Cecily Strong, THIS WILL ALL BE OVER SOON: A Memoir
[0:01]Hi, this is Vivi Owens, and you're listening to the award-winning podcast, Momstone Have Time to Read Books.
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[0:38]Cecily Strong is the author of This Will All Be Over Soon, a memoir.
[0:42]Cecily returns this year to Saturday Night Live for her ninth season.
[0:46]She has entertained viewers with her standout weekend update character Kathy Ann,
[0:51]Michael Chase-Wacky Chainsmoking Neighbor, who offers her opinions on current events.
[0:55]Her recurring character, Gemma, a British singer with various boyfriends,
[0:59]Aussie also quickly became a fan favorite.
[1:02]She earned rave reviews for her notable impressions of Judge Janine Pero,
[1:06]Senator Dianne Feinstein and Melania Trump.
[1:09]Strong has co-hosted weekend update alongside both Seth Meyers and Colin Jost.
[1:14]In 2020, she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
[1:19]for her work on Saturday Night Live, and also has another Emmy nomination right now.
[1:23]In Chicago, Strong improvised regularly at IO and served as an understudy for the second
[1:28]city main stage and ETC shows. She performed as a member of the second city
[1:32]national touring company and has also appeared in the Chicago sketchfest.
[1:36]Chicago just relapsed the New York sketchfest and the Edinburgh fringe festival.
[1:41]She has appeared in the female brain and Paul Faggot's reboot of Ghostbusters,
[1:45]as well as the bronze, the medaller, and Melissa McCarthy's The Boss.
[1:49]Additionally, Strong headlined the 2015 White House Correspondents Dinner.
[1:54]She was raised in Oak Park, Illinois, and has a BFA and Theater from the California
[1:59]Institute of the Arts. Also, by the way, this is her 10th season.
[2:03]She completed her 9th season, so this is now her 10th season,
[2:06]and this is her debut memoir, her first book ever, and I had the privilege of doing an
[2:11]Instagram line with her on her pub day, August 10th, Tuesday, August 10th.
[2:15]I had terrible allergies, and I'm sorry about that, so it wasn't my most coherent
[2:21]since I was sneezing the whole time, but we had a great conversation, short and sweet,
[2:25]and I hope you will enjoy it here. Hi, how are you? Happy pub day, too.
[2:31]Oh, thank you. Thanks, great excuse, reason to upgrade my Instagram.
[2:36]I've never seen that before with all the various... Well, you'll see it all with me.
[2:43]I do everything wrong, textiles, stuff it. Well, congratulations. As you know, I just
[2:49]loved your bike for the second. I started reading it once again, or whenever I got it. This
[2:53]will all be over soon. I'm so excited for you that it's out in the world today. How do you feel
[2:57]about it? It's strange. I don't know quite... It's still early, so I don't know how I feel.
[3:02]Maybe I won't know until afternoon. It's a little bit. Yes, exactly.
[3:08]But I'm very happy. You've been so nice since early on, so I really appreciate you and even
[3:14]you doing this today. Oh my gosh, it's my pleasure. You know, the book resonated with me on
[3:19]so many levels. One, the loss of your cousin and how beautiful you write about that and how you
[3:24]flashback and show us all about him as a person, right? This isn't just about your loss. It's about
[3:29]so many times. And now we all know him and your other cousin and how your relationship you
[3:35]evolved and how amazing and supportive he was and the impact of that loss on you. But also how
[3:40]you took us through the pandemic and how you showed us how so like so many other people,
[3:46]people aren't only grieving loss because of COVID during COVID, right? It's like there's so
[3:50]many other things that happen in life that happen along the way. And even when you have that
[3:55]funny line about like, yeah, I'm going to talk to you about boy troubles in the middle of
[3:59]it. Yeah. Life goes on. So tell me a little bit about what made you write this book.
[4:05]How why did you decide to publish this book? I feel like you wrote it for you. Why did this become
[4:09]a book for you? You know, I think after doing the first essay, sharing that with New York
[4:15]magazine, I think I just had a lot of people reach out to me and it seemed like it was maybe
[4:22]helpful for some people. And I thought, you know, early on when I lost, oh, and I didn't know
[4:30]how to write about him. I didn't know how to talk about it. But it felt like, okay, if people are
[4:36]maybe going to feel helped in any way, that's the best way I could think of to share my cousin
[4:43]and be able to share him. It's like it feels like an active thing publishing this book. That's
[4:50]like an active way to show that. Oh, and still going that a story is still going. It's so true.
[4:56]You had a lot of beautiful passages about grief, but I just wanted to read this one tiny section
[5:01]when you were talking. This is from and I love how you dated. It's all diary form, which I love.
[5:06]This is like the British Jones diary of grief. Anyway, this is from April 17th, 2020. And you say,
[5:12]do you also cry yourself to sleep so often? I keep approaching okay, but I'm never fully there.
[5:18]I'll only ever be okay adjacent. I'm everything adjacent because words are hard to find these days.
[5:23]I'm living life adjacent right now. Love that. I feel like so many people are living life adjacent
[5:31]these days. Can you take us back to how it felt back then in April when the world was like
[5:36]upside down and you had just been bopping around your Airbnb and coping with anything?
[5:43]I mean, I think because writing this book was such a very like it was a kind of a magical
[5:49]experience for me personally and a lot of catharsis kind of every day. And you know, because I'm
[5:56]trying to understand Owen and his positivity, he sort of gave that to my life during that time.
[6:04]And so I was making these connections and it felt like they were gifts. And
[6:09]I think I, you know, I would write during the day. I was in an Airbnb with my friends Matt and
[6:15]Kevin. And the other love story in the book is my friend Kevin who I live with now in the Hudson
[6:20]Valley. But so I would write during the day and kind of sit with myself and go through something
[6:26]and then had to let it go. And then we'd go to do like a family dinner and then Kevin would read
[6:33]out loud so I could hear it. And it would maybe make us cry or we'd talk about it. And then it was
[6:39]kind of like got to release that. And then maybe have like a little dance party after dinner,
[6:44]you know, yeah. Tell me a little also you wrote a lot about your childhood and growing up in this
[6:51]crazy situation where you ended up like basically getting kicked out of school and having a,
[6:55]I mean, life could have gone a lot of different ways for you. I feel like at that point.
[6:59]Yes. I mean, that was insane. So in case people don't know about what happened. Can you talk?
[7:04]So I, yes, my sophomore year of high school, I bought my first bag of pot, you know, real
[7:12]CD and gross. But it was like, you know, I felt cool, I guess. And I bought it with my friend. And
[7:19]I left my book bag to do just like in the green room. I did a lot of theater in high school. I
[7:25]put it somewhere with a friend and to audition for the shadow box. And then they found my backpack
[7:32]and went through it and found the pot. And I was expelled. And I was handcuffed and walked out of
[7:37]the school. I can't believe it. All the things were the tiniest little thing. Wow. And then you had
[7:43]to figure out how to land on your feet. The first of many types when you went upside down and
[7:49]having to rethink life. Certainly it was the first time of, you know, realizing my life's not going
[7:55]to go the way I had thought it would or that I see other people's go. I was very lucky, you know,
[8:03]I'm privileged enough that it didn't destroy my, you know, I got to go to a Catholic school.
[8:08]I got to, I got it expunged, you know, I did community service. But then even, you know,
[8:15]then I went back to high school and dealt with some pretty bad depression. And I wasn't going
[8:21]to graduate on time. And it was like, I was a straight day student and I was going to have to be
[8:24]a fifth year sooner because I didn't have enough gym credits. So then I dropped out and wasn't sure
[8:31]if I would ever graduate high school. I was like, I guess I'll just get my GED. But then I found an
[8:37]art school in Chicago and sort of found my people. And I felt like I was very quiet for, I just felt
[8:43]like very small. And like I couldn't speak. And then I went to this art school. And it was like,
[8:49]I found my people. I can't slip through the cracks here. And I just, I was voted best personality.
