For episode 2 of our new podcast Cake Break, we sat down over a GF fudge doughnut with our good friend, awesome comedian and all-round great human, Josie Long.
Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/TuD0cOjnZV4
Listen here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1708327/episodes/8389246
Or read on for a bit of the Q&A...
F&D (Chloe): So lockdown. How has it been for you?
Josie: I feel like lockdown has been a real adventure in eating a lot of sweet goods for me. It's been really like leaning into it, you know, and just saying to myself, 'this is how to look after ourselves' .... it's good to be talking about cake because I hope that people are able to relax about eating delicious things and treating themselves. In hard times I feel like it's important to build up a store of sweet things.
F&D (Chloe): Have you done much baking during the pandemic?
Josie: The only thing I've really learned, and my problem is mostly I'm baking gluten free, which is like harder and worse. So, the only thing I've learned is, scones! I can make scones! I had no idea. I felt like for years that a scone was a luxury item made only by sophisticated chefs. And then to find out basically you can have the idea for scone and a scone in 30 minutes. From brain to table! 30 minutes!
F&D (Chloe): Obviously you can't do live comedy, but I see you've done online live comedy. What's it like?
Josie: Yeah. I've been doing lots of zooms. Do you know what? It's really varied. Sometimes you come away and you think, wow, we all bonded and connected and it was a great gig. And that felt like a real gig. And other times you're like, 'What am I doing?' I've done it where, and also if you're on like a mixed bill gig, what happens is, there'll be people there who just, not only aren't interested in you, but actively didn't know you were on and don't like you, right. So then they'll be the first comedian and you'll watch them on their little screen because you can see everyone if you want. I come on the screen and I see people in their houses like leaving! Going to the kitchen. Oh, it's brutal. It's like worse than live. But yeah. On the whole. It is fun, but like, it doesn't beat for me, the atmosphere of like 'in the flesh' and the one-off ness of it.
F&D (Jade): with lockdown, there's been a lot of chat about what is essential now and what isn't essential and, you know, while a fudge doughnut is not essential, there are things in our lives, like cakes for example, and books and, comedians putting on online things, that we all need so badly right now as just a distraction. A little comfort as well.
Josie: Yeah. Comfort and joy. There we go. Like just little things to kind of make life worth living. There's a really good quote about, there's two quotes. So one of them is "the arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very humane way of making life more bearable." And I really like that. And then there's a quote from a Raymond Carver story, and it's a really sad story about like, Oh God, it's just really sad about bereavement and stuff, but in it, they end up speaking to this Baker, in fact, and the Baker gives them some hot rolls and he says, "eating is a small good thing at a time like this." And I always think of that. Like, it's such a, I don't know. It's true. It's always good to eat well with people you love. It's always good to share something delicious. It's important, Isn't it? It's nourishment.
Ok alright, am I allowed to eat the cake now? Shall I go for it?
F&D (Chloe): Josie is eating a gluten-free fudge doughnut.
Josie: Oh my god, Hmm Hmm. Hmm. So here's the thing. The fudge is very special to me because like, I want to tell people listening that I've known you guys now, and this is actually quite scary for nearly 12 years, isn't that wild? And I first met you guys when I came up for a Fence thing in 2009. And that's when I met you guys. And also when I discovered your delicious goods. Delicious baked goods! Um, but so the fudge is like, it's right there. It's so delicious. The texture is perfect. I finished that donut, I felt like in about 30 seconds and I was both proud, and also like, this is recorded. People are going to see how quickly you demolished this. They're gonna know that you just went 'humph'. It's so delicious!
F&D (Jade): We can put it in slow motion.
Josie: That would, yeah, I think that it would be good for my dignity!
F&D (Chloe): When lockdown is over, I wondered who the first person you want to meet in real life for cake would be.
Josie: Awwww, well, do you know what? I hope isn't too cheesy but I really can't wait to go down and see my parents. I haven't seen them for months and months and I just would love it. I'd love to be with my mum or my dad and be sort of, slightly stressed out for no reason. Like be with my mom and be a bit impatient with her for no reason. Like for nothing she's done just like, Oh yes. I'd love that.
F&D (Jade): I have another cake-related question, which is something that I genuinely am curious about. When you were growing up, did your mum or dad bake?
Josie: Oh, so my mum did bake quite a lot. My mum is a very experimental cook and often the experiments were successful, in their own way. And she used to often bake cakes that were liquid in the middle, right, under-cooked I guess. Not on purpose. But honestly, I used to love them. Mmm, love. Like eggy soup!? I don't know what that is in the middle. I really have a fond memory of my mum's cooking. My mum's baking was like very rough round the edges, but like still delicious. And she, we used to do the classic thing of like, she would let me lick the spoon and the bottom of the bowl. And I do remember always thinking that raw cake dough was like nicer than anything in the world.
F&D (Chloe): Yeah. My two (kids) are obsessed with it, but you're not even, you've not even put the mix into the cupcake cases and they're like, 'can we lick it yet?'
Josie: Oh, it must be so cute to be like, to be baking with them.
F&D (Chloe): I must've been on maternity leave and I would take my two children to the bakery and then whatever cake Jade was making, she would set up like a little station with icing and stuff next to her. And I would try and get the baby off to sleep while the older one was, "making cakes".
Josie: Aww. Yeah, that must be so nice.
F&D (Jade): yeah, and I did the same with our nephew, when he was younger as well, but then there is a very, um, like it comes to an abrupt stop the day that they realise that it's not play-doh and that it is just sugar. And that's it!
Josie: Oh! You just can't do it anymore. I feel like my daughter would be like that already, like she's always just been SO treats focused and I try really hard to keep saying to myself, 'you are in charge of what you feed your daughter, and we don't have to listen to the pressure for treats', but it's like, she could recognise chocolate bars when she had never eaten a chocolate bar in her entire life!
F&D (Chloe): I was going to ask if you want to eat more cake, but I thinkyou maybe ate all the cake?!
Josie: I've eaten all the cakes!
F&D (Chloe): Did you share any?
Josie: I did give one to my partner. Basically, I always want to eat more. It's delicious. It is so nice.
F&D (Chloe): Do you think it's going to be weird going back to like live gigs and have you got stuff coming up, to fill that gap before that's the thing again?
Josie: Yeah. I have, I have, I'm doing writing. I'm trying to get various things off the ground and I'm doing a lot of like online stuff. And I think it's going to be really exciting when stuff happens again. I think people are going to, I think if anything, people might be a bit mad, like they might just be a bit manic and over excited... And I think honestly, even if people hate it, I'll just be thrilled.
Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. Yeah. I was saying this the other week, but I'm really looking forward to dying on my arse. Like doing really badly. I think it will be hilarious fun.
F&D (Chloe): I think we have similar sorts of jobs. Like we get to see people enjoy good cake. And you get to make people laugh.
Josie: It's so lovely. Like I, I think about that quite a lot about how it's actually really lucky. Cause you know, it must be hard to be someone who only interacts with the harder parts of human nature or the harder parts of life. And like, I feel really glad that like, yeah, we get to do the fun bits.
F&D (Jade): Yeah. I often, if I'm having a really stressful day, like I often have to remind myself like, of the consequences. You know, I'm not a surgeon. If I mess up my job, no one's going to die. Like the worst thing that's going to happen is someone's not going to get a cake when they thought they were going to get a cake.
Josie: Yeah, yeah, exactly. Like, don't get me wrong. It's still sad. And it's a shame, but I have the exact same feeling of like, yeah, I don't have life and death responsibility. Worst thing is someone would be a bit bored. Maybe they'll read their phone. Okay. That's fine. They might read something interesting. Oh, that's good. None of us are harming anyone!
F&D (Chloe): Unless we get the gluten wrong.
Josie: Yeah!
F&D (Jade): We'll check back in with you tonight!
Josie: Thanks for chatting to me. It was really nice.
F&D (Chloe): Well, thank you for coming. We're look forward to you coming to Fife!
Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/TuD0cOjnZV4
Listen here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1708327/episodes/8389246