Shelby Quinn is one of the most driven and hilarious people I know. But for me it is her honesty, strength of vulnerability and supportive nature that will always keep her near and dear to my heart. This winter when I was, let's say "in-the-depths-of-a-new-depth-I-had-never-experienced-before-Dear-God" Shelby: a)had seafood with me b)drove me to donate books c) did a show that made me laugh cry for two hours when I didn't think I'd ever laugh again and d)sat with Jess DeBacco and me in my apartment and talked to me while I stared into the void. I hope you get a little of her from these answers and I beg you to see her in Chicago while she's still there. For you.
AS: Where are you from? Where do you live? What do you consider home?
Shelby Quinn: I'm originally from Los Angeles, CA. I currently live in Boystown (Chicago, IL). It's funny because I definitely feel like Chicago is my home, although I only have a semi-permanent attachment to it, so maybe home is just where my dog and things are, but like for sure in a city.
AS: Life story in half a page, GO!
SQ: My parents are divorced, but I'm very close and have really cool unique relationships with each of them. I loved high school. I wish I played a lot of instruments, and played them well.
AS: What do you consider your greatest accomplishment? Why?
SQ: This may be kind of silly and myopic, but getting out of bed and out of the house. There's a lot of days where I feel bullshit psychological weight, and I think it's pretty big to just like push through and do something productive.
AS: What is your biggest failure? And what(if anything) did you learn from it?
SQ: Woof, this is tough -- I actually think failure is more valuable than success in a lot of ways; it's both a reality check and an education. I fuck up all the time, but I try not to lie, so maybe lying would be the worst moral fail I've committed? And there's so many lessons to learn from that type of thing.
AS: Describe your perfect day:
SQ: Fucking someone really hot, eating something really yummy and reading something really good.
AS: How did you get where you are?
SQ: My parents.
AS: What are you most proud of?
SQ: Surrounding myself with good friends.
AS: What is one of your fears?
Poverty.
AS: What keeps you going every day?
SQ: I trick myself!
AS: Favorite podcast?
SQ: I laugh harder at 'My Dad Wrote a Porno' than anything, and 'Outside Podcast' fulfills my wanderlust and science/nature curiosity.
AS: Last piece of art that spoke to you?
SQ: I follow Porous Walker on Instagram; they mostly illustrate super graphic sex organ cartoons, but he also has this one drawing recently of Winnie the Pooh mauling Christopher Robin captioned, 'You knew I was a bear and you still kept fucking with me. Idiots. - Pooh' and I think it's so fucking funny and genius!
AS: Tell us an embarrassing story:
SQ: I truly wrote like four different stories, and I didn't feel like I was capturing real embarrassment; and that's pretty embarrassing.
AS: Pump up song?
SQ: I have 'Thriller' on vinyl and listen to it while getting ready for anything I'm excited about, which is also the most embarrassingly pretentious thing I may ever cop up.
AS: What advice would you give to someone who is lost?
SQ: It depends on so many factors! I'd have to do the mental math before weighing in.
AS: Do you have a mantra or words to live by?
SQ: Kenahora is a Jewish expression similar to 'knock on wood,' to ward off evil eye (jealous, spite, bad luck, etc.)
AS: What gives you meaning?
SQ: The giver determines, not me!
AS: What do you struggle with?
SQ: Success, self-worth, self-care sometimes.
AS: What is success to you?
SQ: I'd like to buy my dad a plane, and take my mom on like a really cool vacation and treat her to everything. That sounds like money, which is part of it, but its coupled with like a lot of emotions and good intentions, too!
AS: What are you working on that you’re geeked out about?
SQ: Everything with Reilly, always. Writing some scripts and hope to give back and perform with wonderful friends on various projects.
AS: Anything else?
SQ: World peace?
AS: What question would you add to this?
SQ: What would be your last meal on death row?