[8:56]My senior year at that high school. And it felt like that was my, was a huge accomplishment. It's,
[9:02]it is a bit of a brag me saying that. But it was also such a big accomplishment because I felt
[9:07]like I didn't speak or smile a lot for the year before that.
[9:12]Well, you can brag about that all you want. This is a touch. By the way, somebody
[9:16]the comments just asked, are we doing a podcast? I just wanted to say, this will be a podcast
[9:20]on mom start have time to read books. So if you want to listen to the whole thing or if you miss
[9:24]summer, whatever people can can hear the whole thing soon over there. Tell me a little bit about
[9:30]you lost the, I can't remember what exactly role he played on Saturday Night Live through the costume
[9:35]or makeup or some, the man who ended up passing away. Hell, music producer. Yeah. Sorry, I'm sorry.
[9:42]My, my mind was so far. I mean, it's early, but anyway, he kind of did a lot. So
[9:48]that also was really one of those first, the first person you really knew who passed away from
[9:53]COVID. And that was, you know, obviously brought up all the loss from the months before when you
[9:58]you had lost. Oh, and tell me about,
[10:00]dad and how you had to cope with that on top of everything else.
[10:02]Yeah. And that was done. It was just, with COVID, I think it was so fast. And I just remember
[10:09]being outside, hanging out with friends and looking at Facebook and my friend, Yoni, who was like,
[10:16]hell, number one. Hell is knows everybody and has worked with everyone. You've ever thought
[10:20]was cool. How's was that? And was like, the first person you'd see a notice if you walk into
[10:26]SNL? Like, he's got his hat on and his big beard. And he's always kind of looks like he's
[10:31]up to something. And it was my friend, Yoni posted something that's like, I love you how we'll miss
[10:37]you. And I was like, what? Just sort of stop in your track. And I had started texting my friend
[10:44]who's a producer at SNL. And she said, yeah, he passed away from COVID. And I think like the night
[10:50]Hal died in New York, I think there was something like 600 people. It was just like,
[10:56]these are, that's so many people. If you think about one of them being the most singular
[11:02]unique out of this world, human beings you've ever met. And he's one of these 600 just,
[11:09]you know, these numbers are really overwhelming to see because they're not numbers. They're people.
[11:15]And everybody has a story and everybody has a network and everybody don't
[11:18]much love in the world. And so much loss and grief. It's overwhelming. It's sometimes,
[11:23]you know, and I actually think about it. Yeah, right. So you turn to comedy in the end,
[11:32]right? And here you are with this like hugely successful career, which by the way, when you read
[11:37]book, all you're doing is like rooting for you. Right. So I feel like if people didn't know you
[11:41]before and they read the book, like you now have all these people just be like, you can do it,
[11:44]you can do it. Oh my gosh, she's making it through and now right. And anyway, how has comedy
[11:50]sort of helped you through some of the hardest parts? Well, I think it's always been a part of my
[11:55]life. And I think, I think laughter is a big, goes hand in hand with tragedy and how we cope. And
[12:02]it is its own little mini cathartic moment, you know, even I tell a story in the book about
[12:10]at Owen's service. I tried to I spoke and I tried to say something. I tried to get a couple of
[12:16]laughs, you know, probably not a great stand-up routine. But I know that he would have appreciated that.
[12:23]And his friend came up to me after and he said, I think Owen would have liked that. And then he
[12:27]said, I was holding it together so well, like because it was stoic and it was all sad and serious.
[12:33]And he said in a minute, I laughed. It was like the tears came. And it just allowed him to feel it.
[12:40]Like, oh, it's so heartbreaking. Is there anything in here that like, especially today on
[12:44]pub day, you're like, oh gosh, I can't believe I put that out there. You know, I mean, like,
[12:50]I don't know if one's more than another. I think what's good about the book is that I suppose if you
[12:56]took one thing out, it could maybe make me uncomfortable. But like everything in it together,
[13:01]it's all part of the same thing. And I think it's just it's all nothing should be taken out as
[13:07]its own unique experience. It's all been there. And I certainly, you know, I didn't write this
[13:13]because I want anyone to feel bad for me. I wrote it because I wanted to just add my voice to
[13:19]the things that I think a lot of people in America deal with. You know?
