Kat Timpf On Her New Book, Stand-Up, Punk Rock, The Misfits & More

it's the Bel cast now with d Bel let's  get ready to listen to your favorite artists outro cat thank you for taking the time  so many damn things I want to ask you because   not only is there a new book but there's so many  darn Misfits things behind you yeah the last time   I had the pleasure of speaking with you I learned  about your friendship with Jerry Only how much   free Jerry swag versus you bought that stuff it's  almost all free Jerry swag I think there's maybe   one thing in here that I've actually bought um of  course I was buying Misfits things before I met   Jerry just when I was a fan right but all this  stuff in my office is all Jerry swag he sends   to me very nice man very nice man but he fulfills  that kind of thing and this is going to tie around   to your book but in real life Jerry Only could not  be sweeter but then you see him on stage with the   devil lock and you hear the music glenard doing so  it's like real life uh nice person but wrestling   bad guy persona that kind of dual thing and it  seems like a lot of your contemporaries in the   political space are kind of like that that they're  playing the villain on camera and then real life   they're picking up the check every time it is  interesting about Jerry because honestly my sister   was never a misfitz fan and she only met Jerry  just as Jerry coming to you know my birthday party   stuff like that and then she went to a concert and  was listening to the lyrics and she was shocked   but I mean I also just think that there's so much  more to a person than just one facet of the person   which is what this book is about yes I'm I myself  am the same person you know on TV is I am off I'm   always the same and I always say what I really  believe but the way that things have gotten now is   just so obsessed with grouping each other namely  into one of two groups are you conservative are   you liberal are you democrat are you Republican  and I'm neither and people they have a hard time   even perceiving that right it's like if you  say one bad thing about KLA Harris that means   you're MAA if you say one bad thing about Trump  that means you're a communist and really people   can't even perceive that maybe it just depends  what issue that I'm talking about or what   comment the person made we're all so unique as  individuals and it's independent thinking would be   but we gotten to the point where people can't  even perceive it as a possibility absolutely   that is one of the talking points that I was going  to focus on about your book that people can Define   other people based on just one individual trait  how do you as a person who also talks about mental   health learn not to take that personally it's hard  I mean it's it's hard and sometimes I can admit   that I can get frustrated with it I really can  um social media is just I talk about this a lot   I don't understand who some of these people are uh  who are just there's there's people who will they   go they don't they go on my profile every single  day and just leave horrible things about me and   it's like I don't hate anybody that much I just  don't understand like who are you you know some   who are your where are your grandkids they need  to take you out to lunch like you need you need   to do something right but I honestly think that  my Approach is going back to what the cover of   the book is it's it's you know with I'm naked  and covered in hate mail it's supposed to be   vulnerability in the face of even overwhelming  hatred and what I've started doing not all the   time but sometimes is if someone say something  really nasty to me I've several times now DMD that   person and said that hurt my feelings and nine  times out of 10 people will say oh I'm so sorry   and it's like well yeah like how did you think  that was going to make me feel right but one time   out of 10 the person continues to be a jerk like  you know even more so like oh like you deal with   with it maybe you should do it's like okay cool  I'm done but I really think that it's you know   we have to will be willing to show each other  that we're human because all of us has our what   things we struggle with right for sure well if we  can go towards a more positive angle related to   the book two books in two years now two albums in  two years is the norm you should be able to do an   album a year a book as a I think my manuscript I  turned it in 15 months later it came out in your   case does that mean that you work really far ahead  or are you a person that's just writing every day   then the timing lucked out with Publishers being  able to accommodate two books in a short period   yeah so I'm writing all the time this book was  basically almost already written before I got   the book deal because I I got the idea for this  book while I was out on tour for the first book   because I was meeting all these different people  and a lot of people well Everyone's an individual   right and I was hearing from a lot of people some  similar frustrations and just learning that we all   really have more in common overall or even people  that I do have major differences with still would   come to the shows