Celebrity Hometowns with Wanda Sykes

[0] This is exactly right.

[1] Welcome to my favorite murder.

[2] The Celebrity Hometown Edition.

[3] That's right.

[4] We know celebrities.

[5] They have hometowns.

[6] We want to hear them.

[7] That's all we want to do.

[8] And that's all we're going to do for the next.

[9] Oh, I don't know.

[10] Two hours and 25 minutes.

[11] We'll see how it goes.

[12] Let's just see how it goes.

[13] Oh, it's a short one today.

[14] We're really excited for this guest when she said yes.

[15] we were like, is she sure?

[16] Because we're obsessed.

[17] She's obviously an old friend of Karen's, you know, an incredible comedian and actress and person.

[18] And she's everyone's hero.

[19] That's right.

[20] You've seen her at clubs and colleges all over the country.

[21] Please welcome the legendary Wanda Sykes.

[22] You can't beat the clubs and colleges.

[23] You can't.

[24] Right?

[25] You can't beat that intro.

[26] That's the best.

[27] It's the perfect catch -all.

[28] It's the perfect intro.

[29] It really is.

[30] Especially if you can't list out all the credits or if you're not that great of a host and you just kind of need to throw something out there that really fits for everybody.

[31] Right.

[32] It's a great one.

[33] Right.

[34] And George, I think once a woman gets into a certain age bracket, you really shouldn't say an old friend.

[35] Oh, hit.

[36] Okay.

[37] You know what I'm saying?

[38] Long time.

[39] Like, she's known this bitch a long time, you know.

[40] Oh, shit.

[41] Because I, it hit, I don't know.

[42] Wow.

[43] It was a little, a little, it was a little, it's just a little.

[44] I was like an old friend.

[45] I'm so embarrassed.

[46] I'm so sorry.

[47] Let's start over.

[48] It's beautiful.

[49] No, not at all.

[50] How about this?

[51] A dry friend.

[52] Would that be good?

[53] the dry, decrypt friend of Cairns.

[54] Just your kind of dusty old friend.

[55] I love that.

[56] Dusty.

[57] She's like the quilt of friends.

[58] The mothball wrap.

[59] Mothball time.

[60] How's it going lately, Wanda?

[61] What's going on?

[62] Great.

[63] Great.

[64] Just been super busy, which is awesome.

[65] You know, right now we're Writing season two of the upshaws, you know, the half hour.

[66] Netflix series?

[67] Netflix series, yes, with Mike Epson, Kim Fields.

[68] Yes, yes.

[69] So we're doing season two and we'll start production in December.

[70] So busy on that and also busy with History of the World Part 2 that I'm doing with the great Mel Brooks.

[71] How about that?

[72] Amazing.

[73] Is that amazing?

[74] Seriously?

[75] Yeah.

[76] Yeah, we're doing a series for Hulu.

[77] And it's also Ike Barron Holtz and his partner, David Stassen, and Nick Crowle.

[78] So it's the four of us doing this with Mr. Brooks.

[79] That's crazy.

[80] That's epic.

[81] I know.

[82] Are you writing with him?

[83] Yeah.

[84] Like, truly creating this series with Bob Brooks.

[85] Yeah.

[86] That's incredible.

[87] I know, right?

[88] Yeah.

[89] I love Ike Barron Holtz.

[90] He's so smart.

[91] So funny.

[92] Yeah.

[93] And a good guy.

[94] Yes.

[95] Yeah.

[96] And of course, Nick Kroll is a legend.

[97] Oh, yeah.

[98] What a group.

[99] Great group.

[100] Old friends.

[101] Yeah.

[102] Yeah, a bunch of old friends.

[103] Yeah, exactly.

[104] Exactly.

[105] Wow, that's a lot.

[106] That is, you are busy.

[107] That's a lot to get to be getting done.

[108] Mm -hmm.

[109] And I've been back in, back trying to, you know, get back on stage during some, whenever I can do tour dates to get ready to do another, you know, another special.

[110] Yeah.

[111] That's great.

[112] I saw that.

[113] You've got.

[114] some upcoming shows.

