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April 16, 2024 43 mins

Ellie and Scott are joined by author, film maker and former talent agent, Priyanka Mattoo. Priyanka shares her love of Karaoke. The three discuss Coachella, what makes for the best karaoke songs and how it’s very American to want to be the expert at everything. Plus, Ellie shares with Scott her love of the solar eclipse glasses.

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:06):
No no, no, no no no.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
To uh Hey Scott, Hey Ellie, how are you?

Speaker 3 (00:13):
I'm well? How are you?

Speaker 2 (00:14):
I'm good. Did you have a nice week? Ups and
downs but more ups than downs.

Speaker 3 (00:19):
Oh, I had a spectacular week. I'm going to have
a spectacular day. It's starting off right chatting with you
for Born to Love. And I'm especially excited for this
episode because every episode begins the same way. Ellie. Yep,
and that is you sing our delightful theme song, written, created, sung,

(00:41):
all the music stuff credit Ellie Kemper. Yep. Today we're
basically doing a singing episode, Is that right? Yep.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
It's all singing and I'm doing most of the singing.
You are going to text me lyrics, so but I'll
be I'll be handling the melody and the actual performance.
So thank you so much for tuning in. No, guys, guys, guys,
don't change the dial. We're kidding. It's not a singing episode.
In fact, it is a delightful episode for once. I'm kidding.

(01:10):
They're all delightful. But we have one of my favorite
people on the planet as our guest today, Priyanka Mateu.
She's one of my oldest friends, well one of my
oldest adults. I met her as an adult, so she's
one of my oldest adult friends. I didn't know her
in childhood. I can't vouch for her. I can't vouch
for her as a teen.

Speaker 3 (01:28):
But it's a terrible tot.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
It's as a terrible tot. I'm not going there. But
as a twenty something, she was a goddess and still is.
She's a writer, she's a filmmaker, she has a memoir
coming out. She's going to talk to us today about
her love of karaoke. But before singing, singing, Scott, is
that why you said singing?

Speaker 3 (01:52):
Yes, that's why I said singing. It's a it's a
karaoke episode. There's all sorts of singing, Scott.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Now I understand. I got a glimpse of how your
genius mind works. And Scott, speaking of glimpses, that's what
a nice segue to what I wanted to talk about.
Something I loved this week.

Speaker 3 (02:15):
What is it, Ellie? I'm waiting, all right.

Speaker 2 (02:17):
Well, listen, we all not all I was about to say.
The whole world, people who were vaguely in the path
of the solar eclipse got to see a glimpse of
the Sun, specifically the corona, because the Moon was passing
in front of the Sun. So whether you saw all
of it or part of it or none of it, whatever.

(02:37):
In some parts of the United States, a lot of
people saw a glimpse of the Sun. Now, how special
was that. That's not what I want to talk about.
What I want to talk about are the solar eclipse glasses.

Speaker 3 (02:52):
Oh my gosh, one hundred on board with this, Ellie, thank.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
You, I love him.

Speaker 1 (02:59):
I love him.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
They were handed out you could get a maximum of
three at every New York City public library a couple
weeks ago, in anticipation of the eclipse. Schools gave them out.
I don't know where else you could procure them Amazon.
Here was the surprise about the eclipse glasses, Scott and
everyone who has put them on experience this. Okay, leading

(03:20):
up to it, I thought that they were like darker sunglasses.
I thought I'd still be able to see silhouettes and
you know, particularly bright things. No, No, they're solar eclipse
glass there.

Speaker 3 (03:35):
Glasses designed to stare directly at the Sun. So what
does that mean when you're not staring at the sun?

Speaker 2 (03:41):
Allie, darkness, total darkness, blind you're completely blind and when
and the only thing that permeates the lens of the
solar eclipse glasses is, oh, surprise, surprise, the sun itself.
And Scott, I would be lying if I told you

(04:03):
I haven't been putting a hot those glasses and looking
right at the Sun whensoever I choose to. It is empowering.

Speaker 3 (04:14):
They're so they're not so much eclipse classes for you
as they as they are true sun glasses. You put
them on and you look at the Sun any day
of the week.

Speaker 2 (04:24):
Any any hour of the day. I got sunset, I
got sunrise, I got high noon. They're stairs straight at
the sun. It's this superpower. And by the way, these
eclipse classes, they only come up and no one ever
talks about eclipse classes in an off eclipse year, off

(04:44):
eclipse territory. Nobody's talking about it. But then all of
a sudden and eclipse pops up, and oh, everybody's got
to get these classes. I will be making this a
year round accessory.

Speaker 3 (04:55):
You're just gonna be walking to the middle of Central
Park put on your eclipse classes. Looks straight on up.
The tourists are like, what is that woman doing? What
is that redheaded fair skinned woman doing looking directly into
the sun.

Speaker 2 (05:12):
It is what I don't understand, is everything, oh X
ray vision or what's another superpower? Being able to fly?
The fact that all of a sudden, all I have
to do. I mean again, I received these glasses for free.
I don't know how much they cost a manufacturer. I
don't know how much if you have to buy them,
I don't know how much they cost.

Speaker 1 (05:31):
The fact that.

