Pretty Little Episode #87

Summary

Handsome – Pretty Little Episode #87

Host: Headgum
Date: April 17, 2026
Comedians: Tig Notaro, Fortune Feimster, Mae Martin

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Episode Overview

In this lively installment of "Handsome," comedians Tig Notaro and Mae Martin (with quick cameos from Fortune Feimster) field heartfelt and quirky listener questions about things they’re working to unlearn and childhood comfort items. The conversation is sprinkled with vintage Mae travel stories and plenty of fun, candid banter about parenting, creativity, family quirks, and the legacy (or landfill fate) of treasured objects.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Where in the World is Mae?

Mae shares misadventures with American place names, tour stories, and a magical encounter in Boston.

• Poughkeepsie Mispronunciations:

  • Mae admits to saying “Puff Kipsy” (01:04) and reveals her struggles with other city names like “Concord.”
  • Quote (Mae, 01:12): “I called, like, Puff Kipsy until this morning, and someone corrected me.”

• Tour Highlights and Lowlights:

  • Mae’s tour is a hit everywhere except Vegas, joking she’s the “king of kink” and voice for unexpected subcultures thanks to the podcast (01:48–02:22).
  • Quote (Mae, 02:22): “It’s like Tarot readers, the BDSM community…Sometimes I just have a normal day, too, you know?”
  • Tig jokes about the Vegas market: “I’m surprised about Vegas, considering there's a lot of people with kinks in Vegas.” (02:07)

• Enchanting Boston Encounter:

  • Mae shares a magical run-in at an antique store with a 102-year-old woman, Patricia Bartivian, who regales her with tales from Hollywood’s golden era and spiritual insights (03:10–06:27).
  • Quote (Patricia to Mae via Mae, 04:47): “The world is a spider web of energy, and you can control it.”
  • Patricia’s story of Ernest Hemingway checking her breasts for authenticity is relayed with gusto; the punchline is they were indeed fake (06:00–06:25).
  • Mae loves how alive and sharp Patricia is, aspiring to her vibrancy, and Tig jokes that the next customer probably hears the exact same legend (06:38–06:53).

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2. Reflections on Life, Work & Rest

Mae and Tig discuss unlearning deeply rooted cultural scripts about productivity and parenting.

• Mae’s Unlearning:

  • She candidly discusses letting go of the “productivity equals value” mindset (09:44–10:50).
  • Quote (Mae, 09:44): “Maybe that value is measured in productivity…I'm really shifting into just wanting to do nothing and, and do less and do it really well…”

• Tig on Parenting:

  • Tig reflects on stepping back to observe and learn from her children, not push them into preconceived molds (11:35–14:29).
  • Quote (Tig, 12:16): “It’s not the child's responsibility to teach the parent who they are. It’s the parent’s responsibility to learn who their child is.”
  • She describes letting her kids choose their bedtime on weekends and watching them learn from their own decisions (13:16–13:52).

• Empathy: Nature or Nurture?

  • Mae ponders whether empathy is taught or innate (15:02), and Tig shares how she sees her sons’ compassion evolve as a reflection of family values (15:14–17:25).
  • Tig invokes the “kindness of strangers” and describes telling her kids of a real rescue—Eugene Merman’s car accident—so they see the world’s goodness (16:08–17:06).

• Gratitude Practice:

  • Mae describes trying a gratitude list on a hard day and finding pockets of joy (17:25–18:08).

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3. “Unlearning”—Listener Emma’s Question

An earnest and thoughtful question about what the hosts have had to unlearn leads to real reflection and a lighthearted finish.

• Emma from St. Louis asks:
  • “What’s something you have had to—or are working to—unlearn?” (09:12)
  • Emma’s own “tiny” unlearning: pronouncing “both” as “bolth.”
    • Quote (Emma, 18:25): “Somehow I said the word B O T H with an L growing up, like, ‘Oh, I love bolth of those.’”
  • She notes “the classics” of bigger work: “patriarchy, racism…” (18:25)
  • Hosts joke that “bolth” will now stick (18:57–19:05).

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4. Comfort Items—Listener Kate’s Question

The conversation shifts to nostalgia, old stuffed friends, and the odd fate of childhood relics.