[115] How is stand -up for you these days in and out of quarantine?

[116] Oh, man. It's hard to get a rhythm.

[117] That's pretty much how I feel right now.

[118] It's the COVID protocols are one thing.

[119] You know, it's like you have to get past that, you know.

[120] Being on stage, whether you see people with masks or without mask or, you know, or sometimes I go, shit.

[121] I look like, I need to be wearing a mask.

[122] These people look crazy.

[123] You know, or that guy doesn't have shoes on.

[124] What the hell is going on?

[125] This is not saying.

[126] This is not safe.

[127] Yeah, so like I said, to me, it's just getting a rhythm.

[128] But, and it's also, you know, you're like, oh, you know, this is the material that I'm going to do.

[129] And if something happens in the world, you got to throw that out.

[130] And I need to talk about this, you know, so.

[131] Yeah.

[132] But it's always challenging.

[133] I love it.

[134] Still love it.

[135] Yeah.

[136] I bet you can really see progress so much more now because it's like everyone's starting back as if it's like your fifth year of stand -up.

[137] And then, you know, right?

[138] And then hopefully you're moving through and getting it like up to date quickly.

[139] But it's like I can't, I just can't even imagine.

[140] I can barely even convey my thoughts to you right now, much less like trying to make 3 ,000 people understand what I mean and think it's funny.

[141] It's a big job.

[142] Right.

[143] You're absolutely right.

[144] It is that.

[145] It's getting the rhythm because it's just trying to, how can I make you all understand this?

[146] I don't, you know, yeah.

[147] It's, and that is a muscle, you know, that's been dormant for a while.

[148] So it's taken a, you know, a minute to get all that firing back up.

[149] Yeah.

[150] That's so interesting.

[151] I never thought of it like that.

[152] Because let me tell you what doesn't work.

[153] This is funny.

[154] And y 'all don't know what you're talking about.

[155] The audience, they don't like it.

[156] They don't like it when you do that.

[157] If you do a joke and they don't laugh and I go, you people are awful.

[158] That's my whole stand -up career right there, is blaming the audience and walking off angry.

[159] Yeah.

[160] Are you doing more middle -of -the -road stuff or stuff that you feel like, like, do you feel yourself extending yourself to the audience more than you used to have to?

[161] Yeah, definitely, yeah.

[162] Yeah.

[163] It's, you know, it's like you, it's with the, the kind of like the shotgun blast at first.

[164] You know, it's like I got to hit everybody.

[165] I got to make this so everybody can get a little something out of here.

[166] Yes.

[167] And it's going to take a while to bring the more narrowed down and the sniper, I guess, get right to it, you know.

[168] Yeah.

[169] Of any comic I've ever seen your jokes, you do take a lot of.

[170] lot of risks with, you know, your point of view and basically saying, hey, this is what I think so, I'm saying it.

[171] But it's like to basically come out of a quarantine or be doing stand -up like for the first time in a long time and then be like the quote unquote in your face material must be, or maybe it isn't.

[172] But like to me, I would imagine it feels a little scarier.

[173] Yeah, it does.

[174] It does.

[175] And it's definitely more challenging because like you said, we've all been in this quarantine.

[176] So people have become a little more jaded and maybe, you know, not as tolerant.

[177] And they've had all this time to sit behind their little laptops and say whatever the hell they want to say.

[178] So now, like, maybe what I want to say, they go, I said that months ago, you know, it's like, I'm past that woman.

[179] You know, it's like they're just so much, so much more angrier.

[180] I'm like, let's start run right to that.

[181] You know, let's, come on, let's ease.

[182] I try to ease into it when they're, sometimes I know, like, oh, shit, they're already there.

[183] They're ahead of me. Yeah.

[184] They want to go right there.

[185] Yeah.

[186] They want to go right there.

[187] And I'm like, yeah, but if I go right there, then now we're all just angry.

[188] It's not as fun.

[189] That is funny.

[190] Yeah.

[191] It's a comedy show.

[192] It's a comedy show.

[193] Yeah.

[194] Should we pivot into hometown territory?

[195] Yeah.

