One on One: Mary Lynn Rajskub

to Punch, Drunk Love. She's been on Gray's Anatomy, Larry Sanders Show, Girlfriend Experience, Always Sunny in Philadelphia. She is a fascinating woman. She's on a stand up comedy tour. She's written a book called Famish I s h and Uh. We're gonna bring her in and talk to her. She's gonna tell us all about her comedy and her book and her experience on Gilmore Girls. So let's let's bring in Mary Lynn. S Mary, are you almost choked on? How you doing? Mary Lynn? Nice? I'm doing. I'm doing

exceedingly well. Um, Listen, thank you so much for coming on. You just have the most incredible resume and You've been in so many great things that I'm going to be all over the map wanting to talk about all of them, but I don't know that we can talk about all of them. Tell me about it. I'm all over the map. But it's wow. I mean, you are truly and I want to talk about the stand up comedy and the

performance art because it's just fascinating. One of the funniest things I saw you say on an interview was you taped up your You taped up your and your private parts and said, what what was the line? When? Just for you? Okay, first of all, what possessed you to do that? You know, it's something that comes from deep inside. Why do you because you did you know it would be funny, and you did that as a performance piece.

You did that. You did that, you went up on a stage and did it, or you were in a bar or something and this was part of a performance piece and you started it out like that. I knew it would be funny. I believe I was coming from art school, so I was making fun of performance art. So you know what it what? You know what it is. I can't believe you're even asking this because I haven't thought about this and forever, but now I realized it

was back in my day in art school. You know, you do study performance art, which is this this genre which includes a lot of female strong you know, um doing stuff with their genitals, monologuing. So I was basing it on pieces I had learned about, but imagining that this woman it was more of like a cry for help then so her art piece and that that was funny to me. I was just you talking about in the interview made me fell fall off the couch. It

was just really funny stuff. I don't even remember talking about that. You did, you must have done some interesting I looked at a couple of interviews I was, I was.

I was interested to see, you know, how your brain worked and what you thought it was funny and what was going on and performance are to me, you know, my experience living in New York, I was exposed to you know, the Wooster Group, which I can cited performance art for the most part, um, uh Lori Anderson who incorporated more music and uh and Eric Bagozian right, so he was more of a monologuist. But I mean there was some performance art aspect. Who are your big influences

just coming from work. I guess that that part piece in particular, I was thinking of like Karen Finley and Lydia lunch. Oh my god, so so you. The thing that fascinates me about stand up comedians is the courage that it takes to get up there, because you're just standing there naked with a microphone and man, you don't know how it's gonna go. How do you? And it's the one thing that I've always wanted to do, but

I never had the guts to do it. Um, what got you up on stage in the first place was that the performance aren't and then you you liked the feeling of being up there as a performance artist and it just sort of, you know, what you wanted to say as a performance artist happened to be funny. So you just you went into straight stand up comedy. Yeah

kind of. I uh, I just had a need to perform, and I don't know, I think it was kind of a survival mechanism to figure out how to express myself in a but in a very trial by fire kind of a way. And that's what you know, moving towards stand up allowed me to and I'm still doing that come closer and closer to you know, you have to be really clear and what you're saying. And when I was doing the performance art stuff, it was more abstract.

So that's the allure for me, is the commitment that it takes to what you want to say in order to tontinued to want to do it right right. Um. I've seen a lot of stand up comedians. Um. I saw Jay Leno in Huntington Beach before he took over, and he was it was two hours of just gut wrenching humor. It was fantastic. Yeah, I was stunned. Um. So, anyway, so you're currently on tour. You're you're launching a nationwide

tour stand up. Um, when does that start? Tell us a little bit about that, because I want you to get the plug out. Yeah, it's sort of has started already and it's kicking into high gear at the end of March. And yeah, I post I posted on my socials every you know, every not a few days, probably

once the week with the list of the cities. But it's been really interesting because I have a booking agent and it was almost like once she once the word was out that I was doing it and I was really it into it then people then other people were like, oh yeah, we'll book her, Oh yeah, we'll book her. And she hit me up and I'm like yes, yes, And so now I've said yes to all these gigs.

