WTF with Marc Maron Podcast - Episode 1426 - Alex Borstein

Episode Date: April 13, 2023

It's a series of firsts for Alex Borstein: The release of her first comedy special, her first podcast interview done during a power outage, and her first time meeting Marc, despite co-starring with hi...m in The Bad Guys. Alex and Marc talk about Chicago, pizza, therapists, X-rated chocolates, Family Guy, Gilmore Girls, and the high-wire balancing act of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as it begins its fifth and final season. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Starting point is 00:01:16 nicks what's happening how's it going where are we at where are we at as a country where are we at as a country? Where are we at as a planet? Where are we at as, you know, just a guy sitting in a room on a mic? That's where I'm at. Family Guy, and for her Emmy-winning performance as Susie on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The final season of that premieres tomorrow. Also, her first-ever comedy special premieres next week. It's called Alex Borstein, Corsets and Clown Suits. And it's weird. You know, I've known about Alex for a long time. I've seen some of her work. I'm not a Family Guy guy.
Starting point is 00:02:03 I don't know that I watched any Mad TV. I watched the first season of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, but I did watch her special, which is sort of a, it's a combination of things. It's comedy, but it's also, there's a, what's the word, cabaret element to it. It's an odd thing. And she's the filthy which i i appreciate um also
Starting point is 00:02:27 we had to start this interview for some reason i think it was the winds this time uh the power was out when we started so we were sitting in the dark with batteries and then it came on uh about 10 minutes in and we switched over so there is a shift in audio quality because of that. Also, you'll notice during the conversation that neither of us remembered to really mention or for some reason realized again until somewhere in the middle that we were both in the bad guys. until somewhere in the middle that we were both in the bad guys. So that was an exciting moment. I don't think Alex really knew that I was in the bad guys. You decide when you hear the moment.
Starting point is 00:03:14 You decide. Also, I have a very specific plug because I want to help a friend of mine, a friend of the shows. It's a very specific show. Danny LaBelle, a comedian, has a new film that's a half comedy special, half documentary called Reconquistador. And it's about this trip he took to Spain
Starting point is 00:03:38 to trace his Sephardic roots and perform in the old country. Now, here's where it gets a little specific. It's playing at the Lamley Town Center in Encino, California, on Wednesday, April 26th. Go to lamley.com for tickets, L-A-E-M-M-L-E.com. Very specific plug, but he could use people there because he's trying to get it picked up
Starting point is 00:04:06 or sold to a streamer so people can actually see it. So if you're anywhere in the Encino area, go see this thing that Danny, it's taken a while for him to put it together, but here it is. And again, if you're in Encino on April 26th, you can go to the Lamley Town Center to see Reconquistador. Also, I'd like to give a shout out to another current event. I don't know what's going on with this Bud Light thing. I do think it's interesting. It's weird how when you start to see people who latch on to things who don't give a fuck about it but are just like you know when you get somebody like you know kid rock i mean who gives a fuck about kid rock
Starting point is 00:04:54 just sort of bumper hitching onto the hate machine for a little anger juice to try to grab a bit of of quickly fleeting relevance like he gives a shit, you start to really realize that there's a whole bunch of personalities that are just grifting on the stupidity of the hate market. Oh, I can't. Even just talking about that, even just thinking about that out loud just made me exhausted. Seriously, it just made me feel like, you know, oh, my God, I'm disappearing as I say this. In lighter news.
Starting point is 00:05:40 I took a buster to the vet today. Here's what's weird about me and why I don't have a dog. If you want to know, like some people ask me, like, why don't you have dogs? I'm like, first of all, I grew up with dogs. And second of all, my complete enmeshment with the three cats I have. And cats are not as needy or as attentive or as affectionate or as, I don't know. Right now, Charlie Beans is pretty intelligent. He can fetch and shit.
Starting point is 00:06:12 He knows his name. He'll play. He'll chase a ball and come get it. I don't think he could handle a Frisbee, but he can do a ball in the house, a small scrunchie ball. a ball in the house, a small scrunchie ball. But because of my enmeshment and my insane projections and anthropomorphizing of my cats, the idea of even having a dog is crazy. It would drive me crazy. I would not be able to have any life at all without panic. And that's also why I don't have children because like Buster, who's almost seven, who, as some of you know, when he was less than a year old, ate some fucking plant and went into renal failure. I saved his life, but we're not sure what his kidney function is or if both of
Starting point is 00:06:59 them are even working. I feel like he might just have one going, but now he's, you know, almost seven. And here's why I took him to the vet. He seemed to be not eating as much as he usually does. He threw up once after he ate, which I think was probably because he ate too fast. And, uh, and he's acting very friendly and very needy and, and kind of, uh, uh, adorable. And I thought like, what the fuck is wrong with this cat? He's usually a little standoffish, but sweet nonetheless. But now he's just sort of like,
Starting point is 00:07:31 what, all of a sudden he's like Mr. Nice Guy, Mr. Climb on my chest, Mr. kind of rubbing himself up against me. And I thought like, he must be dying. That's how my brain works. This cat's acting differently. He doesn't seem sick. He's actually kind of a nicer cat.
Starting point is 00:07:47 I better take him to the vet. So I took him to this new vet. Got old Buster checked out. Got some blood work. Haven't heard back yet. But I'll try not to assume that because he's becoming a sweeter old cat that for some reason he's dying. that for some reason he's dying. On the vegan front,
Starting point is 00:08:10 I think I might've eaten some egg and some bread products. I'm going to let it go. And also made my own falafel. Deep fried it, the whole fucking thing. And it came out spectacular. Also figured out how to make good hummus. I'll give you a hint. Requires a Vitamix.
Starting point is 00:08:27 It's about texture, mostly. You know, if you want to get it like the stuff you get in the supermarket and texturally. I always thought there was some mystery to it. Like what kind of magic grinder do these Middle Eastern people have that makes their hummus so smooth? But I'm hanging in there. Got to make an appointment for the blood work. That's where we're at. I think you're all caught up.
Starting point is 00:08:51 Alex Borstein was a good time. As I said, tough, filthy, funny. Loved it. The final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel premieres tomorrow, April 14th, on Prime Video. Her comedy special, Alex Borstein, Corsets and Clown Suits,
Starting point is 00:09:08 premieres next Tuesday, April 18th, also on Prime Video. And again, I should tell you that at the beginning of this conversation, we were battery operated because there was a power outage in my neighborhood. Okay? Heads up.
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Starting point is 00:11:04 Your sign language language WTF. I know. Isn't that interesting? I mean, somebody gave that to me a long time ago. And I've just kept it. I don't think everybody knows what that is. I'm special. Do you know sign language?
Starting point is 00:11:19 A little bit. Have you had to use it? No. I took that as a language in university. And have you communicated to use it no it was you know i took that as a language in university and have you communicated with the deaf maybe inadvertently but i mean i don't have any deaf you know members of my family or people in my immediate i'm friends with marley matlin but marley's a lip reader you know she doesn't oh really yeah yeah um she doesn't need to sign with people who don't know how to sign?
Starting point is 00:11:45 Oh, she does not need to. But yeah, I took it in college and I took it with my friend Chris. And we used to go on the weekends to the movies and not speak and try to use our sign language to communicate. And see if we could get through a day. And we could maybe do like a half an hour. Did people think you were deaf? Perhaps. Until we started, you know, giggling and realized we didn't know how to say something.
Starting point is 00:12:08 So in college, what else did you do? I ate a lot. Yeah. I did. I ate a lot. There was a candy machine in the dorm and I kind of slept in front of it. Where'd you go? San Francisco State.
Starting point is 00:12:22 Really? Mm-hmm. I studied rhetoric. What does that mean, rhetoric? What does it mean? San Francisco State. Really? Mm-hmm. I studied rhetoric. What does that mean, rhetoric? What does it mean? Rhetoric. I always tell people I have a BA in BS. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:12:32 But it's not like logic, rhetoric. No, it's not like logic. I mean, it's the art of persuasion. It's being able to persuade the masses with language. Yeah, speaking. A lot of people become lawyers and go into advertising. Were there any classes where the teacher said, look, you know, Hitler was a bad guy, but I think we could really learn something.
Starting point is 00:12:51 Let's study his speeches. Well, no, actually, you do look at, we looked at speeches of bad guys as well as good guys. Yeah, you know, we're looking at the Chekhov speech with Nixon, which is a famous one. Yeah, a lot of Hitler's addresses. Early Hitler. Early Hitler. Early Hitler. The good stuff before he went pop. Yeah, no, it was a really good.
Starting point is 00:13:13 In retrospect, do you think it helped you at all or did anything? Oh, absolutely. Yeah? I mean, comedy is persuasion and anything you write. I worked in advertising. That's what I did first. Oh, my God. Really?
Starting point is 00:13:24 It was great, yeah. So where'd you grow up? Here? You didn't grow up here. I worked in advertising. That's what I did first. Oh, my God. Really? It was great. Yeah. So where'd you grow up? Here? You didn't grow up here. I grew up both. Suburb of Chicago and then Southern California. Which suburb?
Starting point is 00:13:33 Chicago? Deerfield. Born in Highland Park. Oh, yeah. Jews. Yeah. Happy Passover, by the way. Yeah, to you, too.
Starting point is 00:13:40 Thanks. So I'm from both places a little bit. I like Chicago. I love Chicago. It's great. It's an easy town. Yeah. So I'm from both places a little bit. I like Chicago. I love Chicago. It's great. It's an easy town. Yeah. It's easy.
Starting point is 00:13:49 It's not as hard on you as New York, but it's a real city. Yeah, it's got its own thing and people are not ashamed to eat or smoke. Oh, yeah. Everybody's really real there. Yeah. And the food's real. Yeah. The pizzas are deep and the meat is fatty.
Starting point is 00:14:04 Yeah. I will go to Lou Malnati's every time I'm there. You're a Malnati's? Yeah. I don't give a fuck what people say. I like Malnati's. I also, I'm not hardcore. I also like to, you know, oh my God, I can't even think of the name right now.
Starting point is 00:14:19 Oh, yeah. I was going to say DiGiorno, but that's the shit you get at home. No, it's, yeah, what is it? Ah, I can't even think of it right now. Do you know Pequod's too? No. Oh, that's another one. But you're talking about the other big one.
