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My name is Lee Hawkins.
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I ve been a journalist for over 25 years.
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On my new podcast, What Happened in Alabama, I get answers to some of the hardest questions about how things came to be for many black Americans and the truth that must come before any reconciliation can happen.
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I investigate my family history, my upbringing in Minnesota, and my father s painful nightmares about growing up in Alabama.
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SPEAKER_00
What Happened in Alabama is a new series confronting the cycles of trauma for myself, my family, and for many Black Americans.
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Listen now.
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Hey, listeners, it s December 7th, and you guessed it, it s Tom Waits  birthday.
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Now, you may or may not know that I occasionally do a bit where I drag a stool around a stage.
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If you don t know what I m talking about, you can find it on YouTube.
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That bit is actually referenced in this episode.
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Now, how does this connect to Tom Waits?
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SPEAKER_04
Well, there s a blogger named Ray Padgett who first made the connection between me and Tom.
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Tom has said in an interview, quote, I like sounds that are not conventionally considered music.
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We were in the studio doing swordfish trombones, and we were already trying to find our own musical galaxy.
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While I was there, someone was fixing a mic and dragging a chair across the floor and it made the most beautiful sound.
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And I was thinking, geez, that s as musical as anything I heard all day and I m here to make music.
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So maybe I should be paying more attention to the things that are outside what we think we re here to do.
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So there you have it from Tom Waits himself.
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Dragging stools is an art form.
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Happy birthday, sir.
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Now on with the show.
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SPEAKER_04
I remember you did an impression of me years ago, and it was physical.
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SPEAKER_04
I remember you put your foot up on a stool.
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SPEAKER_04
Yeah.
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SPEAKER_03
Yeah.
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SPEAKER_03
I would push the stool around.
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SPEAKER_03
Yeah.
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And then you did the impression of my impression.
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You ramped it up where you were like... How is that an impression of me?
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This is Don t Ask Tig, I m Tig Notaro, your trusted advisor, leaving you none the wiser.
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Joining me now is a comedian and actor known for his impressions of Bernie Sanders and George W. Bush.
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His credits include Harley Quinn, American Dad, BoJack Horseman, amongst many others.
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James Adomian, my dear old pal, welcome to Don t Ask Tig.
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Oh, man, this is awesome.
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SPEAKER_03
This is awesome.
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SPEAKER_03
It s been too long.
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SPEAKER_04
Well, I did see you fairly recently.
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SPEAKER_03
Yeah.
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And I can t remember where that was.
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It was probably at the Greek theater taping.
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SPEAKER_04
Ah, that s where it was.
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And that s what triggered my brain.
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And I was like, ah, I should have James on my podcast.
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SPEAKER_04
And before I saw you at that taping, it had been quite a few years since I had seen you.
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SPEAKER_03
Yeah, I ran into you in the Larchmont area outside of a very healthy restaurant.
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SPEAKER_04
Yes.
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SPEAKER_03
Cafe Gratitude.
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SPEAKER_04
Yes.
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SPEAKER_04
Cafe Gratitude.
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I frequent plant based restaurants.
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SPEAKER_04
Are you vegan?
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SPEAKER_04
You re not vegan.
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SPEAKER_03
I m not vegan, but I play one on TV.
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SPEAKER_03
I mean, I m not afraid of eating a vegan meal at a restaurant sometimes.
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SPEAKER_03
And I love Cafe Gratitude, how they have the positivity propaganda in all the names of everything.
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SPEAKER_04
Yes.
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SPEAKER_04
Is that what you re there for?
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Mostly because I m down and I need to be picked up by the names of the dishes.
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So you re like, instead of ordering a burrito, you re like, I am resplendent.
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SPEAKER_04
Yes, you have to say that.
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And I ll have a side of, I am worthy.
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SPEAKER_04
What is this, a commercial for Cafe Gratitude?
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SPEAKER_04
Ultimately, right?
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SPEAKER_03
I would love it if there was some really angry guy there who was like, I ve been waiting on my I am grateful for over 30 minutes.
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SPEAKER_04
There probably has been.
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SPEAKER_04
I remember when they first opened some guy from the back that didn t understand the silliness around delivering food, because they bring the food to your table and they say, you are magical and then hand you your order that is named that.
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And this guy came out and he and it was a table next to us.
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And he just said, you are a burrito.
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And then he ran off and went back into the kitchen.
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SPEAKER_04
It was pretty incredible.
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SPEAKER_03
That s a high compliment.
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SPEAKER_04
To be called a burrito?
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SPEAKER_03
Yes.
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SPEAKER_04
Well, my friend the burrito, IndieWire called you the podcast world s man of 1000 voices.
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SPEAKER_04
You ve impersonated a huge range of people from Gary Busey to Marc Maron, which by the way, I would love to hear your Marc Maron.
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SPEAKER_03
Yeah, man, I m done.
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SPEAKER_03
I got nothing.
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SPEAKER_03
What do you want?
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SPEAKER_03
What do you want?
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SPEAKER_03
I don t ask.
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SPEAKER_03
Don t ask Mark.
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Have you been on Mark s show?
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SPEAKER_03
Yeah, a long time, like 10 years ago, I was on.
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I was pretty young.
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SPEAKER_04
Has he heard the impersonation?
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SPEAKER_03
Oh, yeah, one time back in the old days at UCB, we were at a show.
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SPEAKER_03
And, you know, I had been like making fun of him before he got there in the green room.
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SPEAKER_03
And then I m like, I left the room and come back and Mark s there.
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SPEAKER_03
He just says, I heard you do an impression of me do it on stage tonight.
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SPEAKER_03
I want to see it.
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SPEAKER_04
Did he like it?
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SPEAKER_03
Yes, Mark Maron is the first and only time that someone I did an impression of has given me like notes.
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Usually it s either like, hey, wow, you got me.
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Or like, how dare you?
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SPEAKER_03
There was nothing like me.
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SPEAKER_03
But Mark Maron was like, yeah, that was funny.
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SPEAKER_03
That was funny.
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SPEAKER_03
You said something.
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SPEAKER_03
What was that thing you said?
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SPEAKER_03
You said something about a stool.
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And I was like, yeah, I said, I m a brain suffering on a stool.
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SPEAKER_03
And he goes, see, that s not exactly it.
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I m not just sitting there suffering.
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I m also giving back.
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He was like coaching me on how to do an American impression the right way.
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SPEAKER_04
That s great.
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SPEAKER_04
Who is your favorite?
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SPEAKER_04
Who do you enjoy most to mimic?
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SPEAKER_03
It shifts over time with whatever s happening, you know, in the world of the news.
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But right now I m doing Mike Lindell a lot, the MyPillow guy.
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I play him on Jimmy Kimmel.
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How is it that that s world events?
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What s going on in the world?
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It s me, Mike Lindell, from MyPillow, your trusted source of information about election and our democracy.
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Democracy is like a fine pillow.
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It s full of stuff you never see and you don t want it to pop open.
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SPEAKER_04
Have you met him?
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SPEAKER_04
I would love to hear his notes.
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SPEAKER_03
I did meet him.
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SPEAKER_04
How do you meet him?
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SPEAKER_03
Well, he was on Jimmy Kimmel at the same time I was.
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SPEAKER_04
Okay, there you go.
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SPEAKER_03
I was like prepared for him to be difficult, hostile or something.
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SPEAKER_03
But he was like a little boy that had gone to Disneyland for the first time.
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He was like, Whoa, gosh, wow, you sure got me.
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SPEAKER_01
Whoa, wow.
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SPEAKER_04
I remember you did an impression of me years ago.
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SPEAKER_04
You d put your foot up on the edge of a chair and lean over like, eh, eh, eh.
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SPEAKER_03
Is that where we are?
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SPEAKER_03
You guys think that s enough of a reaction?
0
SPEAKER_03
It s also same as the Todd Berry impression, but meaner.
0
SPEAKER_04
That s right.
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SPEAKER_03
That s how you do Tig Notaro.
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SPEAKER_04
I m meaner than Todd.
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SPEAKER_03
I mean, that s the persona.
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SPEAKER_04
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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SPEAKER_04
Well, I have notes for you.
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SPEAKER_04
Just saying.
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SPEAKER_03
Thank you.
0
SPEAKER_03
Ironically, it involves a stool as well.
0
SPEAKER_04
Yeah, when I see you again in the next, I don t know.
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SPEAKER_03
We re on a two year schedule.
0
SPEAKER_04
Yeah, if not more.
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SPEAKER_04
Now, you found a lot of success, James, in your impressions of politicians, and obviously you re a comedian, so are you a political comedian?
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SPEAKER_03
I would hate to be called that because that s kind of like a way of advertising that you re not funny.
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SPEAKER_03
I m a political comedian.
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SPEAKER_03
Come see how I roast both sides of my nightly show here in the back of a restaurant.
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SPEAKER_03
I mean, I just kind of can t avoid it because they re like very famous people that everyone knows who they are.
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SPEAKER_03
So it s kind of what you want if you re doing an impression of somebody.
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SPEAKER_04
Right.
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SPEAKER_04
And do you just naturally follow politics?
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SPEAKER_04
Are you doing it for the material?
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SPEAKER_03
I used to more than I do now.
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SPEAKER_03
Nowadays, I would say I, you know, it s just politics won t leave me alone.
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SPEAKER_03
Try not to pay attention.
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SPEAKER_03
And then it s just like,
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You have to.
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SPEAKER_04
What is the impression you have worked so hard on and you can t quite nail it and it drives you insane and you wish you could?
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SPEAKER_03
That s a good question.
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SPEAKER_03
Thank you.
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SPEAKER_03
That s a tough one because I ve burned those notes.
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SPEAKER_03
I don t know, I guess I feel like sometimes if somebody has done something a lot before I got to the table, you know, maybe a TV show or a cartoon will try to get me to do something.
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SPEAKER_03
And sometimes I will if it s like, if I m hired on a cartoon or something and they re like, do an Al Pacino impression.
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SPEAKER_03
But I really don t, it s not where I need to be, you know?
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SPEAKER_03
Gucci, Gucci, yeah.
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SPEAKER_03
You re like, do you need to see that?
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SPEAKER_03
Gucci s me, Gucci Gaga.
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SPEAKER_03
Nobody needs it.
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SPEAKER_04
Nobody needs it.
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SPEAKER_04
I need it.
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SPEAKER_04
I need it for numbers.
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SPEAKER_04
Now, you made a video called Bernie versus Bernie that featured you doing your impression alongside the real Bernie Sanders.
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SPEAKER_03
Yeah.
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SPEAKER_04
What was that like?
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SPEAKER_03
It was interesting.
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SPEAKER_03
He kind of he kind of didn t want to be there.
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SPEAKER_04
Uh huh.
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SPEAKER_03
But his team close around him really wanted him to do it.
