A one-night only event, benefitting Philly’s William Way LGBT Community Center
On August 17th, Interview and Free People hosted a special event in Philadelphia. A crowd of roughly 400 guests Gathered for Good at the Academy of Music for “A Night with Amy Sedaris and Cole Escola,” benefiting the William Way LGBT Community Center — an organization that supports the diverse queer community of Philadelphia, the brand’s hometown. Sedaris, known for her prolific comedy (and educating rabbits) took the stage with her friend and collaborator Cole Escola, of Search Party fame (widely known for their role as Bridget Everett’s fetus), for a conversation about wig theft, queer icons, and selling it to straight executives — moderated by Interview’s own Ernesto Macias. The one-night-only event was part of Free People‘s commitment to “nurture community at all levels” through experiential events. To take the edge off before showtime, Macias wigged out with Sedaris and Escola backstage. Catch the vibes of the night below.
AMY SEDARIS: How many people are coming tonight?
ERNESTO MACIAS: 300.
SEDARIS: Okay. That’s so small for me. Intimate. Normally it’s bigger. That’s a lie. That is a lie.
MACIAS: [Laughs] What was the first piece of comedy that sparked your imagination?
SEDARIS: Probably my great-grandmother. We had someone to make fun of in the house. She was the first character I can wrap my head around. What is it for you, Cole?
COLE ESCOLA: I don’t know. Dad was mean. I didn’t really like laughing.
SEDARIS: You didn’t like to laugh?
ESCOLA: Not until I was older. I liked sitcoms a lot. Probably Newhart.
SEDARIS: Oh, [Cole’s] so young. I was going to [say] Ernie Kovac’s [Show]. That dates me.
MACIAS: You both have an affinity for wigs. When did it start and how did it manifest?
SEDARIS: I got my first wig in the fall of 1972. I still have it. It has worm castings in it. I didn’t take care of it after a while. That was my first wig. And I would steal wigs off mannequins at JCPenney’s. I was obsessed.
MACIAS: You Cole?
ESCOLA: High school theater. You know shitty Halloween wigs and hats. If you couldn’t have a wig — t-shirts as hair or towels as hair.
MACIAS: Very relatable. The towels as hair.
SEDARIS: I don’t know why I don’t have my own wig line.
MACIAS: I think you need to call your people right now.
SEDARIS: “Don’t wig out. I got an idea.”
MACIAS: Do you have a favorite wig?
SEDARIS: I like the Patty Hogg wig that I wore on our canceled show At Home with Amy Sedaris. That’s a really good one, it was like a helmet.
ESCOLA: I liked my Chassie [Tucker] hair. A lot.
SEDARIS: Chassie was flawless. You should have looked into a spinoff.
ESCOLA: But it’s hard to find good wigs because now wigs are for fashion.
MACIAS: Right.
ESCOLA: So it’s hard to find character wigs.
SEDARIS: You don’t go to Wig Plus on 14th?
ESCOLA: I do.
SEDARIS: Right.
ESCOLA: It’s more like someone trying to dress up.
SEDARIS: You need to buy them on the street.
ESCOLA: Yeah?
SEDARIS: When they’re laid down on the sidewalk with wet clothes because they took the clothes out of someone’s dryer. I got a lot of my wigs off the sidewalk in New York City. The neighbor would send them to me. I got two wigs every Christmas. I was like, “Where did you get this?” and he was like, “Avenue B.”
For the rest of the recap, visit Interview Mag.
AMY SEDARIS: How many people are coming tonight?
ERNESTO MACIAS: 300.
SEDARIS: Okay. That’s so small for me. Intimate. Normally it’s bigger. That’s a lie. That is a lie.
MACIAS: [Laughs] What was the first piece of comedy that sparked your imagination?
SEDARIS: Probably my great-grandmother. We had someone to make fun of in the house. She was the first character I can wrap my head around. What is it for you, Cole?
COLE ESCOLA: I don’t know. Dad was mean. I didn’t really like laughing.
SEDARIS: You didn’t like to laugh?
ESCOLA: Not until I was older. I liked sitcoms a lot. Probably Newhart.
SEDARIS: Oh, [Cole’s] so young. I was going to [say] Ernie Kovac’s [Show]. That dates me.
MACIAS: You both have an affinity for wigs. When did it start and how did it manifest?
SEDARIS: I got my first wig in the fall of 1972. I still have it. It has worm castings in it. I didn’t take care of it after a while. That was my first wig. And I would steal wigs off mannequins at JCPenney’s. I was obsessed.
MACIAS: You Cole?
ESCOLA: High school theater. You know shitty Halloween wigs and hats. If you couldn’t have a wig — t-shirts as hair or towels as hair.
MACIAS: Very relatable. The towels as hair.
SEDARIS: I don’t know why I don’t have my own wig line.
MACIAS: I think you need to call your people right now.
SEDARIS: “Don’t wig out. I got an idea.”
MACIAS: Do you have a favorite wig?
SEDARIS: I like the Patty Hogg wig that I wore on our canceled show At Home with Amy Sedaris. That’s a really good one, it was like a helmet.
ESCOLA: I liked my Chassie [Tucker] hair. A lot.
SEDARIS: Chassie was flawless. You should have looked into a spinoff.
ESCOLA: But it’s hard to find good wigs because now wigs are for fashion.
MACIAS: Right.
ESCOLA: So it’s hard to find character wigs.
SEDARIS: You don’t go to Wig Plus on 14th?
ESCOLA: I do.
SEDARIS: Right.
ESCOLA: It’s more like someone trying to dress up.
SEDARIS: You need to buy them on the street.
ESCOLA: Yeah?
SEDARIS: When they’re laid down on the sidewalk with wet clothes because they took the clothes out of someone’s dryer. I got a lot of my wigs off the sidewalk in New York City. The neighbor would send them to me. I got two wigs every Christmas. I was like, “Where did you get this?” and he was like, “Avenue B.”
For the rest of the recap, visit Interview Mag.
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