Paula Poundstone’s Spontaneous Combustion

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Photo Courtesy of Paula Poundstone

When comedian Paula Poundstone performs at the Pabst Theater on Saturday, Feb. 1, she will deliver wry—often hysterical—observations about everything from domestic life to linguistics to world politics. Poundstone riffs like nobody’s business. That usually also involves off-the-cuff interactions with audience members on topics such as their Powerpoint presentations or pets. Poundstone deftly mines the mundane for comic gold.

In a recent phone interview, Poundstone said that about one-third of each performance is unique to that show—and which she will promptly forget. The rest is “material floating around in my head from doing standup for 41 years. I don’t know what I’m going to do. It’s like that arcade game where you stand inside a booth and they blow money around. Whatever you catch, you can keep. I figure that’s what the inside of my brain looks like.”

Poundstone’s free-range style evolved because “I cannot remember shit to save my life,” she said. “So, I’m just stuck grabbing whatever I can remember or going to somebody and starting a conversation because I can’t think of what else to do in that moment. It started… as a kind of nervous twitch.” Eventually, she realized that “this was really, really the heart of the night. So, I started just allowing myself” that spontaneity as part of the show.

A generosity of spirit came through at a Poundstone show at the Pabst several years ago. When a man in the mezzanine repeatedly heckled her, she seemed determined to bring the angry critic into the guffawing fold. Engaging with him, she correctly guessed that he was reluctantly there on a quid-pro-quo date—in return for his partner previously attending a sporting event. When he complained that Poundstone’s dialogs with attendees “made fun of them,” she and the willing banterers disputed that characterization. Indeed, Poundstone laughs with rather than at people—starting with legendary self-deprecation.

Loving Lucy

Growing up, Poundstone often watched “I Love Lucy” and now has DVDs of the classic series. “My middle daughter began watching it as she was growing up. So, we watched a lot of it. To this day, when she comes home for an evening and we have time to watch something, she will probably say, ‘Let’s watch an “I Love Lucy.”’ To hold up for that many years is pretty damn good!”

Desi Arnaz does not get enough credit for “what a fantastic straight man he was,” Poundstone said. “When he would react to something that Lucy had done, he was brilliant. But there’s no denying that the stuff she did was just great. And that was in an era when there were not many opportunities for women” in comedy.

The last-century trope that “women aren’t funny” has not fazed Poundstone. “That’s just a stupid thing that Jerry Lewis said to get attention… to get a rise out of people, and it worked,” she said. When asked about Christopher Hitchens’ 2007 Vanity Fair article, “Why Women Aren’t Funny,” Poundstone responded, “I support his atheism but… arrogance would make someone say that. Really, have you talked to every woman, have ya? There’s a lot of misogynism in the world; that doesn’t make [it] right.”

A No-Holds-Barred Podcast

A weekly podcast called Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone, co-hosted with Adam Felber, a friend and fellow comic, has expanded their repertoires. Dubbed “your comedy field guide to life,” the quirky show includes interviews with experts on topics such as chocolate, trees, car repair or science fiction. Invariably, conversation veers off the rails and Felber tries to restore order, usually in vain. Poundstone’s unbridled antics involve tall tales, vocabulary development and voicing colorful characters, often during faux phone calls to Felber. “The first time we surprised Adam with this, the look on his face was so great,” said Poundstone. The callers gush their support for Felber in ways that make him squirm.

The mostly unscripted podcast “is kind of like when you’re a kid and performing in the back of your closet,” said Poundstone. “The fact that it’s just me and a few other people doing this podcast in a room, it just takes the lid off.”

Poundstone and Felber met years ago as frequent panelists on Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell!, the NPR quiz show (aired on WUWM and Wisconsin Public Radio). When he moved to Los Angeles, where she has long resided, their families began socializing. She recalled a momentous bonding point: “One time, when my son was pretty little, he had a hockey lesson and my daughters had to be somewhere else.” Adam, not yet a parent, offered to take him. “Some people use the test of ‘Will someone pick me up at the airport?’ That’s nothing compared with ‘Will someone take my son to his hockey lesson?’ That’s second only to donating a kidney.”

Women and Politics

Poundstone loved when actor Michelle Williams said in her Golden Globes’ acceptance speech, “‘Women, vote in your best interests; men have been doing it for years.’ She’s absolutely right… Imagine having an Angela Merkel in every country. We would NEVER be in the mess we’re in now. Now, don’t get me wrong. There are some women [in politics] who are terrible, but she’s not,” Poundstone said.

In the general election, Poundstone plans to vote for the Democrat, no matter who it is. “However, as it happens, I really, really feel excitement about Elizabeth Warren. At this time in history, it’s very important that we take that step [of electing a woman]. Otherwise, every time it will be an issue, and it needn’t be.”

Poundstone added a disclaimer: “I didn’t think I’d ever say this, because I don’t choose things by gender. I like who I like and hang out with people based on that. For example, in elementary school, I talked incessantly, and so teachers would get mad and one of their techniques would be to move my desk to be with the boys. That was… my punishment—to sit with the boys. It was supposed be this shameful thing. When that punishment was cast upon me, I suppose I felt some shame. But, once I was sitting with the boys, I was happy as a clam. I loved the boys; we had a great time. But having said that, I want a woman for president. The stigma about it is bullshit.”

The Passage of Time

When she turned 50, Poundstone imagined she would “feel the need to make a speech and weep. I did not.” Then she wondered, “Why would I ever have thought that? Of course, when I was young, I thought you were supposed to cry on New Year’s Eve, that this passing of time was some big deal.” Turning 60 recently, Poundstone said, “I was able to move into 60 with the prior knowledge that it’s no big deal. I don’t need to make a speech.”

Learning from experience is one good thing about getting older, said Poundstone. If she could pass along one instruction to her kids, “it would be to avoid drama at all costs. When I was younger, I was addicted to drama. Some of it was just an attention-getting desire, I guess. But, as I get older, I want much less of that. I want more walks with my dogs where I think about [podcast characters like], Mrs. Culpepper and ‘French Trump’—and less drama in my regular life.”

Post-show Love Fests

Poundstone usually does meet-and-greet sessions after her concerts—after she performs for about two hours without an opening act. “When I was younger, I hated meeting people after a show. If I did a good job and left [the audience] in a good place, I didn’t want to do anything to muck it up.”

After writing her first book, years ago, it made sense to sell it at shows and meet her fans. That continued with other merchandise options. However, she always makes it clear that people need not need buy anything to say hello. “As it turns out, I really like this thing—meeting fans—that I never wanted to do. First of all, I like people. And some of the best people are my fans. I know them, they know me, and I like that.”

Those attending Poundstone’s concert can expect the unexpected as she leads her audience on a very joyous, uncharted ride.