Janet McNamara: Smart People Think I'm Smart, Stupid People Think I'm Dumb

Summary

THE GIST – EPISODE SUMMARY
Janet McNamara: Smart People Think I'm Smart, Stupid People Think I'm Dumb
Release Date: May 29, 2026
Host: Mike Pesca
Guest: Janet McNamara

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Episode Overview

In this episode of The Gist, host Mike Pesca sits down with stand-up comic and accountant Janet McNamara—a self-described “spectrumy” individual with a fascinating career trajectory, unexpected brushes with fame, and a neurodivergent outlook that both challenges and delights her audience. The conversation unpacks Janet’s unique relationship to diagnosis and self-understanding, her experiences in the high-pressure world of accounting, her infamous American Idol moment, and her approach to comedy and life as someone who both resists and revels in labels.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Janet’s Career: From Accounting to Comedy (03:38–07:03)

• Janet’s Professional Background

  • Day job as a corporate accountant, not focused on inventory or classic “debits and credits.”
  • “Accounting isn’t math. Accounting is…I’m really good at Excel.” — Janet (05:14)
  • Fell into accounting after burning out in human services work, guided by her mother, also a bookkeeper.
  • Learned quickly through temping: different companies, software, and environments.

• Brush with Fame – American Idol

  • Auditioned for American Idol before comedy; episode went viral in the early viral-video era (07:03–08:40).
  • “People don’t realize how viral that was because that was when one video was viral.” — Janet (08:20)
  • After the show aired, faced job loss and recognition that complicated her professional life.
  • Struggles with being “presentable” to clients post-Air, led to professional setbacks (08:40–09:12).

Navigating Neurodiversity and Misdiagnosis (10:01–11:55, 28:31–30:46)

• Ambiguity of Labels

  • Lifelong belief she was dyslexic—later debunked by neuropsych testing: “You’re not dyslexic. You just have ADD.”
  • “My mom’s been telling me I was dyslexic. I went to a school for dyslexic…But none of my records say I’m dyslexic.” (11:04)
  • Repeated (three times) inconclusive testing for autism; often falls a point or two short of an official diagnosis.

• Adapting to Neurotypical Environments

  • Explains social and workplace struggles, especially with social niceties and chit-chat (“the etiquette of cruising” coworker).
  • “I don’t see the point of asking somebody a question I already know the answer to.” (14:31)
  • Difficulty in taking and giving compliments; literal practice with therapist to manage social expectations (16:52–18:28).
  • The workplace: frustration with cross-talking, lack of clarity, and being misunderstood as “not personable.”

• Desire for Diagnosis

  • Wanted diagnosis for work accommodations amid repeated HR issues, meeting meltdowns, and a need for structure.
  • “I kept getting in trouble at work and I wanted to be like—literally, I can’t deal with these—I’m gonna have a meltdown in a meeting.” (31:02)
  • Encountered ill-informed mental health professionals with outdated views of autism.

The American Idol Aftermath & Social Anxiety (20:29–27:03)

• Viral Notoriety’s Double-Edged Sword

  • Janet leaned into being a “character” for American Idol, fully aware of the production’s manipulations (21:25–22:46).
  • Became uncomfortably conspicuous post-broadcast: “There was this depression level…for 48 hours, strangers were stopping me.” (24:26–25:19)
  • Complicated relationship with public attention: initial excitement then anxiety, panic, and loss of anonymity.

• Mental Health Journey

  • History of family bipolar disorder; gradual transition to psychiatric care post-Idol episode.
  • Negative experiences with psychiatrists—one dismissing the possibility of autism as only for the “smart,” another stating only children can be autistic (28:31–33:09).
  • Ongoing ADD diagnosis; acknowledges jump in reading levels, dismisses its relevance.

The Challenge of Intelligence and Perception (36:01–41:14)

• Who Gets Janet?

  • “Smart people think I’m smart. Dumb people think I’m dumb.” (39:09)
  • Found validation with bosses who recognized her specialized skills, even creating job structures around her strengths/weaknesses: “They ended up getting me an assistant…all the shit that I couldn’t do.” (37:23–37:43)
  • Good at big-picture, systems, puzzles, but struggles with repetitive or low-level tasks.

• On Communication and Frustration

  • Difficulty explaining “obvious” things to others, e.g., Excel functions.
  • “The idea of explaining something to a human, like, drives me…” (40:41)
  • Humor at the intersection of clarity and confusion—turning neurodivergent experiences into comedy.

Stand-Up Process: Turning Life into Jokes (41:45–53:37)

• Material Origin Stories

  • Many jokes come from simply saying things in real life, then noticing audience laughter and keeping them in the act—even if their meaning is unclear to Janet at first.
  • “I honestly never understood why it was funny … and then somebody explained to me.” (43:00)
  • Example: the “corporate whore” bit came from addressing her office-wear, with layers interpreted by others.

• Structure and Style

  • Writes one-liners, then organizes them into themed sets; inspired by Gary Gulman’s “In This Economy” approach (49:52–50:15).
  • Reluctant to force jokes to fit, trusts they’ll “come together” with time. Many jokes remain reserved for open mics if they lack a broader narrative home (51:30–51:39).

• Internet Presence & Comedy Success

  • Scrubbed early viral fame (American Idol) to avoid typecasting and control her post-viral narrative; little online presence for years.
  • “Nobody saw me till I was like 14, 15 years in.” (48:03)
  • Finds that “appearing out of nowhere” helped impress industry insiders.

Janet’s Perspective on Neurodivergence & Labels (58:13–60:57)

• Ambivalence and Acceptance

  • “I think it’s confusing…I’m not super educated…”
  • Finds community through DMs and comments with others who relate—originally received negative online attention, now receives messages of appreciation (60:08–60:25).

• Sabotaging Diagnoses

  • Admits to self-sabotaging assessments due to anxiety about receiving yet another “label… something else wrong with me.” (61:00–61:43)

Social & Cultural Reflections (62:25–64:27)

• Generational Fit and Technology

  • Speculates whether she’d fit better in workplace cultures of the past; concludes tech changed her life, enabling her to thrive.
  • “Without Excel, I couldn’t do [accounting]… They teach you in school the way they did it in the ‘50s and ‘60s. I can’t do…” (63:01)

• On AI and the Future of Work

  • “AI is going to take away accounting… that’s a lot of why I pivoted toward stand-up.” (64:15)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Smart people think I’m smart. Dumb people think I’m dumb.”
  — Janet McNamara (39:09)

• “I don’t see the point of asking somebody a question I already know the answer to.”
  — Janet McNamara (14:31)

• “I just say thank you. Thank you. I just say thank you.”
  — Janet McNamara, on handling compliments (18:43)

• “There was this depression level…strangers were stopping me…for 48 hours, strangers were stopping me…After 72 hours, nobody gave a damn about me.”
  — Janet McNamara (24:29–25:21)

• “I’ve been tested for autism three times. I keep getting retested every five years. I keep getting retested because people keep asking me.”
  — Janet McNamara (29:08)

• “The older I get…when people think I’m dumb, I almost don’t think they’re smart…because they can’t understand what I’m saying.”
  — Janet McNamara (36:01)

• “I could do all the high-end stuff but…the lower end, like filling out the timesheet? I just couldn’t bring myself to do the same repetitive task.”
  — Janet McNamara (37:43)

• “I can talk about Excel for, like, two hours.”
  — Janet McNamara (41:14)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:38 – Janet on accounting skills and falling into the profession
• 07:03 – The American Idol experience and its fallout
• 14:31 – Dissecting workplace small talk & social norms
• 16:52 – Coping with compliments and social interactions
• 20:29 – Post-viral notoriety and the consequences
• 28:31 – Trying (and failing) to get properly diagnosed
• 31:02 – Workplace accommodations and meltdowns
• 36:01 – How Janet evaluates intelligence—others and herself
• 39:09 – “Smart people think I’m smart…”
• 43:00 – Joke origins: “corporate whore” and audience interpretations
• 49:52 – Comedy structure inspired by Gary Gulman
• 58:13 – What neurodivergence means to Janet
• 61:00 – Sabotaging diagnoses; fatigue with new “labels”
• 62:25 – Would she prefer working in an earlier era?
• 64:15 – Thoughts on AI and why she chose to pursue comedy

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Tone & Language

The episode’s tone is frank, self-aware, and laced with dry humor. Janet is straightforward, analytical about her own limitations and strengths, and wry about the absurdities of diagnosis, social norms, and fame. Pesca matches her candor with gentle curiosity, exploring Janet’s worldview both as a comic and neurodivergent individual.

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Conclusion

This intimate, refreshingly honest episode offers an inside look at what it’s like to navigate work and society a little bit “off script”—by necessity and by design. It’s especially valuable for listeners seeking nuanced conversation around comedy, neurodiversity, and the blurry line between funny and strange. Janet McNamara makes the case that sometimes the best punchline is simply being oneself—warts, quirks, diagnoses, and all.

