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Glamorous Trash: A Celebrity Memoir Podcast
Rachel Dratch's Memoir Girl Walks into a Bar (with Mitchell Fain)
01:18:03
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- [00:00]
Maria Randazzo
I'm not going back to college to be your friend.
- [00:03]
Mitchell Fain
I'm going so I can get Uber one for students. It saves you on Uber and Uber Eats.
- [00:07]
Maria Randazzo
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Mitchell Fain
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Maria Randazzo
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- [00:15]
Mitchell Fain
Just to be clear, I'm there for.
- [00:17]
Maria Randazzo
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- [00:22]
Chelsea Devontez
To save on Uber and Uber Eats. With deals this good, everyone wants to be a student.
- [00:26]
Maria Randazzo
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- [00:28]
Chelsea Devontez
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- [00:31]
Maria Randazzo
Every story you love, every invention that moves you, every idea you wished was yours, all began as nothing. Just a blank page with a blinking cursor asking a simple question. What do you see? Great ideas. Start on Mac. Find out more on apple.com Mac hello.
- [01:01]
Chelsea Devontez
It is me, your host, Chelsea Devontez. While I was away, we recorded a bunch of episodes with amazing guest hosts and this is the final in that series. I will be back hosting the podcast Recapping Books Just like normal starting next week. I've already started recording some books. We just did the Sister Wife memoir. It's Wild. Anyways, take today. You're getting a very extra special episode because on this podcast I don't normally cover comedian memoirs because it's just too close to my world to have a subjective read. And today you are getting one of my favorite comedy gal memoirs of all time, Rachel Dratch's memoir and the hosts could not be any more special or perfect for this episode. Plus, for subscribers only, we have an interview with Rachel herself. I am so excited to get to listen to this episode and I hope you love it.
- [01:59]
Maria Randazzo
Welcome to Glamorous Trash, a podcast that book clubs, viral articles, celebrity memoirs and trashy discourse to elevate your life. I'm your guest host Maria Randazzo, filling in for Chelsea Devontes. I'm a comedian, TV writer and actress. You also might know me from the Parker Posey, Tina Knowles and Griffin Dunn episodes I guested on Glamorous Trash. Chelsea was my head writer when I worked on the Problem with Jon Stewart, but I've known her for a long time from our Chicago comedy days. I'm also a moderator of Chelsea and Jordan Moncada's creative writing program behind the Bang. So shout out to any BTB members who are listening in Today we are Book Clubbing Girl Walks into a Bar by comedian, actor and writer Rachel Dratch published in March of 2012. You know Rachel Dratch from her seven season run on SNL where she played iconic characters like Denise, the Boston teen, and Debbie Downer. You also know her from 30 Rock, wine country, and her current podcast, Woo Woo with Rachel Dratch. I love this book so much. It's my most favorite comedy gal memoir. I read it over 10 years ago when I was at the beginning of my comedy career, so. So it was wonderful to reread it now for Glamorous Trash. This book has the wildest dating stories I've ever heard. Incredible psychic moments, amazing jokes, and Rachel's outlook on life I just love and it's so important to me. And I know Chelsea loves this book too, as she referenced it in her own memoir. I actually talked with Rachel about the book for our subscribers on Apple and Patreon, and we shared more psychic moments. Rachel gave great writing advice and general life advice and so much more. All right, let's dive in. Hey. Hey, Pluto. Hi. Boy, it must be fun to work here. Although the biggest drawback to working in a theme park is that you must live under constant fear of deadly terrorist attacks. Pluto, wait.
- [04:06]
Mitchell Fain
Where you going?
- [04:08]
Maria Randazzo
That costume on. He's probably in the early stages of heat and stroke. My guest today is Mitchell Fain. Mitchell is an actor, director, and storyteller. You've seen him on TV shows like Showtime's Work in Progress and NBC's Chicago Fire. He's also performed live in shows all over the country, including at the La Jolla Playhouse, the Actors Theater of Louisville, and Chicago's Looking Glass Theater. And the Second City, with which is where we met. Mitchell is a dear friend of mine. We did Second City shows together while living on a cruise ship for several months. That is where we forged our friendship. So if you've heard anything about Chelsea's pilot Maritime. Mitchell and I lived that life. Mitchell, welcome to the podcast. Mitchell is a friend of Rachel Dredge herself. You came up in Chicago together, right?
- [05:03]
Mitchell Fain
Yeah. When I first moved to Chicago, you know, I was told who the funny people were. Like, as a gay man who just showed up in Chicago, you said to your new gay friends, who's fabulous? And I ended up meeting a group of funny ladies and became close friends. And one of them is Rachel Dratch.
- [05:18]
Maria Randazzo
What was it like revisiting the book, being friends with Rachel for so long and like, with your 2025 self?
- [05:26]
Mitchell Fain
Yeah, well, it's so funny because some of these stories I was around for. You know, when she talks in the book about her three addicts, not to give anything away, but she talks about I know. I know all of those people. I know those people. So the thing that was really fun to read again, I can't remember how many years this came out, but you know her son, which is a big chunk of this book, and he's. He's a baby when we leave the book.
- [05:55]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah.
- [05:55]
Mitchell Fain
He's already had his bar mitzvah.
- [05:57]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah.
- [05:57]
Mitchell Fain
You know, so, like, what's wild is to see the perspective, not to jump ahead. But there's a moment in this book, and I'm sure we'll get to this. Her woo woo coincidence and psychic stuff, which I love and I'm equally into, except I don't believe in any of it, except it's all real. You know what I mean? Like, I don't buy it. I don't buy it at all, except it happens to me all the time. But in the book, she talks about manifesting in the universe, and at one point, just casually, she throws off. Who knows what might happen? I might be in a comedy on Broadway. And guess what, Rachel. Josh was nominated for a Tony Award for a comedy on Broadway, so.
- [06:33]
Maria Randazzo
That's right.
- [06:34]
Mitchell Fain
So in a way, it's not just looking back at my friend's life and seeing the amazing things that have happened. It sort of forced me to look at my own life and be like, what. What have I manifested since that time? You know, that was fun to. To think about my own life.
- [06:46]
Maria Randazzo
Yes. So we're gonna get right into it.
- [06:48]
Mitchell Fain
Yeah.
- [06:49]
Maria Randazzo
So she starts the book with a prologue, and she poses the question, how to answer the question, what happened to me? So this book came out in 2012, six years after she wrapped her time on SNL. She was on SNL from 1999 to 2006, and she's 46 when this book came out. So she's like, I want to tell you, like, what happened to me? And she goes into this really funny scene. It's like literally a funny sketch. Just kicks off the book. She wrote these. What feels like you're reading a scene between her and her agent, and she's like, I'm still a vibrant part of the showbiz community to. Don't get me wrong, I know maybe you haven't seen me here and there. I'm around, and the agent is offering her parts over and over again over the course of this time where she's watching reality TV in her apartment, which I love. I'm like, it's so clear that she loves reality tv. The agent calls and he offers her all these parts, the parts that she often gets offered are like women who are like 20 years older than she is. She makes a joke that the part she's being offered would have been written in the script like the ugliest woman in the world. So she's bummed about the parts that she's being offered and she's very self deprecating about it. She makes a ton of jokes, but she lets you know, like, hey, these parts that I'm being offered, it's not really in alignment with exactly the parts that I want to be doing in a comedic sense.
- [08:11]
Mitchell Fain
Yeah. You know, what part of it is that's so beautiful in the way that she writes this too, which I want to say right on the outset, one of the beautiful things about this book is that is so clearly Rachel's voice. It's like having a conversation with her. So anyone who reads this and doesn't have the pleasure of knowing her know that it's like you're talking to her.
- [08:28]
Maria Randazzo
Yes.
- [08:29]
Mitchell Fain
And so one of the things that she's expressing, I think, in this part of the book that's both incredibly vulnerable and brave and heartbreaking is that there's a bunch of people discussing what she looks like and she's professional and she's a very self aware person and she's not letting it fully get her down, but it hurts her feelings.
- [08:47]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah. Yes, yes.
- [08:48]
Mitchell Fain
You know, so we start off the book with, with this woman that we know and we recognize and she makes us laugh. And there's a beautiful picture of her on the COVID which by the way, is way more representative of what she looks like when you meet her in person than the characters that she allowed herself to play with, like baby arms coming out of her head. So right away it starts off so funny, but so vulnerable. So we feel like we know her.
- [09:11]
Maria Randazzo
That's exactly right. Very funny, very vulnerable, very honest. The whole book feels like you're having a glass of wine with her, chilling out, sitting on the couch. And I think that's why I love her and love this book so much, is because I feel like I know her and I don't. I've never met her.
- [09:30]
Mitchell Fain
I know.
- [09:31]
Maria Randazzo
Well, more to that later. But yeah, you hit the nail on the head. That is exactly how it feels. And then she goes on to immediately tackle this thing that's been like a recurring question in her career since it happened when, which was the replacement of the role that she was playing on the 30 rock pilot.
- [09:54]
Chelsea Devontez
Okay, we're going to take a quick break right now and we'll be right Back.
- [10:01]
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- [11:00]
Chelsea Devontez
Okay, welcome back. Let's continue the conversation.
- [11:05]
Maria Randazzo
I feel like this part of the book was such a great example of like your rational, grounded mind having a reaction that is good and you should stay with that reaction. It's rational, it's grounded in reality. And she was like, ready to move past this. And then the media ran with it and made it so much worse. And nowadays it would be like social media, Right? Running with it and making your imagination spin.
