With the first season of the feminist satire Vag Magazine completed, DCTV creator Daryn Strauss chatted with the funny stars of Vag about women in comedy, Upright Citizens Brigade, feminism, and what they would do with a penis if they had one. Not only is Vag written by two women, Caitlin Tegart and Leila Cohan-Miccio, both of whom are sketch teachers and writers at the famed Upright Citizens Brigade in New York City, but the cast is 100% all-female!
DARYN: First of all, introduce yourself and the roles you play in Vag Magazine.
SARAH CLASPELL: I’m Sarah Claspell, and I play Meghan in Vag Magazine. Hi!
NICOLE DRESPEL: I’m Nicole Drespel, and I play Fennel.
JOCELYN GUEST: Jocelyn Guest, and I play Sylvie.
VERONICA OSORIO: Hi, I am Veronica Osorio, and I play Heavy Flo.
LESLIE MEISEL: Leslie Meisel, and I play Reba on the show.
MORGAN JARRETT: Morgan Jarrett. I play Kit.
SHANNON O’NEILL: Why hello friends! My name is Shannon O’Neill, and I play the character Jaybird, the editor in chief of CUNT magazine.
Kate McKinnon (Bethany), Jocelyn Guest (Sylvie) & Nicole Drespel (Fennel)
DARYN: Women in comedy are kicking ass on the web, which really puts a wrench in the idea that women are not up with technology. How much video do you all watch on the web?
LESLIE MEISEL: A lot!
MORGAN JARRETT: A lot, but I get confused. Internetting is hard! I usually ask my boyfriend to help.
SHANNON O’NEILL: I have really bad internet ADD. If something doesn’t catch my attention within 10 seconds, then I’m on to the next one. So I watch a lot of Real Housewives on Hulu.
JOCELYN GUEST: Web Therapy. Lisa Kudrow, if you’re reading this, “You the bomb, baby girl.”
VERONICA OSORIO: I watch a lot. Most of the things I watch are online! And about women and technology… I taught both of my grandmas and mom from how to turn the computer on to how to upload videos and edit pics, etc. We all Skype, and both of my grandmas have blackberries and we chat. My Dad’s mom is all over my Facebook and loooooves Vag Magazine. It’s incredible.
SARAH CLASPELL: We aren’t up on technology? I watch all of it. I try to stay on top of what everyone’s talking about, or funny/interesting things they should be talking about. And don’t even test me when it comes to cute cat/dog/animal videos! I run a site called wellthatsadorable.com where I post cute things with sassy commentary, so I get sent new adorable things about 10 times a day. I love it!
NICOLE DRESPEL: I don’t own a TV set, so everything I watch is on the web. I swear I’m not the kind of person who doesn’t own a TV. I’m not some kind of time snob or anything. I think TV is great. I just happen to not own one.
DARYN: Incidentally, the biggest comedy in NYC and arguably on television, 30 Rock, is headwritten by a woman, Tina Fey. Do you think Tina changed the way women are treated in comedy?
VERONICA OSORIO: She definitely made sure to let people know that the comedian/master brain/exec producer can be a girl. She’s not just funny or just powerful — she’s a comedy CEO! People are surprised this happened, I’m surprised someone like her didn’t happen before! I mean, there are SO MANY girls like her out there (ahem, Caitlin and Leila). I think the roles of head-writers or writer/actor are not perceived as male-only roles now. I think it’s still hard for some people to trust that a woman can write a show, and within that show, write for herself and at the same time produce it and make it work. Hopefully that’s changing. Hail Tina.
LESLIE MEISEL: Tina is such an inspiration to not only other female performers, but also for those woman who are passionate about being “behind the scenes.”
MORGAN JARRETT: I don’t really think about that much. I guess I don’t think of it as a gender thing, just a success thing.
SHANNON O’NEILL: I think Tina Fey is awesome, and I look up to her as a comedian, and I am sure she has changed the way some people treat woman in comedy and think about women in comedy, but Tina has that show because she is a funny smart PERSON! Thankfully we have had trailblazers before us to help the world realize women are people who are funny as shit. Shout out to Phyllis Diller and Minnie Pearl ya’ll!
SARAH CLASPELL: It’s inspiring to see such a talented woman killing it in the comedy scene and being as respected and celebrated as she is, and it makes me even more excited that she’s inspiring to both my male and female friends. We still have a way to go before people start looking at her solely as a writer without adding the qualifier that she’s a female writer, but we’re getting there.
Sarah Claspell (Meghan) & Veronica Osorio (Heavy Flo)
DARYN: Let’s talk about the comedy community in New York. I feel like you all live in one apartment building and just shoot videos! Do you have slumber parties and play charades?
MORGAN JARRETT: Yes.
JOCELYN GUEST: Claspell and I are roommates. I’d love to play charades with her if she’d let me get in the freaking bathroom!
SARAH CLASPELL: I’m amazing at charades!
VERONICA OSORIO: Seriously, I wish we all lived in the same neighborhood. We kind of do… we all spend our lives in Chelsea, near UCB, specifically AT UCB.
LESLIE MEISEL: Yes to charades, and as far as slumber parties, not so much… only because NY apartments are so small!
NICOLE DRESPEL: This is not a joke. In the last week, I have made plans for both a slumber party and a charades party.
SHANNON O’NEILL: I live in a secret lair that nobody knows about. Kind of like Lisbeth Salander. Google it!
DARYN: If the ladies of Vag Magazine threw a party, what would be the feminist drink they’d serve?
SARAH CLASPELL: Ugh, something weird! With a gross or gender neutral name, and probably organic. Maybe mojitos/mojitas/mojits — depending on how you identify…
JOCELYN GUEST: Jungle juice (red kool-aid and everclear) served out of Fennel’s bucket.
VERONICA OSORIO: There would be a Cuntail menu with all kind of drink puns. I’d drink Jennason on the Rocks.
LESLIE MEISEL: Reba would either want Scotch served neat or White Zin, nothing in between.
MORGAN JARRETT: Menstrual Margaritas, Skinny Girl Margarita mixed with organic vegan acai berry juice.
DARYN: All of you ladies have a background in sketch and improv. How much improv do you gals do in the show? Were the characters very specific on the page, or were they characters that were developed through improv?
JOCELYN GUEST: We improvised the entire thing. I think Caitlin and Leila actually wrote a show about horse wranglers.
NICOLE DRESPEL: The schedule is very tight. While there’s room for variety in delivery, not a lot deviates from what’s actually on the page. But Caitlin, Leila and Zach are very accommodating to actors whims. For example, they indulged my incredibly inspired choice to wear a leotard under most of my costumes. In July. On a set without air conditioning. My bad.
SARAH CLASPELL: The script was set for the most part, but Caitlin and Leila are flexible and let us play around with the lines to find ways of saying things that felt more real or fun. They know all of us so well, the characters they wrote for us were easy to fit into. My favorite improvised stuff was mostly non-script stuff, like the ladies being zany or almost any sound Veronica made.
VERONICA OSORIO: It’s both I think. For the most part, we are strict with the script, but we improvised all of our reactions and different ways to say the same lines. Also, you can improvise a little before the “Cut.” It doesn’t mean that it will work or make the cut, but I like giving different options to work with. I think that everyone in the cast improvises a bit and it’s hilarious. Hard not to crack up while acting!
LESLIE MEISEL: My character totally had hints in the script of who she is and what she finds important. While on set, they let me play with the script a little bit and definitely let me play physically, which helped bring it all to life.
MORGAN JARRETT: I think I was cast as a sort of caricature of myself! They cast me to play to my strengths, but I didn’t create my character. She was given to me. I do so much improv that when I get written material I like to say it word for word. I don’t improv a lot unless asked, I like being directed and told what to do. I also like to show respect to the words that are written. They were put there by a writer for a reason, and I trust their talent.
SHANNON O’NEILL: Caitlin and Leila did an amazing job writing all the characters. When I read the script, I knew what they wanted, and I did my best to honor their words. I just added a crazy maniacal laugh that I already use in real life.
Morgan Jarrett (Kit), Jocelyn Guest (Sylvie) & Nicole Drespel (Fennel)
DARYN: You all are fabulous comediennes. Were you always funny and the class clown when you were a kid, or was being a comedienne something that developed over time?
NICOLE DRESPEL: In eighth grade I was voted funniest girl in my class.
JOCELYN GUEST: I wanted to drive a tank or be a vet when I was a kid, so being a comedian never really occurred to me. I don’t think it was until I got my first C junior year of high school that I realized I needed to start making people laugh. Pronto.
VERONICA OSORIO: I was the in-her-own-world kid. When I was little, I once cried because an older kid talked to me. No one bullied me. People would just think I was crazy, but I made them somewhat laugh, mostly so they didn’t know what to bully me about.
SARAH CLASPELL: It definitely developed over time. I was kind of a shy, unsure kid who loved to sing and make up dances and characters but got really embarrassed showing that off to many people. Who knows what happened to make me want to show this off to large audiences. Magic?
LESLIE MEISEL: My dad was the comedy voice growing up and we would always do “bits” together. I took dance classes and performed in musicals as a kid, but it wasn’t until high school that doing comedy felt right. Then in college I continued that training, and when I found Second City and UCB, I knew I was in the right spot.
SHANNON O’NEILL: I made the cool kids laugh Mon-Friday and then sat at home on the weekends watching reruns of sitcoms, and once we could afford a VCR, catching up on Letterman.
MORGAN JARRETT: I think it was always there, but there was a very specific time in my life when I realized how important comedy was to me and found my comedic voice. Big shocker, it was during a difficult time, and I used humor to help myself through it. I actually feel like I’m a pretty dark person, which is totally opposite of my humor.
DARYN: What do you need from a writer or director in order to feel the most funny?
MORGAN JARRETT: To hear them laugh at what I’m saying.
VERONICA OSORIO: That they laugh. Sometimes I propose something, and they laugh, but it’s not what they envisioned, and that’s cool, because they’re open to see their material explored and to figure out what works best. I actually like proposing things that are funny but not in that context, so we both make it a bookmark for future stuff.
NICOLE DRESPEL: Approval and reassurance. Oh jeez. I wish my real answers didn’t sound like joke answers.
LESLIE MEISEL: Freedom to play!
SHANNON O’NEILL: Their trust in allowing me to take some liberties with the script.
SARAH CLASPELL: I feel the most funny when I’m able to collaborate with a writer/director to find a way to make something funny and special that still has my sense of humor in it. It could be in the lines themselves or just the way I embody the character.
JOCELYN GUEST: I rarely act. I write for a house team at UCB, so, really, just letting me say anything out loud makes me feel funny. I filmed a web series I wrote this weekend and being the writer on a set is much harder work that you’d think. Tegart and Leila did an incredible job. Comments like “good face that time” and “definitely hold hands” is always encouraging. Honestly, everyone on set was really great and supportive. When the people you’re working with are laughing, that always feels good. But it does make you do weirder and weirder shit until you’re stroking a bucket or chewing your hair. Then you hear, “Maybe do it like the last take. The one before. No. No. Stop chewing your hair.”
DARYN: Do you think Vag Magazine could ever have a male on staff, and if so, what would the girls make him do?
JOCELYN GUEST: Every gal needs access to a good sperm donor.
MORGAN JARRETT: No, this is not about equality for everyone, it’s about women!
VERONICA OSORIO: I don’t know. I would bark at him. If he barks back but shows respect while barking, he’s in. I think a straight man who’s a thirdwaver can be really funny, but I like the girls only concept so far. I love working with guys and all, but I think all girls makes Vag even more unique.
LESLIE MEISEL: I think Reba would say yes if he is related to a celebrity or if he is her assistant and has celebrity contacts.
NICOLE DRESPEL: I’ve submitted a list of both male and female love interests for Fennel. And right now I’m calling Joshua Jackson’s people like twice a week which our producers have recommended I stop doing. But I won’t.
SHANNON O’NEILL: Jaybird would probably adopt a 16 year old vietnamese boy and send him over to Vag as a spy, under the guise that he is a very quiet fashion designer.
SARAH CLASPELL: I feel like if the Vag Magazine crew added a male on staff, he would probably do something technical and not be allowed to contribute to the creative process at all. Who knows if they’d like him or Meghan more! Meghan might win by just a hair, or they could end up loving the guy for some crazy pro-feminist or gender neutral reason. Who knows, they’re loveable weirdos!
DARYN: When do you feel the most feminist? Or the least feminist?
JOCELYN GUEST:Most – This might be terrible but, I always feel inexplicably feminist when I give an old dude my seat on the subway. Least – When I care that Ellen Pompeo is thinner than I am.
VERONICA OSORIO: Most – If I crack someone up. Least – When girls attack each other. I think it reduces productivity, and I get mad at them for that. It’s weird to feel feminist and be mad at girls attacking each other, but in a way, I feel even more feminist for feeling like that.
LESLIE MEISEL: I think it’s the same moment. When I’m walking on the street and someone gives me that you-are-looking-good-sound. On one hand, I am so offended and then in the back of my mind I’m thinking, “Well, you know, you are looking pretty great today…”
MORGAN JARRETT: The most – when I feel really well versed on something that I’m passionate about. The least – when I demand my boyfriend must turn out the light because he is the man. It doesn’t matter who’s closer to it.
DARYN: What do think makes a real feminist?