• Kate’s question:

  • “Did you have a comfort item as a child? If so, did it have a name or did you do anything interesting with it?” (19:22)

• Tig’s Monkey:

  • She treasured a stuffed monkey named Zip, which her own kids now ignore (19:45–21:01).
  • Quote (Tig, 19:45): “I had a monkey named Zip and I handed it down to Max and Finn, who cared nothing about Zip.”
  • “This just happened…all returned to me, like, ‘We’ve grown out of this,’ and…there’s no one to give it to now…” (23:48)

• Mae’s Menagerie:

  • Mae had “so many stuffed animals,” her favorite being Owl, animated by her “strange puppet maker” dad (21:05–21:27).
  • Mae describes her dad’s puppet bed setup, his fantasy world, and her parents’ amicable separate bedrooms (21:46–22:23).

• Kate’s Pillow:

  • Kate had a pillow named Stinky, doing things like “smell it around the clock” and “strum it like a guitar” (22:48).

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5. Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Patricia’s Wisdom (Mae, 04:47):
  • “The world is a spider web of energy, and you can control it.”
• Tig on Parenting:
  • “It’s not the child's responsibility to teach the parent who they are. It’s the parent’s responsibility to learn who their child is.” (12:16)
• Emma’s Unlearning (18:25):
  • “Somehow I said the word B O T H with an L growing up, like, ‘Oh, I love bolth of those.’”
• Mae’s Dad’s Puppet World (21:46):
  • “He has a rich fantasy life and imagination. I don’t know what he gets up to because his bedroom is also his puppet studio…”
• Tig’s Nostalgia and Donation Plans (23:48):
  • “I’ll start an ebay store, and I’ll sign my childhood soccer jersey and retire on that.”

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6. Notable Timestamps

• 01:03: Mae’s tour and Poughkeepsie revelation
• 03:10–06:27: Boston magical antique store encounter
• 09:12: Listener Emma’s question: unlearning
• 15:02: Mae asks about teaching empathy
• 19:22: Listener Kate’s question: comfort items
• 21:46: Mae describes her dad’s puppet setup
• 22:48: Kate’s response about Stinky the pillow

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Tone & Style

• Conversational, playful, honest, and warm.
• Candid personal storytelling balanced with quips and loving teases.
• Community-building connection via listener questions and childhood nostalgia.

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Next Episode Promos

• Mae is performing two shows in Vegas and (jokingly) begs listeners to show up: “I’m desperate for you to be there.” (24:54)

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Useful Links

• Send questions: speakpipe.com/handsomepod
• Mae’s tour dates/links: maymartin.net

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Summary Takeaway

A wholesome and hilarious exploration of nostalgia, growth, letting go, and the stuff (literal and metaphorical) we carry through life, with the “Handsome” crew inviting listeners to let go and laugh with them.

Transcript

[Mae Martin]

This is a Headgun podcast.

[Tig Notaro]

Checking Allstate first could save you hundreds on car insurance. That's smart. Not checking that. When you order a cowboy hat online, you get the right size. Big mistake. Now I'm showing up at the Country Western dance in a hat made for a toddler.

[Fortune Feimster]

Yeah, checking first is smart. So check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds. You're in good hands with Allstate. Potential savings vary, subject to terms, conditions, and availability. Allstate North American Insurance Company and affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois.

[Tig Notaro]

Pretty little episode. Yeah, it's your friend Tig Notaro on a very pretty little episode with my

[Mae Martin]

co host, May Pearl Martin.

[Tig Notaro]

May, where in the world are you?

[Mae Martin]

Well, I'm here in Poughkeepsie, New York.

[Tig Notaro]

Okay.

[Mae Martin]

Which I. I called, like, Puff Kipsy until this morning, and someone corrected me.

[Tig Notaro]

Puff Gypsy.

[Mae Martin]

I thought that's how you would pronounce it when I looked at it.

[Tig Notaro]

No, no.

[Mae Martin]

I almost got. I got in big trouble last night. I said Concord instead of Concord.

[Tig Notaro]

Oh, yes. Yeah.

[Mae Martin]

How are you?

[Tig Notaro]

Well, I'm doing much better than you. I haven't gone through nearly the drama you have, but the. The tour's going well, huh?

[Mae Martin]

Tour's going really well.

[Fortune Feimster]

You were scared.

[Tig Notaro]

You weren't selling tickets. You're. I know you're selling. Right.

[Mae Martin]

Well, except for Vegas. I'm not selling in Vegas.

