Joe Rogan Experience #1092 - Mary Lynn Rajskub

1. 0:00 – 15:00

   ... thing, anything. …

   1. JRJoe Rogan0:00

      ... thing, anything.

   2. MRMary Lynn Rajskub0:02

      Oh, shit. (laughs)

   3. JRJoe Rogan0:02

      Life. Four, three, two, one. (snaps fingers) Live. And we're here with the Arnold Schwarzenegger of comics-

   4. MRMary Lynn Rajskub0:10

      (laughs)

   5. JRJoe Rogan0:10

      ... Mary Lynn Rajskub. When... How many people have ever, on one shot, spelled your name right or pronounced it right?

   6. MRMary Lynn Rajskub0:17

      Uh, y- n- never.

   7. JRJoe Rogan0:19

      Never. Never, right? Like, if you're at the DMV-

   8. MRMary Lynn Rajskub0:20

      It's kind of exciting, now that you mention it, 'cause they're going to introduce me and it's just, err... It just gives, like, an instant obstacle.

   9. JRJoe Rogan0:26

      Like, when you were coming up as a comic, that had to be a big issue. Like, uh, for, for the MC to bring you up, or the, the, the DJ when they bring you up, if you were the MC.

   10. MRMary Lynn Rajskub0:36

       The DJ (laughs) or the MC. I don't know. I never really looked at it that way.

   11. JRJoe Rogan0:41

       Well, somebody had to introduce you, right?

   12. MRMary Lynn Rajskub0:44

       Yeah.

   13. JRJoe Rogan0:44

       Like, uh, opening acts.

   14. MRMary Lynn Rajskub0:44

       Someone was introducing me. I think I was in such a, a, a, a bubble, uh, I didn't really... And I wasn't on the road hardcore, and I wasn't... I don't know. I wasn't identifying with, uh, me as a performer so much.

   15. JRJoe Rogan0:59

       What does that mean?

   16. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:00

       That means I was doing performance art and people were laughing. I didn't know why they were laughing.

   17. JRJoe Rogan1:07

       (laughs)

   18. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:08

       Right? I moved to LA and I was like, "Yeah, let's do shows." Like, I didn't know... I didn't think about it as, like, you're introducing me. I'm a per- I'm a performer. I would say only in the past couple years have I done the road proper. But I came in the back alley for everything, for comedy, for, for acting. Like, if I had come to LA with a stack of headshots, like, "Hey, I'm ready for acting," it would have never happened. I just came with a group of people, like, "I wanna do some live shows," and like, no business being in LA.

   19. JRJoe Rogan1:40

       (laughs)

   20. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:41

       No business. Just doing weird shows, 'cause that, uh, that's what I was compelled to do.

   21. JRJoe Rogan1:45

       Right.

   22. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:45

       Like, I could not have done it had I said, "All right. You're gonna do acting and performing," especially not comedy. Like, I didn't identify with that at all. (laughs) I had to figure out why people were laughing.

   23. JRJoe Rogan2:00

       That's fascinating. So, when you first got into show business, what was the goal? It's a weird word, show business.

   24. MRMary Lynn Rajskub2:07

       Isn't she?

   25. JRJoe Rogan2:08

       Show business.

   26. MRMary Lynn Rajskub2:08

       Isn't she a special lady? I'm, I'm audition-ready today, by the way.

   27. JRJoe Rogan2:12

       (laughs)

   28. MRMary Lynn Rajskub2:13

       If you notice, I have a good brow and a good, uh, sh- eye shadow line.

   29. JRJoe Rogan2:19

       (laughs)

   30. MRMary Lynn Rajskub2:19

       (laughs) I'm, I'm such a woman. I'm really more of a woman now than I've ever been. Uh-
2. 15:00 – 30:00

   Yes. Yeah. I mean,…

   1. MRMary Lynn Rajskub15:00

      similar point, that the, that it comes in the pause in after what they're saying even if it doesn't make any sense. But you're saying sometimes people write things and it makes its own sense when you hear them say it.

