I saw a clip of Mollie doing comedy on Youtube and was laughing so hard I split a gut... I contacted her about an interview and was dumbfounded to find out that she was a fan of Punk Globe. In just reading Mollie's answers in my first question we all would have loved to have been her best friend Barbara.... Mollie is the cats meow.... Let's Do The Time Warp Again....... I hope you all enjoy my interview with Mollie Heckerling

Punk Globe: Thanks so much for the interview Mollie.. Can you give the readers a brief history on your early days?

Mollie: I had a very unique upbringing. I had the privilege of hanging out on movie sets, meeting celebrities, and witnessing the process of movie making first hand. When I was four years old, I considered myself engaged to John Travolta until Kelly Preston stole him away. I had the immense pleasure of getting to hang out on the set of Clueless, getting to know all the lovely people in the cast and crew. I feel blessed, but I also feel guilty for having had it so good. I grew up in Beverly Hills. I was an only child. My parents got divorced when I was five. My mother worked a lot so I spent a lot of time with my babysitter, Barbara. She raised me from when I was five till I was 14. Her parents were holocaust survivors who were traumatized and abused her and her sisters growing up. She was one of the most influential people in my life. She was funny, brave, and neurotic. When I was five years old, she showed me the Rocky Horror Picture show and it changed my life forever. She mixed it up with Gilbert Gottfried once at our house because he started making holocaust jokes and that somehow turned into three separately aired episodes of them fighting on the Howard Stern Show. Barbara and I used to prank call Gilbert, along with numerous other celebrities from my mom’s phone book, and leave stupid messages on their answering machines. Barbara, sadly, committed suicide when I was 17. I wound up going to NYU to study writing. I worked as a cashier at the Laugh Factory in Times Square while also interning at SNL. I never quite fit in at SNL, so I didn’t really try to land a job there after the internship. After I graduated, I joined a band called The Lost Patrol. I released five albums with them, and one EP. We toured around, licensed music, and had the honor of playing at The Whisky A GoGo and The House of Blues - not to mention the overwhelmingly awesome Bar Sinister in LA. After I got pregnant with my daughter in 2013, I left the band and decided to focus on my writing.

Punk Globe: You have directing in your genes with your very talented mom Amy Heckerling.. What made you decide to do stand up comedy?

Mollie: I decided to start doing stand-up because I felt as though I had lost complete control of my life and that always seems like a good time to start doing comedy. I also had an itch to perform again, and had written some jokes, so I figured why not? Doing a comedy set seemed like a cake walk compared to the logistics and scheduling of being a musician. Little did I know that once you’re up there all by yourself, it’s a lot scarier.

Punk Globe: How old were you when you did your first comedy show?

Mollie: I was 31. I signed up for an audition showcase at Broadway Comedy Club and wound up winning a festival spot. I starting getting booked regularly by Sheba Mason, Jackie Mason’s daughter who is also a stellar comedian. She’s been very good to me, along with other amazing comics like Erik Bransteen, George Diaz, Jeena Bloom, and Adam Strauss.

Punk Globe: Who were some of your comic inspirations?

Mollie: I’ve gone through many different phases. When I was a kid, I used to listen to a lot of comedy cassettes with Barbara in her car. She was a huge fan of George Carlin, Jackie Mason, and Chris Rock. I spent many childhood years riding around in her Saturn listening to Chris Rock’s “Bring the Pain”. I also used to have a huge crush on Jim Carrey when I was little, and was obsessed with his comedy special, Unnatural Act. I loved Margaret Cho as a kid. I saw her live and she had this great joke about going down on a girl and bringing a canary in a cage. I thought she was brilliant. In college, I went through a major Eddie Izzard phase. His mime work and ability to play multiple roles within a bit blew my mind. I also loved the way he could give you historical context for a joke, so that even if you didn’t get the reference, you learned something new through the bit. I also love Sarah Silverman. When I was a freshman in college my friend Alex and I went to see Jesus is Magic and we died. I love her because she’s dark and fearless, but endearing at the same time. A couple years ago, I was going through a hardcore Doug Stanhope obsession. Now, I’m going through a Rick Shapiro phase. His mind fires faster than a lot of other people’s and you have to be sharp to keep up with him. I thought Michelle Wolf at the White House correspondence dinner was on fire, too! There are so many brilliant comedians that have inspired me, it’s been hard for me to reconcile with the idea that you can admire someone’s comedy, but you will never in a million years be that kind of comic. You have to find your own style and I’m still finding it.

Punk Globe: Margaret Cho was in my band The White Trash Debutantes..... Have you gotten to do a show with any of your inspirations?

Mollie: Yes! I’ve performed on shows with Todd Barry, Joey Diaz, Keenen Ivory and Damon Wayans, and Laurie Kilmartin. The first time I remember being star struck by someone I was performing with was when I was at Broadway Comedy Club and Marina Franklin came in. I think I weirded her out by being gushy about how much I loved her comedy.

Punk Globe: You are centered in NYC.. I have been to Carolines there. Are there a lot of comedy venues in NYC?

Mollie: There are loads of venues in NYC. It’s hard for businesses in general to stay afloat here because the rents are so high, but there are a lot of clubs. Obviously, the one everyone wants to play at is the Cellar, but there are a lot of great comedy clubs in the city: Broadway Comedy Club, Westside Comedy Club, Carolines, Tribeca Comedy Lounge, New York Comedy Club, Gotham Comedy Club, Dangerfield’s, Stand Up NY, The Grisly Pear, etc. There are also some great shows being run out of sex shops like The Pleasure Chest and a number of other places that aren’t traditional comedy clubs, but still put on great shows.

Punk Globe: What are your personal favorite venues to perform at?

Mollie: I usually perform at Broadway Comedy Club because that’s where I get booked the most. I really like it there, but I also love New York Comedy Club and Tribeca Comedy Lounge.

Punk Globe: When you headline a club is your set time around 40 minutes?

Mollie: I have yet to headline a club. I don’t think I’m ready for that yet. I think a lot of comics get swept up in the perceived competition of the comedy circuit and it causes them to focus on the wrong things. A lot of them try to run before they can walk and are all too eager to do a “half hour special”. I’m sure I could fill a half hour or so, but I’m also a firm believer in the saying, “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” I like comedy because you can’t cheat the time it takes to really get solid on stage. Maybe one day I’ll get there, too.

Punk Globe: Do you base your comedy around incidents in your own personal life

Mollie: I base some of my material on my family, but for the most part I find myself bitching about politics. I don’t want to be classified as a “clapture” comic - one who lectures for applause as opposed to just being funny - but, I think there’s room for both. The bottom line just always has to be, “is this funny?”

Punk Globe: Does politics and the state of the country play a factor into your shows?

Mollie: Yes. I always say that I need to write new jokes but these issues never seem to go away, so sadly, abortion jokes are evergreens because they never stop trying to peel away women’s rights. I also joke about the big orange jackass. It’s hard not to. But, I also feel like people are so burnt out on feeling scared and shitty, that I try to strike a balance between talking about politics but not harping them too much.

Punk Globe: Tell us about some of your favorite stand up comics to work with?

Mollie: I love Sheba Mason, Erik Bransteen, Tom McCaffrey, Jeena Bloom, Jax Dell Osso, Melissa Rocha, Natalie Perlin, Pauline Murphy, George Diaz. In CA, I really like working with Adam Hunter and Nicole Blaine and TK Matteson.

Punk Globe: Do you feel that sexism is prevalent in comedy

Me: Yes. But, thankfully, there are a lot of amazingly talented women in comedy who are driven and creating opportunities for themselves and each other, and that is very inspiring.

Punk Globe: You are a working mother any words of advice for Amy Schumer who just had a baby boy?

Mollie: I’m sure Amy Schumer doesn’t need my advice, as she is insanely successful at what she does, is miles above me in accomplishment, and can probably afford all the help she needs. I guess what I will say is that it seems like women always put pressure on themselves to be perfect, to be all things to all people and you just can’t. It breaks you. You can’t be a perfect mother, and a careerist, and a sex doll, and a homemaker, and a zen master all at once all the time. And, if you’re taken aback and thinking, “Well maybe YOU can’t, but I can!” Sure. Maybe you could. But my point is, you shouldn’t have to. A lot of times, men don’t feel the pinch of domestic servitude when they have kids and a career, but women do, and they often have to sacrifice career or family in pursuit of the other. I’m blessed to have an insanely supportive family, and a supportive partner. Some women don’t have that and I wish they did. If you can manage to make just a little time each day to make incremental progress, then you know eventually you’ll get there. Granted, it’s not exciting like a rocket taking off, it’s more like chiseling a statue out of marble. Tedious as fuck. But, Phyllis Diller had five kids and was 37 when she started doing stand up. So, whenever I feel overwhelmed, or like I’m falling behind in the game of life, I always remind myself of that. You never know what’s going to happen or when it will happen. It’s not over till it’s over.

