CG: But then again, all the people I look to as heroes are kind of people who have successfully stayed outside the system. I know there’s at least a few examples of people who have done it to success and maybe I can be in that tradition.

Also, if it doesn’t happen, maybe that’s okay. I think I’m okay with that too. Maybe I’m just not famous. That’s totally fine.

CD: What is it about fame that bothers you?

CG: It doesn’t seem like a very fun way to live to have people shouting at you and taking pictures. One of my very good friends in this world is Zach Woods. He was on The Office. We’d do shows together and people would, like, wait outside and want to take pictures of him.

He’s a very gracious, nice guy and he would always do it. But you could see that no one would really talk to him or look him in the eye. It was just like “Hey! Let me have my friend take my picture with you” and then he’d stand there and they’d all take turns and no one would ask him how he was doing or anything. It just didn’t seem very nice or very warm. 

CD: That’s very different from people who support you. Among the fans who are onboard with you and your show, the feeling seems unique to me. It’s not just that people like your material and are entertained, they really feel personally connected to you and invested in your success. That’s always really struck me.

CG: I think that’s true. There are very few people who care about me or my work, but the ones who do are very passionate about it. To a sometimes disconcerting degree. 

It puts some pressure on me to feel like I have to succeed for those people but it also makes me feel like, right, I have a safety net of people who are behind me.