Speaker 2 (05:32):
It gives you such an enormous I can only refer
to it as a superpower is just like the Great
Secret Unlocked of twenty twenty four.

Speaker 3 (05:43):
Ellie, your delight about this. I'm interested partly because you
and I have talked about the eclipse a handful of
times the off mic, and one of the things that
you one of the things that you've brought up every
single time is whether or not the eclipse glasses are legit.

(06:03):
You seem to be very worried that there are scammers
online selling sunglasses eclipse glasses that are not quote unquote legit,
and that people will be scammed, and that they'll look
up at the sun and have their eyes just burned out,
burns to blindness. So for someone who so clearly harbors
that fear. Your eagerness to looked right at the sun

(06:26):
surprises me. I would think that someone who's so self
conscious about, you know, the quality of the glasses and
burning her eyes out wouldn't want to be doing it
all the time. But lo and behold, I'm totally wrong.

Speaker 2 (06:40):
I mean, listen, I'm as surprised as anyone, and it's
almost as though that's part I think of the delight,
of the adrenaline, of the excitement, the danger, it's the
possible danger. Having said that, I am acutely aware that
because I am using glasses not sold on Amazon, I
guess I don't know where the library procured these classes.

(07:01):
Most likely Amazon.

Speaker 3 (07:03):
The New York Public Library is handing out free cardboard glasses,
so of course they must be of the highest quality.

Speaker 2 (07:11):
I just what incentive does the New York City Public
Library have to blind its citizens? You know, don't I
don't think it's likely. So I think.

Speaker 3 (07:20):
Mayor Adams was personally like spot checking the eclipse.

Speaker 2 (07:25):
But this isn't a political show.

Speaker 3 (07:28):
No, it's we're not. We're not commenting on the efficacy
of the city government of the City of New York. Yes,
that's true.

Speaker 2 (07:35):
No, so stay away from from that topic, but stay
in our podcast. But I will say that for none
of this checks out in terms of reason or intelligence.
But because I received glasses from an institution that I
have faith in, I am relying on them to have
done the research. I trust the glasses that I have,

(07:58):
and I am looking up at this sun every chance
I get. What's really cool. You look at the sun
through some tree branches and you get this really cool
kind of eerie you know, the long fingers of the
branches sort of creating a cobweb across the sun. It'll
mess you up, man. So it's really it's really beautiful.

Speaker 3 (08:21):
Boy.

Speaker 2 (08:21):
Tell you guys, Cheers to the sun. Cheers to that
sneaky moon. You don't have to wait for, you know,
another solar eclipse to look up at the sun.

Speaker 3 (08:32):
If your library has some leftover free yeah, the clips classes,
nobody else is going to be interested in them. Go
google you can. There's probably not going to limit you
to three, and then just wear them whenever you like.

Speaker 2 (08:44):
That's it. That's our hack for the day.

Speaker 3 (08:46):
Ellie Style. Love it. It's fantastic, absolutely outstanding.

Speaker 2 (08:50):
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Scott. Speaking about standing
our guest today, a woman close to my heart and
soon to be yours, Prianca Matteu. She is a writer,
a filmmaker, a former talent agent. That's how I met
her and my good friend. She is a contributor to

(09:10):
The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Vulture, and
her fourthcoming memoir, entitled Bird Milk and Mosquito Bones, will
be published by Kanop on June eighteenth. Scott, I have
been Yeah, that's what I was going to mention. I've
been told by numerous people it's pronounced Kano.

Speaker 4 (09:30):
We're going to ask.

Speaker 2 (09:32):
Publishing, well, it's it's couldn't be more Kannop. Confusing, but
we're going to ask Preanca if I got it right,
and if I'm if not, then we'll probably leave this
as it is, but I'll issue an apology in the
podcast itself. Prianca is here today to talk about her
love of karaoke and kanof, So please stick around. When

(09:53):
we come back, we'll be talking with Preanca. Okay, everybody,
we are back. We are here with the lovely Priyanca Mattu. Priyanka,

(10:16):
thank you for being on our podcast.

Speaker 1 (10:18):
Thanks so much for having me. This is so exciting.

Speaker 2 (10:21):
Well, we are excited to have you. I described you
previously in our introduction as one of my oldest friends,
long standing friends. I should say you're not actually old.

Speaker 1 (10:31):
And also.

Speaker 2 (10:33):
That's just a highlight. That's a highlight. It's just a
little fun fact for listeners. But we are very excited
to talk to you today. You love karaoke.

Speaker 1 (10:42):
I do.

Speaker 2 (10:44):
I do what happens to you when you karaoke?

Speaker 1 (10:47):
I am like possessed, but it's a very specific kind
of karaoke. I shouldn't mention that I'm not what you
would call a good singer. Okay. I can carry a tune, yep.
My range is patchy, yep. But I enjoy the like

(11:10):
active singing like you were, like you weren't running like
I enjoy the activity of singing. My mother sang around
the house. My mother sang to me. I sing around
the house like alone. And and I think it's not
the performative karaoke though. It's not the like getting up
in front of a bunch of people in singing that

(11:32):
I would be a nightmare for me. But the karaoke
room sing along, yes, is is the happiest I can
even be. It's like a drug for me.