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SPEAKER_03
And we re recording and I m just deliberately starting off by going like,
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You want to do this?
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SPEAKER_02
Are we ready?
0
5, 4, 3, 2.
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SPEAKER_02
OK.
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SPEAKER_02
You don t look good.
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SPEAKER_02
You don t look so good yourself.
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SPEAKER_03
And he s kind of like, how can we get through this as fast as possible?
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SPEAKER_03
His wife was dying.
0
SPEAKER_03
His wife loved it.
0
SPEAKER_03
So I was like, all right.
0
SPEAKER_03
If his wife likes it, then that s all that really matters.
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SPEAKER_04
Right.
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SPEAKER_04
And I know that when people do characters, they ll say sometimes like, oh, there s a little Fred Flintstone in there.
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SPEAKER_04
There s a little Bernie Sanders in there that, you know, and they cobble things together.
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SPEAKER_04
Who is in Bernie Sanders?
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SPEAKER_02
What do you think about that?
0
SPEAKER_02
The top 1% of the top 10%.
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SPEAKER_02
It s like the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland got very boring.
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SPEAKER_02
of everybody on birthday to you.
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SPEAKER_02
Look, we re not going to celebrate anybody s birthday.
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SPEAKER_02
We are here for the American people to have equal access to all 365 days to come.
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SPEAKER_04
Were you self-conscious at all to wear such a crazy wig?
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SPEAKER_03
It s actually right.
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SPEAKER_03
I think for that, I had a wig that I had placed on and maybe even pinned in.
0
SPEAKER_03
Sometimes when I was filming things like during the tour I did or the election, I would actually, for filming a lot of stuff, I think in 2016, I would shave my head completely and then just put two white clouds on the side.
0
SPEAKER_02
Cumulus clouds on the side of my head I am simultaneously completely bald and I have more hair than anyone else who s ever been in the United States Senate
0
SPEAKER_04
Your hand movements are painfully hilarious.
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SPEAKER_04
Nobody can see that, but they know what s happening.
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SPEAKER_03
Yeah, there s like invisible slide rules that he s doing number calculations in his mind, doing his percentages.
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SPEAKER_04
Yes, that s exactly what it is.
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SPEAKER_04
I was thinking it was finger painting, but you re right.
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SPEAKER_04
He s sliding.
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SPEAKER_02
An abacus.
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SPEAKER_02
The top 10% of the top 1% controls more than the top 1% of 1%.
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SPEAKER_02
Come on.
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SPEAKER_02
Oh, my God.
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SPEAKER_04
All right.
0
SPEAKER_04
James, this is an advice show.
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SPEAKER_04
Let s slide on into that.
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SPEAKER_03
Sure.
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SPEAKER_04
Are you excited to give listeners some advice?
0
SPEAKER_03
No.
0
SPEAKER_04
Okay.
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SPEAKER_03
But I feel duty-bound.
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SPEAKER_04
You are on the right show.
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SPEAKER_04
This first question is from a listener with a novel dilemma.
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SPEAKER_04
Fred writes, My friend and I are both aspiring writers, both writing our own books and encouraging each other along the way.
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SPEAKER_04
The trouble is, my friend finished his book, gave it to me to read, and I hated it.
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SPEAKER_04
He keeps asking what I thought and I lied and said I was so swamped and haven t had time to finish it.
0
SPEAKER_04
He wants an endorsement from me and I just can t bring myself to endorse a book I think is terrible.
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SPEAKER_04
I want to stay friends with him.
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SPEAKER_04
What should I do?
0
SPEAKER_03
Well, I have an answer to this that s too easy because it s happened to me, but most of the people who ve asked me to write a blurb for a book know that it s like a comedic thing.
0
SPEAKER_03
So then you could just send in a blurb that s like, I didn t read this book and it s bad, but I see, I see the author at parties.
0
SPEAKER_03
And so, and so to get them off my back, I m telling you that you should buy it.
0
SPEAKER_04
Yeah.
0
SPEAKER_03
And that might not work if this is a serious academic or work of fiction, you know?
0
SPEAKER_04
Yeah, I get the vibe from Fred that he s not clowning around.
0
SPEAKER_04
It feels very earnest.
0
SPEAKER_04
And when I read this, I just thought, oh, God, that is tricky.
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SPEAKER_03
I know one is, it s a writing challenge.
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SPEAKER_03
You re being challenged as a writer by the gods of the pen.
0
SPEAKER_03
And this is a blurb for a book that you don t like, is a chance to hone your skills at damning praise, where you praise it in very
0
SPEAKER_03
vague milquetoast terms so that the person whose book it is might be like, oh, thank you.
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SPEAKER_03
That means so much.
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SPEAKER_03
But then other people might be like, yikes.
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SPEAKER_04
It kind of reminds me of I ve gone to see a friend s band, and I thought maybe they were terrible.
0
SPEAKER_04
And the best I could come up with was, man, you guys were rocking up there.
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SPEAKER_04
And that s true.
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SPEAKER_03
You know what I ve gotten as a performer?
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SPEAKER_03
The kind of compliment that s the worst, it s like the most damning you suck compliment I ever got after a show was this British guy in Montreal who was like, most of that was pretty good.
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SPEAKER_03
And I was like, oh, that s the worst criticism anyone s ever given me.
0
SPEAKER_04
Most of that was pretty good?
0
SPEAKER_03
Yeah, you could do a blurb like that.
0
SPEAKER_03
Try that.
0
SPEAKER_04
Most of it was pretty good.
0
SPEAKER_03
Yeah, or be brutally honest and be like, the introduction to this book is one of the most important 10 pages that I have come across my desk in the last two years.
0
SPEAKER_04
Here s a happy medium, I think.
0
SPEAKER_04
This is tricky.
0
SPEAKER_04
First of all, anyone listening, don t ever do this with your friend.
0
SPEAKER_04
Learn from Fred.
0
SPEAKER_04
Don t do this.
0
SPEAKER_04
Okay, unless it s like an established writer or a comedian or somebody that you know that they re material or a musician where you re like, I m going on something here.
0
SPEAKER_04
They re going to be good.
0
SPEAKER_04
This
0
SPEAKER_04
I feel like you might have to say that maybe it s not really your style of genre, the whole not my cup of tea thing.
0
SPEAKER_03
Oh, that s a good one.
0
SPEAKER_04
And that you maybe don t know that you re the right person to give a passionate gotta read this, but maybe just respond with any sort of notes you might have that are specific to it.
0
SPEAKER_04
Because even if you hate it, is it maybe good?
0
SPEAKER_04
You know?
0
SPEAKER_03
You could make it an unusable blurb also and just act like you didn t understand the assignment and be like, well, I think you made a tremendous effort here and this could be a very important work.
0
SPEAKER_03
I think this, this, this, this, this and this should be addressed.
0
SPEAKER_03
Thank you.
0
SPEAKER_03
Good luck in the future.
0
SPEAKER_04
Lose my number.
0
SPEAKER_04
I feel like if Fred and his friend are this close where they re working and encouraging each other along the way, I think the friend s just going to come back and say, great, but can you endorse the book?
0
SPEAKER_04
It makes me wonder, are these known writers?
0
SPEAKER_04
Because if you get a friend that endorses you... This is Noam Chomsky.
0
SPEAKER_03
The friend is Noam Chomsky and he just doesn t like the Fred doesn t like the book.
0
SPEAKER_04
But I m just saying like if Fred isn t well known and he endorses it, who s going to care?
0
SPEAKER_03
Right.
0
SPEAKER_03
Yeah, you could play that up.
0
SPEAKER_04
Or, you know, Fred might be somebody that s coaching a bunch of other people along other friends and writers.
0
SPEAKER_04
Maybe he s in other writers groups.
0
SPEAKER_04
And you can t be giving nonstop blurbs.
0
SPEAKER_04
I don t know.
0
SPEAKER_04
I don t know.
0
SPEAKER_04
You can t be endorsing every book that comes across your
0
SPEAKER_03
Yeah, you could make up some conflict of interest.
0
SPEAKER_03
Like actually, according to my book group, I m not allowed to do any blurbs without the full approval of the panel.
0
SPEAKER_03
And they re not meeting again until the plenary session in December.
0
SPEAKER_04
What a strict book club.
0
SPEAKER_04
Right.
0
SPEAKER_04
They sound like a lot of fun.
0
SPEAKER_04
Fred, I m getting the feeling James wants you to just flat out lie to your friend.
0
SPEAKER_04
Right, James?
0
SPEAKER_03
Yeah, or you could make up a pin name and be like, I m happy to endorse this book.
0
SPEAKER_03
But I m just you know, I m transitioning all my work to this pin name.
0
SPEAKER_04
Yeah.
0
SPEAKER_04
Oh, that s a good one.
0
SPEAKER_03
But only use it for that.
0
SPEAKER_04
Yes.
0
SPEAKER_04
And then bail on that and say, it didn t work for me.
0
SPEAKER_04
And then right, go
1
SPEAKER_02
back to Fred.
1
SPEAKER_04
The pen name should be like Ron de Plume, and his only known work is the blurb for this book.
1
SPEAKER_02
Fred, I m sorry, but this is what James and I think you should do with your friend s terrible book.
1
SPEAKER_02
All right, James, it s time for a short break.
1
SPEAKER_02
Then we ll be back with more questions.
1
SPEAKER_00
a six billion dollar con.
1
SPEAKER_04
It didn t take long for it to spread like wildfire.
1
SPEAKER_04
You got to take a look at this really crazy gold stock.
1
SPEAKER_04
A buddy of mine got in at a dime.
1
SPEAKER_00
Which destroyed lives and devastated communities.
1
SPEAKER_00
Every little town across the nation, people have shares in this.
1
SPEAKER_00
We lost everything.
1
SPEAKER_00
And to date, no one has been brought to justice.
1
SPEAKER_01
Somebody knows more than we know.
1
SPEAKER_00
The $6 billion gold scam from the BBC World Service and CBC.
1
SPEAKER_00
Search for the $6 billion gold scam wherever you get your podcasts.
1
SPEAKER_02
And we re back.
1
SPEAKER_02
James, this next one was sent in by Paula.
1
SPEAKER_02
Paula writes, hi Tig, I recently saw a meme that said, by age 30, you should know three people you are terrified to run into at the grocery store.
1
SPEAKER_02
And yikes, that is so true.
1
SPEAKER_02
My question to you is, how do you handle those awkward run-ins with people you d rather not see?
1
SPEAKER_02
I was just talking to my therapist about this because there are people socially or people that I ve worked with over the years where I m just like, I find this person dreadful or they were just horrendous.
1
SPEAKER_02
I don t want to keep any bad blood going, but I need to know how to, you know, tip my hat, say hello and keep going when I just don t feel that way.
1
SPEAKER_02
What do you do, James?
1
SPEAKER_04
Uh, here s the thing.
1
SPEAKER_04
If you hate somebody, you don t have to have a fight every moment.
1
SPEAKER_02
Oh, good to know.
1
SPEAKER_04
And you can be like, yep, small world and just zip along.
1
SPEAKER_04
It s almost like you can like wink and like shake hands and be like, yep, it s awkward for both of us that we ran into each other like this.
1
SPEAKER_02
Yep.
1
SPEAKER_02
This is unfortunate.
1
SPEAKER_02
Bye bye.
1
SPEAKER_04
I actually like a week ago turned a corner and ran like physically ran into someone that I just hate.
1
SPEAKER_04
Oh, literally, like I was turning around a corner.
1
SPEAKER_04
So was he and we were like, Oh, and then I was just I laughed and I was just like, Well, it kept going.
1
SPEAKER_02
Oh, my gosh.
1
SPEAKER_02
It s true.
1
SPEAKER_02
I mean, I ve certainly at parties and events.
1
SPEAKER_02
run into people where I m just like, oh, God, this person is the absolute worst.
1
SPEAKER_02
And I know they feel the same about me.
1
SPEAKER_02
And it s just you do have to just kind of.
1
SPEAKER_02
It was Todd Glass.
1
SPEAKER_04
I turned the corner, ran into Todd Glass.
1
SPEAKER_04
He was like, oh, my God, you know what?
1
SPEAKER_04
Honestly, honestly, seriously, to George Garland.
1
SPEAKER_02
Oh, my gosh.
1
SPEAKER_04
I was like, no, thanks.
1
SPEAKER_04
Not today, Satan.
1
SPEAKER_02
That is a really good Todd Glass.
1
SPEAKER_02
One of the funniest people.
1
SPEAKER_02
He s so funny.
1
SPEAKER_04
I was talking to Tig.
1
SPEAKER_04
I was talking to Tig.
1
SPEAKER_04
And I have this problem, too.
1
SPEAKER_04
And I know you do.
1
SPEAKER_02
Oh, my gosh.
1
SPEAKER_02
Paul, basically just, you know, fake smile and push through.
1
SPEAKER_02
What else can you do?
1
SPEAKER_02
You know, that s all you can do.
1
SPEAKER_02
You don t want to stop and fake conversation.
1
SPEAKER_02
Just do an awkward hello and keep it moving.
1
SPEAKER_02
So
1
SPEAKER_04
You know what I always loved was the Looney Tunes cartoon, where it s not Wile E. Coyote, it s this character that looks like Wile E. Coyote that s a wolf, and then there s the sheepdog, and it s Frank and Sam, and their job is that they fight each other all day.
1
SPEAKER_04
The sheepdog is punching the wolf and stuff, and the wolf is trying to get around him, but they show up like workers at a factory with their lunchboxes, and they clock in, and they go, morning, Sam.
1
SPEAKER_04
Morning, Frank.
1
SPEAKER_04
And then they clock in and as soon as they clock in, then they re fighting.
1
SPEAKER_02
Really?
1
SPEAKER_04
And then when they re done fighting, they clock out and they re like, well, see you tomorrow, Sam.
1
SPEAKER_04
Yeah.
1
SPEAKER_04
See you tomorrow, Frank.
1
SPEAKER_04
I always love that because it s like you can compartmentalize conflicts that way.
1
SPEAKER_02
Yeah.
1
SPEAKER_02
I think that that s the best anybody can do is just compartmentalize it, clock in, clock out.
1
SPEAKER_02
Well, socially, Paula, just do your rigid hello and keep it moving.
1
SPEAKER_02
Let us know if that works.
1
SPEAKER_02
James, do you consider yourself a fashionable person?
1
SPEAKER_04
Yeah, can t you tell?
1
SPEAKER_02
Absolutely.
1
SPEAKER_02
That s why I asked.
1
SPEAKER_04
I look like a disgraced writer.
1
SPEAKER_02
That s right.
1
SPEAKER_02
That s why I asked.
1
SPEAKER_02
And you are a disgraced writer.
1
SPEAKER_04
And I ve even got this.
1
SPEAKER_04
I mean, this is all this is the hit on the runways of Milan.
1
SPEAKER_02
James is showing how his shirt is separating between the buttons.
1
SPEAKER_04
Between the two top buttons.
1
SPEAKER_02
Yeah, it s a good look.
1
SPEAKER_02
Our next listener needs some fashion advice.
1
SPEAKER_04
Sure.
1
SPEAKER_02
This is why I asked if this was up your alley.
1
SPEAKER_02
Catherine writes, I m a brand new 25 year old psychotherapist.
1
SPEAKER_02
I ve been practicing for less than a year and every day as I get ready to go to the office, I struggle to choose an outfit.
1
SPEAKER_02
What does a kind, trustworthy therapist wear?
1
SPEAKER_02
Help.
1
SPEAKER_02
James, do you go to therapy?
1
SPEAKER_04
I have.
1
SPEAKER_04
I should.
1
SPEAKER_04
It s been a while.
1
SPEAKER_04
Can t find one.
1
SPEAKER_04
I m in the market.
1
SPEAKER_02
Okay.
1
SPEAKER_02
Well, Catherine maybe can help you out.
1
SPEAKER_04
And this is maybe my chance to like fashion a fantasy therapist for myself also.
1
SPEAKER_02
My therapist wears that welcoming, comfortable, relaxed, come in and meditate type vibe person.
1
SPEAKER_02
Not that she says come in and meditate, but I imagine she probably meditates.
1
SPEAKER_04
Does she have tea sometimes when she s doing sessions with you?
