Interview with Olga Namer
Olga Namer is a comedian.
Premise and Punchline
Contents
Max Raskin: When you get ideas for jokes or bits, where do you write them down?
Olga Namer: A lot of times, if I'm out with friends and I think of something, I'll either type it in my notes in my phone or say it into a voicemail. And most of the stuff it comes from when I'm living life and something sparks — oh, that’s funny, I should talk about that.
MR: How old are some of the notes on your phone? When did you start doing that?
ON: That’s a good question. I guess maybe six, seven years ago is when I started it. But when I started, I didn't know what I wanted to speak about. Then when I did my first show, everyone was interested in my being raised Orthodox and my marriage and what happened. I didn't know it was a crazy story until I went on stage. It was the thing that made me unique from other standups, I guess.
MR: Do you remember early material that you were throwing out? What were the topics?
ON: It was so bad, but some of them I still use.
But I was so focused on the Orthodox stuff because that's what I was told. I had a teacher at the time because I went to comedy school and he was like, "That's the stuff that's going to make you big."
MR: Where did you go to comedy school?
ON: I went to ACI — the American Comedy Institute.
MR: Would you recommend that?
ON: I recommend. He teaches you how to write a joke with premise. I know it sounds so obvious now, but premise and a punchline. And the premise should be X amount of words. Then there should be a punchline. And if it's too wordy, he taught you how to edit, cut things out. So yes, I do recommend.
MR: Do you write out all the notes?
ON: I'll write at least 15 minutes a day, just with a timer. My joke book is like a diary. It's not anything because they say just write whatever comes to your mind.
MR: Do you watch a lot of standup?
ON: Never before I did it. See, I think I never knew what standup comedy was. I never watched it. Really. I wanted to act. And then I googled “comedy in New York” because I thought it was for a comedic acting school. I didn't know it was standup. And then the teacher was like, "Oh, you have to go on stage." And I was like, "I'm not doing that."
But then when I did it, and I guess that's when other people in the class were like, "You got to watch Bill Burr." I was like, "Who is that?" And then they're like, "You got to watch Sarah Silverman." So from that, I was like, "Oh, okay," so then I started watching.
MR: You didn't grow up watching?
ON: I didn't have cable, so I don't know. I don't know where I would've watched it. I didn't know it was a thing.
Saturday Night Line
MR: A lot of standup comedians have a Saturday Night Live cast that's very formative for them. Did you have that?
ON: So I remember I hated Saturday Night Live. It was so depressing to me. I don't know why. I think it just reminded me, whenever I did watch it, that I didn't have plans with my friends.
MR: That’s funny.
ON: We only had 11 channels and I was the last in line to be able to watch. It was one TV. So then if I was watching Saturday Night Live, it meant maybe my brother was watching it, and that means I didn't have sleepover plans or whatever.
MR: When you read about a lot of comedians they talk about staying up late to watched Saturday Night Live or Johnny Carson.
ON: I really didn't have any intention of doing standup. It's weird. But I loved Friends. I loved Seinfeld. I love Curb. I didn't know Larry. Yeah?
MR: What’s the first episode of those shows that comes to your mind right now?
ON: So the Seinfeld is the one with double dipping the chip. But when I used to watch Seinfeld, and you know how there’s the standup in between? I used think, "Why the freak is he putting this thing in between?" I hated it. I did. I was like, "What is this weird thing he's doing?"
MR: What's your favorite Curb? Or the first one that comes to mind right now?
ON: Oh, it was the one with the ski lift.
MR: Your first Friends episode that comes to mind?
ON: Well, I was thinking Unagi — Phoebe and Rachel take this self-defense class and Ross tells them that they're not good until they know what Unagi is or something.
Larry and Sarah
MR: Who are your comedy influences?
ON: I love Sarah Silverman and I love Larry David so much. Larry's my fav.
MR: Have you met Sarah Silverman?
ON: Sarah, yes. Larry? No.
MR: Are you friendly with her or did you just meet her?
ON: I'm not friendly with her, but I know her, and I guess she knows me. She knows me from her friend Dave Juskow who introduced us.
MR: I feel like with the exception of maybe jazz musicians, no one hates it when their fellow colleagues succeed more than comedians.
ON: I hear that. I don't. I'm not like that. The only thing is I hate it if a comedian steals jokes — like mine. Some people steal my jokes outright in my face. It’s not about them succeeding, I just hate you as a human. I don't think nice for people to steal. It's evil.
MR: In the Talmud it says in Megillah — one who says something in the name of the person who said it brings about redemption. So maybe if you steal someone’s jokes it kind of sucks.
The Voice
MR: What's the first joke that comes to your mind right now?
ON: I have a joke where I say, "Old guys always do this thing. They whip out a photo of themselves when they're younger. They'll be like, 'Oh look, that was me when I was 30.' And then I'm like, 'Oh, damn, I should have fucked you when I was four." Right?
I was just home for a few days. Whenever I'm in the house, my brother-in-law is always like, "Damn, I should have fucked you when I was four." So no it’s in my head.
He says that as like a catchphrase. If I'm just like, "Oh, could you get me water?" He’s like, "I should have fucked you when I was four." He does that.
MR: Do you have a catchphrase?
ON: I don't think so. I think people mimic my voice.
MR: You have a voice. Do you call it or goblin voice or something?
ON: I didn't even know I had a voice until people told me I have a voice.
MR: But you know that voice you do [imitates the goblin voice].
ON: No, now I'm aware of it. But before, I think when I mimic people, I just naturally go into different tones or if I have a different thought, I guess that's how it sounds to me.
MR: Do you have a name for that?
ON: They call it “the voice.”
MR: They don't call the goblin voice or something like that?
ON: No. Once someone said, "Cookie Monster." Some people do it and I used to get upset. Why are they doing my voice?
But then I hang out with other friends, and they do it unintentionally — that helped me not get annoyed from people who do it.
Yuk Yuk’s of Flatbush
MR: So earlier in the conversation you said “Hashem” instead of the name of God you’re not supposed to say out loud in vain. Why did you say it that way?
ON: Because you’re not allowed to say it the other way.
MR: Yeah, but at the same time, you did say, "I'd fuck you when I was four." You're not allowed to really say that either. So why did you choose?
ON: Yeah, but you can't say Hashem's name in vain. I guess I have habits. I have a lot of things that stuck with me from when I'm a child or even up to 18, 19. I would never say the right way in vain. You can't do that.
MR: And why not?
ON: Because the teachers at Yeshiva of Flatbush told you. You can't. Why else?
MR: Do you believe in God?
ON: Yes.
MR: Do you believe in an afterlife?
ON: I want to believe in an afterlife, so I say yes. I wish, I hope. I think reincarnation is a thing.
MR: Why do you think it's a thing? Do you think you have any past lives?
ON: I've been listening to this Kabbalah podcast, and they say your soul wants to improve in the next life. I would like to believe that that's a thing. But I don't know if it is. But you want to believe what you want to believe, so I'll just believe that — because I don't want to think that you just die and then that's it. That's scary.
MR: And what's scary about it?
ON: Just because it's nothing forever. Ugh.
MR: Is it that there’s some jokes you won’t be able to hear or you want to know who is going to be the president in the year 2550?
ON: Oh. No.
I'm so self-centered and involved that I never know what's going on in the world. Why do I want to be here? That's a very good question. I think it's more about me. I want to come back.
MR: But if you don’t remember your past life right now, why do you think in the future you’d remember this life?
ON: I think because according to reincarnation, you don't know about your past life, but it gives you an opportunity to come back and fix your mistakes and do better.
MR: What do you think your challenge is in this life that you're here to fix?
ON: I don't know. More internal work with myself, but I don't know. I think I’m a perfect person, so all I do is bring joy.
MR: Well, you definitely bring joy.
ON: I think most of those things are more self-sabotaging towards myself and not other people.
MR: What would be something like that?
ON: Now you're asking me to tell you my flaws. There's a lot of things I think I could work on. There’s a lot that doesn’t harm anyone, it just harms me. I'm not assertive. I don't have boundaries.
I don't know how to tell people no — more a people pleasing thing. I don't know if it's good, but mostly I always am having fun. I live my life to have fun. I don't know if that's what life is about, but I do think that sometimes I could be a little bit more responsible.
