Interview with Janeane Garofalo

Letterman: ...talent coordinator on HBO's The Larry Sanders Show, and can be seen in the film Reality Bites [laughs] [laughter] with Winona Ryder. Please welcome to the program Janeane Garafala.

[Janeane comes on.]

Letterman: You know, last week and then tonight, I want to pronounce your name "Garofallow," but it's "Garafala," right?

Janeane: It's "Mancusi," actually.

Letterman: [laughs] [laughter] It's too late now.. forget it.

Janeane: No, it's Janeane Garofalo, and everybody says it "Jane-Anne Garrowfallow."

Letterman: Yeah.

Janeane: --or "Garafala," as you said.

Letterman: But why couldn't we say "Garafala?"

Janeane: You can... if you want to, that's fine.

Letterman: But, had I said "Garrowfallow," would you have come out?

Janeane: [short pause] Absolutely, yes.

Letterman: [laughs] Well, that's good!

Janeane: [laughs]

Letterman: How you doin'? Welcome to the show.

Janeane: I'm good! Thank you for having me.

Letterman: Things must be great for you, now, huh?

Janeane: Well, actually... it's so weird because I can only assume that when you say that name, the entire Ed Sullivan Theater collectively goes, "Who?"

Letterman: No, no...

Janeane: They totally do, absolutely. [Turns to audience.] You know that you did. [applause] [laughs] It's totally and completely true. And I'm not saying that like "poor me" -- I'm just being very pragmatic about it, and I would assume people don't know who I am.

Letterman: Well, I think people now know you from The Larry Sanders Show.

Janeane: Right, plus I have long black hair -- I play Paula on that show...

Letterman: Tell us about that character.

Janeane: Um... she's the talent booker on the show, and she's supposed to be very, very savvy and, like, has it all together, which, um... is this a segue cue for me?

Letterman: I'm hardly paying attention. [laughter]

Janeane: [laughs] Well, I'm supposed to --

Letterman: I don't know; I'm still trying to figure out who you are.

Janeane: I know, I know, everyone is. Uh, I know that that segue is supposed to go into a car story that I'm supposed to tell --

Letterman: You can do whatever you want.

Janeane: -- but it makes me feel uncomfortable doing that.

Letterman: Really?

Janeane: Do you know what I mean?

Letterman: Sure!

Janeane: You know how they make you have all these things..?

Letterman: Janeane, you can talk about anything you want to talk about.

Janeane: Oh, okay! Well, what do you want to talk about?

Letterman: Um...

Janeane: I'll talk about anything you want to talk about.

Letterman: So you play a talent booker on the show.

Janeane: Right.

Letterman: Could you get us Melissa Manchester?

Janeane: I could! [laughter] And Anne Murray, and any other earth mother you want, I can get you.

Letterman: Tell me about -- tell me where you're from, what part of the country.

Janeane: New Jersey.

Letterman: New Jersey.

Janeane: [inaudible], New Jersey.

Letterman: So you're right in the area. [applause] Sure... now they know you.

Janeane: Yes. [inaudible], New Jersey.

Letterman: Does your family still live over there?

Janeane: They're half in New Jersey and half in Texas.

Letterman: Wow.

Janeane: And completely... actually, this, tonight, confirms that I have achieved something. They have no idea what I do for a living, they don't get it at all. They're very, very nice people -- I don't know them very well. [laughter] I rarely speak to my family. They're shocked that I'm actually chatty.

Letterman: Yeah.

Janeane: You know, they have no idea what I'm like as a person.

Letterman: Do you have brothers and sisters?

Janeane: I have a brother and a sister.

Letterman: What is your relationship like with your siblings?

Janeane: Uh, well... when I speak to them -- again, they're very, very nice, I'm lucky to have them... um... [laughter]

Letterman: [laughs]

Janeane: I know they're watching, so, um... but my sister and I are so completely different. I mean, it's like... when I have to talk to her, this is a typical conversation with Patty. She has a son, and she talks about that. She goes, "Well, you know, I dropped Taylor off at the sitter's and I'm taking Country & Western dancing because I hear it's a good way to meet young professionals."

Letterman: [laughs] [laughter]

Janeane: "And Taylor did the cutest thing today... he pointed at a can. It was really cute." [laughter]

Letterman: Well, these are all important elements of life.

Janeane: Yeah. And my dad is totally clueless. I did this movie with Winona Ryder, and I told my dad. I said, "Hey, I'm doing this movie with Winona Ryder," and he goes, "Hey, man... I love her mom!"

Letterman: Yeah. [laughter]

Janeane: And I said, "How do you know Winona Ryder's mother?

Letterman: [laughs]

Janeane: And he goes, "She can sing."

Letterman: Yeah.

Janeane: I said, "Not Winona Judd... duh!" [laughter]

Letterman: [laughs]

Janeane: And it's like, the only people he knows... he loves Angie Dickinson.

Letterman: Well, how can you not?

Janeane: He says, "Angie Dickinson: she's a neat lady."

Letterman: Now, I know that you started in -- and correct me if this is not accurate -- you started out in show business doing standup comedy.

Janeane: Yeah, I was a standup comic for eight years.

Letterman: Yeah, that's tough.

Janeane: Ohhhh, man...

Letterman: It's tough for men, tough for women, but I think it might be more so for women.

Janeane: Well, it'll turn you into a misanthrope, or a mice-anthrope, whatever the correct pronunciation is.

Letterman: Misanthrope is what I prefer. [laughter]

Janeane: I had, after eight years, developed nothing but contempt for my audience. You know, you cannot do standup while literally detesting your audience.

Letterman: That's right, because they can sense that.

Janeane: Right, and then they hate me back. But, you see, like, an ad on late-night TV for the Ray Stevens video, and you see people howling! And how can I perform for them? How can I try and connect with somebody who thinks Ray Stevens is really funny? You know?

Letterman: Ray will be here Wednesday night.

Janeane: [laughs] [laughter] So, I wound up not liking them, and that's not fair.

Letterman: Well, what's the film like, this Winona Ryder deal? What's that? Reality Bites?

Janeane: Ohhhh... It's... Actually, they're gonna try -- and let me warn you -- they're gonna try, probably, to market it as a "Generation X" story, which is just the stupidest thing. It's not. It's just that the cast happens to be in their 20's, and the director was in his 20's. It's just a love story, it's just a love triangle story, it's just a normal, small story. It's not Generation X, it's not whatever buzzword the studio is deciding they're going to hook into and market it. So... --oh, God...

Letterman: [laughs]

Janeane: [laughs] [laughter] What am I saying?

Letterman: That Larry Sanders Show is fun. Everybody likes that.

Janeane: It is, yes.

Letterman: That's good. [applause] Things are going well for you.

Janeane: They're going okay, yeah.

Letterman: All right, we have to wrap it up now. Do you mind?

Janeane: Thank you for having me.

Letterman: Well, it's been a pleasure having you. Now that we know who you are, will you come back again?

Janeane: I'd love to!