the wardhole interviews: kate o'connor
On throwing oranges at crazy people in grocery stores, being true to yourself, and loving Jim Henson.
Hi all :)
I decided to keep this newsletter going even if it is for another week. Hopefully everyone is staying dry. Unless global warming is causing the area you live in to be too dry then hopefully you are staying moist and that #God grants you some healthy rain. I won’t tell everyone what I am up to - you can check that out over at
This ep - I had the absolute pleasure of talking to Kate O’Connor. This is the first time that a “wardhole” interview has happenned over the phone. Not to give too much “how the sausage is made” but I normally allow the comedians to have free reign over how they respond to me, and it is mostly done over email. This time we went hashtag #WaltersMode and got this juicy interview over the phone. Kate had me cracking up. No one has ever made me thought “You know what? Paying the Irwins to give you and Margot Robbie a personal tour of an Australian Zoo WOULD be a great way to spend a weekend.”
IF YOU LIVE IN LA - FUCKING GO SEE KATE PERFORM!
She has a show “Hater’s Club” at Permanent Records and also a mic/show “Funny Games” at the Elysian!
PLUG ALERT!!! Also watch her webseries (throwback!! webseries!!) Amazing Animals!
ENJOY THE INTERVIEW XO
wardhole: what are you working on right now?
Kate O’Connor: “Right now I’m producing a monthly show called Haters Club with Danny and David and it’s a standup showcase show at Permanent Records Roadhouse. I’m producing and hosting the show - try to book successful buddies. It was wildly successful in Chicago - what I am finding out is different in LA is unless you have one big TV star on the lineup - no one will come.”
wardhole: what makes you laugh?
Kate O’Connor: “OMG - that is a great question. So me and Danny watched this documentary "Bathtubs Over Broadway" made by this writer who is a Conan O'Brien writer - he collected all of these advertisements making musicals for bathroom fixtures. Look it up - “Bathtubs Over Broadway.” He has comedy damage - so he needs something so bad he needs to change to something.”
Kate told me about a trip her and her boyfriend went on recently. She went out partying with her boyfriend, and her cousins told her - no worries, when you get home we can sleep through anything. She got home buzzed (twenty people in the room) her boyfriend starts to talk to her - and she was like “hush!” Then she sneezed into cheap bedsheets, and the sheets sounded like a trumpet. I could not stop laughing with Kate on the phone. I can picture it perfectly.
Other things that make Kate laugh are physical humor and anything Jim Henson.
wardhole: what media are you consuming right now?
Kate O’Connor: “Biographies - I’ve been in LA doing homework all of my homework. I’ve been rading Carrie Fisher’s biography. Also “Easy Riders and Raging bulls. Cassandra Peterson - biography - listened to it on audible.”
We explored Elvira (Cassandra Peterson’s career repetoire.) She stayed up all night with Elvis - he told her to get out of Las Vegas - learn how to sing or act. My mind was freaking blown.
wardhole: what advice would you give to younger you?
Kate O’Connor: “This is what you wanna do - so don't pretend like you're not good enough to do it.”
We talked about delusion and go to this emotional place of where we inflate ourselves.
wardhole: how would you describe your artistic style to a normie?
Kate O’Connor: "I have no valuable skills but comedy - so I do what I have to do"
wardhole: you're given 5 billion- what do you do with it?
Kate O’Connor: “Scrape together - a web series.” CHECK OUT HER WEBSITE!
Kate let me know that she would make Margot Robbie fly to Australia - to meet the Irwins - they would have them show Kate and Margot around the zoo. I let her know that most people say “donate it to poor people” to which she responded “I’ve been poor my whole life, it’s my turn.” We giggled.
wardhole: what is your artistic process for writing jokes?
Kate O’connor: “Anytime a thought has hit my brain - I jot it down in my notes app - we have a weekly mic and I will look at my notes app and try everything from that week.”
wardhole: what’s on your notes apps?
Kate O’Connor: “Comedy and scheduling stuff - physical pen and paper - stuff I need to transfer to the notes app.”
wardhole: do you have any "white whales" in comedy - something you’ve wanted to tackle for awhile but haven’t?
Kate O’Connor: “I am workshopping a joke about Columbine. I actually had this crazy person follow me around a grocery store.”
wardhole: wait, what?
Kate O’Connor: “Yeah this guy just threw an orange at me, so I took the orange and decided to run around the grocery store chasing him.”
wardhole: what is hack to you?
Kate O’Connor: “Anytime you are trying to present a version of yourself that is not true. People think that their lives aren't good enough - so they have to present a more natural version of themselves.
Truth and the real stuff is so funny already - who you are really comes through
you can tell when people are not authentic
It comes from years of open mics - people try to do this TV polished comedy schtick at mics.”