in many cases and find things  to unite around because the first book was about   you know humor and conversations and and using  humor to get through difficult things and it was   about human stuff it wasn't really a political  book and there's a lot of room for connection   there so I was writing this book as I was on  the tour uh the second book I was writing it   the you know hotel rooms in the Delta Lounge  in uh The Green Room that kind of thing and   because the more I delved into this issue the  more I research I found to back up everything   that I thought was true I mean I I I approached it  trying to learn more and I was like wow we really   are being manipulated by the people in power over  us to be more divided than we really need to be   or in some cases than we even really are wow well  said that is the exact opposite of what I usually   hear in a book tour the book tour is usually uh  celebrating using that as an excuse to eat and or   drink more being exhausted so therefore you have  no creativity left in you but you did the exact   opposite where you went I don't care that the book  is a new thing that most people haven't seen yet   I'm doing the next one so does that pretty much  sum up your whole career that when you're not   working you're working yes my husband says I'm a  border he calls me a border collie he says that   they're I guess border they need to be on a farm  because if they're in your if not they'll just   like tear up everything in your house if they're  not working so they need to have a job that's   kind of how I am I will melt down if I don't have  enough stuff to do I love to be busy um so yeah I   didn't really I that's the thing is I didn't drink  on the tour because I couldn't keep up with that   schedule so with you know working five days a  week on the show two days on tour I so I just   was working I was like what else am I going to do  after you know in between whatever this and that   so I wrote this other book and then I plan to have  a fun summer off between tour and the next book   but then I got pregnant so uh no partying for this  was supposed to be like a fun party summer for I   mean I'm very excited don't get me wrong I'm so  excited to be having a baby but um it I was like   well I guess literally found out I was pregnant in  May I'm like oh well that's cancelled yeah so when   it comes to job titles when I was a a kid back in  the olden days like a comedian was just a comedian   an author was just an author in your case you know  way back when with the bar stool stuff in other   words journalist but you're on camera but you're  an author but then again you probably produce the   stuff and that producer credits what are you is  there an easy way to describe you at this point in   time no but I've always said I'm a writer first  because that is what I did first I got my job   everything that I've gotten on TV is because of  my writing I think it's the thing I'm the best at   um and everything else that I do has writing  involved in it the standup comedy that I do   the live shows that I do I'm writing stuff for  that I'm writing for the shows that I'm on on   TV so I think that I'm a writer first I'm also  a perform right I'm a comedian too yes um I had   trouble calling myself that because I quit stand  up for a little bit but then it I always go back   to it I can never quit it forever um so yeah I  think it's it's I do a lot of different things   but I'd say I'm a writer first and foremost and  of course mother okay yes but I didn't want to   change you with all that because that's the most  timec consuming profession of them all but was   the long-term goal all along when you were just a  writer to have this multifaceted career including   the on camera or is it all organic and accidental  I'd say it was on purpose but also I mean I I had   been doing stand up too I while I was writing  I me I started doing standup a lot right after   college and then I quit for a while I've quit  twice and now I'm back um so that's been going   on pretty much the whole time um but I always did  want to do TV too I wanted to do radio actually   initially more because I didn't want have to spend  so much time getting my hair and makeup done which   were there mayy so I'm spending a lot of time  getting my hair and makeup done but it's a lot   of fun I really enjoy the platform um i' I I've  always I was a theater kid so I've always loved   been like one of those weirdos that loves being  in front of people and Performing so kind of kind   of does make sense for me in terms of the standup  the first time I ever noticed this what I'm about   to say is was Adam Corolla where his books were  essentially them just transcribing his podcast   because they realized that his Rants and his  monologues could pass for standup could also   pass for books in your case is anything that you  write in the book spoken first yes I do actually   quote myself in the book sometimes where it is  definitely spoken first there's also times where   I'll be out to dinner and my husband will say you  need to write that down like you need to what what   you just said is something you need to explore  because I don't I think I'm a little weird but I   make perfect sense to myself right so I don't when  I'm saying something I don't know like is this is   that interesting to me that just makes sense so um  definitely in a lot of cases things maybe not even   sometimes verbatim I'll I quote myself but it  could be something that started as a conversation   and then I delve into deeper with my writing and  I do write the way that I speak also I mean I'm   very it's very conversational my writing so um  it's it's easy to read I think I knew that you   did standup but I've never seen your standup  I've never gone down the YouTube rabbit hole   how does your standup compare to what we see on  Gutfeld or other programs and in the book is it   one and the same or is it more on liners uh it's  a there's it depends there's some jokes there's   some storytelling so the live show where I'm going  out on tour and the it's going to be similar to   the last tour where there's a slideshow element  to it where I share photos um as well but the   the photos have a punchline and stuff I've also  been doing some over the past couple months I've   been doing some straight up standup as well  but the the live shows are going to have the   slideshow element too because I think people like  to come and see you know pictures from my phone   as I'm sometimes I'll be telling a joke and then I  have like the receipts of the photo and then that   gets another laugh and and stuff like that but um  it's definitely a different side of me because I'm   running the show I'm not the sidekick on the show  it's definitely a different side of me um for that   reason and also it's it's completely mine right  it's it's uh it's a bit I I don't want to say   raunchier but there's more swearing probably maybe  a little bit more I mean and it's not as political   it's not there's no jokes about politics there are  some but um it's not as political as the show that   I do on a news channel right so it sounds like you  figured out a way to turn your therapy sessions   into a career there's there's part of that I have  had a lot of therapy as well yes well that wasn't   a dig that was more like I would never take it  that way no when okay I grew up loving standup   comedy and for example I loved Rodney Dangerfield  I don't think I got any of the jokes I think I   just loved the Cadence of the whole thing  but there's nothing personable I shouldn't   say personable personal about Rodney Dangerfield  standup because you learn over time he was buying   the jokes from other Comics um he in this joke  he's married in this joke he's never gotten laid   and this joke course so it's not really him so  it's not therapeutic except that he's getting   the laughs he's getting the the interaction  the live energy in your case all of your art   is personal deeply personal yes I'm constantly  exposing myself in the best of ways so uh rather   than having to sit on that couch and get it  all out H you get to do that publicly and get   compensated for that so I that a mark of Genius  well see I am still in therapy sometimes but   part of it is also because boy let me just tell  you managing your emotions with ADHD when you're   pregnant and unmedicated is not easy it's been a  wild ride for not just me but my husband as well   but um yeah I I just I think it's I I think that  there's so much to personal experience I really   do I draw so much from personal experience  where I've I've learned things from things   that I've been through I I like to be open about  that stuff because I it I found that can connect   with people who I've never even met the amount of  ostomy bags I mean this is the last book I wrote   about my emergency ostomy and then the reversal  that I the amount of omey bags that I've signed   at my live shows I mean like clean ones right  but like people don't talk about that and then   I talked about it and then people talk to me about  it and I just think that there's so much that's   what's missing I think I think it's a lot harder  to scream at people if we see them as people and   a lot of times if you want someone to see as a  person you got to show them that you're a person   and I it's it is people don't really realize this  about me because I don't really talk about it but   I do get scared I I just because I'm constantly  sharing and some i' say oversharing you might   think that certainly I'm comfortable with that  because it's what I'm doing all the time but the   first time I share things I am nervous about it I  mean in this book I talk about some mental health   stuff that I went through that was manifesting at  work and I was terrified I'm I'm I am terrified   still about that being out there you know you  don't want to a lot there's a major school of   thought that says don't admit weakness ever and I  constantly admit it I I constantly admit it but um   I just do it anyway I just do it anyway and it's  worked out for me so there's that also there's   that also so I was also curious if any of that  tied into being a Howard Stern fan fan or an Opie   and Anthony fan or that more uh personal nature  towards broadcasting if that was an influence   on you early on yes absolutely it definitely was  I mean whenever when I started doing standup I I   talked