'Let's Just See What Happens': Comedian Mary Lynn Rajskub on Risk-Taking and Success The actor and comedian discusses her new special, her resume of iconic comedy, and her new Netflix hit "North of North."
By Dan Bova
For comedian and actor Mary Lynn Rajskub, creating a steady stream of comedy since the 1990s has been both fun and a form of therapy. Plus, as she told me, "Being a woman and getting paid less, I don't have time to stop. You just keep going!"
True to her word, Mary Lynn has not stopped. She's been on such iconic shows as 24, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Mr. Show, The Larry Sanders Show, and her new hit, North of North, just got picked up for a second season on Netflix. She's also got multiple standup specials, including her new one, Mary Lynn Rajskub: Road Gig, which you can watch for free on YouTube as soon as you finish reading this.
I love talking with comedians for our How Success Happens podcast because, to me, their profession is the most personal form of BIZ Experiencesship imaginable — you and the words coming out of your mouth are the product. And it's a product that needs constant updates and iterations, and you have to be more than comfortable with risk. You never know when a joke is going to unite everyone with a good laugh, or cancel you into oblivion.
Mary Lynn talked about developing her material, as well as collaborating with comedy powerhouses, like Bob Odenkirk, David Cross, Paul Thomas Anderson and Amy Sherman-Paladino. And we discussed the literal smell of success. A recent news story where Jamie Foxx revealed that Eddie Murphy's home has the scent of pomegranate pumped into every room, Mary Lynn described the defining scent of her home: "Well, today was my son's last day of school, so I cooked breakfast. So we probably have a nice bacon and dog scent going on here."
You can listen to our full interview here, and check out 3 success takeaways below, which have been edited for length and clarity:
1. Success means only leaving the house when you want.
"I still do a lot of live comedy. But it means I have to drive out of my house at night, and it's hard. I don't want to leave and be in a place, but then once I do it, it reminds me that I love it, and I'm doing it as a workout. I'm doing it to hear material. A lot of times for local shows, I'm not getting paid. And I am in the position that I get to do that. Success for me now is being able to do it because I love it."
2. Having a "let's see what happens" attitude can serve you well.
"Our show, North by North, is filmed in the Canadian Arctic, in the real town of Iqaluit. As you fly there, at a certain point, all the trees disappear and all you see is ice and snow. And that's when the crew of Canadian North Airlines offered me a 'special coffee.' I say, 'Oh, no thank you.' And they said, 'I think you do want a special coffee.' Because they knew that the booze and the sugar would help soften the edges for a Southerner who's not prepared for what's going to happen in this completely different climate extreme. So it seemed like the thing to do, so I figured 'When in Rome...' let's see what happens. And I was glad I did."
3. You'll never know if it works until you try.
"There are a lot of little things that happen throughout the day that I think, 'Oh, that'll be funny.' And sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't. Sometimes I'll say it on stage and I'm like, oh, that was dumb, or that didn't translate. The second half of writing is always on stage for me. I've got to just say it out loud and figure out, oh, that's trash, or, oh, there's something there, let me work it. Or sometimes if you're lucky, it just comes out the right way the first time."
Speed round!
When she's on the road, she does not want BBQ recommendations: "Especially when I'm traveling alone. I'm like, you think I'm gonna go sit at a loud barbecue and order a beer and a big plate of meat? Who do you think I am?"
She was once roommates with Sarah Silverman. "Sarah Silverman was absolutely the better roommate — I was a mess. She was so great, I was lucky that she allowed me to be there."
Learning from the greats. " Garry Shandling had such a specific confidence in his humor and how he knew he wanted the world to be. I remember reading the Larry Sanders script and going, 'Oh no, I don't see the jokes. I'm not sure if I'm getting this.' And then when we did the table read and people were reading in character, then it was like, 'Oh, this is my favorite humor ever.' It is so specific to the character that it really doesn't work until you hear them deliver it."
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