[196] So basically, hometown started as us asking people, what's the story in your town?

[197] It could be true crime or some scandalous thing that happened that, like, you know, changed everyone or that everyone talked about around the table.

[198] But it's turned into anything you wanted to be.

[199] So, like, do you have a haunted dorm room or, I don't know, like, anything you want to tell that's just this, like, fascinating, weird tidbit.

[200] True story.

[201] Yeah.

[202] It's, oh, man. When I played in Richmond, Virginia, and we stayed at the hotel, this hotel, and I'm pretty sure there was a, a slave visited me in my room.

[203] It was creepy as far.

[204] Yeah.

[205] What happened?

[206] So I was, you know, I was touring, and I played Richmond, Virginia, and we stayed at the Jefferson Hotel.

[207] You know, very historic hotel.

[208] And they upgraded me. And I was in a pretty nice, I mean, room for like an old -timey, you know, it's like staying at your grandmother's house, old -timey.

[209] So I had a great show, you know, of course, we went out, had some drinks and stuff after the show.

[210] Saw some friends from college, came to the show.

[211] So he got back to the room kind of late, right?

[212] So I'm in bed, watching some TV.

[213] and the murder watching the ID channel.

[214] Yes.

[215] Have to?

[216] Yeah.

[217] I mean, you know, now that's how I judge hotels if they have the ID channel.

[218] Oh, definitely.

[219] Yeah, if they don't have that and I'm like, no. No, you got to watch forensic files when you get back to your room.

[220] Exactly.

[221] Exactly.

[222] See, that's my fallback.

[223] I go to, if it's not, if they don't have the ID channel and I got to go watch headline news for forensics files.

[224] So I'm watching some murder, right?

[225] And I just, I just like feel something in the room.

[226] I'm like looking around.

[227] It feels like somebody's in here.

[228] So I keep watching television.

[229] And then I look over in the corner and there's a chair.

[230] And there's like a, it's a figure.

[231] Like I can't like really make out the face and all.

[232] But it's like, it's a figure.

[233] And it's apparitions.

[234] Cloudy.

[235] Yeah.

[236] Yeah.

[237] It's kind of like cloudy.

[238] This figure sitting in the corner.

[239] And it's just sitting there.

[240] I'm looking.

[241] I'm like, okay.

[242] And I was like, Wanda, you're drunk?

[243] Get back to your murder.

[244] Get back to your murder.

[245] Focus on the murder.

[246] Focus on this murder.

[247] You got to solve.

[248] You've almost, I think we know who did.

[249] Let's break this case.

[250] Don't pay attention to that cloud sitting in the corner.

[251] So I keep looking and I look over.

[252] And it kind of like does this, it's kind of like it moves a little bit, right?

[253] And it kind of like leans forward and it kind of like goes back.

[254] And I look and I'm like, okay, this looks like rags, kind of like drapery type thing that this.

[255] It was something, yeah, cloth or something that was just draped that it was wearing.

[256] And I said, okay, I'm just going to just talk to it.

[257] And I was like, so hello.

[258] And of course, it didn't answer back.

[259] It just was still sitting there.

[260] And I said, I said, you, did you like clean up around here or something or are you, you know, do you have a problem with me being here, basically?

[261] Because I wanted to see if it was like, you know, like my ancestors or if it was one of these ancestors or something, you know.

[262] So I was.

[263] Whose side are you on?

[264] Exactly.

[265] Exactly, exactly, exactly, right.

[266] So, I know, somebody in there, you know, the South will rise.

[267] You're like, you have to move me again.

[268] I'm so sorry.

[269] I have to get out of here.

[270] So I just get this sense of, it was no harm, you know, it was just warm.

[271] It was just warm.

[272] It was something, like, yeah, warmth.

[273] Yeah.

[274] Like I said, it felt like I was in danger.

[275] And I'm like, oh, wow.

[276] this is a I just felt like it was a slave.

[277] It felt like that's the presence that I got.

[278] You know, the sense that I got like, oh, this is, this was a slave and probably either, you know, worked here or.

