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the many voices of Maria bamford
A COMEDIAN OF COMEDY
W ho could forget Anthony Hopkins' stunning turn
as Der Fuhrer in the 1981 made-for-TV movie The
Bunker? What's that? It's impossible to forget
something you never knew about? Touche. No, Hopkins' Hitler
wasn't his true star turn; that would come 10 years later in his
role as hyper-literate proto-foodie Dr. Hannibal Lecter. He was
54. The moral to be found in this, our perfunctory introductory
paragraph, is as follows; when you ply your trade of choice
consistently, turns out you get increasingly better at it. Your
turn at success may simply be a matter of time.
So, in the context of that broader timeline, the 15-plus
years Maria Bamford spent honing her craft to become one of
America's most well-regarded stand-up comediennes could be
seen as a relative overnight success.
Those familiar with Bamford's work likely know her from the
documentary The Comedians of Comedy, which tracked a quartet
of "alternative" comics eschewing traditional "Laff Shack" style
comedy clubs in favor of a tour of indie-rock-centric venues.
Next to Patton Oswalt's nerd-fury, Zach Galifianakis' (pre-super
fame) non sequiturs and Brian Posehn's pervy Chewbacca-isms,
her uniqueness shone through immediately. Aside from her
lone presence contributing almost entirely "clean" mate
rial, Bamford spent less time speaking in her actual voice (a
somewhat timid pixie-squeak) than she did doing her uncanny
vocal impressions. But even then, as opposed to Oswalt's
conservative-baiting political humor, Bamford's voices are from
everyday life. The personas she mimics are apt to be encoun
tered by anybody—the overly polite coffeehouse patron, the
boredom-petrified office worker, the condescending, upwardly
mobile yuppie. But rather than putting on a "character" and
leaving it there, Bamford's take on these personas lacerates the
social contract, using her wide-eyed "default" voice to narrate
her navigation of tiie loud, obnoxious world we live in.
Growing up in Duluth, MN, "I listened to Steve Martin
and Eddie Murphy as a kid, but I didn't really think of it as
an idea for a job," says Bamford, speaking from her home in
Eagle Rock, CA in a voice betraying only a shade more of a
Midwestern accent than that of her onstage performances. "I
did a talent show in college, and then I didn't do it again u
I transferred to the University of Minnesota. They had more
open mics in Minneapolis, and so I started doing those. And
was like, 'Oh, this is exactly what I like doing.' So that's what
I did!"
After graduating, Bamford moved to Los Angeles to pursue
her stand-up career. Asked how Los Angeles' comedy scene is
different from those elsewhere, she says, "I guess the only
weird thing about L.A. is, at least in my brain, I think, 'Oh,
somebody's watching here.' Which, I think in general, is not
true; nobody cares," she laughs. "But it's just open mics, or
have a show in your living room, or wherever it feels good to
just start, doing it. And if you do enjoy it, it doesn't matter
what happens because you're enjoying it. But I think it's just
like music, where sometimes it takes a long time to get paid
for it...I had to have a day-job for eight to 10 years.
Unlike many funny people, stand-up for her was the thing,
not a means to some other end. "I think stand-up, live
mance is my favorite. It's really empowering to do it anytime
and say whatever you want; I think I'll always do that," she
says. "
Most recently, Bamford can be seen portraying the super
shopper pitchwoman for Target's holiday 4 a.m. massacres or
alongside other comedian's comedians in the Los Angeles-
based "Comedy Death-ray" performance night/ radio show.
Pressed to pinpoint what moment in her career pushed her
the top in terms of success or exposure, she demurs: "Well, I
think it's a combination of things. You know that Critical Mas:
thing, where, you know... you get enough bicycles, and then
more people grab their bicycles, and then there's a bunch of
bicycles, and pretty much, y'know... traffic stops. That's a
metaphor from San Francisco..."
Jeff Tobias
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JANUARY 12, 2011 • FLAGPOLE.COM 17