1
SPEAKER_02
She doesn t, but I imagine she does drink tea.
1
SPEAKER_02
But I did think you asked, does she have teeth?
1
SPEAKER_02
And just for the record, she does have teeth.
1
SPEAKER_04
Does she sit like cross-leggedly sympathetic across from you?
1
SPEAKER_02
I think she does, but since the pandemic, it s all been on Zoom, so I don t really know what s going on, you know, neck down.
1
SPEAKER_04
The way I could crack this case is, I would probably say, the way for me to get into it would be to imagine the worst thing a therapist could wear and then, like, reverse engineer back from that.
1
SPEAKER_02
Mm-hmm.
1
SPEAKER_02
What s the worst?
1
SPEAKER_02
Like a football uniform?
1
SPEAKER_02
That would be a terrible experience if somebody had on a helmet, cleats, and even dirt on their cleats, you know, grass stains on their knees.
1
SPEAKER_04
And they re like, so last time we were talking about commitment.
1
SPEAKER_02
And it s a woman.
1
SPEAKER_02
It s like a 65 year old woman in a full football uniform.
1
SPEAKER_02
That s terrible.
1
SPEAKER_04
So she walked on as a kicker and she s also still actively a therapist.
1
SPEAKER_02
So she just has one bar around.
1
SPEAKER_04
One bar on the helmet.
1
SPEAKER_02
Yeah.
1
SPEAKER_02
So Catherine, don t do that.
1
SPEAKER_04
I would think like a Winnie the Pooh sweatshirt.
1
SPEAKER_04
Anything with like a comforting logo.
1
SPEAKER_02
See, to some people that wouldn t be comforting.
1
SPEAKER_04
But if it s not, if it s like Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore and Christopher Robin and Tigger and the whole Winnie the Pooh gang.
1
SPEAKER_02
On a sweater.
1
SPEAKER_04
On a sweater.
1
SPEAKER_02
That would make you feel comfortable, James.
1
SPEAKER_04
No, I don t like that.
1
SPEAKER_04
I don t want that.
1
SPEAKER_04
Leaning too much into, like, coziness.
1
SPEAKER_02
Mm-hmm.
1
SPEAKER_02
Yeah, so no football gear, no Disney clothes.
1
SPEAKER_04
We re establishing some very distant boundaries.
1
SPEAKER_02
Yeah.
1
SPEAKER_02
I would say not great looks in general.
1
SPEAKER_04
What about like a very formal like business suit?
1
SPEAKER_02
I wouldn t mind that.
1
SPEAKER_04
But with like a Sandra Day O Connor kind of like Supreme Court Justice white tie, maybe even judge robes.
1
SPEAKER_02
Just judging you?
1
SPEAKER_04
With a gavel.
1
SPEAKER_02
I have a gavel right now.
1
SPEAKER_02
Why?
1
SPEAKER_02
In my hand.
1
SPEAKER_02
Why do you have that?
1
SPEAKER_02
I have a gavel on my desk and I hold it whenever I m doing podcasts.
1
SPEAKER_04
I just want to imagine that throughout the day you re doing your work, you have NPR on in the background, and if you hear a story that you agree with, you go, yep.
1
SPEAKER_02
Yep.
1
SPEAKER_02
That s the one.
1
SPEAKER_02
Catherine, this is a lot of nonsense and I just want to apologize.
1
SPEAKER_02
We ve really gotten off topic here.
1
SPEAKER_02
I would say probably you should be comfortable.
1
SPEAKER_02
Whatever it is that you re going to wear, I would say wear clean clothes.
1
SPEAKER_02
But if you look uncomfortable or something s out of place with your look, it s probably going to be a little distracting and uncomfortable for whoever s seeking your help.
1
SPEAKER_02
That would be what I would suggest is to maybe have some professionalism, but comfort.
1
SPEAKER_04
What about someone with like a band merch shirt that has a list of cities and dates on the back of their most recent tour?
1
SPEAKER_04
Metallica 2018.
1
SPEAKER_02
Now that s not professionalism, James.
1
SPEAKER_04
All I want to see is these therapists in action.
1
SPEAKER_02
Would you prefer a therapist that had Disney or Metallica?
1
SPEAKER_03
Metallica.
1
SPEAKER_03
Same.
1
SPEAKER_03
Yeah.
1
SPEAKER_02
All right, Catherine, one good thing about doing podcasts is you don t have to worry about clothing choices.
1
SPEAKER_02
So this is your problem and I wish you all the best.
1
SPEAKER_02
Good luck with your therapy practice.
1
SPEAKER_02
James, this last listener question comes from Abby.
1
SPEAKER_02
Abby writes, hi Tig, my partner and I are excited to have kids together one day, but made the mistake of sharing our idea for a baby name with the family.
1
SPEAKER_02
Specifically, her sister s reaction was to ban us from using the name.
1
SPEAKER_02
Her reason?
1
SPEAKER_02
It was the name of the main character in a short story she wrote in the seventh grade.
1
SPEAKER_02
Now she s saying she wants our baby name for her first child.
1
SPEAKER_02
I think this is completely ridiculous, but she s totally serious and might have a baby before we do.
1
SPEAKER_02
Tig, what should I do?
1
SPEAKER_04
Oh, she wants to save this name for her kid and she doesn t want to have two cousins or whatever that have the same name born around the same time.
1
SPEAKER_04
Well, there s no reason you have to stay family.
1
SPEAKER_02
That s right.
