Interview with Catherine Cohen
Catherine Cohen is a comedian and actress. She hosts a weekly standup show at Club Cumming in New York City.
Contents
Dun Dun Dun
Max Raskin: I saw you running a few days ago in the neighborhood – do you get ideas when you run or is it a mental health break for you?
Cat Cohen: Definitely mental health. My new personality is that I have an Apple Watch, so I'm obsessed with getting my steps. It's very good for me mentally, and it helps me sleep, and helps with anxiety.
MR: Do you run every day?
CC: No. I wish I did. I'm trying to at least do my 10,000 steps of walking every day. But I don't like running too much because I end up hurting myself and then it's annoying.
MR: And do you listen to music when you run?
CC: Yeah. Music or I'm very into murder podcasts.
MR: Murder podcasts?
CC: Yeah. Well, any true crime related things. If those are juicy enough, I can listen, but otherwise I listen to pump up music. Depends on the day.
MR: What murder podcast are you listening to now?
CC: Well, I've listened to a bunch of them, but right now I'm listening to one called Something Was Wrong. It’s about this girl who falls in love with this guy, and it seems too good to be true. And it turns out…spoiler alert…it is. [Makes the dun dun dun noise].
MR: Where do you come up with your ideas?
CC: You know what? I wish I knew. They just come to me. And if they don't come, you can't force it.
MR: Where do you write your ideas down when they come to you?
CC: I guess in the Notes app, usually.
I haven't written new stuff in a while. I just taped a special of all my old stuff, so I feel like I'm actually just now entering a phase of wondering how I am going to write the new stuff. So it's a good question.
I think Notes app, or sometimes I'll record voice memos if I think of a song idea or something. Once I have those little blurbs, I can then try it out on stage at Club Cumming, where I do every Wednesday, because that's a very loose environment where it's good to just mess around, low stakes.
MR: Do you have a go-to friend that you try material out with?
CC: Oh, I don't. I guess I ask my boyfriend sometimes. But usually I just try it and see what happens.
The Way I Look Tonight
MR: What about bringing other people's stories into your routine? Do you ask them for permission?
CC: No. I'm not doing this as much, but when I was talking about dating and stuff like that, I would try and shift things a little bit so that people wouldn't know who I was talking about. It would be true but not exactly what happened, just to give some anonymity to the whole thing.
I like making fun of myself, but I don't want to make fun of anyone else.
MR: Has anyone you ever dated ever seen your act and was not happy with something in there?
CC: No. I feel like I dated one guy once who was annoyed about something I wrote. I don't think it was really about what I wrote, we were fighting because we'd just broken up.
My Daughter, The Comedian
MR: Do you call yourself a comedian?
CC: Yeah, I call myself a comedian. But I do lots of different things for money. I do a lot of voiceovers for commercials. I love doing it – I've been doing that since probably 2014.
MR: What's been your favorite role?
CC: I did a bunch of Olay commercials that were really fun. It's like, "Love it." It's like, "Girl, you are looking fabulous." I love that shit.
Screen Time
MR: Do you look at your iPhone’s Screen Time app? What’s your daily average on your phone?
CC: Well, I actually know because I noticed it was up last week, I think because my boyfriend's out of town so I've been alone more, which means more phone time. I think it's like four, five hours a day.
I’ve made a really big effort. I post, but then I try not to scroll or look.
MR: Where do you think you post your best content?
CC: Oh, I don't know. Now I try and save it for live shows and longer-term projects. Instagram is mostly just for promoting live shows and projects I'm working on, whereas Twitter is more for sharing jokes. But I go through phases where I use it and phases where I don't. It honestly depends how much I'm on my computer because I don't have the Twitter app on my phone.
MR: Oh, really?
CC: Yeah, I don't like it.
MR: Oh, why don't you like it?
CC: I'm just trying to spend less time online because it's mind-numbing.
MR: Do you have the Instagram application on your phone?
CC: I do, only because you can't post through the Instagram browser. But I'll delete it often. If I don't have anything coming up for the next few days, I'll try and delete it for a few days and then re-download it.
MR: I would think – and this is a bad judgment on my part – but I’d think someone in your position wouldn't recognize how bad social media is getting.
CC: No, it makes me feel really bad about myself. Makes me compare everything I'm doing to other people. It's not helpful, it doesn't make me a better artist.