[Tig Notaro]

Not selling in Vegas?

[Mae Martin]

No. So if anyone's in Vegas, I'm doing two shows for some reason, and. And neither of them are selling very well. But the rest of the tour has been crazy. Yeah. Like, in Concord Yesterday, there's, like, 1200 people. I'm like, where'd these people come from?

[Tig Notaro]

Oh, at your show?

[Mae Martin]

Yeah, it was great.

[Tig Notaro]

Yeah. And I'm surprised about Vegas, considering there's a lot of people with kinks in. In Vegas.

[Mae Martin]

Oh, of course. I'm the king of kink. Of course. Of course.

[Tig Notaro]

You would think that that would be, you know, immediately sold out shows.

[Mae Martin]

It's funny, like, the aspects of my personality that get magnified by this podcast or whatever that means. Like, the people at my shows are like, thank you for speaking out for the Tarot card community. For, like. Like, I've got, like. It's like Tarot readers, the BDSM community, Like, all these. And I'm like, I guess that's. I guess that's me. Sometimes I just have a normal day, too, you know?

[Tig Notaro]

And. Wait, why has the Tarot card community needed somebody to speak out?

[Mae Martin]

Well, apparently, you know, it's. It's a. It's a. An ancient art form that needs representation and to stay in modern discourse, I suppose.

[Tig Notaro]

Okay.

[Mae Martin]

Oh, my God.

[Tig Notaro]

Do you. Oh, go ahead.

[Mae Martin]

Oh, sorry. I just. I thought you'd enjoy this. I had an experience the other day, so I was in Boston. Never been to Boston.

[Tig Notaro]

Okay.

[Mae Martin]

Loved it. And I'm walking by this park, and I was feeling really like. Like, miserable and whiny. Like, I was just like. All I keep thinking is, like, oh, I'm tired. I'm tired. And then something called me into this shop, like, an antique shop that was, like, from a children's movie. Like, really spooky. And I go in, and this woman's like, first time in Boston. She pokes her head up, and she goes, I'm 102. She was 102 years old. Yes. And she starts telling me, how did

[Tig Notaro]

she know it was your first time in Boston?

[Mae Martin]

Because she's truly a witch, I think. And she tells me her life story. She's written this book. Where is it? Her and her sister were a double act in Hollywood, in the golden era of Hollywood. And she starts singing this song. Hickory Sisters, Hickory Sisters, Hickory. It was crazy. And then she kissed me on my

[Tig Notaro]

chest without you asking to hear it.

[Mae Martin]

I didn't ask for any of this.

[Tig Notaro]

And she owns the store.

[Mae Martin]

The store's been there 130 years. It was her father's store. She took it over with her sister in the 1970s when they got back from Hollywood. And she was so alive, so with it, so smart. She's talking about AI. She was saying, like, I bought a crystal, of course. And she said, as I was leaving, she took my hand and she went. The world is a spider web of energy, and you can control it. And they kiss my hand. I was like, I am in heaven.

[Tig Notaro]

Oh, my gosh. What is the name of the store so we can keep it afloat?

[Mae Martin]

Let me see. Hickory Sisters. Boston Store.

[Tig Notaro]

Did you look up if there was any history about them online?

[Mae Martin]

There's a ton of. Yeah. Patricia Bartivian. And she. She was an Armenian immigrant. Her dad. And then. Yeah, she. She runs this. The store is right by the Boston Common. Common.

[Tig Notaro]

And Thomas, what did. It's called what?

[Mae Martin]

Oh, the store is called Bartivi. And her last name, I guess. And it's a.

[Tig Notaro]

Okay.

[Mae Martin]

It's a consignment store. So she. People give her their things, and then she sells them and gives them the cash.

[Tig Notaro]

Yeah.

[Mae Martin]

But. Oh, my God, Tig. Like, she. Out of nowhere, she goes, well, my sister and I We were going table to table singing songs, and there was Ernest Hemingway and Cary Grant at the table. And I'm like, wow, that's amazing. And she said, ernest Hemingway said her tits are fake about her. And she goes. And he goes, if they're real, I'll pay the bill. And so then she takes his fingers. She's. I took his finger.

[Tig Notaro]

Wait, did they have fake boobs back then?

