Interview Questions

Below is a list of the starting questions for each episode. Each question was given to Paul F. Tompkins by the previous guest.

Guest	Episode	Question
Aaron Abrams	An Intergalactic Performing Arts School	Why would you never talk to your cousin again if you needed a reason?
Adam Sachs	Pediatrician’s Office	What about baseball?
Aimee Mann	The Underwear Department at Macy's	What is the thing you desire that you are most ashamed of desiring?
Aimee Mann	Splash Mountain at Disneyland	How many times have you googled yourself this week?
Alice Wetterlund	Kay Jewelers In A Mall	Does everyone deserve to be heard?
Alice Wetterlund	Casting Auditions for the New Haunted Hayride	Describe the moment you were at your very hottest and the moment you were at your very not hottest.
Alison Brie	Backstage at the Grand Ole Opry	What is the best or worst travel injury you've sustained?
Allen Maldonado	The Price Is Right	What would you have your evil twin do, if you had an evil twin?
Amanda Lund	A River Boat on the Mississippi	What is your favourite font?
Ana Ortiz	South Street Philadelphia	At what moment have you felt the most adult?
Andrea Savage	One Hour Photo Shop	What is your earliest memory?
Annie Savage	Inside the Organist’s Room at a Baseball Stadium	What is your favourite vacation destination?
Andrew Ti	A High-End Boxing Gym	What do you do for exercise?
Andy Daly	Saltwater Tuffy Shoppe (Live from LA Podfest)	What's the worst fear you ever overcame, and how did you overcome it?
Andy Daly	Olympic Opening Ceremonies 2018 PyeongChang South Korea	What is a place that gives you immediate joy?
Anna Drezen	Cold Storage Facility at a Chicken Farm	What toy from your childhood do you miss the most and, if it broke, how?
Annie Savage	Airport	Choose one exotic pet: macaw, tortoise, boa, or alpaca. You must choose.
Arden Myrin	Tommy Bahama Store	When was the last time you pretended to know something?
Ariell Johnson	San Diego Comic-Con (Live from Philly)	What was your first pet's name?
Ben Garant	A Dinner Theater	How do you want people to remember you after you die?
Beth Newell	The Belly of a Whale	Have you ever stolen anything?
Beth Stelling	Inside That Salvador Dali Painting with The Melting Clocks	What laws do you regularly break?
Bob Kerr	A Clown Cemetery	If you were forced to make a career change and your success was guaranteed, what would you do?
Bruce McCulloch	Wine Tasting	If days of the week had colours, what colour would each day be and why?
Bryan Safi	A Mansion House	What time period do you think you belong in?
Bryan Safi	LensCrafters	Which one of your family members reminds you most of Denzel Washington?
Busy Philipps	A Denny's Parking Lot	What is your favourite thing to eat when you're feeling sad? (and if you don't feed your feelings like I do, why are you a robot?)
Busy Philipps	Hamilton on Broadway	If you met yourself as a child, would the child-you honestly like the adult-you?
Busy Philipps	Burmese Therapist Office (Live from SF SketchFest)	Are you a bad girl? Are you? Are you?
Busy Philipps	High School Reunion	If you could only eat one type of cuisine for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Busy Philipps	Charleston, South Carolina	If you could make a themed restaurant, what would it be?
Caitlin Gill	A Craft Fair	What's a style concept that you've always wanted to try? (mohawk, tattoo, piercing)
Caitlin Howden	Summer Camp (Live from Fox Cabaret in Vancouver, BC)	What was the singular childhood trauma that has defined you as an artist?
Calpernia Addams	Inside the Mind of a Horny Housewife	What's your first memory?
Cameron Esposito	Universal Studios Hollywood	How are eyeglasses made?
Cameron Esposito	A Family-Owned Bagel Shop	What happens is the supreme court gets rid of Roe V Wade?
Cameron Esposito	Whale Watching Boat	What movie have you lied about seeing?
Cameron Esposito	Akron, OH	If someone wrote a musical about your life, what would it be called and what would it be about?
Cedric Yarbrough	Minnesota State Fair	Day-ta or dah-tah: how do you pronounce it and why?
Cedric Yarbrough	A Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland	Have you ever called 9-1-1 to help a stranger? Tell us why.