- [11:32]
Mitchell Fain
Right.
- [11:33]
Maria Randazzo
So for people who might not know or might not remember, she was cast in 30 Rock as Jenna Maroney, the part that Jane Krakowski ended up getting and playing throughout the entire run of the show after they did what I would imagine was like a sample pilot version for NBC that people at NBC ended up replacing Dratch with Jane Krakowski. And so Dratch writing about it, she was like, at the time, I was not even upset by this news. I actually felt more comfortable with the alternative, which was that Tina Fey was like, I'm actually going to write you a bunch of funny parts. You're going to come on, you're going to play all these different parts are going to show your incredible range. Drach was like, I love it. I'm down for it.
- [12:11]
Mitchell Fain
Which, by the way, hilarious.
- [12:12]
Maria Randazzo
Hilarious.
- [12:13]
Mitchell Fain
Like iconic for people who love that show. Iconic.
- [12:16]
Maria Randazzo
Absolutely. I see the characters in my mind, they're forever emblazoned.
- [12:20]
Mitchell Fain
Yes.
- [12:20]
Maria Randazzo
And so she was like, of course. I was like a little disappointed. But she had a reaction, which is how a professional reacts. And she was like, if you've been in this business for any amount of time, you don't take these things personally.
- [12:31]
Mitchell Fain
That's right.
- [12:31]
Maria Randazzo
Let's show biz. And then all of a sudden, the press absolutely runs with it. Makes it this huge deal. She was like, part of it. I think the reason why they made it such a big deal is because she has such a close relationship with Tina Fey and because they have such a storied history together. But again, I just think that chapter after chapter, she does such a great job of spinning the plates of being vulnerable, being brave, being honest, and being funny, being so real about all of this.
- [13:03]
Mitchell Fain
I wrote down two words around this section. I wrote gracious and perseverance. Yes, right. Because even before the small part, when we hear her childhood and her trying to make friends in high school and then in college and going to Dartmouth and she calls herself old two time drat because it's like she has a history of not getting the thing the first time. Right. And so it sort of taught her, I think, to have this sort of grace in those moments and go like, you know what? This is hurtful or disappointing or whatever it is. And the attention to it is both hurtful and disappointing. But in her is like a core of strength that knows something's coming. Something else that's hers is coming.
- [13:50]
Maria Randazzo
Yes. She is so strong. That's exactly right.
- [13:54]
Mitchell Fain
Agreed.
- [13:54]
Maria Randazzo
She's so centered and she's so strong. Actually, a friend of mine has this phrase about people who maybe don't exhibit that sort of inner strength or belief in themselves or self esteem. She says, there's a hole in that bucket. There's no hole in the bucket of drag.
- [14:08]
Mitchell Fain
No, no, that's right. That's right. And it's like, to make it just personal quickly, it's like I grew up in a very weird way, as a lot of people do, and some people in my family have holes in their buckets. But I always say that I have a steel rod in my center that never allowed me to collapse in a way that some people in my family collapsed under the weight of stuff. And for some reason, us tiny little Jews from the east coast, we don't have any holes in our bucket.
- [14:36]
Maria Randazzo
This bucket is rock solid.
- [14:38]
Mitchell Fain
Thank you.
- [14:41]
Maria Randazzo
So, yeah, I think you're totally right. And that, like, whenever you're faced with maybe a crisis or a stressful situation, at least in my experience, I feel like sometimes that rational voice, it comes forward first and very quickly. It'll be like, everything's fine. And you have to train yourself to, like, catch it right away and listen to it. Which she had that. Anyways, Jane Replaces her. Rachel goes back for the shooting of the pilot, and she's on set with Jane Krakowski and the whole cast, and she's straight up about it. She's like, yeah, it was awkward.
- [15:11]
Mitchell Fain
Yeah.
- [15:11]
Maria Randazzo
But, you know, we all did it. We got it done. And she's so gracious about it. You're so right with that word. She gives Jane her flowers, like, twice.
- [15:20]
Mitchell Fain
Yeah.
- [15:20]
Maria Randazzo
She says Jane defined the part of Janet as her own, as that wacky diva type. And in the makeup chair, they were both in the makeup room together. Jane Krakowski looked at Dratch, and she was like, this is really awkward. And, like, I applaud both of them for calling it out, addressing it, rolling with it, like the professionals that they are. So I just thought it was a really interesting look at, like, how something wild can happen to you. And that little voice that comes up that's like, hey, it's gonna be okay.
- [15:50]
Mitchell Fain
And.
- [15:50]
Maria Randazzo
And then she talked about how she really struggled with two different mentalities at this time. The pro Rachel mentality, which, like you would say, maybe is that, like, steel rod, everything's going to be okay. This is just about type. Like Rachel was saying, I'm more of a sketch performer, right. And Jane Krakowski is more of an ingenue sitcom type. And the network just. They've just made it about type. And so that was like, the healthy way to look at it and just keep on keeping on. And then she was like, then there was this really negative voice that kept coming in, and I would kind of spiral about it. And I want to read a part of the book because it's kind of a long chunk, but I think it's worth it. So this is when she's talking about this other second, more difficult mentality that she battled around this time. So in terms of new TV shows rolling out, she said, maybe the way it works for a new show is a bunch of TV execs sit around a room with some wires and EKGs attached to their wang. And when I was on screen, the needle dipped dangerously into the code red anti boner zone. I was starting to feel like the 10 years of training and performing and sweating it out pre SNL, plus the 7 years at SNL all went out the window because I didn't have a symmetrical face. This would have been okay if at some point along the way I had gotten the memo. Oh, and if you want to be a successful female comedian, you better have a symmetrical face. Maybe I was naive, but this was the first I was hearing of it. I Grew up watching perfectly lovely female performers whom I don't think you would call hotties. Gilda Radner, Lily Tomlin, Carol Burnett. Those were my comedy idols. I had always been pretty sure that comedy was about producing a laugh and not a boner. Now I had to produce laughs and boners. When did the rules change? This is not the kind of stuff you consider when you are young and dreaming about becoming an actor and thinking, I have fun doing the school plays. And then from there we go immediately into this sweet picture of her as a child. And your heart just breaks into a million tiny pieces when you read that chunk. I just read. And then you see little Rachel and like, I truly had tears welling up in my eyes.
- [18:01]
Mitchell Fain
Can I interject something about this section that I think is so important and why. Obviously I'm biased because she's my friend, but I think this book is both charming and funny. But it also a lot of important things that I think particularly for young women to read, which is the idea of the beauty paradigm. Right. And how the beauty paradigm, it changes all the time. And if the boner police don't choose you in the beauty paradigm, that somehow women and men. Because I sort of fall into that too as a gay man who, you know, who's a type, you get thrown on the heat of other. Right. And you know who decides that is a bunch of very limited straight CIS white guys sitting in a room and because they can't see past who they want to fuck.
- [18:48]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah.
- [18:48]
Mitchell Fain
They don't see anybody out of it. Yeah. You know, it's like whoever's making these decisions has their own limited worldview, but they're the ones making the decision. And then it hurts. Not just a beautiful young actress like Rachel Dratch, but like every up and coming actress who has to come up against that, it's, it's time to change. Sorry, I'm, I'm going off.
- [19:09]
Maria Randazzo
No, you, you have made beautiful, beautiful points. Thank you. Okay, so we meet little Rachel and she's so cute and sweet and of course she's growing up, doing a lot of plays and performing and being a theater kid and all that kind of great stuff. And of course she watched SNL as a child. She watched the first season of snl.
- [19:27]
Mitchell Fain
Damn.
- [19:27]
Maria Randazzo
There's a lot of woo woo moments in this book, which I la la la, love. So we have kind of our first woo woo moment here. I'm going to read right from the book again. I remember one week a musician named David Bowie performed wearing a dress I didn't have an explanation for my sleepover friends for this one either. She was trying to, like, explain to them some of the jokes. I had no idea that years later I would be in that very studio getting my headshot taken for my opening credit. And that David Bowie would be the musical guest for my very first show. When my picture was being taken for my dream job, David Bowie was right there rehearsing with his band, singing Rebel, Rebel. I just got chill saying that out loud.
- [20:05]
Mitchell Fain
It's incredible.
- [20:07]
Maria Randazzo
My whole body's covered in chills.
- [20:09]
Mitchell Fain
Imagine that sort of wish fulfillment. No wonder why this, all this woo woo. I mean, talk about manifesting. I remember that episode too, because it scared me and attracted me at the same time. Because I was a young queer kid and I was like, what does this mean? There's a whole other world that I don't even understand that's happening right through this box. And who do I even explain it to?
- [20:30]
Maria Randazzo
Is wild power of television.
- [20:33]
Mitchell Fain
It's wild. And to manifest that into reality.
- [20:36]
Maria Randazzo
I definitely believe she did manifest it. But what's funny is that she was like, I actually didn't think I was going to be an actor. I never entertained it as a profession.
- [20:45]
Mitchell Fain
Right.
- [20:46]
Maria Randazzo
It was like a hobby to me. So then we're jumping ahead to her college years. She goes to Dartmouth. Ms. Marty Pat.
- [20:54]
Mitchell Fain
I know, right? Just that little. I don't know if you've. I don't know if you've heard of it.
- [20:58]
Maria Randazzo
So she goes to Dartmouth, and the title of this chapter is called WASP World, which is so funny. She starts talking about how this is one of the first times in her life, if not the first time, where she's introduced to the wasp. And so she's surrounded by all these people. She's like, they look like they just stepped out of a J. Crew catalog and they're walking around campus and oh my God. And also she kind of looks around and she realizes she's actually like, in the midst of a very right wing community at Dartmouth. So this is wild. Wild. Rachel was at Dartmouth also. Laura Ingram was a student there, right? And Dinesh d'. Souza.
- [21:39]
Mitchell Fain
I forgot about that while I was reading it. I was like, ew.
- [21:42]
Maria Randazzo
I know. I was like, oh, my God. And she said that Laura Ingram was like, head of the right wing newspaper there called the Dartmouth Review. So she was like, these are not my people. And of course, she handles it so funny. And she's like, you know, when I was looking at college campuses, I was 17 years old and my main criteria was this place Looks pretty.
- [22:02]
Mitchell Fain
Yeah.
- [22:02]
Maria Randazzo
Pretty in. Yeah. So definitely feeling fish out of water here. But then she finds her college improv team. Love it. And she's like, oh, I found my people. She found these funny, outgoing, experimental people, and she just clicked with them and started to have a great time and really found her love for comedy and improv with her college improv team. On page 29, we get this kind of beautiful foreshadowing. She talks about the improv principle. Yes. And. And she says, yes. And would serve me well not only on stage, but offstage, too, without my realizing it. Yes. And would contribute to one major career success and one major life event far down the road from the rehearsal room in Hanover, New Hampshire, during the winter of my sophomore year. So I just love how she tips her cap. Yes. And. And, like, it is a beautiful life philosophy, I have to say. And, I mean, I'm gonna copyright. I'm a. I'm a full improv girly. And you're an improv.
- [23:03]
Mitchell Fain
Yeah, I'm an improv girly.
- [23:05]
Maria Randazzo
Exactly.
- [23:05]
Mitchell Fain
Yeah, 100%. And the idea of saying yes, listen, everything that's happened in my life, that's cool. You know, not cool to anybody else, but cool to me, including Second City, by the way, because apropos of my friendship with Dratch, because I was friends with her and the other lady pals at that time, people at Second City thought I was taking classes or that I was an improviser. So when I get hired by Second City, I had never taken a class. I had never improvised, I had never done a sketch, but they thought that I had because I was around all those ladies and that scene. So when they said, do you want to do this? I just said, yes. And where do I show up?
- [23:40]
Maria Randazzo
100%.
- [23:40]
Mitchell Fain
That's how I got that gig was that principle of just saying same thing with, I'm a member of a circus. And at one point, somebody said, you want to join a circus? Do you think you can learn acrobatics? I said, yes. Yes, I can.
- [23:51]
Maria Randazzo
Exactly. And you have to believe I'll figure it out.
- [23:54]
Mitchell Fain
I'll figure it out.
- [23:54]
Maria Randazzo
Yes. And I'll figure it out. 100%. I love that.
- [23:57]
Mitchell Fain
I want to add one thing. Not only did she at Dartmouth meet, because this plays forward through the rest of the book. Not only in college did she meet her improv team and her improv, but she met the gays.
- [24:11]
Maria Randazzo
Oh, yes, yes, yes.
- [24:12]
Mitchell Fain
Because gay men are a huge part of Dratch's life. She's beloved on an individual level. By some of the most cool, beautiful, funky, smart, delightful, loyal gays. And then also just in general, she's an icon in the gay community. And so that started for her in college, too.
- [24:29]
Maria Randazzo
I love that so much. You're right. She does highlight that because she'll say.
- [24:32]
Mitchell Fain
It through the whole book. She's like, this is so and so not one of the Dartmouth gays or one of the Dartmouth gays. So it's like it runs through the whole book.
- [24:40]
Maria Randazzo
It does. It runs through the whole book. And she describes her friendships with them, and they're so funny. One of her friends, Ryan, calls her up and it's like early on a Saturday morning or something, she's like, hello. And he's like, I had the best job last night. She's like, too early for this. But also, you know, these friends really helped her through her dating stints, which we'll get, we'll get to all that. But yes, you're. You're absolutely right. Like, these beautiful friendships that she has. And she met so many of her gay friends at Dartmouth and beyond. It's a, A, A wonderful theme of the book. I love it so much.
- [25:11]
Mitchell Fain
Me too.
- [25:12]
Maria Randazzo
Okay, so right after college, she moves to Chicago and she starts doing Second City. She's having a great time there. She gets picked to audition for SNL after she's on the Second City main stage for a long time. And many of the listeners to this podcast will know this is the path Chelsea walked when she was at Second City. She did Torco, she did the Main stage, all that. So Dratch's Chicago career lines up exactly with Chelsea's in many ways, and mine too, and yours as well. So many similar experiences, which is also another reason why my heart is in this book. And so she gets snl. And I love how she wrote about her call with Lauren. It almost made me cry. How'd you feel about that part?
- [25:55]
Chelsea Devontez
Okay, we're gonna take a quick break right now, and we'll be right back.
- [26:02]
Maria Randazzo
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- [26:32]
Mitchell Fain
It's the Smuckers Uncrustables podcast with your host, Uncrustables. Okay, today's guest is rough around the edges. Please welcome crust. Thanks for having me. Today's topic. He's round with soft, pillowy bread. Hey. Filled with delicious PB and J. Are you talking about yourself? And you can take them anywhere. Why'd you invite. And we are out of time. Are you really cutting me off?
- [26:57]
Maria Randazzo
Uncrustables are the best part of the sandwich. Sorry. Crust.
- [27:03]
Chelsea Devontez
Okay. Welcome back. Let's continue the conversation.
- [27:08]
Maria Randazzo
And so she gets snl. And I love how she wrote about her call with Lauren. It almost made me cry. How'd you feel about that part?
- [27:16]
Mitchell Fain
Oh, boy. I mean, I was around this at this time. We were friends. I knew this was going on. I knew when she was going into audition, you know, and it's, like, surreal. You're hanging out with your friend, and you know she's funny, and you know that everyone thinks she's funny. You know, that you've. You've met someone, that there's a specialness to them, but then they get the call and the conversation with the kingmaker, you know, the person who can say, everyone's now going to see how special you are. And it feels surreal, you know, I mean, I still get a little, you know, when I think about how proud I am of her.
- [27:54]
Maria Randazzo
Yes. That's another beautiful transition into what her time was like on snl.
- [27:58]
Mitchell Fain
Yeah.
- [27:59]
Maria Randazzo
Which again, with the honesty and the realness, like, God bless Rachel Dratch, because. And Chelsea says this as well about Dratch's memoir. Like, this is the memoir you go to if you do comedy, and you want to know what to expect and what it's like. I owe her a lot for that. And so she has a manual that she writes for the reader. It's called your unofficial guide to being on snl. And the title of the chapter is so funny too. Dreams do come true and may be accompanied by debilitating psychological torture. Just, you know, explaining to the reader like, this is your dream job. And she's so grateful for it. You can tell. And she has the time of her life. But it's also hella, hella stressful and intense.
- [28:41]
Mitchell Fain
It's hard.
- [28:41]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah. Yes. But she talked about how she had to wait three shows into her season until she got to be on camera. And sort of the gauntlet that you go through from when you are at the table read to. You could be fully in costume and your sketch might get cut right before the show. That's right. So it's a really, really wild process. If you want to know what a week is like at snl, read this book, it will shed a lot of light. Do you remember seeing her on SNL for the first time? What did that feel like?
- [29:10]
Mitchell Fain
Oh, yeah, it was thrilling. It was thrilling. And it was also surreal, you know, because we were still pretty young, you know, and she was really the first of my friends to, like, break through, you know? And so it was. I don't know how to explain it. It felt collective. It felt like we all won.
- [29:33]
Maria Randazzo
Yes. That's beautiful.
- [29:34]
Mitchell Fain
It felt like we all won. Like, all of us who loved her and was loved by her.
- [29:41]
Maria Randazzo
So there's a lot of lines in this book that I think hit at several of the themes, and I just want to say one of them, she says, whatever else happens in my life, my gazillion to one dream came true. And I think that's pretty thematic of the whole book, starting with SNL and as we keep going here. So just the SNL chapters are a real treatment.
- [30:05]
Mitchell Fain
What a glimpse into a historic American institution from the eyes of someone so honest and so vulnerable who starts off shaky and scared and ends up winning. Right?
- [30:19]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah.
- [30:20]
Mitchell Fain
It's sort of an incredible section because we really see that experience in such an honest way. And then also, hooray, yes.
- [30:29]
Maria Randazzo
You know, the yes and because I said yes type thing is also a theme in this chapter. She talks about how she arrived at the creation of Debbie Downer and I. It's a great story. Like, if you're a writer or a creative person and you're like, how do I get that inspiration going? Check out this chapter. Long story short, she went and did a couple experiences she would have never done that are outside of Comedy Dringo that her therapist told her to do. And Debbie Downer popped into her mind in a very organic way. It's a hilarious story. I'm not going to recount it right now for Time. Okay, so I'm going to jump ahead a little bit here and quickly acknowledge she takes one more moment with the 30 Rock stuff, and she's like, everything is cool with me and Tina Fey. It always has been because Tina's always had my back. We've been working together since 1996. We're professionals. I knew she fought for me as much as she possibly could when NBC was making that decision. And that's just showbiz, and that's the way it goes. And I love my friend, and we have such a great history, and I know she always has my back. And this is illustrated through a hilarious story where Rachel split her pants on stage live, and Tina basically Saved her life. And it was the front part of her pants, y', all, not the back.
- [31:45]
Mitchell Fain
That's right. That's right.
- [31:46]
Maria Randazzo
And she uses the word jive for vagina, which I've never heard before. I'm obsessed with that. I'm obsessed. Okay.
- [31:53]
Mitchell Fain
So funny.
- [31:54]
Maria Randazzo
We're jumping ahead now. She's done with snl, and she's like, for whatever reason, my career is at a standstill. I had all this time on my hands, and now I'm gonna go do stuff that I didn't have time to do before. I'm gonna, like, do yoga. I'm gonna learn Spanish, and I'm going to try dating in New York City.
- [32:13]
Mitchell Fain
That's right.
- [32:13]
Maria Randazzo
Okay, now here's the chapter. You and I love body by shtetl. Am I saying that right?
- [32:20]
Mitchell Fain
Yes, Stettle. I literally had to pause when I was reading the book, and I had to send her a message, a video message, because I couldn't stop laughing because I have always described my bubby, my grandmother, my Jewish, Eastern European grandmother as having shtetl boobs. And I forgot that she says, my body is 100% shtetl. It's so funny. And I knew exactly what she meant. Any Jewish person knows exactly what she meant.
- [32:47]
Maria Randazzo
This chapter comes up because she's talking about what it's like to put yourself out there when you're dating. And she talks about her relationship with her body. And it's a hilarious chapter. So for some context, for some background for the listeners, shtetl is Yiddish for small town. I'm gonna read right from the book. I've never exactly been one to strut by stuff. When I was in my 20s, I had terrible posture. I was always hunched over trying to hide my huge jugs. All of my ancestors on both sides of the family come from the same general region. What was then the Jewish area of what is now the Ukraine. That means basically that I am of 100% Russian, Ukrainian, Jewish peasant stock. You could drop me into any production of Fiddler on the Roof, throw a kerchief on my head, and I'd fit right in. The point is, my body is 100% shtetl. She talks about how her whole life she's been, like, kind of fighting her body. And she found a picture of her great grandmother and her six sisters. And she.
- [33:47]
Mitchell Fain
It's incredible.
- [33:48]
Maria Randazzo
It is really amazing. She said, I took one look at it. Bust out laughing. Each sister in the photo has total shtetlbod, many with their own set of genuine nature made torpedo tits. No Wonder I had these boobs. They were of my people, but I was still fighting them in my head.
- [34:03]
Mitchell Fain
Oh, yeah.
- [34:04]
Maria Randazzo
And that's the other thing about this book. Like, it is. So from a comedic, like, essay perspective, it is just banger after banger after.
- [34:12]
Mitchell Fain
Oh, yeah.
- [34:13]
Maria Randazzo
It is an expertly written.
- [34:15]
Mitchell Fain
That's right.
- [34:15]
Maria Randazzo
Comedy.
- [34:16]
Mitchell Fain
And I want to remind people that it's. It is clearly her voice.
- [34:21]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah.
- [34:21]
Mitchell Fain
This is what it's like to hang out with Rachel. So when you're laughing while you're reading this book, it's what it's like to hang out with Rachel. She's not wacky. She's not, you know, putting on faces and voices what she is. And it's incredibly articulate, funny person.
- [34:35]
Maria Randazzo
Completely.
- [34:36]
Mitchell Fain
And you feel it in this book.
- [34:38]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah, you really do.
- [34:40]
Mitchell Fain
I mean, I want to quickly point out, we talk about how this book is both incredibly funny and also important. I want to talk about two. Just two quick themes that come up.
- [34:48]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah.
- [34:48]
Mitchell Fain
One of them is this idea of type. Like, what her type is and the type that she's looking for and how we as people, when we're single, when we're looking, that we have a type, and it isn't always the best version of what we should be looking for. So that's one thing that comes up. Right. Like, you keep repeating the same dating patterns because you keep going after the type that you think you like, but it don't work out. And then another thing that comes up is that. And this works both ways for the gays and the gals. You know, you have a lot of gay friends. It's like when you're single, your gay friends and my gal pals fulfill a lot of my emotional and social needs. And so there's a point where she says in the dating section of this book, remember, where she's had to, like, I could have gone out with all of my gay friends and had this fabulous time that I know I'm gonna have. Or I could say no and go on one of these dates. I'm not gonna meet a guy by doing the other thing. And so there's this way that we both, like, support each other, gays and gals, but also cockblock each other a little bit because. Yeah, because it's easier and a guaranteed good time, as opposed to putting yourself out there. It's a little scarier. And she talks about that in the dating section, too. And I think it's important because I think a lot of young people, gays and gals, go through it.
- [35:58]
Maria Randazzo
I think that's a great point that. That is exactly how she says it too. And yeah, like, she talks about needing to push herself outside of her comfort.
- [36:04]
Mitchell Fain
Zachary. That's right.
- [36:05]
Maria Randazzo
And she actually, in the book, she goes, no, Rachel, you cannot go to a Broadway musical with your gay friend.
- [36:11]
Mitchell Fain
That's right.
- [36:12]
Maria Randazzo
Have to go do something el.
- [36:15]
Mitchell Fain
When you know damn well that it's going to be so fun to go to that Broadway musical. But you got to do.
- [36:19]
Maria Randazzo
It's going to be an amazing time.
- [36:20]
Mitchell Fain
But you got to go do something else.
- [36:22]
Maria Randazzo
You got to go try something else. And I love that she is so committed to pushing herself outside her comfort zone like that. But yeah, it's like. So we have a crazy dating story of a guy who seemingly hits on her. They go on a date, they had like a back and forth where like she lost his card and it was kind of like, oh my God. Because they ran into each other on the street, street. And then he was like, oh my God, here's my cardigan. And then they finally connect for a date and it is revealed that he is a gay man.
- [36:50]
Mitchell Fain
That's right.
- [36:51]
Maria Randazzo
He's like, me and my partner have a dog walking business. She's like, what?
- [36:56]
Mitchell Fain
And she says, I think she says, I'm paraphrasing maybe, but maybe not. What she says, the only thing worse than a star fucker is a gay star fucker. You're not even going to get fucked.
- [37:04]
Maria Randazzo
Exactly. So this guy just probably wanted to go on the date with her because she was on snl. And the way that the story unfolds in the book is that she's at a show, she's introduced as being single, and then immediately this guy comes up and is like, can I get you a drink?
- [37:19]
Mitchell Fain
That's right.
- [37:20]
Maria Randazzo
And so you would absolutely assume he's a straight man hitting on her. Fast forward. Oops. He's gay and he's married. Oh my God. So crazy. Like I said, throughout the book, she's very explicit about her relationship with the universe. And I love it. And she talks about engaging with the secret and like some really fun stuff that happens around that that she has manifested. And like, again, this is the manifestation that you're talking about.
- [37:44]
Mitchell Fain
That's right.
- [37:44]
Maria Randazzo
And just to shout out Chelsea's memoir, Chelsea has a whole chapter in her memoir where she's like, I was so inspired by Dretch's book and her way of engaging with the universe and asking for signs. And so it's really great. Part of Chelsea's book, he like asks to see A feather if she should break up with a guy. And, like, two seconds later, she's like, sees a woman in a crazy, like, moomoo with feathers all over it. So Dratch does this great job of threading in, like, my pal, the universe, she calls it. But we're kind of already on that train right from the beginning of the book.
- [38:17]
Mitchell Fain
That's right.
- [38:18]
Maria Randazzo
We have another crazy dating story about a guy who she had another back and forth with. They're leaving town. Should we get together? We shouldn't get together. Like, can we make it happen? He finally calls her, leaves her a voicemail, and it's a very odd voicemail where he says, I just had a baby. Sorry, I've been mia. It's revealed that he has a wife and kids and has a baby, but was flirting with her and asking her out. So she keeps running into all these absolutely crazy dating mishaps. And we can't leave out the story where she went on a date with a man who asked her if she was sincerely interested in trying human flesh. I mean, wild stuff. And then she has a really funny chapter about taking on a dog, temporarily doing some temporary dog ownership. At the end of that chapter, she goes, here's the secret. Deep inside, I needed to admit that I was looking at this experiment in dog ownership as practice for what if I ever wanted to have a baby on my own? Is at this point, she's, like, in her early 40s. She's not finding love, and she's being real honest about it, and it's bringing up a lot of questions for her. And she has another chapter about going to a baby shower and how, like, everybody's in her face at this baby shower. Like, you're just kind of getting gagged with, like, it's the best thing in the world, and you're gonna miss out on a really important life thing. And, like, all of this just really intense, like, baby culture, it's too late your windows closing thing, that especially happens to women in their late 30s and early 40s. At this point in the book, she's feeling like, I don't know if I'm gonna have kids, and I don't know if I'm gonna be in a serious relationship. I just kind of need to roll with that. She Sundays, I was 43 years old, and I was actually seeing the benefits of not having kids and was accepting my fate after all those years of struggling. Then I met a guy in a bar. Okay, I just got chills again.
- [40:15]
Mitchell Fain
Yeah, yeah.
- [40:18]
Maria Randazzo
So she goes to a bar with her friend Lisa. And all of a sudden this guy John just starts talking to her. And it's easy and it's fun, and they're having a blast. And he's in New York for the weekend or something for just a few days. He lives in San Francisco. They have this awesome time, and then he goes back to San Francisco and he keeps in touch with her and he's romantic and he's sending her wine and her favorite ice cream that it had came up that she loved. And it's like, oh, my God, like, this thing is.