But a lot of good things have come from it. I met a lot of cool people. I find out about new work that I like, that excites me. There are benefits, so I feel like getting rid of it completely isn't realistic. But I feel like limiting it has been really helpful.
Cat Runs
MR: Did you just start running? Is that a new thing?
CC: No. I always go through phases. I feel at some point in college I got kind of into it.
I was preparing to shoot my special, and so I was quarantining for all of the month and just getting ready for the show. I was not seeing anyone, not performing, not drinking, not going out. I had all this time and I thought I really want to just try and get a lot of running in. And so, I got this watch to inspire me. I'm really into it.
MR: The Apple Watch?
CC: I'm addicted to it. It's so humiliating and sexless, but I love it.
MR: How far do you run at a time?
CC: I try and always do at least three miles. I try not to be too hard on myself, if I'm not feeling it.
MR: What app do you use?
CC: I used to use the Nike Run Club, now I use Strava.
My best friend, Pat, who I do my podcast with, he ran in college, he's a serious long-distance runner, and he uses Strava. And so I wanted to be a part of it. It’s funny because people who listen to our podcast follow me on Strava. But they're all these incredible runners and I'm running 11-minute miles. And when I look at their times, these people are running like seven, eight-minute miles for like 12 miles. It's just mind-blowing to me.
MR: My cousin's wife is one of these people who runs six and half minute miles. She just had a baby, so I asked her how long her miles are now, and she's like, "Yeah, like seven minutes.”
CC: That's insane. I'm actually surprised I like running because I've never been fast. I remember in school being the slowest one. But I find it very cleansing, emotionally.
MR: Do you have any apps that you use that you'd recommend to people?
CC: Oh, that's a fun question. The only thing I really use, and I swear this isn't an Apple Watch ad, but now that I have the Apple Watch, I've been tracking my sleep through an app called Pillow.
But I think it's making me a little crazy, because now if I don't get good sleep I think it’s going to be a shitty day, which isn’t true.
MR: Do you nap during the day?
CC: No, I cannot nap. If I nap, it's at least three hours.
MR: When do you go to bed at night?
CC: It depends if I'm performing or not. Sometimes if I have a show at night, it's hard to fall asleep with adrenaline. But I feel like I fall asleep around 1:00, usually.
MR: And when do you wake up?
CC: Not early. I feel like anywhere from 9:00 to 11:00.
MR: Are you a restless sleeper?
CC: No, I just sleep so much. I need so much sleep. My phone always tells me I had too much deep sleep.
The Joke and Its Relation to the Subconscious
MR: Do you dream?
CC: Yeah, I have crazy dreams.
MR: Do you write them down?
CC: No, I should. I go through phases where I do.
MR: Do you analyze them?
CC: I had a therapist who was really into that. But I don't see her anymore because I didn't think she was helping me.
MR: Do you see a therapist now?
CC: Of course. Yeah, therapy is so important to me.
MR: How often do you go?
CC: Once a week.
MR: What kind of therapy is it?
CC: I used to do talk therapy with some Freudian moments. My new therapist is technically an OCD specialist, but I think we're kind of doing CBT-ish things.
MR: What are you trying to solve for?
CC: Well, it depends. I would say I have like five things that bother me and then they rotate. In general I would say I'm just working on being more present, less hard on myself, less mean to myself.
MR: How long have you seen this therapist for?
CC: I've been seeing her probably about a year now. I just found out she's younger than me, which is mind blowing.
MR: Really? Do you like her?
CC: I do like her, yeah. But I was like, "You're younger than me? Psychotic."
MR: Forever Jung.
CC: There we go. That's a fun sitcom for her to be in.
Marla’s Olives
MR: Do you snack during the day?
CC: I'm not really a snacker. I love meals.
MR: What do you drink during the day?
CC: When I wake up, I have a liter of water, room temp. I try and drink at least three liters a day.
And then I drink black coffee. I don't care if it's shitty, I can't tell if coffee's nice or not.
MR: Do you drink alcohol?
CC: Yes, I love it.
MR: What do you like to drink?
CC: Vodka martinis, a little dirty.
MR: How dry?
CC: Dry.
MR: What's your go-to garnish?
CC: Olive.
MR: What's your go-to vodka, if you had your druthers?
CC: My amazing mentor always drinks Ketel One, so I usually go for Ketel One. Or Tito's because I'm from Texas.