   2. JRJoe Rogan15:10

      Yes. Yeah. I mean, and but it's also just about being f- fully committed-

   3. MRMary Lynn Rajskub15:14

      Or the pause.

   4. JRJoe Rogan15:14

      ... in that.

   5. MRMary Lynn Rajskub15:15

      Yes. Yes. Yes.

   6. JRJoe Rogan15:16

      Yeah. And those pauses, yeah, that gives you, especially with something's really absurd, gives you that opportunity to go, "What?"

   7. MRMary Lynn Rajskub15:22

      Yeah.

   8. JRJoe Rogan15:23

      You don't wanna just hammer them over the head with it. So you just started doing that, and how did it lead to actual standup standup?

   9. MRMary Lynn Rajskub15:31

      Um, it was a really fun time in San Francisco because the comedy clubs were closing, so a lot of comics were coming to these open mic poetry rooms. And one of my favorite rooms was in this bar. And also, I was from the suburbs of Detroit, and so just being in San Francisco, uh, that was a real city and a friendly city, you know? Like, it's-

   10. JRJoe Rogan15:49

       Right.

   11. MRMary Lynn Rajskub15:49

       ... small enough and it's beautiful, and they have a real arts scene. And it was the first time that I had seen, like, a real counterculture and people that would hang out in coffee shops and, and a lot of young people that looked like I did. So I would go to bars for this open mic and there'd be, um, you know, like, a transvestite who was semi-homeless but was, you- you know, made up, who was, like, reading her poetry. And I was like, "I'm in. Like, I'm done." And I had no money, and I would sit and crouch on the floor and drink, like, a half a beer and be like, "Oh, this is-

   12. JRJoe Rogan16:23

       (laughs)

   13. MRMary Lynn Rajskub16:23

       ... is crazy." And I would watch her read from her journal. And I did a similar thing where I would just... And then it was always- I didn't, I didn't know my own mind or my own thoughts really, so I would write down random words and I would perform it. I mean, and still now, it- it's, you know, it- I've progressed a bit. (laughs) But it's like it informs you how the audience reacts-

   14. JRJoe Rogan16:42

       Right.

   15. MRMary Lynn Rajskub16:42

       ... or it begins to. And I just love seeing all these, like, different people and what, what they thought they were saying versus what they were really saying and what their intended effect was and how people were really s- seeing them. Anyway, so, so comics started dropping into these rooms, like Patton Oswalt and, um, Jeremy Kramer and, uh, Blanka Patch and, you know, the, uh, Gregg Behrendt, all these, uh, Ron Lynch people that were more, uh, San Francisco affiliated that were there at that time would start doing these open mic nights. Um, but because th- a comic is so versed in their own voice that watching them was so... I was like, "Oh, the- they know how to speak and they're more polished." And then that was attractive to me, so, so I kind of gravitated towards... And there were all these alternative rooms that weren't comedy clubs.

   16. JRJoe Rogan17:36

       Right, right, right.

   17. MRMary Lynn Rajskub17:36

       And that was like, I loved that. I just loved it because there was room for mistakes. There was room for the in between, you know? It was like that, the- the- the real alt scene of that time.

   18. JRJoe Rogan17:48

       Yeah. That alt scene's interesting. It's always interesting when, like, a little branch of a style of comedy breaks off, you know? And some people do it because that's, like, it- it's feels more true to them.

   19. MRMary Lynn Rajskub18:02

       Right.

   20. JRJoe Rogan18:02

       And then some people do it because it seems like the cool hip thing to do. And then some people, it's just a combination of both, right?... the alt scene's an interesting scene, you know, 'cause it, uh, it also is attached to that one place that doesn't pay anybody, the UCB.

   21. MRMary Lynn Rajskub18:17

       Yeah.

   22. JRJoe Rogan18:18

       Where I was always like, "Wait, what?"

   23. MRMary Lynn Rajskub18:20

       Oh, you mean, 'cause they're making money and no one else is making money?

   24. JRJoe Rogan18:22

       Yeah. I wa- I was always like, "What? Huh?"

   25. MRMary Lynn Rajskub18:28

       Yeah, but com-

   26. JRJoe Rogan18:28

       Like, how does that make sense?

   27. MRMary Lynn Rajskub18:29

       ... not ... People don't get paid at comedy clubs as well.

   28. JRJoe Rogan18:32

       Well, sure they do. The Comedy Store pays you.

   29. MRMary Lynn Rajskub18:34

       You mean, like, 25 bucks?

   30. JRJoe Rogan18:36

       25 bucks for regular sets, and then you get a lot more than that if you do the main room.
3. 30:00 – 45:00

   I was tense. …

   1. MRMary Lynn Rajskub30:00

      and being like, "Ha ha, that was awesome," and then the feeling of, I think what I'm-

   2. JRJoe Rogan30:04

      I was tense.

   3. MRMary Lynn Rajskub30:05

      Yeah, like-

   4. JRJoe Rogan30:05

      Yeah.

   5. MRMary Lynn Rajskub30:06

      ... where you're just ins- inside your own head going, "I don't wanna be here. Like, that sucked. Like, it's not fun."

   6. JRJoe Rogan30:11

      It wasn't that. It was just like, I shouldn't have allowed myself to get so upset. But I, I came into the stage upset. That was part of the problem, is that I had a crazy day with a lot of fucked up things happened, and I carried that energy onto the stage. There was a lot of weird shit that happened in my life that day. It was just like, "Enough, enough, fucking enough."

   7. MRMary Lynn Rajskub30:31

      And then her ...

   8. JRJoe Rogan30:32

      You know? Yeah. It's like weird shit with friends and a couple weird business things. It was like a compounding day, and then this lady was hammered, and just ... And, and I gave her the bene- I t- I tried to talk her into just-... release, and I explained to her, this is how the bit would have gone if you didn't interrupt.

   9. MRMary Lynn Rajskub30:46

      (laughs)

   10. JRJoe Rogan30:47

       I go, "Okay. Get it? See, I'm gonna say something outrageous."

   11. MRMary Lynn Rajskub30:49

       (laughs)

   12. JRJoe Rogan30:49

       "Then I'm gonna say something more fucked up about myself."

   13. MRMary Lynn Rajskub30:51

       (laughs)

   14. JRJoe Rogan30:51

       "This is what I do." So I did it again, and she interrupted again. I'm like, "Get the fuck out. Just get out. Just get out." And I was, but I was really upset, and you shouldn't really get upset. So when you allow yourself to get really upset, it's usually because you came into it unbalanced. And again-

   15. MRMary Lynn Rajskub31:07

       Right.

   16. JRJoe Rogan31:07

       ... it's always you're neve- you're never done. Like, you might think, "Well, I understand how to behave now. I've got my shit together. I get it." But you don't. You do, you get it right now, but if you let it slip, you won't get it tomorrow. If you have the wrong attitude or the wrong approach, and the wrong dude cuts you off, you're like, "Fuck off!" Like, "Ah!"

   17. MRMary Lynn Rajskub31:26

       And it's over. Yeah.

   18. JRJoe Rogan31:27

       "Where'd that come from? Shit!" You know?

   19. MRMary Lynn Rajskub31:30

       And going back to what we were talking about earlier, like when you said you're not awkward. Uh, y- two things. Uh, uh, y- y- you are, you're much more of a teddy bear now than you used to be, don't you think?

   20. JRJoe Rogan31:40

       (laughs) I've never thought of myself as a teddy bear, but-

   21. MRMary Lynn Rajskub31:44

       (laughs) Well, when I see you now, you're just like, you're just not... And I'm not saying you weren't like this before, but you just are so like positive and loving, loving and kind of like, you know, you can feel it. Whereas, and y- you know, there's a lot of baggage in the past, and, and we never... Not baggage, but like, I was like, "Oh, that guy hates women. Oh, that guy hates me." But that was also when Duncan was hanging out with you, y- y- you know, he and I just broke up, so that was the baggage I was referring to. But like-

   22. JRJoe Rogan32:12

       Oh, yeah.

