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Sign up today. Handsome Pod. Chatting with friends on the Handsome Pod. Chatting with friends on the Handsome Pod. Cheers. Welcome to the Handsome Podcast. It's your one-stop shop for everything handsome. I'm Mae Martin. I'm joined by my co-hosts.
Oh, Fortune Feimster and Tig Notaro. Should I have said your names? No, I think that was good. I think we nailed that. We nailed it. We nailed it. You nailed it. That was very handsome. Yeah. Thank you. Handsome work.
Wait, Tig, you're going viral? Well, I did just get an alert from our producer, Thomas, that Fortune, did you know I was going viral or did Thomas alert you? Thomas alerted me. He's got his finger on the pulse of anything viral. And anything LGBTQ for some reason. But so Fortune, explain to me what's happening. Recently, there was a Supreme Court ruling that said
This woman had filed a while back in Colorado that she was a web designer, did not care for making wedding websites for gay couples. And it went all the way up to the Supreme Court. They ruled in her favor. So
So there is a TikTok going around of a clip from your show, One Mississippi, where you are talking to someone at a hospital and they're, I'm assuming very rude to you and not helpful. - Yep, my stepfather in that episode is in the hospital and I'm trying to go back to see him and visit him.
And the woman is not letting me back. And so at the top of the video, it says, Life Now After Yesterday's Supreme Court Ruling. And that's gone viral on TikTok and Twitter. I got to watch it. I'm not getting the connection.
yeah. So basically it's saying that, Oh, no one has to let you do anything. Yeah. Now people can deny, really discriminate on a whole other level. Yeah. They don't have to, they can deny you any services anywhere. Oh, it's nice that there's the silver lining is TIG's gone viral. That's right. There,
There's the silver lining. I'm not. Are you on TikTok, Mae? No, no, I'm too. I have too addictive of a brain. I would just be on it all the time. I am on it. Are you? Are you addicted to it? I'm not addicted to it, but there are times where you can go in a rabbit hole.
I don't do that often, but on the road sometimes I'm bored and you do get into that scroll, scroll, scroll. Because once you watch one video say, there's like a lot of random like murder stuff on there, like cases. You love a murder. I love a murder. And there'll be like some random case. I'm like, oh, I never heard this. And you get sucked into this like TikTok explaining it. Then you keep scrolling and now the algorithm knows, oh, this person's into murder. Yeah.
then all these cases start popping up and then you're like well god dang it now i gotta learn about this one but that's with anything say you watch a video of someone singing now you got the next one someone's singing you're like well they have a beautiful voice
- Now I gotta hear all the beautiful voices. - I can't go to bed now. - It does allow you to go down a rabbit hole pretty easy. - Yeah, I was always confused because I'm not on TikTok and then I'll go places and somebody will say, "Hey, I love your stuff on TikTok."
I get that too. Yeah. And I'm always like, what? I don't even understand what's happening in the TikTok world because I'm not on that. That does happen where people somehow will just pull a clip or an audio thing from something and suddenly they post it and it's everywhere. Like Tom Papa has a, I do a radio show with him and he has a bit about making a person, um,
And then someone pulled that audio and then all these moms would put that audio in his bit about making a person and they would like lip sync to it or have their own video to it. And no one even knew it was Tom. Yeah.
It was just a random man's voice. Exactly. I always thought TikTok was just these dances, like these weird dances. And so then when people would go, I love your stuff on TikTok. I'd be like, am I like sleep dancing? Like doing choreographed dances? I don't know that. So then probably they made a clip of like clips of yours have probably been pulled from feel good or something or stand up.
And they're just out there and people are commenting on them or you can duet them or lip sync to them. It's a whole thing. I remember when I was doing the movie with Reese and Ashton called Your Place or Mine and I had a line in there that I say to Ashton,
about my wife. I say, yeah, she's just making a bunch of TikTok recipes or something like that. And I remember while I was delivering that line thinking, I don't know what I'm talking about. What a TikTok recipe is.
I don't even know if that's exactly the line, but I was just... You're like, do I put the emphasis on the tick or the talk? Well, I knew I'd heard of TikTok, but I didn't know. I don't know. I just wasn't quite sure what... I guess I thought TikTok was dancing and stuff like that, too. So I wasn't... I don't know. I was just like, okay, I guess they do a bunch of recipes on TikTok. Yeah.
I hope somebody takes some audio from that, from you explaining that you don't know TikTok and they make a TikTok. And make it go viral. Whoever does it, make it go viral. Make it go viral. And then when did my viral videos start going? 18 hours ago. So we're on the cusp of your...
Explosion. Okay. I don't want to brag. I have a video making the circuit right now. Oh, really? From a Subaru dealership. In an episode of that FUBAR show I do, I say something like, I drive a Subaru because I'm gay. And it's like promoting their Subarus and then it cuts to that.
that's so funny and wait subaru made it no no like not not like the subaru people but like an independent car dealership that's how super is oh an actual car dealership yeah a car dealership oh that's so funny and i was like people kept sending me sending me like did you see this i'm like what in the world
So yeah, it can morph into anything really. Yeah. Okay. Look at us grandmas. I know. Or grand people. Grand people. Grand people. Yeah. Grand person. Grand persons. Is that what I'm going to be if I'm a
Am I gonna be a grand person? - You might be a grand person. - Yeah. - Yeah. Or people make up new words. Like if it's a gender neutral thing, they're like, "I'm bebop," or whatever. - I'm a bebop. - I'm bebop, call me bebop. - Yeah. - Great, great bebop. - I'm nono. - Nono.