about this in my first book when I started  doing it was when I was really going through a   rough time I was barely 22 years old my I I was  a waitress in LA and I had you know was broke my   College boyfriend who ID moved was living with  out there broke up with me I was like sleeping   on a yoga mat whatever my life was a disaster you  could read about my first book but I found out   that doing open mics just and talking about that  stuff on stage gave me power over that stuff and I   got addicted to it basically so um I really think  and there's much more that you you know many much   more trauma that I talk about in a humorous light  way in this second book as well and I just really   find that creating from things that you thought  at one point or even still are feeling currently   could have or might destroy you is gives you  so much power over that stuff so it sounds like   what they say that comedy is tragedy plus time  in your case success equals tragedy plus time   yeah I guess so yeah I I I I actually write in  the dedicate uh the acknowledgements to my in my   new book I say you know something along lines of  thank you to everyone I dated in my 20s because I   have no idea where I'd be without the content you  provided me and these relationships were horrible   I mean just horrible traumatic and it's but I got  several chapters on of some of this stuff several   damn chapters well couple of quick questions and  then I let you go the first one is beginning of   the chat we talked about how great The Misfits  are but who's your next in line number two or   number three punk rock band so it's tough because  I think I love the Ramones so much I really was   raised on the Ramones I love the Ramones I  love The Clash um and then the Misfits now   it's like also Jerry's a friend but also I would  say another band that I really was into starting   at a very young age which I think has made me a  very weird first crator would be I would always   listen to The Cramps with my dad I really love  the cramps um I feel like that's not a common   child like a childhood F but it was for me well I  mean Wednesday kind of revitalized the cramps to   a lot of people underground until Wednesday you  would argue that's true actually I saw a lot of   people discovering that song at least definitely  with with that yeah a follow-up question to that   is what's the last concert that you went to oh  this is embarrassing so the last concert I went   to was Taking Back Sunday why is that embarrassing  oh because I'm it's not embarrassing but it's I'm   an emo kid at heart always you know and you're  sitting there and like you're singing it and   you're just like I mean it's so dramatic and  with my one last gasping breath I'll apologize   for bleeding on your shirt and you're s and you  just remember singing that when you're like 15   and it's like it was gonna be okay kid like you're  G you're gonna get over this guy who doesn't like   you it's gonna be okay two of them live in my  town you regularly see one of them out all the   time I was at shows I have the demo CD but it is  your right looking back at it it was very dramatic   but my thing related to Taking Back Sunday was you  talk to them and they would be the funniest guys   into the raunchiest stuff and then they'd come  on stage and be all poets po yeah it's I'm not   ashamed of being an emo kid and I love Taking Back  Sunday but the last concert before I that I went   to is blink182 I love blink182 I know every word  to every album from their very first album from   tresure cat all the way through I mean take off  your pants and jacket and then like some from the   new one I don't really know any of the new stuff  but I mean I'm I'm an embarrassing person to be   around at these concerts but more just thinking  about my ank my 15-year-old angst was just so   extreme so extreme which paid dividends and we're  talking to still to this day because of your angst   exactly yeah like I'm not angsty now like who am  I kidding and then the last question this could be   a a this could be a FIV minute rant or this could  be a nope don't know that I'm curious in all your   broadcasting experience and your subcultures and  all that if you've ever heard of this internet   phenomenon called the dabble verse I have not  what is it long story short uh Stuttering John   Melendez from Howard Stern and The Tonight Show  kind of got outed as having the worst podcast uh   and a political podcast he did and as a result  of that these instead of working into the whole   thing and like leaning into the joke he then took  on the podcasters that then said that and then   it's been a back and forth for a couple years and  there was just weekend celebration in rockchester   of people like Bob Levy and shulie AAR that  gather so it's a convention and subculture   of back and forth I love that though that's great  well there you go well Kat looking forward to the   third book whenever that is yeah looking forward  to the standup finally seeing that the regular   broadcast keep up the great work and thank you  for giving a lot of people a voice who may not   have felt like they had a voice thank you thank  you so much it was great talking to you outro