Starting point is 00:14:31 And I can't remember it either because I'm old. It'll come to me. It's almost DiGiorno. It's close. It's close. Yeah. I'll scream it in the middle. But I'll defend Lou's all day long.
Starting point is 00:14:41 And I don't eat it any other time. If I go to Chicago, I'll eat it. I sometimes get it shipped. When I i go to chicago i'll eat it get it shipped when i'm working in brooklyn i'll ship the deep dish malnados to brooklyn don't tell new yorkers yeah well i mean it's a different thing and then there's people that argue it's not really pizza but you know what i got i feel the same way about the cities i have there's a place in my heart for both places i'm not like for York? And L.A. And like pizza's fucking great anywhere. I love pizza.
Starting point is 00:15:07 I can even have like roller rink pizza that's, you know, $3.50 a slice. The only time pizza's bad is when the crust is soggy. I might agree with that. That's the only fucking time. I mean, if there's a soggy crust situation or if you go to lift it up and it can't hold together, I'm like, it angers me in a way that's slightly disturbing. The thing I don't like is too much red sauce. Oh, yeah? Too much tomato sauce can kill it for me.
Starting point is 00:15:33 But you have a sense that this is L.A.'s a city? I've been trying to, I'm grappling with that lately. It's a series of villages. Yes, that's right. They're tied together. I always say that L.A. has no, there's no torso. It's all limbs. There's no torso. There's what it is. They're tied together. I always say that like LA has no, there's no torso. It's all limbs. There's no torso.
Starting point is 00:15:48 There's no center heart. Yeah. But they're limbs and limbs are fucking important and they're great. And you can find beautiful things on the tips of the fingers. Yeah. You know, I'm in Pasadena and it's charming and I love it. There's a bunch of museums there. There is life
Starting point is 00:16:05 There is culture Do you go to them? I do sometimes I got kids So I do some of that stuff Oh you gotta bring them Make them look at the art Yeah make them look at things
Starting point is 00:16:13 Yeah Make them The Huntington Gardens is really beautiful That's great There's a great The museums there are beautiful The library Which is that one right outside of
Starting point is 00:16:22 Past Eagle Rock The beginning of Pasadena, going that direction. There's that private collection museum right there with all the modern stuff. The Norton Simon? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's a good one. Right? Yeah. Yeah, and it's real small, and it's real doable. It's nice. No, I do, and there's a
Starting point is 00:16:38 California museum there, and then there's yeah, there's, I don't know, I kind of like, I like it. And I like little pockets in silver, and I like, there's, I don't know. I kind of like, I like it. And I like little pockets in Silverlake. And I like, you know, places in Venice. And I like. Yeah. You go all the way out there?
Starting point is 00:16:50 To me, like, going to the west side is like, we got to, you know, bring, you know, pack a bag. It's a thing. Yeah, you pack a lunch. You pack a lunch. It's a thing to go out there. But it's nice to know it's there. Nice to know you can get somewhere. My kid surfs. We can get to water. How old's the kid? He's 14 know it's there. Nice to know you can get somewhere. My kid surfs.
Starting point is 00:17:05 We can get to water. How old's the kid? He's 14 and she's 10. So you got kind of, you know, they're up there. I mean, they're getting there. They're like little people. They are. They are little people.
Starting point is 00:17:15 They good people? They're good people. They're actually, she's the same size as me already and he's taller. So they're not that little. But yeah, they're good. You know, he's rough. He can be rough can be rough but he is super interesting yeah i think it's gonna be worth it how are was your uh ex-jewish no he was not born a jew he kind of like did a light version of converting when we got married and and uh was into it but I don't think he continues to do anything.
Starting point is 00:17:46 A light conversion? A light conversion. Is that a thing? Yeah. Yeah, it's Jew light. But do you get paperwork on that? There's no mikvah. You don't get stewed.
Starting point is 00:18:02 They don't do that to dudes. But did he get bar mitzvahed? No. Didn't get bar mitzvahed. Confirmed or anything? Stamped? No. Not even by a reform library? No. And he was already a circumcised person because of the time he was born.
Starting point is 00:18:18 Sure. It was pretty much he took some classes and was like, alright. I get it. I'm down with this. And are you raising them Jewish, the kids? I am. Yeah. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:18:28 Because I watched the special, and you're a dirty Jew. I am. I am a filthy. I've been saying lately that it's kind of like a filthy TED Talk. Yeah, kind of. Yeah, it's- It's a mixture of things, but i had not well it's really different it's not stand-up no yeah i mean but we've been in the same orbit for years somehow
Starting point is 00:18:50 i mean i've known of you one way or the other at different you know versions of our lives i mean i you're younger than me but when i was at comedy central i mean your name was always around you're always doing things yeah likewise yeah and uh and And it became one of those situations where at some point when you showed up on Mrs. Maisel, I had realized that we had both fallen into the category at some point of like, whatever happened to those people? Oh, her. Yeah. How did that?
Starting point is 00:19:22 Oh, I remember her from that thing. And then we kind of landed on our feet? Oh, I remember her from that thing. Yeah. And then we kind of landed on our feet somehow with, I don't know about you, but I still have spite. Interesting. Against some things. I don't know. I've been really lucky.
Starting point is 00:19:39 I've been really lucky. Yeah, you're doing very well. You're winning prizes. Well, but I hopped from Mad TV to Family Guy, which is still running. And then I worked on Gilmore Girls. And then I worked on this show called Getting On for HBO. And then I got really lucky.
Starting point is 00:19:56 You were always working. So you've always been in the mix. There's people like, right now, Maren. What's he talking about? She's been working the whole time. Well, but it hasn't been. This show that I did before Maisel called Getting On was three seasons on HBO. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:20:09 One of my favorite things of all time. Yeah. Some of the best work. I loved it with Laurie Metcalf and Niecy Nash. But no one was watching. It was a real specialized little niche thing. People were like, yeah, yeah, yeah. When this finishes, Game of Thrones comes on.
Starting point is 00:20:23 That's all they knew about it. They saw the last five minutes? Yeah. So, you know, it's just I've been lucky to be working, but it hasn't been something that everyone's been diving into. So how long were you in Chicago when you were growing up? About age 10, we moved out. Right. And you always had family there?
Starting point is 00:20:40 Yeah. So you always went back. Yeah. It was one of those things. And your parents moved to California? Yep. Why? Honestly, my mother was was like i can't do another fucking winter yeah she really just felt like i can't do it and my father's sister had made the move out to los angeles yeah so they just said let's do it let's go somewhere warmer and they loved it and they
Starting point is 00:21:01 loved it what business is they are they in? My dad is a therapist. Is that true? Like, really? Yes. Like, what kind? Like, psychiatrist, psychologist? A PhD. Okay.
Starting point is 00:21:10 Not a psychiatrist. But he's the old school Jewish guy? Old school. He, marriage, family. He also, in Chicago, had a place called Midwest Family Resources. And he also worked with, like, the Gilda Club out there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And in LA.
Starting point is 00:21:26 Mostly family? Yeah, a lot of family therapy couples. In LA, he had Los Angeles Family Institute. What was his approach? Just not listening. He's a really good not listener. People just, I guess, talk and figure it out in his office for themselves. As he detaches in front of them i guess so we
Starting point is 00:21:46 always marveled maybe i mean maybe that's why he couldn't listen at home because he'd given it all at the office drained but he he just didn't hear shit after after no kidding the the time clock well it's funny because i was thinking about this this morning for some reason about my life and about therapists i've seen in my life and about this one in particular that just they all have like they sort of have this the good ones have this weird gaze they do that you know you're not sure whether it's engaged or not but you can project onto it and assume that it's being absorbed oh yeah yeah he is a walking Rorschach yeah right really yeah and is he uh and what about your mom?
Starting point is 00:22:34 My mom raised us for the first part of our lives. And then she had a couple careers. When we moved to California, she opened a candy store. Wow. She opened a chocolate and a candy store, which for a fat kid was the best and worst thing that she could have done. Her first one was in Northridge, California, and then her second one was in Sherman Oaks. Like just candy stores? Like did she make the candy? She made some of them. Okay, I'm going to tell you something.
Starting point is 00:22:56 Do you remember Alan Thicke had a show called Thicke of the Night? Yeah. Okay. She was on Thicke of the Night because she made X-rated chocolates. Okay. She made chocolate cocks, chocolate boobs. She made the tricky chocolate vagina? I'm not joking. It was like a sucker.
Starting point is 00:23:15 It's made of chocolate. It was a sucker that was a vagina. And as you might imagine, was not a huge seller. No, it's hard to do the vagina like that. It's hard because she would hand make these with a mold and she several times tried doing them like Caucasian skin tone and it was not appetizing. I don't know how men do it. And then she did it in chocolate and you could not see any definition of what it was. So it really just did not. But the Cox did very well. You might be able to pull off a vagina cookie, I think.
Starting point is 00:23:46 You know? A tart? Yeah, with enough detail. I've seen some vagina work on candies and cookies. You might need icing. Yeah. No, you do. You need colors.
Starting point is 00:23:56 You need texture. I think like one of the producers at the thick of the night went in there and got something for a bachelorette party or I don't know what. And thought, what a great guest. Yep. And so they invited her on. So that was a specialty of hers, chocolate cocks? That was. But it was also regular chocolates and jelly beans.
Starting point is 00:24:13 Jelly bellies were a big thing then. But did she have to have a separate section that kids couldn't go in? Yes, X-rated. X-rated chocolates. There was a shelf that was covered. I'm not joking. Of course. And then later in life, she went back to school and became a therapist as well.
Starting point is 00:24:27 Wow. Two therapists. Yeah. And you say you were a fat kid? Yeah. Surprise? No. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:24:34 I'm still a fat kid. I grew up with some of the fat things. My mother was an ex-fat person, which is the worst. That's hard. She was anorexic. No joy. No. No joy at all. which is the worst. That's hard. She was anorexic. No joy. No joy at all. Just trying to control her kid's fat.
