Podcast Summary: The New Yorker Radio Hour

Episode: Bridget Everett Talks with Michael Schulman

Date: November 27, 2018
Host: David Remnick
Guest: Bridget Everett (comedian, actress, cabaret performer)
Journalist: Michael Schulman

Overview

This episode features a candid and lively conversation with Bridget Everett, the boundary-pushing comedian, cabaret star, and actress, in discussion with Michael Schulman during the New Yorker Festival. The pair delve into Bridget’s dynamic stage persona, her origins in Manhattan, Kansas, her entry into New York’s cabaret scene, creative collaborations with Michael Patrick King and Amy Schumer, and her dramatic turn in the film Patty Cakes. The interview is filled with raw humor, reflections on ambition and body confidence, and memorable anecdotes that capture Bridget’s vibrant spirit.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Dual Lives: Stage Bridget vs. Off-Stage Bridget

• Stage Persona vs. Real Life:
  • Bridget reflects on her growth as an artist, admitting that as her "stage Bridget" became wilder over time, her personal self grew more reserved and introverted, craving downtime at home with her dog and documentaries.
    • "The more I'm like on the couch with my Poppy. I can't wait to... I'm so happy to be here, but I can’t wait to go home and get on the couch and just... I like to watch documentaries and Homeland" (03:32)
  • She sees performing as a way to channel intense energy she doesn’t otherwise express.

2. Growing up in Manhattan, Kansas

• Bridget gives a glimpse into her upbringing as the youngest of six, her family chaos, and how she found herself an odd, “cool weirdo.”
  • "I'm youngest of six kids, and like, we all thought we were the Kennedys, but really we were just like street rats, but, like, popular." (05:45)

3. Musical Roots and Influences

• Her mother, a music teacher, exposed her to music early; family singalongs around the piano (with “Blue Nun” wine for the kids) were a staple.
• Musical idols included Barbra Streisand, Barry Manilow, Debbie Harry, Freddie Mercury, and Michael Jackson.
  • "We used to get drunk and sing around the piano... when we put on Barry Manilow, I mean, that was it for me." (06:17)

4. Formal Training and Discipline

• Studied opera voice at Arizona State University, learning both technical vocal care and the discipline required for serious singing.
  • "I do a lot of vocalizing... what it taught me was that you really have to care for your instrument." (07:22)

5. The Move to New York and Cabaret Epiphany

• Bridget moved to NYC aiming for a stage career, starting with children’s theater (which she loathed).
• Her transformative introduction to the downtown cabaret scene came through seeing acts like Kiki & Herb and Justin Vivian Bond — a crucial moment that let her see cabaret’s legitimacy and power.
  • "I just didn't know that... cabaret existed. I was just like, holy shit. This is like karaoke, but, like, legitimate." (08:54)

6. Breakthrough Collaboration with Michael Patrick King

• Her adaptation of her act led to a show, At Least It's Pink, catching the eye of Sex and the City creator Michael Patrick King.
  • "As soon as I came on stage, 30% got up and left, but Michael stayed, and so did Norman Lear. And Michael was like, I want to work with you." (09:56)
• Resulted in her cameo in the Sex and the City movie:
  • “I play, like, drunk party girl and... she's interviewing assistants, and she's like, are you drunk? I'm like, a little bit. But he's like, I wrote you a part. I'm still gonna make you audition and don't fuck it up.” (10:39)

7. On Auditions, Control, and Anxiety

• Bridget avoids traditional acting auditions, citing anxiety and physical symptoms. She craves creative control, declining even promising opportunities due to discomfort.
  • "When I audition for things, I get chronic... I get really sick and nervous and overwhelmed." (11:34)

8. Friendship and Collaboration with Amy Schumer

• Bridget and Amy became close at Montreal Comedy Festival, bonding over humor and Chardonnay.
• Amy is credited for proactively lifting up others, offering Bridget opportunities on Inside Amy Schumer and beyond.
  • "She’s like, I want you to be on the show, and I want you to close every season. She's like, I think you're really special, and I want the world to see you." (12:32)
• Their offstage dynamic is one of comfort and equality, marked by chill nights, wine, and reality TV — not the “alpha/beta” dynamic sometimes portrayed.
  • "We just hang out. We just take off our bras and drink wine and watch 90 Day Fiancé." (15:01)

9. Body Confidence and Performance

• Body confidence isn’t a political act for Bridget, but an authenticity imperative — inspired by her mother’s disregard for conventional modesty.
  • "It's my body and who gives a fuck?... If I'm like an audience member, I want to see people just, like, fluid in themselves and not telling me why I need to be fluid in myself." (15:51)

10. Role in Patty Cakes and Dreams Deferred

• Bridget discusses portraying a frustrated mother in Patty Cakes whose own disappointments drive her to tear at her daughter's ambitions.
  • "I spent a lot of years, like, wanting my dreams to come true... I get the urge to want to tear somebody down, even when you love them because you don't want them to slip away." (18:24)
• She recognizes that she could have become a "failed" version of herself if she’d stayed in Kansas and not pursued performing.
  • "If I was still in Kansas and I wasn't singing and I wasn't doing what I wanted to do, that's exactly who I would be." (19:15)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Stage Persona:

  • “Every show is like a first date. It's like you're just, you're meeting somebody, you're falling in love, or you're not falling in love, but you're hoping you get laid.” (05:06)

• On Early Family Dynamics:

  • "We all thought we were the Kennedys, but really we were just like, like street rats, but, like, popular." (05:45)

• On Performing at Joe’s Pub:

  • "I want to make me move. Always going to be enough... Sometimes you're going to have to lose... Ain't a bear was waiting on the other side." (Impromptu singing, 04:33)

• On Auditioning:

  • "I like to be in control. And when I audition for things, I get chronic... I get really sick and nervous and overwhelmed." (11:34)

• On Amy Schumer:

  • "But the cool thing about Amy is she really does work to lift up people around her... I don't know that I would ever do that for anybody except for Poppy, you know what I mean?" (12:32)

• On Body Confidence:

  • "It's my body and who gives a fuck?... That's what brings me joy and that's why I like to do it on stage. I feel like we're celebrating in the moment that we're all okay." (15:51)

• On Playing Patty Cakes' Mother:

  • "Sometimes, mostly I'm always really happy when my friends have success. But I get the urge to want to tear somebody down, even when you love them because you don't want them to slip away." (18:24)

Selected Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment / Topic | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:32 | Bridget on the difference between on-stage and at-home self | | 05:45 | Childhood in Kansas; being a "cool weirdo" | | 06:17 | Musical family and early influences | | 07:22 | Impact of opera training | | 08:54 | Discovery of cabaret and its influence | | 09:56 | Meeting Michael Patrick King and Sex and the City cameo | | 11:34 | Aversion to traditional auditions and need for control | | 12:32 | Friendship and professional partnership with Amy Schumer | | 15:51 | Approach to body confidence and performance | | 17:14 | Clip and discussion of Patty Cakes role | | 18:24 | On dreams, resentments, and alternate life paths | | 19:15 | Seeing Patty Cakes' mom as her possible alternate self |

Conclusion

This episode offers a raw, hilarious, and deeply human portrait of Bridget Everett. Through stories, laughs, and biting honesty, listeners learn how vulnerability, resilience, and authenticity have shaped her into the celebrated and singular performer she is today.