Christophe Zajac-Denek	Hot Spring At A Discount Resort In Iceland	Worst first kiss?
Clea DuVall	A Bank Heist	How do you feel about your eye colour?
Colin Hanks	A Dental Convention in Scottsdale, Arizona (Live at Largo)	Why did you choose that outfit today?
Constance Wu	A Shoe Store (Live at Largo)	What sport or game could you kick my ass in?
Craig Cackowski	The Other Side of The Tracks (Live from The Detroit Improv Festival)	Do you still eat pudding as an adult?
Craig Cackowski	Ice Cream Parlor	At this very moment, a health inspector is about to walk into your home. What rating would your kitchen receive?
Craig Cackowski	Airport	Choose one exotic pet: macaw, tortoise, boa, or alpaca. You must choose.
Craig Cackowski	Inside the Organist’s Room at a Baseball Stadium	What is your favourite vacation destination?
Dan Lippert	A Small Town Post Office After Hours	What food item have you consumed the most of in your lifetime?
Daniele Gaither	A Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland	Have you ever called 9-1-1 to help a stranger? Tell us why.
Daniele Gaither	LaCroix Factory	What is your least favourite question strangers often ask you?
Dave Foley	Mars Base 3	If someone asked you, when you were 13 years old, who are the 5 people you'd invite to a dinner party, who would you have said?
Dave Holmes	The One Beauty Parlor In A Small Town	Would you rather live without electricity or a toilet forever?
Dave Holmes	The Break Room Of A Very Busy Quiznos	What clubs were you in in high school?
Dave Holmes	A New Year’s Day Brunch at a Hotel Restaurant	What was the last thing you did that made you feel like a kid?
David Rees	Pet Store, Post Robbery	What's the best gift you've ever given?
David Rees	Yngwie Malmstein Concert (Live from The Bell House)	Name three celebrities you would recruit to your post-apocalyptic survival team and why?
Derek Waters	A Miami Record Store In 1967	What was the last thing you've done that you consider brave?
Desmin Borges	Donut Factory (Live at Largo)	Who was your childhood hero? Are they still?
Drew Tarver	A Parallel Universe	In an apocalypse, what will be the most valuable item to trade?
Drew Tarver	A Small Town Post Office After Hours	What food item have you consumed the most of in your lifetime?
Drew Tarver	Downey, CA	What's the very, very, happiest memory you have from childhood? xoxo <3
Eban Schletter	The Jail Underneath Disneyland	What is the most uncomfortable place you have sneezed?
Eliza Skinner	Inside a 40 Year-Old Woman’s Purse	What's the deal with Mario Lopez?
Eliza Skinner	Abandoned Farm House	If you were going to commit a crime, what crime would you commit?
Elizabeth Reaser	A Superyacht	What do you like most about yourself?
Emily V. Gordon	Pediatrician Waiting Room	If you could live inside any tv show for a week, which one would you choose?
Emily V. Gordon	Highway Clean Up	When did you first learn what sex was, and how?
Ennis Esmer	A Covered Wagon Fording A River	When is the last time you vomited?
Eugene Cordero	Warehouse	Did silent movies have to be pitched back in the 20s?
Erin Gibson	A Mansion House	What time period do you think you belong in?
Erin Gibson	1910s Home Being Renovated In Hudson River Valley	If you could be killed by any weapon (not gun), what would it be and why?
Erin Gloria Ryan	Wisconsin	Are you excited for the singularity or are you terrified?
Erin Whitehead	A Sunken Livering Room From A Multi-Camera TV Set	It's 1967, you're in San Fransisco: what are you up to?
Erin Whitehead	Portland, Oregon	If you were calming eating, say, a banana split, and you looked across the room and saw yourself from five minutes earlier, what you you do?
Fred Armisen	Madrid (Live from Outside Lands 2016)	Do you consider cheeseburgers to be part of the sandwich family?
Gary Anthony Williams	A Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland	Have you ever called 9-1-1 to help a stranger? Tell us why.
Gary Anthony Williams	A Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland	What is your least favourite question strangers often ask you?
Grant-Lee Phillips	Knott’s Scary Farm (Live at Largo)	What existing superhero do you relate to?