Starting point is 00:24:49 So I'd pudge out and then I'd get this horrible detachment and the trips to the husky section. So you were a husky? I was a husky, yeah. I don't think I ever made it to fat, but I was husky. I look back on pictures now and I'm like, I wasn't even fat. fat but i was husky yeah i look back on pictures now and i'm like what it wasn't even fat i was no i was like normal but there was kind of this weird i don't know this pressure that who decided who your parents put the pressure the therapists were yeah i think my dad had a vision of and i adore my dad this is not like slam erv time because he's the bees knees but erv great name that generation
Starting point is 00:25:22 yeah he and he was like raised an orthodox jew i think he thought i'd be just kind of this little princess like little you know dresses and pink and tights and and i came out really different and i think he never quite adjusted never quite adjusted and couldn't wrap his head around and his wife you know my mom's been stunning her whole life and she weighed you know 118 pounds forever and didn't lift a finger never exercised yeah so i think he was just a little bit like what what is this yes you know how does this happen yeah we did are they both um uh born here no my mother was born in budapest she's hungarian and my dad saw them at the show atlanta you really gave him a you really took it
Starting point is 00:26:03 took them uh you really pushed the envelope they're a part of the show with You really gave them, you really took them, you really pushed the envelope. They're a part of the show. With the folks in the room. They're a part of it, man. It was, honestly, this show, this comedy special
Starting point is 00:26:14 is really just, I wanted this documented in some way. You know, it's like, if it finds an audience, that's a wonderful bonus. Well,
Starting point is 00:26:22 it's a weird thing because it's like, at some point, it kind of becomes a cabaret in a way. Right. So, you know, you do the songs. You have the ukulele players, the Spanish guys. It's not. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:26:36 It's all funny all the way through, but touching, too. And a little more elaborate than a comedy special. Yeah. That was been a little bit of than a comedy special. Yeah, that was been a little bit of a trick in terms of marketing it or getting it out there. That it's, I want to make it clear. Yeah, it's not, you know, set up punchline, set up punchline, joke, joke, joke. But the good thing is, is it is filthy.
Starting point is 00:26:57 It is. And it's good. Like, I don't think there's enough filth. In the world? Well, we all used to do, like, I used to do filth. I used to do more filth. In the world? Well, we all used to do, like I used to do filth. I used to do more filth than I do now. But I just like some of the,
Starting point is 00:27:10 I like the filthy talk from the ladies. Like Belle Barth or something like, you know, old school. Just dirty. I like the juxtaposition of me kind of having
Starting point is 00:27:23 a late blossoming. Coming kind of late to all of the topics in my show and discovering myself a little bit more sexually as an old lady, you know? And the juxtaposition of it with this, I don't know, there's something that I enjoy about being a little filthy. But also it's like,
Starting point is 00:27:41 it's just about, you know, women's voices of a certain age comedically disappear. There's not many of them. Like I have Kathy Ladman on here, you know, a few weeks ago. And I watch her at the comedy store sometimes. And Fallon put her on. She's older than me, older than you. She's in her 60s.
Starting point is 00:27:56 And she's very straightforward about, you know, where she's at in her life and how she looks and everything else. And it's fucking hilarious. And it shouldn't be a unique voice, but it is culturally. Yeah. We're still, the broads are still, we're used as a spice.
Starting point is 00:28:12 We're like a surprise on the plate as opposed to an entree. She did a joke the other night. It really got me about how, like, you know, that sometimes she pees a little now, and it's not, you know, like when she laughs and stuff, you know? And she said, you know, that sometimes she pees a little now, and it's not, you know, like when she laughs and stuff, you know?
Starting point is 00:28:26 And she said, my niece asked me to blow up a balloon, and I did, and I had to change my pants. Does she have children? She's got one kid. Okay, that makes some sense. No, but she didn't have birth. Oh, okay. She's not, it's not, I don't know what it is.
Starting point is 00:28:43 She's just, the pelvic floor has left her? I don't know what it is. She's just, the pelvic floor has left her. I don't know. But I can't remember the exact setup. But you cover all that too. That's a very funny and that bit you do
Starting point is 00:28:55 about having two cesareans and so your pussy's only 20 years old. Yeah, my pussy age is 20. Isn't that something? Yeah, yeah. So it's good. Yeah, no, age is 20. Isn't that something? Yeah, yeah. So it's good. Yeah, no, that was a real,
Starting point is 00:29:08 that part of the show is real. There's a lot of, you know. I believe pussies age well in general. Do you? I do. You're a good man. You're a good man. Because, you know,
Starting point is 00:29:20 I've dealt with many of different ages, and I just, I find like, well, this thing. Humble brag. Yeah, this thing- Humble brag. Yeah. This thing holds up pretty good. These seem to hold up pretty well. Oh, here comes the electricity.
Starting point is 00:29:32 Hey, the power just came back on. Wow. It's a Passover miracle. Do we shift, though? That's going to be the big question. I don't know. You tell me. What would you like to do?
Starting point is 00:29:41 Are we starting over? No, no. We don't have to start over. I could probably use both, but I think the smart thing to do would just be to continue on. And let's see. Okay, let's keep talking about vaginas. Oh, what was I going to say about vaginas? I think the vaginas,
Starting point is 00:30:01 they're usually attached to a person. Yes, which is good. And as the vagina ages, the person is aged, and I think that personinas are usually attached to a person. Yes, which is good. And as the vagina ages, the person is aged. And I think that person just tends to know how to use it and what they want. Yeah. And they're not shy to smack your hand out of the way and just fix something themselves. Yeah. And that's a beautiful thing.
Starting point is 00:30:18 Sure. When you have the confidence to do that. Yeah. I do think that people behave oddly in the sexual space. Hold on. There's a lot of things coming on right now. It's exciting to watch you work. Man, we could even turn lights on.
Starting point is 00:30:36 Hold on a second. You sure you want to do that? Okay. Get back to that pussy talk in just just a second okay so hold that thought I like talking about
Starting point is 00:30:51 vaginas in a frank way I'm holding it I'm holding it I was I'm looking at the stuff on your desk right now there's
Starting point is 00:30:57 I was working on I'm trying to figure out what fucking what to talk about is it comic right now because I just did a special and you know I'm tapped
Starting point is 00:31:04 so I'm trying to figure out what topics I want to cover you're welcome to do pussies well I'm thinking about it but it's it's a little tricky men talking about pussies you know versus you we I'm gonna sit there and do like a nice 10 minutes on what I think of vaginas. But you have got a different perspective. Yeah. Literally. No one wants to hear. Literally.
Starting point is 00:31:27 Right. No. But no one wants to hear my perspective. They've had enough of the male perspective of pussies, I think, in general. I guess. I don't know if it's been a frank observation of real, like there's outside pussies and inside pussies. I didn't even know that.
Starting point is 00:31:46 Wait, really? Yeah, I didn't know that. I think it was, God, how many years ago? Someone introduced me to some chart from like the Netherlands or something. Some bizarre. In terms of like labia situation? Yeah, in terms of the actual. All right, we're going to make the big switch.
Starting point is 00:32:02 Hold on. Okay, here it goes. Three. Let's turn this off. Did it happen? Yeah, we can go over to these mics now. I'm still having a
Starting point is 00:32:14 double situation. You don't have to. Wow. Yeah, and now you can put cans on. Should I? Sure, why not? But I can hear you. I know, but it's like it adds a whole different dimension. See, now we're in it. Yeah, and now we can kind of bring that in and now it's like, yeah.
Starting point is 00:32:29 Do that. How's that feel? Good? I feel like we are the world. Yeah. Alright. Wow, that was amazing. So we've transitioned into the bigger mics I was listening. Might notice a slight difference. I think it was the right thing to do.
Starting point is 00:32:45 I think it's beautiful. Yeah. It's shown a progression in our friendship and our work. So back to Vagina. So this discovery of yours, but let's go back. Let's go back first. So where do you start show business? You go to San Francisco State.
Starting point is 00:33:04 You learn rhetoric. You said you're at an ad agency? While I was in San Francisco State, I did some stand-up in the dorms. There was like a comedy competition. So you did do stand-up? I did a little stand-up. And actually, it was a competition that was on the college campus. And Margaret Cho.
Starting point is 00:33:21 Yep. She's from San Francisco. But was not at the college. Right. I think she like fudged and got into the competition and smoked us all. Oh, really? Yeah. She'd been like doing actual stand-ups.
Starting point is 00:33:30 What year is that? I went in 89. Yeah. So it was either, it was between 89 and 92. Yeah. And then I joined a sketch comedy group in college. In college. We performed on the campus.
Starting point is 00:33:40 Yeah. And caused a lot of trouble. It was really fun. Yeah. We got like political and. Oh, really? Yeah, it was it was actually a good first taste of like. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:33:49 Pushing the envelope and and then I came back to Southern California. I started a master's program and got an internship at an ad agency. A master's program in rhetoric? In more communication. Yeah. Okay. And went to an ad agency. Yeah. And got a got a what do you call it internship. And then they hired, yeah. Okay. And went to an ad agency and got a, what do you call it, internship. And then they hired me as an employee. And at the same time, I started taking classes at Acme Comedy Theater.
Starting point is 00:34:13 So you're back down here in L.A.? Back in L.A. And then joined the Acme Sketch Comedy Group. Yeah, I remember the Acme. It's gone, right? Performed at Acme. I think it is gone. They existed for quite some time on La Brea. Then they switched back to
Starting point is 00:34:27 their valley location and they may still be in the valley. I'm not sure. It was interesting because that's not one of the big ones. You know, when people talk about it, like you got Groundlings and then you got ImprovOlympic, IO and all that Chicago based, Second City. But I remember driving by the theater anyways and knowing people that cook improv there corolla was an acme person and that's not a great uh that doesn't it's not a great reference just saying yeah it was that you know kind of and and a lot of the people that that came out of there a lot of people went on to write and a lot of people wrote in different yeah different ways shapes and form but in terms of on screen, you know, I came out of there and I'm not sure who else. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:35:06 But, yeah, we were like around the corner from Groundlings. Yeah. Yeah. You could just see it. You could see where the big show was happening. I loved it, though, because we didn't have – Groundlings had that thing where the board of performers voted on who moves up. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:35:22 Acme had one dude who decided what company you'd be in, and there was no reason for him to not, you know, there was nothing political or weird or you didn't have to befriend or. It wasn't seen as a channel through which to get to a portal to show business necessarily. Yeah, and it was kind of, I mean, everyone hoped for that. Right. But it was the one guy who decided who got into which company,
Starting point is 00:35:47 and he decided what material made it into the shows. And I kind of liked it. You know, you paid. You paid a monthly fee to be a member. It just seems like the Growlings was like one of these – it's like Juilliard. If you can hang, you got a good shot at getting something. Yeah. It's where SNL looks to get their people.