MR: Who's your mentor?
CC: Her name's Marla Kirban and she was my voiceover coach when I first moved here, and now she's become sort of my New York grandma. That's what we call her. She's the best. She's an amazing person.
MR: What's your favorite meal of the day?
CC: I only eat two. I just eat lunch and dinner.
MR: You live in the West Village, right? Do you order out?
CC: Yeah. It's funny because I really like cooking. But I barely have a kitchen, so I order all my food. It's really pathetic.
MR: Where do you order from most?
CC: Probably Westville.
MR: What do you get?
CC: If I'm being healthy, I'll get the Greek salad with salmon. And if I'm not, I'll get their chicken tenders or mac and cheese.
My other most ordered place is Souen in the East Village. It's a macrobiotic place. And I get a macro bowl with tahini, and it's heaven.
And then I'll order absolute garbage – I had Taco Bell last night after my show.
MR: What'd you get at Taco Bell?
CC: I got a Cheesy Gordita Crunch and a Chicken Quesadilla.
Cohen on Cumming
MR: You said that sometimes you have adrenaline when you have shows. Is it always or just sometimes?
CC: Oh, I think always…well, no, not always. But when I'm hosting at Club Cumming, I'm basically performing for almost two hours. So I'm always hyped up after because it's just so fun and the crowds are so good. But if I'm doing a 10-minute set or something, it's chill.
MR: You can turn it off.
CC: Yeah. But it's good to have adrenaline.
MR: Do you ever get nervous before you go on stage?
CC: Yeah, all the time. I mean, it depends what the situation is. But yeah, I think nervousness is good, it means you're excited and it means you care.
MR: How do you get over it?
CC: I just try and channel it into excitement. I just see it as a normal part of performing. Acceptance.
MR: Will you ever take meds before you go on stage?
CC: No. No. I'll sometimes have a drink during a show or before a show, but not if I'm doing a full hour. I don't want to get sleepy or dehydrated.
MR: Are you happy on stage?
CC: I'm the most happy in the world.
MR: Really?
CC: I'm the happiest girl in the garden – it’s absolute bliss. Sometimes, before, I'm dreading it. All the time, I'll be like, "Oh, I don't want to do the show. I'm exhausted. I'm not in the mood for this." But then I'm always happy that I did it.
MR: Are you present when you're on stage? Or is it kind of a blur?
CC: I try to be present, but it varies. As cheesy as it sounds, I try and tell myself to really just have fun and make myself laugh, and that will translate to good vibes for the crowd.
MR: You were on with Seth Meyers – were you nervous for that?
CC: I was super nervous because it's a five-minute set. And so it’s like a blip, and it's with a live audience. I was super nervous, but I was very excited, and Seth was so friendly and nice and came and said hi before. When you get to that point, I've done it so many times that I just have to trust that I know what to do and that I was born to do this and it's about to be amazing.
MR: Do you have any old comedians on The Tonight Show or anything that you like a lot?
CC: To be honest, I wasn't really into comedy growing up, I was much more into musical theater. And then I was into the SNL people, like Molly Shannon. I was obsessed with her Superstar. That was a major influence. She's the best. And then Bette Midler.
MR: Who do you mostly hang out with – comedians?
CC: My friends from college.
MR: They’re not performers, right?
CC: Some of them are. But mostly, no, we all do different things. We've been friends forever and they're the real ones.
MR: You went to Princeton, right?
CC: Yeah. And then my best friend, Pat, he's a comedian, and I spend a lot of time with him. We do the podcast together. I feel like then I have a group of friends who are all artist types. And I met them because my friend works at this cafe in the East Village. I started going there during quarantine and we all became friends.
MR: Do you like hanging out with comedians?
CC: Yeah. I mean, they're all different. There are some comedians who are amazing and some who are annoying. Hey…comedians…they're just like people.
MR: Yeah, but they're different. Or do you think they're not?
CC: I don't know. No, I don't think they're really that different. Everyone's like a monster, but that's life.
Family Matters
MR: Where do you like to shop for clothing?
CC: Oh my God, everywhere. If I had my way, I live right by the Zimmermann store and their stuff's exquisite, but it's very expensive. Then I buy a lot of stuff with Zara. I Rent the Runway, which is good because I can wear stuff for shows and then exchange it. Reformation. All over, I love to shop.
MR: Are you a hoarder? Do you have a lot of clothes?