[Mae Martin]

Well, I guess so. And she goes, I took his finger. I know. So she took Ernest Hemingway's finger and pokes her own boob. And then he goes, well, they're. They're real. I'll pay the bill. And then she looks at me, she goes, I tell you what, they were fake. The twist was they were fake.

[Tig Notaro]

That is so funny.

[Mae Martin]

Crazy. So that really lifted my spirits. Like, I. When I left, I was like, oh, my God. Like, she's so full of life, and what am I doing complaining about anything?

[Tig Notaro]

And you know what is so deeply amusing to me about this story is when you left, the next person that walked in got the same story.

[Mae Martin]

The exact same story and experience.

[Tig Notaro]

Yes. Yeah, yeah.

[Mae Martin]

It was polished, the story. And I've seen a video of her telling it on the news, too.

[Tig Notaro]

Really?

[Mae Martin]

Yeah.

[Tig Notaro]

That is amazing.

[Mae Martin]

She's a real badass. Like, there's this statue of Edgar Allan Poe in Boston Common, and on her Wikipedia page, it says she was responsible for getting that statue put there.

[Tig Notaro]

And that information on Wikipedia.

[Mae Martin]

Yeah, I know. Yeah. Hickory Sisters. Hickory Sisters.

[Tig Notaro]

Oh, my gosh. And are you gonna. Are you still. Wait, are you in Boston now?

[Mae Martin]

No, I'm in Poughkeepsie.

[Tig Notaro]

Oh, right. Poughkeepsie.

[Mae Martin]

Yeah.

[Tig Notaro]

Right.

[Mae Martin]

But I want to keep in touch with her somehow.

[Tig Notaro]

Well, we have the name of the place. Yeah.

[Mae Martin]

And if. If you're in Boston, go check. Go chat to her.

[Tig Notaro]

Yeah, I don't have any Boston plans right now, but.

[Mae Martin]

Really?

[Tig Notaro]

All in good time.

[Mae Martin]

Well, but I know you're on tour soon, because a couple of these venues have been like, tig's coming soon. Tig's coming to. Everyone's really excited. And at the meet and greets, people are so pumped.

[Tig Notaro]

Oh, that's so great. They're pumped for my non meet and greet.

[Mae Martin]

Yeah, they are. They're like, tig's coming here. We were going to get a picture with her, but we probably won't.

[Tig Notaro]

But we definitely won't. That's so great. Yeah. I'm looking. I'm very much looking forward to it. Going to see some people I know, and. Yeah.

[Mae Martin]

Has it been Nice to be in la, though, for a while.

[Tig Notaro]

It's been really nice. It's been really, really nice. It's everything I dreamed it would be.

[Mae Martin]

Really?

[Tig Notaro]

Well, just when I was. Yeah, when I was gone a lot, I was just daydreaming about things like playing tennis with Stephanie or our family or going on hikes and just being able to do that and take our morning walks. I just. All of that stuff makes me so happy. Happy.

[Mae Martin]

Oh, my God.

[Tig Notaro]

Unbelievably happy.

[Mae Martin]

It's exactly the life I want. I. You look tanned. You look healthy. You.

[Tig Notaro]

Yeah, I've been out in the sun. I love you, for sure. I love you, too. Should we get to our first question?

[Mae Martin]

Yeah, let's do it. What if it was from Patricia?

[Tig Notaro]

I think it will be.

[Mae Martin]

I'm going to send you a video of her that I secretly made.

[Tig Notaro]

Oh, please do.

[Emma]

Hey, y', all, It's Emma in St. Louis, and you're the first podcast I've ever stuck with for every episode. So great work. What's something that you have had to. Or are working to unlearn? Could be a tiny thing, could be huge stuff.

[Tig Notaro]

Oh, our listeners have the best questions.

[Mae Martin]

They really, truly, they're better than the celeb questions. Let's be honest. They're so good.

[Tig Notaro]

Yeah. It, like, really, they really make you think. But do you have anything right off working to unlearn?

[Mae Martin]

Maybe that value is measured in productivity, which I didn't really consciously believe, but I think subconsciously, I'm. I'm like, if I had a year where I didn't put anything out or, you know, would I feel like I'd had a bad year or wasted my time? Like, I'm really shifting into just wanting to do nothing and, and do less and do it really, but do it really well and, and not. You know what I mean?

[Tig Notaro]

Yeah, I do. Yeah, absolutely. Do. You felt like if you were not just churning a million things out, you were not successful, is that right?

