, but Jessie Mueller is currently on Broadway.
Guest:She was playing Carole King in Beautiful, and now she's starring in Waitress.
Guest:She's like a big Broadway star.
Guest:So there's some people like that who are genuinely very good.
Marc:Funny?
Marc:Not funny though, right?
Guest:I think she was funny.
Guest:I didn't know her personally.
Guest:I knew her brother.
Guest:But he was funny too.
Guest:They're all an actor family.
Guest:The parents are actors.
Guest:All the kids are actors.
Marc:That can happen in a lot of places.
Marc:But I guess it can in Chicago.
Marc:You can sort of like be an actor in Chicago.
Guest:Yeah like theater actors.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I mean yeah.
Guest:And there's opportunity for everything.
Marc:So you're a high school teacher.
Guest:He told me to take classes at IO and to not do Second City because they had a teen program, but he thought that I should do the adult program at IO.
Guest:And there was like a limit on the age at Second City.
Guest:So he was like, go to IO and do that.
Guest:So that's how I started.
Marc:You had faith in you.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:That guy.
Guest:Aaron Carney.
Marc:Yeah?
Guest:Yes.
Guest:That was his name.
Guest:And he's still alive and he's awesome.
Marc:Do you thank him publicly as often as possible?
Guest:I have thanked him a few times publicly, yes.
Guest:Because I really owe it to him that I started doing that.
Guest:I wouldn't have done it without him.
Marc:You need that guy.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Great.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Believes in you.
Guest:He did.
Guest:He did.
Guest:I don't know if he still does.
Guest:Maybe he does.
Marc:But, you know, yeah, I'm sure he's just sitting there going, why did I fucking tell her?
Guest:She sucks.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:I'm not on board.
Marc:So who was there when you got there?
Guest:My teachers are like Peter Gwynn and Sharna and Jason Chin and Susan Messing, TJ Jagadowski.
Guest:Susan Messing?
Marc:Noah Gregoropoulos.
Marc:I don't know any of them.
Guest:Okay, those are all like big improv people.
Marc:From Chicago?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:In that area.
Marc:Because like no one's talked about ImprovOlympic that much.
Marc:Second City.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:I've heard a lot about Second City and I've heard about Second City touring crew.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I didn't do any of that.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:How was ImprovOlympic different?
Marc:What was because I know Second City has sort of a mythology to it.
Guest:Yeah, and they're focused on writing too, like sketch writing and things like that.
Guest:I didn't do any sketch classes or anything like that.
Guest:I just did improv.
Guest:Straight up improv?
Guest:Yeah, and so long form improv.
Guest:Like Harold's?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:They did that there.
Marc:So were they an offshoot of Second City?
Marc:Were they like, we're going to start our own thing?
Guest:I guess in the timeline that would be true, but it was so different from what they were doing that I think it was just like, I don't know if it was an offshoot as much as like a different thing.
Marc:Now, when you were coming up, did you know that, what was your goal?
Guest:To be on SNL.
Marc:It was, right?
Guest:Yeah, yeah.
Guest:That was the only thing I knew my whole life as how you would do this.
Guest:I wanted to be a comedian, but I didn't really know what that meant besides SNL.
Guest:I really watched that all the time and admired those people.
Marc:Which ones?
Guest:Chris Farley and Adam Sandler.
Guest:Going back.
Guest:David Spade.
Guest:When you were a kid.
Guest:Yes, those were my favorite people growing up.
Marc:That's funny, right?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:He was funny, Dave.
Marc:I talked to Spade.
Guest:He's so funny.
Marc:He I still think he's like one of the funniest people like you should listen to that interview because like he'll just he just naturally has a way like he you know, because he's a lot more open now.
Marc:Yeah, there's still this weird little bite that he has.
Guest:So dry.
Marc:Yeah, it's really good.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:He's amazing.
Guest:Um, yeah.
Guest:So that was like the thing and then doing, but I, but it still wasn't like the end goal.
Guest:I think doing improv, I really just wanted to do improv.
Guest:I wasn't really thinking like, and then I'll do this and then I'll get an SNL.
Guest:Like, I think now that's for people.
Guest:That's like a very obvious like plan.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:It wasn't so clear before that you, that could lead to that.
Guest:Right.
Marc:It was just more like a step of like performing and like how, but did you know, I guess, well at that time, did you know that they were involved with second city like Chris and those guys?
Guest:Yeah, I knew that.
Guest:I definitely read all the books and did all that shit.
Guest:Oh, really?
Marc:So you're full on SNL?
Guest:Yeah, I knew everything about it.
Marc:And did you know how the audition process worked?
Marc:Did you know you needed characters?
Guest:Yeah, I guess so.
Guest:I mean, I had seen some of the auditions and stuff, and I knew enough.
Guest:I mean, from watching the show, you kind of infer that, I guess.
Guest:But I didn't really know about the process until I was older and heard more from people.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Because they don't talk about the audition as much in books and things like that.
Guest:Right.
Marc:They don't talk about the horrible process.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:The waiting.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:The not knowing.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:The horrible, dry, empty feeling of the room when you do your screen test.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Did you audition for it?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Oh, wait.
Marc:Don't talk about it yet.
Marc:Let's build up to it.
Guest:It's a crazy story, man.
Marc:Is it?
Guest:No, I mean, I don't know.
Guest:It was crazy for me, but I wouldn't build it up that way.
Marc:Why the, well, let's wait.
Marc:So, okay.
Marc:So you're in high school and then you graduate high school.
Marc:You did all right.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I mean, yeah.
Guest:I just really wanted to like be an adult and like do comedy and stuff.
Guest:So no college.
Guest:I went to college.
Guest:I went to DePaul in Chicago, but so I could keep doing improv.
Marc:Oh yeah.
Marc:You didn't care about college.
Marc:You're just placating your parents.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And I wanted to get a degree.
Guest:Like that was something that was important to me.
Marc:What'd you get it in?
Guest:English.
Marc:Oh good.
Marc:Smart.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Fuck you.
Guest:I know it's worthless.
Marc:I have the same degree.
Guest:Oh, you're great.
Marc:Yeah.
Yeah.
Marc:I actually, yeah, I'm in my garage.
Guest:Yeah, I mean, yeah, but that's what's so wonderful is that you're doing what you want to do.
Guest:I think it's great.
Marc:Well, but like, what part, were you involved with the English thing?
Marc:Did you write some poems?
Marc:Did you read, did you have a focus, like romantic literature or something?
Guest:I didn't really focus.
Guest:I didn't have like, you know.
Marc:You didn't have to do that?
Guest:No, thankfully.
Guest:There was like a point actually in my senior year where I realized like, wait, am I supposed to have like a thesis?
Guest:Like, but I didn't have to.
Guest:So I got really worried because like some of my friends were doing that.
Guest:I was like, wait a second, am I supposed to be doing that?
Marc:because it's the last semester.
Marc:Did I miss something?
Marc:But you read your shit?
Guest:Yeah, yeah.
Guest:I mean, I love reading and I love literature and that was a good, and I love writing.
Guest:So for me, that was a perfect major.
Marc:So during college, you're just going over to I.O.
Marc:and doing, at that point, is there a company or you're not doing classes, right?
Guest:No, yeah, I graduated and I got on a team and I was on teams for all of college and that I'd perform almost every night at a few different theaters around town.
Marc:All improv.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And that's how it works there.
Guest:Yeah, I mean, I would do shows that I owe, and then the theater called The Playground, which is like an indie theater, and you could be on a team there.
Guest:And The Annoyance, I did shows all around town.
Marc:The Annoyance, that's the other one.
Marc:So there's actually a circuit, and if you're at a certain level, you can just go jump in?
Guest:Yeah, I mean, yeah, you get on teams and then you can perform all the time.
Guest:And then if you're not performing, you're rehearsing at that point.
Marc:But do you always perform for your team?
Marc:Is it possible to just show up at one of these other places and there's a team on stage and they're like, Lauren's here, jump in.
Guest:No, no, no, no.
Guest:We're jamming.
Guest:No, I mean, yeah, I guess there's like jams, but that's always horrible.
Guest:It is?
Guest:I mean, for me, I think it's horrible.
Guest:Why?
Guest:Because it's just like a mishmash of like horrible things happening.
Guest:Like it's just a lot of times like people who've never done it before, it just like would stress me out to be like doing it.
Marc:So you get used to your team and what each person's strengths are.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And you kind of move as a unit.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Even though you're making it up.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And then if you do it, if you do a jam or then it's just sort of like, who the fuck is that guy?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:What's he doing?
Guest:Well, I would like, this is not like a cool thing, but I would like go to Iowa and watch the jam.
Guest:There's a show called the jam.
Marc:That's like your, where you kind of can wait to jump in.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And people will like get up and stuff, but I would just like get drunk and like heckle it.
Guest:So,
Marc:and I was like a kid so it's super annoying they must have loved you yeah but it was fun so you do this and now throughout all of this when do you start kind of like developing characters that stay with you
Guest:Yeah, I think, like, over... I mean, what was kind of crazy for me was that, like, I never used my own voice in improv until I moved to New York.
Guest:I moved to New York and did, like, UCB, and that's when I kind of learned to, like, use my own speaking voice.
Guest:Really?
Guest:I would do character voices all the time.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And that was, like, a big turning point for me in terms of, like, really understanding how I wanted to play.
Guest:And then, like, from that point on, it became easier to have characters that I brought back, essentially.
Guest:Uh-huh.
Guest:But in improv, you don't really want to repeat the same character.
Guest:You don't want to be like, oh, here she goes with that guy.
Guest:I do some things that are like, I'll be a teenage boy, but it's different every time because you're in a different situation and it's not.
Marc:So the characters are not necessarily, they don't have names and you don't know when they're going to come up because you're improvising.
Marc:But when one starts to sort of take shape, a voice, I guess it starts with, then at a different time, you can kind of build a personality around it.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And for me, actually, when I really did that was through Comedy Bang Bang.
Guest:Like that was how I kind of started having recurring characters.
Marc:Once you got out here.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And like just having the opportunity to do a character that you can bring back, like speak in the character voice for like an hour and then bring it back again.
Guest:And so you have like a built history with it.
Guest:And so.
Marc:So when did you.
Marc:OK, so you're kicking around these teams and you're like, are you making money doing improv?
Guest:No, no, there was no money.
Guest:No, I was babysitting.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Really?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:I saw a babysitter character.
Marc:That was funny.
Guest:Oh, yeah.
Guest:I watched that one.
Marc:What was that from?
Guest:Oh, like a video online?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah, it was like a web series that terrible babysitters.
Marc:What happens?
Marc:So you spend all that time and you get polished as an improviser.
Marc:But what happens after Chicago?
Marc:Where's the move?
Guest:I moved to New York.
Guest:I was in a sketch duo with my friend Candy Lawrence, and she's a stand-up now, but we moved to New York together.
Guest:She's great.
Guest:She's so funny.
Marc:Is she out here?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:But we moved to New York together, and we were- Was she in your group?
Guest:It was just us two doing sketch.
Marc:But where'd you meet her?
Guest:Oh, we met doing improv on an all-female team called The Misfits.
Marc:How was that different and good?
Guest:It was great.
Guest:It was really great at the time, especially because it's a different energy to be with all women.
Guest:Usually I'm the only girl on a team or one of two.
Guest:So it's like when you're with a bunch of women, it's very supportive and cool.
Guest:And also it can get very catty and weird.
Guest:So I think all the things you might expect.
Marc:And did you play a lot of male characters?
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I mean, everyone kind of took turns doing that, which is fun.
Guest:I mean, I do that in improv anyway, like with men.
Guest:I don't care, but it's more obvious when you're with a bunch of women.
Marc:Is it fun to play men?
Guest:Yeah, I think it's great.
Marc:So you meet this girl, Candy, and you guys are writing sketches then.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:After that, you're like, we're going to write sketches.
Guest:Yeah, but it was still very loose.
Guest:We really improvised like most of it.
Guest:We'd have like beats to it.
Marc:But how is that different than like a comedy team kind of?
Marc:Isn't that something you could do in a comedy club and not necessarily a?
Guest:Yeah, so we'd do a lot of shows with stand-ups.
Guest:We'd be the one not stand-up thing.
Guest:And then that was kind of how we started going around.
Guest:We'd do Lincoln Lodge and different shows like that around town.
Marc:Right, right, right.
Guest:And then we moved to New York and kept doing that.
Guest:But then I started doing UCB and got really into that.
Marc:What do you mean?
Marc:So you auditioned to be, or you just started working over there?
Guest:No, you have to take the classes.
Guest:Like if you've never done.
Marc:You went through classes again?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Who were your teachers?
Guest:Porter Mason and Kevin Hines.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And how many years did you do that for?
Guest:That's just one year.
Guest:I mean, it really wasn't that long.
Guest:It was like probably six months or something.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And then why'd you come to LA?
Marc:Why'd you decide to bail on New York?
Marc:Why didn't you just become a fixture?
Guest:Well, I always wanted to move to L.A.
Guest:My plan was to move to New York for a year.
Guest:And so I did that.
Guest:I just wanted to go there because my because Candy wanted to go.
Guest:And so it was like, OK, well, I'll go for a year and then I'll move to L.A.
Marc:And did you move out together again?
Guest:No, I moved alone.
Guest:I was in a long distance relationship.
Guest:And then.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:What happened to that?
Guest:We got married and then we got divorced.
Guest:So yeah, that's all it's happened.
Marc:How long did that last?
Guest:We were together for eight and a half years.
Marc:That's about it.
Marc:I've had a couple, about seven and a half, eight years where you're with them for a while and then I get married for like three, three and a half years and then got divorced.
Marc:You did that twice?
Guest:I knew you were divorced once.
Marc:No, I did almost the exact same thing twice.
Marc:That's so interesting.
Marc:In the timelines.
Guest:Yeah, not the same type of relationship at the same time.
Marc:No, no, I felt differently, but the timeline sort of was similar, which is kind of odd.
Marc:Like when you got married, so you'd been with him for like five years.
Guest:Seven years, we were married for a year and a half.
Marc:So, yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:So, like, was that, when you got married, was it one of those things where it was like, yeah, I guess we should... Yeah.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I mean, yeah.
Guest:I mean, yeah.
Guest:It's still happening now, so it's like a weird... I didn't mean to walk into that.
Guest:I did that, but...
Marc:You're in the middle of a divorce.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Yes.
Marc:Has it gotten ugly yet?
Guest:No, it's actually, I think it's about as good as it can go in terms of those things.
Guest:I've heard so many horror stories from people that like, yeah.
Marc:Are you mediating?
Guest:No, we, it's all handled and everything.
Guest:It's just a matter of like time now.
Guest:Oh, so there was official.
Marc:Oh, okay.