Speaker 2 (11:46):
Wait a minute, when you say the karaoke room, yeah,
are you getting and you say this sing along?

Speaker 1 (11:53):
Are you ill? Wock you through it? Walk me through
illog you through it? Okay?

Speaker 2 (11:56):
So that by step.

Speaker 1 (11:58):
For twenty years, I have lived in Los Angeles for
twenty years. I've had a very complicated relationships. One of
the things I do love about it is Koreatown and
the plethora of entertainment options available downtown in Katown. So
for twenty years I have periodically rented a karaoke room

(12:18):
with friends walking in his room with like a huge
sheaf of like singing options. We queue it up, we
have some drinks, we have some food, and then we sing.
But it kind of doesn't matter who sings when the
most important thing is that everyone ends up singing over
each other and you honestly have no idea who's performing

(12:40):
half the time. I also have a trick where I
don't know if he should share this, but I think
it's very helpful in these situations where I turn the
volume of the mic lower. The MIC's lower than the music,
so nobody ever feels because there's always a reluctant singer
who comes in going listen. I'm just here because it's
your birthday, but I'm not going to sing. And I'm like,

(13:02):
i'll get you, I'll get you.

Speaker 3 (13:04):
Yep.

Speaker 1 (13:05):
Yeah, you're gonna love this. And then once they sing
once they like are belting that little hearts out and
we can't even hear them, and I'm like, do you
enjoy it? Now? They're like, oh my god, I love that.
I'm like, yeah, it's like a physical it's a physical release.

Speaker 2 (13:20):
Could not agree more?

Speaker 1 (13:21):
Right?

Speaker 2 (13:21):
And the yes and the timid performer, of course, I mean,
what a nightmare situation. People have dreams of nightmares about that. Yes,
performing alone in front of the crowd, not having good
voice as someone who I don't have an outstanding voice,
but I can carry a tune too. It is so free, yeah,
right to sing to sing loud. And now I understand

(13:42):
what you mean by the group sing along. So in
your karaoke rooms, there's never someone in the spotlight, is
that right?

Speaker 1 (13:48):
Almost never? There will certainly be like people will take
turns choosing songs because we'll pass the little control thing
around and we'll be like, oh, who choose this song?
But usually they're kind of crowd pleased. And if someone
wants to do a performance, then great, but no one's
gonna no one's gonna stop you from singing along. They're
all great songs, right right, right, right right, So it

(14:09):
is more of a collective experience.

Speaker 2 (14:13):
Yep.

Speaker 3 (14:14):
I have a question for you, Prianca, So what time
of the day is this happening, because I have been
in exactly the situation you're describing a couple of times
in my life. Now certainly not in a sionado, but
to me, the circumstances were pretty key because right I
can imagine it being my worst nightmare, but every time

(14:36):
I've gone, I've had a great time. So around what
time are you scheduling these karaoke events, Scott?

Speaker 1 (14:43):
This is such a great question because that has shifted
because when I was a young person with no children
and nothing to do, but you know, roll around town
until two in the morning, that's when it happened. It
would happen at the end of the night when one
of us would be like, oh your yoke, and we're
like make our way to get you know, and that
caps the night and it was a mess in the morning.

(15:05):
Now that shifted once I well, actually I remember going
to karaoke at the end of my first pregnancy, and
I knew the bank was coming any day, and so
I invited all my friends to a brunch in karaoke,
and so we went. We went at like noon so
I could take a nap because I was so big,

(15:28):
and so I realized that I could just go whenever.
So the last time I went on my birthday again,
I'm a working parent of two small children. I go
to bed at ten. So I called everyone for a
six o'clock pizza party. We sang from six to nine
thirty and then everyone went home. And that was awesome.

Speaker 2 (15:51):
You just described I mean, with the exception of having
to leave the house my dream night.

Speaker 1 (15:57):
Leaving the house is hard. Leaving the house is hard.
But everyone got enough sleep, everyone ate, everyone hydrated, I
ordered some salads.

Speaker 3 (16:05):
Was great. Was this at one of the Koreatown karaoke places,
because that doesn't really seem like the vibe. I'm not
been to one in Los Angeles, but in like the
East Village, New York, they're as fit as scummy as
you can get. So like Fanciful Sound.

Speaker 1 (16:23):
New York's different. New It's wonderful, but it's just a
scummy your place it's just things get dirtier. There's so
many people. There's so many people are always touching everything
and they're everywhere. Yeah, I'm not a germ of vibe
at all, but like just statistically, you guys have more germs.

Speaker 2 (16:45):
Yeah, here by your number.

Speaker 3 (16:47):
Here.

Speaker 1 (16:47):
It's quite sanitized, and even any problems I had with
cleanliness were resolved during the pandemic because everything's gotten so
clean and so hygienic. So so the place I go
it's very You bring your own food, you order some drinks,
and it's all very clean and sanitized. Oh my, you
bring your own food, you're gonna order. I just ordered

(17:08):
delivery and this guy brought a bunch of pizza and solids.
It was great.

Speaker 2 (17:11):
Oh my gosh, that's incredible. That is so different I've done, Carrie.
I mean now I'm just bragging, but I've done karaoke
on party buses, which is an I think that's a nightmare.