MR: Is it important to think about working on these things? Or you’re kind of happy and you don't really want to change those things?
ON: I don't know if this is a good or wrong way to live, but comedy's a job, but it doesn't feel like a job. So I work and I love what I do. Sometimes I think about the way other people live. I love doing comedy. I wake up when I want to wake up. I don't do anything that I don't really want to do — except I go home. Sometimes I don't want to visit. I guess that's wrong.
Do I want to fix these things? Probably. Yes, I know I should. These are all a bunch of should’s and everyone's like, "You shouldn't be like, 'I should…'”?
Standing Up
MR: Do you think you'll still be a comedian in 10 years?
ON: See, that's the thing — I hope it would develop into something else.
MR: What is the core of what you like doing? Is it seeing people laugh? Is it the creativity of coming up with jokes?
ON: I think it's seeing people laugh. This is where I’m struggling now. I never thought I’d be a comedian, I never wanted to be. I didn't know Larry David was a comic. I didn't know Seinfeld was. I thought these were just funny characters. And I loved, loved funny movies so much. Sometimes funny movies could put you in a better mood. But I guess maybe because I didn't go out and watch standup, so I never had that experience of going to a comedy show.
MR: What are some of the funniest movies that come to your mind? What put you in a better mood?
ON: Wedding Crashers I loved so much. I remember when I was younger I used to watch Ace Ventura. I love Jim Carrey. I hate sad movies. I hate that stuff.
MR: Jim Carrey makes voices.
ON: Yeah, he's amazing.
So I think if I was ever in bad mood, those movies made me happy. So I think I loved it. That’s what I really wanted to do. So then, when I started standup and then I started to look into it, I discovered that all the people I love, even Steve Martin — my favorite movies, Father of the Bride, I was like, "Oh, they're all standups."
But their career developed into something else. I think what happened with me is, in the beginning, I had a few things I wanted to say. Now, I feel like I said the things I wanted to say, and now I'm trying to create, because I don't think I'm obsessed. I love jokes, but I don't really like to hear myself talk.
MR: Some comedians are obsessed with standup and obsessed with the joke. I think like George Carlin, Jerry Seinfeld, Louis C.K.
ON: If it doesn't feel personal to me, or if it's not adding, I'm just like, "What's the point of saying this?"
Now a lot of my jokes are things that they could be funny, but I don't like it. People want me to do more time on stage and I could do more time on stage, but if it's not going to be the funniest thing and that people are going to love, I feel like I'm wasting people’s time.
MR: Is that is not wanting to waste people’s time part of being a younger child?
ON: I don't think so. I think it's maybe just my people-pleasing thing. I don't want to ever do bad. I used to panic when people called me and asked me to do 30 minutes. I'd always rather less time.
MR: What's your dream? A phone call tomorrow from who asking you to do what is your dream?
ON: My dream requires so much work.
MR: But what is it?
ON: I think I would want to write a show. I would love to write my own show that's a series. Sometimes a career brings you to places. Joan Rivers always wanted to be an actress, but people liked her because she was funny. So if that's what it is…
MR: And you would star in it or just write it?
ON: Maybe I want to be Larry David. That's what I want, his career. I want to be the female Larry David. That would be my dream.
I think I could be very good in a writers’ room. I'm very good when people tell me what to do. When people have jokes, I could punch them up, and when I'm not a part of it, I could do it.
MR: Gav is like that. He doesn’t want to go on stage himself.
ON: I don't put a lot of time and effort into writing my jokes. I guess I was always funny. I don't know. Maybe I don't put in as much work.
MR: You move around a lot.
ON: Oh, I get nervous.
MR: Really?
ON: Or I have ADD.
MR: Do you feel nervous right now or do you feel comfortable?
ON: With questions like that I get nervous.
MR: Really?
ON: Yeah, I guess. Because I don't want to say the wrong thing.
MR: Are you nervous about doing media generally? Do you get nervous before you go on stage?
ON: No, not before I go on stage unless it's an important audition or something. Because I don't want to fuck things up.
MR: Where's your dream place to play and how much time would you have there?
ON: I guess it would be my own show at the big Madison Square Garden.
