Q & Andy: Carrie Brownstein
ABOVE: CARRIE BROWNSTEIN. PHOTO COURTESY OF CATHERINE OPIE/IFC.
ANDY WARHOL: What did you have for breakfast?
CARRIE BROWNSTEIN: Cereal with almond milk. Coffee with cream.
WARHOL: How were you discovered?
BROWNSTEIN: I willed myself into being.
WARHOL: What was your first job?
BROWNSTEIN: Working concessions at a movie theater.
WARHOL: What’s the craziest thing a fan has sent you?
BROWNSTEIN: I think marriage proposals are pretty crazy. I’m always tempted to say yes, just to see if they’re bluffing or not.
WARHOL: Is there anything you regret not doing?
BROWNSTEIN: I wish I’d lived in New York in my early twenties. Or learned to speak more languages at a young age. I didn’t do either.
WARHOL: What’s your favorite movie?
BROWNSTEIN: Nashville (1975).
WARHOL: Do you keep a diary?
BROWNSTEIN: Intermittently.
WARHOL: When do you get nervous?
BROWNSTEIN: At dinner parties that are just intimate enough that everyone is involved in the same conversation, but not intimate enough that I’m comfortable with everyone there. Also during events with group introductions wherein a go-around is required—this involves going around the table, having each person say their name plus one interesting fact about themselves.
WARHOL: Do you dream?
BROWNSTEIN: Yes, when I don’t have insomnia. The other night I dreamt that I got an e-mail telling me that a research project I was working on was past due. But I didn’t know I had even taken on a job as a researcher. It was an anxiety dream, obviously.
WARHOL: What do you think about American kids?
BROWNSTEIN: That they don’t care what I think about them.
WARHOL: Have you had any really nutty fans that scared you?
BROWNSTEIN: Nutty fans are fine with me as I have no known nut allergy. In general though, it’s best to carry an EpiPen to deal with outbreaks of fan nuttiness.
WARHOL: Do you dance at home?
BROWNSTEIN: Yes, I like to put on records and practice for dance parties that I rarely, if ever, attend.
WARHOL: Do you get depressed if you don’t work?
BROWNSTEIN: Terribly. So I work a lot.
WARHOL: Who would be your dream date?
BROWNSTEIN: Stephen Fry.
WARHOL: Have you been to the White House?
BROWNSTEIN: Only to the gate.
WARHOL: What do you think about love?
BROWNSTEIN: That it’s easier to think about than to feel. But maybe we should all aim for the latter.
SLEATER KINNEY NEW ALBUM, NO CITIES TO LOVE, COMES OUT JANUARY 20, 2015. PORTLANDIA RETURNS TO IFC FOR ITS FIFTH SEASON ON JANUARY 8.