   23. MRMary Lynn Rajskub32:13

       ... I just thought, you know, you have such a strong energy that I was like, "Oh, that guy and I..." Not that I... It's weird, 'cause I wasn't like... I just wa- I just never pictured us talking easily.

   24. JRJoe Rogan32:28

       Yeah.

   25. MRMary Lynn Rajskub32:28

       Not saying that it wouldn't have happened then, 'cause it just didn't, but I was like-

   26. JRJoe Rogan32:31

       Right.

   27. MRMary Lynn Rajskub32:31

       ... "Whoa! What, what's up with that dude?"

   28. JRJoe Rogan32:33

       I get it. I've said on s- uh, on, on stage a bunch of times, like, I look like a sexist. Like, I look like-

   29. MRMary Lynn Rajskub32:40

       (laughs)

   30. JRJoe Rogan32:40

       ... I would be a dick. (laughs) I just, that's what I look like. You know, there's like not much you can do about it. If you lift weights and you have a fat head, you know, you look like a dickhead. There's just... Right? There's no way around it.
4. 45:00 – 1:00:00

   Ugh. …

   1. MRMary Lynn Rajskub45:00

   2. JRJoe Rogan45:00

      Ugh.

   3. MRMary Lynn Rajskub45:00

      And so then I started, like ... Instead of going, "What the fuck are you talking about?" I just went, "Oh, okay. Well, I'll come down and get it." And then I came down and met him.

   4. JRJoe Rogan45:11

      Whoa.

   5. MRMary Lynn Rajskub45:11

      And ... But it was so unsettling. And that was her idea, it wasn't his idea, but instead of saying, "Don't do that," and setting her straight, I took the middle road and went down there.

   6. JRJoe Rogan45:20

      How well did you go back to sleep after that?

   7. MRMary Lynn Rajskub45:22

      (laughs)

   8. JRJoe Rogan45:22

      Not so good, right?

   9. MRMary Lynn Rajskub45:23

      Well, I drank that bottle of wine-

   10. JRJoe Rogan45:25

       (laughs)

   11. MRMary Lynn Rajskub45:26

       ... and had the best show of my life.

   12. JRJoe Rogan45:27

       You were hungover at the show. Ugh. Yeah, that's creepy. It's ... Um, Ali Wong has a great bit at ... I'm not gonna do it justice, uh, and I don't wanna paraphrase it either. And I don't wanna tell anybody what it's about, but it's essentially the difference between life for a woman comic on the road versus-

   13. MRMary Lynn Rajskub45:44

       Oh, yeah, yeah.

   14. JRJoe Rogan45:44

       ... life for a male comic. You know, it's a big difference.

   15. MRMary Lynn Rajskub45:47

       Yeah.

   16. JRJoe Rogan45:48

       The, uh, the danger level, like that's like, guys that get- get obsessed with you. You know, wanna bring you wine and shit, and ... Like, that stuff- that's gotta be weird.

   17. MRMary Lynn Rajskub45:58

       I had another guy, it was the guy who held the sweater. He's like-

   18. JRJoe Rogan46:01

       Oh.

   19. MRMary Lynn Rajskub46:02

       ... "It's your sweater from Season 3." So he wore it-

   20. JRJoe Rogan46:04

       So he bought it somehow online?

   21. MRMary Lynn Rajskub46:06

       He bought it, and then after the show, he want- he showed me ... I don't know what's wrong with me because I'm like, "He was a really nice guy." Like, this is a terrible situation.

   22. JRJoe Rogan46:15

       Right.

   23. MRMary Lynn Rajskub46:15

       And ... But I, for whatever reason, I'm like, "He needs me to listen to him right now."

