“Patrick Bateman Vibes”: Tim Heidecker on Gavin Newsom, JD Vance, and the Dodgers

All things considered, it’s a good time to be Tim Heidecker. When we called up the comedian last week, he was gearing up to release a new album of music and his beloved Los Angeles Dodgers were cruising through the MLB playoffs on their way to their first World Series berth since 2020. At press time, they’re preparing to play the New York Yankees in the big one, so it’s a good thing we snagged Heidecker for this week’s Rorschach Test before his attentions become understandably divided. The 48-year-old father of two, who alongside his partner Eric Wareheim has essentially defined an entire generation’s absurdist comedic sensibilities, has more recently found an apt container for his most pressing anxieties in the form of song, reflecting on middle age, fatherhood, and the bleak state of the world in a 10-track soft-rock album called Slipping Away. Accordingly, we asked Tim Heidecker to sound off on a number of hot-button topics for this week’s Rorschach Test, from imposter syndrome and sports betting to Shohei Ohtani and California’s “comic book villain” governor, Gavin Newsom.

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LAUGH TRACKS

“Irrelevant.”

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SHOHEI OHTANI

“I mean, I could go off on this. He’s so charismatic and seems like such a nice guy. I’m so happy for him that he’s on a team that’s winning. There’s something sweet about the fact that he’s one of the guys, but he’s also from another planet. It’s just been a really fun year watching him play.”

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FATHERHOOD

“It keeps getting better. The older the kids get, they’re more fun to be around. But I don’t miss the changing of the diapers.“

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GAVIN NEWSOM

“A literal comic book villain from central casting. Patrick Bateman vibes. He’s definitely had someone killed or may have killed someone himself.”

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PITCHFORK

“Pretentious, irrelevant, and disconnected from popular culture in a way that doesn’t make sense to me.“

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GLENDALE

“I love it. Please stay away so we can keep it pure. No more people from Silver Lake moving up here.“

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HECKLERS

“I love the challenge of dealing with it, but I don’t want to encourage it. I don’t mind hecklers as much as people that nowadays think they’re entitled to be part of the show, the TikTok influencer types who want to get up on stage. That happened to me when I played Central Park this summer. Somebody’s like, Hey, can I come up and show and do a song? I’m like, No, go away.“

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IMPOSTER SYNDROME

“I relate. Many times I have felt the sensation of: I don’t belong here. How did I get here? You must be thinking of someone else.“

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MIDDLE AGE

“I’ve always felt middle-aged mentally, but now my body’s catching up to it. I have aches and pains and weird sensations and heart issues.“

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ERIC ADAMS

“A classic crook, a bad guy. But I don’t follow it too closely ‘cause I’m in California. He’s no Rudy Giuliani.“

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FANDUEL

“I despise all online gambling. I think it’s a total blight on our society and it’s so sad to see how it’s just completely infected sports. When they’re showing probabilities and odds and shit during the game,  it’s like, “Fuck off, I don’t give a shit.”“

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STEAM ROOMS

“I love a good schvitz and I appreciate the anonymous nudity.“

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SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

“I have tremendous respect for the talent, but… Okay, how about this? I’ve got tremendous respect for the talent and wish them all the best.“

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JD VANCE

“Somebody I’d want to have a donut with.“

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CHAPPELL ROAN

“I’m all in, as Josh Gad said to Drew Barrymore. I had a very specific reaction to her maybe a month or two ago when I suddenly discovered her after seeing her playing in front of 10,000 people who all knew every lyric. And I was like, Well, what email did I miss? Where did she come from? That happens to me all the time.“

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