- Hello, I'm Ilana Glazer and you're watching
In Studio with The Holywood Reporter.
- All right, let's talk about "The Planet is Burning".
- Let's talk about it.
- Are you Nostradamus?
Because, that's actually happening right now.
- Yeah, no, I'm just a literate,
living, and breathing individual
who knows that the planet is burning.
It's like, no surprise, it's no secret.
But, that is, sort of, I guess, the lens through
which I think of everything.
Because, it's on my mind, all day, every day.
You know, and it does, I talk about it,
a little bit, in the special, that the planet is burning,
but it really does happen to be my lens.
- Right, and it's interesting;
because, you're a comedian, and there
is a level of levity, and carefreeness,
and craziness to being a comedian.
But, at the same time, comedians seem to be
the people who are, kind of, at the forefront
of speaking truth to power, right now.
- It's so weird, I'm 32 and I've been
doing comedy for 13 years (squeals).
I started when I was 19, and I remember,
at the time, seeing this change.
Where comedians were becoming
modern day philosophers, really.
And, seeing the stage change.
And, now that, you know, our president,
it seems like a joke.
It seems like we're living in a satire.
So, then, comedians are, like, the most
serious people that there are.
Because, the people who are supposed
to be serious are clown-like.
(laughs)
So, yeah, I think it's sickly funny, to be honest.
- Yeah, we're living in end times.
I don't mean to laugh, but we are living in end times.
(laughs)
- I hope that it's the, what I'm hoping is
that it is the end of the old way.
You know, like, the power structures that
we live in are 10,000 years old.
Which is, like, "Ugh, 10,000 years."
But, humanity is, like, 100,000 years old.
Society is sub humanity.
So, I'm hoping that it's end times
of the way that we know the world to be.
Where you can own people, and own the planet,
and own women, whatever.
I'm hoping that it is the end of those times.
- [Marya] Those times, yeah. - That's my hope.
And I am optimistic about it, although
it clearly could go the other way.
(laughs)
Because the planet is burning, right now.
- Well, you need a little bit of suspense, right?
- Yeah - For the happy ending.
- That's right, that's right.
- But, talking about your stand up special,
you open it in a very optimistic way.
You can see that you have a lot of joy in you.
Was there a lot of pressure to, kind of,
design the stand up special a certain way?
- I always need to get a hug and dance a little bit
in the beginning of a show; 'cause, I'm nervous, you know?
Like, dancing just helps, I just like
get it out, get it off.
I'm, like, always dancing in the wings,
and, then, come out dancing.
Just for my own physiology.
To just chill out, so I can cool out enough
to serve my audience.
And, that was my whole team.
My producers, and my comedians,
that I was hugging on the way out.
And it just felt so good.
And I do feel like there's, like,
a lot of joy to be had, right now.
And, you know, the act of joy is,
I'm quoting someone, I don't know exactly who it is,
and people have said this before,
I'm not the first to say this, joy is an act of resistance.
It's radical to be a young woman and be joyful,
and to own your body, and to own the space you're taking up,
and the time you're taking up.
Even though, like, I think I appear to people
through my character in Broad City,
and through stand-up as, just, taking
that space without thinking about it.
I do think about it, it's hard.
I feel, like, doubtful, and, you know, it's,
I'm not sure if is it too much space,
or, you know, am I taking it up in the right way
or for the right reason, or whatever.
But, I myself am working to get to a place,
where it's, just, I'm, just, aligned.
And when I'm taking up that space, I'm taking it up.
And when I'm not, I'm not.
But, it felt really good, and felt aligned,
to open the special dancing to Rihanna,
hugging my friends, and dancing with my audience.
- Let's talk a little bit about some of your subject matter.
You speak a lot to the idea of
being uncomfortable with gender norms.
And, then, you also find the humor
in homophobia, does that make sense?
- Yeah, it does, it does.
- So, why are these subjects important to you?
- Well, the gender norms thing is interesting to me.
I am so grateful to, you know, the trans community
and the LGBTQ community, and trans people of color,
like, they paved the way for everyone else
who, maybe, appears like they fit in more,
or whatever, to the standard.
They paved the way for everyone else
to feel more fluid, within themselves.
And I'm really grateful for those conversations;
because, you know, while as a cis white person
I have relative bodily safety that's afforded to me.
Because of the system, whatever.
But, I really appreciate those conversations
that have been coming up, and I appreciate that
I can say that these days, that I feel like a dude.