Marc:So there wasn't lawyers involved.
Guest:No, we did it ourselves.
Marc:Well, then not only is it amazing, that's the best that could happen.
Guest:Yes, I think so.
Guest:I think we both felt that way.
Guest:So that's good.
Marc:You both wanted out?
Guest:I mean, no, I mean, I think we both felt it was the best that could happen.
Guest:I don't know.
Guest:It's still a very confusing thing, I think.
Guest:But, you know, I'm still working through my feelings.
Marc:Yeah?
Marc:That's going to go on a while.
Guest:Cool.
Marc:And now you're a divorced person.
Guest:I know.
Guest:It's so weird.
Guest:I didn't want to be that.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:i didn't want to be that welcome to the club it's such a weird thing but it's also like whatever who cares i don't know there's like some part of like i think when you think about that before that happens to you you're like i don't want to be that yeah i want to be the person who's married forever or whatever i am forever i just don't want to be that and then you're just like well actually i am that now and i don't it's not a big of a deal i've always been i hope this works person
Guest:Yeah, I think that's nice.
Marc:Yeah, maybe it'll work out.
Guest:It's more realistic.
Marc:It's fucking horrendous.
Guest:You think that's bad to have that mentality?
Guest:I don't know.
Guest:I think that's better in a sense.
Marc:No, it's just the whole thing.
Marc:Relationships are so difficult.
Marc:I mean, what do you want?
Guest:Yeah, it's crazy.
Marc:How old are you?
Guest:I'm 30.
Marc:All right, so, you know, you got fresh slate.
Guest:Yeah, man.
Marc:You can still do the babies.
Marc:You can do whatever you want.
Guest:Yeah, I know.
Guest:So it's not horrible in terms of, like, life plan.
Guest:No, it's just a disappointing chapter.
Guest:Yeah, it's shitty.
Marc:Too bad that didn't work out.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Exactly.
Marc:We tried.
Marc:Yeah, man.
Guest:Right?
Guest:Yes.
Marc:Okay.
Marc:You want babies?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Okay.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Are you offering?
Marc:Yeah, sure.
Marc:If you take care of them.
Guest:Okay, great.
Guest:See, no, that's not a good idea.
Guest:That's horrible.
Marc:I'm at this age now.
Marc:It's sort of like, I guess I could have one, but I don't know how active I'll be.
Marc:Bring them back around.
Guest:Would you want, do you think you're going to have kids in your life?
Marc:No, I think that ship has sailed.
Marc:I almost did a while back.
Marc:Are you glad it didn't happen?
Marc:Yes.
Marc:Yeah, because I guess it's the age, but I didn't have them probably for a reason.
Marc:I never really thought about it.
Marc:It was never a goal.
Guest:Right.
Marc:Do you know what I mean?
Marc:I was too selfish, too anxious, too self-involved.
Marc:I didn't really necessarily trust myself emotionally for that shit.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:You know, I'm glad that I didn't.
Marc:It would have probably been a bad thing.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I think it's really interesting when people choose not to have kids and they purposely know they're not going to.
Guest:Like, I think that's cool.
Marc:It's okay.
Marc:I don't know that I think I would have been willing.
Marc:I almost it was very close.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:But but still, like, I don't again, like, like, you really got to want him.
Marc:And I know everyone thinks that it's just a natural thing that you want him.
Guest:Right.
Marc:But I don't think I ever really had that.
Marc:My brother had that, and he's got three.
Marc:So it was never like, because people time their lives around it.
Guest:Yeah, and I really want kids.
Guest:That's something I've thought about my whole life, that I want kids.
Guest:I've always known I would have kids.
Marc:I think you're gonna.
Guest:Yeah, man, I think I will too.
Marc:I think within the next three years, I bet.
Guest:Hey, look at this.
Guest:Are you a psychic?
Marc:I'm not a psychic, but I have an understanding of the biology of the situation.
Marc:I'm thinking in the next five years, one way or the other, you're going to have a kid.
Guest:Yeah, that is true.
Guest:And that's what's cool is that, like, nowadays you can do it any... I could do it in so many different ways that it's amazing.
Marc:You might be doing it now.
Marc:Surprise!
Guest:Whoa, shit!
Marc:That pillow's one of those pillows.
Guest:No!
Guest:Yes!
Guest:One of those pillows.
Guest:Uh-huh.
Guest:I don't like it.
Guest:But even just, like, being like, oh, I could have, like, IVF or I could adopt or I could meet someone.
Guest:All these different ways that it can go that you can...
Marc:Yeah, there's a million ways it can go without having another person involved between you and your kid.
Guest:It's true.
Guest:It's kind of nice.
Marc:So you moved out here.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Wait, when did the SNL audition happen?
Guest:That happened, I want to say 2008.
Marc:Before you left New York?
Guest:No, no, no, I was out here.
Guest:I've been out here for a couple years.
Marc:So you come out here and you start doing what?
Marc:You got an agent?
Guest:Yeah, I got an agent and a manager, and then I got on a TV show kind of early on.
Marc:Orange is the New Black?
Guest:No, it was called Are You There?
Guest:Chelsea.
Guest:It was Chelsea Handler.
Guest:Oh, yeah, I remember that.
Guest:On NBC, yeah.
Marc:I like her.
Marc:I have a lot of respect for her.
Marc:She's a tough cookie.
Guest:Yeah, it was a great experience.
Guest:It was so exciting because I loved sitcoms growing up.
Marc:And that was a straight-up sitcom, wasn't it?
Guest:Yeah, Multicam.
Guest:Like old school.
Marc:Like you're on a soundstage.
Guest:Yeah, and I've done a few of those since.
Guest:It's the kind of show that...
Guest:I really enjoy acting in it, but I don't, I don't watch multicam.
Guest:So it's interesting.
Guest:Cause I'm like, I love being, it's the best way to perform in my opinion.
Guest:Like it's so fun.
Guest:But the audience and the thing and whatever.
Marc:And you have jokes, jokes.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:I think it's fun, but I, but I imagine it's fun, but isn't it a little, um, uh,
Marc:stifling of your creativity.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:So that's like the goal now is to like do things that are better.
Marc:And as an actor, you're just sort of like, here's the shit that's gonna come out of your mouth.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And you're like, I don't know if I can say this.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And they're like, we think you can.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Why don't you just do a take for us?
Guest:Yeah, yeah.
Marc:And then you can say it how you wanna say it.
Guest:Right.
Guest:I mean, it's so specific and meticulous in the way that most multicams are done.
Marc:That's why you like it.
Marc:It's a peanut butter sandwich.
Guest:It totally is, I think.
Guest:When I started, because it was my first job, it was kind of an easy transition out of theater performance.
Marc:Oh, yeah, being on stage and having the relationship with the audience.
Guest:Yeah, and then to go on camera, it, like, was a very easy thing, and my character's pretty big, and so, like, I've learned over the years of, like, how to, like, you know, hone that a little more, like, be more, like, toned down, but, like, for, like, a multicam, that was great.
Guest:It was perfect.
Marc:It was easy for me.
Marc:They need broad characters.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I'm, like, a dumb idiot who's, like, saying a crazy thing.
Guest:Right.
Marc:Like, that was, like, yeah.
Marc:They need... It's absolutely necessary for the ridiculousness of the narrative.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Hey, look who's at the door.
Marc:Right.
Marc:What?
Right.
Guest:Totally.
Guest:Someone's always at the door.