CC: I have a lot of clothes, but I'm not a hoarder. I get rid of stuff if I don't wear it anymore. And then I really like shopping for vintage clothes, but it's really hard to find bigger sizes in vintage clothes. So it's a rare occurrence to find something that works.
MR: And I see you have guitars. Do you collect guitars?
CC: Oh, it's because I actually just moved into my brother's apartment. [Points] that's my guitar. That's his [points].
MR: Are you funnier than your brother?
CC: I don't know, he's pretty funny.
MR: Are your parents funny?
CC: So funny, yeah.
MR: Who's the funniest? Growing up, who was the funniest person that would make you laugh?
CC: My dad. And he probably still is. He makes me laugh so hard…we have so much fun.
MR: What kind of jokes does he tell?
CC: He's impossible to describe. He's the most enthusiastic person on the planet, and just the way he sees the world just makes me laugh. He's very loving and warm, but very honest and doesn't bullshit. He'll just say what everyone's thinking and it makes me laugh.
MR: And he's from Texas?
CC: No, he's actually from Jersey. My mom's from Texas.
Woman Plans, God Laughs
MR: Oh, interesting. Yeah, what's your religion?
CC: Well, my dad's Jewish, my mom's Catholic. I don't know what I am. I was confirmed Catholic, and I was really Christian in high school, and then I kind of moved on.
MR: You were really Christian?
CC: In high school I was really involved in my youth group.
MR: For religious reasons or because it was fun?
CC: Well, it started because it was the cool, fun, social thing. And then you get kind of brainwashed.
MR: Do you pray?
CC: Yeah. I pray often, yeah. I love God.
MR: Really?
CC: I love prayer. I just don't know if I love the Bible.
MR: I would've thought that you would be an atheist.
CC: I'm not even close to an atheist.
MR: That's totally surprising to me.
CC: I don't know what I am, but I believe that there is God. I just don't know what God is.
MR: Do you believe in an afterlife?
CC: Yeah. I kind of think maybe reincarnation is real.
MR: What do you think your previous life would've been?
CC: I did a past life regression therapy a year ago. I was a nurse in the war, then I was this big woodsman. And then I was this old ugly lady who made bread. It was amazing.
MR: I wonder what that says about you.
With the woodsman thing, what's your relationship with nature and upstate?
CC: Oh, I love nature. I love hiking. My boyfriend and I did a cross country road trip during the pandemic, and we stopped at all the national parks and it was the best thing ever.
MR: Which one would you recommend?
CC: I think Glacier was the most breathtaking, but also Grand Teton. And Yellowstone. I mean, they're all unbelievable.
MR: What kind of car did you drive?
CC: We had my mom's Audi SUV from 2010. She was stunning.
MR: What did you listen to on it, a lot of podcasts?
CC: Well, my boyfriend doesn't like all the murder shit that I like. So we would alternate between me making him listen to true crime and then us listening to music.
…so just a lot of Taylor Swift. I love her.
MR: What were your most listened-to songs on Spotify last year?
CC: Number one, it's Taylor Swift, “the 1.”
Number two is “Need Your Love” by Tennis.
Third is, “Hit Me Where It Hurts” by Caroline Polachek.
Then this amazing song called “Arizona” by Ms. White. I cannot stop listening to that. She's this amazing musician. I think she just moved to Chicago. She did Club Cumming when we were doing it virtually and she's so good. I love this song.
Cat Cohen, Superstar
MR: Who's someone that you like watching a lot now?
CC: I would say, the people who make me laugh the hardest are Megan Stalter, Pat Regan. And then actually, my friend, Richard Perez just did my show last night and he was making me laugh so hard.
MR: Is it competitive with comedians?
CC: Yes.
MR: Do you find yourself, when you're laughing at someone, being upset or jealous?
CC: No, no. I think I get jealous when it seems like someone who I don't think is good is succeeding. When someone who's really good is succeeding, it gives me faith in the world.
MR: How do you think about fame?
CC: I think it's probably a really bad disease.
MR: Do you want to be famous?
CC: Yeah, I think it'd feel so nice.
MR: But then you would not be able to walk down the street without people bugging you.
CC: I'd like if people talk to me.
MR: Why?
CC: Because I would be less lonely.
MR: You think so?
CC: I love when strangers talk to me.
MR: Is that right?