Stepping Up
MR: Are you an early morning person or late person?
ON: See, that's the thing I could work on. I don't have a schedule. I wake up whenever I have to. This week, because I was by my family, I woke up early.
MR: What do you do for exercise?
ON: I don't exercise. I walk. That's it.
MR: My dad is a cardiac surgeon. He says the best exercise you can do is walk.
ON: But, I mean, I don't walk with intention. If I have to be on 23rd Street right now, I'm walking there.
MR: I’m curious about your phone screen time.
ON: Ugh, I probably have a lot of screen time.
MR: Can you tell me?
ON: I'm not a healthy person.
MR: Why do you say you're not a healthy person?
ON: Because I don't want to exercise. I probably use the screen a lot.
MR: But you're also beating yourself up.
MR: What was your step count yesterday on your phone tracker?
ON: It was 7,688 steps — it wasn’t even a day of walking. That’s not a good day at all.
MR: Where’s your favorite place to eat in New York City? Or the place you order from the most?
ON: I don't even like it. I just order it because it's convenient and it's quick.
MR: What is it?
ON: It's this sushi place — it's called Amber. It's good. But it takes 10 minutes to get to my house.
I’d also recommend Dante on Hudson.
MR: For someone who’s never gone to a comedy club in New York before, where do you recommend they go and when?
ON: No, no, this will get me in trouble. I'm not going to name.
…all the comedy clubs that book me.
MR: Do you floss?
ON: Yes, all the time.
MR: Where do you get your clothes from?
ON: So there’s Anine Bing. I got into this thing where I wear sweatshirts on stage because for some reason that became my uniform. And I guess maybe if I'm comfortable, then the people are comfortable. So I've been buying sweatshirts from Anine Bing.
Comedy really changed my whole entire lifestyle. I want to dress again like a human. Do you know what I mean? If I need something, I go to Sandro or Maje, because they’re near me. And then, I go to Reformation also. That's very good for convenient, quick.
Syrian
MR: Do you want your kids to be Jewish?
ON: Yes, I do.
MR: I guess no matter what they will be — but do you want to marry someone who’s Jewish?
ON: It's not that I would want to marry someone who's Jewish. It's just that, if I didn't, I think I would hurt my family. I had a non-Jewish boyfriend, and I was going to get disowned. And so it's more because if I was to marry someone non-Jewish it would probably cause friction.
MR: After you got divorced did you leave the community? Are you dipping your toes back in?
ON: I didn't leave my community. I'm still very much in it. That's the thing. That’s the great thing about my community, is that you have the freedom to do anything and you could still be in it — except be gay. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. That's between me and you.
MR: There’s this myth that gets told on one of Netflix’s 16 shows about how an oppressive Orthodox community drives people to leave and end up in Berlin at drug-fueled sex parties. And I just don’t see that’s what changing levels of observance looks like in the real world.
ON: We’re modern Orthodox and I'm also Syrian, so I think it's a lot more Arab culture than Orthodox Jewish culture.
ON: My father is never like, “Don't forget where you came from — you're an Orthodox Jew." He is always like, "Don't forget where you came from — you're Syrian." And I'm like, "They hate you!"
MR: If you were to bring home an Ashkenazi guy, what would your parents say?
ON: Now? They'd be thrilled. They'd be like, "Oh my God, someone wants to be with her."
But back then, right after my divorce, I guess I was like 20 something and it'd be like, "I think I'm going to end up marrying [whispers] Ashkenaz." Like I was bad. You know?
MR: Do you have any hobbies?
ON: During corona, I started painting a lot.
I always loved to cook. I went to culinary school.
MR: If you wanted to knock someone’s socks off and impress them, what are you cooking?
ON: I don't have any go-to. But there’s an eggplant chickpea recipe that people always ask me how to make.
MR: To end the interview can we include the recipe?
ON: Maybe, but it's going to be embarrassing. I sent it to my cousin Rena a bunch of times because she always asks for it.
MR: I hope you had fun. Did you enjoy the interview?
ON: Yeah, it was much better when I put my phone down. Now I know for future.
MR: I thought the first part of the interview was great! I was getting a little dizzy.
ON: But I was more grounded.