Alanis Morissette collaborator Patty Guggenheim visits GDLA+

Welcome back. Our plus one today is actress, comedian, and Groundlings performer Patti Guggenheim. She's joining forces with music icon Alanis Morissette for one of the most anticipated creative residencies in Los Angeles, the powerful, multidisciplinary production Butterfly with a Machete. Check it out. Catch that. Welcome, Patti. Welcome. Oh, I'm so excited to be here. Well, I'm so glad you're here. You had a late night, obviously. Yeah, we had a late one. It's good, though. We had our opening night. It's all good things. It was so good. You're awake, though. You let it fly. Well, thank you. Yes. A little spackle. How did it go? We're here. How did it go? You could just tell the energy. It was amazing. Yeah. You know, first night, you always have the kind of like jitters. We did the Vegas version, and now this is our L.A. And we've changed stuff, so we still have that like nervous kind of like energy of how's this going to go. It was amazing. Yeah, the audience I was going to say, right? And so how's LA compared to Vegas? We're better. It was funny because some of the jokes, you know, that are very LA worked here, obviously. You know, we have like a Ben Affleck reference and things like that. Everyone was just very engaged and just had a great time. How packed was it? Was it a packed house? Yeah, yeah. It was sold out. Nice. 6,000 people. It was pretty incredible. It was so fun. It was so fun. I was blown away. Nice. How did you connect with Alanis? We connected, someone recommended me to her when she was looking to kind of make her show. She wanted to go from just music to like her telling her story. So she was looking for a writer and comedy. She has like her start in comedy as well. She did sketch comedy in Canada when she was really young. Oh, I didn't know that. So yeah, she was on a show called You Can't Do That on Television in Canada. And so she has this like very natural funny bone. So she was looking for a comedy woman and someone recommended me. So we had a zoom, hit it off. And then I went to meet her in Scotland and then we like just fell in like instant love. She's, she's a magical person. We just really hit it off. You know, it's interesting because obviously everything you do is there's a hint of comedy, but you kind of spread out. It's like your comedy table is it's not just one area. Yes. What do you do? Like when somebody is like, what do you do for a living? Single it down, like this is what I'm doing right now, today. It is, there's not one thing I can say. It's like Tuesday's different than Friday, I don't know. It's so, it's all over the place, but in a really fun way. I've always loved variety shows and sketch, so my life kind of feels like that now. So it's, Kind of cool, and then having the depth of this Alanis project is just bringing out a whole new side of drama and pathos and really getting to dig into big questions and make them funny. Did you also go through an era where you felt like Jagged Little Pill was one of the greatest masterpieces? I mean, yes. If you were born, you know, at a certain time, like, it was one of my first CDs, if not the first. You had the, you know, you have the thing where you're actually reading all the lyrics and have a compact disc and you have it all. Yeah, and your Walkman or whatever, and you're just, like, jamming out. So, yeah, I've been the biggest fan forever. I was, like, walking around for a while going, yeah, that's ironic. That's ironic. People love you. Don't you think? People love to use that word like even when it doesn't make sense. Yeah ironic and irony. Yeah, it's like thrown around I know well we talked about that because it still comes up for her like in interviews And she's like she's like a wordsmith. She uses words like paint however she wants so she's kind of like It's a musician in her, right? Yes, yes. So a lot of this has evolved, though, because so much has happened since that famous album, right? And she's changed, you've changed, you've grown. So you encompass all of that in the show, basically. Yeah, it's a big... I mean it's ultimately like a love letter I think to artists and sensitive people and women and all people really but it just taking all of her stories and being able to like when I first met her I was like you go through the things so you can share the experience and like help other people go through it and she is such a master at that and so her getting to share her Her story is just, it's really powerful. She's been so open. We thought there was this musical artist and you thought you knew, and then she was really open about a lot of personal things and about life and the person behind the music. So this has to be a really fun way to kind of put all of that together. Yes, she is so open. And I think a big part of the show is getting older and kind of not caring as much about what everyone thinks. And you're kind of just like... I'm just going to say the things and do the things. No filter. Yeah, so the filter's off and it's kind of like everything's out there and we just... I had so much fun building it. I think that's like the benefit of aging with anyone. Yes. Is you start to care. Not that you don't care what people think. It's just you're more yourself. Yes. And you're not tiptoeing around things. Right. It's quite liberating. Yes. And it's like take it or leave it. Right. Exactly. Like am I your cup of tea? Okay. Go have coffee. Peace out. Yeah. You don't have to be anybody's cup of tea. You literally brew your own cup. Yeah. No, literally BYO mug, yeah yeah. Reduce and reuse, I love it. I think we have some fun Questions for you, I think. Are there Do we have some? Do we? Uh-oh. Okay, we're going to get them. We have fun questions. Fun questions. By the way, while