- [40:50]
Mitchell Fain
Yeah.
- [40:51]
Maria Randazzo
Lovely. And he's a nice person. And she's just like, wow, this is going great. So she's like, finally with someone who she's is jiving with. Now, granted, he lives across the country, but like she says, this was the perfect relationship for two people in their early 40s who lived in two different cities.
- [41:07]
Mitchell Fain
That's right. And it's also a follow up to what she says earlier about thinking outside the box. Like, you got to get out of your routine. And so, yeah, for her, she sort of explained the section that getting out of the mindset. A relationship has to look a certain way. Yeah, right. She and John become comfortable in this, like, long distance. I mean, this is cool. We. We have a good time. It's. We go on adventures. It's like this really positive thing that she's able to sort of like, take in. Oh, this is different, but this might be cool.
- [41:36]
Maria Randazzo
Exactly. She said, neither of them felt like I found the one, but they were having a great time together.
- [41:43]
Mitchell Fain
That's right.
- [41:43]
Maria Randazzo
And so she talks about how, this is working, this is fun. This feels great. He's romantic. He would be like, I'm coming to New York because my friend has a vacant apartment and I've always wanted to live in New York. And she's like. But it felt like he was coming there to see her, which it felt wonderful reading this chapter because it felt like, oh, dratch, this is a romance you deserve. This is very sweet.
- [42:07]
Mitchell Fain
And like, finally, you know, it's structured beautifully in the book. Right. Because we've been through awkward Teenage, We've been through awkward College, we've been through Chicago, then snl. We've been through the dating thing. And structurally in the book, pacing wise, you go, oh, you're so glad. You know, it feels so nice.
- [42:25]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah, it does.
- [42:26]
Mitchell Fain
A good thing happens to a good person.
- [42:27]
Maria Randazzo
You know, it happens after this whole buildup of all these, what she call them, dating disasters.
- [42:33]
Mitchell Fain
Yeah, yeah.
- [42:34]
Maria Randazzo
And she's Just at the end of her rope and she meets this really nice guy. But yeah, she's like, I don't know if we were totally the one for each other, she says, but we did have these really wild, like, subconscious levels of connection. So basically their relationship unfolds long distance. They would do little trips together. He would come to New York, she would go to San Francisco. It's that kind of a thing. But they had this like, wild level of subconscious connection. She said one morning she woke up, they were together, and she was like, I had the craziest dream. And he was like, I also had the craziest dream. And she was like, I dreamt of a detached penis. And he goes, I also dreamt of the detached penis. So, like, this happened more than once.
- [43:19]
Mitchell Fain
Right? There was the blue jacket.
- [43:21]
Maria Randazzo
Exactly. So like in real life, he lost a blue jacket. And in her dream she had a blue jacket and was offering it to him.
- [43:28]
Mitchell Fain
That's right.
- [43:29]
Maria Randazzo
May amazing or woo woo stuff. So then it's December, they've been together for like six months or something. And he invites her to go with him to Hawaii. And she goes, yes and yes. And she says that in the book. Yeah. And there's a great, great, great theme on page 155 that I love. And I just like highlighted and underlined it 10 million times because I think it's perfect. So she said. And she talks about how wonderful the trip was. She was like, the trip had it all. Nature, beauty, romance. And it was all because I had said yes when John asked me to go to San Francisco for July 4 and had said yes to Hawaii and didn't listen to some dumb rules in my head about convention and what you should do. Put it on a pillow.
- [44:21]
Mitchell Fain
That's right. That's exactly what I mean. She was thinking outside the box.
- [44:24]
Maria Randazzo
Yes. Like, this convention, this what you should do, it really trips people. And myself, of course, I'm guilty of it. But it's like she's lived her whole life by listening to her gut and saying yes. And I just think it's a testament to that philosophy. It's very inspiring to me. So they go on the trip in December, in the new year. She's like, oh, my God, I have horrible pms. What is going on? She thinks it's early menopause. So she goes on the Internet, Google calls a girlfriend, and the girlfriend's like, you could be pregnant. And she was like, yeah, right. Okay. Yeah, right. Well, of course she goes, takes a test. She would be 44 in one month. And she's pregnant. So she's on the cusp of 44, calls John. He is in disbelief. He cannot believe it. He's like, he thinks it's a false positive. He's like, I don't know about this. Also, this is another part where I love her honesty. She goes, if you saw my Internet search history that day, it would say menopause, Menopause symptoms, signs of menopause, and then effects of alcohol consumption in early pregnancy. I'm like, I love you, Dredge. And you know, there's.
- [45:39]
Mitchell Fain
It's so universal.
- [45:41]
Maria Randazzo
Women who have Googled that.
- [45:42]
Mitchell Fain
Yes, it is universal. Oh, I'm pregnant. I just had four martinis.
- [45:47]
Maria Randazzo
Yes, of course. Happens to so many people, I'm sure. Okay, so this is one of my favorite woo woo moments in the book. So she's pregnant. They're like, trying to wrap their minds around it. They can't believe it. And she's like, we actually had a warning that this is gonna happen. So during that first time that she met John in New York City, they were only together for a few days. They kept seeing all of this stuff about pigs.
- [46:13]
Mitchell Fain
That's right.
- [46:13]
Maria Randazzo
They went to a bar called the Bourgeois Pig. There was a big pig painted on an apartment building across from the bar they met at.
- [46:20]
Mitchell Fain
When he met her friends, he brought bacon flavored lip balm that he had gotten in bulk from something that he had gone to.
- [46:28]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah, he worked in food sales or something. And he's like, okay, ladies or friends, I have bacon flavored lip balms. Like, all this, like. And that's the short list, y'. All. There's 10 million pig thing.
- [46:39]
Mitchell Fain
That's right.
- [46:40]
Maria Randazzo
And they both noticed it and she kind of said no. She definitely says it in the book. Like, John's not like super woo woo. But they both acknowledged they were like, what the hell is with all this pig stuff? They essentially Google, like, what is the symbol of pig? Say it, Mitchell.
- [46:56]
Mitchell Fain
Fertility.
- [46:57]
Maria Randazzo
Fertility.
- [46:59]
Mitchell Fain
Like the universe. The pigs were saying, you're gonna have a baby.
- [47:02]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah, in that voice, you're gonna have a baby. So. And she was like, you know, you meet someone for a couple of days, you're hitting it off. You don't take that stuff seriously. She jokes in the book. She's like, don't got to worry about that. I'm too old. Like, you just keep it moving. But she's like, oh, my God, we had a sign. So from this point on in the book, I just want to applaud. Like, she's been honest the whole book but, like, man, is she really honest when she gets into this stuff. I think, like, most people who are in, like, stable married situations would not be as honest as she is about all of the feelings and emotions she had around this pregnancy.
- [47:38]
Mitchell Fain
Yes.
- [47:38]
Maria Randazzo
This part of her life. Like, just such real questions that she's putting forward that somebody in her position who's 44 and pregnant and with a guy for only six months would ask. But also, I'm sure a lot, like I said, a lot of people who are married and maybe having children, those questions are going around in their head, and they would never say them out loud, let alone write them in a book.
- [48:00]
Mitchell Fain
My favorite section about this, aside from her talking about the physical ramifications of it, is she tells this incredible story about going to register for her shower back to the baby.
- [48:12]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah.
- [48:12]
Mitchell Fain
Because now she. Because she wants it to be a cool shower and not like the nightmare shower she said to go to. And so she was going to register like a Baby's R Us in her back to her Dartmouth gaze are like, absolutely not. And they take her to a place called Giggles.
- [48:27]
Maria Randazzo
Giggle.
- [48:28]
Mitchell Fain
Giggle. Right. But they take her so that she can register for all the stuff that you, you know, quote, absolutely have to have. End quote.
- [48:37]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah.
- [48:37]
Mitchell Fain
That she has zero knowledge about. And the way she tells that story of going through that store is both, like, laugh out loud funny. But also, you can feel the inner panic of I don't know what the I'm doing, and if I talk about this stuff, it's gonna get too real. Like, at one point, it's this whole thing where they're gonna go into the breastfeeding section. And she was like, nope, let's put, like, the first two sections. She was like, can we table that? Like, the first two things that they have to have to picture. Can't deal with it. And she has kind of a catharsis and a meltdown. And at. I think the name of the chapter is Tears and Giggles. Because she's crying at the baby store.
- [49:18]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah. She's like, it was ironic that I cried immediately when I left. Giggle.
- [49:22]
Mitchell Fain
That's right.
- [49:23]
Maria Randazzo
Baby store. Yeah. The fancy baby store on the Upper west side. Yeah.
- [49:26]
Mitchell Fain
It's such an incredible section of the book because it is both, I mean, literally drop dead hilarious.
- [49:31]
Maria Randazzo
Yes.
- [49:32]
Mitchell Fain
But also it's really moving. And you can feel the panic.
- [49:35]
Maria Randazzo
You really can. Because she says it explicitly where they're like, you strap the baby in the baby carrier like this. And then don't forget to do this part, because then Drag writes, she dead. Because that's the consequence. You kill your baby.
- [49:49]
Mitchell Fain
That's such dredge humor.
- [49:50]
Maria Randazzo
You know, I don't have children, but I've done enough babysitting, nannying to be like, that is constantly in the back of your mind. Like, the one thing, it's like, well, if I fudge up, like, I could kill or harm this child.