Punk Globe: Are there any subjects that you will not touch in your comedy?

Mollie: There is nothing that I have explicitly told myself that I won’t touch, but there are things that I’ve tried to approach and thought, “Ok, that’s not funny, it’s just a depressing truth.” I don’t think anything should be off limits. But, you do have to make sure that you know where the joke is, and that the audience knows where your intentions lie. Of course, that doesn’t always lock in 100% of the time, but that’s part of the process.

Punk Globe: Tell us about your favorite show that you have played thus far in your career?

Mollie: That’s tough to say. I guess my favorite show was when I was in Nashville at The Cobra. We performed our show and we all did really well and then afterwards they had an open mic there; and while I was watching the open mic, I had one of those breakthrough moments where I just felt so lucky to be in that random place at that random time, watching people I didn’t know test out their material. It was one of those surreal moments where life takes you somewhere you never thought you go for a reason that you’d never thought you go for, and it’s beautiful.

Punk Globe: You have gotten into directing tell the readers about the music video Third Of Never - Bag Of Boxes ?

Mollie: Hahaha! That feels like forever ago. My friend Jon Dawson asked me if I wanted to direct a music video for his band, Third of Never. I had just bought a new camera and was experimenting with it a lot and my sister Violet had just started dating her now husband Leon so I thought, “Hey, why don’t I make a fantasy/dream video of Violet looking gorgeous and Leon drooling over her while I practice pulling focus.” It was definitely not a premise heavy video. But Jon liked it, so that’s all that matters. I also directed a video for a group called Ella Atlas - the new project of Stephen Masucci from The Lost Patrol. The song is called Waking Up and it’s on YouTube for anyone who wants to check it out.

Punk Globe: You perform in Los Angeles right?

Mollie: I’ve been out there to do shows a couple of times. I try to make it out there at least once a year. My boyfriend and I have been debating moving out there soon, so we’ll see what happens.

Punk Globe: Do you ever work with bands?

Mollie: I don’t work with bands so much anymore. Stephen Masucci and I put out another Lost Patrol EP not too long ago, but it was just because he wanted to experiment with some new things.

Punk Globe: Speaking of music who are some of your favorites bands or artists?

Mollie: I love Pixies, Arctic Monkeys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Garbage, The White Stripes, Nirvana, St.Vincent, Gotye, The Cramps, Childish Gambino, Me First and the Gimme Gimme’s, Joan Jett, Django Reinhardt, Sonny Sharrock, The Kinks, The Dictators, Run the Jewels, The Cold War Kids, Dirty Pretty Things, Cab Calloway, and virtually anything by Damon Albarn. I’m also obsessed with David Firth’s music project, Locust Toybox. If you haven’t heard it, I highly, HIGHLY, recommend it.

Punk Globe: Do you have any Internet addresses you would like to give so that your fans can keep up with your schedule?

Mollie: I’m on Twitter, my handle is @mollieschmollie. I’m also on Instagram as Mollie Heckerling. I also have a public figure page on Facebook which, in retrospect, was a stupid thing to create, but I figured I’d start it for friends who wanted to know about shows, but didn’t want to hear me bitch about politics all the time. The link to that is https://www.facebook.com/mollieheckerling/

Punk Globe: What is in store for you in the future?

Mollie: This may sound crazy, but I’ve been developing an adult puppet show for the past 8 years. I taught myself how to build puppets, and we’ve filmed a couple different versions of the show, but I’ve yet to feel as though it was executed the way it should be. So, we’re gearing up to shoot yet another incarnation of it in June. We’re going to film a whole series of five minute episodes and post them on YouTube, and - God willing - if they don’t all get torn down for being disgusting, then maybe we’ll have something. And if not, at least I can put the idea to rest after working on it for so long. It’s kind of like The Bowery Boys meets Meet The Feebles. A niche market, for sure.

Punk Globe: Describe yourself in 3 words?

Mollie: Desperately needs therapy.

Punk Globe: Any last words for PunK Globe readers Mollie?

Mollie: Thank you so much for taking the time to reach out to me. I really appreciate it. I want to leave you with some affirmative cliche, like “Be unapologetically yourself!” but I apologize for everything, so I guess I’ll just say, fuck Donald Trump. Fuck me, too.