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Comedian Paula Poundstone’s star began to rise in the 1980s � when she first started to appear on HBO standup specials. Since then, she’s gained a reputation for her quick, frank-speaking style and her preference for menswear. She’s probably best known by NPR listeners for her regular appearances on �.�

On prepping for shows:

“People think sometimes that I’ve like studied newspapers about the area before I’ve gotten there but, in truth, that would require far too much work for me. I discover a lot about the area just from the people that I talk to during the show. It’s a little bit like Willy Wonka’s chocolate river churning its chocolate � my show has a lot to do with who comes to see it. That’s why no two shows are the same. The other night I got a woman in Hyannis, Massachusetts. I asked her what she did for a living and she told me she taught a hospice boot camp. And, man, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. I had the best time. Every audience member thought the same thing that I did for just a second � which was what it sounded like, that she was making people at death’s door get up and work out � but really, of course, what it was was a training for people who are working with people with end of life issues.�

On why she takes pictures of chairs:

“You know, I started taking pictures of the chair in the dressing room years ago. And the point in the beginning was � I often get emails and calls from people who have like a charity or something and they want me to give away free tickets to the show � which I don’t have an issue with at all � but they always want, ‘oh, like a backstage pass.� And I say to them, ‘you don’t want a backstage pass.� It would be one thing if I were a rock 'n� roll band I suppose � maybe it would be exciting. But, really, it’s just me and backstage is not really glamorous in the way people think it is. So originally I took a picture of the chair just demonstrating the lack of glamour in the dressing room area. And then, I don’t know, I took a few more. And now, if I don’t take a picture of the chair and post it, people write, ‘What’s the matter? Why didn’t you put the chair?� So, I just do.�

On laughing about presidential politics:

“At this point I feel like, like in the old days when you’d go see a movie and there was a cartoon first � I feel like we’re just watching the cartoon right now. But it is fun to watch. And I watched the Republican debates like everybody else� Jeb Bush said a great thing. He said that in Florida, they call him ‘Jeb� because he’s earned it. I have no idea what he meant by that. I assumed that Jeb was his name. I don’t know, maybe in Florida, they have a different rule where you have to earn each letter of your name and for a while he was just ‘J� and then he was ‘Je.� I don’t know.