Starting point is 00:36:02 So how did you get cast out of there? It was very strange. I like threw myself into one of the comedy festivals, Aspen. Yeah. I remember that. How do you mean you threw yourself in there? Well, there was one year that I performed there as like the bubble. What was it? The bubble room or the, it was something called the bubble room.
Starting point is 00:36:22 And I either hosted or just performed. And then the next year— It's the HBO Aspen Comedy Festival. Yes. Yeah. The next year, I went just to tag along with someone else that got in somewhere. Early 90s? Yeah, I was like hoping just to soak it up and just be around everyone and see what's
Starting point is 00:36:39 And then I met people who were from Austin, Texas, starting a new sketch festival called Big Stinkin' International Comedy Festival. This is early 90s? Yeah. Yeah. They called it BS. Right. Big Stinkin'. And I wrote their number down.
Starting point is 00:36:56 They wrote mine down. We kept in touch. And I submitted myself and four other people to their festival. And we got in. And that's where we performed. And that's where the Mad TV casting people saw us. Really? Oh, so they didn't see you at Acme.
Starting point is 00:37:09 No. It was actually at some other big deal. Yeah, like they were located maybe a mile from Acme and had never been, but they saw us in Austin, Texas. And we went with the Acme Comedy Theater name, and all five of us got auditions, and I just got really lucky. And then you were on that TV forever.
Starting point is 00:37:26 I was on for five seasons. Where'd you meet the husband guy? My ex-husband, I met at Acme Comedy Theater. Huh. Yeah. How long were you together with that guy?
Starting point is 00:37:38 We were together totally close to 20 years. Wow. I thought you watched the special, man. I did. What's going on? I didn't know the years were mentioned. You're right, and some of it's not true. Yeah, we were together close to 20 years. Wow. I thought you watched the special, man. I did. What's going on? I didn't know the years were mentioned.
Starting point is 00:37:45 And some of it's not true. Yeah, we were together close to 20 years. Huh. And badly? I mean... It's the worst of worse. I mean, no,
Starting point is 00:37:56 we're lucky. We're still, we do everything, we do a lot together. We're all going to go skiing tomorrow together. Oh, really? Going to go to Big Bear
Starting point is 00:38:02 and we'll see. I don't know. It's got to be a lot of snow up there. I think so. It's been dumping here. So you got, all right,
Starting point is 00:38:08 so that's nice. You get along with the guy and the kids. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Doing the right thing. Life is short. Who cares? Yeah, I'm trying to,
Starting point is 00:38:14 yeah, I'm trying to think that way. Yeah, I think, I mean, end badly. It's, obviously it ended because things weren't perfect and, or good.
Starting point is 00:38:24 But no, it's not full of vitriol and horror and resentment and betrayal and whatever. No. I mean, yeah and no. But I also don't. Yeah. I don't have. I just I don't.
Starting point is 00:38:35 It's not like I even decided. It was just like, this is foolish. I'm not going to carry around. Yeah. Yeah. Whatever. Right. Life is short.
Starting point is 00:38:43 Why do like it? It is the worst thing to when you get older and you realize that. And you realize like what do I really owe these people? Well, and to owe that horrible feeling and like to get like – To not be into it anymore? Yeah. But why carry the anger and all I'd be like this already happened you've already not wasted but you've already passed through 20 years like yeah maybe you've got 20
Starting point is 00:39:11 left like just right fucking change direction and move on sure did you go to couples counseling i mean we did towards the end yeah yeah to figure out how to end it? I guess so. Or to try to save it? I think it was just to create a net. Right. I think we knew we were about to fall off the high wire. And let's create this net and see if we can fall strategically. So when you were doing Mad TV, was he on? He didn't. He came on and did a couple bit parts.
Starting point is 00:39:43 Yeah. But no, he was not on it. Was there that weird tension of you successful? I don't think so. I don't. I mean, I think as we grew, after we got married and as we grew, maybe that was something that was hard. Maybe that was a piece of the puzzle that was hard for him. But I don't think he ever begrudged.
Starting point is 00:40:05 And I was just a bulldog. I was like, get here, get there, put myself here, try to do this, try to do that. And he's just more of a- You're a tough Jew. Yeah. You know, I mean, you know, and I like it. I mean-
Starting point is 00:40:20 Not that that matters, but, you know, it is, like when you talk in the special, you know, about your grandparents being Holocaust survivors. Was your mother as well? Yeah, my mom and my grandma, yeah. So your mom was a kid. Yep. And they got out of where? They got out of Budapest.
Starting point is 00:40:35 They were, I mean, I've told this story before, but they were not shipped off to a camp. My mother's grandparents were. Yeah. Great-grandparents. They died in the camp? They perished, yeah. They died in Auschwitz. Perished. They were murdered. were. Yeah. Great grandparents. They died in the camp? They perished, yeah. They died in Auschwitz. Perished.
Starting point is 00:40:47 They were murdered. Yeah, in Auschwitz. How do we say that? The Jews make it soft. Perished is like, yeah, yeah. They were murdered in Auschwitz. But my grandmother, with my mother in a buggy, was in line to be shot into the Danube. At the Emmys, I said a pit, and that was wrong.
Starting point is 00:41:03 But the Danube. And she walked out of line. That was- Your grandmother. you know at the emmys i said a pit and that was wrong but the danube and they and she she walked out of line she that was that was your grandmother my grandmother turned to the guard the hungarian guard who were almost worse than the nazis yeah and said you know what happens if i step out of line yeah and he said i don't have the heart to shoot you but somebody will uh-huh and she left she walked with your She walked out of the line. With your mother. Walked out of the line, went around the corner. With the baby. Took the star off her arm.
Starting point is 00:41:28 She also had her 10-year-old niece and walked right back into the apartments that they had been pulled out of and went from floor to floor gathering what she could. Yeah. That could be of value to help her and started walking and didn't stop walking. Oh, my God. It's so fucking heartbreaking. It's heartbreaking, but it's walking. Oh my God, it's so fucking heartbreaking. It's heartbreaking, but it's also just badass. No, it's totally badass. But like, you know, now...
Starting point is 00:41:52 How she did it. I don't know how she did it. But I think for me, in thinking about that stuff, you know, like, because these are stories that, you know, that you have personal experience with because it's your family. But as Jews of a certain tier, you hear them all the time. You hear them growing up. We were made to know this stuff
Starting point is 00:42:13 in a deep way. But I think for a lot of my life, the connection to really experiencing the empathy necessary to feel it is hard because it's so massive. And for some reason now, because of the climate of the hatred in this country, and you feel a real possibility of othering to the point of extermination, you know, it resonates much deeper for me. It does. I mean, even, you know, you jokingly starting the podcast and saying like, you're a dirty Jew. Yeah. And then I go, oh, that's, you jokingly starting the podcast and saying, like, you're a dirty Jew. Yeah. And then I go, oh, that's just so dangerous now to, like, really throw that around. Like, I just, I'm always terrified now.
Starting point is 00:42:54 Well, yeah, but, I mean, I think we can own it. Someone will come after me. Oh, you mean for being a Jew? Yeah, you know, it's always. Yeah, but you do what I do. I mean, you know, you didn't, you may, you put that, you put, you were very Jew forward on your special. Absolutely. And I think that's, but that's, I think that's the only way. Yeah. There's nothing like any institution can do to better antisemitism or get rid of it. It's, it's, it's a personal thing.
Starting point is 00:43:19 It's, if somebody loves your work, it loves you. And then they find out you're also Jewish. It's like, oh, yeah. All right. I thought I hated these people, but maybe. Well, I guess that's one way to look at it. I think that's a good way to look at it. But I find more so than not, they go like, yeah, well, she is a little Jew-y. Yeah. I mean, I like her, but you can see the Jew. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:43:41 I think. Maybe I'm not giving people the benefit of the doubt. There's many times that people will say like, oh, you don't look Jewish. What does that mean? I'll hear that a lot. And I'm like, does that mean I'm pretty? What is that? Thank you? Yeah.
Starting point is 00:43:58 People usually think I'm Irish. They assume that I'm like a black Irish or something. Oh, interesting. Yeah. But you never went really back to stand-up after doing it in college? Solo shows? I really didn't. I mean, well,
Starting point is 00:44:13 I did some open mics at the Belly Room and stuff, but the late night 2 a.m. waiting, and a lot of the people were dudes in a not very friendly environment. It just, not even like- While you were on Mad TV, though? Or you talked before?
Starting point is 00:44:29 No, no, no, no. Before. Yeah, before. So you kind of wandered around and saw the nightmare of it? Yeah, a little bit. I just felt like, I don't think I could ever do this. And I always worried if I tried to be a road comic that I would take my life. I mean, seriously, I think I would be very lonely and very depressed. And I think alone in hotel rooms for too many times, I think I would just make very bad choices. Yeah. Well, yeah. I mean, it was like that for a long time doing that for me.
Starting point is 00:44:59 But at some point it turns into like, I don't have to clean this place. Yeah. It's quiet. Room service. Kind of. Yeah. Or just so, I don't have to clean this place. It's quiet. Room service. Kind of. If you're not out there, some anonymous comic just working at a club where no one gives a shit about you, that's sad. Post-Mad TV, I was able to, I mean, not that MADtv was massive, but it was visible enough that I was able to do shows here and there that I was invited to. I'd go to Sacramento and at the Depot, characters that I did on MADtv became gay icons.
Starting point is 00:45:41 Oh, they did? I'd be invited to open the Pride Week or do this or that and that was so much fun because it's a friendly audience and you don't even, you don't have to work too, I mean, you're working hard
Starting point is 00:45:51 but it's not like, But you're doing a bit. I didn't feel like I needed to have a crafted set that I've been working on for six years. I could kind of go
Starting point is 00:45:58 and deliver and stream of consciousness and have notes and, you know, but no, I didn't, I didn't steadily do anything. Was Bobby on Mad TV with you?
Starting point is 00:46:08 Yeah. We overlapped just at the end of mine. We were on together. He's a good little guy. I have not talked to him in ages. Yeah. But he is one of the most fearless people I've seen on stage. He's funny.
Starting point is 00:46:24 He's just wild. Yeah. So after Mad TV, what was the plan? To do TV stuff and whatever came? I left Mad TV because I was developing, I developed my own show, this pilot that was picked up but then never got put on the air. What was it? It was called Life at Five Feet.
Starting point is 00:46:44 Yeah. picked up but they never got put on the air what was it it was called life at five feet yeah it was basically a cyrano ripoff uh-huh truth about cats and dogs ripoff um it was me looking like me as a struggling writer and i get an opportunity to ghost write a column for a supermodel oh okay for like a right l cosmopolitan oh okay yeah, yeah. It was cute. It was a fun way to deliver that same story and kind of what I wanted to talk about in terms of life is really different when you look a certain way. Yeah. And it was cute. It didn't go. It didn't go. And then I did Gilmore Girls.
Starting point is 00:47:19 How often were you a recurring guest on there? Yeah. I was supposed to be on it, but I auditioned for it the same time Mad TV was still on and I was under contract and they wouldn't release me. And that was the Palladinos? That was the Palladinos. Gilmore Girls was huge. Yeah. Yeah, the part that I had then went to Melissa McCarthy.
Starting point is 00:47:39 Oh, really? Yeah. And then I did recurring stuff. And then Gilmore Girls came about because Dan Palladino ran the writer's room at Family Guy. He was my boss in the writer's room. You were already in Family Guy? Yeah. By that time that happened?
Starting point is 00:47:52 I can't remember these times. I had an ex-girlfriend that was compulsive about the Gilmore Girls. Oh, yeah. I would just watch it on a loop. She had mental problems. Well, she was your girlfriend. Yeah. Yeah. But, you know, who doesn't have mental problems. Well, she was your girlfriend. Yeah. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:48:07 But, you know, who doesn't have mental problems, right? I hope everyone does. Well, I think it's the root of all our problems. 90% of the world's problems are personal problems. I think you're right. Yeah. It's just like no one can agree how to deal with those problems. And most people are like, I'm not right.
Starting point is 00:48:25 No, I think you're right. And that leads to people being killed. Yeah, with Hitler, it was just a bad mood. Just unresolved trauma. Yeah. Untreated trauma. It's all untreated trauma. But the Family Guy was a good gig. Oh, it still is.
Starting point is 00:48:44 God bless Family Guy. Yeah, that was... I gig. Oh, it still is. God bless Family Guy. Yeah, that was. I mean, insurance, money, everything. Yeah, yeah. And I mean, honestly, like I still, we do table reads weekly and I receive those scripts. And there are, I would say a good five things that make me laugh out loud at this age and this stage. Every time. So like for me, as long as I am still cracking up.
Starting point is 00:49:07 You've done almost like 400 of those things? 400 episodes. Yeah. That's crazy. Yeah. So you just like, you know, you just get checks in the mail all the time, basically. I am the luckiest woman in baseball. Yeah, it's astonishing.
Starting point is 00:49:22 That is crazy. Yep. Wow. So you were doing great. Here I thought like we were struggling at the same time. You weren't struggling. Yeah, I didn't want to make you feel bad. You did fine. I've been a lucky girl.
Starting point is 00:49:35 You've been going at it. Yeah, I mean, I've done a lot of pilots that never went anywhere. I've definitely seen the boo-hoo side of things, but I've also been really lucky to have a gig. How big is the boo-hoo when you get a cartoon check? Yeah. The check actually comes in. It's animated. It's hard to take to the bank.
Starting point is 00:49:54 It talks? Does it talk? Yeah. When I go to the bank, they giggle, but they cash it. Oh, you were in the movie I was in. That's right. We're in a movie together. What movie?
Starting point is 00:50:04 The Bad Guys. Oh, yeah. That's right. We're in a movie together. What movie? The Bad Guys. Oh, yeah. That's right. We're co-stars, man. I'm a snake, man. I'm the snake. You gearing up? We're both in that movie all the time.
Starting point is 00:50:12 We never talk to each other. We just unwrapped the reality of show business. I know. No one knows anyone. Well, no, but it's the weird thing about animation and doing it during COVID is that, I mean, I didn't have any scenes with you. So me and Sam- No, that's not true. Don't I throttle your neck? Oh, yeah.'t have any scenes with you. So like me and Sam. No, that's not true.
Starting point is 00:50:25 Don't I throttle your neck? Oh, yeah. Maybe you do. I squeeze your neck. Well, I mean, we must have been on that weird live read promo and we were around. I wasn't on the live read. Oh, okay. I was busy.
Starting point is 00:50:37 I was shooting. Oh, right. Right. And I mean, I did work in person and on Zoom with Sam because that was my partner. Yeah. But that's my partner. Yeah. But that's so funny. That's funny. We have major parts in a movie together.
Starting point is 00:50:50 Oh, yeah. It can only happen with animation, though. That's very funny. I say a spinoff, Cop Snake. I'm into it. Okay. I like doing the snake. Kids love the fucking movie.
Starting point is 00:51:02 And DreamWorks is six minutes from here. Yeah. It's all about the commute in LA. They're like, can you do two hours? Yeah. What, now? You want me to come now? They don't let you just do it from this setup?
Starting point is 00:51:13 No. It's better to go down to the bunker. Yeah. Nowadays, since I'm in Pasadena, if somebody says, oh, these people want to meet with you at Sony, I'm like, no. Yeah. No, it's too far. Would it shoot at Sony yeah
Starting point is 00:51:25 nope yeah I'd rather go to Vancouver yeah and resettle yeah yeah because you can just go from Burbank
Starting point is 00:51:32 then drive to the west side yes to Culver City I would rather fly from Burbank to Sony they should have a flight that does that
Starting point is 00:51:39 a chopper to Sony they should yeah there was a while there where I just was sort of like you know where you have these meetings set and they were just generals.
Starting point is 00:51:47 And it'd be like down by HBO or Comedy Central or something. I'm like, nah. Yeah. Because, you know, especially when they're like, when they schedule you at like four. I'm like, what are they doing all day that I got to fucking spend three hours in traffic for what? Yeah. You know, get me. Eleven.
Starting point is 00:52:03 Eleven. Get me a better time. Yeah. Four o'clock fucking meeting. Yeah. for what? Yeah. You know, give me a better time. Four o'clock fucking meeting. Yeah. That was a nice thing about writing on Family Guy that, you know,
Starting point is 00:52:11 they're like near the La Brea Tar Pits down there and that commute could murder you. But yeah, but we were lucky they would start
Starting point is 00:52:18 at 10 or 1030. Yes. That is a decent, respectable, beautiful giving thing to do. Yeah. I'm glad we're all doing things in person again, but that's still an issue is driving somewhere.
Starting point is 00:52:28 I know. But this is Mrs. Maisel thing. Like, you know, I didn't know what to do with that show. Because as a comic, initially I was like, damn, this can't be. It's about comedy. It's going to suck. But it didn't. I think they handled it so theatrically.
Starting point is 00:52:47 It's just shy of a musical. Yeah. In the way it looks. So I was going to say, it's theatrical. It feels like you're seeing a massive production. And I think Amy, you know, who created it, was very smart in making Midge's stand-up style. I'm not saying she's a female Lenny Bruce, but the stream of consciousness.
Starting point is 00:53:05 Well, that's what people don't realize about that. Not punchline, not punchline. That was genius because it enables you to just enjoy monologues, watch it, say, yes, this is a funny piece. This is saying something interesting and not judging. The beats. Set up punchline, yes. Yeah, I mean, I thought that was kind of genius about it, too. Because I didn't want to like it, but I liked it, you know.
Starting point is 00:53:24 And I interviewed her years uh years ago rachel yeah and i i i really wanted to be critical of it i met the guy who played lenny bruce who i actually think did a very good job yeah he did tremendous stuff that's not easy to ask it's not because how are you going to play that guy you know and like even dustin hoffman was okay. And like that's all you can judge yourself against. But I think he captured like the humanity of the guy. You know, he's this historical mess. But he was a very charming, funny guy. You feel for him.
Starting point is 00:53:57 And season five, you know, you do even more so. You really feel for the guy. Yeah, new season. That drops April 14th. April 14 season that drops i gotta catch up april 14th i gotta catch up but but i was you know i i realized very quickly that they had backloaded you know something into that character like that that woman as a comedian would not have existed in that time yeah so they had to make these choices like you said you know what do we you can't model her after even joan rivers at that time right Yeah. So they had to make these choices, like you said. You know, what do we, you can't model her after even Joan Rivers at that time. Right.
Starting point is 00:54:27 Because that was a shtick. It was a thing. Yeah. Everyone was shtick. Yeah. So the idea to sort of, to rethink a female comedian who had the guts to say something. Yeah. Was something that didn't exist.
Starting point is 00:54:40 Yeah. So they put it in. And I think it works great. Yeah. She kind of took, I think Amy took like the heart of almost like a folk singer at that time. Right. Like a political feminist folk singer. Sure.
Starting point is 00:54:52 And instead of songs, turned it into monologuing. Yeah. You know, and that's the character. And Amy always speaks to that. She always says like this, what's special about her is she didn't hide behind a character. She didn't put on a fat suit suit like sophie lennon's character she wasn't doing a bit yeah there she was being herself and everybody was doing bits then yeah so but and i think it saves the you know it gives the show some sort of interesting integrity because you know you can kind of go to that the space of
Starting point is 00:55:21 when that time was you know with a very modern voice, really. Yeah. Hers. Yeah, absolutely. There's some people who would watch it and be, you know, calling out anachronisms of that sort, you know, like that wouldn't be. And it's like, that's why it's interesting. Yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 00:55:37 It's, we didn't want to make a 50s, another 50s show of a woman in the 50s and have everything be. Right. No, yeah. That's not what Amy was after. She wanted that juxtaposition. Yeah, it's almost like, you know, what was behind you know, what could possibly be happening in the mind that was not expressed at that time
Starting point is 00:55:56 of a woman with some guts. Yeah. I've been very happy to be on any part of it. And my character is so much fun. It's a great looking show. Like you said, the theatrical nature of it is kind of insane. Oh, and the camera work.
