This week, we got the privilege of speaking to the comedic masterminds behind the amazing book, sketch show and podcast series, This Is Why You’re Single. Meet the unstoppable Laura Lane & Angela Spera. We’ve been mildly obsessed with the comedic duo for a while now – they spit the truth in a way that cuts through the BS and makes you laugh in the process. And let’s face it, the whole area of single life, dating and breaking up could use a massive dose of humor. And a reality check. Lucky for us, these girls do it well, and weekly. Here’s what they had to say about all things love, sex, dating and breaking up!
What do you do and why do you do it?
Laura: I spend a lot of time talking about dating and writing comedy with my best bud, Angela for various This Is Why You’re Single projects. When we’re not doing that, I write comedy and I’m a journalist. For awhile I was a TV host too. I do it because it’s too late to get into neuroscience.
Angela: I spend most of my time developing projects with Laura Lane! We wrote a book together, created a stage show, produce and host our podcast, perform at weird comedy venues around the city (we once did a dog-themed open mic), and are constantly writing. I mostly do it for the free stuff we get from the podcast (kidding! I do it because it makes me happy, duh).
What’s the best gift you ever got?
Laura: My guy Nic got me a one year unlimited pass to a yoga studio near my house so now I go about five times a week and get a lot of namaste in my life. I weirdly write a lot of jokes and think of comedy ideas while I’m in savasana.
Angela: For my 21st birthday my mom got me a Hallmark card signed by my favorite composer/lyricist, Stephen Sondheim. You know, typical 21-year-old stuff.
What’s the worst gift you ever got?
Laura: For an anniversary one year, Nic got me a mini Christmas Tree. I’m Jewish so it felt like a very strange gift to me. I think it was the first time I’ve ever looked at a gift and said, “get that out of here.” He was mad. I was mad. Since then, he’s played it safe.
Angela: My ex got me a tiny crystal statue of two swans for our anniversary. I still don’t know why and I’m still mad about it.
What’s your advice for all things love, sex and dating?
Laura: Don’t expect one person to fulfill all of your needs. You can’t expect him or her to be your partner, best friend, lover, travel buddy, party bud, adviser, confident, etc. It’s not fair to them and you’ll always be disappointed if you do.
Angela: A lot of people do this thing where they’re attracted to people that possess qualities they wish they had or are pursuing things they wish they were brave enough to do. I say, don’t try to live vicariously through other people. Don’t be the groupie. Be the person doing the cool shit. You’ll be confident and happy and nothing is more attractive than that.
What’s your go to pick me up?
Laura: Adderall.
Angela: Showtunes and made-for-TV movies from the ‘60s that I find on Youtube.
Tell us about your first heartbreak…
Laura: I was hooking up with the senior prom king in high school when I was a sophomore, which made me feel cool as hell like Rachael Leigh Cook in She’s All That. But then he decided he was over it out of nowhere. I wrote him a poem about how he broke my heart, waited for him outside of his Algebra class, handed it to him and then ran away. About six years later he called me apologizing. Apparently some people just need time.
Angela: I was in my high school’s production of Godspell and the senior playing Jesus asked me to Applebee’s and implied he would ask me to prom. Very big deal. A week later he told me we’d be better as friends and I cried and made depressing AIM statuses and wrote journal entries that I recently threw in the garbage.
Tell us about a time you Bounced Back better than ever
Laura: I was beyond depressed after college and feeling very lost. I was working part time at E! Online as a production assistant but not making enough to live in Los Angeles so I was commuting very far. One day I was crying in my car when I got a call that I had won Rolling Stone’s college journalism contest. I got enough money to buy a laptop (big deal!) and had my photo in the magazine. It seems small now, but at the time, it was a light at the end of the tunnel. Not long after, I moved to New York to work fulltime at a magazine. I really should enter more contests now.
Angela: After a string of bad online dates and a sad hook-up with an ex in Central Park (very Marnie) I decided to delete all my apps and do something that made me happy. I signed up for a comedy class and I met Laura so….that.