That's taking me for like the next eight months. But I'm also it's you know, I'm doing my stand up which I would be doing anyway, but I also wrote a book during the pandemic, so I'm using the stand up tour to help launch the book as well. So that's a really exciting aspect. I mean, talk about great merch to have it a show, I'll be able to have you know, that actual book, Yeah, hard copies of the book. And that's famoush s h. That's the one my life, that's the one I've I've only written one

book so far. Yes, smart, satirical, relatable, new meaning of the word icon as as you navigate show business against the backdrop of your own idiosyncrasies. Oh that is that much encapsulated? Um, and you made out with Tom Cruise for forty five minutes on a couch within without tongues according to this book? Is that? So tell us tell us a little bit about that? That was for the movie Magnolia, or he plays that um T J. Mackie that's self help or not self help, coaching guys and

how to get women. So I was a flashback in his head as he's coaching these guys how you treat women to get them on your side even though you're being a dick, How to get them to be sympathetic to you. So he tells the story of like, if you're late and you know the woman is going to be mad at you, here's what you do. You show up, you bring cookies, you say you hit a puppy on the way over, and all these like manipulative things which

end in making out with the date. So he's always he's coaching the guys how to get to clothes with the ladies. And I was the example date right, But it didn't make it in the movie because there was so much information. The movie was already so dense that this was like a thing in his mind, so that it was like a trim the fat thing. But I had this experience of doing a real scene for I don't know, I think I can't. I think we shot for two days. I shot for two days with him,

one or two days, So let's talk Gilmore. Okay, you were Kirk's girlfriend in the debut film by Kirk Um, so you were probably in involved in one of the most iconic moments of the entire at Gilmore Library. What was that like and did it feel like it at the time? Why is it one of the most iconic moments filmed by Kirk? Yeah, I mean that just that

sends the fan base. So the build up to it because the film, the film by Kirk was probably I mean in terms of comedy, there's there's probably nothing funnier in the whole the whole series. Oh interesting, Oh yeah, the fans consider a film by Kirk to be you know, sacred. Okay, that's in the Land of Sacred. They actually made the film. So you're watching the show and the fact that we made it and they showed it in the episode, and it's very It's got like a David Lynch. There's there's

nothing funnier. There's nothing more absurd or funnier in that entire series. I feel very proud. I definitely remember enjoying it. You know, always when I'm on a show like that, it's like, I wish I could do more. So I tried to relish in just the one off of it. You know, it's hard to enter into a world that's so special and just be like hi bye. Um and I and I could tell at the time that it was not the norm. Just everybody was was kind of

giggling about it. And it was a fun piece, I think for them to shoot because it was outside of their normal you know, set and scene structures. It was you know, it was like a little an art project. Um and uh, right up your alley. Yeah, it was very it was very cool. Yeah. I was in many student films and why are student films that were exactly like that? You were? So did you get to school for acting? And yeah in New York, I said it in New York. Yeah. What do you remember about filming

a film by Kirk? What do you remember about doing that? How did they shoot that? Um? I'm trying to decide if I should try to make something up. I think it was twenty years ago. It may have been. It was, and I probably did a day, probably a half of an afternoon where they were trying to fit in this extra thing. Um. I remember it being outdoors, um, pleasant, easy, silly, um a mood I felt. I felt very much at home with the crew and the cast and Kirk. Yeah, Sean,

was it hard to keep it? Was it hard to keep a straight face through the whole thing that we were definitely giggling for sure. Just one of it was fun. I mean it felt like a student feel. It was fun. Right, So you got that very specific direction from the director and said, listen, this is oh yeah, I mean I'm coming from, you know, the background that I did. And Amy Sherman Palladino was has always been a comedy fan back then, and I was very comfortable with her, even