I'm not having kids, so I guess I won't be a grand person. Well, you say that, but maybe you'll, you know, have a pregnancy test and boom, it'll surprise you. You never know. It could really come out of nowhere. Yeah. I already look like I'm pregnant. Because of the hair? I feel like I'm pregnant now. Yeah, the hair. Yeah.
What were you saying, Mae? Oh, it was unpleasant. I just was, I feel like I'm pregnant now because I'm having an allergic reaction to coconut. Yeah. Anyway, we don't have to dwell on it. Well, I am curious. Have you always been allergic to coconut? Yeah, I didn't know for my whole childhood. So I would eat like a coconut cream pie. Like I loved it and really love it. And then be so violently ill. And then
I dated this girl who her big thing was she can make coconut sticky rice. That was her big thing. Everyone knew it about her. My signature dish. Yeah. And we were we were teenagers, but we were living in a sketchy apartment. And she'd be like, I'm gonna make tofu and coconut sticky rice. And I was so proud that I had a girlfriend who I lived with who made this sticky rice. Like I just we were like playing house almost. Yeah. And then so I was eating it all the time. I think I was sick for a year. I was so sick. And then
Yeah. It turns out I'm allergic to coconut. You're like, I'm either being slowly poisoned and read about it on Dateline or I'm
or i'm allergic to coconut and it's in everything like in a lot of vegan food coconut oil coconut flour trying to make the quit trying to take me down how do you know you are not just not supposed to eat an entire coconut cream pie it could be that or just like tons of coconut sticky rice and made in a sketchy apartment with a dirty pan yeah could be that could be the dirty pan yeah i don't
I don't think I'm allergic to anything. Congrats. Like nothing? No medication? No. You don't sneeze at a point in a certain season? No. Are you allergic to rude people? Yeah, I don't like mean people. Yeah. That'll make her cough. I want to tell people that I'm allergic to strawberries because...
I have this weird texture thing where I cannot stand the biting down on the strawberry, the little hard seeds. I have a like a violent reaction to that. They're not that hard, by the way. No, I know. But like they're so tiny. Something about that texture in my mouth makes me like literally gag. So I love the flavor of strawberry, but.
But I can't eat an actual strawberry and everyone thinks I'm insane. So at this point, I just... Sometimes I just have to be like, I'm allergic to strawberries. To avoid the conversation. Yeah, because they don't accept...
that I just don't like the texture of it. Well, you know, those aren't the only tiny seeds. There's obviously plenty of other seeds. There's chia seeds. Do you gag when any other tiny seed is in there? Yeah, I don't do chia seeds. So raspberries and those blackberries are in the same vein as strawberries. Huh.
But I can't eat sesame seeds. Guys, I can't explain it. Now, if you care at all, some of the most healthy fruit, berries. So if you can have blueberries, I would highly recommend blueberries on a daily basis, a nice little handful.
Wild blueberries, even better. What do blueberries do for you? Full of antioxidants. Okay. Cancer fighting, all of that stuff. Okay. Yeah, what were you going to say, Mae, before I was getting health advice? Oh, I don't, nothing of worth. I mean, I almost said something there about our non-binary ants called antioxidants, but it didn't work in my head. It was like a half-baked thing. Antioxidants? Antioxidants, but it wasn't good enough. Whoa.
Well, we appreciate the effort. It still made the cut because you said it. It's getting in that handsome pod. But it'll haunt you for the rest of your life. It's not going to go viral. No, it's not going to be a TikTok. Yeah. That would be an interesting first step into TikTok is if you tried that joke out, you know? Hey, guys. I'm new to TikTok. I got this one thing. It's kind of half-baked, but...
That picture of you during the pandemic went viral as well, Tig, when you did the zombie movie. Oh, yeah. I mean, yeah, I remember seeing that a lot. Tig's gone viral a number of times. Yeah. Congratulations. For having cancer. For having cancer, you're set at Largo. Yeah, and then for being...
Sexy AF is what was on Twitter. Yeah, sexy AF with a cigar. Yeah, and now go on Twitter for my show, One Mississippi. For a person being mean to you because you're gay. Yeah.
What a life. What a life. What a life. And then there's Fortune with the billboard and Times Square. Do you have one now? Yeah, I do this radio show for Sirius XM for Netflix and they posted this big mug of
on a billboard for Pride Month. So, you know, two steps forward, two steps back. And if you look closely, you see strawberry seeds all on her teeth. Yeah. This was all a charade. Actually, she loves strawberry seeds.
I mean, the two of you with strawberry and coconut ice cream. Yeah. No, thanks. Let's not even talk about coconut. I mean, me is in pain. Yeah. Just pushing through it for us. Yeah. Maybe it'll make me funnier, but it doesn't feel like it so far. Well, we have to check back with your TikTok video. Yeah, we'll see how many shares. Yeah.
How many shareholders drop out? People are really investing in that joke. Yeah. Congrats. Thanks. If you're a homeowner who doesn't want to deal with switching your home insurance, we understand. Switching can feel like a lot of work. That's why Allstate is dedicated to making finding a lower home insurance rate as easy and simple as possible. Check Allstate first and you could save $574 on your home insurance.
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No, I know that we will be airing this after this has already happened, but do you guys have any plans for the 4th? The 4th of July? Mm-hmm. May, another big party? I'm going to go to the beach. Alone? Yeah, just have a think. Yeah.