Hal Lublin	Airport	Choose one exotic pet: macaw, tortoise, boa, or alpaca. You must choose.
Hal Lublin	Inside the Organist’s Room at a Baseball Stadium	What is your favourite vacation destination?
Hayes Davenport	Aquarium	What is the first thing you broke that wasn't yours?
Hayes Davenport	A Murder Mystery Dinner Party	What is the first song you remember hating?
Helen Hong	Fish Taco Shack On The Beach	Why are you here?
Horatio Sanz	Train Station (Live at Largo)	What is your 'sliding doors' alternate career?
Howard Kremer	Boise, Idaho (Live from Now Hear This Festival)	What is the first joke you laughed at?
Hrishikesh Hirway	A Haunted Hotel	Favourite author when you were a teen and why?
Ira Glass	Jury Deliberations	What's a memory from your childhood you wish you could change?
Jackie Michele Johnson	Winston-Salem, North Carolina	If you were to start a conspiracy, what would it be?
Jameela Jamil	Target	Where to plan to spend the apocalypse?
James Rigato	In Line at a Delayed Lauryn Hill Concert (Live from Detroit)	Are there any recurring dreams that are significant to you?
Janet Varney	Under A Big Rain Storm	What brings you fulfillment?
Janet Varney	Airport	Choose one exotic pet: macaw, tortoise, boa, or alpaca. You must choose.
Janet Varney	Inside the Organist’s Room at a Baseball Stadium	What is your favourite vacation destination?
Janina Gavankar	Lobby of a 3-Star Hotel	Is it racist to do an Italian accent?
Jason Mantzoukas	Rented Cabin in The Mountains	When was the last time you told your parents and siblings you loved them?
Jason Ritter	A Secret Society	Who was your hero growing up (fictional or otherwise), and if you could would you trade places with that hero?
Jay Ellis	Eudora, AR	What is the most romantic country in the world and why?
Jean Grae	IKEA in Narnia (Live from The Atlantic Ocean)	When's the last time you felt tricked?
Jean Villepique	Under A Big Rain Storm	What brings you fulfillment?
Jeb Lund	The Last Sizzler	If you could only eat one fruit for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Jen Kirkman	A Snorkeling Excursion Ticket Kiosk	Do you believe in ghosts? Where is your evidence?
Jensen Karp	A Cast Reunion for the film The Net	Have you ever gotten lost?
Jeremy Carter	An Interstellar Colony Ship	If you could remain one age for your entire life, what age would it be and why?
Jerry Minor	Margaritaville	What is your million dollar idea?
Jessica McKenna	A Night Club In Chicago	What flaw in your character has been most beneficial in your life?
Jim Rash	Storage Room In Back Of Hot Dog Stand	What was your best mistake?
Joel Kim Booster	Church Camp	Of all life's great firsts, which was your favourite?
John Hamm	Storm Drain (Live at San Francisco Sketchfest)	What book influenced you most as a kid?
John Hamm	The Moon	What is your biggest failure?
John Hodgman	An Urban Spelunkers Meeting	Did you ever name your car and, if not, what the hell is wrong with you?
John Hodgman	Perry’s Nut House in Belfast, Maine	Do you know your neighbors, or do you try avoid them and why?
Jon Gabrus	An Abandoned Puppet Theater	What's the most scared you've ever been?
Jon Mackey	A Small Town Post Office After Hours	What food item have you consumed the most of in your lifetime?
Jonathan Coulton	A Top Chef Finale Afterparty	What ridiculous formality do you slavishly observe?
Joshua Malina	10th Circle of Hell	If you could eat all the dessert and never have any ill-effects, but all you could eat is dessert, would you?
Judy Greer	Laundromat	What's a good new year's resolution?
Justin Kirk	The Student Lounge at a Performing Arts High School	What is the earliest memory you have of doing something cruel?
Kae Lani	Germany (Live from Philly)	What was your first job?
Kara R. Brown	A Jiffy Lube Waiting Room	Who is your secret crush right now?
Karthik Nemmani	Dallas	Do you pretend to like/read famous writers when they die?
Kathryn Borel	The Childhood Home of Fred Rogers	Who was your mentor getting into your profession?