JOCELYN GUEST: Just doing the damn thing and not being someone who fucks over your fellow lady is a good start. That and keeping a nice, full bush.
VERONICA OSORIO: When you just do – no apologies, no excuses, no stopping yourself, no comparing yourself… all of it while being kind. A feminist is not a girl that criticizes a woman who doesn’t seem “feminist” enough but who actually encourages her dreams.
LESLIE MEISEL: Truly being empowered by the fact that you are a woman and inspiring others to feel the same.
MORGAN JARRETT: Supporting other woman even if you don’t agree with what they’re saying.
DARYN: Let’s talk wardrobe. What is your opinion on leggings? Feminist?
MORGAN JARRETT: No.
JOCELYN GUEST: Leggings are just good business.
NICOLE DRESPEL: Leggings are re-appropriated pants so “super feminist.”
VERONICA OSORIO: I like opening my legs while and cartwheeling while wearing a skirt. Anything comfortable is worth wearing. Except Snuggies, there’s no excuse for that… or fleece. Ugh, FLEECE.
LESLIE MEISEL: I love leggings, though don’t go cheap on them! Gotta spend the money for some good ones!
SARAH CLASPELL: Leggings are feminist, but should be worn under a skirt or something unless you’re at the gym. Otherwise, leggings can be a problem!
SHANNON O’NEILL: I’m cool with them as long as I can’t see your camel toe.
DARYN: Pasminas? Feminist?
JOCELYN GUEST: Yes… and no.
VERONICA OSORIO: Yes, diva.
LESLIE MEISEL: Ugly.
SARAH CLASPELL: Sure.
MORGAN JARRETT: Yes, but only when worn a certain way.
SHANNON O’NEILL: Just buy a jacket already.
DARYN: Fedoras? Feminist?
VERONICA OSORIO: Yes.
MORGAN JARRETT: Yes.
SARAH CLASPELL: Why not!
LESLIE MEISEL: Only works if you are about to shoot a music video or perhaps accompanied by a white tank, tight jeans and about to go on stage at MSG and perform your pop hit single.
JOCELYN GUEST: As someone with an ungainly large head, I wouldn’t know. But Rhianna rocks it. So… yes?
DARYN: Ankle socks? Feminist?
JOCELYN GUEST: No.
VERONICA OSORIO: Big time.
MORGAN JARRETT: Yes, but hideous.
NICOLE DRESPEL: White? No. Patterns? Totally feminist.
LESLIE MEISEL: To the gym, great…. every day life, icky.
SARAH CLASPELL: Both? Neither? These are just clothes, man!
DARYN: What’s more feminist? Twitter or facebook?
NICOLE DRESPEL: Twitter. Facebook is the man’s modern day Panopticon.
SARAH CLASPELL: Totes facebook.
LESLIE MEISEL: Twitter, no brainer.
MORGAN JARRETT: Twitter.
JOCELYN GUEST: Twitter has the added bonus of tweeting at Jose Conseco who really needs to lock his shit up. And tweeting at Jose Conseco is pretty damn feminist.
VERONICA OSORIO: What’s the rate of girls employed on each one of those companies?
DARYN: What’s more feminist? Brooklyn, Queens, or New Jersey?
JOCELYN GUEST: I live in Harlem. So, Harlem. But obviously Jersey really lets gals do their thing. For better or worse.
NICOLE DRESPEL: Queens.
LESLIE MEISEL: Queens! Was that a trick question?!
SARAH CLASPELL: You’d think Queens, based on the name. You’re wrong. It’s Brooklyn.
MORGAN JARRETT: BK!
VERONICA OSORIO: Brooklyn Biatch!
DARYN: If you could be a man for a day, what would you do?
JOCELYN GUEST: Get on Jackass. And pee standing up.
LESLIE MEISEL: Play in the NFL, slap my dick on things, and perform in Puppetry of the Penis.
SHANNON O’NEILL: Play with my dick, and pee while driving.
VERONICA OSORIO: I’d call my mom/sis/ex-girlfriends and apologize for any time I said she was being weird due to her period. I would get a megaphone and shout in Time Square, “Thank you women of the world for bringing all of us here!”… or … Probably none of that and just stay home playing with my parts and facial hair.
SARAH CLASPELL: Drive in a convertible with the top down, without any hair whipping in my face and eyes. Run on the beach with my shirt off, without having to worry about a bra or any chest support. Ummm… tell all my dude friends to watch Vag Magazine because it’s funny! Finally, I’d end with a nice chicken parm, because, male or female, that shit is delicious.
Watch the Season Finale below.