Just going to gaze at the waves and have a little think about things. No, I'm going to go with some Americans to the beach. And I don't know what people do on the 4th of July. I think I don't want to wait till the night to wait for fireworks and stuff. So I think I'll just sit in the sun. I love that you specifically said with Americans. Yeah. Because...
Do you typically... Hang out with Americans? Well, or even just acknowledge where everyone's from. I'll be out there with some Australians and there is one... Because I'm coming off the back of Canada Day and like assembling all the Canucks. I'm like, I just want to clarify that I'm not taking Canadians to the beach on...
july 4th yeah get them off our beach yeah i'm gonna immerse myself in your culture but if a canadian a fellow canadian wanted to join you're not gonna they say you can't come only americans i'd say like keep it on the dl but you can come yeah i will yeah it feels like a similar vibe to canada day right yeah barbecue vibe what are you guys gonna do i have no plans
That's why I wanted to live vicariously through you two. Well, that's sad. I know. We're going with some Eastern Europeans to the movie theater. No, our kids have a friend...
whose parents are renting out a movie theater. What? Whoa. Well, people were doing that during the pandemic for like $200. True. You could rent out a movie theater. No way. Yeah. Yeah. Because no one was going to the movies, so they were like, you can have the whole thing for the two hours. And then they make the money on the snacks. Mm-hmm.
Make money anywhere because they were making zero. And so people are still kind of doing that sometimes. And so this kid's parents rented a movie theater out. Just to hang? Yeah. Or were they going to watch a movie? Yeah. We're going to watch, not Noah's Ark, the Pixar movie that's out right now. No.
Noah's Ark would be a weird choice. What kids movies out right now? Of the Lost Ark. Oh, Indiana Jones. Oh, Indiana Jones. Indiana Jones. Oh, that'd be fun. Indiana Jones. Yeah, we're going to watch Indiana Jones. You're like, where's that Ark? You know, that Ark. Yeah. And so you and Stephanie are going to go and watch it as well?
Yep. We're going to take Max and Finn and go get some little vegan gummies that they sell there and just chomp away. Wow. I wonder if it'll be scary for them seeing Harrison Ford so old. Yeah.
I thought you just meant the plot. You're like, no, seeing him old. I was going to say they don't know who he is, but they've seen Star Wars, so I'd have to explain that that's who that is. Yeah, I can't wait to see it. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I saw the original. Original? Original?
There's a lot. Yeah. Okay. There's three solid ones and then there's one new one. I saw the original. Well, I am available that day. Okay. So ask your friends, ask Finn's and Max's friend's mom if they have room. Can I bring this random friend? She just didn't have anywhere to go.
I know there's room in that theater. My other friends on the beach having time alone. Hello, darkness, my old friend. We got invited to a friend's house where it's a lot of kids, but they are going to be setting off fireworks. And I was like, I don't know if this is a great idea. I'm not into the novices setting off fireworks. I would prefer professionals to be involved. Yeah. And dogs get stressed. And cats and birds and squirrels.
Oh, that's true. I didn't think about that. Why am I only thinking about the dogs? Yeah. Because they're domesticated and close to humans. Yeah, anthropomorphized. Yeah. Then I will have no part of this. I'm going to sit at home and make myself a hamburger. Yeah. Or a salad. Or a salad. And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free.
Should we get into our question? We sure shall. I have a lovely question here from the great Nina West.
who is a drag queen, an actor, a singer. Some of you might know Nina West from RuPaul's Drag Race on season 11, where she killed it. Super great. And has been on the national tour of Hairspray, currently playing Edna. Oh, wow. Yeah, so really fantastic person. And Nina has a question for us.
Hey, Handsome Pod. It's me, Nino West from RuPaul's Drag Race, and I've got a question for you today. What inspires you to create?
All right. There we go. Okay. Nina is like the embodiment of happiness. Yeah. What a joyful cadence. Yeah. She was Miss Congeniality on her season of RuPaul's Drag Race and then now does a lot of stuff with Disney. Yeah. And actually has that kind of Disney vibe, right? Yeah. Speaking of Disney, Disney's really stepped it up with the LGBTQ community. Oh, in a good way? Yeah.
Oh, yeah. They have like gay days. And not just that, but threatening to like take their whole situation out of Florida. Whoa, my God. That is really good. Well, they have a ton of gay people that go to Disney. Oh, yeah. I mean, a lot of straight people do too, but you know. No, some say it's the gayest place on earth. The last time I was there, I saw actually...
A lot of the employees who like do the VIP tours who were passing me because I wasn't doing one. They were there were like a lot of a lot of queer looking employees. Yeah. So I thought that was pretty cool. Yeah. It's it's been quite a turn of events. Yeah. Very inclusive. Mm hmm. So is it Disney that inspires you to create? Disney is my whole inspiration. Yeah. A whole new.
Oh, that's beautiful. Thank you. I haven't even seen that movie yet. Well, I haven't either, but I'm going to see it now after what I just heard come out of your face. Well, luckily, they sing it a lot better than me in that movie. I highly doubt that. Why does it sound so different saying like a sound came out of your mouth versus a sound came out of your face? It's so different. Something coming out of someone's face is so like...
It reminds me of Max and Finn's birthday party. A friend of ours that was there, she was asking who was Max, who was Finn. And I said, oh, that's Max right there with the red, red hair. And then that's Finn. And my friend said, oh, you mean the one walking around with Stephanie's face on his head? Yeah.