CC: As long as they're nice. If a fan comes up to me, I love it. It's so fun.
MR: But if it was every day, all day?
CC: I don't know…maybe it would get annoying.
MR: Do you like it when fans text you?
CC: No, don't text me. My thumbs hurt from using my phone too much.
MR: Do you text often?
CC: Texting's exhausting.
MR: Do you text or call?
CC: Well, my boyfriend doesn't really like texting – we do more phone calls, which is really nice. Maybe a few messages throughout the day, but then we'll just call to check in.
MR: Do you floss?
CC: Not as often as I should.
MR: What kind of toothbrush do you use? Hard or soft bristles?
CC: I don't know where I stand on that, but I find myself thinking, "This is too soft."
MR: What’s the last show that you binge watched?
CC: I'm watching The Americans right now. I had binged the first season, I was obsessed. And now it's kind of losing steam.
Even the Orchestra is Beautiful
MR: Has anything made you cry recently?
CC: I cry constantly.
MR: What would you cry about?
CC: I don't know. Usually, it's just being overwhelmed, like the beauty of the world or the weight of it.
MR: Really?
CC: Sometimes I cry because I miss my family and I just love them so much. And it's like, life's so short and it makes me feel hopeless.
MR: That you're not seeing them?
CC: Yeah. I just feel so lucky to have a family I love so much.
MR: And do they all live in Texas?
CC: No. My parents live in Texas. My brother normally lives in New York next door to me, but he is on tour. We can shout out this, he's on tour with the musical called The Band's Visit, for the next year.
MR: What's his name?
CC: Billy Cohen.
MR: Can I promote him?
CC: Absolutely. He's amazing. Literally we live in the same building next door to each other. Because during the pandemic, I saw my neighbor was moving out and I convinced him to move in. And then my other brother lives in Seattle and now I'm trying to convince him to come and move in next door.
Daughter of a Cohen
MR: Do you really like your family?
CC: Yeah, they're the best. I'm so lucky.
MR: And your parents don't want to move up to New York?
CC: No, my mom works. They both work full-time. So her job's in Houston and all of her family's there, so I don't think she would leave.
MR: What's the last book you read?
CC: Well, I just bought the new Sally Rooney.
MR: What's it called?
CC: Beautiful World, Where Are You. So I'm about to start that. I don't remember what else I was reading.
MR: This is a ridiculous question, but when was the last time you had a shift in your consciousness? What was the last thing that really impacted you in terms of media consumption, like book, movie, TV?
CC: That's a nice question. I don't know, let me think. I don't know, because lately I feel like I use it all just as a distraction, it's an escape. It's kind of like popcorn.
MR: Has there been anything where you said after it you were going to live a different life?
CC: Oh my God. I don't know. That's such a good question. A different life? This is stupid, but my boyfriend and I watched Kramer vs. Kramer, which I'd never seen. And I was violently sobbing, I was like, "Life is so beautiful. And I love my family."
MR: Did it make you want to do anything different?
CC: Just be nicer to my parents.
But I don't know, I'm trying to think. The past two years, this whole situation we're in, I've just been so desperately trying to self-soothe and calm down and escape reality, that the art I'm consuming is just flowing through me and I'm just trying to get through each day.
That's how I feel with all these podcasts I listen to. I feel like I've been so avoiding my own thoughts. I think I'm thinking less about, "How can I change and be a different person?" I'm more like, "How can I just be the person I am right now and not be so obsessed with getting the next thing or accomplishing something?"
MR: That's hard for an artist. You're also an artist and you have to constantly be thinking about how to put out things that make you happy, and you have to be constantly innovating.
CC: Yeah, I guess so.
MR: That's kind of tough.
CC: I guess so. It's a living.
MR: Yeah.
CC: It's barely a living.
MR: That's like a really quick joke – this guy is walking across the street and he gets hit by a car and he tumbles around. And a woman comes and props him up, and she says, "Sir, sir, are you comfortable?" And he says, "I make a living."
CC: Oh, I hope I did okay. Your questions are so good.
MR: Are they?
CC: Yeah, I think they're so funny. Remember when we were at that bar and you did rapid fire questions to me?
MR: This like that, right?
CC: Yeah. This is kind of your bread and butter.
MR: I didn't ask any prurient questions this time.
CC: Oh, yeah. I'm unfazed by that kind of thing because all I do is talk about my personal life.