- [50:02]
Mitchell Fain
That's right.
- [50:03]
Maria Randazzo
I do love that chapter. And yeah, that is the chapter where she really goes into the emotional roller coaster that. That all of this presents for her.
- [50:12]
Mitchell Fain
She's not simply pregnant. That's what this is brilliant about, this section. She's not simply pregnant. She's an unmarried pregnant woman. Not that that means anything morally, but it is a status, right, Having to tell her parents about this. She's in a quasi relationship that is absolutely and justifiably undefined. They've only known each other for so long before she gets pregnant. And she references this and she does funny bits when you read it about other book gods. Like, well, if you're having a crazy day, ask your partner to whatever. And she's like, what if you don't have one? What about for the people who don't have one?
- [50:49]
Maria Randazzo
Right.
- [50:49]
Mitchell Fain
It's. It's so honest and funny, but really honest.
- [50:53]
Maria Randazzo
Exactly. And you really feel for her because she. She also says, like, I was feeling scared and I was realizing I was alone.
- [51:01]
Mitchell Fain
Yeah.
- [51:01]
Maria Randazzo
And so there's a couple important points I want to bring up right now. And I think that her outlook on this whole situation, it just bowled me over. I applaud it. I just think it's beautiful. I think she handled it all with such grace and bravery. So, two parts I just want to read. She says, I knew in my heart I would go forward with having the baby, even though I had thought I would never have a baby alone. I felt like I'd won some odd lottery and I was going to go with what the fates she wolf goddess, Hawaiian volcano gods, or the universe had determined for me. And I just thought that was like a very cool, beautiful way to see her situation. And then she talks about how her and John were grappling with this and what they would do. I mean, he lives on the other side of the country.
- [51:46]
Mitchell Fain
That's right. The absolute opposite side.
- [51:49]
Maria Randazzo
Yes. And she goes, I told him I was going forward with the birth and that he could be as involved or uninvolved as he wanted to be. Just handling it, like I said, with such strength and grace and, like, not putting pressure on him. But also, she acknowledged that she was like I feel alone. And then I do just want to take a moment here and clarify that when she was about six months along, John decided that he would move to New York City.
- [52:15]
Mitchell Fain
Yeah.
- [52:15]
Maria Randazzo
Which is beautiful.
- [52:17]
Mitchell Fain
Very close to her. Right. Like on the same block.
- [52:19]
Maria Randazzo
Oh, cool. Okay, great. And like what a blessing that his job, he could do it from anywhere. And this is like way pre Covid.
- [52:26]
Mitchell Fain
Yeah.
- [52:26]
Maria Randazzo
So like all these beautiful, like I said, universe swooping in, like so cool. So around the six month mark of her pregnancy, she knows he's moving to New York City. So she goes through the ups and downs with us of what this is like for her emotionally. And I just want to quickly acknowledge that she was really excited to tell her parents, but they had a mixed reaction and it didn't go as well as she thought it would.
- [52:51]
Mitchell Fain
Right. At first.
- [52:52]
Maria Randazzo
At first, exactly. Exactly. It broke my heart.
- [52:55]
Mitchell Fain
I know. It's like coming out to your parents, right? It's like if they don't. It's hard if they don't have the exact right emotional response. But then you realize that they need a moment. You know, it took you a minute to get used to it. It takes them a minute too.
- [53:09]
Maria Randazzo
Yes, yes. And she said she left her parents house feeling like a 43 year old Juno. Oh. So again you laugh and you go, oh. And then your heart breaks into just a million tiny pieces. This brings us to the ultimate psychic moment. Like, I remember reading this chapter when I was 25 years old and I was like, I'm going to say psycho, but I'll never forget this chapter. It's just amazing. She said that she had a feeling she would carry the baby to full term. And she was like, I just, I had this feeling that I would, even though I'm older, you know, there's a higher risk of miscarriage. But she's like, I just had this feeling. And then she said, I realized I was told that I would carry this baby to term by Shelly the channeler, not quite a year ago. So about a year ago, a friend of hers takes her to see a psychic whose name is Shelly the Channeler. And she has this incredible session with Shelly the channeler. But Shelly channels a spirit named Kendra. So Kendra tells her point blank, like, you're gonna meet a man in three to six months and you're going to have one child. And Dratch said, at this time, well, what do I have to do to meet this man? And the psychic goes, you don't have to do anything. I kind of loved that.
- [54:29]
Mitchell Fain
I love it. That's what happened?
- [54:32]
Maria Randazzo
Yes, exactly. That is literally exactly what happened. But, yeah, the psychic told her. And then, you know, you just kind of go on with your life after you.
- [54:40]
Mitchell Fain
Right. Because you don't know what that means. I mean. Yeah, like, she wasn't giving any action items, Right?
- [54:45]
Maria Randazzo
Yes.
- [54:46]
Mitchell Fain
You just go on with your life.
- [54:48]
Maria Randazzo
Exactly. Exactly. And then just another quick acknowledgment of how exacting this psychic was. Like, years prior to seeing Shelly, the channeler, Dratch went on, like, a kind of a retreat thing where she was trying to envision what her spirit guide looked like. And all the other people in the retreat were like, my spirit guide looks like this, and I can see his face, and this is his vibe. And they all have these, like, human forms. And Dretch was like, I was feeling weird because mine was not a person. Mine was a blue dot. And she's like, that's exactly how I said it at the time. Mine's not a person. It's a blue dot. Shelly, the channeler, completely unprompted, she said, shelly popped her head up, looked at Dratch and went, you are guided by the spirit of the blue dot.
- [55:36]
Mitchell Fain
I mean, it's insane.
- [55:37]
Maria Randazzo
It's crazy.
- [55:38]
Mitchell Fain
Also, she said to Shelly, the Chandler said, or Kendra said something about your brother. Blank, blank, blank. But she didn't say your sibling. She didn't say, like, do you have a brother? Or. Yeah, you know, like, to sort of lead her. She just started a story and told a story about her brother. And Dretch has one sibling and it's a brother.
- [55:57]
Maria Randazzo
Yes.
- [55:57]
Mitchell Fain
Yeah.
- [55:58]
Maria Randazzo
Yes. It's the ultimate psychic moment for me. And I think reading Dratches memoir, like, I read it when I was 25 or so, it enhanced my own spirituality, and it gave me this beautiful nudge to be in communication with the other side. Whatever you want to say it about all matters of my life. But I definitely went to go see psychics, like, and I was inspired by Dratch's story. And they've been helpful and they've been great. I will say it's like I said.
- [56:23]
Mitchell Fain
At the beginning, Jackson. I share the idea that, like, I don't actually believe in any of it, except it's all true.
- [56:30]
Maria Randazzo
Exactly. I love how you said that, because.
- [56:32]
Mitchell Fain
This stuff happens to me all the time. Well, you know me, things like this happen to me all the time where I'll say, oh, the weirdest thing happened. And my partner or friend will say, stop saying it's weird because it happens to you all the time. Right. Like, weird things where I know something before I should know it or I predict something years before it happens. And so I don't believe any of it. I don't believe in horoscopes, except I'm such a Scorpio that I might as well be the avatar for Scorpio. But I don't believe in any of it. But I. But it's all real.
- [57:01]
Maria Randazzo
I know you are a Scorpio, that's for sure.
- [57:05]
Mitchell Fain
So Scorpio. And I don't believe in any of that bullshit, except I'm a total Scorpio.
- [57:09]
Maria Randazzo
Well, Dratch and I are both Pisces that I talk to her about that. Okay, so diving back into the book here, again with the honesty. Feeling scared and alone. You are totally right when you brought up, like, there was so much literature out there that wasn't for her about being pregnant and all that kind of stuff.
- [57:25]
Mitchell Fain
Right.
- [57:26]
Maria Randazzo
I also just want to say I'm skipping for time, and I'm putting these chapters kind of in a bucket. There are brilliantly funny chapters, more on pregnancy, child care, and what that whole world is like. So, like, if that interests you, if you're pregnant or you have little ones or if that's just something that's up your alley to read about, please grab this book. Book. Because the way she writes about it all is so funny and brilliant and real.
- [57:49]
Mitchell Fain
Really? What about the. The quick episode about the Edgar Allen Poe dildo? Let's just leave that as a little teaser for people to read the book.
- [57:57]
Maria Randazzo
Teaser? Yeah, the telltale dildo. And my favorite in that bucket is the infant care woman who came to her apartment and kept dropping F bombs. She's like, you're gonna want to wrap your baby so. So tight in this swaddle.
- [58:13]
Mitchell Fain
That's right. Right.
- [58:15]
Maria Randazzo
Just like, this total mismatch of, like, potty mouth, but working with, like, newborns. I mean, hilarious. Okay, so moving ahead here. She gets this letter. She's still pregnant. She gets this letter. I know. From John's brother Doug.
- [58:33]
Mitchell Fain
I might cry right now.
- [58:34]
Maria Randazzo
Seriously, this letter is iconic. It is a serious letter from John's brother to Dratch, welcoming her to the family, having never met her, had never.
- [58:45]
Mitchell Fain
Met her, because it all happened so fast. They weren't serious enough at the time to introduce each other to their families in that way. And then so the brother has to go, my big brother's about to have a baby. And he writes this letter. And it's like. It's so well written and so beautiful that it's Like a famous writer wrote it or something.
- [59:06]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah.
