Maria Bamford on OCD, Pugs, and Getting Paid

Subscribe here: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Overcast | Pocket Casts The comedian Maria Bamford has always been alarmingly frank about her obsessive, intrusive thoughts—imagined scenarios where she murders someone or commits wholesale genocide, for instance.

In Paralyzed by Hope , the new documentary about her life from Judd Apatow, Bamford talks about faking her own suicide as a kid, using ketchup as a prop.

In all of her work—which includes stand-up, a Netflix sitcom, a YouTube series, and a memoir— Bamford generously samples people and incidents from her own life.

The documentary, co-directed by Apatow and Neil Berkeley, connects the dots in a way that reveals a deeper layer of meaning.

For example, despite talking about her struggles, Bamford doesn’t like the narrative that she’s up there on stage actually struggling.

“I think it reminds me of when people say, you know, ‘inspiration porn,’ like, saying, Oh, it’s just amazing that you’re doing this ,” Bamford says on this episode of Radio Atlantic .

“Like, the person is so delicate, and I’m like, You don’t know me .” Bamford explains the actual relationship between OCD and her comedy.

She talks about why she doesn’t do political comedy, and why she no longer does imitations of her sister.

She discusses her divorce and getting on the apps.

She does all of that from a car, buzzed on nitro cold brew.

The following is a transcript of the episode: Hanna Rosin: Veteran comedy writer Judd Apatow has taken on a kind of second job as comedy historian. [ Music ] Rosin: He’s been making documentaries about comedians who are legends or brilliant in some particular way or just not like anyone else: Mel Brooks, George Carlin, and now, coming out on Netflix Friday, Maria Bamford.

Maria Bamford: My name is Maria Bamford, and this is a gift.

My gift to you.

Rosin: I’m Hanna Rosin.