John Mulaney’s Interview with a Ten-Year-Old Is as Delightful as It Sounds
Comedian and Tom Jones fan John Mulaney is making the media rounds to promote , what looks like a delightful pastiche of musical theater, comedy, variety show, celebrity guests, and, amazingly, children’s show that’s coming to Netflix on Christmas Eve. So naturally, in addition to the normal stop a comedian would make promoting a new special he sat down for an interview with a ten-year-old.
Alex Bonanos is a Mulaney superfan whose dad is an editor at New York, so he scored the coveted chance to interview Mulaney for Vulture. The whole thing is great, but this section is particularly delightful.
A.B.: In the show, you asked other people how they want to die. How do you want to die?
J.M.: I asked other people how they want to die?
A.B.: Yeah, how they wanted to die.
J.M.: I did? Oh, well, I asked everyone their biggest fear —
A.B.: Yeah, but you also asked …
J.M.: Oh, Natasha Lyonne! I think she was talking about ways she didn’t want to die, and I did ask her. You know, there was a time when I would have answered “Assassination,” because then I’d be forever immortalized at this age, and I don’t mean that in a dark way, I mean it in a kind of Lincoln-Kennedy-esque way, where there’s a lasting image of me at 44, hopefully still looking okay. And everyone would go “He was perfect, a great great person.” I used to think that. I really like what I do, and I really like my life, so I do hope to go very old. Also stand-up comedians can keep performing into their 80s and 90s, so I hope I get the chance to do that.
The rest of the interview reveals that American treasure Richard Kind will participate in a “Girl Talk” segment and what it’s like to accidentally call your friend “mom.” We can’t think of a better way to spend Christmas Eve.
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premieres on Netflix on December 24. Watch it with your family.