- [59:07]
Mitchell Fain
And.
- [59:07]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah.
- [59:08]
Mitchell Fain
And his. To give her permission to publish it. You know, to use it in this book is so cool. It makes you love John.
- [59:16]
Maria Randazzo
I love Doug.
- [59:17]
Mitchell Fain
I love you. Makes you love Doug. It makes, you know, what it does in the function of the book, you know, in a. In a recap sense and like a structure of the book. You think to yourself, this kid's gonna be okay.
- [59:29]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah.
- [59:29]
Mitchell Fain
You know, through all the neurosis and all the doubts and fears that John and Rachel are having through all this stuff, this letter. Right. Says, this is a good guy. Everything's going to be okay. It's like, it settled my heart, you know?
- [59:44]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah, yeah, it settled my heart too, because I felt like, you know, when she was saying I feel alone, I was just like, oh, I love that someone from his family was like, welcome to the family. I'm so excited that you're in this family and that you're going to have this baby and you're giving us this beautiful gift. And like, thank you. And he wrote about. He told her about this unconditional love that she was about to experience from a child in this way where. Oh, my God, it's just so gorgeous.
- [60:13]
Mitchell Fain
And also that his brother was going to be a great dad.
- [60:16]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah.
- [60:17]
Mitchell Fain
It was like a. It was like a promise that he felt so comfortable making before the baby was even born to make that promise on his brother's behalf and into the future. He's a great dad.
- [60:30]
Maria Randazzo
I love this moment also, for, like, Doug to me is embodying masculinity in.
- [60:37]
Mitchell Fain
A beautiful way, in the most beautiful, non toxic version of masculinity.
- [60:42]
Maria Randazzo
So it's a beautiful letter and a gorgeous chapter. And she also takes a moment at the end thanking John for like, letting her tell this story. It's his story, too.
- [60:52]
Mitchell Fain
That's right.
- [60:52]
Maria Randazzo
And you know, the fact is this guy uprooted his life from a crowd, quiet Hamlet across the whole country to a busy, loud avenue in New York City so that he could be a daily part of his son's life. I thought he deserved some credit for that. Not everyone would do that. And they call Doug Prophet Doug.
- [61:07]
Mitchell Fain
Prophet Doug. Yeah. There's a whole bit of Prophet Doug. Yeah, that it becomes. It becomes like a verb to profit.
- [61:13]
Maria Randazzo
Doug, the baby, calm the baby down. Have you tried Prophet dogging him yet? Yeah, like holding him or whatever. Yeah. So good. Okay. So then we get to the day the baby is born and she has the baby early. The baby is breech, which means the baby is turned around in the uterus. And so again, we go with the woo woo stuff. It's so funny. She's like, I. Somebody told her or she read somewhere that burning a certain type of herb at her pinky toes would turn the baby around. And there's a great line. She goes, this is about John, the guy who last year at this time was at the San Fran Food and Wine Fest wearing a vineyard vine shirt, now found himself holding incense up for 20 minutes a night to the toes of a Jewess. Like, that's right again. I didn't. I never forgot that line. That line stuck with me for 10 years. But the baby doesn't turn, and she has to have a C section, which is an extremely traumatic procedure. My God. But she did great. She's healthy. The baby's healthy. And Eli is the baby's name. And I believe his birthday is August 24, 2010.
- [62:22]
Mitchell Fain
I don't remember.
- [62:23]
Maria Randazzo
I think that's what it is. And the sweetest picture of baby eli on page 208. I mean. I mean, you just wanna. I just wanna. Oh, my God, I want to grab the baby. I, like, squealed when I turned to that page. He's so precious. Oh, my God. What's the word? Opponent.
- [62:43]
Mitchell Fain
Oh, this Put him. Put him. His face like a beautiful face. Oh, the shade.
- [62:49]
Maria Randazzo
Oh, God. So beautiful. So it's a really funny chapter, too, about, you know, when you find out you're going into labor, it's nothing but manic. And she's having a moment where she's packing her baby bag and, like, John's like, do you want to bring books? And she just looks at him and she screams, I can't read. Like, I'm not gonna have time to read. But all she says is, I can't read. So funny. Okay, so then I'm so happy for her at this point in the book because she goes on to talk about being euphoric as a new mother and how wonderful it is that, you know, she got lucky and she didn't have, you know, like, bad postpartum. Didn't have postpartum experiences. Yeah.
- [63:30]
Mitchell Fain
And she isn't alone. You know, John is there.
- [63:34]
Maria Randazzo
Yes, yes, yes. And John moved to New York. He was burning the herbs at her toes. He was there from six months of pregnancy on. Exactly.
- [63:43]
Mitchell Fain
Yeah.
- [63:44]
Maria Randazzo
Go ahead.
- [63:44]
Mitchell Fain
Just the chapter of the foibles of the two of them during those first couple of months.
- [63:50]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah.
- [63:50]
Mitchell Fain
You know, and like any pretense of courting each other, you know, at a time where other couples who had only been together for less than two years would be courting each other. She's, you know, attached to a breast pump, you know, so the physical comedy that was actual reality in this experience is so funny.
- [64:07]
Maria Randazzo
That's exactly right. And that is what also makes her position so unique, is that she's caring for a newborn while simultaneously being in the middle of a courtship. And she writes about that so acutely and so funny and so real. It's like, I don't know anybody who's been in that situation.
- [64:26]
Mitchell Fain
That's right. It's absolutely unique.
- [64:27]
Maria Randazzo
Completely. But, like, again, just braves it. Yes. And. And I applaud John. I'm like, this guy's great. Like, he went along for the ride in the way that she did, and she has all this, you know, comedy and improv background, which is a life philosophy. But I. I also just really applaud him. I think it's awesome the way that they all handled this. And then. Yes, this is also where when I brought up that her parents had mixed reactions, you know, it really paid off in this awesome way because her parents, of course, head over heels for the baby. Ecstatic, she goes, my parents were reborn when Eli came around. And I love this chapter. She said it made her parents 100 times more Jewish.
- [65:08]
Mitchell Fain
I was just gonna say kudos to John also for dealing with the full onslaught of Jewishness that was going to come his way when she describes how her parents get exponentially more Jewish the minute they became grandparents. That will resonate with every Jewish person alive. We know exactly what that means. Suddenly, Yiddish words you never even heard are coming out of your mouth. It's so adorable. Her dad, like, basically just absconding with the baby to have him for himself all the time is so funny.
- [65:34]
Maria Randazzo
They're like best buddies. I know. I thought it was so funny.
- [65:37]
Mitchell Fain
It's so real.
- [65:37]
Maria Randazzo
He's like, my dad would disappear with the baby stroller because he would, like, he would push it really fast and get way ahead of them when they were all out walking the baby. And also in extreme temperatures, it would be like, below zero or whatever. And, like, they'd be on a walk. Maybe not below zero, I don't know, but. And he. They would lose him and he would just be, like, singing songs to the baby and, like, speed walking with a stroller. So I loved hearing about the joy.
- [66:03]
Mitchell Fain
It's very dear. Having met her parents, the adorable level is turned up to 12, just so you know.
- [66:10]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah.
- [66:10]
Mitchell Fain
Oh, they are.
- [66:11]
Maria Randazzo
Oh, I bet. How could they not be? But, yeah, it was wonderful. Reading about the joy that. That the baby brought her parents and her and everything, it was just great. And again, on Rachel's philosophy on life, like, she talked about, you know, the baby was born and obviously it was fun and she was, like, having this euphoric time. Of course, it was challenging as well. And there was a lot of, like, questions and things that they had to put on the. We're gonna tackle this later pile.
- [66:40]
Mitchell Fain
About their relationship and about.
- [66:42]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah, about their relationship and big questions also, like, she's Jewish, John's Catholic, like, what's the religion? Like, all this kind of stuff, big and little stuff that you're like when you're handling a newborn. It's like, we're not going to tackle this right now.
- [66:55]
Mitchell Fain
Exactly.
- [66:56]
Maria Randazzo
But she has this beautiful way of writing about this moment and about Eli. I just want to share it. She said, of course, I would have loved to have everything in its place, mentally and emotionally, for Eli's sake. But Eli's appearance on the scene was unique, and I didn't question my good fortune in having him come into my life. He wasn't by the book to start with, which was his magic. And I hoped we could focus on that magic and go with the flow. Isn't it gorgeous?
- [67:25]
Mitchell Fain
It's so gorgeous. And it's what she did, you know, Once again, this book was written in 2012, you said, I think. And, you know, the baby had been around for a little bit, but was still a baby. And to know her lo these many years and how she did just trust in the magic and they've had a magic life.
- [67:45]
Maria Randazzo
Oh, that's beautiful. And that's how reading this book feels, you know, like, she just trusted and went with the flow. And, like, you know, it's hard. It's hard to do that every single day. But I feel like when that's your North Star magic will happen.
- [68:00]
Mitchell Fain
I also think she was so responsible in this book. You've talked about this. You touched on this in a couple of the chapters. She wraps up by saying, hey, don't let those baby people, those baby shower people who tell you that you don't know what life is until you've had a baby. Don't buy that. Know that I wasn't really a baby person and I love my baby and my baby has changed my life. But that the sort of tyranny of, oh, you don't know life until you've had a baby is not helpful. And she reminds the reader that's not helpful, that her reality is she lucked out she has this beautiful baby. She's very happy. How lucky. Especially since she wasn't really like a quote, baby person. She is responsible to the women who were in her position who might be reading this book, who are in her position completely to say it may happen, it may not happen. I loved my life and I love my life now. Yes, both of those things are real and magical.