Starting point is 00:56:12 It always struck me as like a musical without songs. Yep. That, you know, everything's orchestrated. The patter, the pace. Yeah. It's all very sort of the minutia of it is clearly an obsession for somebody. Yeah, well, Amy's a dancer. She came from dance, and so everything's got a rhythm.
Starting point is 00:56:28 She has music under everything. Everything's choreo. I mean, the camera guys and women have to move like ballerinas to capture some of that stuff. It's really, really tough. And when you got cast, was it an offer or did you read? Oh, no, I auditioned. Amy and I had been friends from Gilmore.
Starting point is 00:56:48 Sure. And she said, like, wait, are you really moving to Barcelona? This was 2016. Was that the plan? Yeah. You live there now? No, not anymore. I'm back in the States.
Starting point is 00:56:59 But she was like, are you really moving? I said, I'm really moving. Because remember that thing we talked about like four years ago? I actually wrote it. And I want you to read it. Well, but you really moving? I said, I'm really moving. Because remember that thing we talked about like four years ago? I actually wrote it. And I want you to read it. Well, but I'm moving. Just read it. I read it.
Starting point is 00:57:10 I mean, literally, it was almost on the plane. And, of course, loved it. And then flew in to audition for it. From Barcelona. From Barcelona. I think we had already moved to Barcelona. And it was kind of that feeling of, well, you know what? I'll audition.
Starting point is 00:57:24 Chances are I won't get it. And then I got it. I was like, well, I'll do the pilot. Yeah. I'm only going to be in Barcelona a year. No big deal. I'll do the pilot. Chances are it won't get picked up.
Starting point is 00:57:33 And then it got picked up. And then I wanted to stay in Barcelona. So then it became a real trick of going. I was triangulating. It was like Barcelona. And then you won an Emmy the first season, right? I think it was the first season. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:57:44 Was it the first season? You won two. Or the second season. First and third. I don't know. But you won two Emmys for this character. Yeah, I did. Wild.
Starting point is 00:57:52 I did. Yeah, it is wild. It's really wild. And I didn't realize it until just now in this podcast. No, but until recently. Well, I mean, that's why, you know, when you really think about it. That that really means something. That it's like a totally unique and new female character, really.
Starting point is 00:58:08 Yeah. Yeah. I think just kind of this balls out. Yeah. You know, coinciding with a time that the world's like exploring this non-binary and not, you know, ascribing to a particular gender or looking, having to look a certain way. It fell right into kind of the timing of what was happening.
Starting point is 00:58:29 I like her because she's scrappy and like an okay hustler. Yeah, she doesn't know what she's doing. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. She's not quite sure how to negotiate yet.
Starting point is 00:58:40 Yeah. But she's, yeah, she's just like a bulldog, you know? And how did you, how was working with Rachel? How's it like, I mean, she's just like a bulldog, you know? And how was working with Rachel? How is it like, I mean, she's a very put together actress person. I know.
Starting point is 00:58:53 We're completely different animals, but we are so lucky. Like we adored each other. Yeah. From the get go. Like the audition that I did, I went in the room, read a little bit alone. And then they said, now Rachel come in and we had to do a chemistry read. Yeah. And that's how I met her in the room. And sometimes when you audition with someone else, it's a little fucked up because you have kind of worked on what you're going to do a little bit.
Starting point is 00:59:15 And all of a sudden you get with the other person and they're not dancing to the same – they don't hear the same song and their footwork is totally different. Or they're not engaging with you. Yeah. And it completely stunts or cock blocks your performance. And you're stuck. And with her, it was like we had been dancing all our lives. It just worked. I think from when you have real sketch experience, your ability to adapt to people and performers is pretty deep.
Starting point is 00:59:41 It helps, but it's still hard. If you don't have that chemistry, that match isn't there. And it was just there. And she's just, she's such a good actress. She's just so committed. She's so professional. She was terrified of not being funny enough. And worked on it and worked on it and worked on it. And, yeah, I had no complaints.
Starting point is 01:00:05 Rachel was a dream to work with. And, yeah, I had no complaints. Yeah. Rachel was a dream to work with. Yeah, she seems pretty. She reminds me, like, I worked with Alison Brie for three seasons. Oh, yeah, yeah. But, like, I was talking to somebody about, I was talking to Jean Cameron. Yeah, about Alison and Betty. Because they're very different actresses.
Starting point is 01:00:23 And they come from a different, you know, process. And it's kind of interesting that when you work with somebody enough, you see how they work and you can see the differences in how you work. But you have like a look on your face. Like, what does that mean? What was the difference? Like what you're saying about her, you know, you're just coming in and doing however you're going to do it. But you can see that Allison is in it and has a process.
Starting point is 01:00:45 Like, you know, Betty is from New York theater. Allison's from, you know, Los Angeles, you know, film and television. Right, right. And there's like a different process at hand. And it's just sort of a – it's just funny. Yeah, like when I read the script for Marvel's Sister's Basil, there was no, how should I play this? Or what about this? Let me try this.
Starting point is 01:01:08 There's just, in my head, I saw who she was. It's like- Yeah, it comes off the page. Yeah, it came off the page to me. And there was no other way to do it than what I went in and did. I couldn't, if they had adjusted me, if they had said, you know,
Starting point is 01:01:22 don't make her that New Yorkery or don't like, maybe I could have adjusted this. But really it was just this is who I think she is and either you agree and cast me or this is not who it is. But it's – a big part of it is you. Yeah. Some of her is me. Yeah. I mean like – I mean that's who – like when you –
Starting point is 01:01:39 A lot of her is Amy. But some of her is me. No, but I mean like you as a performer, right? I mean, you've got to put yourself into it. This isn't like you're not doing an impression or I'm not, you know.
Starting point is 01:01:52 Right, right. Like I can see, like when I do something, I'm not, there's always going to be plenty of Mark there for everybody. Yeah, I do.
Starting point is 01:01:59 Susie did like make me. Oh, yeah. It was a little bit of a, like some of that flowed, you know, on the set. Like I'd be a little bit of a grunt. Like some of that flowed on the set. Like I'd be a little bit more of a loner and want to go off on my own. When COVID struck, you know, they had a little tent that I would go inside because I didn't want to have to be in a mask. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:02:15 So everyone called it my troll hole. Yeah. I would just kind of disappear into the grouch. Yeah. It certainly does. Whereas like when I was on Getting On, that character was such an eternal optimist and had a bubble to her. She was a mess, but had a bubble.
Starting point is 01:02:32 And it was very different. I was very light on set and very different. So there is some of it that crawls in there and affects you. Yeah. But yeah, she was. Well, it's good. And Rachel's more, Rachel really studies. Yeah. But yeah, she was. Well, it's good. And Rachel's more, Rachel really studies. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:02:46 Studies a character and wants to move how the character would move. Yeah. Yeah. She's. Yeah. That's why I'd like to be that, have that much process. You'll get there. I don't know.
Starting point is 01:02:59 When they take bad guys to Broadway. Yeah. I'm going to have to. You got it. I got to learn how to dance. On your tail. In a snake outfit. Broadway. Yeah, I'm going to have to. You got it. I got to learn how to dance. On your tail. In a snake outfit. Yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 01:03:10 But now, how did you, like, if you're not doing solo work, how did you put that together, this special, this cabaret piece? And wait a minute, before that, why'd you choose Barcelona? Why not? I mean, Barcelona is great. Do you speak Spanish? A little. What did you choose Barcelona? Why not? I mean, Barcelona is great. Do you speak Spanish? A little. What was it about Barcelona?
Starting point is 01:03:29 Was this a Trump reaction? You know, it was, as I kind of talk about in the special, it was a little bit of I give up in this business. But why would you give up? Everything was going well. After Getting On was taken off the air, we did three seasons. give up everything was going well after getting on was taken off the air we did three seasons and then i wrote a show that i was developing for myself and alan arkin oh god what a genius genius do you know that guy yes and he's royalty you agree so i had written this show and said network picked it up we were going to do it they wanted to do it as the summer thing. I don't launch it in the summer.
Starting point is 01:04:06 It was him playing my father in a, in a sitcom situation. Yeah. Um, but then there were these kind of live action cutaways and Alan loved it. He said, yes. And my mind was blown and this network,
Starting point is 01:04:21 um, said yes. And we started doing it. And we were doing it. And then they wouldn't pay Alan Arkin. His nut. His nut. And his nut was not big.
Starting point is 01:04:33 He was not being insane. It was more than reasonable for Alan Arkin to be on Fox. I couldn't even believe it. And they wouldn't make it happen. because I couldn't even believe it. And they wouldn't make it happen. And then I offered to give up my pay as an actor to double it for him, which was pretty much what it... And he was like, that's insane.
Starting point is 01:04:53 And these people have no respect and we shouldn't... The whole thing fell apart. And at that point, I just said... These people have no respect? Yes. I can hear him saying that. I just said, I don't understand this business anymore. I need a break.
Starting point is 01:05:04 And it was post-divorce. And I really wanted to get away from everyone else around me and the perception people have of a divorced person. And so I kind of absconded to Barcelona with my kids. My ex-husband also went. We all went because I'm not going to separate my kids. I went to him and said. So this is post-divorce, But you brought the ex-husband to Barcelona. I said, look, how would you feel about a year abroad?
Starting point is 01:05:29 I've never done it. Yeah. I've always wanted to. So that was the plan. It wasn't like forever thing. It was supposed to just be a year. Yeah. He said, okay.
Starting point is 01:05:36 Yeah. I'll do it. So we got him a separate place. Yeah. We did it. And then one year, we fell in love with it. Yeah. It turned into two years and then then three, and then four.