we're waiting, you have your entourage here. I do have a full entourage here. This is amazing. Hi. Hi. Okay, my mother. Yay. My mother is here. That's your mother? Yes. What? I know. Someone met her last night. I was like, were you ten when you had her? Okay, Beth. That's mom. That's mom. My cousin Lacey. Lacey. My Aunt Kathy. Look this way, Aunt Kathy. Look that way. Yeah, there you go. You guys can move. You can move. I'm going to move. And then my BFF Ashley from 6th grade, we were in orchestra together and really hit it off. And then Sarah Zender, my other good friend and Ashley's best friend. And then the guy in the back is ours, our audio technician, he's ours. Sorry. My new best friend. Yeah yeah yeah. Oh my god, yeah, they're all here for the show. That's so nice. Yes, I know. That's so nice. And did I hear today's the National Saxophone Day? Do you play the sax? Just air sax. But Ashley and I met in orchestra. We play the violin. Oh. And she plays viola and also cello because she's an overachiever. Wow. We love overachievers. That's good. Do you still play? I do. I started taking lessons again. Really? Yeah. Well, we just so happen to have a violin. Can you... I'm just kidding. I was like, it's just not good. I did tell her... Like, marry the little lamb, you know. Alanis has challenged me to learn one of her songs, though, so I can, like, come out with the violin at some point. Nice. Nice. Now, where do you think you are on a scale of one to ten? Ten is getting there, being able to do that. Negative seven. I have some time. You have time. I have time. You have time. I have a little bit of time. A little bit of work. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Should we hit you with our rapid fire questions? Yeah, I would love to. Are you ready? Yes. Okay, what's the last thing you cooked? Chicken thighs. Love it. When is the last time you were star struck? Like, who was it? I mean, every day of my life. Love that. Probably. I lay on this every day. I'm like, oh my God. Let's see. Oh, oh, that's good. And that's hard. I mean, it's like the comedy, like Patton Oswalt. Okay. That's a good one. I'm always like, and I've worked with him and I'm still like, you know, people like that. I get that. What was your first concert? It was Boyz II Men. Oh, wow. Mine too. No way. It was Boyz II Men and Montel Jordan at Six Flags. Oh. Oh, that's fun. Yeah. Mine was Boyz II Men, Mary J. Blige, open. Oh. Open. That's a good one. It was Valentine's Day and I went with my dad. Oh. And I was 12 and I'm like, that's so cute. Oh my God. That's awesome. Who was your celebrity crush growing up? Leonardo DiCaprio. I love it. That's a good one. Yeah. And Evan Sala. Oh, yes. Who, you know, I've worked with now. And so I told him. Wow. He hears that every day, I'm sure. I know. From people our age. I'm sure. Okay, if you could perform improv or act with any person, dead or alive, who would it be? Chris Farley. Oh, that's a good answer. I just have to be around him. I know it would just be like, whoa, like, bowled over. Yeah. Yeah. But this is when you want to hug him. I know. Like he's like a bear. Yeah. He's super magical. Yeah. He's, he's always been like a bear. top-tier crazy talent yeah yeah yeah or Albert Einstein because I don't think he acts Wow okay like want to try okay I feel like he's just like okay that's kind of a wild card yeah I like that though so you're a scene stealer in the She-Hulk yes oh yes sure do we have any do we roll the footage All right, look at you. Okay. Whoa. Work it. So how did that blow up your popularity and everything? It was like a literal portal into a different world. It really felt like a magical portal. Working with... Everyone on that show, but Benny Wong, who is Wongers on the show, he's very, very magical and just like having that chemistry with him was, it was so special and people really like attached to that and they were like shipping us and I learned what shipping was from that. I don't know if this is a shipping thing, but okay. Whatever the internet says. Right. Yeah, the internet went for it and so they loved it. And I loved that. I was out in West Hollywood like around the time it came out and I was at a gay bar and this guy goes, do you know you invented gay rights? And I was like, what? He was like, you're like the gay icon. I love that. What an amazing... I know, I was like, I'm so honored, thank you. Oh, that was funny. We had two of our colleagues who are not here right now, but they appeared on the show as well. Yes, yes, that's right. Amanda, Alice, and Bob DeCastro, yeah. That's right, yes, I remember them from there. Oh, look! Oh, yes, oh my gosh, how fun. Yeah, oh my gosh, that was a while ago, though. I can tell by Amanda's hairstyle. She looks so different. And there's Bobby. Bobby looks the same. Oh, my God. So fun. Yeah, we had a blast on that show. Did you meet our producer Christian yet? Yes, you did. He saw you at the Groundlings. Yes, we spoke about that. And left saying that you were the next SNL star. Oh, that's very sweet. Is that a goal? I've always loved SNL. And I... I would always love to be on it. I mean, it's like a playground for adults, so yes, I love it, yeah. I'll be there next week. Maybe you're manifesting it. Yeah. You're so busy though already with an amazing show out, good energy, good stories. Keep going. And a great entourage. I love that they came to support you. I know. Aw, they're the best. So there you are. Wave. Wave one more time. There you go. Alanis Morissette's butterfly with a machete, a rock trombone at the YouTube theater tonight and November 10th and 11th, so that's next week. Mark it down. Yes. Highly recommend coming through. It's a real fun time. It's fun. All right. Yep. Yay. Thank you. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye.