Today's interviewee is a colleague and buddy of mine who I first got to really know last year when her first, hilarious, personal book I Don't Care About Your Band came out which is now being developed by a little network called HBO for a TV series starring Party Down's Lizzy Caplan. She's also an advice columnist for Salon.com She has a whole ton of other writing and performing credits you can learn more about here and here.

Which part of I Don't Care About Your Band was hardest to write?
Probably the chapter about the guy I called "Alex", just because I was still nursing the pain of him not being able to connect with me when I sat down to work on it, and it was hard to know, going into that chapter, how to make it funny or get across any kind of point of view, humorous or otherwise, without the distance of not caring so much anymore.

How much did you reach out before the book was published to the real-life people you were writing about: are you an ask permission or beg forgiveness kind of girl?
Well, most of the guys I wrote about were people I'd either hooked up with or had dates with, and then disappeared. So I didn't feel like it made much sense on my part to embark on some kind of reach-out mission to men who'd already done their darnedest to make themselves scarce years ago. Also, since I changed the names of the people I wrote about and so many of the identifying details, I didn't think it was necessary to give anyone a heads up from a "covering my tuchus" point of view. And finally, the more I worked on the book, the more I realized that it really wasn't about the guys I wrote about--it was about my experiences with them, and my reader connecting and relating to those stories. So, I really had nothing to beg forgiveness for. I mean, no offense-- but fuck 'em.

Was there any unfortunately blowback from the book?
Not really! I mean, some people didn't like it, and I'm sure some people hated it, but I didn't get a lot of hate mail or anything. Even my reviews were, for the most part, pretty generous. I did get some bad reviews on Amazon, but that's par for the course. One guy on there whose name is "Snark Shark" really hated some of the things I meant facetiously, and wrote a long review that ended with "I don't care about your BOOK!" which was sort of silly. But then you click on his profile and it says "Lists made by this user" and you can see this list called "The Lesser Known Jewels of Fantasy (And some of Sci-Fi)." So basically, you know where that person is coming from. But I didn't hear from any of the guys in the book so far, besides one of my old friends who I called Sam, and the two ex boyfriends I wrote about, who were relieved and kind about it. But for the most part, people have been really nice, and women in particular acknowledge the spirit in which it was written. I really did end up writing it as a way to be there for other girls in the same position as I was. I get a lot of "you're my big sister!" or "you led my life!" emails from random ladies, still, which is the greatest.

In your dedication to the book you begged your parents not to read it. How much of your stuff do your parents read? What's their feedback?
They read what I let them read, and they are delighted when they have the opportunity to partake in whatever creative endeavor I'm excited about. They're very supportive, loving; they're great people. But to paraphrase John Waters, showing them that book would have been parent abuse. It's too dirty. They liked my Camp MTV piece on The Awl; I'll let them read my cultural critical stuff. They've also gone to a ton of my shows and have always been there for me, even from the sidelines.

You've written for stage, TV, the page, the web: which comes easiest to you?
Haha. I like that. FROM THE PAGE TO THE STAGE: The multimedia enterprises of Julie Klausner. There outta be a seminar! I guess any of the above can come easiest to you if you have an idea for what you're doing or if you're being paid to do it. And when I say "easy," writing's never really easy-easy. Or, it's not fun. Talking to your friend about an idea is fun. Seeing your name in print is fun. Doing it is a grind. It's like the opposite of performing; when you're doing it, you feel fantastic, and afterward you feel like shit. Writing feels like shit, and after you finish, you feel fantastic. But sometimes when you're in the middle of the cardio of getting to your word count, you can stumble on something really funny or figure out what it is you truly think about something, or make a connection or a realization, or use a word you're in love with--and that's really satisfying. But not easy, necessarily, and not particularly fun.

How'd you rise to the new rank of professional advice-giver?
My pal Sarah Hepola at Salon was looking for stuff for me to do for the new version of Broadsheet, and an advice column was something we'd bandied about. Do you like that term, "Bandied about"? It makes me think of brandy. I wish they called drinking brandy, "brandy'ing about." Anyway, so that idea came up and I tried it, and it was fun to help women in a more pedantic kind of way than I usually like to help women, which is by using myself as an example and hoping my audience's empathy kicks in. But it was only a summer gig--which was fine by me. I had taken plenty of abuse from Salon commenters which I'd love a break from. They are the meanest old people you've ever seen outside a nursing home running low on pudding.

What have been your resources to date as an advice columnist?
Oh, just being a big ol' nosy neighbor and running my mouth whenever people tell me shit. And knowing when to ask around for help if something is out of my area of expertise. I guess I've always been more of a strategist or a problem solver when it comes to dealing with things that upset me in my own life, too, so giving advice feels natural when it comes to managing issues that seem insurmountable.

Is there anything you're hoping people ask you so you can shine like a sun of knowledge?
I hope I get to move onto another columnist gig where I can give different kinds of advice--on relationship stuff, friend stuff, etc. But selfishly, I'm waiting for somebody to give me a compliment in the ruse of advice-seeking. Like "What is your hair care routine? Your hair always looks so outstanding." Because I'm very vain about my hair, so that would be validating.

What's the cutest thing you've seen on the Internet lately?
Natasha Vargas-Cooper sent me this photo of an orphaned baby manatee being bottlefed at Sea World, and it pretty much tore me in half.

You used to teach sketch and humor essay writing at the UCB Theater: what did you do when you encountered a student who just was Not Funny?
You just lead by example, focus on teaching them the structure of a good sketch or essay, and point out in their work where it could be better. But any writing teacher will tell you that you can't teach talent, you can only hone a skill. I have seen students get much better with practice in that world. But I'm also the kind of person who loves something that's so bad, it's cringeworthy. That's hilarious to me. A lot of people can't stand that moment when somebody goes up and embarrasses themself with, like, a lousy stand-up act, but I love it. As long as you're not boring, I'm thrilled to be in on the joke. And there's also so much humility to having gone through that process as a student on the other end of it, that I automatically respect anyone with the balls to put their work in front of a teacher and a classroom, and say "what do you think of this?"

I have been feeling bereft of inspiration and humor lately: what's your typical writing/working day like, so I can steal your ideas for how to come up with more and better stuff?
I don't have any typical working day--I'm the anti-Twyla Tharp in that I eschew routine. When I'm mid-project I'll try to wake up early and work on it right away before I get too antsy, but otherwise, I just sort of catch up on email and internet stuff in the morning when the feeds are fresh, and then force myself to write whatever is on my to-do list as soon as I run out of stuff to read.

Do you have any rules for yourself on reading comments and/or interacting with commenters on your interweb pieces?
It really depends on the site. Salon, as I mentioned, and the AV Club have some particularly nasty commenters who just come in ready to tear down whatever is being written about. So I avoid reading those comments; they are pretty much the opposite of constructive. I get my feedback from my editors instead. But I read the comments section of Jezebel and NYMag and The Awl, and I try not to butt in too often, but every once in a while I can't help myself.

What's your next book going to be about?
Gosh, I don't know. Dogs? I'll say dogs.

Who are some of your favorite funny women?
Rachel Dratch, first and foremost. I don't think anybody is funnier than her. Otherwise, I'm a big fan of sketch comedy super-starlets: Amy Poehler, Jan Hooks, Laraine Newman...they were and are hugely inspirational to me having come up in the UCB world. As far as writers go, I'm a fan of Rachel Axler, Allison Silverman, Tina Fey, obviously--that she wrote the Census Taker sketch alone should have cemented her status as a legend---Sarah Haskins, I think is great. Jane Lynch, obviously, is the funniest part of anything she's in; it's kind of unfair. The SCTV ladies, Andrea Martin and Catherine O'Hara are totally brilliant, as is Amy Sedaris, whose talent literally scares me. Also, Jamie Denbo is my idol. She and Jessica Chaffin's Ronna and Beverly characters are the single funniest sketch institution I've seen in the last ten years. So many more.

Am I really missing anything by not watching the Real Housewives shows?
You are, at least when it comes to Real Housewives of New York. Those women are fascinating, because they're mired in the currency of what is and isn't "classy," when they themselves are on, um--hello, a reality show, which is not at all classy. It's absolutely fascinating to watch educated--though not necessarily intelligent--women of a certain age interact with one another and gossip and compete and then discuss it with your friends afterward. It's television by, for and about women. And it is like crack cocaine to me.

What's the last thing you drew?
A cat standing next to some roses on a legal pad while I was on the phone.

You've said in other interviews that you were interested in comedy as a young age: what are a few things that made you laugh as a young person that still makes you laugh now as a slightly more mature young person?
The Muppets. Looney Tunes. Madeline Kahn in anything. The majority of Three Amigos. Naked butts.

How does it feel to be the 261st person interviewed for Zulkey.com?
It feels like the first time. You must be huge!