Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out — Episode 182

Guest: Fred Armisen
Date: August 25, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, comedian, musician, and actor Fred Armisen returns to "Working It Out" with host Mike Birbiglia. The two friends riff, reminisce, and “work out” new material, mixing discussions of punk rock, creative process, SNL, impressions, music nerdery, and the experience of being misunderstood. They analyze comedic choices, collaborate on new bits, and share plenty of insight for fans, comics, and creators.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Portlandia Origin Story & Punk Rock Roots

• Portlandia's anarchic, rules-breaking sensibility stems from Fred's punk band days.
  • “A lot of the basis of [punk rock] is like, what if we didn’t follow the rules of anything?” — Mike (03:14)
  • “It was more like, let’s just see how far this gets.” — Fred (03:35)
• Portlandia began as ThunderAnt, sketches Fred and Carrie Brownstein posted online for fun—no audience expectations, no plan for success (03:52).

SNL Auditions and Impressions

• Fred describes his unconventional SNL audition: blending characters with musicality and impressions (05:56).
  • “I did a self-defense expert, Felicito, a Venezuelan timbali player… Sam Waterston from Law and Order, and Vin Diesel.” — Fred (06:00)
• He demonstrates how he keys in on impressions by glomming onto distinctive flourishes—Birbiglia’s list-making, Nick Kroll’s agent-banter, the varying approaches to stage entrance (07:07–09:14).

The Magic of Collaboration & Creative Surprises

• Fred finds real joy in unexpected input from collaborators:
  • “I love when someone comes up with something that I never did. Didn’t occur to me. And it just haunts me in the moment.” — Fred (12:14)
• The "Californians" SNL sketch began as a simple idea about LA directions; James Anderson's “What if it’s a soap opera?” twist was a breakthrough (12:23–13:49).

Writing & Performing: Navigating Risk and Comfort

• On the nerves of presenting new or untested sketches to friends and cast members at the SNL table read (14:07–15:19).
• Fred’s stage persona is slightly alien–a la David Byrne (“Hi, I’m not from here”)–keeping him fresh even before familiar crowds (10:09).

Advice for Writers and Performers

• On sketch writing:
  “Let go of things you’ve heard before. If you think it sounds like sketch comedy, that might not be good.” — Fred (11:48)
• On musicianship for comedy:
  “All instruments… are supposed to be for fun… screw it.” — Fred (23:11)

Impressions and Stagecraft

• Fred shares tricks for impressions: focus on idiosyncratic habits rather than perfect mimicry (08:09–09:08).
• Deconstructing Birbiglia’s list-joke pattern and subtle on-stage ‘in progress’ energy (07:34–09:14).

Being Misunderstood: Is He Joking?

• Fred lives with the regular confusion over his sincerity:
  • “People have told me they don’t know if I’m joking, and it comes off as insincere.” (26:46)
  • Mike confirms: “That is definitely my experience with you, where I don’t always know.” (27:09)
• They reflect on how this ambiguity can be fun and even illuminating in long-term friendships (27:09–27:42).

Artistic Envy

• On artistic jealousy, Fred admits, “Sometimes, Seth Rogen… He gets to do really cool things.” (28:35)
  • Not jealousy for fame but respect for “complete, well-presented, thought-out” projects.
  • Mike observes this is a recurring theme among comedians—citing Kumail Nanjiani’s similar answer.

Playing Music, the Right Amount of “Skill”

• Fred encourages musicians for comedy not to worry about perfection or virtuosity (23:11–24:03): “Don’t worry about it, really... There’s just so many guitar players who weren’t great, who were such a big part of our lives.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On letting go and success:
  “The principle for me is to let go. The more I wrestled with music, the more we got nowhere.” — Fred (05:19)

• On creative collaboration:
  “For every bit of advice I could give, someone’s gonna have an absolutely brilliant counterexample.” — Fred (11:57)

• On being misunderstood:
  “I always think it’s so obvious. I’m like, this is clear that I’m doing a joke.” — Fred (26:59)

• On the joys and awkwardness of liking obscure music:
  “The taste that I have… is just like this guy from who grew up in New York… I love it so much… I turn to my partner and I’m just like, are you—you like this? Meaning me.” — Fred (39:42)

• On afterlife vs. afterparty:
  “I view afterlife the way I view the afterparty. Not going. If it’s not gonna happen at the party, I’m going home.” — Mike (47:18) “That’s a great tag because it is far. The afterlife is far.” — Fred (48:17)

Timestamps for Highlight Segments

• Portlandia & Punk Approach: 03:03–04:28
• SNL Audition Story: 05:56–06:46
• On Collaborators/Sketch Writing: 12:08–13:49
• On Entering Stages/Impressions: 07:34–09:14
• On Musical Comedy: 22:34–24:03
• Fred’s “Strumming Around the World” Guitar Bit: 20:03–21:54
• Uncertainty Over Sincerity: 26:46–27:42
• Being Jealous of Seth Rogen: 28:35–31:32
• “Afterlife is the afterparty” Bit: 47:17–48:39
• Charity pick (“Letters to Santa”/letterscharity.org): 49:26–50:05

Fresh Material & New Bits (Workshopping)

• Mike’s “we need a husband” joke:
  “In every relationship, one person should understand heating, electricity, and plumbing. We don’t have that… We’re currently seeking a third… We need a husband.” (37:22–38:14)

• Fred’s “museum video room body language” premise:
  Observational, physical comedy about everyone acting unnaturally quiet and reverential when watching art videos at museums (42:09–44:11).

• Mike’s Los Angeles Pool Bit:
  On feeling like the only person who actually swims in LA hotel pools, and alien urban rituals (45:36–46:42).

Quick Hits, Red Flags, and Relationship Talk

• Relationship dealbreaker?
  “Being mean to the waitstaff. Happened to me twice. I remember thinking of it as a deal breaker.” — Fred (33:31)

• Favorite and least favorite things people say about Fred:
  Favorite: his creativity/collaboration; Least favorite: uncertainty if he’s joking (26:46–26:59).

Action & Giving Back

• Featured non-profit:
  letterscharity.org (“Letters to Santa” provides direct assistance to families facing urgent financial hardship in Chicago. Fred’s a longtime supporter.) (49:26–50:05)

Tone & Style

The tone is loose, collegial, gently absurd, and often meta—the two comics analyze themselves and each other, sometimes breaking the fourth wall about the nature of the show, their performance tics, and stand-up mechanics. Patterned “bits” are woven seamlessly with earnest talk.

Final Reflection

A rich, funny, and revealing episode, perfect for artists, writers, and anyone fascinated by how comedians think and create.
Fred’s presence, his playful evasiveness, and his sincere, sometimes ambiguous humor provide depth beyond the laughs. For fans of SNL, Portlandia, punk, or honest comedic process, this is an essential listen.

For Further Exploration

• Fred Armisen: Instagram @sordociego, album 100 Sound Effects (out September 26)
• Mike Birbiglia: birbiglia.com for upcoming shows

“Working It Out”: Conversations where creativity is the punchline—and the process is the point.