[13:25]No. And it doesn't come across as some sort of, you know, self. It's not like a
[13:31]feel sorry for me, self-involved thing. This is right. You're sharing your story from your heart.
[13:36]And there's no real bigger gift than when people do that because all you're trying to do is
[13:40]connect, right? You're trying to get there and connect to others and acknowledge that your experience
[13:44]is universal. And no, I didn't take it as a reader at all in that one. And yeah, I hope, you know,
[13:51]my hope is that people who need it who may find this book take a moment for themselves and
[13:56]check in with themselves and and see if they're doing okay because I don't know that we check in
[14:03]with ourselves enough, especially right now. I think it was a really hard year. And I think
[14:07]there's this like push now where vaccinated we're okay. And it's sort of we're not quite out of it.
[14:13]And we may be holding on to some trauma. We may not understand everybody on some level. And even
[14:20]if you think, well, I don't have it as bad as someone else, just checking in with yourself doesn't
[14:25]doesn't take away from anything. And it'll make you be a better support system to somebody else
[14:31]anyway. If you check in with yourself and make sure you're doing okay. It's very true. It's very
[14:36]important. There's so many people going through so much. And that's also just fantastic reminder.
[14:41]My husband and I, Kyle, we were on good day LA yesterday, recommending this.
[14:46]Oh, sure. He was like, this is such a great title. You know, it's like, but it's so true. I mean,
[14:53]it's like, I hope so. Like, there have been 50s, seven times since I've been like holding your
[14:57]book in my first for the last like two weeks where I'm like, oh, I could just pull this book out for
[15:01]now. You need this messaging all the time. So it's it's very important. Well, just last thing,
[15:09]do you have any advice for other people who are aspiring writers who maybe want to share their
[15:13]story in the selfless way that you've done? I think just sitting and writing. I mean, it's really
[15:18]as simple as that. I never wanted to, you know, I didn't train to be a writer or anything. So I
[15:25]I'm not going to write the great American novel. But what I can do is like, be as honest with myself
[15:31]as possible. And I think just sitting and writing every day was allowed me to see these little connections
[15:38]and give myself magic and stories to understand and process my, my losses and my loves. And it was
[15:46]a lot about love, you know, it's really just exploring the love I've gotten to have in my life.
[15:52]Well, especially, I'm really, really sorry for your loss. And I'm really grateful to you for
[15:57]introducing us all to Ellen and coming back out in the world in this form and keeping him alive
[16:04]in our thoughts. I mean, that's like, oh, we can really do. Sorry, my hour. And he's got music, which is
[16:08]also, and I'm so glad it's good music. But if you ever want to hear his voice and his songs,
[16:15]they're called the evening fools has banned on Spotify. I highly recommend perfect. All right,
[16:21]well, this will all be over soon. Cecily strong. Everybody go out and buy this book, please. And
[16:26]if you want to hear the rest of this from start to finish, go to momstone her time to read books.
[16:31]And Cecily, congratulations. I'm so thrilled for you. I'll be here clapping as one of your many,
[16:36]many fans for this memoir and everything else. So congratulations. Thank you so much. I'm sorry about
[16:40]my Instagram. No, I'm sorry about, you know, horrific allergies and, you know, real, it's real life
[16:48]real life. Yeah. All right. We'll have a great pub day. All right. Thank you. Bye.
[16:54]Thanks for listening to this episode of momstone have time to read books. Don't forget to follow me
[16:59]on Instagram at zebi Owens and at moms don't have time to read books. Also sign up for my newsletter
[17:04]at zebiowens.com and sign up for my virtual book club and meet lots of authors on Zoom every
[17:09]other week. Thanks so much to Steve and Ryan in fact, texture sound for the sound editing. And
[17:14]thank you to Morning Moon Productions for providing this fantastic intro and out trim music.