[Mae Martin]

Yeah, like, like there's no limit to how much you can do. Like, I. And yeah, it's. I, I. It's hard to even relax because I'm like, I should be doing a painting or writing a song or, like, doing, you know. And now I really feel very clearly and strongly that I wanted. I mean, I'm. I'm just like, yeah, that work life balance that you talk about, I really want that.

[Tig Notaro]

Yeah. Yeah. It's. It's an ongoing process, I think.

[Mae Martin]

Not that I. But it's. And I do love what I do as well, so that's. Yeah, that also makes it.

[Tig Notaro]

Well, it makes it easier to love what you do when you have the balance and you have time off and you can, you know, live the life you're dreaming of. It's like before your career gets going, you're. That's the life you dream of is things to get going in that way. And then when they get going, the life you dream of is to not be doing that as much. And yeah, so it's. Yeah, it's definitely a balance.

[Mae Martin]

What about with parenting? Did you have to unlearn anything with parenting like that you thought you were gonna be one type of parent and then.

[Tig Notaro]

Yeah, I think I. That's a good follow up question on a really good question. I. There's a lot of unlearning. Oh my gosh. I think more than anything I'm trying to find more curiosity in like standing back and, and watching rather than. I think I would be more pushing for certain things that I thought that our kids should have or do. Whereas I'm really. I think I've shared on this podcast that thing my stepfather said, which is it's not the child's responsibility to teach the parent who they are. It's the parent's responsibility to learn who their child is.

[Mae Martin]

I love that.

[Tig Notaro]

And I'm really, really trying to. And not even like forcing myself to try to do that, but just being way more aware of that and, and curious about, yeah, who are you and what do you want to do and where do you want to go and what do you think? And. And I know that sounds very obvious, but it's.

[Mae Martin]

I bet there's a lot of differentiation that starts to happen around their age too, where, like, I'm. I get so nervous if I'm around a toddler. Like, their safety is like, like you just. I would get in the habit of just stepping in and, you know, making sure everything's happening smoothly and. And then I guess, yeah, as they get older, you have to be like, all right, well, they're not gonna do anything.

[Tig Notaro]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Even aside from safety, just like just letting them make decisions. One of the fun things that we do on the weekends is they decide when they go to bed. And that's really cute, you know, you know, just that. So cute that to hear them. And I've probably mentioned it on the show, but like, for us to be in bed and to hear them down the hall watching the Simpsons and laughing, you know, or Bob's Burgers and how,

[Mae Martin]

how late do they make it? What's the latest. They've sort of stayed up on.

[Tig Notaro]

Oh, my gosh. I Probably in near the midnight whoa time, you know. Yeah, but. But, yeah, I don't know. Giving them choices, watching them make those choices and live with consequences and successes and. I don't know. Yeah, I love that. I think I went into parenting originally with, oh, this has to happen, or this has to be done like this. And it actually doesn't.

[Fortune Feimster]

Checking Allstate first could save you hundreds on car insurance. That's smart. Not checking that you're picnicking in a peaceful area of the park. Look out. I was halfway through my cucumber sandwich before I realized I was sitting in the middle of a disc golf course.

[Tig Notaro]

Yeah, checking first is smart. So check Allstate first for a quote. That could save you hundreds. You're in good hands with Allstate. Potential savings vary, subject to terms, conditions, and availability. Allstate North American Insurance Company and affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois.

[Mae Martin]

My mom talks about, like. Well, she feel. She feels like you have to teach kids empathy. I think it's innate. I think they. What do you think?

[Tig Notaro]

I don't know, but I think about it a lot. But I can see really specific examples of Max and Finn's compassion and just heightened parts of their personality that I can directly tie to how we've raised them.

[Mae Martin]

Oh, really?

[Tig Notaro]

What catches their eye? How it catches their eye. Like, I always talk about how moved I get by the kindness of strangers.

[Mae Martin]

Yeah.

[Tig Notaro]

And Finn feels very. He loves that, and he loves pointing it out where I told him that. Even when the fire department or police, you know, when they're coming through and people pull over to let the emergency vehicles through to go help, you know?

[Mae Martin]

Yeah.

