One of the biggest mistakes Comedy Central ever made was canceling Strangers With Candy. It was a show that made no attempt to be sensitive, nice or do the right thing by the standards of the after school special. If you missed out, too bad, because this interview will make no sense to you if you haven't seen it.
Why did Comedy Central cancel Strangers
With Candy?
It was more of their quirky show. It was more like a cult show.
The ratings weren't really that high. But they weren't willing to
get behind the show either. They just expected it to you know...Paul,
Steve and I could have hired our own publicist, if we wanted to,
but I kind of liked the way it was more of a cult thing and those
that liked it, liked it, you know what I mean? I like to do things
like that anyway. So I think it was based on that and also because
the people who made it possible were no longer at Comedy Central.
And the particular woman who's job it was to renew it, I think she
just wanted her own shows on TV. Which is all understandable, but
Paul, Steve and I had the attitude of, "We did 30 and we probably
could have done more, but it's kind of good, and we'll do something
else.
As a fan, I felt like you guys were nowhere
near the end of your run. But it sound like what you're saying is,
"We were not done, but we were close to done."
I think we could have done more, and with each season it was getting
better and better. And I think if we had done another season it
would have been really great. We come from sketch comedy not 22
minute comedy, so we were still trying to figure it out.
I think comedy Central should be thrilled to have at least a cult hit, rather than no hit at all.
You would think so, but we would never have gotten the ratings that
South Park got. I would think so to. But I really do believe
that the woman who made it possible not to get picked up. I think
it was more like a thorn in her side that it wasn't her show. She
didn't bring it there. She brought the Man Show and she brought
Strip Mall. And she wants her own shows on the network. That
Happens all the time. In the last episode the two people that Cheri
Oteri and Mark McKinney play are modeled after the people that canceled
our show, and they weren't very happy about that.
So there's the next question. You
guys leave almost no opening for a sequel or a follow up...
Yeah, we kept saying, "Let us know if we're gonna leave so
we can write our last episode." But they would never tell us,
that's why it's kind of an inside joke with the last episode. It's
like tell us, and they turn the school into a strip mall, and they
won't tell you and they won't tell you. Yeah we don't leave it open.
There was obviously stuff on the show
that you wanted to do, that they didn't let you do.
We wrote one episode with a midget albino in it and they wouldn't
let us do that. That was really it...and there were a few words
we couldn't say, like I couldn't say "Filthy Jew Diary," but I could
say, "Dirty Jew Diary." Like things that don't make any sense. I
could say "pussy" but I couldn't say "faggot."
They were never consistent. Oh, and we had a retarded lawyer in
the blind episode, and they sad no.
In the last episode we see you for the
only time not truly as Jerri Blank. I know myself and other people
were thinking, "Hey she's hot!"
Oh Thank You.
Don't thank me yet because here comes the follow up.
OK good.
I know you do other characters, I know you do a weird pig character,
you do this character (Jerri Blank). Is there something inside you,
are you trying to piss off your dad, is there something about you
that says, "I wanna look as ugly as possible."
No. I do it because I feel more comfortable, it's something to hide
behind. But I always like to play ugly people who think they're
pretty. I think that's what it is. It seems more real to me.
This is the part of the show where I insult
the guest and tell her that her whole family is crazy. But this
is Amy Sedaris, and a very good sport.
Let's talk for a second about something
you get talked way too much about, and that's
your much older brother David. After reading his book "Naked,"
I got the impression that everyone in your family, except Lisa,
is pretty much crazy.
(Laughs.)
I'm getting the impression, that that is an
unfair assessment.
Crazy in what way though?
Uh…David's obsessive compulsive behavior...
You just mean a little eccentric.
Well I'd say more eccentric for people functioning
in society.
Well I think we're all funny. We're all alike like that. We have
a spirit about ourselves. But I think we have our own little world
we're in.
OK, let's talk about one more unfair assessment.
I left the book, really despising your father, as the most insensitive,
selfish, oblivious to the feelings around him... Is that fair?
Well, from "Naked," yes, but that was written more for my Mom. "Me
Talk Pretty One Day," is more about my Dad.
But even with the sections with your Mom not
in it, he's just horrible.
I know. David and Dad didn't get along too well growing up. I mean
we all got along, but it was harder on David, because David wasn't
going to be the son that Dad wanted. But now they're like best friends.