So, yeah. Well, Nina asked us what inspires you to create. Did you have something that came to mind, May? Uh,
probably like sort of um gaping hole in my soul like uh like a i a combination of like a need for approval and um you know some childhood attachment wound and then also just like i am really a big fan of so many people and and of comedy and i think i remain like a big fan person and and so i still like
love going to see comedy and like, yeah, like I, I feel like a fan. Wow. I don't know. And of course, Jesus Christ, our Lord inspires me. And Savior. Now, let's go back to your gaping hole, which I laughed at. That's what you said. And I apologize because...
I was like, that's hilarious. And then you were like, no, I'm dead serious. Fortune, you were laughing at Mae's gaping hole. Well, Mae sometimes has a dry sense of humor like Jesus Christ. That part. Similar tone. Jesus Christ has a dry sense of humor.
And then I was like, wait, is May, I don't think May's kidding about that. About the gaping hole? Well, I'm reading a book right now that is kind of about feeling the need to achieve and perform all the time and where that comes from. And like, yeah, so it's making me think about whether that's a healthy urge. But then at this point, it's just my job. I don't have any other qualifications. So I guess also there's stuff I want to be heard, like stuff I want to say and express and
Yeah, I don't know. What about you guys? Well, I'm curious just because this came up in my therapy session this morning about being seen and heard. Do you both feel seen and heard? Because I have to say I do. Yeah, I do too. I feel seen and heard. And I think that I...
Maybe didn't when I first started in stand-up and I felt like I had so much to say and so many thoughts and feelings and wanted to express these
different ideas. And I still have that. But it's definitely not. Personally, it's not coming from, I don't feel seen or heard. Yeah, I feel I feel seen and heard by my family by Stephanie by strangers. I don't know. That's really nice, though. Yeah, that's interesting that you're like the thinking back. That was probably part of it. I definitely feel like
And this is so crazy, but I feel like there's a part of me that especially in my early 20s and stuff that wanted straight audiences to be like, oh, this person's just like me, which is so obvious. Of course, they should know that. But just like getting just being like, guys, this is not the most important thing about me. And we're the same and we can and we all laugh at the same thing. I think that was like an underlying impulse of like.
I want people to relate to like my love stories as much as I relate to like watching Titanic. Wait, that's a weird example. But like, you know, I grew up watching straight love stories. So I felt compelled to like very much write for straight audiences, but not changing myself, but being like,
I want people to feel... Do you still go in that direction, do you feel? Or have that need or... Maybe. The inspiration still coming from there? Maybe a little bit. Yeah. Yeah, definitely with gender stuff, like trying to explain myself constantly and be like,
everybody has a gender and a relationship to gender. It's not limited to just trans people or whatever. It's like we all exist on that spectrum and can like interrogate it and have a relationship with it. I don't know. I'm being serious today. It's crazy. I know. That's all right.
All the while, very handsome. Thank you so much. As long as... Seriously handsome. Seriously handsome. In fact, speaking of handsome, this morning when I went in to say goodbye to Stephanie before I went to the doctor, I walk into our closet and she turns, looks at me, and she says...
You look so handsome. She's never said that to me before. And I said, wait, what? And she said, I've never ever said that to you. I don't know. She said, I don't know why that just came out of my mouth. And I said, that is so interesting. And how did it feel? I mean, it felt just the same as, you know, pretty. Yeah. I mean, it doesn't, you know, I don't know that people look at me and they're like,
Well, isn't Tig so pretty? Pretty has kind of a, I think that the Pippi Longstocking vibe. Fortune? Tig? Girl, you are so pretty too. Thank you. But you know what? There is this weird thing where every now and then when I have makeup on and someone takes a picture of me, I pointed out to Stephanie, I said, there is this...
that appears from time to time. When I have makeup on and they take a picture, pretty little lady shows up. Oh my God. And I look like a pretty little lady. Yeah. And I showed it to Stephanie and we laughed so hard. And every now and then she'll show me a picture of me and she'll be like, pretty little lady was out for dinner tonight. Pretty little lady. A pretty little lady was backstage. And it's not all...
But every now and then pretty little lady is in a photo. And I never know when she's going to show up. And it makes us laugh so hard because it does not look like me. It's so funny that it's not even like a particular angle. It's just like an energy that appears. And I'm picturing like a cockatish. Pretty little lady.
Batting your eyelids. It's as though I never was gay and I'm just living my straight life. And we get a little glimpse into what pretty little lady looks like. I imagine all three of us are the type that...
If someone were to say, you look really pretty, the three of us would all be like, oh, thanks. It's kind of weird. Thanks, Grandma. But then if they're like, oh, how dapper, how handsome, we're like, oh, thank you. We're like more...
That suits us more than when it feels so silly when someone's like, I get it sometimes too. If I, like I do characters that have makeup, they're like, you look so pretty. And I'm like, you're like, okay, my character is pretty. Yeah. This feels weird to accept for myself. I'm trying to start describing my male friends as pretty, like my straight male friends. That's most of my friends are, are,
straight British guys and I'm like, you look beautiful. Like I wanna tell, like do you tell Max and Finn they're beautiful? We gotta make sure we do. - Yeah. - Yeah. - I tell, they're beautiful, they're adorable, they're handsome, I just-- - All the things. - Yeah. - And they are. - And pretty. - Yes and pretty. - Pretty is a weird word.