[279] And it just was like, just looking at me, just kind of like, and I was like, you are probably tripping like, wow, he's this, you know, boozy black woman, you know, You know, chilling out with this king and this king's size bed.

[280] Yes.

[281] Room service, cable TV.

[282] And I just, I thank the present.

[283] I just want to thank you for all that, you know, you went through, all the strength and the pride and determination, everything that we have that.

[284] And thanks to you, we owe all this to you.

[285] And everything that you're going through.

[286] I said, we stay at work to do, but, you know, just thank you.

[287] And then it stayed there for a little bit long.

[288] And then I was like, I was like, hey, so I'm going to watch some, watch my murder.

[289] I was like, I'm going to go back and watch my murder.

[290] So you welcome to stay.

[291] But this is, I'm not going to be able to sleep well if you do hang around.

[292] So polite of you.

[293] Yeah.

[294] And I just watched my murder.

[295] And like a few seconds later, it left.

[296] Wow.

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[317] Goodbye.

[318] That's so chill of you.

[319] All I can think of is how chill you.

[320] That's what I would want to be like around spirit.

[321] And then I'd probably just be losing my mind.

[322] But that's like, that's powerful.

[323] I did tell her, I said, now, if I were you, I would go around and just be scaring the shit out of white people.

[324] I said, I would, I said, those are the rooms I would be visiting right now.

[325] Absolutely.

[326] I'd be knocking shit all over the ball.

[327] Come on.

[328] Yes.

[329] Throw a vase off the mantelpiece or whatever.

[330] She came by trying to scare you and she was like, oh, she's fine.

[331] I'll be in our next door.

[332] Yeah.

[333] I'm fascinated, though, by that.

[334] Because I've also had a ghostly encounter one time when I was in college.

[335] I was also probably drunk myself.

[336] But it is a very internal experience.

[337] There is something it's very hard to convey, like, how you knew that that spirit didn't want to scare you or freak you out, that it wasn't the thing where you, you know, some people go like, the whole room was freezing cold and this and whatever.

[338] it sounds like it was the opposite sensation for you.

[339] Yeah.

[340] I mean, when it was first arrived, there was something like, ooh, what's going on?

[341] But I don't think it was, I didn't feel like it was cold or anything, you know, because I was under the covers and all.

[342] So I guess it was just like, hey, something, like, you know, like something runs up your spine type thing or your hair raised.

[343] Like, hey, something's here.

[344] What's going on?

[345] Yeah.

[346] Like electric kind of electricity or something.

[347] Yeah.

[348] It hit me more like that.

[349] And then it was also the thing of you're imagining this is happening.

[350] Like, you know, I'm telling myself like, this is not happening.

[351] Then I'm like, no, this is real.

[352] This is going down.

[353] This is going down.

[354] You look at that wine bottle.

[355] You're just like, is this full or was it empty?

[356] Where are we in the wine bottle experience?

[357] Did you believe in spirits and that?

[358] and ghosts and that sort of thing before this?

[359] I mean, more skeptic, you know?

[360] Yeah.

[361] And have you had any encounters since?

[362] Since then?

[363] No. I have not since then.

[364] I think because you took care of it.

[365] Yes.

[366] It was almost like in the moment you were just like, all right, thank you.

[367] I mean, it feels to me like most like movies that involved, say, post -pultergeist or any kind of like haunting or something, that eventually that's what the characters in the movie get to is like, what do you want?

[368] You know, they're like yelling up at the thing or whatever.

[369] So you took all your polter, having watched poltergeist yourself, whatever, like, you took your lessons and just like, you know, hey, if you're here because you want something, I think that's such a beautiful thing to get to be able to say, like, thank you for your sacrifice.

[370] I mean, I, I mean, I wasn't, you know, emotionally.

[371] It was, it was pretty emotional when it was going down, yeah.

[372] Yeah.

[373] I bet.

[374] That's amazing.

[375] I love that story.

[376] That's really good.

[377] Also, I love to hear Wanda that you like true crime.

[378] I know.

[379] I knew that about you.

[380] Oh, my God.

[381] I love true crime.

[382] I had to like stop watching.

[383] I did.

[384] Yes.