Transcript

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[Mike Pesca]

It's Friday, May 29, 2026 from Peach Fish Productions. It's the gist. I'm Mike Pesca. Today is a Funny youy Should Mention day and I have a fascinating character for you to meet. Funny too. Janet McNamara has been tested many, many, many times for having autism. She usually falls one or two questions short and we'll get into it all. She is, I think she says explicitly, yes, this is right, spectrumy. When you meet her she wears a vest and when she was a child she wore a life preserver. For many years straight she is always wearing a vest. She has this great insight about how stupid people think she's stupid, but the smart know she's smart and I came away with that opinion. I have to say talking to Janet, whose comedy is great and unexpected but unexpectedly for me, not always why she thinks it's funny though. She's smart enough to know if the audience tells her something is funny then it is funny. But it's just interesting to me to talk to a person who is a self diagnosed and really should be diagnosed person who is neurodivergent, a category that she finds useful just to ask all the questions you ever wanted to ask how it helps your comedy, but because when you ask someone about their comedy you really ask them how they see the world. So to ask a neurodivergent person many, many questions about how they see the world, how they process the world, how they communicate that to others, not under the guise of with the assignment Tell me about your comedy was very interesting. A gift if you will. Very, very special. I enjoyed and got a lot out of this conversation with Janet McNamara, who I hope you will find for your own sake to be quite intelligent and of course funny.

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[Mike Pesca]

not always clear who to ask. Even in 2026. Enter how to the longstanding advice show and Ambie Award nominated personal growth podcast that's back with new episodes and A new host. And that host. Here's the reveal. It's me, Mike Pesca. Each week I tackle a listener question ranging from travel to finance to relationships and beyond, with help from world class experts who actually know what they're talking about. Think of it as eavesdropping on someone else's therapy session without the copay or awkward silence. No question is too big or too specific. Some topics, how to protect the elderly from scammers, how to take psychedelics therapeutically, and of course, how to emigrate to the Netherlands as a throuple. You've got questions, we'll find the answers. So follow how to with Mike Pesca on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Janet McNamara]

I'm an accountant. That's my day job. I'm an accountant. Yeah. That's why I'm just like a. Right now they call it the autism spectrum because Asperger's. Who was a Nazi? Yeah, he was a Nazi. Yeah. Yeah. Do you know that?

[SoFi Advertiser]

No.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. Read a book.

[Mike Pesca]

Janet McNamara is not smart enough though. She is. She is. That's just the name of her special, which is I don't know if It's Blowing Up. I think it's doing really well. I will tell you, from an artistic standpoint point, it is excellent. This is of course funny you should mention where we talk to comedians about the ideas behind the jokes and Janet's brimming with ideas. Thanks for coming in.

[Janet McNamara]

Thank you. Thanks for having me.

[Mike Pesca]

So I know you are an accountant.

[Janet McNamara]

Yes.

[Mike Pesca]

Are you a Philo or FIFO fan?

[Janet McNamara]

I actually, I don't do inventory.

[Mike Pesca]

Damn.

[Janet McNamara]

No, I'm a corporate accountant.

[Mike Pesca]

So you say that when you say you're an accountant. No one wants to talk about it, but I have some accounting questions.

[Janet McNamara]

You do?

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

Okay.

[Mike Pesca]

Well, I just like the different. I just like, you know the difference between credit and debit. And I just, you know, depending on.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. Credit and debit's confusing because the deposit is a debit.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes. I guess a lot of people know that because in their own bank account it says credit or debit. But it's interesting on a corporate level.

[Janet McNamara]

On your bank, a credit is a deposit.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Janet McNamara]

But in accounting, a deposit is a debit.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

So it's, it's just like, it's this mind.

[Mike Pesca]

And your mind was made for that.

[Janet McNamara]

No, it took. It took. It took effort.

[Mike Pesca]

Uh huh. Were you a math person going in?

[Janet McNamara]

No.

[Mike Pesca]

No. Wait, so then why'd you go in? Because you were very much not a verbal person.

[Janet McNamara]

No, I'm Not. I'm not an anything person. I was, like, probably in the bottom. I was really low on the sat. Accounting isn't math. Accounting is. I'm really good at Excel.

[Mike Pesca]

Okay.

[Janet McNamara]

So I'm really good at computer programs, so I can learn a computer program like that.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Janet McNamara]

And then I just. You know, I started. I was. I was. I started from beginning. From the very bottom, and then I worked up.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah, just like that Drake song.

[Janet McNamara]

Exactly. I kind of started from the beginning. I don't have a. I, like, majored in, like. I majored in, like, human services, which is a major nobody's ever heard of. It's kind of like psychology. And then I went to grad school. I got a business degree, but then I was really bad. Like, I was bad at the accounting classes, so I ended up getting just a generalized business degree.

[Mike Pesca]

General. From where?

[Janet McNamara]

Suffolk.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

So my mba and then I kind of just fell into, like, an accounts payable position.

[Mike Pesca]

You did your MBA before you were even working or while you were working?

[Janet McNamara]

I was, like, doing bookkeeping for this, like, rent, so my mom's a bookkeeper.

[Mike Pesca]

Okay.

[Janet McNamara]

So my mom. I got burned out of. I was, like, working with kids, and I got burned out after, like, a year or two of doing, like, people shit.

[Mike Pesca]

It's the people.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. And then. And then my mom got me, like, a bookkeeping position in, like, a small plumbing company. And then I was, like. I was making, like, twice as much money as I was doing the people shit. And then from there, I, like, became, like, a professional temp, and I started temping, doing, like, accounts payable. And then I did some GL work. And then American Idol. I auditioned for American Idol.

[Mike Pesca]

I know about this because this, now, this, which.

[Janet McNamara]

That put, like, a whole dent in my whole career.

[Mike Pesca]

Oh, it did.

[Janet McNamara]

Oh, yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

Right now you're going through your second huge brush with fame. And I don't know if you'll ever get to the first one just in terms of, you know, sheer tonnage of initial impression.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. So it, like, it messed up my career in that. Like, I was like.

[Mike Pesca]

I was working for this, not your comedy career.

[Janet McNamara]

This was before comedy.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

So I did American Idol before I did comedy. I just did American Idol just because it. I thought it would be fun. Like, it was just, like.

[Mike Pesca]

It was fun.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. And then it was like, I was working for this company that. It was, like, your temp, but they marketed us like we're CPAs, even though I wasn't a CPA. So it was like, you were hired by the company. And then you had clients.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

And basically I told them about American Idol. Like, I took the day off. I auditioned. I told them about American Idol. I told them it was gonna air.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Janet McNamara]

I don't think they realized that I was gonna be batshit.

[Mike Pesca]

Well, this is the thing you could have told them, like, oh, I didn't know that she sang, and you kind of don't.

[Janet McNamara]

I told them. I was like, I need you to be prepared. And. And then I ended up. I was on the commercials.

[Mike Pesca]

Right. And then my wife, the very first auditionee, the first person to try on the show of season nine, which was the season after Paula left. It's like, everyone's watching.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. People.

[Mike Pesca]

Here's Janet bouncing off the wall.

[Janet McNamara]

People don't realize how viral that was because that was when one video was viral. Like, it wasn't like, now where thousands of videos are viral at the same time. Like, yeah, that was the one video that people kept.

[Mike Pesca]

There was maybe a YouTube, and if they surfaced it. Everyone watched it.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

This was the biggest show in America at a time when it, you know, the biggest show in America meant some.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. So anyway, after the show where they were like, you can't. Like, they freaked out. It, like, went all the way up, and they basically were like, we can't present you to clients.

[Mike Pesca]

Oh.

[Janet McNamara]

Like, I was getting. Like, I was on the train. Like, people recognizing me on the train. Like, I walked into the. Like, people were like, it. Like. Because it was the Boston episode, too. And then I, like, lost that job. But then they brought me back on because some of the clients were like, like, jen's in the middle of a project. Like, we kind of need her to finish.

[Mike Pesca]

Oh, you were actually good at your job.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, they, like, they, like, let me go, and then they brought me back.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

But they brought me back as, like, part time, hourly, like, this, like, bullshit situation.

[Mike Pesca]

But do you think the temp agency was correct in assessing that it would be a bad reflection on them or were they overly

[Janet McNamara]

well? So then it took me a long time to get a job because I would walk into a job interview, and they were like, I know, like, you're from American Idol. Because, like, on the American Idol, like an idiot, I told them, like, it says, Janet McMahon, accountant, Somerville. So, like, anybody who's in accounting is like, oh, this is an accountant. So, like.

[Mike Pesca]

But wasn't the first question they were going to ask you. I hear you're an accountant and you're dyslexic.

[Janet McNamara]

That was supposed to be the first question. Oh, how do you. I didn't even know you knew that. I knew that that was the first.

[Mike Pesca]

That that's why Victoria Beckham gave me her notes, is how I know that.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. Yeah, Victoria. So, like, the two storylines they were going to do on me was either, like, this is like, she has this, like. Which I did. I had this, like, day job where I wore a suit every day, and I was like, very, boom, to the point. And then I'm this, like, crazy person, which was just kind of a character I did.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Janet McNamara]

But that was this one storyline. And the story, one line was like, oh, it's so goofy because she's an accountant, but, like, she's dyslexic. And the reason why I get away with being dyslexic is I'm really good at Excel, so I can automate it. I automate everything.

[Mike Pesca]

But dyslexic can be in an orphan. Are great with numbers.

[Janet McNamara]

Agreed. Yeah. Like, I can add numbers. Like, I'm this. Like, I'm either really good at things or terrible.

[Mike Pesca]

Well, there's. There's a lot of research that people with dyslexia and other disorders. I don't want to use the wrong word like that often. So overcompensate. I'm thinking Daredevil, who's blind but is a superhero. No, but, like, there are so many great actors who are dyslexic because they're so good at memorizing lines, they can't read it and memorize it.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, I'm also. I don't. I don't even know if I'm dyslexic, to be honest. That was like another whole. That was like another whole thing where they were like, you're not dyslexic. Like, they ended up going, I thought I was dyslexic my whole life. And then I took, like, a neuro psych, and they're like, you're not dyslexic. And also, we went through all of your records, and it doesn't say anywhere that you're dyslexic. And I was like, my mom's been telling me I was dyslexic. I went to a. I went to a dyslexic school. I went to a school for dyslexic.

[Mike Pesca]

But they didn't tell you that at the time?

[Janet McNamara]

No, no.

[Mike Pesca]

Like, I thought it was a nice, small school.

[Janet McNamara]

They just kept telling me I was. No, no. I went to this, like, summer school. It was called, like, Landmark Academy. And it's all kids with dyslexia.

[SoFi Advertiser]

Oh.

[Janet McNamara]

And you can't even get into the school if you don't have dyslexia. But none of my records say I'm dyslexic.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

And then this guy who did the neuropsych was like, yeah, you're not dyslexic. You just have add, so, like, you're not interested in reading, so therefore you can't read.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah. I think the entire evaluation apparatus industrial complex has failed you pretty much.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, I've. Yeah. Yeah. But anyways, I couldn't get a job after the American Idol thing, so I was a professional temp for a long time.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

Which, like, worked really well for me in the long term, because I did. I worked for all these companies, so I learned, like, 30 different softwares and companies, and I learned how to, like, I learned how to learn really fast.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Janet McNamara]

Because as a temp, they'll fire you on the second day like that. And it's not even personal.

[Mike Pesca]

So attempts.

[Janet McNamara]

Right, Exactly. The point of attempt.

[Mike Pesca]

Although they got mad at you or someone at your later job got upset with you because you weren't personable enough.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. That's the story of my life.

[Mike Pesca]

I'm not finding that, by the way.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. Thank you. I'm very personable. As long as you don't, like. As long as it's, like, somewhat interesting.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Janet McNamara]

I'm like. I'm personable. It depends. It's like, if I'm trying to, like, do. If I'm focused on something, I don't want to talk to you.

[Mike Pesca]

You think people would want workers like that?

[Janet McNamara]

I grew like. I literally. I was just thinking about this yesterday. There's this lady that I used to work with who would, like, just ramble about being on cruises, like.

[Mike Pesca]

Oh, I'll stop you. That is a fascinating topic of, like,

[Janet McNamara]

all the etiquette of, like, how she's, like, she went on a cruise every year. It was just like, the etiquette of, like, cruising and.

[Mike Pesca]

Not that. Not the fun kind.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. It was like the etiquette of, like, putting, like, taking a pool. It was just like, the etiquette of, like, how she says. And, like, she would just go on about, like, cruising. And there was one point, like, I would, like, just ask her a question, and she would snap at me, like, I was being, like, rude. And I'm like. And my boss even said to me at one point, like, you should ask her about the cruising thing. And I was like, I think I'm allowed to interrupt, like, a Personal conversation. To ask a work question. I don't think that's rude.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah. And also you should ask her about the cruising thing. Except you're going to get an earful of that. And how is that good for you or the business?

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, yeah, that, too. I also know everything about. I know everything there is to know about cruising because I sit next to her.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

Like, there's. I have no. I have no authentic questions to ask her about cruising.

[Mike Pesca]

Well, I think maybe you are personable, except in this kind of corporate, demanding. How was your weekend? Social niceties? Yeah, I don't really see the point of social nice and cities.

[Janet McNamara]

I don't.

[Mike Pesca]

And you might be right.

[Janet McNamara]

I don't see the point of asking somebody a question I already know the answer to.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

I'm not going to ask you how you are. You're doing great. The traffic sucked. Like, I don't give a fuck.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

So I want to go back to American Idol. What was your conception there of what you were going to do and try to do? So people should know. How would you rate yourself as a singer? As an actual singer?

[Janet McNamara]

Oh, I'm pretty bad.

[Mike Pesca]

Okay.

[Janet McNamara]

So, yeah, I'm like. It was one of those things that was like, I'm by far. So my entire family, like, we have. My family can't sing. Like, we're just not musical people. And it was one of those things that, like, my friends would always be like, you should audition for American Idol. Because American Idol was like, the show.

[Mike Pesca]

Oh, yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

And the bad people were like, the thing.

[Mike Pesca]

The bad people, they used to make fun of people.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. So people said it for years, and

[Mike Pesca]

then you were so bad that they said, you know what you should audition for. Yeah. You've, like, reached the point of. Or gone past the point of, I'm not enjoying your singing or you really need to admit this. Like, you're in that special realm of this. That American Idol might reach out and pluck you from that.

[Janet McNamara]

Oh, they didn't reach out. I auditioned.

[Mike Pesca]

No, I know. But they might appreciate how bad you are.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, exactly. Like, I was. I was pretty bad, and I wasn't embarrassed about it.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Janet McNamara]

Like, I thought. I thought it was funny that I was so bad.

[Mike Pesca]

You get embarrassed about things.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, I get, like, My embarrassment level is so. I have a. My embarrassment level is like, I get embarrassed about the dumbest things. Like, I won't. My hair. Like, I won't make a. I get. If you mentioned that I got a haircut. It's humiliating.

[Mike Pesca]

Humiliating.

[Janet McNamara]

It's humiliating.

[Mike Pesca]

What's it. What goes through your mind? It's an analogous gift to what, like pointing out you got some sort of surgery or.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, I don't even. Yeah, it's not Like, I don't even know what's. So there's something humiliating to me about somebody knowing that I got a haircut. Like, I literally. Like, I. I won't let them cut more than, like. Like, if I'm trying to, like, cut my hair shorter, I'll go three times and have them cut, like, half an inch every time. And that. That was another issue. Like, my boss had mentioned that, like, I was the only person that didn't mention a haircut. And I was like, I would be humiliate. Like, I would be mortified if I cut my hair short. And people like, oh, I can't think of anything. It's mortifying to me.

[Mike Pesca]

Are you bad at taking compliments in general? I'm terrible, yes. What about. For your comment?

[Janet McNamara]

It's practiced.

[Mike Pesca]

Are there some things that you could take a compliment about?

[Janet McNamara]

I'm better at compliments.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

I used to literally walk away if somebody complimented me. I'd say, thank you and then walk away. And then it became an issue because people would be like, janet's rude. And it's just kind of one of those, like, I. Yeah, it's that thost. And, like, don't try to be better than you are kind of situation.

[Mike Pesca]

That is true.

[Janet McNamara]

So I find I practice, like, literally, like, my therapist would. Like, I, like, literally practice back and forth, except in. I'm not good at giving or taking on.

[Mike Pesca]

What is she open with? What's a good. If I were to be like.

[Janet McNamara]

She'll say, like, I like your glasses.

[Mike Pesca]

Okay. Something very benign.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

Then you'll have to.

[Janet McNamara]

And then I have to say, like, thank you. I bought these at Target.

[Mike Pesca]

Now you're in the middle of a conversation. It's almost as bad as cruises.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. I don't. I bomb every. Like, I bomb. But I just. Like, the big improvement I made is that I'm. I. Most of the time, don't walk away anymore.

[Mike Pesca]

Okay.

[Janet McNamara]

I. Most of the time, we'll just say thank you until it's over. And then. Yeah. Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

Now when you do this, do you understand, or is it more like, all right, this is a concession to, quote, unquote, normal interaction, and it's not too painful for me to give into it.

[Janet McNamara]

I think the compliment thing, it's like, I appreciate compliments. Like, they feel good. I like. Like, I like when people compliment me. It's the. I don't know what to say after part.

[Mike Pesca]

Okay.

[Janet McNamara]

It's the. It's the. Like, I don't want to agree with them because then, like, who do you think you are?

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah, a lot of people are in that position. I mean, they're very. People are very bad at taking compliment. They deflect.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

Just saying thank you usually works.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, that's. That's the only thank you. Thank you. I just say thank you.