Katie Dippold	The Last Blockbuster Video Store	If you were to be a famous religious leader, who would you be?
Katie O’Brien	Panic Room	Do you have a song that is always stuck in your head?
Kaitlin Olson	A UFC Weigh-In	What's your favourite invention?
Kaitlin Olson	Backstage at an Adult Community Center Talent Show	If your spirit animal were an animal you had met or seen, who would it be?
Katy Colloton	Panic Room	Do you have a song that is always stuck in your head?
Keegan-Michael Key	Tesla Charging Station (Live at Largo)	What is something that you have considered telling one or both your parents, but have not?
Kether Donohue	Amusement Park	You have full funding to recreate any album with you as the lead singer, what album do you choose?
Kristen Schaal	Parking Garage (Live at Largo)	What is one event that you would go back and change in your life?
Kristen Schaal	Earwolf	Have you ever been arrested?
Kristian Bruun	The King of Prussia Mall on Opening Weekend	Who's hair would you like to find in your soup?
Kristian Bruun	Labyrinth	What was the worst encounter with a stranger you ever had?
Kristian Bruun	A Corn Maze	What movie universe would you most want to live in?
Kulap Vilaysack	A Coffee Plantation in Bali (Live from SXSW)	Who would you kill first if murder was legal?
Kulap Vilaysack	Boise, Idaho (Live from Now Hear This Festival)	What is the first joke you laughed at?
Kulap Vilaysack	Reno, NV	How many kangaroo are in the San Antonio zoo?
Kumail Nanjiani	Sport Club (Live at Largo)	When did you realise you weren't alone?
Kumail Nanjiani	State Fair (Live at Largo)	When did you first realise you didn't fit into society?
Kumail Nanjiani	Highway Clean Up	When did you first learn what sex was, and how?
Laraine Newman	Vent Haven Ventriloquist Museum	Corn or flour?
Lauren Lapkus	Beautiful, Fancy Apartment in NYC	What's the dumbest thing that ever sent you to the emergency room?
Lauren Lapkus	An Abandoned Puppet Theater	What's the most scared you've ever been?
Lauren Lapkus	A Sunken Livering Room From A Multi-Camera TV Set	It's 1967, you're in San Fransisco: what are you up to?
LeVar Burton	Schenectady, NY	Lyft drivers: what do you think?
Lisa Hanawalt	Malibu	Madam, how do you sleep at night?
Mandell Maughan	A Parallel Universe	In an apocalypse, what will be the most valuable item to trade?
Marc Evan Jackson	A Gas Station Only Stopped at During Road Trips	Who was your best friend as a child and what would you do together?
Marc Evan Jackson	Airport	Choose one exotic pet: macaw, tortoise, boa, or alpaca. You must choose.
Marc Evan Jackson	Inside the Organist’s Room at a Baseball Stadium	What is your favourite vacation destination?
Marcella Arguello	Antarctic Research Station	Which job from earlier in your life would you like to do again, and what would it have to pay?
Margaret Cho	Los Feliz, Karen’s House, 1997	If you were going to get a tattoo in an hour, what would you get?
Maribeth Monroe	Wisconsin Dells Water Park	What is your embarrassing superstition?
Mark Gagliardi	Airport	Choose one exotic pet: macaw, tortoise, boa, or alpaca. You must choose.
Mark Gagliardi	Inside the Organist’s Room at a Baseball Stadium	What is your favourite vacation destination?
Mark McConville	An Interstellar Colony Ship	If you could remain one age for your entire life, what age would it be and why?
Maria Blasucci	A River Boat on the Mississippi	What is your favourite font?
Maria Thayer	Dracula's Bedroom	Where were you when you realised God was a wholly implausible lie?
Maria Thayer	A Fast Food Restaurant Kitchen In An Alternate Universe	When did your parent or caregiver most hurt your feelings?
Mary Holland	Land Rover	Was your parents divorce your fault?
Mary Holland	Water Cooler Area At An Office	What do you think is your finest quality? What do you think is your worst?
Mary Holland	A Sunken Livering Room From A Multi-Camera TV Set	It's 1967, you're in San Fransisco: what are you up to?
Matt Besser	Santa Fe Art Gallery	Which person (any person) would make the best sibling?