Speaker 1 (17:20):
Immediately tell me more.

Speaker 2 (17:22):
Well, just I don't. And again, like you, this was
a life like style and lifetime ago. It was pre kids,
and it was someone's birthday, you know, And I was
living in Los Angeles and what I forget whose birthday
it even was, and someone had rented a party bus
and we cruised around town singing karaoke, and that is
it was never a sing along.

Speaker 1 (17:41):
Oh, it was like a series of performances because here's
what you get.

Speaker 2 (17:45):
You might know this, you both might know this, and
our listeners might understand this too. There's sometimes people at
the bunch, yeah, unknown to you, maybe perhaps for you,
yeah yeah, and like that's their thing. We only know
Gary as a doctor, and then all of a sudden
he's a fantastic singer.

Speaker 3 (18:04):
And I just find everything you're saying, it's like a
flower blossoming. You don't like Gary the Doctor's beautiful voice.
You just want to sing yourself?

Speaker 2 (18:15):
Is why did he never mention like I'm really good.
It's we are supposed to sit, not even stand in
awe and listen as Gary's you know, I don't like it.
It's showing off. It's showing off.

Speaker 1 (18:26):
I'm really allergic to any situation that feels competitive at all.
I just hate it. I just I just hate it.
It's not fun. Nope, I find it's stressful and it
puts everyone on edge. So I think with those people
you had to turn the mic down, though.

Speaker 2 (18:41):
I think what happens is at least again personal experience.
I then feel intimidated to be perfectly honest, you've taken
the fun out of it. Yes, you're showing off, and
now I feel inadequate.

Speaker 1 (18:52):
It also shifts the focus from something that I'm very controlling.
You know this, Yes, well.

Speaker 2 (18:58):
Yeah it's a strong word. But I like things a
certain way.

Speaker 1 (19:02):
I like things a certain way. I entertain a lot,
I organize a lot of social things, and for me,
the feeling that I want everyone to take away is
like I really enjoyed the actual I enjoyed the singing.
I enjoyed the catharsis of like singing six Pat Banitar
songs I didn't even know. I knew the words too,
you know it like should feel like you should be

(19:23):
like sweaty and like high on whatever happy drugs you've created.
Anybody that for me, and it becomes about like how
you're how you feel inside right, and like the connection
with like, oh my god, this actually makes me feel
so good and I'll get into my botsis about that.
But but I think when it becomes about like the
like loop with the audience, that's a completely different experience.

(19:43):
Like that's just not interesting to me. If you want
to perform, perform, but that's not what this is. This
is like, this is a this is a collective catharsis.

Speaker 2 (19:50):
Oh, you just said that much more eloquently than I
could have, and I couldn't agree more.

Speaker 1 (19:54):
I mean, every any activity, right, You guys were talking
about puzzles with Mikhail Hopkins recently to that episode, and
puzzles really stressed you guys out until you know, Scott
did that woman his wife and he was like, wait
a minute.

Speaker 3 (20:06):
These are some deep cuts born to.

Speaker 1 (20:13):
Her homework. Listen.

Speaker 2 (20:15):
She comes prepared is what I'm an enthusiast, And well
she's an enthusiast, but wells yes, that's the whole thing.

Speaker 1 (20:22):
So yeah, but then there's also apparently like a physical Okay,
this is gonna sound weird, but my doctor was talking
about the guy like tummy issues recently, not like for
a while, and it like really messed with my mood
because as it was all healing, like the serotonin wasn't
you know, Like I was a mess for like a
year and a half and I was like, what is

(20:42):
going on? She was like, it's your stomach aches? And
I was like I don't understand. And so she explained
that has made the gut blah blah blah bah blah,
and she was like, yes, so it's really important. One
of the things you can do to like sort of
like trigger it's all about like the vegas nerve. Have
you guys heard about this.

Speaker 3 (20:57):
The vegas nerve?

Speaker 1 (20:59):
The vague it's v a g u s No, not like,
although I love Vegas too, We can talk about that
the other time. Oh yeah, but like your brain got
connection is very much like it's it's the vaggas nerve
is like the super highway that connects all that stuff. Right, So,
I mean I could be giving you all this misinformation,

(21:20):
but just so I'm remembering it. And she was like,
here are things you can do to stimulate your vegus
nerve to sort of like boost your production of serotonin. Okay,
And there was a weird one. She was like, you
can tick off the back of your throat with a
popsicle stick. No, no, I won't do that, but this
is an exercise people do.

Speaker 2 (21:40):
I'm okay, specific sensation, it's just I'm imagining it.

Speaker 1 (21:45):
How are you not gagging? And the back of the
I think it's the gag. I think it's unfortunately, the gagging.
I mean we you know, we'll keep it clean.

Speaker 2 (21:53):
Yeah, yeah, we'll keep it clean.

Speaker 1 (21:55):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (21:55):
But about that, that seemed no fun. The gagging.

Speaker 2 (21:59):
No, it's a popsicle. No, it's just the I mean
it sounds crazy.

