Interview: Happy Holidays from Maria Bamford [Comedy]

Do you have any holiday traditions?
I love the idea of traditions, but...well, I have a tree. Oh, you know what I think my tradition is? This is going to sound negative. My tradition is going to see my family and losing all sense of who I am as a person, and then, you know, calling my friends and thinking of going into an outpatient clinic for depression then coming back to Los Angeles and feeling great! No, I don’t really have any traditions. I always have hopes like I’m going to have this great time, and there are moments of greatness, but somehow...

You’re ringing in the New Year at Cap City -- have you ever been asked to host any weird events?
I did a wedding, that seemed a little odd, but [the bride and groom] were really into it. That’s the problem, people can be really into something but then their family and friends aren’t into it. One time I was tricked into doing a teen Christian show. I don’t know what happened. They said it was ‘clean’ and I just didn’t really get it, and then I got there and there was like a Bible backstage you could check out before you went on. That was... confusing. That’s it so far, I haven’t been asked to do any funerals.

What was it like shooting Target’s Christmas ads? Did you have to do them way ahead of time?
It was super fun, it was really fun to do, there’s nothing that wasn’t fun about it. There’s nothing better than being in Target. Target is very comforting; they’re always very well-appointed, so if you’re shooting in Target and you’re also able to be doing something fun in a Target, it’s pretty awesome. It was all the good things about Target but then none of the problems I have when I fill a cart with stationery sets. It was delightful, and it was in July.

Have they ever approached you with really quirky ideas, like invading someone’s house and giving them a Target home makeover?
I just love to make the really dark ads, they’re my favorite, but those were...they didn’t want those. There was one where I was talking to a cookie as if the cookie was my father, then I ate a cookie shaped like a drill, and then my father and I are sort of just talking about our relationship and how much I missed him. I don’t know what kind of ideas they have, but I would go to someone’s house. I think they might be worried that I’m a loose cannon, that if I’m unscripted I might say something inappropriate. I’m definitely worried about that, that I’d say something that would be not good.

I loved the holiday special you put up on your site last Christmas. Was it weird to perform for an invisible audience (and a few cameramen)?
I was kind of like, “Guuuuys.” Like I did kind of want them to laugh, then they didn’t, so I was kind of like, aww; that was a bit hard. But I do jokes to myself to silence all the time, so I don’t know why it bothered me. I guess it just bothered me, the presence of other people and the nonexistence of laughter, even though I told them not to laugh -- well, I’d like to think I told them not to laugh, but I don’t know if that’s actually true.

Do you have any other specials coming up?
Not this year. I’m still developing material, I would like to. This year I worked on / put effort into making a pilot that I’m hoping to get someone to tell us to make more of, like 36 more of them. It’s me and James Urbaniak and we’re playing roommates, but as ourselves, but not ourselves I guess -- fictional versions of ourselves, as roommates, and it’s called Maria and a Monster; James Urbaniak is an actor who is on “Venture Brothers,” and also played Crumb [in American Splendor]. He’s a great actor. He’s also in an episode of [Julie Klausner’s] The Cat Whisperer.

Oh, man. I love that. Cats are to me what pugs are to you.
There’s just nothing better than seeing a handsome cat profile.

Tickets for the 12/31 show at Cap City Comedy are available online now.
Check out a clip of Maria on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson: