Podcast Summary: "Weeding with Parker Posey"

The New Yorker Radio Hour
Host: David Remnick
Guest: Parker Posey
Date: August 14, 2018
Featured Contributors: Michael Shulman (Interviewer), Alex Barron (Producer)

Overview

This episode offers a delightfully unpredictable profile of actor Parker Posey, centered on the release of her memoir, You're on an Airplane. What starts as a planned conversation about her book (and a cocktail recipe) quickly spirals into a real-life adventure when Posey and her interviewers become locked out in her overgrown New York courtyard. Through this unscripted ordeal, Posey's improvisational spirit and eccentric charm are revealed, giving listeners a fresh, unscripted look at her character and artistry.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. An Eccentric Start to the Interview

• Setting the Scene: Michael Shulman and producer Alex Barron arrive at Posey’s West Village townhouse, expecting to talk about her book and cocktails. Instead, they find Posey “holding court on the stoop with her dog, Gracie,” already wrapped up in neighborly drama about an invasive Virginia creeper vine.
  • Key Quote:
    • “Parker brings this kind of crazy, spontaneous, almost subversive energy to everything she does.” (Michael Shulman, 00:51)

2. From Cocktail Plans to Unexpected Weeding

• The group is drawn into a mini-crisis (“Can you help me weed?” 02:11), as Posey negotiates a neighborhood dispute about overgrown plants.
• This unpredictability becomes the theme: “Things with Parker Posey just go the way they're gonna go.” (Michael Shulman, 02:28)

3. Ordeal in the Garden: Locked Out

• The Lockout:
  • As they attempt some weeding, the story takes a turn: the trio gets locked in the courtyard garden.
  • Immediate blame (“Who shut the door? That’s what I want to know.” — Posey, 07:31) and confusion ensue, highlighting Posey’s performative and improvisational reactions.
  • Notable Exchange:
    • “I did because you said, shut the door so the dog doesn't get in.” (Michael Shulman, 07:40)
    • “So you just. Did you just shut the door?” (Parker Posey, 07:43)

4. Improvisation and Escape Attempts

• Improvisational Survival:
  • Posey’s first instinct is to call for help (neighbor Robin), then proposes a "cheerleading stunt" to boost herself over a wall, reflecting her actor’s instinct for improvisation and humor amid mild crisis.
    • “If you lunge like this, I can step on the crook of your hip and your leg, and then I'll just throw my leg around you and then step on your shoulders and climb over the fence.” (Parker Posey, 06:41)
  • They eventually reach Tony, the landlady’s son, who recalls an escape route from his own youth—a missing plank in the fence.
• Their Escape:
  • Parker shimmies through the gap (“Are you shimmying?”, “She’s got it. Oh, my God. This is outrageous.” 09:23–09:36) while Michael hesitates and Alex stays behind with equipment.
  • Serendipitously, a neighbor opens a back door while taking out trash and lets Parker through.

5. Reflecting on Improv, Acting, and the Uncanny

• Aftermath and Reflection:
  • Back inside, over cocktails, Shulman reflects on Posey's competence amid chaos.
    • “I feel like you're a lot better than me in panic situations.” (Michael Shulman, 12:09)
    • “I'm just used to it... I just think it's part of being an actor... Stories seem to attract me, probably because I act in them.” (Parker Posey, 12:17)
• Possum Analogy:
  • Shulman quotes Posey’s book, drawing on her comparison of acting to a possum’s defensive strategy—improvising, playing dead, becoming what the situation requires.
    • “Acting is the possum’s defense.” (Michael Shulman reading from the book, 13:03)
    • Posey elaborates: “I think it’s part of my particular plight and other people, other actors who feel like creature people, changeable, you know, it's a strange thing to be, you know.” (Parker Posey, 14:07)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the unpredictability of life with Parker Posey:
  • “Things with Parker Posey just go the way they're gonna go.” (Michael Shulman, 02:28)
• On acting and improvisation:
  • “I just think it's part of being an actor. This kind of crazy stuff seems to... attract me, probably because I act in them. I don't know. It's uncanny.” (Parker Posey, 12:17)
• On the possum analogy:
  • “When threatened, they play dead. And they're very convincing at it... They'll go on with this act as long as they're terrified.” (Parker Posey, 13:29)
• On being locked out:
  • “I've been here five minutes, and we're locked out in a courtyard with weeds. What is going on, Parker? I thought we were gonna have a cocktail in an emergency situation.” (Michael Shulman, 05:46)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 00:32–02:34: Introduction; arrival at Posey’s home; neighborly drama and the invasive weed.
• 03:31–05:17: Exploring the overgrown courtyard; unsuccessful attempts at weeding.
• 05:17–07:45: Realization of being locked out; first attempts to escape (calling for help, cheerleading stunts).
• 08:07–10:01: Contacting Tony for advice; searching for the hole in the fence; Posey squeezes through fence.
• 11:01–11:46: Rescue via a chance encounter with a neighbor.
• 12:02–14:38: Post-crisis reflections on improvisation, acting, and the “possum” philosophy.

Conclusion

This episode—originally intended as a straightforward interview about Parker Posey's memoir—accidentally evolves into a story of mishap, improvisation, and escape. Through a literal episode of being “locked in” with Parker, her ethos of creative spontaneity and comfort in chaos emerges. The garden misadventure perfectly mirrors the improvisational survival she describes in her book, offering listeners both a candid portrayal and the sense that with Parker Posey, life will always take a surprising, story-worthy turn.

Further Reading

• You’re on an Airplane: A Self-Mythologizing Memoir by Parker Posey

For full context and additional stories, listen to the complete episode of The New Yorker Radio Hour.