Speaker 1 (22:14):
There's there's cold plunges like cold showers, which people some
people love and they claim that it makes them feel amazing.
And I'm like, I don't like extremes temperature. And then
she was like, or you can sing really loudly.

Speaker 3 (22:32):
And that boosts it.

Speaker 2 (22:33):
Huh are you kidding?

Speaker 1 (22:35):
No, seriously, she was like, you have to sing her
hum really loudly. I was like, but I love doing that.
She's like, great, do it all the time.

Speaker 2 (22:41):
Question does it have to be loud?

Speaker 1 (22:43):
It has to be loud?

Speaker 2 (22:44):
Well, I have to move then because I or maybe not.
I can't tell. Maybe someone singing loudly in the city
is less noticeable. That's amazing.

Speaker 1 (22:53):
Isn't that amazing? So when I went to karaoke on
my birthday, which was in December, I have to tell you,
I'm not even kidding. I'm I'm always kind of like, Okay.
I was in the best mood for like two weeks.
It was crazy and it was like you know when
the mood is chemical like. It was not like a
normal good mood. I was like I am skipping down

(23:15):
the street from just shouting in a room for fore
to look at all of the other, any variables, if
there was anything else going in your life that could
have been contributing to tell you it was the singing.
It was that.

Speaker 2 (23:26):
Oh, I absolutely believe you. I think first of all,
the brain gut connection was such an eye opener to me. Yeah,
I had no idea that they were so closely connected,
because I know, yes, we talked about running, that's the
thing that makes me happy, that sends out the endorphins,
the chemical high. But to be able to get that

(23:48):
from singing.

Speaker 1 (23:49):
Yeah, wow, or just at it like tack it on
because you too. I remember I remember talking about singing
early on in our relationship and you were like, I
can carry a tune. And I was like, oh, you
enjoy you enjoy it. You do enjoy it as like
an activity.

Speaker 2 (24:03):
I really enjoy it.

Speaker 3 (24:04):
But like Ellie, Ellie, if we're being perfectly honest, you
would consider yourself like an a an a singer, right,
like you give me yourself, and then and then, and
with the caveat that you consider yourself an A plus dancer?
Is that correct? I, first of all, I want to

(24:24):
be the person you just described.

Speaker 2 (24:25):
I wish I had that much confidence. I unfortunately, maybe
since we last discussed this, I've become a realist. I
know that I don't have specifically, I know because I
was just trying to sing along with the Miley Cyrus Beyonce.
What is that the song? I can't think of it
the song, but it has a tricky melody and I
couldn't sing along with it. And so what I mean
is that, Scott, I know that I have work to

(24:47):
do on my voice. I'm not tone deaf.

Speaker 1 (24:49):
But says who you are? I mean, unless you're trying
to get a recording contract or a star in a
musical on Broadway, which sounds like a lot of work.

Speaker 2 (25:00):
Actually, that sounds like a lot of way. I'm not
and I'm not, And that sounds like oh those hours alone. No,
couldn't do it at night, ten o'clock.

Speaker 1 (25:08):
Bedtime, I do it. I mean, it's very American. Sorry
to go here, I always go, we have to, I
always go to It's very it's very American to like
to like pursue an activity and be like I have
to be amazing at it, and it's like that just
do it be bad?

Speaker 2 (25:24):
Oh did I need to hear that? That is so great?
And that's so great for the next generation.

Speaker 1 (25:29):
I think, I think we have to just enjoy being
bad at things. When I met my husband, he was like,
I was I love dancing. Another thing I'm very bad at,
but I love it. I throw my whole heart into
And he went to like a concert with me and
my friends, and he was like, you're always talking about
how much you want to go dancing and how much
you miss going dancing. He's like, I just thought you'd
be better.

Speaker 2 (25:55):
Say it like that he likes somebody kind of and
that's how I that's the gist of what I was, like,
why you literally never sat having yet it?

Speaker 1 (26:03):
I was like, I love it? What does it matter?
What is it? What like moves? He was like, yeah,
I expected some choreography. It was like, you were so American.
You cannot understand why I would pursue something if I
couldn't like turn it into something or be the best
set of it. Like I'm not the best at anything,
but yes, you, well, I might not agree to disagree. No, well,

(26:25):
you're a very good writer. I mean, yeah, some of
the best. I don't know.

Speaker 2 (26:30):
Well, I mean, but but that is such I think
that is so insightful and also productive to think, Oh,
you can do something because you enjoy it, and you
can keep doing it because you enjoy it. And if
you want to hone your skill set, yes, okay, but
you also don't have to. That's really nice.

Speaker 3 (26:50):
I need to ask a question that I've been sitting
on because I understand and totally agree with the sing
along aspect of karaoke, I also am pretty violently opposed
to those who turn it into a competition, right that
I find odious. So if Gary the Doctor wants to

(27:10):
one up everybody on that party bus, Gary, that having
been said, one of the things that I enjoy, and
maybe this makes me an egotist, is that feeling of
being a rock star, right, And it's not and it's
not necessarily I get to be a rock star better
than you, or I need all of the attention on

(27:33):
the party bus necessarily. But like when I'm singing piano man,
everybody can join in and that's great, But I'm the
fucking piano man. You know what I mean? Is there
do you allow space for that prettycer?