[Mike Pesca]

Thank you right back at you.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

But then if they don't have glasses.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

I assume the contacts are working well.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, it's hard because it's like, a lot of the times it's like, I have nothing to compliment you about.

[Mike Pesca]

Don't say that. And I would. I, too, would compliment you if anything came to mind.

[Janet McNamara]

That. That. That. That's the part about, like, the deflection. Like, the, like, thank you. And then you're supposed to compliment them. And I literally can never, like, I. I don't want to talk about somebody's. I don't want to, like, mention somebody's appearance. Like, so I, like, I don't know you. I didn't watch your act. Like, I didn't. Like, I don't. I don't know what to say. Like, yeah, it's like, I don't know what to.

[Mike Pesca]

What about this. This act? You've been working on it for 15 years. It's the culmination of 15 years worth of comedy. And if someone says, it's great, it's amazing, or just like, oh, yeah, I laughed a lot. Is that different from something about your glasses?

[Janet McNamara]

Definitely. But I'll just. I do, like, the thank you thing. I've gotten. I have, like, It's. I've improved. Like, anybody who says I'm bad now has no idea where I was a year ago.

[Mike Pesca]

Okay.

[Janet McNamara]

I have improved, but I just do the, like.

[Mike Pesca]

So I do want to go back. Not because it's the most fascinating or defining thing about you. There were just one or two American Idol questions lingering in the air, which is. So this was a time when they would put on kind of ridiculous people and everyone would have a laugh over it. Do you think they were exploiting those people, you being one of them?

[SoFi Advertiser]

Do what you want, but you're never gonna break me.

[Janet McNamara]

Sticks and stones.

[Mike Pesca]

You're never gonna shake me up. Real life.

[Janet McNamara]

And this character is going to give you a resounding no after one of them. I. So it's. I was like. I don't know if it was a manic Episode at the time. So it was like I went in. It was a combination. It was three months. So it was like the first audition was like eight hours in the cold. And you. I basically, like, I. I, like, had waited so long that I was like, the only way I'm going to be upset with myself is if I don't go all out. Like, if I don't just belt this song. Like, if I kind of like shy away from it. So I. I just, like, I was just like, the only way I'm going to be disappointed is if I didn't. It's like when you're playing sports and you're like, why didn't I die for that? Like, if you dove and you missed it, you're not upset, right? But if you didn't dive, then you. So it was one of those. And anyways, I belted the song and. And then it's like, everybody wants to talk to you about it. Like, it was like the story that all my friends wanted to talk about. And then it was like I was. I was.

[Mike Pesca]

Before it got. It was on tv before it was

[Janet McNamara]

on tv, and I just kept talking about it.

[Mike Pesca]

That was your social currency for.

[Janet McNamara]

It was my social currency for like a month or two. And then the audition happened, and the audition was like, I'd, like, been. I didn't know how to like, workshop a joke. Like, this is before comedy, but I kind of. By talking to people. Like, I planned the Paula thing, like calling Victoria Beckham Paula. That was something that I, like, planned on doing. Like, I planned on, like, a lot of the things that happened on air. I had like, pre thought of. Yes, I pre thought of doing them and then doing those show. Like, I didn't. Reality, it's like, it's like doing improv, except the scene is about you and it's a really good scene partner. Like, they were like, kind of feeding me the lines, right? And that day of the. The actual audition that aired, it was eight hours. So I had sat in podcasts like this except for like two hours, like three or four times. Like, I had. They had talked to me as if I was the most interesting person in the. On the planet. And I. They, like, help you get into. Like, they don't want to know that you're playing a character, so they help you be into character. Like, like, they would be like, are you excited? Like, I'm excited, but, like, are you excited? And like, you know that they're trying to get you. And I just kind of. I knew that they were Manipulating me. And I played into it. So it was part me on me.

[Mike Pesca]

But did you have a comedy career then? Was this.

[Janet McNamara]

No, this was.

[Mike Pesca]

This was just a goof for your friend.

[Janet McNamara]

This was literally, like, to tell a story. I thought that, like, I didn't understand how viral worked. I thought I was, like, I thought it was gonna be. I didn't. Like, I thought that these people on tv, because the people I see on tv, at least I see him for three seconds, and I never think about them again. And my whole thing was, like, I was gonna have a party. I was gonna have a viewing, watching party. People are gonna watch me. Like, my, like, people. And then. But I didn't realize that, like, strangers would watch. I didn't realize that people would Google me. I didn't realize people would find out where I worked. Like, I didn't know. Well, that's sick that people are insane.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah. Did it really affect your life poorly?

[Janet McNamara]

It didn't. Like, I'm not. I don't regret that I did it. If it's the highlight of my life, I'm happy. Like, it's probably the funniest thing I'll ever do, and I'm okay with that being the best day. That day the show aired was incredible.

[Mike Pesca]

Okay.

[Janet McNamara]

It was just like, I had a party. Like, my mom was proud of me. It was just this thing, but then was like, my mom. This is, like, my mom being insane. My mom sent out a Christmas letter that year saying, like, janet's gonna be on American Idol. Like, make sure, like, you watch. And I was like, mom, you have to tell I'm gonna be bad. Like, you have a mother does not say that their daughter is bad. I was like, mom, you. So, like, my mom wrote this, like, Christmas card to everybody saying, like, basically saying, like, I'm really proud of Janet. Like, she is gonna be on American Idol this season. And then I guess, like, she. She lives in, like, a small town, and. Well, she had just moved to a small town, and, like, people wouldn't look at her. Like, people weren't making eye contact. Like, people were, like, literally avoiding her. Because they.

[Mike Pesca]

Because my mom was telling that you were good.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. Because, yeah, they didn't. Like, my mom didn't tell anybody that I was gonna. That it was an act and I was gonna be bad. So then everybody. So, like, stuff like that happened, and it was like, there was this depression level in that. For 48 hours, strangers were stopping me. Like, it was this anxiety provoking. It was so anxiety provoking. That was like, I Constantly thought people were looking at me when maybe they weren't. Maybe they were. I didn't know. And then after, like, 72 hours, nobody gave a. About me. Yeah, like, people were sick of me talking about it. Like, after the show aired, it was like you were a fallen idol. And I couldn't stop talking. Yeah. Like, because for months, like. Like, I couldn't stop talking about myself. So that. That was a. That was a lot of, like, depression part. Was that, like, it was this, like, super viral thing. And then so quickly.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Janet McNamara]

Nobody gave a damn.

[Mike Pesca]

So two observations. One, you're very good at snapping to. You said, you know, you had manic episodes, but that's. Those were real. Now, did you know you were prone to them back then?

[Janet McNamara]

So like, my dad, my grandma, like, bipolar is in my family.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Janet McNamara]

And then they had, like, kind of mentioned, like, my pcp, had kind of talked about it. And then after American Idol, I, like, I was, like, having panic attacks and stuff just from, like, it's. It's like, it's like. I don't know if it's even real or fake paranoia that people are looking at you.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Janet McNamara]

It's like you constantly think people are looking at you. Maybe they are, maybe they're not. It was like I was, like, paranoid and anxious and, like, I just lost my job. And, like, I had. I was. I had started anxiety medication when I was, like, 22. And this is when I was, like, 26. And then my PCP was like, I can't see you anymore. Like, you have to go to a psychiatrist.

[Mike Pesca]

Okay. So that was an inciting incident that got you to graduate from.

[Janet McNamara]

From the PCP to a psychiatrist.

[Mike Pesca]

Okay.

[Janet McNamara]

And that. Yeah, it was the. When the American Idol. Because I think she knew, like, I think she watched American Idol and then was like, this American Idol person is in my fucking office.

[Mike Pesca]

It must have been weird for her to diagnose you on tv. Like, wait a minute.

[Janet McNamara]

She basically was like, I was presenting as. Yeah, she basically said, like, this is above, like, my expertise. And then she was like, I'll fill what you have, but I'm not going to give you anything. In addition, and they took away, like, my Klonopin at the time, too, which was, like, huge. Or they had taken away my Klonopin like, a couple years before that, which I didn't really need. But then at this point, I was, like, freaking out.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Janet McNamara]

And then. And then I ended up, like, I had. I had really shitty healthcare because I was like, I was working for a temp Agency. So I had Athena. Not Athena. I think it was like, it was some cigna hell. Whatever it was, was like, I ended up in this psychiatry office. It was like this old man was in his house, and he kept. Like, he was like, smelled and like. I forget how the autism thing came out. I think somebody on the Internet said I was autistic or. Oh, somebody on the Internet said I was autistic or something. And I present dumb, even though I'm not dumb. And he. It was like, he was, like, upset. And I was on Zoloft at the time, and he. He was like. He kept. He was obsessed with, like, me. Like, I don't really have sex. And he was obsessed. He was like, what do you mean you don't have a sex drive? Like, you don't masturbate? And I was like, no. And like, we kept. Like, he. It kept going back to, like, masturbating. And he was like. Like, he, like, really wanted me to get off so loft. And I was like, I kind of like not caring. Like, I kind of like this side effect. And then I asked him, like, at third or fourth session, I was like, people keep. Like, is this, like, a thing? And he just. He was just like, no, is what a thing is? Like, am I. Like, is. Am I Asperger's?