[385] Because I thought everybody, you know, was going to murder somebody.

[386] You know, I'd be at a restaurant watching a couple.

[387] And I'm like, oh, my God, he is so going to murder her.

[388] I do that.

[389] My husband's so sick of it.

[390] Right?

[391] You can go, oh, that's a murder right there.

[392] And do you ever go like, I need to remember what they're wearing because I'm going to have to testify?

[393] Yes.

[394] Yes.

[395] Witness practice.

[396] Absolutely.

[397] Got to do that.

[398] And then it also stopped me from like being a good Samaritan.

[399] Like, you know, you know, it's like, helping people.

[400] I would go, this is a setup.

[401] I'm going to go over there and try to help them get their car started.

[402] thinking, no, I'm in the trunk.

[403] You know, and it's like an 80 -year -old person, you know what I'm saying?

[404] But you don't know.

[405] You don't know.

[406] A young person dressed as an old person.

[407] Or an bad old person.

[408] Weirdly strong.

[409] The worst kind of murderer, a very old but strong.

[410] Very strong.

[411] Yeah.

[412] Yeah.

[413] That'd be bad.

[414] That'd be bad for 80 old person.

[415] wrestle me down to the ground.

[416] I'd be like, oh, my God.

[417] What are you, what you got a pelotard?

[418] When you're trying to outrun an old person?

[419] You can't outrun an old person.

[420] Like, damn.

[421] That would be a great horror movie.

[422] It's fast, old people that want to kill you.

[423] That's scary.

[424] Yeah.

[425] Just a retirement home full of serial killers.

[426] With, like, just their gums, they forgot to put in their dentures.

[427] And, you know.

[428] Yeah.

[429] Like those two old ladies who were killing homeless guys and taking their checks, their social checks.

[430] Dorothea Puente in Sacramento was a very famous one.

[431] And she was old, too.

[432] Mm -hmm.

[433] Yeah.

[434] She was, no one suspected her.

[435] No one.

[436] She's out of the way with it for a long time.

[437] Don't trust old people.

[438] You were right to believe your instincts.

[439] This is one message that Wanda Sykes wants to put out to the world.

[440] Right.

[441] Do not trust old people.

[442] Don't trust them.

[443] Why would you?

[444] No dusty, no dry, old.

[445] No people.

[446] Yeah.

[447] Don't do it.

[448] I was telling Georgia about one of my favorite memories of you was at the rap party for talk show, the game show.

[449] When you started dancing, the dancing started, say, it was at 9 .30.

[450] And you got out on the dance floor at 9 .45.

[451] And you never left it.

[452] You were having full conversations.

[453] with people, you were you were making fun of other people dancing.

[454] You were doing all kinds of shit and you never stopped moving the entire time.

[455] And it was like a full, oh my God, it was truly one of my favorite things that I've ever seen you had the best time.

[456] But you also were just like people like, of course, it's Wanda so people try to come up and dance with her and she'll do it for a little bit and then make a face and like you, it's like if they weren't good dancers, you would a whole thing and dance away.

[457] It was like one of the most joyous, hilarious parties I had ever been to.

[458] I love cutting up a rug.

[459] That's brilliant.

[460] I do.

[461] I love a dance party.

[462] Yeah.

[463] In today's world, how awkward it is to have to learn how to conversate at a freaking party again to just do dancing instead.

[464] Right.

[465] Just dance.

[466] Right.

[467] Yeah, that's a great idea.

[468] That's probably also it, Georgia.

[469] Instead of having awkward conversation, just bust the move.

[470] Yeah, exactly.

[471] Just get away.

[472] Get out of there.

[473] Because I think a couple of times people tried to come up and actually talk to you and you just would dance away from that way.

[474] Yeah.

[475] No way.

[476] There was also you started doing some Michael Jackson moves with someone's hat.

[477] Oh, boy.

[478] You just had a bunch of stuff up your sleeve.

[479] Oh, that's a good one.

[480] So I introduced props.

[481] Yes.

[482] You were like a dance comic, a prop comic.

[483] You were doing it all.

[484] Good times.

[485] It was really enjoyable.

