Virtual Memories Show 386:
Judy Gold
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“Don’t tell me what I’m allowed to talk about. There’s no growth without discourse. When you start shutting people up, that’s the end of evolution.”
Comedian, actress and Emmy-winning TV writer Judy Gold joins the show to celebrate her brand new book, Yes, I CAN Say That: When They Come for the Comedians, We Are All in Trouble (Dey St.). We get into the role of comedy in society, the perils of censorship (from the left and the right), and what living through the AIDS crisis taught her about the need to laugh. We get into her history in standup, how audiences have become more offendable, how she got into her IDGAF mode in her 40s, who can take a joke and who can’t (and who can tell a joke and who can’t), the crucible of hanging out with comedians after shows, how she’s dealing with pandemic life and how COVID-19 forced the longest break in her career, what she’s learned from hosting Kill Me Now for 5+ years and who some of her Mount Rushmore guests have been, and plenty more. Give it a listen! And go read Yes, I CAN Say That!
“Every safe space has a door that leads to the real world.”
“Nothing is sacred in a comedy club. And this is the only art form where our work in progress needs an audience.”
“I found that, once you don’t give a shit, you’re much funnier.”
“A woman in her late 40s in standup is invisible. I’ve been told I can’t get a Netflix special because I don’t ‘fit the algorithm’.”
Enjoy the conversation! Then check out the archives for more great episodes!
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About our Guest
Judy Gold is an American standup comedian, actress, television writer, and producer. She won two Daytime Emmy Awards for her work as a writer and producer on The Rosie O’Donnell Show, and has starred in comedy specials on HBO, Comedy Central, and Logo. She has also written and starred in two critically acclaimed, Off-Broadway hit shows: The Judy Show?My Life as a Sitcom and 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother. She is currently the host of the hit podcast Kill Me Now. Her new book is Yes, I CAN Say That: When They Come for the Comedians, We Are All in Trouble.
There’s a longer version of her bio at her website.
Credits: This episode’s music is Fella by Hal Mayforth, used with permission from the artist. The conversation was recorded remotely via Zencastr. I used a Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone
