173. Atsuko Okatsuka Returns: The Dizzy Duo

Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out

Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out podcast

Mygirlfriendsboyfriend, Interviews, Comedy Interviews, Sleepwalkwithme, Iraglass, Comedy, Thankgodforjokes, Thenewone, Mikebirbiglia, Dontthinktwice, Birbiglia

4.8 • 4K Ratings

🗓️ 16 June 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Atsuko Okatsuka returns for her fourth Working It Out episode. Mike and Atsuko trace their friendship from Atsuko’s first appearance on the podcast, to opening for Mike at the Chicago Theatre, to touring with Mike across the country. Through it all Mike and Atsuko (and Atsuko’s husband and creative collaborator Ryan Harper Gray) became close friends and trusted comedy confidants. Now they discuss the delicate process of turning domestic drama into comedy, like Atsuko’s story of essentially being kidnapped by her grandmother as a child, and more recently, the time when Atsuko realized she’d never done the laundry at home, and how her husband encouraged her to make it into a bit.

Transcript

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0:00.0	How did you ask your grandma if she kidnapped you?
0:04.5	How did you bring it up?
0:06.4	Did you go like, I have something to talk about you with you?
0:09.8	Yeah.
0:10.5	And I said, I'm about to record this conversation too.
0:14.8	Is that okay?
0:15.9	Yeah, so there was that.
0:17.2	It was kind of a trap.
0:20.8	That is the voice of the great Atsiko Akatsika.
0:24.4	This is Atsko's fourth. Count it, fourth time on the podcast.
0:29.1	One of my favorite comics, we've toured together, we've hung out a lot, we talk about
0:34.1	comedy together a lot as friends. We are new adult friends.
0:39.0	We talk today about how hard it is to make friends as an adult.
0:42.1	She talks about that topic in her new special.
0:44.3	Like so many people, I started following Otsko on Instagram, and then she opened for me at the Chicago Theater.
0:51.3	We've been friends ever since.
0:52.9	Her new special is called Father.
0:55.9	It is fantastic. It's on Hulu and Disney Plus Now. I highly recommend watching her special.
1:02.1	Thank you so much for watching my special. The Good Life. It's on Netflix now. I'm super proud of it.
1:08.0	This week we're actually doing a really exciting event at the 92nd Street Y here in New York.
1:12.6	I'm screening the special and then doing a Q&A hosted by my good friend Hassan Menhage.
1:19.0	That's this Wednesday.
	...

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