The polymathic comedian Amy Poehler is a 14-time Emmy nominee and all-round force of nature. She performed improv in Chicago and New York before joining the Saturday Night Live cast, often co-anchoring sketches with her friend and collaborator Tina Fey. She starred as the perky bureaucrat Leslie Knope in the sitcom Parks and Recreation, and co-hosted the Golden Globes for three years running alongside Fey. She’s executive producer on the sitcoms Welcome to Sweden and Broad City, and co-founded Smart Girls, an online community for young women. Last year, she published her memoir, Yes Please. Poehler, 43, voices the lead character Joy in the new Pixar film Inside Out.
1 | Film
Bicycle Thieves
I’m a big fan of Bicycle Thieves. Love that film. I first saw it when I was at university and I’ve probably seen it half-a-dozen times. It’s a classic example of very simple storytelling. The father-son relationship is so beautiful and incredibly moving. It’s one to watch in the dead of winter. People always assume when you’re a comedian that you’re laughing all the time, but I actually enjoy very dark, sad things – as my choices here will demonstrate.
2 | Music
Leon Bridges
I’m really loving Leon Bridges right now. He’s a good Texan boy with a beautiful voice. Sam Cooke is my favourite musician ever – again, a perfect musician to listen to in a cold, dark room – and Leon has a bit of that natural, soulful style. I listen to a lot of British music, too. I’m in the UK right now and it’s against the law not to wake up to Morrissey. Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want is pretty much the perfect song. I also adore Billy Bragg, especially his collaborations with Wilco.
3 | Book
The Goldfinch
The Goldfinch [by Donna Tartt] is a year or two old, but I finally read it this spring and it’s amazing. A big hefty one, too. You look very impressive when you’re reading it. There’s a guy introduced on page 278 who is one of the best characters I’ve read in fiction for the last decade: this wonderful Ukrainian maniac named Boris, who both helps and hurts the protagonist Theo at the same time. I’d love to have Boris come alive and be in my life. He’d take care of me / put me in harm’s way – every girl’s dream.
4 | TV
Difficult People
Continuing on the dark trend, but in a funny way, there’s a show called Difficult People coming out this month. I’m exec-producing and it’s a single-camera show set in New York City about two comedians, played by Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner, who feel their chance has passed them by. They’re exasperated that their friends are successful and they’re still struggling. They hate everything and everyone except each other. Julie’s the creator and writer, and it’s so great. It’s Will & Grace if Grace was a six and Will was a five. We pressurised our pals to make cameos, so Martin Short, Seth Meyers and Debbie Harry all pop up.
5 | Comedian
Amy Schumer
Amy is crushing it on every level. I love what she’s doing. Her show, Inside Amy Schumer, is hilarious and I just like her voice in the world right now. I like alphas, captains, number ones, and Amy and Louis CK are the king and the queen of comedy right now. I’ve known Louis for a long time, seen him in all different iterations, but his standup continues to feel completely fresh. His stuff is both incredibly personal and universal, which is hard to pull off. I just love his artistic worldview. Growing up in the 90s, I loved British comedy, too. We used to pass VHS tapes around college of Smack the Pony, Brass Eye, The Day Today and Steve Coogan.
6 | Play
The Elephant Man
I went to see The Elephant Man on Broadway, with Bradley Cooper and the luminous Patricia Clarkson, and I was really excited. Bradley and I did a movie 15 years ago called Wet Hot American Summer, which has now got a prequel series on Netflix. It was Bradley’s first film and even back then, he was talking about how he’d played John Merrick in a college production. Now he’s done it on Broadway, so good on him, man. The David Lynch film version is another goodie for a cold dark night. So weepy. And I think if we’ve learned anything here, it’s that I like to cry.
7 | Artist
Mark Bradford
Mark Bradford is from LA and does these giant collage paintings using found elements from his everyday life. I love his work. His process is very blue-collar, not precious, he just keeps moving things around and sanding things down. I’m drawn to artists who don’t pretend they’re magicians but show their workings. I like the physical labour of it.