[Tig Notaro]

I said, that even touches me. I just love, like, seeing people pull together, help. And. And even like to go back to Bob's Burgers. I don't know if you know Eugene Merman from Bob's Burgers, but he plays Gene the kid, and he's an old friend. And he was in a terrible car accident a few days ago. Like, his car was in a ball of flames, like an action movie. And it was electric. It shut down. They couldn't get him out. And the governor of New Hampshire happened to be driving by, and her security detail smashed out the windows, got Eugene out of there. And I talked to Max and Finn about that. I was like, the kindness of strangers. And seeing large groups of people standing around wanting Eugene, whoever this person is in the car to be okay.

[Mae Martin]

Oh, my God.

[Tig Notaro]

And so I've just noticed it as we go through life, and we'll turn and be like, that's the kindness of strangers. Right.

[Mae Martin]

Oh, my God.

[Tig Notaro]

And when he points that out, I'm like, yeah, that's exactly. These different moments that he notices and. And he's very aware of it.

[Mae Martin]

That's so amazing that you. Because you're the lens that you view the world through, is so malleable. Like, it's so. Like, that you've taught him to notice the good things is so amazing because I. The other night when I was down, I did, like my therapist had said about a gratitude list, and I was like, that's corny. And then before I went to bed, I wrote down all the good things that had happened that day. And it had been an objectively bad day, but. But then there were all these good things in there. It was like I saw snowflakes, you know?

[Tig Notaro]

Yeah.

[Mae Martin]

I had a good dog. I had a good smoothie. I talked to Parv. Like, there were good things going on, you know?

[Tig Notaro]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Mae Martin]

So then. That was nice.

[Tig Notaro]

Well, sorry you had a bad day.

[Mae Martin]

Oh, no. But in the end, I was like,

[Tig Notaro]

ah, I had a good day.

[Mae Martin]

Yeah. On the scale of days, the pros

[Tig Notaro]

and cons list said, I had a good day, actually.

[Mae Martin]

Yeah. Gaslighting myself. No, I was good. Should we see hear Emma's answer?

[Tig Notaro]

Yeah.

[Emma]

My tiny unlearning is that somehow I said the word B O T H with an L growing up, like, oh, I love both of those. So I have been trying to correct it to both, because there just really never was. Still isn't an L in that word. As far as bigger things go, we got patriarchy, racism, the classics. But we don't have time for all that, so I am a work in progress. Okay. Love you mean it.

[Tig Notaro]

So funny. Like, the deep dive we went into, and she's like, I'm just trying to get L out of my. Both.

[Fortune Feimster]

Both.

[Mae Martin]

But now we're both gonna say both.

[Tig Notaro]

Yeah, we will.

[Kate]

We'll.

[Tig Notaro]

We'll both do that.

[Mae Martin]

Yeah. That's gonna be addictive for me, I think. Both.

[Kate]

Both.

[Tig Notaro]

Well, good luck with all of that, Emma. From. From every. Every end of the spectrum that you're working on.

[Mae Martin]

Yeah. The patriarchy and both. Yeah.

[Tig Notaro]

Should we get another question?

[Mae Martin]

Yeah.

[Kate]

Hi, handsomes. This is Kate. I was just wondering if any of you had a comfort item when you were little, and if you did, did it have a name or did you do anything interesting with it?

[Mae Martin]

Oh, the little chuckle after interesting. Yeah. Did you have. We've talked about Stuffed animals a bit.

[Tig Notaro]

Right. Yeah. I had a monkey named Zip and I handed it down to Max and Finn, who cared nothing about Zip. And it was so shocking to me because it just. I would assume it was like the greatest gift I could give anybody. Yeah. And they. And it just is lying around in their other pile of stuffed animals that they feel neutral about.

[Mae Martin]

Really? Are they.

[Tig Notaro]

Yeah.

[Mae Martin]

Are they not into any stuffed animals or just they wanted their own? They were like, what is this old second

[Tig Notaro]

monkey. No fins into his elephant. And Max has a lamb, but he's not as attached. And when I go in to say goodnight, I'll say, do you still care about Lammy? And he's like, yeah. And then I'll just grab it. But Zip was hardcore for me. Like, we went on a family vacation, left the house. I don't know how far out we were, and I was like, I forgot Zip. And so we had to turn around and get Zip. Like, there's no world I could have ever, ever made it through that trip without Zip.

[Mae Martin]

I'm really glad they turned around for you.

[Tig Notaro]

Yeah. Yeah. What about you?

