A Visit With Mary Lynn Rajskub

Mary Lynn Rajskub joined the show for what turned out to be of my favorite interviews ever! Mary Lynn called in to promote her new book “Fame-Ish: My Life at the Edge of Stardom” (and did a great job at doing so).  We discussed the heartbreak of a lack of plus-one, being semi-recognized in public, and drinking at the Golden Globes.  Plus: I name-drop Scott Aukerman and Mary Lynn and I get engaged. I think. We’ll ask my wife.  Actually, she’ll ask my wife.  We’ll work something out.

Transcript

Ryan Gatenby:  We are back on The Big Wakeup Call and time for my next guest. She is an actress, comedian and writer. Of course, you know her as Chloe on "24" and Gail the Snail on "It's Always sunny In Philadelphia. She is author of a new book "Fame-Ish: My Life at the Edge of Stardom." It is now available where books are sold.  And we are going to chat with Mary Lynn Rajskub!  Good morning and welcome to the show.

Mary Lynn Rajskub: Good morning. That was a good plug. You've done this before.

RG:  This is my very first interview ever, are you kidding?  That is such high praise. I appreciate that.

MLR:  Me too. I'm glad our first time is with each other. This is very exciting. Yes, Mary Lynn Rajskub. I'm an actor, I'm a comedian, and now author. I'm so excited.

RG:  Why do you consider yourself on the fringes of fame when your book was available for pre-order at Target? I mean, non-famous people do not get into Target.

MLR:  Was it really? They didn't tell me I was going to be at Target. That's my --  I've got to rewrite the book now. I am famous. You know, I have one of those faces where I've worked forever. I've been in a lot of things, but sometimes people, they just say stuff.

They'll say "You look like someone who might be on Parks and Rec." Like, that's not even a real person. That's an amalgamation of an idea of somebody.  I mean, I'll take it.  It's a type of recognition, but sometimes people will say to me, "Do I know you" and I'll say "Yes, it's from TV and movies"  and they'll go "No, that's not it. No, it isn't. Is it from carpool?" No, I don't live in your city, okay?  I'm not in your carpool.  I'm an international superstar.  I'm making out with Tom cruise.  I'm working with Kiefer Sutherland.  I am riding on Harrison Ford's private jet, all the big guns here.

Okay.  I'm a big deal.  Yeah. I mean, are you a big deal if you have to tell people you're a big deal?  It's the question I bring up in the book.  It's important.  You should read it this summer. It's called "Fame-Ish: My Life at the Edge of Stardom."  I mean, you can get it at MaryLynnMaryLynn.com - your autographed copy,  or from Target and it's on Audible.  What do you think about that?

RG:  Well, is it okay if you don't go out of your way to tell people you're famous? but if someone asks, you might want to say that.  I just love when I'm, you know, renting a car or something and I get, "Are you the real Ryan Gatenby? I'm like, I don't know who would be out there pretending to be me. That would be terrible.  So, yes.

MLR:  I love that. It feels nice to be recognized, right?

RG:   Well, especially when they're just recognizing you from my radio voice, which is so fake from my real one. It's amazing.

MLR: Can we hear your real voice, Ryan?

RG:  It's in my contract that I can't, but it's very high and whiny. I can do it off the air for you.

MLR:  Let's say you got up, you stubbed your toe, maybe you drank too much the night before, and then your cousin who you hate calls you?  Well, let's hear the voice -  "Hey Ryan..."

RG:  Yeah, I think it would just be a stream of obscenities and I'd probably be taking them on, a scatological history of man from Adam to the present day. I don't think it'd be airable.

MLR:  See, that was a great answer. And if you were so busy being recognized, we wouldn't have heard the underbelly of what really goes on.

RG:  Right! 

You have something you mentioned that you were "in proximity to people who are in proximity proximity to huge success."  And I feel like with that line, you nailed morning radio.

MLR:  Oh, yes. I mean, sometimes I get the success and it's great and I'm not complaining. I have a wonderful job. I get to pretend to do  things I can't do in real life for a living, you know. I get free therapy when I do stand up comedy.  I get therapy when I write the book "Fame-Ish." But yeah, on the other hand, it isn't always what it's cracked up to be.

Sometimes you get invited to the Golden Globes and you think you're in it, but really you're just in proximity. I got invited to the Golden Globes -- did not get a plus one.

RG:  Oh, no!

MLR:  I'm ushered up to the mezzanine, sat at a table by myself. That's a real let down. I get dressed up. I'm at the fanciest cable you've ever seen in your life. And I'm sitting there alone. So I turned to alcohol.

RG:  I was invited to some big, huge event. And I show up with my wife. They're like, "oh, well we only have one ticket for you." Well, can you make an exception? "No."