Guest:It's crazy.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Like, I never fully noticed it as, like, it's not so much that I didn't know it.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:But, like, I was watching Undateable once.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And they sort of deconstruct the thing.
Guest:Yeah, that's kind of why I even said that not all of them are like that, because that show is kind of different.
Marc:Yeah, I don't know if it's, like, I don't know how much is on purpose or just, you know, really a testament to how stupid viewers are.
Yeah.
Marc:But do you know what I mean?
Marc:But they can literally go from two people and then just sort of move the camera and like, oh, look, they're in the middle of a conversation and they're coming in in the middle of a conversation.
Marc:You're like, this is fucking vaudeville.
Guest:Yeah, it's then that's just what it is, though.
Guest:I know.
Marc:I know.
Marc:And the only thing that makes some work one work better than the other is if you're not thinking about that.
Marc:right like the ensemble is so strong yes and and and the characters may be broad but they have enough depth to where you can get emotionally attached and not going like that person didn't just really drive his car into the house right totally which is going on outside it did yeah someone drove the car into that was that a jump the shark moment um if that whatever that means ever jump the shark it was great till the end it was you loved it i love full house yeah
Guest:Is that the Bob Saget one?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah, I see him around.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:I saw him last week.
Guest:He's cool.
Marc:Yeah, everybody's getting old.
Marc:It's an interesting thing to witness.
Marc:He's a little older than me.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:You know, these guys, because he still goes up on stage and he has to identify with that.
Guest:Right.
Guest:It must be so weird.
Guest:Like, I think about, actually, those guys a lot because...
Guest:there were a few standups on that show and like to be doing something that's a family program.
Guest:I mean, it's like actually so not your humor, no matter what kind of adult you are.
Guest:Right.
Guest:But even like just as an adult, you're like, I don't want to say that or care about this fake kid or whatever.
Guest:Like they did that for like 10 years.
Marc:That was a funny thing about him is that like I never I don't think I ever watched an episode of Full House.
Marc:I don't know how I miss almost everything.
Marc:So it's not personal to you.
Marc:Like I literally do not.
Marc:I miss just about everything.
Marc:And I don't know what I was doing as a child, but I was not watching comedies.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:I mean, I watched SNL and stuff, but but I just I missed all of it.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:I've seen maybe three Seinfeld's.
Guest:that's insane i know i don't know how i don't know but i've seen like i'm the opposite i've seen like every show over and over again like i've seen like every tv show my whole life i watched them all that's because they're comforting to you yeah it is like my drugs it is i you know a woman that i dated would could watch friends and gilmore girls all the time yeah all the time feels great friends is on all the time now on tbs and it's like feels great it does feel good to you point yeah and every episode's good
Marc:And you've watched them over and over again.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:What other ones?
Guest:Like, I mean, I watched Stay by the Bell, like 90210, like all these types of shows growing up.
Guest:I loved like teenagers when I was younger.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Just being like, they're so cool.
Guest:And then, I mean, I could watch Sex and the City over and over.
Guest:That's like one I watched as an adult that I could pick up at any episode and enjoy.
Marc:The great thing about being me is that like I can, like almost every show is new to me.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Like...
Marc:Like, I had the weirdest experience with the King of Queens.
Marc:I never watched that show.
Guest:Oh, yeah, I mean, I've seen a bunch of it on accident.
Marc:I know Kevin.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And then I tune in, and I'm like, he's pretty funny.
Marc:And like, Seinfeld will come on, I'm like, wow, this is a pretty good show.
Marc:And this was like a week ago.
Guest:Everyone's like, we know.
Guest:That's like all we've been talking about forever.
Marc:For two decades.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Leah Remini is very funny on that show.
Guest:How do you say her last name?
Marc:Which one?
Guest:Remini.
Marc:Remini.
Guest:Oh, yeah, yeah, she's great.
Guest:Yeah, she's so funny on that show.
Marc:Yeah, it's a silly show, but I'm a big fan of his because he's just one of those big guys that he has to be funny in every second.
Marc:And it's just from his discomfort.
Marc:As soon as he's on stage, it's sort of like just him standing there.
Marc:It's funny.
Marc:And I always envy people like that.
Guest:Yeah, it's interesting.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Do you know those people?
Marc:You must see it in improv all the time.
Guest:I don't know if you know Betsy Sedaro.
Guest:She's an improviser, but she's like that where she can kind of just walk out and people already think she's hilarious.
Guest:I don't know where that comes from.
Guest:It's a gift.
Guest:She's just naturally emanating that she's funny.
Marc:So you come out here, you do the, so you jump right in.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:You're fortunate and talented.
Guest:Yeah, it was good.
Guest:I was like coming out to look for an apartment and the auditions timed up and I auditioned and got on a team.
Guest:So I went back to Chicago and got all my shit and then came back and was like on a team, which was so great.
Marc:On a TV show you mean?
Guest:Oh no, on the team at UCB, but like, oh yeah, and then like getting on the show, but like having the community right away is what's so great about improv.
Marc:And who were your people then?
Guest:It's all a team that you wouldn't know.
Marc:Oh really?
Guest:Yeah, I mean it's called Bangerang, I'm still performing with them.
Marc:Was Seth running the place then?
Guest:No, it was this guy, Neil Campbell.
Guest:Oh, yeah, no, Neil, yeah.
Marc:And then Seth ran it after him, right?
Guest:Seth, I want to say, was before Neil, because I never knew Seth was the lady.
Guest:Oh, maybe that's right.
Marc:And then Curtis Gwynn, right?
Guest:He was before him.
Marc:Oh, okay.
Guest:So Neil is Neil, and then I think Mike Still.
Guest:At the old one.
Guest:Oh, no, there was someone in between.
Guest:No, I can't think of.
Marc:At the one on Franklin.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:But...
Marc:did i ever see you there did i meet you there no we never met we never met until at the jeff ulrich's jeff tweedy weird sort of situation where like i was so happy it was a charity event not just some weird vanity right right going into it i'm like who the fuck just pays jeff tweedy no to play in their living room and then it's like oh it's for okay it's for charity
Marc:yeah it was great and i was so relieved it wasn't a spectacular house like i didn't know what i was gonna walk into oh right right you're not like some like some mansion where yeah because i know jeff he's uh he's been great uh a great friend and we do business together but i don't know his life yeah and then i get this invite to a jeff tweede thing and i'm like holy shit and i thought we were gonna walk in there's gonna be an infinity pool yeah but it was just a regular house no yeah he's so cool yeah he's great yeah that was super fun
Marc:But I didn't know what to make of you.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:You were just this, the personality I projected onto you, which I do immediately with all people, is like, oh, she's already scared of me.
Marc:It's not going to be a good situation.
Marc:I've overwhelmed her.
Guest:Did you really think that?
Marc:She's a fragile, sprite-like talent.
Guest:Did you really think this?
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:That's so interesting.
Guest:I felt happy to meet you because I was like, oh, cool.
Guest:We'll have talked for like two seconds before I do the thing.
Marc:Right.
Guest:It was like, but I wasn't scared of you.
Marc:Yeah, no, no, I made it all up.
Marc:I decided she comes from a different type of human strand.
Guest:I think what's interesting about that party specifically was that I didn't know anyone besides Scott Aukerman, and then I met a dude who I talked to the whole night, but that was it.
Guest:Oh, yeah?
Guest:I didn't know anyone.
Guest:So for me, maybe if you got the energy of a nervous person, it was more just like, oh, I don't know anyone.
Marc:Well, yeah, and I know Scott, and that's always awkward, even if you've known him for over a decade.