[Mike Pesca]

Okay.

[Janet McNamara]

Back when the Internet says I'm Asperger's. And then he was. And that's when he was like, no, people with Asperger's generally have a bad. He said, like, people with Asperger's generally have above average. Average IQs. But he said it, like, in that Irish way of like, do you think you're smart enough to have that?

[Mike Pesca]

Another challenge? Yeah, you wish. Asperger's.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. Like, he said it in that, like, Irish way, Irish Catholic way of being like, oh, so you think you're smart? Like, like, that's the way he said it. And I was like, oh, okay. And then how'd you take.

[Mike Pesca]

Did you rebut that? Did you like, wait, I am smarter or is like, well, you must be, right? You're a guy.

[Janet McNamara]

I took it on the chin. Yeah, I took it on the chin. It was. Yeah. Here's a fun thing about me. I've been tested for autism three times. I keep getting retested every five years. Yeah, I keep getting retested because people keep asking me. And then the comedy had started, like, somewhere around. I think I was doing comedy at this point.

[Mike Pesca]

Like, if not, that's a great joke. I mean, that's your Own.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, that was, yeah, that was like I would. Yeah, that was like I wrote that joke like almost. That was like one of my first jokes.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

Was obviously it wasn't tight. Like it was probably like a three minute story at the time. But yeah, that was like one of my first jokes was you have to have an above average iq. So it's one of those things. I've been telling that story. I've been saying it that exact way for so long, I don't remember what actually happened.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Janet McNamara]

Because I've told that joke so many times that I don't remember the actual.

[Mike Pesca]

But that's how memory works.

[Janet McNamara]

That's how memory works.

[Mike Pesca]

Ruts. There's a new rut.

[Janet McNamara]

But it was like. Yeah, it was this like crazy psychiatrist who said that to me. And then. Yeah, that's that. That was the first. It wasn't really a real assessment. It was just more of a psychiatrist that was like, no, you don't have it.

[Mike Pesca]

And then since then, how many times have you gone back? Because people are like, no, you must have some.

[Janet McNamara]

So I got like the first time I got like an actual like the first neuros. So I've, I've taken maybe 20 neuro psychs in my life. Like as a kid, maybe like 15. I, I, I'm in the process of doing another assessment.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

But I just sent a 250 page like set of records to a ran to a random psychiatrist. Like to somebody, somebody from the Internet was like, I could get you the diagnosis. So I sent him one.

[Mike Pesca]

Why do you want the diagnosis?

[Janet McNamara]

Well, I wanted at the time because at work I wanted accommodations.

[Mike Pesca]

Okay.

[Janet McNamara]

So like I kept getting in trouble at work and I wanted to be like, like, literally like I can't deal with these. Like I'm gonna have a meltdown in a meet. Like because I was having meltdowns. Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

Like it goes from annoying to act.

[Janet McNamara]

I was doing that thing in meetings where I was going like this.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

And it was like uh, where like people like nine people would be talking at the same time and I was melting down. It was coming off as rude or like, like at one point in me I got in trouble. I said at one point in a meeting, like, I don't understand how this is hard.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah. Which is, that's good.

[Janet McNamara]

It wasn't. It really, it honestly it literally was like, oh, it's just it, it was like a 20 minutes. It was, the meeting was about scanning.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

Like we were talking about scanning.

[Mike Pesca]

Like taking like, you know how you

[Janet McNamara]

scan something into a Xerox machine.

[Mike Pesca]

I thought maybe you were using a phrase, an accounting phrase that I wasn't familia. Scanning.

[Janet McNamara]

I literally said in the meeting, I don't understand why I'm better at scanning than anybody else than everybody else.

[Mike Pesca]

It's about centering a picture and pressing a button.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. Like, that was what the meeting was about. That I said, I don't understand how this is hard, but. Yeah, but it was just everybody's cross talking and debating and it was a little bit more complicated than it was. Like, it was a little bit more complicated than scanning. But it was literally the meeting was about scanning.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Janet McNamara]

And. And I'd known the answer for like 25 minutes. And they just kept going. And basically I wanted accommodation so that, like, I stopped getting pulled into HR or like, I stopped having to, like, deal with that stuff. And I just realized that, like. So, like, the first time I got the accommodation was like 10 years ago. The first neuroscient I got was like, 10 years ago. And I had like a wicked bad meltdown at work where I ended up in the hospital. And I was like, I think I'm autistic. And the doctor at the hospital was like, no, you're not autistic because only kids have autism.

[Mike Pesca]

You've had some great doctors.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

Like, the two things we know about autism are smart kids have it.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. She was like, adults don't have autism. It's just kids that have autism. And like, you don't have autistic. You don't have autism. And I was like, pretty insistent that I get the autism test because, like, my friend, like, I was an accountant at the time and, oh, I mean, I was doing comedy at the time and like, my friends were telling me out, whatever. People were like, you're not bipolar, you're autistic. And I was like, I don't know what the I am. And then so I ended up getting this like, neuropsych exam. And I was like, I was like manic at the time. So, like, I wasn't cohe. I wasn't emotionally very good. Like, I was all over the place.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

And basically he said I'm like, super add. Like, I failed that. Like, which I knew I've gotten. I've been diagnosed for ADD like 12

[Mike Pesca]

times, but that keeps coming back. Yes, you have it.

[Janet McNamara]

ADD is the only thing, like, I like every year, all until like my junior year in high school. I took some sort of like, testing and they basically just said, she has like a third grade reading level. She Is like I was a third grade reading level for a long time and then I jumped to like an 8th grade reading level.

[Mike Pesca]

Wow. That's sad because there's a lot of good books for fifth and sixth graders and you never got to read them.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. It was like, I don't. I think that the reading level thing is bullshit because I read fine.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah. And they say like the New York Times, the Boston Globes written.

[Janet McNamara]

It's like a seventh grade reading grade. Yeah. It's like. Yeah. I don't know what. Like I can't read a dinosaur book.

[Mike Pesca]

Like the topic just like the people talking about the cruise. It has to be interesting to you.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, exactly.

[Mike Pesca]

The books aren't interesting to you.

[Janet McNamara]

Exactly. Like the whole philosophy, the idea of spelling something out is impossible to me. Like I can't do it.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Janet McNamara]

Like I literally, I can't spell out a word. Like it makes no sense to me.

[Mike Pesca]

But as you explained in your special, it's not dyslexia. It's just you don't care to meet, I guess the rest of the public where they are, including places like this is an agreed upon spelling of epitome.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. I have some sort of. I don't know what I have. I have. I definitely have some sort of like language processing.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Janet McNamara]

Issue. I definitely. I don't know what it's called. I don't know what it is. It could be. I don't know what it is.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah. But you also say you have a bad memory. Right. And so that's why like this special is. Could be a collection of one liners but it's in this structure.

[Janet McNamara]

So that it has to be in

[Mike Pesca]

that structure so you can remember it. But some of spelling is intuiting the rules, some of spelling just memorizing. If you've seen that epitome or Penelope is another one. Right. You're going to know how to spell it. But then the big thing that I was listening or that I was occurring to me as I listened is you don't care to meet people at their expectation level. I think. And so isn't a lot of what we call intelligence just. I'm going to say this thing so you understand it. Kind of slow myself down.

[Janet McNamara]

It's like the older I get when I was a K really used to bother me when people thought I was dumb.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah. And now you put it on the title of your album.

[Janet McNamara]

I know. And now I literally. I'm like anybody who thinks I'm dumb just. I almost don't think they're Smart? Yeah, because it's like they think I'm dumb. Like they're not. Like they can't understand what I'm saying is why they think I'm dumb is that they're not understood. Like, because I can't, like I can't explain, I can't explain it. Like, you're a five year old.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes. Did you, in your work life, in your accounting life, did you ever have coworkers or even bosses who actually really did get you and thought you were really smart?

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

Okay.

[Janet McNamara]

So like the, for the job I had, I was attempt for a long time and then I worked for this Internet company and I stayed at that Internet company. I was making such little money. I was making. It was unbelievable how little money I was making. But I, they hired me even though I had the American. Like I could not get a job with health insurance and then the house. Like I needed better health insurance because I had this fucking psychiatrist and it was the only psychiatrist, the ultimate guy in the house.