1
SPEAKER_04
Is that a harsh thing to go straight to that?
1
SPEAKER_02
I think you should name your child what you wanna name your child.
1
SPEAKER_02
And there s always middle names and there s always nicknames.
1
SPEAKER_02
So when your partner s sister s kid comes over, you can kinda have a nickname for the kid and just call that kid by the nickname you ve come up with.
1
SPEAKER_02
James, what do you think?
1
SPEAKER_04
Yeah, pointedly refuse to honor the name that they give their child and be like, hello, thank you for joining us, child one.
1
SPEAKER_02
Hey there, little stinky one.
1
SPEAKER_02
Hello, little stinky.
1
SPEAKER_02
What s your feeling, James?
1
SPEAKER_04
I ve seen families go through this where there was like outrage and politics about some baby s name.
1
SPEAKER_01
Oh, gosh.
1
SPEAKER_04
First of all, this comes to mind.
1
SPEAKER_04
If
1
SPEAKER_04
someone s already fighting over a name, you could consider maybe that means that name is gonna be too much on the popular end already, where they might end up going to school with five other people with the same name.
1
SPEAKER_04
If people are already sort of intersecting at the same idea.
1
SPEAKER_02
That s true.
1
SPEAKER_04
A lot of those things go generationally.
1
SPEAKER_04
You know, there s a popular name for like five years and then it goes away.
1
SPEAKER_04
And then there s another name that s all the rage.
1
SPEAKER_04
I m assuming the child s name is like Worcestershire.
1
SPEAKER_02
Right.
1
SPEAKER_04
You can only assume or double down and be like, nobody s the boss of me.
1
SPEAKER_02
Ooh, that s good.
1
SPEAKER_04
What s the sample name?
1
SPEAKER_04
What s the name that they re fighting over?
1
SPEAKER_04
We imagine Otis.
1
SPEAKER_04
Okay.
1
SPEAKER_04
So then my child s name is Otis, Otis, Otis von Otis.
1
SPEAKER_04
And you even make it their last name.
1
SPEAKER_02
That s really good.
1
SPEAKER_02
I m on James s side on this.
1
SPEAKER_02
Abby, this is just what we re throwing at you.
1
SPEAKER_02
I hope it s helpful.
1
SPEAKER_02
My feeling is you should name the kid what you want to name the kid, and maybe you come up with a nickname or a middle name.
1
SPEAKER_02
You can figure this out.
1
SPEAKER_02
But as James said in the beginning, I mean, cut him off, right?
1
SPEAKER_01
Yeah.
1
SPEAKER_01
Cut these people out of your life.
1
SPEAKER_04
If you put the hand over your mouth like that on a podcast, only half the audience hears it, right?
1
SPEAKER_01
I know, if that, if that, but cut them out of your life.
1
SPEAKER_02
James, before I let you go, we have one final segment.
1
SPEAKER_02
It s called Don t Ask Your Heroes.
1
SPEAKER_03
Oh, God.
1
SPEAKER_02
Everyone always says, don t meet your heroes, but what about asking your heroes for advice?
1
SPEAKER_02
Don t ask your heroes is the part of the show where we imagine what your hero might have to say about a particular question that s on your mind.
1
SPEAKER_02
Now, I m certain you might have maybe more than one, if you even have a hero, I don t know, maybe you re like, without a hero, and maybe you have several.
1
SPEAKER_04
My actual literal hero is Batman.
1
SPEAKER_02
Okay, that s perfect.
1
SPEAKER_02
If you could ask Batman one advice-related question, what would you ask?
1
SPEAKER_04
Wow, and this is like a real-life Batman, not any particular portrayal by an actor.
1
SPEAKER_04
This is like Batman who lives in New York,
1
SPEAKER_02
This is the actual Batman.
1
SPEAKER_02
Yes.
1
SPEAKER_04
He has problems with most of the movies and comic books.
1
SPEAKER_02
Yeah.
1
SPEAKER_04
I would ask Batman about how should I navigate my personal life as myself and then a public life as characters that I play the masks that I wear, so to speak.
1
SPEAKER_01
Mm hmm.
1
SPEAKER_04
What is the healthiest way to navigate?
1
SPEAKER_04
curating a persona that is a fun persona to play versus, you know, you gotta be a person and live your life, you know?
1
SPEAKER_04
Best practices.
1
SPEAKER_04
Best practices, policies of a beloved persona that you inhabit sometimes.
1
SPEAKER_02
I like it.
1
SPEAKER_02
And James, what do you think Batman would say?
1
SPEAKER_04
Well, first thing he would be like, how did you get this number?
1
SPEAKER_04
He might not be the right person to ask about it.
1
SPEAKER_01
Why?
1
SPEAKER_04
Because it would probably be that kind of like heroic prose from like a monologue where he d be like, you dedicate your nights to the mask and your waking days are for your rest.
1
SPEAKER_04
Yeah, it would probably be some kind of like questionable, maybe even arguably like far right ethos about hiding who you really are to get to find out who you truly are.
1
SPEAKER_02
Now, wait, far right.
1
SPEAKER_02
Do you think Batman is?
1
SPEAKER_04
Batman does seem like he s a rich guy.
1
SPEAKER_04
He s certainly not.
1
SPEAKER_04
Bruce Wayne doesn t show up at a lot of protests.
1
SPEAKER_04
I ll put it that.
1
SPEAKER_02
No.
1
SPEAKER_04
Bruce Wayne doesn t like write the National Lawyers Guild number on his arm when he shows up to a protest just in case he gets arrested.