Pretty does feel like, well, aren't you so pretty? Like you're talking to a five-year-old girl or something. Look at your pigtails. I'll ask people, you know, just in an awkward situation, I'll ask, do you think I'm pretty? Like at the doctor's office?
Anytime I can just get someone to squirm out the answer to that. That's so funny. You like making people squirm in general. I do. Do you think I'm pretty? My mother was very beautiful. Like very beautiful. Same. My father...
Oh, same. What? Everyone says mom's beautiful and I didn't say anything. And I was like, wait, I should say my mom is too. I always say my mother was gorgeous. My father was not. And that makes me drop dead cute. Right.
Do you think that wanting people to think you're handsome inspires any of your creativity, guys? I don't know if I feel handsome, pretty, or gorgeous. I feel like I fall in the cute category. Yeah, like adorable. Thank you, Fortune. Are you thinking about me directly? I'm talking about you. Or do you feel adorable, Fortune? I get a lot of like, you're so cute, you're adorable, that kind of stuff, more than handsome and pretty.
No, you're both also beautiful and handsome and pretty. We just wanted to make each other feel good today. I'm just imagining someone tuning into this podcast for the first time and being like, what is this? It's just us being like, you're beautiful. Complimenting each other.
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I don't think that my motivation is ever like in the looks department when it comes to content. It would take when you said, have you, do you feel seen and heard? I think,
I think I didn't feel seen and heard until I put out my first hour special. I think before that, I felt so misunderstood or like nobody really knew my voice or what I did. No one really knew what to do with me. And then that was the first time I got to just be like, well, here's my story and here's who I am. And that I feel like that was when I first started getting seen and heard.
But I think as far as like feeling handsome, I always feel ridiculous on stage. Like I don't feel like, oh, this is,
They're going to think I'm real sexy when I tell this story. I'm always over the top and big, and it's more ridiculous than anything. You are ridiculous and adorable. It's true that trying to look cool or hot is the enemy of comedy. Well, it is interesting, that angle of cool and hot. It doesn't work for me. I'm always becoming some gargoyle, like,
from my teens. That doesn't come across to me. Just so you know, when I watch your comedy, I do get the more handsome vibe. Oh, thanks. But I think there's something...
cool about it. Fortune, you need to cool it off. Yeah, well, I'm just, you know, revving up for everybody. You are a married woman. Yeah, your stuff's like funny, but you also come across as cool when I watch it. Here is the pact that we have to all be involved in. And it's that we never allow our comedy to be the kind of comedy where you're like
Full on acting like you are a rock star. No. Before you go on stage. Right. Oh, like air box, shadow boxing. Oh, air box? We can't air box? Oh, no. You can't air box. And then you can't do like...
I'm so intense. Yeah, yeah. I did... When I started... Did you ever do when you started have a moment of like... I remember being like 15 and doing stand-up and just impersonating other stand-ups basically. And I remember smoking a cigarette on stage because you could still smoke inside. And I bombed because everyone was like...
this is so, who is this child smoking? Yeah, it was so not cool, but I'm glad I got over that. This child smoking. I feel like there were so many comedians that were really pacing around and
and really intense, deep thinkers. And maybe there was a smoker in there and maybe someone had a drink or, but there, I feel like there's so many people just trying to present themselves as like,
I'm intense. I'm deep. Yeah. I'm on the edge. I am. I'm like tortured. Yeah. Yeah. And I don't know. It's just I feel like that stuff just happens authentically and you don't have to be
pacing around smoking and doing intense stares into the camera. Yeah, agreed. Okay, so let's say you've just had a special come out or something come out that you've been working really hard on and then you're kind of like starting from scratch or you're just sitting around like, well, what do I do now? What is like the jumping off point? Like, are you always thinking about what's my next hour of stand-up going to be? Or are you like, what's my next project going to be? Yeah.
Not me. I'm always like, I'm always worried I'm not going to have anything to say. That's always my greatest fear is like, I just put out an hour. What now? Like, what do I say? And so I really sit with that for like a couple months of like, I don't know what to say. And then I have to kind of start forcing myself to,
sit down and think about things. And like, I keep a note like on the notes section of my phone. I'll keep like stories and stuff. So I'll just have to like go through that and be like, what...
what is funny of those things and I'll start like hashing them out but then I don't find a narrative till much later into whatever this hour is yeah how about when you find an old note of what you clearly thought was hilarious and you cannot piece together what the hell that meant yes that's definitely happened oh my gosh I'll just jot things down on a piece of paper or napkin and I'll be like okay I'm sure I'll know what that is because that is so funny yeah
And then I stumble upon it and I'm like, what on earth could that possibly be? And I'll run it by Stephanie and she's like, I do not know and it makes zero sense. Mm-hmm.
I mean, I love, I think we've talked about this today. Like I love when people bomb. So I love watching someone bomb. I don't mind bombing myself. Like I find it so... Oh, it's just... I don't enjoy it. It's like, oh, we're alive. And it's so embarrassing to have been like, I thought this was funny. I 100% and like... I flew here. I flew here on a plane and told you something that I had a very off...
perspective about. Yeah. And now I'm going to pack up my things and fly home. I, the other day, told someone, I was in, I was actually in bed with someone and I told them this. Oh, Gregor. And then she, All right. Wi-Fi went out. Wi-Fi went out.
It'll be up in 30 minutes. Yeah, you know, when my Wi-Fi went out, I was telling this person. And then I...
I thought it was really funny. And she went, that's interesting. And I went, like funny though? And she went, no, I don't think it would work on stage. And I was like, I'm going to prove you wrong. And then did it on stage. It's still not funny. But how many times did you do it on stage? Yeah, only once. Because I feel like you got to do it at least three times. You got to try to go through. Okay. It's just that I was having a massage and then I was imagining, I was trying to relax. And so I was imagining. Wait, Fortune, are you prepared for this awkward situation? I'm not.
I'm ready for it. Where Mae is trying out material on us. Okay, go on. You're getting a massage. Let's just pretend we're in bed with Mae. Okay, pretend you're in bed with me. I just told you you're so pretty. So handsome. Oh my gosh, Mae is so handsome. But also, this is not material yet. This is just the anecdote that I think one day could be material. I hear it as your closer.
Okay, I was getting a massage and I was imagining that, I sometimes imagine that the masseuse is God and they're creating me out of clay or something. And then I, so I think it's like a benevolent creator who just loves me and is making me out of clay. And I was saying it's, that's a good way to, a cool thing to do. But don't tell the masseuse that that's what you're doing because it'll freak them out. Because I did tell the masseuse. You told the masseuse that you thought they were God? Yeah.
I said, man, sometimes I imagine, I just said it like I just said it. Sometimes I imagine like you're God and I'm like, you're creating me. I honestly would not know how to respond to that. Yeah, it wasn't good. It wasn't good. And what did God say? They just sort of awkwardly chuckled and were like, okay. Okay.
Well, I imagine you're God and you're creating me. They're like, is this enough pressure? Yeah. And also it was one of those like apps where they come to your house. And I think the guy, the poor guy just was like, I got to get out of here. What situation am I in? Oh my gosh. Yeah. That's a funny bit for like if you're writing your show, you know, when you're writing your show.
For you to act out. To act out, but not to... Yeah, because I couldn't... When I said it on stage, I just said it like that and everyone was like, oh. I still say use it as your closer. And call my next show Benevolent Creator Masseuse. Absolutely. But I also think that you should put together...
your strongest best material and then just awkwardly end your show with I don't even know if this is funny but I told this girl once yeah I told this girl then I told her on stage it didn't work then I told her on a podcast I tried it on the podcast
-What inspires me to create being in bed with someone? -Well, someone saying that's not funny. -Then I go, "Well, it's just too late. Let me show you." -I'll be laughing all the way to the bank.
I will say next time you get a massage though try that it's pretty spiritual okay like don't tell them but imagine thinking thinking of them as their god and creating us yeah or the universe or whatever you want like just and that okay that that it's like infinite love from the universe I'll do it I honestly can't wait
You're going to have to because we still have a little while before the episode ends. That's true. I can't go just do a massage right now. I just imagined the reverse and how freaked out I would be if a masseuse said to me, hey, okay, so I want you to imagine I'm God. You might be open to it. Yeah. Tig and I would be like, what? I'm going to call your manager. Okay.
Hi, can I speak with the manager? This freak. Just called me God.
Yeah. Do you ever, when you write stuff, imagine a specific person watching it? I don't think so. Like that you're performing it to one person? Like I think I'm, like I, every time I post something on Instagram, I'm imagining like a couple girls who bullied me from high school seeing that post. Oh, interesting. Like, is there anyone who you like want to be seen and heard by specifically? I'm always hoping Oprah will watch one of my videos and invite me on a hike. Yeah. Yeah.
No, I don't know. Yeah, I don't think I've ever thought about anyone in particular. Cool. Me neither. Yeah. Um...
Do you guys get inspired by other comics? Like, do you ever watch someone and go, fuck, that was good. Man. Maria Bamford, Maria Bamford, Maria Bamford. She's always creating too. Oh my God. And talk about watching someone bomb. I've seen Maria Bamford bomb and it is, you know, I feel for her if she's not enjoying the experience. But as a fan, I'm like,
The audience is wrong, first of all. Yeah, totally. You're brilliant. And second of all, it's still...
Hilarious. Yeah. But yeah, she's the kind of comedian where when I watch her, I go, why am I doing that? Why do I do stand up? Yeah. When Maria Bamford exists. Yeah. And when people just have a skill that you don't like a type of calm, like she's so singular and it's so. Yeah. Yeah. She's so great. She's so good. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely like watch stand up.
some people's either live or their specials and be like, Oh, I gotta start writing more. Yeah. That's usually what's always, it always goes back to like, I gotta go write more. Right. Yeah. Yeah. I just watched, um, John Early's special and the way he moves his face. Like that's one thing I really don't have. Like I,
I say a lot of words and stuff, but I'm not aware of what's going on with my face or body at all. I'm just like, not that connected to it. But so watching the way he moves his body and his head,
his face and his expressions he's such a clown and and it's just so amazing to watch like the precision of the movements that i'm like fuck i and then i think for like a week i'm like i want to do that and then i try and then i'll just go back to talking about my masseuse you you give it a whirl and then somebody's like what were you doing with your face yeah they're like is everything okay
Yeah. Well, I am glad that comedy is, has shifted into that place where people being themselves is like what people want. Yeah. You know, like the uniqueness of, of different comics and like, it's not just like about a setup and punchline anymore, but it's like, what's your story? Yeah. What makes you, you like, I'm, I'm glad we're kind of entering that space now. Cause that's,
more interesting to me. Yeah. And realizing that that almost like the more specific you are, the more universal it is. It's such a weird phenomenon. Yeah. You know, it reminds me of, you know, when you're a kid and your parents tell you,
you know, they're jealous. You have to be yourself and all of those things you don't really believe or know to be true yet. Yeah. And you're just like, yeah, right. You're my mother. So you're telling me that people think I'm smart or whatever it is. Funny. And,
And then you get older and you have the experience or hopefully have the experience that the more you are yourself. Yeah. The more you stand out. Yeah. And now like the people I want to be friends with are the people that are the most authentically themselves. And the older you get, the more you can really pick up on someone who's not themselves and it can make you feel uncomfortable. Hmm.