- [68:59]
Maria Randazzo
Absolutely. And she lays out some really beautiful like philosophies and takes on life and everything. But like this book is never for one second preachy. It's very hopeful.
- [69:11]
Mitchell Fain
I agree.
- [69:11]
Maria Randazzo
And then we're wrapping up here. We're, we're tying it up. She has a chapter title, you may ask yourself. Feels like a nod to the Talking Head song. Love that song. She goes, I wish that I could tie things up in a neat little bow for you, but I can't. She says, my story doesn't really have an ending. And you know, as for her and John, she said sometimes we feel like boyfriend, girlfriend. Sometimes we feel like co parents. Sometimes we feel like newlyweds with a newborn or bickering 82 year olds. But I think she said mostly we feel like platoon buddies, like in the trenches. In the trenches after a long day of child care. Like, how you doing? Hanging in there. Okay. I love that she said that, that, you know, I don't have a neat little bow. And I love that she knows that's okay. And that's, I think, great in a memoir like don't force.
- [70:05]
Mitchell Fain
That's right, the bow.
- [70:07]
Maria Randazzo
And then we have an epilogue. And she said she feels the work she has done before, her new job as a mom will come around again. And it sure did. It sure has brought up the Tony nom.
- [70:19]
Mitchell Fain
That's right, Tony nominated actress, Rachel Trapp.
- [70:22]
Maria Randazzo
And she, in the book, she goes, I'd love to do a comedy on Broadway. Boom. The show potus or behind every great dumbass are seven women trying to keep him alive.
- [70:32]
Mitchell Fain
She doesn't tie it up with a bow. But isn't that beautiful to know?
- [70:36]
Maria Randazzo
Yes, it is beautiful to know. And she's, you know, she says, I want to do more film, more tv, all of those things happen for her. And then, yeah, she wraps up her. Wraps the book up with a classic comedy callback with the interaction with the agent offering her the part like you were just talking about.
- [70:54]
Mitchell Fain
Oh my God, it's brilliant.
- [70:55]
Maria Randazzo
And then I'm gonna read just the final chapter of the book. So she's talking about the conversation with the agent. I will hang up the phone. I Will put Eli into the Baby Bjorn. I'm getting choked up. It's so beautiful. And walk over to the swings. As I walk with him against me, I will hold each of his little bare feet in each of my hands, swinging his legs as we go. I have his meaty feet on the palms of my hands and I play with his tiny toes. There is no better feeling. Oh, Rachel, Drench.
- [71:25]
Mitchell Fain
Now, look, you have a clip.
- [71:29]
Maria Randazzo
So it's a gorgeous ending to the book with her baby. And the acknowledgments are great. She thanks John for his turbo sperm. I know that.
- [71:40]
Mitchell Fain
I think that's the last word of the book.
- [71:41]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah.
- [71:42]
Mitchell Fain
Turbo spur are the last two words of the book, I think. Perfect.
- [71:45]
Maria Randazzo
Thank you, John, for your caring devotion to our son, for trusting me with our story. And last but not least, thank you for your turbo sperm.
- [71:52]
Mitchell Fain
Brilliant. I recommend this book so highly to so many people, and I have for years. Not just because it's funny as fuck, because Rachel is an innately funny person. At the time, a lot of people's autobiographies came out funny. Ladies wrote a bunch of autobiographies. They're all fabulous. I won't mention. But they're all. All fabulous. But for me. And I actually read an article, I think it was in the New York Times that singled Rachel's out for its heart.
- [72:17]
Maria Randazzo
Oh, my God.
- [72:18]
Mitchell Fain
Yeah, there's. Yeah, there's bits in it. Yeah, there's laughs in it, but it's conversational. It's like I say, it's how. What it would sound like to hang out with Rachel. And so I think this book stands out. And why I recommend it is because it. It's a feeling book. It's a feeling.
- [72:33]
Maria Randazzo
It is heart. Completely. It has so much heart. It has heart. It has jokes. It has it all, really. It has it all, people. But, yeah, I think the shining part of the book, for sure, is the heart of it. And the last thing we're gonna do, Mitchell, is what Chelsea calls the book Dill Test. And so I'm gonna ask you three questions.
- [72:53]
Mitchell Fain
Okay?
- [72:54]
Maria Randazzo
So was the author vulnerable in the sharing of their truth?
- [72:59]
Mitchell Fain
100. Yes, 1. 100.
- [73:03]
Maria Randazzo
Hondo, P. Fully. Agree. Fully.
- [73:07]
Mitchell Fain
Thank you.
- [73:07]
Maria Randazzo
In every chapter.
- [73:09]
Mitchell Fain
And every chapter. And like I said at the beginning, I was there for some of these stories, so I. I know how honest she's being.
- [73:17]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah, you're really. I know how much.
- [73:19]
Mitchell Fain
I know. Yeah. I know how much she's sharing because I watched it.
- [73:22]
Maria Randazzo
And I think that's also why you just get so glued to it because, like, you. Like you said, you feel like she's in the room or with you. Was it entertaining?
- [73:31]
Mitchell Fain
I spit out my coffee at shtetl body.
- [73:33]
Maria Randazzo
Yes.
- [73:34]
Mitchell Fain
Yes, it was.
- [73:35]
Maria Randazzo
My boyfriend said he's never seen someone laugh harder at a book than when I was reading this. I was. I was cracking up. Okay, last question. Did reading it elevate your life?
- [73:47]
Mitchell Fain
Absolutely. It gave me so many things to think about. It made me reflect a lot of reflection because generationally, we have the same experiences of. Of growing up at the same time, discovering comedy, feeling about being single and being different and maybe looking odd or being odd. So, yeah, it was very affirming.
- [74:06]
Maria Randazzo
Yes, it was very affirming. And I love that it elevated your life. It also elevated mine. It elevated mine in this way where I do feel like I needed this reminder of, like, stop forcing. Go with the flow. Get out of your own way. She strikes me as somebody who is uniquely in the present moment, which is probably also what makes her such a fantastic improviser. Undoubtedly. So. But, yeah, I'm just. I honestly feel like I'm still processing the magic of this book. But, like, just make it a little bit easier on yourself. Get out of your own way. And so be in that flow state, which I feel like is. It's an art. It's an art. You got to practice it. But I think she's mastering it.
- [74:50]
Mitchell Fain
Two Time Dratch, meaning that, like, it comes along and you think it's going to be and it's not it. And then she, in the book talks about she's just going to trust that it's going to come around again.
- [75:00]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah.
- [75:00]
Mitchell Fain
Because old 2 time Dratch is going to get it in the end.
- [75:03]
Maria Randazzo
Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So thank you so much for recapping this book with me in such an intimate way and especially special way, because she is your dear friend and she's a hero of mine. And so I appreciate you, you know, bridging my relationship to her in that way. It's very special. It means a lot to me. So please tell the listeners where they can find you, your social media, where to follow you, anything you want them to know about you.
- [75:32]
Mitchell Fain
I'm easy to find on Instagram. Mjf. That's my initials. I'm an actor in Chicago. I do a lot of storytelling. I'm part of the Midnight Circus in the parks. Look it up. It's fun. Support your local parks. Once a month, I do an Instagram live with the legendary Alexandra Billings. If you don't know. If you don't know now, you do. Also, she has a great book. Hopefully you read it. So that's where you can find me.
- [75:55]
Maria Randazzo
Thank you, Mitchell. And I'm going to say two other things. A Jeff award winning actor.
- [76:00]
Mitchell Fain
Thank you.
- [76:01]
Maria Randazzo
Yes. You won your Jeff award last year, right?
- [76:03]
Mitchell Fain
I did. For the Lehman trilogy, which is this crazy. Thank you for saying that. Can I say something to you?
- [76:09]
Maria Randazzo
Of course. Sure.
- [76:10]
Mitchell Fain
Maria Randazzo is one of my favorite people in the whole wide world. And no matter what it is, I'm always going to say yes to you.
- [76:18]
Maria Randazzo
Aw. I'm always going to say yes to you. Thank you. That means so much to me, Mitchell. And you've been a friend and a guide to me my whole life, like since I met you at my first comedy job when I was 26 years old. Just like she was. Like, Faye had my back. You had my back. You always do. And that means a lot to me.
- [76:34]
Mitchell Fain
Always.
- [76:34]
Maria Randazzo
Well, you should go to Mitchell's Instagram as well because he has incredible recommendations, impeccable taste. If you want to know who you should be listening to. Divas, classic new everything. Like, this is your guy.
- [76:48]
Mitchell Fain
Okay, I'm going to second that. I'm your guy.
- [76:51]
Maria Randazzo
All right. Thanks, Mitchell.
- [76:56]
Chelsea Devontez
A big thank you to our senior managing producer, producer Christina Lopez, our executive producer, Jordan Moncada, our sound engineer, Marcus Hamm, and our amazing associate producer, Jaron Padre. I also want to give a huge thank you to our incredible partners over at Thrive Cosmetics and every plate. We will link to those brands in the show notes. Go check them out. Everything else we discussed is also linked in the show notes. And if you have questions, thoughts, comments, go to the Patreon sign up. There's a free tier. You can join, Leave a comment, comment.
- [77:24]
Maria Randazzo
Chat with your fellow cookies.
- [77:26]
Chelsea Devontez
We will keep the book club continuing over there.