I feel, like, a third a dude.
And, okay, big deal
You know, whereas, whatever, 20 years ago
it'd be like (gasps) you know, it'd be crazy.
But, people who are just living their lives,
who don't necessarily mean to be
progressing the culture, they're just
trying to be themselves, make it possible
for everyone to be themselves a little bit more.
- And for my sexuality, if I were a drink,
I'd be one part gay, and two parts straight.
One part gay, and two parts straight, okay, so.
You might call that drink a Gina Tondick.
(audience laughs)
Or, like, at a different bar, with a different vibe,
a Both Sexes On the Beach.
I have one more.
(audience laughs)
Okay, instead of a Martini, a Muffpeni.
(audience cheers)
- Do you appreciate the introduction of the word
queer, or queerness, into everyone's vocabulary?
- Absolutely. - Or the youth.
I guess we'll talk about millennials, maybe.
- Yeah, I mean, millennials and gen z seem to be
really embracing their fluidity.
In a way that is so exciting, arousing, dope, sick to me.
I'm so proud of the generation that's coming up,
into adulthood, for, I'm so proud to be a part of it.
And, it's funny, my queerness has been, kind of,
shown to me through Broad City.
And Abbi too, we've both experienced
this unique, privileged, version of self-actualization.
Where we've gotten to, like, work it out on the show.
And then, like, reflect and be like "Damn, I wasn't joking.
"That was me." you know?
So, I've learned a lot from Broad City,
including about my own queerness and identity politics.
From, like, reviews and reading, or reading peoples,
like, pieces on Ilana being bi.
I remember reading this (laughs)
this article about this girl being, like,
Ilana Wrexler makes me feel more comfortable
at being a bisexual woman.
And I was, like, "I'm bi." (laughs)
And I was, like, I guess I am.
Like, I'm queer, you know.
I, just, I am.
And, it's a, while the planet is burning,
what a time to be alive.
It's an amazing, mind blowing time, to be alive.
- What a time to celebrate being radical.
- Yeah, that's right.
- Going from an improve background to stand-up,
there used to be, kind of, a line of demarcation.
There were the stand-ups, who were,
like, the veterans, the touring people.
The people who lived out of hotels and smokey clubs.
And, then, there were the improv people.
Like the Will Ferrells, and Amy Poehlers, of the world.
So, where do you fit into that?
Or, are those lines of demarcation, kind of, going away now?
- So much here to unpack (mumbles)
I have so much to unpack for you.
Okay, so, I want to say that, as, when I started
in comedy, again, like, 13 years ago, what is time?
How old am I, who am I, what year is it?
But, when I started in comedy, alt humor was not mainstream.
And, like, mubmlecore was new, and really,
like, radically real.
Like, things were so different.
And, like, when I talk to, you know, 23 year olds
in the scene, I'm, like, times have changed.
And I have changed with them.
It's, just, having an affect on me.
I'm, like, growing up, and I'm, like, holy shit.
But, when I started, I was doing
improv, sketch, and stand-up, all at the same time.
And, I have to be honest, I wasn't,
like, amazing at any of them.
I really wasn't.
I was, what I was amazing at, was being,
a, like, multi hyphenate and a producer.
Which, I think, tracks now.
I, improv is so hard for me, it's not my,
unless, like, during stand-up.
That's sometimes how I find jokes,
and I'm, like, yes.
But, I'm not like a stand-up who
goes to, like, smokey clubs every night, at all.
And I, you know, usually stand-ups eventually
have a show, and my path has been
reversed from that typical order.
And I feel I've, like, worked through
shame, and anxiety, and guilt about it.
I've had guilt about, like, entering stand-up
after Broad City, and being, like,
they're only here 'cause they know me.
And then I, like, got to this point
where I'm, like, yeah, 'cause they know me.
Who cares, just go and do the,
that's what I'm saying about taking space,
and, like, that alignment, like, feeling weird about it.
It's, like, yeah, cause they know you.
Just, what, like, it's bad to,
I'm just tryna, like, make people happy,
and laugh, and think, and feel connected.
Like, what's this weird, like, harshness,
we put on ourselves, A.K.A., I put on myself?
I myself have, like, thought about that order,
and still think about it, and I'm still, like,
oh, that's a little weird.
I'm not as good as I wanna be.
I want to get better in this way.
But, so what, you know what I mean?
It's out there, and men get to,
men have typically had this space
to figure themselves out, in public,
and be celebrated for it, so.
Why shouldn't I take up that space?
- Yeah, take it.
- But, those lines are blurring.
And it's so exciting.
And, I feel like, my, like, fluidity,
and the queer, poly, nature of,
like, one aspect of me, actually translates to my work.
Where I love to play different roles,
I love to wear different hats in different projects.
And, it kind of goes with that
fluid nature of our generation.
- One of the legends of Broad City,
and correct me if I'm wrong, but,
you and Abbi created that show
because you weren't being included
with the other male improv actors.
So, now, after the success, the amazing success,
of Broad City, do you feel like the doors
are opening for you?
Or, are you still kind of fighting your way?
- One thing I wanna say is that,
Abbi is really good at improv.
That, like, was her...
You know, and she and I came up doing improv together,
and characters, and sketch, and...
I just like her improv.
I just wanna say that.
But, yeah, we could not, we were auditioning
for this, just to be in this system
that the Upright Citizen's Brigade had figured out.
Where you take classes, and then you try
to be on a house team, and we couldn't get on a damn team.
We couldn't be selected for what, you know.
So, we had to select ourselves.
And it actually, post Broad City, it's,
it remains, it's a little, it's...
I still find that creating for myself is the most reliable.
That, when I am brought something that someone
has thought of me for, it's this,
like, outside in perception of,
what they perceive of me, pretty much from Broad City.
But, you know, what you, like, work with it,
and you give notes, and you try to strengthen something.
But...
- But you're already starting at a place
of, kind of, distance.
Whereas, when you're doing your own thing,
it's coming from your, you're already
starting at a place of complete familiarity.
- Yeah, and it's, just, like, you know J.D. Washington?
The talented actor?
I was talking to J.D. about this;
'cause, he's, like, he would watch my special,
and he was, like, "I can't believe you do stand-up."
And, I'm, like, I can't believe you strictly act,
and you allow others to judge you based on only your acting.
Whereas I will spread it across, well I also wrote it,
well I also produced it, you know?
And, like, even on set, like, for, it just amazes me,
that athletic ability to stay in the zone,
where I like to be producing stuff,
so that I can, like, click out easily,
and be, like "Hey, y'all" and just get
back into the production of it.
I look forward to taking a project
where I am solely acting, and being vulnerable
in that way, and being, like, I just wanna be a good actor
in this, you know?
I have, like, some projects brewing.
This one in particular, this movie that I'm
working on putting together.
And it was written for me.
But, it was written by a really talented writer
that I came up with.
So, she knows me from way back.
And, it's like, sort of, like, a me type, you know.
So, it's not like, it's not like J.D.
Who's, like, going out there and transforming.
And, I hope to try it all, over the course of my career.
- Could you tell me a little bit more
about the Generator series?
- Generator is my political organization
that I co-founded with my friend Glennis Meagher,
and it's a collective of two parts.
It's a URL and IRL.
So, the URL is an online movement, that lives on Instagram.
And the IRL experience is Generator Live.
I just do a sit down series with experts, politicians,
activists, to understand, at a basic level,
how the system works.
We are trying to define minimal civic engagement,
and embody that.
And, then, we also do Genny Socials,
these are voter empowerment dance parties.
Where we dance for 15 minutes, interrupt,
I call it synagogue announcements,
we do 15 minutes, we do synagogue announcements,
we're, like, "Meet this candidate",
and they're, like, "Ah, candidate."
And we, just, give them the information,
the Instagram information, and work,
it's kind of like canvassing on Instagram,
with your social network.
And, we're trying to create cheat-sheets
for the voting booth, for the people
who come to Genny Socials, and they can share
that with their platforms.
So, in March, I'm going on tour,
doing stand-up and Genny Socials.
Everywhere I do stand up, I'm gonna do a Genny Social,
the next night in the same city.
And the tour is called Horny for the Polls.
We are horny for the P-O-L-L-S polls.
But, then, we can double entendre that
with some stripper imagery.
- Perfect.
- So, yeah, so that's what we're doing
in the first half of 2020, with Generator.
And we're working on getting the word out
about Democrat candidates at the state level.
- Well, we're looking forward to seeing you on tour,
have a wonderful 2020, and where can
people find you on Instagram?
- They can find me at I-L-A-N-A, at Ilana.
- And "The Planet is Burning" is on Amazon.
- That's right.
Bye, thank you.