MLR:  Oh my God, what did you do? You were there with your wife. What did you do?

RG:  We just went somewhere else because I didn't need to be at this place. I thought they were being nice to me, but it was a little passive aggressive.

MLR:  Yeah, that's not nice. That's the thing. That's life, right? It's like when something's supposed to be really nice and then it's not, and then you adjust and you move forward and you go out and you had a good time. That's what happened. You gotta experience the moment. I mean, there's, there's insight in there.

I'll never forget being so -- you know, having the Golden Globes be so built up in my mind, you get ready, all this attention, you know, money, you're grooming, you're looking good. And then it's such a bummer. But what I did was, you know, got a little bit drunk, got up from that table and walked around and made friends.

I went up to Sheryl Crow and said, "I feel so alone." And I know her, but then I realized when I said that to her, that I don't know her, I had just listened to her music and I was a little bit drunk. I thought I was going to be good time drunk, but I was a little bit sad drunk because I had been seated alone.

But she went with it. She helped me out. And then I had a nice conversation with Puff Daddy who was a fan of mine from "24." So it all worked out. That's what we  do. We just have to move through the pain and move on to the next stage.

RG:  We've been chatting for about six minutes now, and you've mentioned being drunk three times. Are you okay?

MLR:  I think I need a drink right now.

RG:  I know you've been on "Comedy Bang Bang" several times. And I think about that along with --  like Scott is -- Scott Aukerman if people don't know, the host of the show -- is in our 17 timers club, our most frequent guest, and has mentioned --

MLR:  No way.

RG:  It's true! Scott says "I have been on a nationwide sold out podcast tour, and yet no one knows who I am and that's kind of like "Fame-Ish."

MLR:  Yeah...what was the question? (Laughs)

I know Scott Aukerman from the nineties. He's one of my oldest friends in Los Angeles. We comedy rooms together. Yeah. I feel bad because I don't think I named him by name in the book, but I do talk a lot about a lot of people that we have in common from that time and the alternative comedy scene in Los Angeles. This was before podcasting, but that's what I did. That's where I got my start, was in comedy.

RG:  I didn't have a question. I was just name dropping someone we had in common and hoping, you know, I would be able to bask in both of your glories.

MLR:  I thought so. I thought so. I was like, where's he going with this? It turns out nowhere, nowhere. Got it.

RG:  Have you had a good response to your book being out? And I know it's just been a couple of days. Are you getting phone calls and telegrams of congratulations ?

MLR:  Yeah, very much. So I just did "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon and that was a blast. I got all dolled up and, um, you know, but you just do a show like that for your Instagram, really, you know, link and buy and get my book "Fame-Ish: My Life at the Edge of Stardom" at MaryLynnMaryLynn.com.

But it's been wonderful. The reception has been on because I think the book is fun and it's relatable and it's juicy. You get Hollywood gossip, you get stories of personal insight. Of course, as we mentioned, the getting drunk, that's always a good story. My first audition, which I had a mental breakdown, I think is going to be good advice for actors, but listen, you don't even have to read the book, just get it and hold onto it.

You'll be a better person. You will get -- if you're a guy you will get laid if you get my book. You can just hold on to it. People will see it and they'll be like, "you're attractive to me now" is what's going to happen. You can do a book for a lot of different things than reading, but if you want to read it, that'd be great too. But most importantly, just get it. "Fame-Ish: My Life at the Edge of Stardom. Go ahead and get yourself a copy for all your friends this summer.

RG:  Well, before we let you go, I just have to say you did "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon and then you're getting up early to do morning radio. Isn't this a gigantic letdown?

MLR:  Yeah. Now that you bring it up, yeah. This is going to be a chapter in my next book. The high expectations and the let down, but then we come through it and we know we're better as a person. It builds character. We're better. We're closer than ever.

RG:  It's a new character building book. It's "Fame-Ish: My Life at the Edge of Stardom," of course by my guest, Mary Lynn Rajskub. Well, this was fun. And thank you so much for lowering yourself to our standards today.

MLR:  Yeah, that's what's important. Let's lower our expectations and move through the letdown and we'll be closer than ever, like you and me. My second husband -- I didn't ask yet, but I'll pop the question: Will you marry me?

RG:  Well, we'll have to talk off the air.

MLR:  Oh, you already have a wife. Could she double up? Can we double up?

RG:  You know, it doesn't hurt to ask.

MLR:  Okay. I'll put in a call. I'll ask her. I don't want to, I'm not trying to overstep anything. Maybe I should just marry her! We would probably have a better time.

RG:  That would probably work.

MLR:  All right. I'll give her a call.

RG:  Okay, thank you.

MLR:  Thanks for having me.