Speaker 1 (27:52):
I do? I do?

Speaker 3 (27:54):
I do.

Speaker 1 (27:54):
It's not just in my benevolent kingdom endom, I know.
I'm like, no, guys, it's fun. I make all the
rules and you can't be weird.

Speaker 2 (28:05):
You're taking it.

Speaker 3 (28:07):
You're too good at it.

Speaker 1 (28:09):
No, No, there's absolutely okay. So in the room there
is a space up front where you can absolutely go
do your moves and sing. You just I mean, if
you could be like open other people singing with you,
that's all I that's just it, that's just it excited hopefully, Scott.

Speaker 2 (28:28):
I'm not sure you come across the character I think
that Pank and I might both be familiar with, which
is the karaoke scene stealer, which is just you're coming
on specifically to show off. So you being the piano
man and basking in that light, that's like different because
it's coming from such a place of love.

Speaker 1 (28:45):
It's internally motivated, externally motive. You're not You're not like,
look at this, You're like, I can't wait to inhabit
this feeling. Oh, I can't wait to be infused with
this feeling.

Speaker 2 (28:58):
Yeah, and and and not intending to put anyone else
in his or her place. You're simply loving what you're doing.

Speaker 3 (29:07):
That's the thing.

Speaker 2 (29:08):
So that's the difference.

Speaker 1 (29:09):
The thing that I loved about you. I mean, have
we talked about the fact that I was your agent.

Speaker 2 (29:14):
In the introduction? I did briefly mention it, but that
is let's clarify it. I mean, yeah, that's let's let's
pull back the curtain. That's how we met.

Speaker 1 (29:22):
Alli was my first Elly was my first client when
I was a baby agent. I saw her do it
that crazy special thing online and I was like, where
do I find this girl who was like bursting with
joy for whatever she's doing. I could tell it wasn't
externally motivated. I was like, here's a woman who cannot
help herself. Oh my thank you.

Speaker 2 (29:41):
That is the biggest compliment. Thank you. And we'll talk
about my need for approval later, but that's like secondary.

Speaker 1 (29:48):
First of all, you're like, you literally cannot help yourself,
Like yeah, liked just like coming out of you like
a fire hydrant. And I saw that and I was like,
I need to this woman and hang out with her
and make her famous.

Speaker 2 (30:04):
It all worked out, all worked out, and was like,
was the easiest. I don't know if I'm good at it,
when in fact, she's let me tell you, I set
up like two meetings for Ellie and then she was famous.

Speaker 1 (30:16):
It was like the easiest.

Speaker 2 (30:22):
Well, no, because of the woman working the strings. But
there we go. But yes, that is how we met
originally because you were my agent and then when I
left to stay and then you left, but you were.

Speaker 1 (30:34):
But I was saying that I've always been drawn and
I'm constantly surrounded by people who who cannot help themselves,
like people who love something and it shines through that
energy is just so addictive to me. So it's a
little bit tall karaoke, right, It's all like what would
people be doing in a dark room by themselves? I
mean I worked with Jack Black for a very long time.
I mean he is also super super super famous, but

(30:56):
that guy would be like writing songs and performing and
like dancing and singing and drawing, like even if he weren't,
he would just be at his house doing all that
stuff right right right, And I think that is really
especially with the people were you know, the writers and
performers that like exist in this world. It's so much
about it has to be this sort of fountain of
like creativity and like desire to express yourself. Otherwise, otherwise, God,

(31:19):
it all becomes like competition and it's just too hard,
and then there's no joy in it.

Speaker 3 (31:24):
There's no joy in That is such a wonderful note
to sort of end on, Prianca. But I would feel
remiss if we got through a whole conversation about karaoke
without getting through your hits. What are the go to?

Speaker 1 (31:36):
Oh? I mean, there are so many I love to
sing songs I wouldn't assarily listen to. Yes, I don't
listen to these songs in the car, but they are
just so much fun to belt out. So although Fleetwood
Mac is great, Fleetwood Mac is always great. Yeah, I
love Emiley Cyrus Avrol Levine is always a big hit. Yes,
people love a skaterboy sing along. You would never guess,

(31:59):
not a song I would ever want to listen to,
but a song that I have sung so many times, Prianca.
That is one of my favorite songs actually to listen
to when I'm say running or something, but also when
you do the Vegas nerve and all of it, belting
that one out, How can you not be walking? On
just like something. Yeah, for two weeks afterwards. I mean,

(32:19):
I understand that one any abba, you know, brings the
community together. Gosh what else? Hal halos? You know, I
mean the thing. Either way, there are some songs that
are just too good. No, no, don't touch it, and

(32:40):
like Adele, you know you can stay rolling in the
deep because that's like a sumpy song. But like who's
gonna I'm not gonna even try. I can't get there.

Speaker 2 (32:48):
And now look, I'm gonna pivot because I do enjoy.
I have heard some good singers in karaoke sing Halo
and it was actually a joy to behold. But that
was because they looked it. Because they looked they weren't
like gather around. It was just oh okay, I'm gonna
try Halo, and it was it was gentle. I loved it. Preanca,
it has been a pleasure talking about karaoke. And by

(33:10):
the way, it turned out not to be just karaoke.
It was more life. And if you have a few moments,
we would love you to stick around to play a
game we play called love It or Loath It.