But it does feel like a trap, someone being like, just be yourself on stage. And then it is like a self-esteem firing squad because you're like, oh, okay, well, everyone's going to relate to this masseuse story. And then everyone's like, that's freaky. But it does feel like how could that possibly be enough to get people to hear and understand me? And then you realize, oh, that's 100% the direct route there. Yeah.
Completely. Yeah, I remember starting out, my material was way less personal. And then you really feel like a palpable change in the audience reaction. Like people are so there for it when...
the more you... I mean, unless you're doing a different genre of comedy, like, of which there are many. But, yeah, I definitely felt, like, a total shift in how much people were connecting. And who are comedians that inspire you? Me. Anybody that's listening. Hello? Hello? Nobody was saying me. I inspire myself. Me. Who, me? Me. I mean, I always...
it's interesting i i grew up watching more like sketch comedy same than i did um stand up so i don't have like when everyone's like who's your who who you listen to growing up i didn't really listen to stand up but i was like obsessed with carol burnett and watching like old reruns of her show i always love like will ferrell molly shannon like those over the top
Kind of characters that they would... Did you want to be on SNL? Yeah, that was my dream for a long time. I tested twice for the show back in 2009, 2010. I thought that was like my path. And so...
when that didn't pan out you just you know shift the dream shifts and then i started to get a lot more serious about stand-up probably in the last seven years i would say um so now i'm you know looking at comics and i think the people that i resonate with the most aren't as known same i i ironically you know it's like there's all these like local comics like in new york
that I'll go watch and I'm like, they're so funny, you know? Yeah. That, you know, they're up and coming or whatnot. Yeah, I also was into sketch comedy and like SCTV and Kids in the Hall and British comedy and stuff. But then, I mean, you guys definitely, I'm a fan of. And I remember, yeah, like your pacing, Tig, that's so something I can't do. I nervously like fill every scene.
every silent moment and like I remember seeing you on Conan and being like oh my god like a master of confidence yeah like it's electric yeah and then who else yeah silly people I guess that's all I was waiting to hear yeah yeah I could tell well Sarah Silverman was always yeah I was always inspired by her being so unique like I was like there's no one like her I love that and Sarah is like no matter how successful Sarah gets I mean
She just continues to write and work on stand up. Yeah. Isn't too proud to go do some, you know, random weird show. You know what I mean? Like she's same with like Margaret Cho. It's the same thing. It's like you see them have this great success. They become these iconic comedians and they're they're not jumping off stage.
the boat as soon as they get a TV show, they're like still going back to, and have never stepped away from the standup stage. Did you watch the Joan Rivers documentary? That was pretty fascinating on so many levels, but also made me feel real lazy because man, she, I mean, in her 80s, the file cabinet with all the jokes, millions of jokes, and then doing like an hour of new material every week or something in her 80s, like
Wow. Yeah. Yeah. Stephanie got tickets for us to go see her. It was shortly before she died.
And seeing her run around the stage in high heels in her 80s, destroying the room was mind-blowing. I have to say, though, the one thing that kind of broke my heart watching that documentary was that she said she doesn't feel like a comedian. That she's an actress. And I was...
I know. But isn't that just, isn't that just misogyny basically? Like a lifetime of just not feeling in the club and being like, well, I must be different to these guys then even though. But I mean, she started out as an actor and so that's how she saw herself. Is, is first and foremost, she's an actor. I kind of relate to like not feel like I feel like I'm, there's an element of acting and stand up and I, and I'm always like embarrassed to say I'm a stand up even though I've,
Well, I do it all the time. And I like, yeah, I don't know. You're embarrassed. Why? Yeah, I just I've never felt quite part of the club. Like I, I guess now I've, yeah, I wouldn't I would say I'm a I'm a comedian or but I would I don't know if I'd say like I'm a stand up because even though that I am, I guess. Mm hmm. Seems like it. Yeah. Yeah.
Tig, is there a stand-up you look to for inspiration? I mean, just... Maria. I mean, Maria Bamford inspires me, where I'm just like... But then there's comedian. I mean, I love... I just love silliness. And I...
I just love it so much. And you get silliness even from Maria Bamford who could be talking about being in a mental institution. There's still silliness in there. And even Sarah Silverman, no matter where she's going, there's silliness in there. I love Zach Galifianakis. Same, same, yeah. Yeah, I love him. Conan, like...
Conan is so dumb. Yeah. And then, like John Doerr. Do you know who John Doerr is? Yeah, I love John Doerr. He is so dumb. Yeah. He is the dumbest person alive. But yeah, Conan O'Brien was big for me and being in school and being like...
'cause so many comedians at that time, it felt like we're pointing the finger outward and being like too cool. And then Conan was like, I'm ridiculous. And I'm always making fun of himself on a show and being like this clown. And I loved it. I was like, that I can get, I can do.