[Mike Pesca]

That guy.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, the guy that I had in the house. So like I, I just wanted a job that had Blue Cross.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

That's all I wanted in life. So I took this. Like it was unbelievably low paying and it was like $20 an hour with a master's degree and. But like the, My boss at the time, he was brilliant.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

And like he would say, like he said to me a couple times, like, it's crazy because you're either really, really good at things or you're unbelievably bad. And they ended up getting, they ended up getting me an assistant. So. Which was great because the assistant was able. All this shit that I couldn't do.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Janet McNamara]

Like, I couldn't do the day to day. Like I could do these like, like big, like month, end, quarter end. Like, like I could do all the like higher end stuff, but the lower end, like filling out the timesheet or. Yeah. Or like it was like daily transaction. Like there was like daily things that you had to do or like the accounts pay. Like I just couldn't, I couldn't. It was just like I. There's something wrong with my brain that I literally just can't type like numbers and I just couldn't bring myself to do the same repetitive task.

[Mike Pesca]

Your assistant getting paid more than 20 an hour?

[Janet McNamara]

No, he was getting, he was getting paid less. He was a smart guy. But. But so like. And it was like they couldn't. Yeah. And then so I, I stayed at that job like way too long. But I also, like, learned I went from, like, way low, where, like, they ended up hiring, like, two people to replace me. Like, I ended. I. I was doing pretty much everything that you would do because I couldn't, Like, I was so bad at the lower end stuff.

[Mike Pesca]

But what about that boss who saw your potential and found a way to work around it by getting someone to do the gr. What was the difference between him and his mindset or either how he looked at the workplace, how he looked at other people, and Marilyn and the rest of these other people who.

[Janet McNamara]

So he was brilliant.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Janet McNamara]

So that boss, he's one of the smartest people I've ever met.

[Mike Pesca]

Okay. So smart people think you're smart.

[Janet McNamara]

Smart people think I'm smart.

[Mike Pesca]

Okay.

[Janet McNamara]

Smart people think I'm smart. Dumb people think I'm dumb.

[Mike Pesca]

That's interesting. What does that tell you about that?

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, exactly. Smart people do think I'm smart.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

So he was brilliant. And he was able to, like, see, like, because I can, like, he was. I learned Excel, like, from him. Like, he was so good at Excel.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

But, like, I was actually, like, able to learn.

[Mike Pesca]

And.

[Janet McNamara]

And like, I used to watch, like, YouTube videos and like, we watch the same YouTube videos and you get them.

[Mike Pesca]

You understand it from the.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

Videos. Are you good? Besides computers, are you good at systems? Yeah. Yes. Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

And so, you know, I'm really, I'm good. I was about to say I'm really good at puzzles.

[Mike Pesca]

Someone sets up the rules for something, you intuit it quickly, but there's probably a novelty to it.

[Janet McNamara]

So there's like, Like I'm good at, like, engine building board games. Like any engine building board game, I'm probably going to win.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

Like, there's. There's the specific things that I'm, like, painfully good at.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah. I don't really understand what autism is or isn't.

[Janet McNamara]

I don't either.

[Mike Pesca]

But from what these stereotypes types are, you definitely seem to have it like, you're brilliant at these brilliant tasks and then can't do the normal stuff.

[Janet McNamara]

Exactly. But. Yeah, so.

[Mike Pesca]

But it also seems that not being able to do the normal stuff stems from maybe this is true lack of patience and connection to humans. Like, if you were dealing with a computer or a program making you do the normal stuff where you didn't have to explain it to a human, you might be better at it.

[Janet McNamara]

The idea of explaining something to a human, like, drives me. Like, if I had to explain copying and pasting in Excel.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Janet McNamara]

I cannot explain how copying and pasting works to Say, like. It's like. I cannot explain it.

[Mike Pesca]

Does it make sense to you?

[Janet McNamara]

Like, I don't understand how it doesn't make sense to anyone.

[Mike Pesca]

So if it makes so much sense to you, does this indicate that maybe Excel was designed by someone who was autistic?

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. Bill Gates, right? Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah, I've heard about him.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

Oh, man. More about comedy. More about. More about.

[Janet McNamara]

I can talk about Excel for, like, two hours.

[Mike Pesca]

More about Excel, maybe. We'll get into sheets in a minute when we're back.

[Janet McNamara]

Autistic. I said, I'm not autistic. I don't have sensory issues. And my therapist said, you wore a life jacket every day for two years. Did you tell them that?

[Mike Pesca]

Foreign. We're back with Funny youy Should Mention. I don't know if you could tell. I'm finding this conversation interesting. We haven't even talked about too many of Janet's jokes. Let's do that. You come out on stage, and you immediately put the whores on blast. What's that about?

[Janet McNamara]

The horns on blast?

[Mike Pesca]

The whores.

[Janet McNamara]

Oh, the whores. That was like.

[Mike Pesca]

The way you say it in the Boston accent is extra funny.

[Janet McNamara]

I was like, corporate whore. It was like a play on that. So, like. Yeah, it was just like, I'm gonna. Like, that's what. Because it was like. When I first started comedy, the job I have that I just left, it was more of a casual work environment. So I used to, like, come into, like, comedy clubs wearing, like. Like a suit.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Janet McNamara]

And you kind of have to address why you're dressed like that.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Janet McNamara]

So that. That's kind of how that came about. And I honestly never understood. Understood why it was funny. I just kind of said it one day and it worked. And then somebody explained to me, like, an audience member was like, oh, I think that joke's funny because prostitutes, like, tell cops that they're accountants when they ask.

[Mike Pesca]

That's not why it's funny. That person's wrong.

[Janet McNamara]

Okay, well, that's why I thought it was like, I

[Mike Pesca]

will have played this on the show, and I guarantee you, 1% of the audience, like, oh, yeah, that's why. No, yeah, it's funny if it is. It's funny because of how you say it. It's funny because of the overstatement. You seem so impassioned about, like I said, putting the whores on blast. And there's nothing whorish about your appearance. Yeah, it's like that office joke where Angela says, you know, let's do anything, except in yellow, because that's a whorish color.

[Janet McNamara]

I think, like, the reason why I thought it was funny was because I thought it was a play on, like, I'm dressed like a corporate whore. Like a corporate whore is like a term.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

Maybe I made up. Is that a term?

[Mike Pesca]

Sort of.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, it's like, you're a corporate whore. Like, you're like, change your desk, you're

[Mike Pesca]

whoring out for the corporation.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. So that. That's what I thought was funny about it when I started saying it. And then it was getting such a good response that I just kept saying it and I. It was like one of those things. I was like, I don't really.

[Mike Pesca]

Don't question it.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. I don't know why this is getting.

[Mike Pesca]

Do you have any other jokes like that?

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, I have another joke that I just, like, randomly said one day and it was. It's on the special.

[Mike Pesca]

What about her childhood? You weren't trying to hit on the fact that they have terrible childhoods?

[Janet McNamara]

No.

[Mike Pesca]

Porn actresses. You were saying, what about the character in that porn who says, maybe there's another way to pay for that pizza?

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, yeah. I meant it as, like. I don't really know how I meant it. It was just something I said one day and it got a laugh. So I just kept repeating it.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Janet McNamara]

And then I forget the comic's name. I was opening for her. Carolyn Plummer, her name is. She's a Boston comic. She's great. Very funny. She said to me, she said, you know, I really like that porn joke. You do? Like the childhood thing. And I was like, yeah, I don't like, explain it to me. I was like, it gets a laugh, but I don't get it.

[Mike Pesca]

Explain my jokes to me.

[Janet McNamara]

And then I was probably like. I probably tightened it up now. Like, I don't remember. It was very. It was a much lucid joke. Like, I was a open. I was probably like three or four years in at this point. It was probably like a much longer joke. And then she explained to me why it was funny. And I was like, oh, that makes sense.

[Mike Pesca]

I don't know. I think it's funny for reasons.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. She explained to me. That was like, you know what? Whatever was. It helps with the. It helps with the joke to know why people are laughing.

[Mike Pesca]

It does, yeah. Which words to emphasize. But. But the jokes, do they. Did they start out as a collection of one liners and then you organized them?

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

And so in that bit, it was about. I think. I think you don't like sex. You're not interested in Sex.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

Was that even part of a bigger. Was that nested in a bigger idea?

[Janet McNamara]

So like I. That porn joke of like, I don't watch porn.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

Was probably like the first joke.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

And then it went into like, it went into like the like being on Doloft and I used to have. I had a Tinder profile. I used to like make fake. I used to like put these and then my mom made me take them all down. I'm so pissed. But I used to like post. I used to just make like batshit Tinder profiles.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

And then wait for them to go on barstool sports. Like that was like a thing because, like I would make like bat shit Tinder profiles. And this is like another thing I did. I was, I was a comedian at the time, but I wasn't like, I didn't. I like. It's hard to explain to people that I had no career interest. Like, this was just all some stuff that I did.

[Mike Pesca]

Right. Like just like the American Idol or this.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. It was like I didn't really put anything.

[Mike Pesca]

Happened to be a comedian.