   24. JRJoe Rogan46:20

       (laughs)

   25. MRMary Lynn Rajskub46:20

       And I stood there, like, "What is wrong with me?" He had two thick photo books of the thousands of dollars of memorabilia and the pictures of all the items and the itemized of shit from the show, and again, I'm there, I'm looking around like, "Anybody seeing this? No?

   26. JRJoe Rogan46:39

       (laughs)

   27. MRMary Lynn Rajskub46:39

       "Just me and him? Okay, yeah, you guys continue cleaning." 'Cause that's the weird thing too.

   28. JRJoe Rogan46:43

       Right.

   29. MRMary Lynn Rajskub46:43

       'Cause I'm a superstar on one end, but on the other end, it's like, "Not really. I don't have-

   30. JRJoe Rogan46:48

       Right.
5. 1:00:00 – 1:09:11

   Oh, okay. …

   1. JRJoe Rogan1:00:00

      daughter, my oldest daughter.

   2. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:00:01

      Oh, okay.

   3. JRJoe Rogan1:00:01

      So she's got it at her apartment.

   4. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:00:03

      I used to be allergic to feathers. I remember sleeping over someone's house. It depends on, like where my system is-

   5. JRJoe Rogan1:00:09

      Feathers?

   6. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:00:09

      ... of how it affects me sometimes.

   7. JRJoe Rogan1:00:10

      Feathers? Like down?

   8. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:00:10

      Yeah, like laying on a feather pillow, yeah. Down, yeah.

   9. JRJoe Rogan1:00:13

      Whoa. Yeah, I know people that are allergic to, like, like Styrofoam. I've heard of people who are allergic to, like certain types of plastic and shit.

   10. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:00:23

       Yeah.

   11. JRJoe Rogan1:00:23

       That just coming in contact with certain plastics make them break out. Am I, is that, am I making this up? Feels like bullshit. (laughs)

   12. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:00:32

       I got the EpiPen once-

   13. JRJoe Rogan1:00:33

       Whoa.

   14. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:00:34

       ... from getting the shots. That was really exciting.

   15. JRJoe Rogan1:00:37

       So the, you got the shots. Your body went into shock because of all the allergic shots-

   16. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:00:41

       Yeah, and he-

   17. JRJoe Rogan1:00:41

       ... and then they had a fucking boom right in the thigh?

   18. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:00:43

       Yeah, and my allergist was like, "I..." He did it in my arm, but he, he said I, I didn't even raise it that much, but I went home and I was reading and I'm like, "God, I itchy. Oh, I must, I must have s- been sweating." Like I worked out and I needed, I didn't... For, like a full 10 minutes, m- I wasn't conscious. I was just subconsciously going, "Man, I gotta go take a shower or something." And then I lifted up and it was like ...... like, traveling. And then I just was like, "Um, I'm having an attack. Like, I need a Benadryl." And like, no one was listening to me-

   19. JRJoe Rogan1:01:14

       (laughs)

   20. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:01:14

       And I'm like, "I, I think I need a Benadryl." And I, I didn't... I was looking for the Benadryl, couldn't find it, called my allergist, and he goes, "Yeah, just come here right now." And then I drove there just, like, so scared 'cause I could feel it traveling. And I'm like, you know, panicking, but also trying to, like, manage. Like, when you panic and it's a good thing 'cause you have to act fast.

   21. JRJoe Rogan1:01:37

       Right.

   22. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:01:37

       And then I thought, "Oh, are my eyes gonna close up? Is my throat gonna close up?" And then went in there, fucking full on EpiPen.

   23. JRJoe Rogan1:01:44

       Ooh.

   24. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:01:44

       It was awesome. It felt-

   25. JRJoe Rogan1:01:45

       What does it feel like?

   26. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:01:46

       ... really good.

   27. JRJoe Rogan1:01:46

       What does it feel like?

   28. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:01:46

       It felt like, it honestly felt like I was about to go on stage.

   29. JRJoe Rogan1:01:52

       Ooh, like a rush?

   30. MRMary Lynn Rajskub1:01:53

       Yeah.

Episode duration: 2:00:08