[486] You got to do the sikes next time you're at a party.

[487] We all got to adopt the sikes.

[488] Wait, you used to work at the NSA, right?

[489] I did, yeah.

[490] That's right.

[491] Yeah.

[492] Do you have any stories from there?

[493] I bet creepy shit happened there.

[494] You can't talk about it.

[495] I can't really talk about it.

[496] You can't.

[497] Yeah.

[498] Legally bound to not talk about it.

[499] Mm -hmm.

[500] Although I'm sure anything that I know is so outdated now, but I'm still, yeah, I can't talk about.

[501] Oh, wow.

[502] Yeah.

[503] Okay.

[504] I know.

[505] Next time you're dancing at a party, I'm going to come ask you about it.

[506] There you go.

[507] Some government secrets.

[508] What's scary, your ghosts or the government?

[509] Do you think?

[510] Yeah, I got to go with government on that.

[511] Yeah.

[512] Yeah.

[513] Yeah.

[514] Mm -hmm.

[515] So you're going back on the road.

[516] We talked about some of your dates.

[517] Sure.

[518] All right, well, Wanda Sykes .com for all your upcoming tour dates.

[519] December and January coming up.

[520] Yeah, you're on the road.

[521] Yeah.

[522] Yeah, if you've never seen Wanda Sykes Live, treat yourself.

[523] She's going to be in Oxnard and Denver, December 10th, December 11th, respectively.

[524] She's going to be in New Jersey, Red Bank, New Jersey.

[525] On January 8th, she's going to be in Terrytown, New York, January 22nd.

[526] I would kill to watch you figure out.

[527] what your next special is going to be.

[528] I know.

[529] That would be the show to watch because there would be some stuff that's solid gold, but I would love to watch you kind of mess around on stage.

[530] Because I only ever watched you basically do come out and destroy a room at like a festival or, you know, like when I went with you to Montreal that time where it's just like...

[531] Oh, that was so much fun.

[532] Yeah, we had a good time in Montreal.

[533] That was a beautiful trip.

[534] Yeah.

[535] You put together a wonderful package there.

[536] Yes.

[537] That bit you did.

[538] That was great.

[539] It was Wanda with the selfie stick going all around the Montreal.

[540] Wow.

[541] Oh, God.

[542] It was a really good video.

[543] Yeah, Karen produced it.

[544] It was great.

[545] Oh, that's awesome.

[546] I didn't know that.

[547] Yeah.

[548] But also, I bet you're pretty funny figuring out what you're trying to put together just in the same way of when you have all your solid stuff together.

[549] That is the fun part, you know.

[550] It's putting it together.

[551] and going up with the notes and just trying to figure it out.

[552] And when the crowd is good and they understand the process and what you're trying to do, that's when it's, oh, man, it's so productive and so much fun.

[553] Yep.

[554] You know?

[555] And when you actually write, if you can write a new joke on stage like real time, that's what it's all about.

[556] It is.

[557] Wow.

[558] Totally.

[559] Riffing.

[560] Totally.

[561] Love it.

[562] Thank you so much for doing this with us.

[563] Thank you.

[564] Thank you.

[565] Thank you for having me. Yeah.

[566] We're so thrilled to have you.

[567] We really appreciate it.

[568] Excellent freaking story.

[569] Oh, my God.

[570] I love a haunting.

[571] There's nothing better than a ghost story.

[572] That's the best.

[573] Thanks, Wanda.

[574] Thank you, Wanda.

[575] Thank you.

[576] Bye.

[577] Elvis, do you want a cookie?

[578] This has been an exactly right production.

[579] Our producer is Hannah Kyle Crichton.

[580] Our associate producer is Alejandra Keck.

[581] Engineering and mixed by Andrew Eiffin.

[582] Send us your hometowns at my favorite murder at gmail .com.

[583] Follow the show on Instagram and Facebook at My Favorite Murder and Twitter at My Fave Murder.

[584] For more information about the podcast, live shows, merch, or to join the fan cult, go to myfavoritmerder .com.

[585] And please rate, review, and subscribe.

[586] Goodbye.