Matt Besser	Family Owned Bike Shop	What's your favourite ancient civilization, and why?
Matt Gourley	An Interstellar Colony Ship	If you could remain one age for your entire life, what age would it be and why?
Matt Rogers	Orlando, Florida (Live from The Bell House)	If you could go back in time and kill one person, who would it be?
Melanie Lynskey	Savannah, Georgia	What was the first time you experienced the emotion 'humiliation'?
Merrin Dungey	The Red Carpet at the Oscars	What is the last great meal you ate and who did you eat it with and what did you talk about?
Michael McMillian	A Mechanic's Garage	Do you have a perpetual age in your head, that when you think of yourself, you think of yourself at that age? And if so, what is the age and why?
Michael Penn	The Line For The Circular Saw In The Lumber Department at Home Depot	Do you toilet paper every toilet seat you use, or is there a public toilet you wouldn't?
Michael Sheen	The Annual Ghost Sex Convention	What animal would you save from extinction if you could?
Mike Hanford	An Abandoned Puppet Theater	What's the most scared you've ever been?
Natalie Morales	The Moon Landing Taping 1969	What's one thing that everyone in the United States can agree on?
Natalie Morales	A Whale’s Belly	What is the most fun you've had in a hospital?
Natalie Morales	Parrot Jungle, A Parrot-Only Zoo in Miami, FL	Who was your favourite teacher?
Natalie Walker	Parking Lot At A Phish Concert (Live from The Bell House)	How are you like your parents, good and bad?
Nathan Lee Graham	Paris	What bad job of yours would you erase from your personal timeline?
Nathan Lee Graham	The Bell House (Live from The Bell House)	What's the song to which you lost your virginity?
Nathan Lee Graham	United Airlines Flight One Way LA To Duluth	What's the best thing to find underwater?
Natasha Rothwell	Grocery Store	What is a dream you've had that is actually interesting?
Negin Farsad	A Dance Club In Reykjavik	Have you ever had a religious experience?
Neil Campbell	An Abandoned Puppet Theater	What's the most scared you've ever been?
Nicole Byer	Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Times Square New York City	If the purge were real, who would you kill first?
Nicole Parker	A Summer Theatre Camp in Michigan	What kind of small business would you like to own?
Nicole Parker	Home Depot	What was your first suit?
Nicole Parker	In the Green Room of a Local Morning Show	Stipulating that there's nothing wrong with 'here', if you could be anywhere else right now, where would that be?
Nicole Silverberg	Cold Storage Facility at a Chicken Farm	What toy from your childhood do you miss the most and, if it broke, how?
Nicole Silverberg	A Forest	What ingredient would you remove from the world and why?
Nyima Funk	A Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland	Have you ever called 9-1-1 to help a stranger? Tell us why.
Open Mike Eagle	The Waiting Room at an Oil Change Place	Do you have social anxiety? And, if so, how does it manifest?
Open Mike Eagle	A Suburban High School History Class on The First Day of Black History Month (Live at Largo)	Why the long face?
Open Mike Eagle	In a Magician’s Apartment	When was the most attractive you've ever felt?
Oscar Nunez	East NYC Village	Why do you care about God?
Oscar Nunez	Hardware Store	What is the best gift your mum ever gave you?
Paget Brewster	Science Fair	You win a contest that entitles you to draft a twenty-eighth amendment to the constitution (guaranteed to pass). The only stipulation is that it must be food-related. What is your amendment?
Patti Harrison	Hospital Parking Lot	If you were a neighborhood in either Los Angeles or New York, which would be and why?
Paul Scheer	TV News Control Room	You can switch bodies with one person for one day: who would that be and describe your one day as that person.
Phil LaMarr	A Comic Book Shop	What was the last item you donated to charity?
Phil LaMarr	LaCroix Factory	What is your least favourite question strangers often ask you?
Rachel Bloom	Gabrielle’s Quinceañera	What's your favourite Prince song?
Raphael Bob-Waksberg	A Theme Park Break Room	Gun to your head: choose a reality competition show to come to your home.
Ravi Patel	Freeport, Illinois	What is a trait of yours that other people compliment you on most often?
Retta	Houston’s Restaurant in Houston TX	Why is the suit purple, like this pen?
Rhea Butcher	Concession Stand	What was the last dream you can remember and why do you think you dreamt it?
Rhea Butcher	Whale Watching Boat	What movie have you lied about seeing?
Rhea Butcher	Akron, OH	If someone wrote a musical about your life, what would it be called and what would it be about?
Rhett Miller	Backstage At A Rock Club (Live from The Bell House)	How did the movie 'The Sandlot' effect your life? If you haven't seen it, what is the medical condition that prevented you?
Rich Sommer	A Non-Tropical Resort	How does Mad Men end?
Robyn Hitchcock	Airship Underwater (Live at Largo)	What sport would you play if you had all the physical ability but no mental awareness?
Ron Funches	Call Center Christmas Party (Live at Largo)	Can you fix a bad kisser?
Ron Funches	Salem, Oregon Comic Shop	Where was the first slice of pizza that you bought as a youngster?
Roxane Gay	Filthy Public Bathroom	If you were born the opposite sex, what would your name, personality, and occupation be?
Ryan Gaul	San Diego Airport	What do you want someone to whisper in your ear?
Ryan Rosenberg	A Small Town Post Office After Hours	What food item have you consumed the most of in your lifetime?
Sam Richardson	Televangelist’s Studio	Define magic.
Sam Richardson	High School Graduation	Why are you here?
Sarah Pappalardo	The Belly of a Whale	Have you ever stolen anything?
Scott Aukerman	Underneath the Eiffel Tower (Live at Largo)	You can use your rib to make another living thing, but not a human: what do you make?
Scott Aukerman	An Abandoned Puppet Theater	What's the most scared you've ever been?
Scott Aukerman	Karaoke Night at A Small Logging Town Tavern	Tell me something your hometown is known for.
Scott Carter	Death Valley	When was the last time you felt furious?
Scott Thompson	High School Auditorium	What song do you put on when a hook up is coming over?
Sean Clements	Aquarium	What is the first thing you broke that wasn't yours?
Sean Clements	A Murder Mystery Dinner Party	What is the first song you remember hating?
Shannon Woodward	Ice Cream Shop In the Winter	What is the most embarrassed you've ever been?
Stephanie Allynne	A Sunken Livering Room From A Multi-Camera TV Set	It's 1967, you're in San Fransisco: what are you up to?
Stephanie Beatriz	Coachella VIP	Hi, hello, are you single, and will you date me? I'll make you so happy.
Steven Yeun	Art Gallery (Live at Largo)	What day would you like to go back an re-live? PS: You can go back to change things.
Susanna Hoffs	The First Class Cabin of An Aer Lingus 747 in The 1970s (Live at Largo)	What is the loudest thing you've ever heard?
Tatiana Maslany	The Manager’s Office of a Miniature Golf Course	What animals have you seen in the wild?
Tawny Newsome	A Parallel Universe	In an apocalypse, what will be the most valuable item to trade?
Tawny Newsome	Civil War Reenactment	How many eggs can you eat in one sitting?
Ted Leo	Life Drawing Class	When was the last time you cried out of happiness?
Thomas Lennon	Backstage at the Rush Concert (Live at Largo)	If you could be invisible and go visit a current celebrity's home, who would it be?
Tim Baltz	A Parallel Universe	In an apocalypse, what will be the most valuable item to trade?
Tony Hale	Baskin-Robbins	Would you invite yourself somewhere?
Trixie Mattel	Pool In Palm Springs	When was the last time you were in a stream?
Tymberlee Hill	Garden of Eden	What's the worst advice you've ever received?
Utkarsh Ambudkar	Joe’s Crab Shack	If you were to name a star, what would the name be?
Vella Lovell	Grandma's Kitchen	Which celebrity would you like to die in the arms of?
Veronica Osorio	Palm Springs	You can make a souvenir penny machine for any person, place, or thing - what would you make it for, and why?
Zach Gowen	Madison Square Garden (Live from The Detroit Improv Festival)	It's 3am, you're up. What are you doing?
Zach Reino	A Night Club In Chicago	What flaw in your character has been most beneficial in your life?
Starlee Kine	A Train Platform (Live from London)	What is your relationship with God like?