Saeed Adyani
Aparna Nancherla is without doubt one of the most completed and revered standup comedians of her era. However she has spent many of the previous two years offstage, recording voiceover work and writing a e-book about imposter syndrome–the type of “showbiz actions,” as she places it, that may be accomplished in a “cave.”
On this week’s episode of The Final Snigger podcast, Nancherla opens up about “commodifying” nervousness in her comedy and taking over the tradition wars along with her new animated Comedy Central collection Fairview. She additionally discusses the challenges of writing jokes for Seth Meyers, the rewarding expertise of taking part in Bojack Horseman’s daughter, and why Joe Rogan ought to cease hiding behind the “I’m only a comic” protection.
“There’s positively a robust introvert in me who's like, ‘Sure, much less individuals, extra cave!’” Nancherla says once I ask how the relative isolation of the pandemic has handled her. “However then it’s a slippery slope the place I’m like, ‘I’m alone on this planet. I want human contact.’”
Her upcoming e-book will characteristic a collection of private essays, “a extremely popular format for comedians,” she jokes. “The overarching theme is imposter syndrome, which has proven up in just about each space of my life,” the comic explains. “At first I used to be like, ‘I’ll write a e-book about imposter syndrome after which I’ll show to myself that I actually can do something!’ As a substitute it’s like, ‘Oh, you wanna write about imposter syndrome? That's the one method to make your imposter syndrome actually, actually loud.’”
In her half-hour particular that streamed as a part of Netflix’s The Standups collection in 2018, Nancherla joked that nervousness is “lastly on message,” including, “If you happen to’re an anxious individual it’s type of like: ‘Properly, , that is what we prepare for. That is our Olympics. All these nights awake—it’s present time!’”
In fact, with a worldwide pandemic, nationwide racial reckoning, and now the prospect of World Struggle III on the horizon, the world has solely grown extra anxious within the 4 years since, making her phrases really feel one way or the other each prescient and quaint.
“I really feel like if something, the bit has gotten extra well timed,” she says now. “You by no means suppose that can occur with the standup bit, nevertheless it’s like, ‘I ought to have provide you with that now.’ It’s unusual how a lot individuals relate to it the more serious issues turn out to be. It’s like, I am sorry, but in addition thanks.”
Under is an edited excerpt from our dialog. You possibly can take heed to the entire thing—together with tales about engaged on ‘Late Night time with Seth Meyers,’ ‘Bojack Horseman’ and extra—proper now by subscribing to The Final Snigger on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts, and be the primary to listen to new episodes when they're launched each Tuesday.
I really feel such as you, and different comedians as properly, have normalized speaking about nervousness in a approach that we didn’t for some time. Do you are feeling that within the response from followers or interactions with people who find themselves perhaps getting one thing necessary out of what you’re saying on stage?
Yeah, I imply, truthfully once I began speaking about it, I didn’t even suppose I used to be doing something that was out of left subject or groundbreaking as a result of I had watched comedians like Maria Bamford and Marc Maron and Patton Oswalt. They usually had all been fairly forthright with their struggles with psychological well being. Possibly simply by advantage of being a girl of coloration or one thing, it was coming at it from a brand new route. However I do agree that since I’ve began speaking about it, I positively really feel prefer it’s simply type of blown up, our willingness to debate it as a tradition. And I'll say, not that I'd ever say having these conversations just isn't legitimate, however there's a unusual approach psychological well being has nearly turn out to be fashionable to speak about on social media.
Is that bizarre for you?
Yeah, I believe I've a tricky time generally with simply the way in which it’s been commodified, the place I’m like, are we getting worth from this? Or is that this a possibility to promote one other mug?
Properly, as somebody who additionally experiences nervousness, I discover it relatable. And I believe there's something about listening to another person speak about it in a public approach that's useful. Do you are feeling prefer it’s useful so that you can speak about it? Does it make you much less anxious to speak about nervousness?
I’m going to be controversial and say that I believe the extra I speak about nervousness, the more serious it makes it really feel. The extra I feed on my nervousness, the extra it feeds off of me. The extra airtime I give it in my life, the extra airtime it appears to suppose it has in my mind. However then weirdly [with] despair, I really feel the other, the place the extra I speak about it, like, it feels much less isolating. I don’t know why they type of work towards one another. I’m not saying I ought to speak much less about it, however I've to watch out about how a lot I’m letting it take possession over me.
The opposite factor that stood out from watching a bunch of your standup from through the years is that, particularly earlier on, you used loads of self-deprecation onstage. And that is one thing that got here up with Hannah Gadsby a couple of years in the past, the place she began speaking lots about how she wasn’t going to try this anymore. She felt it was dangerous indirectly. I do know you used to open with the road like, “I’m shocked I’m a comic too.” What did that imply to you? Why do you suppose you probably did that? And is that one thing you’ve considered in another way as time has gone on?
Positively. I believe once I began there have been different comedians in marginalized teams within the scene, however perhaps they weren’t having the second they’re having now, the place individuals actually are making a stand to produce other tales instructed. And I believe the web simply democratized issues in a approach with a few of these voices coming extra ahead. However I believe once I began, there was nonetheless this concept—I imply, I began in D.C., and never that it’s a homogenous city, however I believe many standup scenes [are] nonetheless dominated by males, and primarily straight white males. And so I believe if you happen to didn’t match into that field, you needed to type of be like, right here’s my deal. Earlier than you could possibly even get into your materials, you needed to form of clarify your self to the viewers. And I didn’t actually need to dwell on it. So I used to be like, what’s essentially the most concise approach I can get this over with? However I believe you’re proper. Within the years since, I’m like, why do I really feel like I've to apologize for who I'm or spoon-feed myself to a bunch? Now individuals have the power to begin in the midst of the dialog the place it’s like, we’re already right here, you don’t want me to clarify who I'm to you.
Yeah, I believe loads of comedians would, and possibly nonetheless do, make some remark about their look after they first get onstage.
I believe it’s additionally like comedy 101. “I do know what I appear like.” It’s an instantaneous method to join.
Do you are feeling such as you did consciously cease doing a few of that stuff at a sure level?
Yeah, I believe so. I simply was like, this isn't enjoyable for me to jot down or say anymore. And I believe there's a savviness now the place audiences are like, we don’t want to listen to that. However I additionally suppose my curiosity in telling it comes throughout as decrease, so it simply doesn’t play as properly when I attempt to go in that route. As a result of it’s clear that I’m not into it anymore.
One other huge dialog occurring within the comedy world proper now has to do with Joe Rogan and the controversy over what a comic’s “job” is. How do you concentrate on that, simply when it comes to, is there a duty to be “harmful” as a comic?
Properly, I believe it’s tough being like, “Joe Rogan’s a comic, he’s not accountable if individuals take him significantly or who he interviews significantly,” as a result of I don’t suppose his podcast manufacturers itself as only a comedy podcast. It’s not like, we’re simply taking pictures the shit and telling jokes. Not that you just’re not a comic if you attain a sure platform, however I believe to have the platform and affect after which to nonetheless say you’re questioning authority when in a approach you've gotten turn out to be an authority—it’s slightly dicier to only be like, “He’s talking out towards the mainstream” when he’s reaching extra individuals than some mainstream media.
Than just about all mainstream media.
So is he actually nonetheless an underdog? I'd say that’s questionable.
Hearken to the episode now and subscribe to ‘The Final Snigger’ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts, and be the primary to listen to new episodes when they're launched each Tuesday.