[Janet McNamara]

I didn't really put anything online because I didn't want to lose. Like, I knew what happened with American Idol. So I didn't really put anything online because. So like if you Google, like up until a year ago, if you Googled me, my LinkedIn showed up and I like, if something like I was pretty like, I have. There's a couple like old YouTube videos and stuff for me that came up. But like, I like worked like I scrubbed the entire Internet of that. Like the reason why that American Idol video, it's hard to find. You have to literally Google My Janet MacMier American Idol.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah. It only exists in a grainy form.

[Janet McNamara]

It's like grainy and it has like 30,000 views.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

But it's because after the show aired, I went through and I copyright struck. Like, I had no, I didn't have any career. Like, I didn't like, I didn't think that any of this was.

[Mike Pesca]

Fox should thank you. I mean, you save them a lot of money.

[Janet McNamara]

But I went through and I copyright struck. So for a while you couldn't like, you couldn't find it on the Internet.

[Mike Pesca]

Right. You think that hurt your career?

[Janet McNamara]

No, because I think that if I. Well, if I started comedy and I tried to play that character.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

That character is just not.

[Mike Pesca]

Oh, no. What I meant. Do you think having no Internet presence up until like two years ago, your career.

[Janet McNamara]

I think it. Well, at the time it did.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

Like, nobody knew where I was. But it also, like, it made it so that when industry did see me, they were like, who the F?

[Mike Pesca]

There's a lot of buzz.

[Janet McNamara]

Like, where did this come from? Yeah, like, nobody saw me suck. Yeah, in Boston they saw me suck. But like, I, it's not like I, it's, it's not like industry, like, saw me and they were like, oh, she's getting better. She's getting better. She's getting better. Oh, she's like, they just saw me. Like, nobody saw me till I was like 14, 15 years in.

[SoFi Advertiser]

Yes.

[Janet McNamara]

So I think that helps that I just kind of came out of nowhere as far as anybody outside of Boston. Like, within Boston, I've grown a reputation.

[Mike Pesca]

So one of the things I wanted to ask about is how the one liners now present themselves in this very special. But your process. Will you still write one liners and then just trust I'll find the place for them.

[Janet McNamara]

That's my writing.

[Mike Pesca]

That's it.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. I.

[Mike Pesca]

You don't even know what else it relates to.

[Janet McNamara]

So I learned to write by watching Gary Goleman.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

So Gary Goldman wrote In this Economy. He wrote, he used to go to this club called the Comedy Studio in Cambridge. And then from the Comedy Studio, he went to this other bar called the Barn. And he did that every Wednesday. And I would watch him, like between the Comedy Studio and the Barn, tweak up the jokes. And I would watch him, like, write a one liner and then write a one liner. And then I went to his taping and I. And then I, you know, I've probably seen Gary Goldman at this point in my life, two, 300 times. Wow. No, that's a lie. Probably like 670 or 80 times. But anyways, I watched him like write like a, you know, a joke about finding a $20 bill in a thing. And then he wrote an entire. And he wrote his in this economy special is about him finding a $20 bill in a coat. And then it goes into this whole. And it's all, it's basically all these, like, side quests. And that's how he writes.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Janet McNamara]

And that's the autism joke. After in this Economy came out, that's when I was able to put the autism. The autism joke was like, you know, I wrote a joke about saying hi to people. I wrote a joke about relaxing. I, I wrote like the joke about Asperger's. Like, I wrote all these like one liner jokes, but I didn't have anywhere to put them. So I. And then when I saw it in this economy. I was like, oh, this can all be wrapped up in this story.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Janet McNamara]

And the same thing happened, like, with the bipolar. Like the three jokes. I only have three jokes in my special. I have autism. Bipolar. And then sex is stupid. And then the bipolar thing, weirdly, three

[Mike Pesca]

jokes, but, like 112 laughs.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, weirdly, but I only have three jokes. But, yeah, I'm a three joke pony. But the bipolar thing was. The same thing was like, I had written all these one liners and then my therapist, I googled her and like, she missed an appointment. I googled her. I realized that she, like, is one of those, like, people that protest. Like, she's like. I realized that, like, she secretly, like. Like, you know, there's like, there was a video of her.

[Mike Pesca]

Whatever, she's an environment.

[Janet McNamara]

But it was like, figured I figured out how to, like, wrap that all in a bow.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes. Do you think that works for the audience as well as being necessary for you? I don't think it doesn't work for the audience.

[Janet McNamara]

I don't think it works for the audience.

[Mike Pesca]

Well, you.

[Janet McNamara]

I do care if it works for the audience. Yeah, but it's. It's. I. I don't know.

[Mike Pesca]

It's like, you couldn't do it any other way.

[Janet McNamara]

I don't think. I don't think. Yeah. I don't know. Yeah. I wouldn't know how to. I. I guess, like, before I learned how to just wrap things in a bow.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

I still, to this day, I have dozens of jokes that I only do at open mics.

[Mike Pesca]

That was my question.

[Janet McNamara]

Because I have nowhere to put, like, I.

[Mike Pesca]

But they might be great jokes.

[Janet McNamara]

Exactly. I have, like, I have this. At this point, there's like a little bit of like. Like, it's. It's, you know, I have to be. It's this, like, confidence or this, like, faith of, like, if I just write these things and I work on these jokes, like, eventually it's just gonna come together and it's gonna work out and something will happen. If I just keep working towards. If. If you. If you're constantly working at an ending goal and it's just like, I'm gonna write an hour. You're not gonna write an hour. You have to be like, I'm gonna write one 30 second joke. And if you write a 30 second joke and then you start freaking out because you have nowhere to put in your act, like, like, for me, that just once I start thinking about how I'm gonna make money or how it's gonna work long term, or where it's gonna fit my. I can't just, like, be like, I'm gonna sit down and write a joke about autism.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes, I get it. But your bar for including it in the special is really, really high. And some great jokes might be kept out. Yeah, maybe. Like, have you talked to Gary about this? Does he give you any advice about. No. Have you talked to Gary about any of this? Because Gary tweets.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, he did. I, I, like, I, I, I, I, I read them.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah, those were good. I gave them to my son who's an aspiring stand up. Yeah, like, read this. This guy's the best.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, he's, he's, he's brilliant.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah. But Gary also does this thing where he has, Unlike you, he'll kind of embody different characters. Yeah, right. And so the Trader Joe's routine, he could maybe put some jokes in there. I don't know if he'll want to. Yeah, that's like a Christmas tree that you could hang ornaments off of. I'm just thinking if you could do something like that.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, yeah. To be honest, like, I don't watch as much stand up as I watch should on a structural level. A lot of it. Yeah. I just, I, I don't have the attention span to watch too much comedy. I would be better structurally if I watched more.

[Mike Pesca]

But you listen to a lot of Bieber and Hanson, right?

[Janet McNamara]

Hanson, the band?

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

Not anymore. Really. I've been really into Justin Bieber lately.

[Mike Pesca]

But you were, like, big into.

[Janet McNamara]

I was. I've been to, like, more than 30 Hanson concerts. Yeah. Yeah. I was really, really into them in college in my 20s.

[Mike Pesca]

So my question is, do the, to the Hanson. What are you guys called? Hansonites. Team Hanson heads.

[Janet McNamara]

What? I. Fanson's.

[Mike Pesca]

Fanson's. There you go. What are the, what are the fansons? Think about mbop.

[Janet McNamara]

It's one of the best I could go off. It's like, it's a deeper song than people realize it is.

[Mike Pesca]

Well, I'll stop you and say it's the perfect pop song, but I was just wondering if the, you know, True Believers, like the Deadheads, will be like Casey Jones, whatever.

[Janet McNamara]

No, no, no, no. It's, it's, no, it's, it's a, it's a brilliant song. I'm not like Justin Bieber, wise. I, I put, I listened to so much Justin Bieber. It's more of, like, a special interest I have right now.

[Mike Pesca]

What do you mean by that?

[Janet McNamara]

And I ruined music. So I was into Courtney Barnett for a while last Year before that, I was in this. This person named Joy. Alana Kun. And then I was into Brandi Carlisle before that. And I'll get, like, I'll listen to the same album six times a day for like six months, and then I'll. I'll ruin the album and I can't listen to it again.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Janet McNamara]

You.

[Mike Pesca]

That way with Hanson.

[Janet McNamara]

Hanson kind of. They kind of went off the deep end over Covid. As far as the political right.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah. Well, there, you know, from Oklahoma, like, home school.

[Janet McNamara]

They'll homeschool kids from Oklahoma. I don't know what. Why I didn't see that coming.

[Mike Pesca]

But at this point, they're 30 something, so they're not.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, they're 40 something.

[Mike Pesca]

40 something. Jeez.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

All right. I want to ask you. I want to make sure. I have so many questions, but you've been very generous with your time. I want to make sure I get to them. Oh, yeah. Okay. So as the. One of the things about autism, I don't know if it's true or not, is the inability or. The people who are autistic don't love to look others in the eye. Do you have that? You don't seem to have that.

[Janet McNamara]

I don't think I do.

[Mike Pesca]

I don't think you do either.