So what are you doing now.
I'm doing a lot more home stuff. I'm a real domestic person, and
when I was doing the TV show, I was usually the first one there
and the last one to leave. The hours were just unbelievable. We
were also writing so... Our calls were like at 5:00 in the morning
and I'm not getting home until eight or nine at night. I would look
at my lines for the next day and then do it all over again. Then
we would write. It was really a grind. So all I've been doing is
I cook and I clean, and I entertain at my house a lot. I'm reading
a lot, I do a lot of interviews, photo shoots. My brother [David]
and I are doing
a big play in March.
It sounds like now you're doing all the
PR you should have done then for Strangers with Candy.
Yeah, probably, I mean I did during our lunch breaks I would do
interviews. I feel like I'm being lazy. It's never been like this
in my life.
How's the cheese
ball business going?
Well, I still make cheeseballs and cupcakes. But that's pretty much
local.
Let me ask you about the Jerri Blank Voice.
I heard you on the Fresh Air Interview and most of the time you're
just Amy, but when you talk about the Cheese Balls, a little bit
of Jerri comes through.
Oh yeah, I've always talked like Jerri Blank. There's always some
comment, always.
So this is something you did long before Strangers
with Candy?
Oh yeah, the voice. I came up with that character, maybe 12 years
ago. I just had the voice not the overbite and everything. I've
used her in every play we've done. A lot of projects I've used her,
and we've changed the background. You know those actors who aren't
versatile. And they get a part, and "Oh I see this week I'm a drug
addict, and the weekend after that I'm going to be a gang member."
But they're always the same actors. They're not versatile. I think
of that character like that, I use her in so many things, I just
change her background. She's kind of like her own actress. And I
wanna keep doing that. I'd like to do that character in the next
play, but because I've done her so much on TV I'm hesitant, but
then that would go against what I set out to do with her.
Once I get a thought in my head, I hate
to let it go, but I've been stewing over your father since I read
your brother's book, so once again I'll try to convince you that
your dad is a horrible person. You wore fat pants to torture your
dad.
Yeah, that story is in "Me Talk Pretty One Day." Yeah, my Dad is
a little weight conscious. And I wore it home one Christmas. And
he fell for it. I kept it up for like 2 days.
But Why?
Just to Fuck with him.
(I laugh)
My father and I have a very good relationship. We always got along.
But I always scold him. And I still do that. I'd call up, change
my voice, and he'd fall for it.
I think also why I got a nutty vibe from
you is from the
story where you're holding class when you're eight years old
and you're the teacher...
Yeah, do you think that's crazy?
At that age? Yeah!
Really.
Not so much crazy, but at that age, you're
either really freakin' brilliant, or you're crazy.
(She laughs)
And the reason why I lean toward crazy is
because you're just so mean to the animals.
Oh, to my students, yeah. I have these certain things in my apartment
in New York, that come alive at night. I have a rabbit, and a beautiful
old puppet, and they all have characters and they all have names,
they all come alive at night. But I always make it like they hate
me or they make fun of me, or something really queer. It's a lot
of fun.
And you don't find that crazy?
I don't find that crazy, I think it's crazy if you don't do that.
Yeah. That, that, what do you call it. What do you call that thing,
when you're sweeping something up off of the floor, and it goes
into aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…
Dustpan?
Like a dustpan. I have one that looks like it comes alive at night.
It's old, it's metal, it wings out, it's gorgeous. What's wrong
giving it a life? I know it's not real.
Right, then you'd be really really crazy.
But it's fun to be able to play that.
Have you gotten anyone to do this with you?
Certainly, I'm friends with Philip Seymour Hoffman. And he came
over, and he totally got it, and we laughed so hard.
Well Amy, you've been a great guest, now
it's time for the lightning round. This is where I shoot something
at you, and you shoot it right back.
OK
Favorite Food? Oh my god, I don't
get time to think?
Well you can if you want. My favorite
kind of food is meat.
Favorite Sound? Any animal licking
up water.
Favorite Taste? Chocolate
Favorite Touch? You mean where I liked
to be touched?
OK --
I like to be touched on the face.
Favorite thing to touch? Other people's
faces.
Boxers or briefs? I like briefs on
guys.
Dinette Set, or trip to Europe? Europe,
'cause the dinette set is always a cheap piece of crap.