Yeah.
Marc:I can always count on Scott for being initially awkward and then eventually he starts talking like a person.
Guest:Well, it's so funny with him because I feel like I basically only talk to him on the show, like doing characters and shit.
Guest:So I'm going on tour with them, him and Paul and Neil.
Guest:And so I'll be getting to know them all.
Marc:Neil who?
Guest:Campbell.
Marc:He's a bang bang guy?
Guest:Yeah, he's doing, he's opening for us, so I don't know if he's doing characters or what he's doing, but.
Marc:All right, so you're, okay, so now you're at UCB, you got a team, you got a community, you're in LA, you're with people, you're hanging out backstage, you're having a beer.
Guest:Yeah, and yeah, I had a beer, it was great.
Guest:And then I got on that show, which was great.
Guest:Chelsea.
Guest:And then I could stop babysitting.
Guest:That was like huge for me to stop babysitting.
Guest:I had a couple commercials.
Guest:Right before that, I did like four commercials, and that kind of, I did like a Snickers commercial with Joe Pesci that was like kind of popular.
Guest:Really?
Guest:And then like, so these commercials were like running a lot, and that was very helpful.
Marc:How was it working with Pesci?
Guest:It was interesting.
Guest:He was basically directing the commercial, even though he wasn't the director.
Guest:Right.
Guest:And he was wearing platform shoes.
Guest:He's a little guy.
Guest:What do you want from him?
Guest:No, man, nothing.
Guest:That's exactly what I wanted.
Marc:And was he nice?
Guest:He was fine.
Guest:We didn't talk.
Marc:Didn't hang out?
Guest:No.
Guest:I can't see it.
Guest:We didn't chill at Crafty together.
Guest:I can't see it.
Marc:That would be two totally different forms of human.
Guest:There would just be no way to talk.
Guest:I don't think it'd be possible.
Guest:So that didn't happen.
Guest:But that was cool because the commercials allowed me to quit babysitting.
Guest:And then I got the show and that helped.
Guest:And then the SNL audition came while I was on hold waiting to hear if we'd get a second season of Chelsea.
Marc:Of Chelsea, which didn't happen.
Guest:Right.
Guest:But I didn't know that.
Guest:So I was auditioning in that window.
Marc:So how did the SNL audition happen?
Guest:I did a showcase at UCB and there were like, it was four people who were scouting or whatever.
Guest:And then they flew me to New York to do another showcase that Lauren would be at.
Guest:It was at the Pitt Theater in New York.
Guest:Really?
Marc:That place?
Guest:Wow.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And then they flew me again and I did it on the stage at 30 Rock or whatever.
Marc:So the Pitt Theater is weird.
Marc:It's like a big stage and there's seating around it, but it always felt a little dirty and beat up in there too.
Guest:actually this was a newer space they had an old space this was different and but it was very like the audience went up very high right right right and i could see him i like looked through like a peephole in the curtain or whatever and i could see him in the audience yeah and that was crazy because i was so excited that he was actually there like you just kind of thought like is he really even going to come right that seems ridiculous yeah so what uh what characters did you do
Guest:Um, they were all things that I haven't really done since it was like, I did like, um, well actually one of them is in my special.
Guest:So one of them has lasted the whole time and you can see it.
Guest:It's, um, a stripper who strips to the saddest song ever.
Guest:And so, and then I, I stripped to fast car by Tracy Chapman and I would hump an audience member during the chorus with dead eyes.
Guest:And then, so in the special it's brick by Ben folds five.
Guest:Cause we couldn't get fast car.
Marc:So right.
Marc:Right.
Marc:A little cheaper.
Guest:Yeah, I guess.
Guest:Well, Tracy Chapman apparently doesn't let her songs be used for anything.
Guest:So it was like not even about money.
Guest:It was more just like she just says no.
Guest:Right.
Guest:And then he, I guess, thought it was cool.
Guest:I don't know if he has any idea what it is.
Guest:People have been tweeting at both of us about it.
Guest:And I'm like very curious if he has seen it because it's such a weird way to use his song.
Guest:So I'm like excited to hoping that he's seen it.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:So that was really fun.
Guest:And then I did like a couple other things.
Guest:I mean, they all kind of blur together at this point.
Guest:Like, I think I had like a woman who like couldn't stop crying.
Guest:She was like talking to a guy that she was like trying to hit on, but she kept crying.
Guest:And I'm like,
Guest:A woman who was like looking for her date, but everyone was not her date.
Guest:Like, so she just got embarrassed over and over and kept trying to like play it off.
Guest:Sounds hilarious.
Guest:Yeah, it was fun.
Guest:Were you getting laughed?
Guest:Yeah, and it was great because we had, what was so awesome about that one with Lauren being there was that there was a full audience.
Guest:So it was like, you actually got real laughs and like, it wasn't just like, you know, we could show him that it is funny whether, you know.
Marc:Right.
Guest:And then.
Marc:I can't believe you didn't get it.
Guest:Well, and then I went and did it again and basically had to do a couple of different things.
Guest:I had to do some impressions, which I don't really do, but I kind of, you know, I did Maggie Smith and I did one of the psychologists from Hoarders, you know, it's kind of random, but, and then I did a couple of the bits that I'd done before again.
Guest:And yeah, I mean, it was so exciting.
Guest:I mean, I was so happy to be able to.
Marc:Was it hard in the studio?
Guest:I didn't think I did as great as I could have done.
Guest:I think I was really nervous.
Marc:And then did you meet Lauren?
Guest:No.
Marc:You didn't even get to meet him?
Guest:No.
Guest:What the fuck happened?
Guest:What happened, Lauren?
Guest:I don't know.
Guest:I mean, it wasn't... I felt, like, fine about it.
Guest:You know, I didn't, like, leave being like, I suck.
Guest:But I just was like, I don't know.
Guest:And it was such a weird time for me because I was kind of... I had done a sitcom...
Guest:And I was hoping we'd get a second season, but it didn't seem like it was going to happen.
Guest:But because of the hold, like, I had to wait till that anyway.
Guest:And they, like, I'm not saying the hold is why I didn't get it.
Guest:I didn't get it because, like, they didn't want me to have it.
Guest:But, like, at the same time, it was like, there was this weird thing where it was like, but I might still get this other thing, which would be, like, way better for me, actually, in terms of, like...
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Life.
Marc:Better than SNL.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I mean, like sitcoms pay way more than SNL.
Marc:And you can live in Los Angeles.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And like keep my life going how I kind of thought it was going to go.
Guest:Like I the I wanted SNL my whole life.
Guest:So like I think my ego would really want to get it.
Marc:Yeah, so you could quit after a season even.
Guest:Sure, do whatever you want.
Guest:But it's like the idea of getting it is more important after you've wanted it your whole life than doing it.
Guest:For me, that's what I had to realize because I was letting go of a dream that I always had.
Guest:And so it was really hard to actually ask myself, do I even want it?
Guest:If they gave it to me, would I really want to do it?
Guest:Of course I would do it, but would I really want to?
Guest:It's so weird.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:i what i saw was like oh well like when you do snl then you like leave us and you like do a sitcom but like i did a sitcom right you know i mean it's like i got to do that thing that's the interesting thing though that's a very mature thing uh to to sort of acknowledge that you spend your whole life moving towards this thing and then and then like for different reasons because you've had some experience you realize like well maybe it's not the ultimately the best thing
Guest:Well, you know, I hear about people, first of all, like I still have the dream of like hosting it.
Guest:Like I'd still love to like do something there.
Guest:Like I, that'd be amazing.
Guest:But you, when you hear people talk about it and all the things I've read, all the books I knew, like I knew it was like, it's one of the hardest, most stressful jobs ever.
Guest:You like don't sleep.
Guest:You're up all night doing these sketches.
Guest:Like it's like, it sounds like something that would break me in so many ways.
Guest:Like it's like, I don't know that that's actually, I had gotten kind of accustomed to my little like multicam lifestyle of like,
Marc:And it's broken people before.
Guest:Yeah, and I mean, you know, that's scary to think of kind of going after this dream and then having it not be what you want it to be, too.
Marc:Sure, and there's probably a 70 or 80% chance that you saved your talent.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:I mean, I don't know.
Marc:It's you never know what it is because you could like the heartbreak possible.
Guest:Oh, yeah.
Marc:Of being benched.
Guest:Oh, God.
Guest:You know, and that's that's so sad.
Guest:Like, I mean, I've seen so many people that I think are incredible get that show and not get the opportunity to do a bunch of characters that, you know, they can do and that they're so funny and
Guest:It's just so crazy to watch that happen to someone or for someone who I know to be an amazing talent to be let go so soon after being on here.
Guest:Just like, that doesn't make any sense.
Guest:That person's funnier than any of these people.
Guest:I don't know them, but I'm saying that is a great person.
Guest:They don't even get the opportunity.
Guest:And you have to jump through so many hoops to get it that you have proven yourself.
Guest:Everyone has proven themselves to be very funny by getting on the show.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Right.
Guest:But then like they don't let you show it or something.
Guest:No.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:It's like, yeah, it's all it's it's a mystery.
Marc:And I've talked to Lauren about it.
Marc:You know, it's just like the decisions are not based on, you know, what you would think they would necessarily be based on.
Guest:Right.
Marc:And it doesn't you know, there it really comes down to some choices by a few people.
Guest:Right.
Marc:For the benefit of what they think is whatever.
Marc:You know what I mean?
Marc:It's just the nature of show business.
Marc:Okay, so you come back after that, and no second season at Chelsea.
Marc:And you start doing Bang Bang at the beginning?
Guest:I started doing Bang Bang like three years ago or so.
Guest:Oh, okay.
Guest:So it wasn't that long ago.
Guest:Right.
Guest:It was like a year after that.
Marc:And how did that come to happen?
Guest:Scott, I perform in ASCAD at UCB, and he came and did monologues there, and then he asked me to be on the podcast or whatever.
Marc:And that's where you really kind of took off, right?
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah, but I didn't know anything about it at the time, and I didn't really know what I was supposed to do, so it kind of was lucky that it worked.
Marc:But the freedom of audio enables you to maintain an illusion a lot longer than you would on stage.
Guest:Yeah, and you can live in a character a lot longer.
Guest:I mean, because what's so fun about it is that you can create the way the character's physicality is, and you don't have to do any of it.
Guest:You can just talk about what you look like and what you're doing.
Guest:And it's fun.
Guest:And it's fun.
Marc:And then you, and then you made your podcast.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And so that was like, um, and the device of that's pretty clever.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:The, the premise or whatever, whatever you call it is like the guest is the host and I'm the guest in character.
Guest:So they, the, the, my, whoever I have come on the show will decide what the show is.
Guest:They don't tell me anything in advance.
Marc:What determines the character that you do.
Guest:They decide it.
Guest:So they make up what my character is going to be and they don't tell me until we start recording and just kind of like give me a name and label me and whatever.
Guest:And I just, we just talk for like an hour.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And you've done, it seems like I see your name associated with PFT a lot.
Guest:Yeah, we do a lot of stuff together.
Guest:I mean, like through Comedy Bang Bang and my podcast and stuff.
Guest:We do a lot of podcasting things.
Marc:Is he a great improviser?
Guest:He is.
Guest:He's so fun.
Guest:I think he's so awesome.
Guest:And he's somebody who I had seen on TV.
Guest:I remember seeing a special of his a million years ago.
Marc:The one where he talks about drinking?
Guest:I don't remember what it was, but I remember, because I watched all the Comedy Central specials.
Marc:Jesus, you just watched television.
Guest:Oh, nonstop.
Guest:So I'd seen every special, and I remember him, and then meeting him was so cool, and then he's so funny and nice and warm.
Marc:How did Orange is the New Black happen?
Guest:That just came through like a regular audition.
Guest:I like self-taped at home and sent it.
Guest:They were casting in New York and I got an audition to audition.
Marc:What did you do, like two seasons?
Guest:I did two seasons, yeah.
Guest:To be like a correctional officer, which I thought would like never happen.
Marc:Was that the first relatively serious acting thing you did?
Guest:Yeah, I think so.
Guest:And it was so interesting because there were no like Netflix shows at the time.
Guest:So like I thought it was like a web series.
Guest:What is this?
Guest:Like, but cool, like I want to work.
Guest:So whatever, I'll go do whatever.
Guest:And then you find out that it's like so awesome.
Guest:But even just like the kind of figuring out the tone of it as I was shooting, it was interesting because it's not, you know, I think I'm sure, you know, like every year they kind of waffled between like putting themselves in the drama or comedy category.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Award shows.
Guest:Right.
Guest:So it's like it really is like one of those shows where you don't know.
Guest:what did it and like my character like I'd be doing something that I thought was like very serious and then they'd be like that was so funny and be like well then I just don't know anything like I don't know what's going on but it was really fun well you know you commit yeah committed and I think me just trying to be a correctional officer is funny because it's like sure it's against type no fucking yeah right right I'm not tough yeah at all but yeah and this the the Jurassic Park role that everybody talks about is this monumental thing yeah
Guest:Jurassic World, right?
Guest:Yeah, it was huge.
Guest:I mean, to be able to be in that was amazing.
Marc:Right, but the fact that you were improvising with Jake, right?
Guest:Yeah, yeah.
Marc:And that it made the cut.
Guest:Yeah, yeah.
Guest:That was like, it was kind of, we shot it both ways.
Marc:Because you were sort of in the movie for Comic Relief, right?
Guest:Yeah, we're kind of those people, like, hold on to your butts people or whatever.
Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Guest:And his character even is more of the Comic Relief even than mine.
Guest:But...
Guest:Um, by the end, like we were supposed to kiss in the script.
Guest:Like that was the whole thing.
Guest:And then, uh, Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt's characters kissed kind of like that was like improvised as well.
Guest:Like their kiss.
Guest:So like that kind of made our kiss not funny anymore.
Guest:Like it was supposed to be like kind of funny that these two losers would kiss at the end.
Guest:And then it's like, well, that's not really that good.
Guest:So then we shot it that way.
Guest:And then we shot it, which I still thought was good.
Guest:Like, I still thought it'd be cool if like, cause you never see the underdog characters get that moment, like the kind of hero moment.
Guest:But, um, then we shot it with like kind of the improv of me turning them down.
Guest:And that was really fun and obviously way funnier.
Guest:So way better.
Marc:And who directed that?
Guest:Colin Trevorrow.
Marc:So, like, it seems like a rare thing that you improvise as much as you did on that budget of a movie.
Guest:Oh, my God, yeah.
Marc:And then have it happen.
Marc:It's pretty astounding.
Guest:Well, he's so cool because he kind of has, like, an indie background.
Guest:Like, he had done, like, a few indie movies before this.
Guest:This was a big thing for him.