though I don't know her well. I felt like we had a shorthand where it's like, oh, she gets it. Like I felt like I was in very good hand and that I understood what it was without too much direction. For sure. The humor of it and the oddness of it was very natural to me. Right, Yeah, Amy gets it? Yeah she Uh. I don't know. I don't know how she ended up in TV, but she did, and she changed TV. Thank god. She definitely changed TV and continues

to change right, exactly stunning. I mean, I'm glad she ended up in TV because she was made for the team of them. Both is phenomenal. Um, so a lot of people know you as Chloe on twenty four to shift Gears a little bit. Uh. Did you think there is any chance someone saw you Gilmore Girls and knew that you were perfect to play Chloe? No, but I can lie and say yes for the sake of this podcast and the fans of Gilmore Girls. Oh, I have,

um a factoid. I auditioned to play Suki. You're kidding? Really? Really? Yeah? Wow? That was yes? Yeah, Alex when we found out that Alex that that what was the show she was on that Fox show, that funny kind of variety show on Fox. Um, Alex was on that show and they wouldn't let her out of her contracts. So I don't know how she got to film the pilot and be so great on the pilot as the harpist Drella. But they had to recast that obviously, and you were part of that. So. UM,

how many auditions was that for you? What do you remember about that? It was just it was just one. Yeah, we'll talk about Chloe a little bit. She's such an iconic character. Um. What was that like for you? That was Evan cats right? You were working with were you working with Evan Katz. Yes, and what was that like for you? UM? Amazing and life changing experience. Um, something I didn't think I would be a part of at all because I didn't really do drama at that point,

and I tried to not go to the audition. And when I went to the audition there was not really any material written. And speaking of someone seeing me on The Gilmore Girls and saying we want to cast you as this, the producers had actually seen me in Punch Drunk Love, which is another Paul Thomas Anderson movie that I was in, and they saw me in that and I was kind of bitchy for lack of a more eloquent, overbearing sister Adam Sandler, and they said, we love your quality.

We have apart coming up in this next season. It's not written yet. Um we well we I know, I know there's nothing on the page. I mean it was the sides that they gave me were literally like yes, Jack, no, Jack, I know there's nothing here, but we're going to write more.

We want to write apart for you. We think you're great as like we have there's an opening for up tech computer tech, and I just remember truly be being overjoyed because as an actor, any type of validation that points you in the direction of someone seeing you and appreciating what you've done. Quite honestly, that was enough to keep me going for another six months to a year. I did not believe they would write a part for me,

because that's not what happens usually. You know, at that level, they're exploring and they're putting pieces together, and the chances of that actually happening I thought were so small, and um, he wasn't kidding. And it was Joel sir Now in particular, who did most of the talking, as I remember in the room saying that, professing that that we're gonna write more material, and you know, and they did. And I thought it was gonna be four episodes. I thought it

was gonna be six episodes. And it just kept going and going. I mean that one how many years was that seven? Was eight or nine years? And then it went away and came back. I mean I started on season three. I think there were eight seasons. Want to run, man, That's how Gilmore was for me. I was a guest star in the pilot and they offered to and we said no. When they offered for we said no, and I was very nervous about that because I needed the

money badly. And my manager called me. Um one day, they come out of lunch and here I'm Manila Envelope had a six year deal on for the show. I couldn't believe. I think I wept and I wept um, but it was yeah, yeah. I was the opposite in negotiations. I'm like, well, you'll take me for two so I was just no. I was the same way, but the manager was the hardass saying no, I'm gonna get Gavin to go to the network and get the money right.

And I'm like, really, because one of my buddies back in New York had turned down UM an iconic film role and never turned into I mean, he really, like really regretted it. And you know, Brad put Pitt took the role in the rest of history. UM not saying that would have happened to him, but I remember those times thinking, Jesus, you know we better take you know, especially after saying no to four episodes, and I was like, oh my god, wow, that's awesome. It was like I

didn't want it. I would I would have taken the for man if it was just up to me. I was like, yeah, sure, I'll take it. I love that. I would love to hear it. Um, you know what, I want to talk about some of your comedy influences. Who did you grow up? How did you end up in art school? A Who were some of your big influences and in art and comed that that that made you the artist that you are today. Um? Well, I didn't. I wasn't really a huge fan of stand up comedy.