1
SPEAKER_02
What makes him your hero?
1
SPEAKER_04
I don t know.
1
SPEAKER_04
I was being flippant and now I m locked into it.
1
SPEAKER_02
Oh, I believed you.
1
SPEAKER_04
Is this bad?
1
SPEAKER_02
It s bad, man.
1
SPEAKER_02
Thank you.
1
SPEAKER_03
It s not bad.
1
SPEAKER_03
It s bad.
1
SPEAKER_03
Oh, there is no good and bad.
1
SPEAKER_03
There s only good and bad.
1
SPEAKER_04
It seems like every screenwriter who s like, they re like, it s my turn.
1
SPEAKER_04
Like every five years, a new screenwriter is like, now it s time for my Batman.
1
SPEAKER_04
And then it s like, how many like motivational you can do it books are piled up on their desk.
1
SPEAKER_04
And like,
1
SPEAKER_04
It s like books of quotations from Sun Tzu and Sir Francis Bacon.
1
SPEAKER_02
Are you an actual fan of Batman?
1
SPEAKER_04
Uh, I like his early work.
1
SPEAKER_02
Yeah.
1
SPEAKER_04
I like his early work.
1
SPEAKER_04
You know, I wish he played more of the hits.
1
SPEAKER_02
Well, James, I have sad news and this episode has come to an end.
1
SPEAKER_04
Damn.
1
SPEAKER_02
But it has been a delight to have you and to see you again.
1
SPEAKER_04
Yeah, it is.
1
SPEAKER_02
And you were so funny when we did that show together at the Greek theater.
1
SPEAKER_02
It was very fun to see you perform again.
1
SPEAKER_02
I hadn t seen you in years.
1
SPEAKER_04
Yes.
1
SPEAKER_04
And your fireman story rescue was great.
1
SPEAKER_04
Well, that was great.
1
SPEAKER_02
part of it was kind of good.
1
SPEAKER_02
What is that?
1
SPEAKER_04
Most of that was pretty good.
1
SPEAKER_02
Most of that was pretty good.
1
SPEAKER_02
Do you have anything you d like to promote?
1
SPEAKER_04
It looks like I m going to be in Palm Springs in December at the Agua Caliente Casino.
1
SPEAKER_04
That ll be a hoot.
1
SPEAKER_04
You know, something I d like to promote too.
1
SPEAKER_04
I ve been talking about this on social media a bit and my earnest advice to anybody who s interested in helping Armenia at this time should go to the Armenian National Committee of America.
1
SPEAKER_04
They have a website ANCA.org slash 907 to see a few simple things that can be done to help Armenia and or even just keep up with what s going on.
1
SPEAKER_02
Amazing.
1
SPEAKER_02
Well, thank you for that, James.
1
SPEAKER_02
And I cannot recommend enough that Don t Ask, Take Listeners.
1
SPEAKER_02
Check out James Adomian if you re not familiar.
1
SPEAKER_02
And if you are familiar, well, then scroll on through the hits over the years.
1
SPEAKER_02
Thank you again for coming on the show.
1
SPEAKER_02
It was great to see you, James.
1
SPEAKER_04
Yeah, I ll see you out in front of Cafe Gratitude very soon.
1
SPEAKER_02
Yes, you will.
1
SPEAKER_02
All righty.
1
SPEAKER_02
Bye bye.
1
SPEAKER_04
I am grateful.
2
SPEAKER_02
you
2
SPEAKER_01
Don t Ask Tig is hosted by me, Tig Notaro.
2
SPEAKER_01
It s produced by Thomas Ouellette and Shana Deloria.
2
SPEAKER_01
Our executive producer and editor is Beth Perlman.
2
SPEAKER_01
Engineering and sound mixing by Alex Simpson.
2
SPEAKER_01
Digital production by James Napoli.
2
SPEAKER_01
Talent booking by Marianne Ways.
2
SPEAKER_01
Our theme music is Friend in Tig by Edie Burkell and Kyle Crescian.
2
SPEAKER_01
And Listen to Your Heart by Edie Burkell.
2
SPEAKER_01
Special thanks to Hunter Seidman,
2
SPEAKER_01
APM Studios executives in charge are Chandra Cavati, Alex Schaffert, and Joanne Griffith.
2
SPEAKER_01
Concept developed by Tracy Mumford.
2
SPEAKER_01
Our executive consultant is Dean Capello and Gobsmack Studios.
2
SPEAKER_01
You can always ask for advice at DontAskTIG.org.
2
SPEAKER_01
Just write in with your problem or send us a voice memo.
2
SPEAKER_01
Remember to follow us on social media at Don t Ask Tig.
2
SPEAKER_01
Don t Ask Tig is a production of American Public Media.
2
SPEAKER_01
And as always, thanks, Dana, and I ll tell Becky.
2
SPEAKER_03
I m Christina Cotterucci, and this season on Slow Burn.
2
SPEAKER_03
It s called Proposition 6.
2
SPEAKER_03
The Briggs Initiative.
2
SPEAKER_00
John Briggs is going to fire every gay and lesbian schoolteacher in California.
2
SPEAKER_03
With so much at stake, young people became activists.
2
SPEAKER_03
We can t let this happen in California.
2
SPEAKER_03
And activists became leaders.
2
SPEAKER_00
My name is Harvey Milk, and I m here to include you.
2
SPEAKER_03
Slow Burn, Season 9.
2
SPEAKER_03
Gays Against Briggs.
2
SPEAKER_03
Out now, wherever you listen.