Starting point is 01:05:45 Did you get citizenship? No, but I would still be there if COVID hadn't happened. You loved it. I loved it. But we did leave September 2016, and two months later, Trump took office. So everyone attributed it to I escaped. And then I'd like to say, yes, yes, I was so wise. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But literally we missed his term. I was gone for the Trump term. So lucky. Although I had a lot of apologizing to do in Barcelona for
Starting point is 01:06:16 what happened in America. Sure, but you didn't have to live in the insanity here. Yes, but social media, online. No, I know, but it's really not there, though. Yeah. Like, you know, even when I'd go to Canada, I'm like, holy shit, it's not here. Yeah, yeah. You know, it's just different. Yeah, I could turn a deaf ear. Yeah, because it's not dictating the culture you're in.
Starting point is 01:06:35 Yeah. Right? No, it was the best thing I ever did. Yeah. But you're back. But I'm back. Huh. I've been to Barcelona.
Starting point is 01:06:43 You love it? It's pretty. It's great. The food's good. It's an interesting city. You know But I'm back. Huh. I've been to Barcelona. It's pretty. It's great. The food's good. It's an interesting city. You know? I love it. I was there for, I think, one of my honeymoons.
Starting point is 01:06:52 It's like the best. How many times have you been married? Twice. Oh, I didn't know that. No kids. Twice, Maddery. So you're still figuring out the sex part then? I'll get it.
Starting point is 01:07:01 Okay. I'll show you after. Okay, good. Because it sounds like you've got it under, you've got it handled now. Yeah, no, Barcelona is really good food. Really great climate. Yeah. Doable.
Starting point is 01:07:12 You can walk across the whole city. Yeah. The metros. Yeah. Great. The people are cool. I just loved it. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:07:20 I loved it. Spain's pretty great. I just wish I spoke another language. Where are you from? I grew up in New Mexico. My people are from Jersey. New Mexico. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:07:30 We were of the first Jewish settlers. I don't know anyone from New Mexico. Why would you? I think you're it. Yeah. My dad set up his practice here. They're both from Jersey, my parents. My dad was in the military a couple of years.
Starting point is 01:07:43 Albuquerque was a growing city and he was starting a medical practice. So, you know, that's where we ended up. You prefer New Mexico to old Mexico? I never go to old Mexico. I want to start calling it old Mexico. Sure. Why not? Yeah. But I hear Mexico City is great. I might go to Mexico City. I would love to explore Mexico. I just have not done it.
Starting point is 01:08:02 I've been to Oaxaca. You have? Yes. I don't know why I haven't done it either. It's right there. Oaxaca's stunning. But there's so many places I haven't been in the States. There's that too.
Starting point is 01:08:12 I've never been to Wyoming. You should go to Wyoming. There's a thing there. Have you been there? Yeah. I want to ride horses in Wyoming. You can do that? Yeah.
Starting point is 01:08:20 Oddly, most of the national parks are pretty stunning in the states. I want to do a U.S. tour. Have you been in Niagara Falls? Yes. It delivers. Yeah. I mean, you know, it's not a great town on this side. The Canadian side is a little better, in better shape.
Starting point is 01:08:36 But the falls themselves, you're like, holy fuck. Yeah. Grand Canyon. Wow. Yeah. You know, Arch, the Utah one, Zion. I've never seen the Grand Canyon. Oh, my God.
Starting point is 01:08:47 But I have seen Niagara Falls. I saw Niagara Falls when we shot the Gilmore Girls pilot because we shot in Canada. Yeah. Yeah. We did a day trip there. It's great. Yeah. It's kind of stunning.
Starting point is 01:08:56 Yeah. I mean, look, I'm not as narcissistic or as nervous as I come off. I do travel internationally, you know, and I've done shows in different places. But I think I get a little awkward around language differences because I don't know. You know, it makes me anxious just to fucking, you know, figure out how to order food and stuff. But my buddy Tom said with these translating apps on your phone.
Starting point is 01:09:20 It does change things. You can almost pull it off. It's a game changer. Right. But also so many people speak English wherever you go. Sure. In Barcelona, I was so excited to try to speak Spanish everywhere. And people would, like, deal with me for a few minutes and then just answer in English.
Starting point is 01:09:34 Enough. They're just as excited to use their English. Oh, yeah. So, yeah. Yeah. I got to let that go. I got to just, like, kind of do it. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:09:43 But I guess I'm not that hot on going to Mexico. You said that you feel like L.A. is not a city. Yeah. And like, are you happy or do you wish you lived in New York or what's your story? I love this house. I love the convenience of where I am. You know, I don't know how attached I am to the idea of L.A. You know, I'm kind of but this neighborhood is great. It's beautiful. Yeah, and I like my house. But do I love L.A.? I don't know. I don't seem to take advantage of much.
Starting point is 01:10:10 You know what I mean? I miss, like, when I go to New York, I go to museums and shit because I only got a few days. Yeah. But here, like, there's major art going around. I'm like, ah, I missed it. I'm like, what were you doing? It's 15 minutes from you. I have never been to the Getty.
Starting point is 01:10:23 Well, that's a schlep. But still, what's wrong with me? It's not a great place. I've never been to the Getty. Well, that's a schlep. But still, what's wrong with me? It's not a great place. I've never seen the Brode. Well, that's something, that's relatively new. I gotta get back into things. Right, or LACMA, there's just a big great show at LACMA, I missed it. Why is that? Because you're busy, you're doing this little pop business.
Starting point is 01:10:38 I don't take advantage of, I don't know. I thought about going to New York, but it's like after three days, I thought about getting a place there. But you got to go use it. You know what? Something that happened that was really a beautiful thing, the Barcelona experience, what it gave me. It really – I let go of being so precious about where I am and really learning.
Starting point is 01:11:02 It doesn't – at the end of the day, I can find a handful of great restaurants anywhere and I got my people and I've got friends and it doesn't matter. And the house, the place that I live in, it's great. But I also just, when I lived in Barcelona, I rented a place. I didn't attach so much importance to where I am or what I have or what city or just wherever. It's all happening. Yeah, and also everything becomes like literally about five mile radius. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:11:30 Right? Yeah. I mean, like if you really look at your life, wherever you live, it's like those are the supermarkets. I go to that place to eat. Sometimes I hike at that place. Yeah. And on an odd day, I'll go to the other side of town.
Starting point is 01:11:42 Yeah. I'm lucky where I'm at in LA that it's walkable. I got a little village type situation and can get to the market, can get to the movies on foot, can get to a bookstore. That's nice. I'm a happy girl. That's it. And you can do that anywhere. Yeah. But it's so small because people always ask you.
Starting point is 01:11:58 It took me a while to learn that though. Oh, yeah. I learned in New York where it's like I live in New York. People are like, wow, New York. I'm like, yeah. There's about five blocks. It's true. My cousin that lived there, she's 80-something. She said like downtown. I've never been downtown.
Starting point is 01:12:14 I go to my bodega, my dry cleaner. Yeah. It's wild. Yeah. I used to say I never, you know, why go above 14th Street? What's up there? Yeah. But what I was asking, how did you put together the special?
Starting point is 01:12:29 What were the decisions? How did you find the Spanish ukulele players? So the guys. The Spanish Jews. The Spanish Jews. The spews. Yeah. Eric Mills and Salvarre.
Starting point is 01:12:41 Eric is American, but he's lived in Barcelona for 25, almost 30 years. I met him, you know, Maz Jobrani? Yeah. Okay, so Maz knew I was moving to Barcelona. And he's like, oh, I'm going to hook you up with my friend. I got to hook you up with my friend Eric. And I was, you know, sure, sure, sure. Okay, yeah.
Starting point is 01:12:57 Took his name, took his number. Right. We met up for lunch in Barcelona and immediately we're like, this guy's family. Like, this is my brother. Yeah. And he became a lifeline for me there. And I had just met him. It was, what, October, November.
Starting point is 01:13:11 His birthday was March. He said, for my birthday, I want to go to Amsterdam, my favorite city. I'm bringing you and this other friend who I love named Salva. I was like, all right. I'm going on a three-way weekend in Amsterdam. And the three of us got high that weekend in Amsterdam, went to see art, ate everything. And we played music for each other all weekend. Like everyone's like, oh, no, no, do you know this? And playing on our, what about this song? And then we started kind of
Starting point is 01:13:36 singing together. Salva had his ukulele. And then I told some stories about what led me to come to Barcelona. And we just kind of started realizing there's a really neat vibe. Yeah. It led to me writing some of these stories out. Uh-huh. And it's almost a soundtrack. Yeah. They provide like a soundtrack to these stories.
Starting point is 01:13:56 Yeah. And it turned into that. Then we like wrote a couple original songs, comedic songs, and wrote a couple more. And then we started doing these kind of cover songs. And then I said, you know what that sounds? I started singing a song over it, and we realized it was the same chords. So we created these weird medleys. Little by little, it just turned into something.
Starting point is 01:14:17 And then the first time we ever did the show was actually in Brooklyn. My friend Rocky, you know Rocky from Lulu? Yeah. She was like, bring this thing. This sounds amazing and interesting. Bring it to the Union Hall in Brooklyn. My friend Rocky, you know Rocky and Lulu? Yeah. She was like, bring this thing. This sounds amazing and interesting. Bring it to the Union Hall in Brooklyn. Yeah. First time we ever did anything on stage
Starting point is 01:14:32 was in front of 100 people. It was nuts. It's a nice little room downstairs. Great room. And it went great. Yeah. And we were like, this is something. So we kept working on it, expanded it, wrote more.
Starting point is 01:14:43 Did it in Barcelona twice. Did it in Madrid. did it in Dublin. And then we did London, the Soho Theater. That's a nice little place. And we did like five days there. Oh, so you're really polishing it up. Peace. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:14:56 And then we did New York again and we did L.A. And then we were set to do Sweden and Israel and Amsterdam and COVID happened. Shut us down. But while we were in L.A., the Amazon folks came and said, yes, we want to do this as a special. Yeah, because it definitely looked polished. It definitely looked like it was stage ready and that you had done it in front of audiences and it was tight. I'm real curious. Thank you.
Starting point is 01:15:25 I'm real curious how it's received, how it reads. It's a live theater performance that's filmed. I'm hoping – I'm curious. I think it reads as – like if you want to genreize it, it's a cabaret thing, really. Yeah, it's definitely – it's a little bit of wishful drinking, Carrie Fisher. Yeah. A little bit of Sandra Bernhardt. Yeah. Without You, I'm Nothing.
