I’m the Guy Who Did John Mulaney’s Infamous ‘GQ’ Interview

“Fraser?” John Mullaney stared at me, peeking out from the Comedy Club stage at City Winery.

It’s generally understood that comedians don’t want to be the person speaking in the audience. At best, you’re about to become a prop right away. Worst case, you are about to be completely roasted.

However, in this case, I have drawn your attention.Mullaney was In a way, they ended the set by using me as a prop to read out a printed excerpt from an interview they did six months ago in December 2020. I decided to go see the set. I came to the conclusion that I needed to let him know I was in the room. So we yelled it out. (City If he’s never been to a winery, know he’s intimate enough to do this without going out like a heckler.) I reacted calmly, as if I knew that was coming.

But let’s go back for a second.

“Be an ice breaker and open up about seeing ghosts to get him to talk.”

This was the advice David, the biggest John Mulaney fan I know, gave me when I told him I was going to talk to his son a few weeks before Christmas 2020. , and sometimes suggest questions that I end up using. In this case, I wanted to ask the true stance, David, for ideas. (To paint a picture: Pete Davidson once complimented David on the rare Mullaney merchandise t-shirt he wore to an afterparty.)

As people in the media know, interviews and profiles are usually “pinned” to a particular release or event that the writer is expected to ask the target audience. But when I spoke with John Mulaney, it was a rare case that there were no pegs. to the spiderverse It was video games, but they asked me anything I wanted.

This is usually the ideal scenario. Talking to an entertainer with no guardrails or checkboxes can be much more liberating.A few months ago I talked about the opportunity for A$AP Rocky to design a Mercedes need for speed video games; we ended up having a poignant conversation with him on his 10th year in the industry about his late friend A$AP Yams.

I wasn’t sure where to start with John’s story. Two months ago he hosted saturday night livecommenting on current events I may have asked him, he recently appeared Late night with Seth MeyersSo David and I decided to open up with a callback to Mulaney’s Bit kid gorgeous “Have you ever seen a ghost?” as an icebreaker. It was a reference to his material designed to elicit interesting answers. Clear eyes, full heart, never lose.

From there, I drew a rough arc asking him about the backlash he received for seeming indifferent to the presidential election. sack lunch bunch special, and his NBC sitcom failed to launch, and he hasn’t said much since. I thought they would give me food.

And he ever did. Our conversation was as loose, broad, and whimsical as I’d hoped it would be, but, as you’ll soon see, for the wrong reasons. I spent most of the interview (done over the phone, not Zoom) thinking Mulaney was trolling me.Ghost’s comment touched on his comedy idea of ​​horror he once thought about, joking about his Constantine getup Seth Meyers (Slightly omitted for Marvel-DC reasons), he talked about the ideal talk show format. As he talks about why the sitcom failed and whether he’ll try again someday and sums up how he sees his career We provided a visible comment, which provided our headline. ,” he told me. I don’t know if you need a sketch about singing LaGuardia, but I hope you’re happy it’s there.”

sack lunch bunch, which came out a year ago, redefined Mulaney as gloriously random. This special satirizes (and pays homage to) 80’s and 70’s educational specials for kids, genuine jokes, cameo appearances (David Byrne and Jake Gyllenhaal!), and something only millennials can fully understand. On tone, it was played straight to adolescents, but not the audience.Comments about bad news bearsA cinematic film with a paranormal twist and a strange concept for a late-night show, it didn’t feel out of place in an interview with John Mulaney, who just made the show. It felt more like a joke from a comedian when he randomly told me he was eating, an extension of Mulaney’s boyish, sly charm.

Transcripts of our interview sat for days, waiting for me to finish other work.News broke that Mullaney had been admitted to a rehab facility for “cocaine and alcohol addiction.” After discussion internally and with John’s team, GQ decided to publish.

Five months later, Mulaney is back on the comedy club circuit, doing workshops that are a big part of his new Netflix special Out today. baby jay— only then it was called From the beginningThe meaning of the first title was clear. He knew the only way to rebuild his career and life. Word came right back that this included a new bit inspired by his Q&A I did with him. I told David we’d have to pull the set up and see it ourselves.

And indeed, there at City Winery, he capped off a great set reflecting on his addiction, sobriety, and the star-studded intervention that saved his life by pulling out a printout of our interview. rice field. , as he explained, he was so mad at the time.

We interrupted with honorable intentions, but Mullaney was ready for us. myself about how he I saw it during our 2020 conversation — and if you could tell that something was wrong. Not knowing John Mulaney personally, I could only rant that I thought he was fine. The audience burst into laughter. He finished reading the interview, greeted me again, and left.

Since then, Mulaney has continued to tour, From the beginning, I got occasional texts from friends, tweets from random people who watched the show and looked up interviews, and laughed at the bylines. The show expanded from comedy clubs to arenas. David and I got his seat on the floor of Madison Square Garden, but the City he’s not a winery. Far from giving us a chance to recreate the 2021 reunion, Jazzy he might have been kicked out by security like Jeff.

The special is a painfully honest yet hilariously calculating account of Mullaney’s personal failures, learned behavior, and resilience, complete with a happy ending. Some dark shadows remain. At one point, he says that looking in his mirror is seeing someone who tried to end his life. baby jay It’s an apt and entertaining reconciliation with the turbulent times of his life.

But if John Mulaney is interested in interviewing him, it will be in his memory. I’m here whenever he’s ready. Bring Froot Loops.