[Janet McNamara]

I, like, I have a joke about it, but I don't. I definitely. I look up, but I do that when I'm thinking it's. Cause I have really bad memory recall.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah. Yeah. When you look up and to the left is when you're trying to invent something. When you look up and to the right, it's when you're trying to recall something. This I learned from poker tales.

[Janet McNamara]

Oh, God.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah. But what about crowd work? When you interact with the crowd, is that for someone like you, is that pleasurable or not?

[Janet McNamara]

I've been doing it. I do it more than I realize. As far as crowd interaction, I don't hate it. I like. Like, I'm in control. Like, my therapist asked me, like a year or two ago. She was like, I don't get it. Like, you hate. You don't. You're not good at meeting new people. Like, I have, like, a social anxiety disorder. Like, that's my latest autism test. They were like, you're not autistic. You have social anxiety. And with comedy, you're in control.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Janet McNamara]

So it's like, I'm gonna win.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes. With. I don't know if it was in the special or an interview I saw. I think it was in the special. Your therapist Said, what do you mean you're not autistic? You wore a life jacket for two years and you didn't tell them that because they didn't ask, but I noticed you wear a vest all the time.

[Janet McNamara]

I know. Wait, that's where that came from.

[Mike Pesca]

But is that.

[Janet McNamara]

I was in a green room. Judy Gold. Shout out. I was in a green room with Judy and my. My best friend Emily, and Judy did, like, the Judy Gold thing of, like,

[Mike Pesca]

being demure and not speaking up.

[Janet McNamara]

Or she, you know, she would. She, like, she had seen my act, and she was like, they were talking about autism, and she was like, what? The vest? And. And then Emily, my best friend, was like, you know, it's like an autism thing. Like, people do it like weighted jackets. And then I don't know where it came from, but I just mentioned that I wore a life jacket when I was a kid, and Judy did the. Like, what's wrong with you? Like, how do you not have a joke? And then, like, about the wearing the life jacket for two years, which I did do as a kid. Like, it's my album cover, is me wearing a life jacket. But it was just one of those things that I forgot I even did. And then my best friend Emily just kept hounding me to write that life jacket joke.

[Mike Pesca]

Let me ask you a question, Janet. Did you drown?

[Janet McNamara]

No, I didn't. See? See?

[Mike Pesca]

Who's the joke on?

[Janet McNamara]

Exactly. Exactly. I did not drown.

[Mike Pesca]

What do you think of the idea, label conception of neurodivergence?

[Janet McNamara]

I think it's confusing. I don't. To be honest, I'm not super educated. I'm talking to somebody now about it where it's more of like. Like, you have all these, like, mixed things in your head, and it's hard to, like, bring them all together. And you're just like, the neurodivergent brain is, like, looking for patterns.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

And when there's no patterns, you get all flustered.

[Mike Pesca]

I think it could mean a lot of things.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. I think it's.

[Mike Pesca]

You have some. Like, when I say, how did she think of that? Or how does she think like that. Well, if you want to say neurodivergence, I can't disagree.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah. Yeah. It's. I. I'm probably out. I don't. I have to. Like, this is crazy to me. Like, I can't tell you how much effort I've put into wanting to. Want to learn about it.

[Mike Pesca]

You can't watch YouTube videos. What if they put it on an Excel spreadsheet?

[Janet McNamara]

They're like, help. They're so boring. Like, I just don't find them that interesting. Yeah, I need somebody. Like, I think it's like, I think everybody has a different experience with it. And I haven't seen anyone on any of these YouTube things that I'm like, oh, I do. Like, this is how my brain. Like, it's a lot of it. Every once in a while, I'll see, like, an Instagram where I'm like, oh. I also. Like, I didn't know the walking away thing was an autistic thing. Yeah, I didn't know that it was an autistic thing until very recently.

[Mike Pesca]

Interesting.

[Janet McNamara]

But so some. Some of these. Some of these things I'm, like, learning by YouTube and Instagram. But so, so many of the things people talk about, I don't really connect with or relate to. And. But, yeah, I don't. But so many people. I get so many DMS and comments of people who are like, oh, like, what you just said is exactly.

[Mike Pesca]

See, isn't that better? Like your original DMs.

[Janet McNamara]

There are people.

[Mike Pesca]

People assailing you for the American Idol experience, calling you autistic now. They're helping you.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, exactly. Like, there's so many DMS and comments of people that are like, I think the exact same way as you.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

Like, I also get in trouble for this. Like, they also told me I'm not autistic because of this reason. This reason. This reason. So I. I think it's like. I think it's. There's a ton of new research and stuff and conflicting research, and I think it's. It's all. It's all. It's all, like, it's something that I'll learn about, but I keep being told I'm not. So I'm like, why would I learn about something that I'm not?

[Mike Pesca]

I mean, all the people who've tried to diagnose you, it seems like a lot of them are wrong.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

Well, this is a thing.

[Mike Pesca]

Listen to them.

[Janet McNamara]

This is the thing I recently figured out was that, like. And I. I know I did this. Whereas, like, the day, like, I would, like, start panicking, like, right before the assessments and be. And be, like, they're gonna find, like, I don't want, like, another label. I don't want something else wrong with me. So I didn't, like, lie, but I didn't. I sabotaged them to a degree by, like, I wanted the assessments. I wanted the diagnosis, which is why I got the assessments. And then I, like, emotionally, I just couldn't Handle, like, finding more stuff. Like, yeah, like, my whole life. Like, I've just. Oh, you have a third grade reading. Like, like, you have.

[Mike Pesca]

It's like layers and layers of burdens on you.

[Janet McNamara]

It was like, every time I took a test as a kid, it would be like, you know, I'd be like, in 10th grade, and they'd be like, congratulations, you now have a 3.5 grade level. Like, reading level. I'm like, that's like, you went up half a grade. Like, so it was just like, I had. I. It was just. Yeah, I almost. I almost sabotaged them to a degree.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

But they also, like, the interview is like, they ask you, like, they ask you questions, and then when the interview's over, you're like, oh, I have so much to add. But then they don't. You don't really have a chance to like, be like, oh, these things I didn't tell you.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah, why not in anything else phase. Right.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah.

[Mike Pesca]

Any other comments? Do you think you'd have been better off in an earlier era of work? The negatives would be, you know, women in the workplace weren't that. Weren't that embraced, but the positives. I tend to think that maybe in the 50s and 60s, there was just. It was, do your work. We're not here to be a family or to have fun. We're not here to chit chat. Do your work. And we like it when you do your work.

[Janet McNamara]

Oh, no way.

[Mike Pesca]

No, no.

[Janet McNamara]

I would have been. No, in the 50s and 60s, you had to be like, hi. Like, yeah, I think it was more that, but it was also, like, without the tech. Like, technology changed my life.

[Mike Pesca]

Yeah.

[Janet McNamara]

Like, without Excel. Like, I can't do. I couldn't do. Like, I don't have an accounting degree because I couldn't do the T accounts. Like, I can't do accounting on. Like, I can't explain how accounting. I just know how it works. I could just. I can do it. Like, I can't.

[Mike Pesca]

You are a ledger. You are a human.

[Janet McNamara]

Yeah, I can't. So, like, I can't do it the way they did it back in the day. The. Because they teach you in school. The way they did it in the 50s and 60s. I can't do. I couldn't do it. Like, it didn't. I could do the job I couldn't do.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Janet McNamara]

So I kind of just meant the vibe of the work, the vibe of the workplace. Maybe I would have been better. But I like, like listening to podcasts on my headphones. Like, I don't I don't think I would have. I don't think. I think ideally if I could like go, I wouldn't want to be born 2010, deal with COVID But with the exception of COVID like 2010 would have been like my ideal time to be born. Or like maybe 2000 where it was like, because like I grew up, they didn't have spell check. They focused on handwriting. Like all stuff that doesn't matter anymore.

[Mike Pesca]

Yes.

[Janet McNamara]

Like they, they said they were like, you're stupid because you have bad handwriting.

[Mike Pesca]

Right.

[Janet McNamara]

And that doesn't.

[Mike Pesca]

Do you think AI is going to take away accounting most?

[Janet McNamara]

Oh yeah. That's a lot of why I pivoted towards stand up comedy. I would have been an accountant.

[Mike Pesca]

AI's bad at comedy because, like, I

[Janet McNamara]

don't have a CPA. I don't have a CPA. I don't even have an accounting degree.

[Mike Pesca]

Like the name of the new special, get it on YouTube is not smart enough. I mean, that's the name, but I think you can tell. What if you think she's not smart enough? And maybe something about, you're a good dummy. Janet, thank you so much.

[Janet McNamara]

Thank you.

[Mike Pesca]

All right, That's it for today's show. The Gist is produced by Cory Wara. Jeff Craig does How To Ben Astaire is our booking coordinator. Kathleen Sykes does the Gist list. And Michelle Pesca is extraordinary in her role as coo. Thanks for listening.

[Janet McNamara]

Foreign.

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