Speaker 1 (33:19):
Yes, I would love to, Yes, I do all right.

Speaker 2 (33:21):
When we come back, we're gonna play love It or
Load It with Preyanka.

Speaker 4 (33:25):
By too, and we're back, Prianka.

Speaker 1 (33:41):
We are going to play.

Speaker 2 (33:44):
That is very athlete titled love It or Loath It.
We are going to present you with some items, some activities,
some sports, foods, whatever, and you tell us if you
love that thing or you loathe that thing. Preyaca, there's
no room for nuance here, really no. I okay, you
hate extremes. That's what we're embracing, eracing extreme opinions, but

(34:06):
you do. We want you to discuss why you love
or look. So it's not like you know, you'll get
a chance to talk about why it's.

Speaker 1 (34:13):
Don't know why I'm so nervous, Okay, I don't know why.

Speaker 2 (34:16):
I get nervous too, and I don't know why, but
to miss because it's a game. Okay, all right, But
if you change your mind halfway through, that's love it
or Loathe It. Coachella, Oh brother, this is the woman
of mixed mixed feeling.

Speaker 1 (34:33):
Dang it. I just went last year and fainted. I
fainted at Coachella.

Speaker 2 (34:39):
Too old?

Speaker 3 (34:40):
Did you faint from all the dancing? Did?

Speaker 1 (34:44):
It was very hot? I was at Rosalia. I think
I'm not around drugs very often, and there were drugs
in the air, and I got a little dizzy. Yeah,
And next thing I knew, Yeah, I was just lying
on the ground and my husband's lat How long were
you out? I could not sit up for for a

(35:07):
good like hour and a half. Oh, I was out.
I was out briefly, but I was laying down on
the ground.

Speaker 3 (35:13):
For like you think of it, it's too.

Speaker 1 (35:18):
Hot, it's too hot. Why do they do it in
the summer? What about spring or autumn? I would go
getting there's a nightmare? Is a nightmare? What am I saying?
I loathe it?

Speaker 2 (35:28):
Okay, all right, I do like this.

Speaker 3 (35:31):
That might be one of the most definitive loathes we've
had and well found well founded music in the desert
of drugged up people they cost you a medical emergency.

Speaker 1 (35:43):
No, it's just yeah, it's just changed. I mean, these kids,
these kids I've done many times. I've done many times,
and I used to it used to be less crazy.
And I have fond memories of Coachella, and I'm just
not at the right stage in my life. And it's
not the right season of the year sun like that.

Speaker 2 (36:06):
Yep, not the right season of the year or season
of your life. You know, maybe maybe when they change
it to fall when we're all sixty. Okay, that's all right.

Speaker 3 (36:13):
Love it or loath it? Astrology I love it.

Speaker 1 (36:18):
I love it. I love it, And when people make
fun of me for it, I'm like, listen is my
cultural It is like a cultural touchstone. Even though my
whole family is a bunch of scientists, it's always like
what day should we move? Should we ask the astrologer
to check the star chart for an auspicious date? It's
just fun. It makes things fun in a very black

(36:40):
and white culture, you know, yeah, like is there a
little magic here? Is there a little you know? I
think it's so fun. Oh I love that and I
love all that. Reading my horoscope and my husband and
I are both the same sun star what sign whatever sign?

Speaker 2 (36:56):
I don't know, sun rising, Yeah, I'm like kind of
serve right, Yeah.

Speaker 1 (37:00):
I'm kind of like surface. I don't understand all the
other sun moon star stuff. Like, I'm just like, I'm
a Sagittarius. I'm obviously as sagittarius. My husband is obviously
as vegittarius, and we like giggle about it all the time,
and he's like I don't believe it's real, but I
enjoy it. So that's what is what?

Speaker 3 (37:16):
What are the defining characteristics of a Sagittarius.

Speaker 1 (37:20):
We're very outgoing, we love to travel, true to Yeah,
we're like little like dynamos.

Speaker 3 (37:26):
I'm a cancer. What is a cancer?

Speaker 1 (37:30):
I don't know that. I'm not like I'm not like deep.
I'm like, I like to celebrate as sage. I have
a lot of like Virgo friends. They're very like Type A. Supposedly,
I've a lot aries friends because they'll pick a fight
for me because they don't like to argue with customer service.
It's very I think it's really I think it's fun.
I mean it's very silly.

Speaker 2 (37:48):
I also love that you can apply somewhere in that
bundle of treats. There's going to be something that applies
to you, you know what I mean. Like I'm a taurust,
so they're stubborn all youll headed you know, and I
don't think I'm that stubborn, but I forget what another
one is. It's like, you know, I'm like, I see
myself clearly, I'm not stubborn. Oh that's it. But yeah,

(38:10):
it's fun. I also I walk by like three times
a week, this palm reading place. Maybe I'm just going
to go in why not?

Speaker 1 (38:17):
Yeah, it's just I mean everything, yeah, every in this
like day and age of like sort of optimization and
quantification and data and like I'm like, eh, it's fun
to be a little silly sometimes.