Starting point is 01:15:50 Yeah. John Leguizamo. There's some of, you know, it's like a theater. It's definitely a theater thing, but like this sort of banter with musicians. And then, you know, once you started singing, I'm like, well, this is like the second half. I mean, you do a Bowie medley, you do the original stuff. I think you did a Cure song in there somewhere. It's loaded. Yeah. Yeah. But like, but those are earnest, you know, and it's pleasant. Yeah. And, you know, and it's a weird approach to that because, you know, this is, you know, you're not sitting at a piano. Yeah. You've got two guys on ukuleles.
Starting point is 01:16:23 Yeah. Which is so weird. But it's great and they have a sweet presence and you have banter and, but I mean, the first 20 minutes is a stand-up show.
Starting point is 01:16:31 Really? Yeah, there's, but there are, there are some little sincere moments and sweet moments and a little bit
Starting point is 01:16:37 sad moments and, and as I said, some of it's really, really, you know, autobiographical
Starting point is 01:16:44 and some of it's wild, fun bullshit that made me laugh. Yeah. It's definitely its own thing. But it feels like structurally, it just feels like a very personal cabaret theater performance, right? Yeah. I think the songs are there to kind of help tell the story. Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. Even the ones that feel like, you know,
Starting point is 01:17:07 they're earnest and they're there for a reason. And they're telling part of the story or setting the mood for where the story should go. And I just like that, you know, you cut to your parents, you know, at these moments where like, you know, because my parents come to see me too and you never know what to do with that.
Starting point is 01:17:22 And obviously they know you, but we know that we're sitting there saying you know filthy shit and horrible things about you know the holocaust and about uh you know ourselves in front of these our parents and part of it is like you know what are you gonna do about it yeah it's it's like haha i'm up here too late yeah exactly i listen my dad you know as I say in the show, was raised like Orthodox Jewish and pretty conservative and had no idea how his daughter would turn out. Right. And there's this, it's like that old joke of, you know, Jewish women saying the food's terrible and the other one says, yeah, it's such small portions. Small portions, right.
Starting point is 01:18:03 I think that's how my dad feels like, God, I wish she wasn't saying any of this, but I wish the show was longer. Yeah. I want her up there longer. I love seeing her up there. He can't get enough of my career. Oh, that's great. He has every Google alert set.
Starting point is 01:18:19 Oh, yeah? Comes, bothers me at all hour. Always? Was it always like that? Yeah. He was way more worried about me going into this professionally. My mother was always like, she's a star and could do anything. Right.
Starting point is 01:18:33 I survived the Holocaust. Anything's possible. But he was always a little bit more like, get a college education. Make sure you have something to fall back on. I don't know if you do this. Why do you need to do it? But then I think there's a performer inside of him as well. I think he got off on it a little bit.
Starting point is 01:18:50 Well, it's nice when they are actually able to relax and just be proud if they're capable of it. He's so proud. Yeah, because most of it is just fear. We just did Paley Fest last night for Maisel, and my parents came, and my children came. At the Paley Center place? Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The Paley Center. It was the closing night, and my parents. Well my children came. At the Paley Center place? Yes. The Paley Center. It was the closing night
Starting point is 01:19:06 and, you know, my parents... We did a panel? We showed an episode? We didn't show an episode. They showed a retrospective from seasons one through five
Starting point is 01:19:15 and then, you know, we talk for an hour and people want to see that. Yeah. It just always blows me away. What's the audience like for Maisel, generally speaking?
Starting point is 01:19:23 It's a really interesting mix. Uh-huh. You know, Family Guy for a long time was so identifiable. I could be like, it's these young dudes, you know. Yeah, sure. Gilmore Girls, it's this, you know. If I'm at an airport and I see girls approaching me of a certain age, I know they were Lizzie McGuire movie fans.
Starting point is 01:19:39 Yeah. Like, you can see. Sure. But Maisel's always a shock. It's, I thought it would be just young female but it's i thought it'd be older i think the whatever's left of the old jews it's also a bunch of old jews but like it's also guys dudes love the show and yeah we're huge in india ah well that's because of the spectacle of it india is huge and in spain in barcelona it was gaining this huge popularity
Starting point is 01:20:03 and you know there's not a lot of Jews in Barcelona. It attracts people because, you're right, it's grand. Yeah, the theatricality of it. Like it makes total sense that it would be successful in India. But it's also Indians and Jews, there's a very similar. Yeah. Oh, don't you find that? Like with Indian friends that you have.
Starting point is 01:20:23 Like a lot of my, we all had the same pressures academically. We all were told like you have to succeed in a certain way. Education, yeah. And family, family, family, tradition, a holiday every week. Yeah, I didn't grow up with that. That no one else has heard of. I can hear it. Yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 01:20:39 Real similar kind of family heavy tradition and culture that I think Maisel feels like comfort food there too. Oh, I see. How Jewish are you in generally? Traditionals with traditions and whatnot. Up to here. Oh, yeah? No. You know, I take the stuff I like and I get rid of the stuff I don't.
Starting point is 01:20:59 Yeah. So we have done like our little Shabbat every Friday night. You do? But what that consists of is, you know, a challah. Candles? Candles and a challah. Yeah. And, you know, my son says the little thing over the grape juice.
Starting point is 01:21:12 Yeah. And then that's – That's it. It's not like we're unplugging after that. No, but that's something. It's just – I just loved Friday nights at home with those candles and the challah. Really, it's about the challah. Do you make it?
Starting point is 01:21:23 Do you make challah? God, no. Professionals do it. And they know how to do it. Sure. Really, it's about the challah. Do you make it? Do you make challah? God, no. Professionals do it and they know how to do it. Sure. Who am I? I don't know. You know, we do Hanukkah.
Starting point is 01:21:30 Yeah, sure. I'm going to go to a Seder tonight at my cousin's. Oh, that's nice. So it's like the highlights. I like the greatest hits. Yeah. But I mean,
Starting point is 01:21:38 Shabbat candles, it's not nothing. That's beautiful. Yeah. I mean, like, that's a thing. You know, it's a weekly reminder that isn't sort of based in some stereotype of like, you know, like, I'm miserable, I'm this, I'm that, I ate too much.
Starting point is 01:21:52 You know what I mean? Like the reminders of cultural Judaism to actually have some sort of ritual that plants you in the history of the thing is nice. And candles are a huge part of being Jewish. It's, you know, every anniversary of my grandmother's death, we light a Yortzeit candle. And my friend Katie. And Hanukkah is about lighting candles for eight nights and Shabbat. There's something about that flame and I kind of meditate staring at it, which I'll do. It's nice.
Starting point is 01:22:20 I dig it. So I take the good and I lose the bad. Good. Well, you're doing great. It was great talking to you. I'm glad we did it. I dig it. Yeah, man. So I take the good and I lose the bad. Good. Well, you're doing great. It was great talking to you. I'm glad we did it. I'm glad too. I wasn't sure when I showed up if I was going to be cut up.
Starting point is 01:22:32 What the hell does that mean? I don't know. In the middle of Glendale, the beautiful house is like, this is where I die. I just think it's bold of you to invite people to your home. What if I'm going to come back and cut you up? Well, that'll be a story. Thanks for coming. Thanks for having me.
Starting point is 01:22:55 So how was that? That was me and Alex Borstein. We've given you the, the, what do you call that? The retro tease in case you didn't know who you were listening to.
Starting point is 01:23:04 The final season of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel premieres tomorrow, April 14th. Her comedy special, Alex Borstein, corsets and clown suits, premieres next Tuesday, April 18th. Both are on Prime Video. Hang out for a minute. It's winter,
Starting point is 01:23:23 and you can get anything you need delivered with Uber Eats. Well, almost almost anything. So no, you can't get snowballs on Uber Eats. But meatballs, mozzarella balls, and arancini balls? Yes, we deliver those. Moose? No. But moose head? Yes.
Starting point is 01:23:38 Because that's alcohol, and we deliver that too. Along with your favorite restaurant food, groceries, and other everyday essentials. Order Uber Eats now. For alcohol, you must be legal drinking age. Please enjoy responsibly. Product availability varies by region. See app for details. Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly, host of Under the Influence.
Starting point is 01:23:57 Recently, we created an episode on cannabis marketing. With cannabis legalization, it's a brand new challenging marketing category. And I want to let you know we've produced a special bonus podcast episode where I talk to an actual cannabis producer. I wanted to know how a producer becomes licensed, how a cannabis company competes with big corporations, how a cannabis company markets its products in such a highly regulated category, and what the term dignified consumption actually means. I think you'll find the answers interesting and surprising. Hear it now on Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly.
Starting point is 01:24:39 This bonus episode is brought to you by the Ontario Cannabis Store and ACAS Creative. Okay, people, if you want to learn a little more about my record collection and the memories it brings up, you can check out the latest bonus episode on the full Marin. I did replace or get all of my Skinner records, all my Aerosmith records, all my Tom Waits records. I got all of the ACDC records. I have all the ZZ Top records. I have records that were important to me when I was younger, both townie and non-townie, both townie and art records. But I do, the great thing about collecting vinyl is just how many records you have that you've never seen before. And artists that have been around forever or were at a different time have many records out that I didn't know anything about, or I just knew two songs. So all that to say, recently, and this happens with artists occasionally
Starting point is 01:25:38 in my collection, I've decided that some of the big answers might lie in the canned heat catalog. I've decided that some of the big answers might lie in the canned heat catalog. To get weekly bonus content, plus every WTF episode ad-free, sign up for the full Marin by clicking the link in the episode description or go to WTFpod.com and click on WTF+. Next week, we've got Ray Romano on Monday, my first one-on-one with him, and Lily Rabe from HBO's Love and Death on Thursday, which I liked a great deal, both her and the show. All right. Do we cover it? I'll let you know how Buster is. All right. And also I'm going to maybe engage with AI. We'll see. I don't know. I don't know what happens now. I don't know what happens now other than some dirty guitar that I've probably played before. guitar solo Thank you. guitar solo Thank you. guitar solo Thank you. Boomer lives. Monkey and Lafonda.
Starting point is 01:29:40 Cat angels everywhere. I gotta take Buster to the vet now. He's alright.

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