[Mae Martin]

I had so many stuffed animals that I was deeply attached to and because my, you know, my dad is a strange puppet maker, like, he would bring them all to life and stuff. So. Owl. Owl is the oldest one that I. That I still have and live with. And it's an owl that. I swear I have a memory of my dad making it fly above my crib, like when I was a baby, like. Like that. And then.

[Tig Notaro]

Yeah.

[Mae Martin]

Yeah. A lot of stuffed animals. A lot of them. I. And I don't know if this is, like, unwell, but he. My dad has a lot of them by his bed still. Like, he. He has them in Toronto and he's got like, Donut the Bear, Amanda Panda, Beanie Bunny and Kitty White all next to his bed.

[Tig Notaro]

And you're saying quite possibly your father's unwell?

[Mae Martin]

Well, it's. He. He lives in a pretty mystical world. No, he's definitely not unwell, but he has a rich fantasy life and imagination. I don't know what he gets up to because his bedroom is also his puppet studio now, so.

[Tig Notaro]

And does. I mean, this is very personal, but does your mother share the bedroom with him?

[Mae Martin]

No, they have separate rooms.

[Tig Notaro]

Okay.

[Mae Martin]

But they've assured me that they are intimate with each other. I didn't ask, but they told me that because they don't want me to worry that they're in separate rooms. But, you know, and they ask that

[Tig Notaro]

you share with me the handsome Podcasts. They are still intimate.

[Mae Martin]

Oh, God. Yeah. But, yeah, so stuffed animals, I guess. I didn't. I was never like, you know, people have a blanket, like a blankie. I never.

[Tig Notaro]

Yeah, I didn't either. I had cigarettes and a monkey. Should we listen to Kate's response?

[Mae Martin]

Yeah.

[Kate]

My answer is that I had a pillow comfort item when I was little. Its name was Stinky. And I used to smell it around the clock and also crease its satin and strum it like a guitar and also pick feathers from it because it was a feather pillow. I liked all those little sensory things. All right, Handsomes, your best.

[Mae Martin]

Thanks, Kate.

[Tig Notaro]

Yeah. Stinky the pillow. Huh?

[Mae Martin]

Stinky the pillow. Pulling feathers out of old Stinky. Oh, my God.

[Tig Notaro]

Where do you think. What picture Stink. Stinky is in a landfill right now? Let's just be honest.

[Mae Martin]

It's likely, but maybe.

[Tig Notaro]

Yeah, maybe. No, no. Kate would have mentioned if Stinky the pillow and. And pulling out that many feathers, there's just no way.

[Mae Martin]

You're right. And that's the kind of thing that if you try to gift that to your kids, they're like, oh.

[Tig Notaro]

Oh, my gosh. It is a weird thing I did not know about because I, again, gifted my kids T shirts from when I played soccer for them to wear. Yeah, yeah. But then they wear them. They grow out of them, and then I. And then I've left. I. This just happened in the house where it was like. It was all returned to me, like, we've grown out of this. And it's like, oh, my God, there's no one to give it to now, so I just have to throw it away. Like, not throw it away, but, like, go. You know what? I'll start an ebay store, and I'll sign my childhood soccer jersey and retire on that.

[Mae Martin]

But what if they have kids one day? They gotta keep them. But you can't expect them to keep them now until they have kids.

[Tig Notaro]

Yeah, it's like, how long do you hold on to these old soccer T shirts anyway? Well, that was a fun episode. Good to see you, and thanks for listening. Make sure to submit your questions and advice requests to speakpipe.com handsomepod and actually,

[Mae Martin]

tonight, I'm in Vegas. If you live in Vegas, there's still tickets left. There's two shows, 7pm and 10pm I'm desperate for you to be there and go to maymartin.net for the other tour dates.

[Tig Notaro]

Okay, well, until next time, keep it pretty.

[Fortune Feimster]

Handsome Handsome is hosted by me, Fortune Feimster, Tig Notaro, and Mae Martin. The show is produced, recorded and edited by Thomas Woulette. Email [e-mail] and follow us on social media. Ansomepod what a podcast.

[Mae Martin]

What a podcast.

[Tig Notaro]

That was a headgum podcast. Checking Allstate first could save you hundreds on car insurance. The that's smart. Not checking your new smart thermostat before going to bed. That's a sticky situation. For some reason, it programmed itself to heat the house to 90 degrees right at midnight.

[Fortune Feimster]

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