Speaker 4 (38:30):
Yep.

Speaker 2 (38:30):
Agreed, all right, love it or load it? Prianca very
broad one.

Speaker 1 (38:36):
Zoom loaths yeah, loaths? Yeah, why because I want to
see people's faces? But why isn't FaceTime good enough?

Speaker 2 (38:50):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (38:51):
We already had face time.

Speaker 2 (38:53):
Before the pandemic and then it just became My other
thing is why not a phone call?

Speaker 1 (38:59):
Why not a phone call? Why not of person? When
out of coffee?

Speaker 2 (39:03):
Yeah? Yeah, it's taking away something. It was great when
it was necessary. Guys, full disclosure. We're on a we're
on a what's it? What's a zoom called it? We're
in a studio according remote is. Yeah, this is a studio.

Speaker 1 (39:17):
Technology that would have been zoom is. Just like it
never works. It always makes me whenever I clicked on it,
it goes do you want to open the link? And
I'm like, we've been doing this for four years, are
telling you, yes, it doesn't work. It hasn't caught on.

Speaker 2 (39:30):
I know, and then and every time it's you have
to navigate it to go and it doesn't make sense. No,
all right, but it was. It was fine for an emergency,
which was the pandemic. And now let's move on.

Speaker 3 (39:43):
Last one. Priyanka, love it or low that the great
state of Michigan.

Speaker 1 (39:49):
I love Michigan. I love it so much. I love
it so much it makes me like tear up to
think about it.

Speaker 2 (39:58):
She I'm going to reveal that Priyanka and I were
talking about moving and where's the best place to raise
your kids and where blah blah blah, and she was
just like Michigan, Michigan. She sent me links to these
cities in Michigan I hadn't even heard of, and they
are just beautiful.

Speaker 1 (40:14):
Yeah, nobody knows, nobody knows about it. It's so beautiful.

Speaker 2 (40:19):
She loves the It was your answer, not mine. You
love the people, that love the people. The schools are great. Listen,
you're not going to find a loath of any Midwestern
state around here, because we are we we also love
Michigan as fellow midwesterners. Prianca, you won the game. I
know it wasn't winning or being the best, but you

(40:40):
happen to have won it.

Speaker 1 (40:41):
Great.

Speaker 2 (40:42):
Thank you so much for chatting with us today. You
are a ray of sunshine and insight and good advice always.
And I wanted to give you a chance to mention
anything you're working on or plug anything.

Speaker 1 (40:55):
Yes, of course, of course, of course. So the big
thing that I'm working on is I don't know why
I have it here, but I have it here. And
this is not this is not television. You're going to
get one of these obviously, which I can't. I'll send
it to you. This is my memoir that I wrote,
and I actually finished it a year ago and it's
coming into the world June eighteenth. It's called Bird Milk
and Mosquito Bones, and it's a series of essays about

(41:17):
a a you know, a tinerant life. Yes, yes, the
reviews keep calling it surprisingly funny, which I don't know why.
I'm so tickled by that, and like, are.

Speaker 2 (41:28):
You tickled in a surprise?

Speaker 1 (41:30):
I guess it's a surprise. Some of the subject matter
is tricky, Like I said, you know, there's like a war,
and there's like people dying, and there's like a murder.
There's like a lot of stuff happening in the book,
and for that, I argue, you know, and then and
then you realize that a lot of media coverage is
by non immorants, because I'm like, oh, yeah, but there's

(41:52):
nothing funnier than like a person who's seen some stuff
you know.

Speaker 2 (41:55):
Right, right, yes, exactly right.

Speaker 1 (41:57):
Yeah, that's so that's surprising. Yeah, I'm glad people are
enjoying it, and I'm really excited to share it. I
feel like I've hidden maybe because I was in the
client services for so long, I like hid most of
the details of my life from everyone I know for
like twenty years. Just like answer a bunch of questions
all in one fell swoop that I never have to
answer again.

Speaker 2 (42:16):
Yes, that's a great way to answer a whole bunch
of questions. I will just write a book.

Speaker 1 (42:20):
Just write a book.

Speaker 2 (42:20):
I cannot wait to read your book. Thank you, and
I am so happy that we had a chance to
talk me too.

Speaker 1 (42:26):
Thanks for having me.

Speaker 3 (42:27):
Guys, Thanks for listening to Born to Love. We'll be
back next week with brand new things that we love.

Speaker 2 (42:36):
We want to hear from you. Leave us a review
in Apple Podcasts and tell us what you love. We
might even ask one of our guests in an upcoming
love It or Love It.

Speaker 3 (42:46):
Born to Love is hosted and created by Ellie Kemper
and Scott Eckert.

Speaker 2 (42:50):
Our executive producer is Aaron Coffman. Our producers are Sheena
Zaki and Zoe Danklab.

Speaker 3 (42:55):
Born to Love is part of Will Ferrell's Big Money
Players Network in collaboration with iHeart Podcast. Guests Special thanks
to Hans Sonny.

Speaker 2 (43:02):
Rachel Kaplan and Adriana Cossiano

Speaker 3 (43:04):
Michael Fails, Alex Korl, and Baheed Frazier
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