Like, I love that. It's always fun to just see entertainers themselves having a good time. Yeah. You know, like, oh, it's fun to watch you have fun, too. Oh, man, like Martin Short on stage. You just can tell he's having the time of his life. The dumbest person alive. The dumbest person alive. I love it. Well, should we hear what Nina has to say? Yeah. Yeah.
You know, Handsome Pod, there are a lot of things that inspire me to create, from reading books to hanging out with my friends, but really mostly a delicious bottle of Pinot Noir. Cheers! Oh.
All right. Okay. Some drunk creating is fun too. I was not expecting the bottle of Pinot Noir. Nor was I. I've never been, I know a lot of people, do you guys drink before you're on stage? I used to. Not much. Maybe like a couple sips sometimes of something. Yeah. Sometimes just the sense memory of being relaxed, like having a couple sips of
a whiskey soda, my brain will go, oh, you must be relaxed. But no. You? Yeah. No, no. And I've had like a secret fantasy of getting...
Just... Shit face. Let's do a show where we... And going on stage and just seeing what happens. We should go and do the drunken handsome tour together. Where we're all three trashed and we do whatever, like 30 minutes each. Ah.
and see what happens. -Which is light our careers on fire. Just get name names, get really-- -Oh my God, name names. -I did that drunk history show where you have to get hammered and then tell a story. -How was that? -It's hard to know when you're going to be the most drunk. I was drunk for sure, but they really
and then the height of my drunkness hit. Oh, my God. Right when they wrapped. So I was like bananas post-filming. Yeah.
Like how drunk and what did you drink? How much did you drink? Like a lot, a lot of whiskey. I drank a bunch of whiskey. What's a bunch? I mean, gosh, I don't even know. Like five whiskeys, five whiskey drinks. Yeah. Five or five or six. Oh, that's a lot. I would be hospitalized. Well, they have a nurse that they had a nurse there that like takes your vital. No. Oh my God. When you know you've made a great decision. Yeah.
I just remember having to pee a lot too because I was drinking it so much. So yeah, so it was like, you know, when you're filming something, you don't know what, when the window's going to hit. We're at peak drunk. How long does it take you to get to peak drunk? I'm, I'm a pretty, I can drink a lot. It takes me a lot to get tipsy. So I have to drink. I have to start a couple hours before I want to be drunk. Before you want the party started. Yeah, before I really want to get drunk. I, I,
I don't get drunk a lot because I don't have the patience to wait and drink, keep drinking till I get to that point. I'm just like, this is pointless. Well, on the, on the drunk handsome tour. How handsome of you. Yeah. I really think we should do a show at Largo or something where we explain at the beginning that Tig's always had this fantasy of doing a drunk set and we watched Tig drink or you leave the stage and then you come back out and
It does not take a lot. It does not take a lot. It should be the drunken crowd work show. I love it. It's kind of win-win because if you are killing, it's amazing. If something goes wrong and you're just being mean to people, then I love that even more. I love when people...
We just go out and we're just so ruthlessly mean to the audience. Thank you and good night. So funny.
Well, something to plan for. All right. Well, I guess we'll just see our listeners on the drunken, handsome crowd work tour. Not for the faint of heart. That's right. Get your bourbon. Get your whiskey. I did enjoy getting to hear about everybody's creative side. That was cool. Yeah, that was so cool. Look at us learning about each other. Look at us. Pretty little ladies. Pretty little ladies.
Ladies, learning and drinking. Tig, do you have anything you'd like to promote for our lovely, handsome listeners? Fortune, I do. I'm going to be in Torrington, Connecticut on September 15th. Rochester, New York, September 16th. Wilmington, Delaware, September 17th. Colorado Springs, September 25th.
Breckenridge, Colorado, September 28th. La Crosse, Wisconsin, October 28th. Also, the rest of October, early to mid to late. I mean, basically all of October. I'm going to be doing a European tour, but all that information's at my website, tignotaro.com. And then let us not forget...
that I am taping my next special November 4th in Brooklyn at King's Theatre. I believe the early show is sold out and so there are late show tickets left for you to grab. That's exciting. Also, I want to remind our listeners that on September 12th, I'm doing a live show of my other podcast. It's called Don't Ask Tig and my two guests are
our Fortune Feimster and Mae Martin. And it's going to be a live streaming show. Get your tickets at Don'tAskTig.org. And look at our handsome faces online. And Fortune, what about you? Do you have anything to promote? Yes. Tig, thank you for asking. Absolutely, Fortune. Starting September 15th, I'm going to be in San Antonio, Texas and New Orleans promoting
Then a couple weeks after that, Portland, Oregon, Spokane, Washington, Boise, Minneapolis, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Oakland, California, Evansville, Indiana, Dayton, Ohio, and Charleston, West Virginia. And then we're putting Florida dates on sale soon. So be on the lookout for that. Fortunefeimster.com. Nice. So, Mae, do you have anything you want to tell our handsome podcast folks about...
I want to tell them I love them and I want to tell them that I'm doing a Largo show September 13th. May Martin and friends with Nicole Byers doing it and a bunch of a bunch of really fun people. And then also on the 16th and 17th, I'm at the Elysian doing improv with Stephanie Allen and Alana Johnston.
All right. Well, until next time, keep it handsome. Yeah. Handsome is hosted by me, Tig Notaro, Mae Martin, and Fortune Feimster. The show is produced, recorded, and edited by Thomas Ouellette. Email us at handsomepod at gmail.com. Follow us on social media at handsomepod.