I do remember seeing Whoopie Goldberg's One woman show on HBO, and I really wanted to do that, And I think I always wanted to do acting, but I was scared to study it and I didn't want to go to school for it, so into art school instead. I didn't think it was something that you could do. Um. I was always really drawn to a solo performer on stage. Um,

that's why I enjoyed the performance art stuff. And to me, that was an entry into it because it wasn't a guy in a suit going like, here's what I think about this, Because I couldn't relate to that. I was somebody who wasn't very comfortable speaking my mind or understanding who I was in the world or what I wanted to talk about, So that's why I was more interested

in art. One thing I had to learn, which took me a long time too, was as an actor, I tend to automatically go to like when I asked something out, you're gonna feel it. And I had to learn how to temper that doing stand up so that the audience felt okay. I was always shocked. I'm like, you guys

are really feel bad about this. This is funny to me, But you have to like adopt this narrator so the audience knows it's okay to laugh because they will go with you if you're in a motive person on stage, which also speaks to the technician part of it, because if it's someone who's a technician, you're not worried about them because they're not showing you their emotions and I so I had to temper that back because my tendency is to show probably much emotion, especially for joke telling.

So that's been really fun too, because that's a way to like build my own confidence and way to do it, you know, righting audience. So and then you get different audiences and they're not going to respond the same way. I mean it's just like you almost have to be, um, you know, completely intuitive on stage per performance, because it's never going to be the same reactions, same, very maddening. And I feel like you're very you're very clued into

it mentally. I can see you going there imagining doing that because that's exactly each performance. I mean, similar ish to acting. But you're jumping but you know right, it's yeah, yeah, yeah, they're different that you know certain things don't work in front of certain audiences and you don't know why. Um, but with you know, you can't be I mean, you can be somewhat intuitive with live acting performance. But boy, I tell you that's that's the beauty stand up comedy. Man.

You can just be. I mean, you can just sort of adapt, can't you. I mean, do you find your you find yourself adapting from show to show, and there's all that freedom to do it. You have to, you have to because you really are being given. I mean it's I'm I still marvel at like the insanity of it. Four shows in Colorado Springs, and each one I was like, what, like what now? What now? Like a drunk guy going I support you and handing his nachos to me, what's

going to happen in this show? You know, this couple, whatever they got or whatever his deal is. You know the third show. Okay, the audience is good, they're not too drunk, they're paying attention, they're interested. And then five minutes in, Uh, there's a fourteen year old and audience what what now? I love people, especially in the arts, who possess courage, and I think it takes a tremendous amount of courage to get it. I mean, you still

have this need and you still need to get up there. Um, but boy, it takes a lot of courage to do this. And maybe one day I'll I'll grow a pair and get up there and and try it. But it's scary. It's just so scary to me. Anyway, Listen, I could talk about this forever. They're cutting me off. We've got to do more episodes after this. But fascinating to you on stage doing stand up. Let's I'm ready. Let me see you first. Okay, let's let's do that. Anyway, it's

been a real pleasure. I please come back. I want to talk get in greater depth. I'll try not to be so heavy, but you're a fascinating You're fascinating actress, fascinating performer. UM go see her on tour. UM Mary Lynn all the best, Thanks for coming on, Thanks for having me. You got to see you next time. Bye, all right bye, Hey everybody, and don't forget follow us on Instagram at I Am All In podcast and Emailie at Gilmore at I heart radio dot com. Oh you

gil More fans. If you're looking for the best cup of coffee in the world, go to my website for my company, scotty pt com s c O T T y P dot com. Scotty p dot com Grade one Specialty Coffee. Yeah.