Guest:But he let us play like it was an indie.
Guest:Like, it was just, like, with everything.
Guest:Like, we improvised, like, small talk before, like, every scene that you see that didn't make it in.
Guest:that is just like, who allows you to do that when you're shooting this huge movie where the important thing is all of the dinosaurs and Bryce coming in and being freaked out or whatever.
Marc:That's obviously more important.
Marc:That's great.
Guest:You lucked out.
Marc:And people remember that.
Guest:Yeah, well, because that boyfriend, I have a boyfriend, it's a big enough moment that people remember it.
Guest:So it's cool.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Good for you.
Marc:Thanks.
Marc:Now I'm so proud of you.
Guest:Oh, now you like me.
Guest:That's good.
Marc:I did never not like you.
Marc:And we're both on Animals.
Guest:Yes.
Marc:On HBO, which people seem to like.
Guest:I love doing that show.
Guest:Did you have fun doing that?
Marc:Yeah, I didn't know what it was because Duplass, Mark, called me.
Marc:He's like, yeah, you go do this thing.
Marc:And I'm like, okay.
Marc:So I get a house.
Guest:Yeah, same.
Marc:Yeah, so you just go to this house where it looked like four guys are living there.
Marc:Yes.
Marc:And you record this thing.
Marc:It's like, is this really a thing?
Guest:Like, in someone's bedroom.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Well, and those two guys, Mike and Phil, I didn't even know it was a Duplass thing until, like, later.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Like, I just got, like, for me, it was like, oh, you can, like, do this voiceover thing.
Guest:I'm like, cool, like, free voiceover work.
Guest:Like, I, like, always like to do that.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Then the fact that it turned into something so cool.
Guest:And they're just so talented.
Guest:The way that they animate it is so awesome.
Guest:Yeah, it looks cool.
Guest:Getting to improvise with it is great.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And fair.
Marc:Okay, so what people can see.
Marc:I think we talked about everything that people can see you in.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Well, I'm going to be on a new show on HBO called Crashing.
Guest:That's Pete Holmes' show.
Marc:Oh, where he sleeps at different comics houses?
Guest:Yeah, I play his wife who leaves him.
Marc:For the minister?
Guest:No, it's for like a hippie dude.
Marc:Oh, not the real story.
Guest:Yeah, I didn't know there was a minister.
Guest:I knew it was based on his real life, but I didn't know she left him for a minister.
Guest:I think so.
Guest:I think they were both in the church.
Guest:That's so interesting.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:That's awesome.
Marc:And have you shot that already?
Guest:We shot the pilot, and then I'm doing a few more episodes.
Guest:It's so fun.
Guest:Judd Apatow directed it, and that was like a dream of mine to work with him.
Marc:He's a nice guy.
Marc:He lets you do what you do.
Guest:Well, you know why I think he was so cool is that he, like, he's somebody who's so interested in comedy.
Guest:Like, no matter, he's had all this amazing success and stuff, but he still wants to know about all the other stuff.
Guest:He listened to my podcast.
Guest:I'm like, the fact that you would listen to that, like, blows my mind.
Guest:Like, I just was like, I thought that was so nice.
Marc:Yeah, no, he's a, well, he's a producer.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:So he certainly wants to be on The Pulse.
Guest:But, like, it just feels like so many people can get away with not doing that.
Guest:Like, that it's like, oh, he just seems like a real comedy fan.
Guest:Like, he wants to know.
Marc:He makes big movies.
Yeah.
Guest:But I know it might sound so obvious, but like, I just feel like that's not true of so many people.
Marc:Well, you think, well, I think your assumption is that these people live in a different world and they're not as accessible as he is.
Guest:Yes.
Marc:Like, where does he get the time?
Guest:Like, yeah, he's going to want to listen to my dumb thing.
Guest:Like, that's so cool.
Guest:Like, that's a nice person.
Marc:He's not doing standup again.
Marc:It's crazy.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Shouldn't you be running the entire comedy industry in Hollywood?
Guest:Right.
Guest:I got to see him at Carnegie Hall when you were shooting the pilot and he was so great.
Guest:And what I thought was so awesome is that he incorporates so much of his real life into the standup, like talking about being famous and stuff like that.
Guest:I think people don't really touch on that.
Guest:Like once you're a comedian, you've gotten famous.
Marc:Right.
Guest:You don't mention that.
Guest:Right.
Guest:But it is a weird, interesting part of it.
Marc:He used to be a standup and then he sort of stopped before he got very good or big at it.
Marc:And now he's like started back up again.
Marc:And he's just it is kind of interesting that he's just taught.
Marc:He has to.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Because no one knows him as that.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:I mean, like, like, because if he's not like he's really got to show his chops as a stand up because people are like.
Marc:Judd Apidow's not a stand-up.
Guest:Right.
Marc:He makes movies.
Guest:Right, because they don't know the history.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Well, I'm happy that, you know, that things are working out for you.
Marc:Thank you.
Marc:And that you've branched out from peanut butter sandwiches and that your divorce wasn't so awful and that you're going to go on tour and that you're doing funny things.
Marc:You seem like a decent person.
Guest:Thanks.
Guest:I'll say the same about you.
Guest:You seem cool.
Marc:Oh, yeah?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Yeah, so we did all right?
Guest:Yeah, I like you.
Marc:Oh, thank God.
Marc:That's all this was about.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:There was a note in my email to judge you at the end.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Oh, really?
Marc:Be sure not to let him off too easy.
Marc:Oh, the other question.
Marc:I was wondering, when you improvise, have you ever been sort of... Because when you think of the stripper with the dead eyes dancing to sad songs...
Marc:I mean, that that whole conceit is very funny and painful and weird and rides a line.
Marc:But like the difference between doing a character that is supposedly has an emotional depth, like, you know, like the difference between these people that would do character driven shows that were heavy.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Versus comedic.
Marc:Have you ever been sort of, you know, challenged to explore the depth of these, you know, sort of comedic characters?
Guest:Well, I do think that like most of my characters are really sad inside and that's they're wounded people.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Right.
Guest:And that's what I'm like attracted to.
Marc:Right.
Guest:And I think what's so great about.
Marc:But is the backstory impulsive or do you know it?
Guest:Oh, what do you mean?
Marc:Like of a character.
Marc:Like, do you have it like a sense like an actor would have a certain type of actor, like where they come from?
Guest:Oh.
Guest:Oh, yeah.
Guest:I mean, I don't really think I don't like consciously think about that.
Marc:Right.
Guest:But when you're doing a character really intensely and specifically, you know everything they would say to anything that comes at them.
Guest:So that's kind of what that is to me.
Guest:Like just the automatic what this person would say to that is like tells that story of where they came from.
Marc:But like if I if I were to ask like that pizza lady, like, you know, the character that likes pizza.
Guest:Oh, yeah.
Guest:Big Sue.
Marc:Big Sue.
Marc:Like, if I were to ask her, like, what was her relationship with her father like?
Guest:It's not good.
Guest:I haven't talked to him in a long time.
Guest:It's not good.
Guest:I do not know his name.
Guest:I call him Daddy, but he does not respond.
Guest:It's like you just know.
Marc:Right.
Marc:So it's instinctual.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And, you know, and you sort of.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:Okay.
Marc:That makes sense.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:I've done some improvising and, you know, you have to draw from your own experience with people and the tone of that personality because you kind of know them.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Well, I think with improv, like when you walk on stage with a scene partner, you're getting everything from the way they look at you.
Guest:I mean, it's like, you know, it's a little bit of like a hippy dippy thing when you say it out loud.
Guest:But like, I don't need you to explain everything.
Guest:I go like, oh, he's thinking something kind of sad or he's like this or that.
Guest:And so you kind of like immediately make judgments about the person so that you can move the scene along.
Guest:Right.
Guest:So I think when you're doing character work, it's like you have to just decide those things immediately or like you're wasting everyone's time.
Guest:Right.
Guest:Right.
Guest:You just have to know it.
Marc:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And that just comes from experience.
Guest:Yeah, and I mean, I've been doing improv so long now that it's like, that is, it becomes, it is experience.
Guest:Right.
Guest:When people, when you're starting, like, I think my characters were very shallow when I was starting.
Guest:Right.
Guest:But it's just because I'm like, I'm just trying to say something.
Guest:Like, I'm just trying to talk and be nervous.
Guest:Right, and be funny.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:And then, but at a certain point, you get past that.
Marc:Yeah, because the ones I've seen, the three or four, you know, they immediately sort of, you know, have a depth and you identify their sadness immediately.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Do you know Daniel Klaus?
Marc:Do you know the cartoonist?
Guest:Oh, no, I don't know.
Guest:Maybe I do.
Marc:Ghost World was based on his comics.
Marc:Oh, cool.
Marc:I interviewed him about the characters.
Marc:And he said that how he usually finds these characters is that he'll look at people and he'll see somebody's face.
Marc:And if it's interesting to him, like, you know, what could that face?
Marc:What is the life of that face?
Marc:Like, you know, what you feel in that moment when you just, you know, you kind of lock into somebody on the street.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:That seems to have something.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Usually a sadness or whatever.
Marc:And he would just base these characters on that first sort of taking in of somebody.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:That's so interesting.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And now I'm like looking at people's faces and the ones that really are heavy or like, you know, seem to have like, it's like, how does that fit in the world?
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And then that's where he goes with the story.
Marc:And I have to, you know, whatever feelings he gets from that person's being in that, like maybe even a five second interaction.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And I imagine improvs like that.
Guest:yeah and I think I get inspired by people that I see like a lot of the things you'll see in my special or whatever are like based on real people that I've met or seen oh yeah like it's fun to I mean like I just am really excited when I see someone who's like weird and are you like do you like Molly Shannon yeah oh she's
Marc:Like, she's really good at that.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:She has such, like, nuance to her face.
Guest:Like, she's, and her eyes, like, tell a story.
Marc:And she's very sensitive to sadness.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Oh, yeah.
Guest:You can see, like, the pain.
Guest:Like, the empathy.
Guest:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Who else do you like?
Guest:Amy Sedaris is, like, my favorite person.
Guest:Wow.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:And she's so good, right?
Marc:She's amazing.
Marc:She's like something from another realm.
Guest:Well, I'm fascinated by their family.
Guest:I read a lot of David Sedaris stuff, and I love when he talks about her or his other siblings.
Marc:Yeah, he's been in here.
Guest:Oh, really?
Guest:Wait, oh, I didn't know that.
Guest:Oh, that's cool.
Guest:I'll listen to that.
Marc:He was very nice to me.
Marc:Yeah.
Marc:And he's very interesting.
Marc:Yeah, he's a very funny guy.
Guest:Oh my God.
Guest:I love him.
Guest:I'll, I'll download that.
Guest:I'm going on a trip.
Guest:Um, that'll be good.
Marc:I have Scott set you up with the Howl FM.
Guest:Oh, look, I have that.
Guest:I have to publicize it all the time on my podcast.
Guest:Oh, you do?
Marc:Well, yeah.
Marc:The Sedaris one's on there.
Guest:It's on Howl.
Marc:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Guest:Um, that's great.
Marc:And Molly is too.
Marc:Did you listen to Molly?
Guest:Yes, I did listen to that one.
Guest:I love that.
Guest:That story was so sad.
Guest:I know her life.
Guest:Oh my gosh.
Guest:I was blown away by that one.
Guest:And Jenny Slates, I also really loved her episode.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:Her SNL story.
Guest:I like,
Guest:It was hard for me too.
Marc:So good.
Marc:And then I talked to Michaela Watkins.
Guest:Yeah.
Marc:Who like Jenny, like that was who replaced her.
Guest:Oh, right.
Marc:So there were these two.
Guest:Wow.
Guest:So for her, that's a totally different experience.
Guest:Exactly.
Guest:She got the opportunity out of nowhere probably.
Guest:Because it was kind of mid-season.
Marc:Right.
Marc:Well, you know, Michaela said there's that feeling where you know who your boyfriend's dating now.
Guest:Right, right, right.
Guest:Yeah, that's shitty.
Guest:That must feel weird.
Marc:It was pretty intense.
Guest:That's cool.
Marc:So you don't have to deal with any of that because you didn't get it.
Yeah.
Guest:Cool.
Guest:Yeah.
Guest:See, that's some pain.
Guest:That's the bright side.
Guest:Yeah, it sure is.
Guest:Yeah, and I love Amy Poehler, obviously.
Guest:That's somebody who I think is amazing.
Guest:She's just so funny.
Marc:But you're sort of fascinated with the Sedaris bunch?
Guest:But the Sedaris family, yeah.
Guest:And the way that they tell a story.
Guest:I mean, of course, obviously, he's an amazing writer, and he makes everything so funny.
Guest:But I just think it's so interesting to have these kind of different artists come out of the same family and the way that they express themselves.
Marc:Well, yeah, and then there's two other siblings that, you know.
Marc:You just never hear about it.
Marc:You hear about them, but they're not public personnel.
Guest:It's so little.
Guest:It's like Gretchen.
Guest:I just know her name, but I don't really know anything about her.
Marc:But you know the other guy.
Marc:What's his name?
Marc:Rooster or whatever.
Guest:Oh, I don't really remember much about the brother.
Marc:The southern one?
Marc:Oh, yeah.
Guest:But I don't feel like I retain much.
Guest:I'm always looking for Amy's name.
Guest:Oh, right, right, right.
Marc:No, the other brother is a very funny character.
Marc:All right.
Marc:Well, listen to that on the road.
Marc:I'm sure Scott will be thrilled to listen to that in the car.
Marc:I'm sure there's nothing he likes more than to have Marc Maron podcast pumped in at all times.
Guest:I want to make him share a headphone splitter with me and we'll just listen to you nonstop.
Marc:Yeah, put it right in the car.
Marc:Who's going to be in the car?
Marc:Paul too?
Guest:Paul, yeah.
Guest:I don't even, yeah.
Marc:Oh yeah, Paul and Scott would just, they would jump at the opportunity to listen to as many WTFs as possible.
Guest:Oh yeah, I'm going to make it happen.
Guest:It'll be so great.
Guest:No, I'll make them listen to our own episodes of Comedy Bang Bang.
Guest:That'll be so great.
Guest:There you go.
Marc:All right, well have fun.
Guest:Thanks.
Guest:Thanks for talking.
Guest:Yeah, man.
Marc:Lauren Lapkus.
Marc:She's a very well-adjusted comedic entertainer.
Marc:And, you know, sometimes she'll submerge into the character and it's a little disconcerting in a good way.
Marc:Go to WTFPod.com slash tour for my tour dates.
Marc:Go to WTFPod.com slash merch for the merch.
Marc:Go do whatever you got to do, right?
Marc:Oh, man.
Marc:I feel good.
Marc:That's not a question.
Marc:Boomer List.