Time Out Chicago: How do you feel about the Vanity Fair piece saying there’s a trend toward women “dishing out the jokes with a side of sexy”?
Amy Poehler: [Quietly] Great.

TOC: Just wondering. It seems like a hot conversation topic—
Amy Poehler: You know, honestly Steve, I’m kind of tired of talking about it. I’d love to just not talk about it.

TOC: No problem. So…there are a lot of drug references on the DVD; the whole first improv set is about medicinal marijuana.
Amy Poehler: Well, I think ASSSSCAT’s always got a certain anything-goes mentality. Our theater’s become the place where we can do whatever we want without the limitations of TV and film. We have young, drunk audiences who get in for free or $10, so I think the spirit is exactly that. Who knows what they’re going to yell out? That can sometimes lead to what people find juvenile—but what I would find very funny.

TOC: You guys treat those topics in a smart way.
Amy Poehler: I think you can get any suggestion and make it interesting. Sure, you can tell a dumb story about when you got really stoned and you couldn’t park your car. Actually, there’s nothing wrong with that story. I shouldn’t call it dumb. But the nice thing about ASSSSCAT is when people get on stage, they can be themselves. Be their fucked-up drug-addicted selves. [Laughs]

TOC: Is that why the ASSSSCAT form, in its simplicity, has prevailed?
Amy Poehler: I think it has because it’s an easy form. You know that you can just show up and there’ll be people there that you’ve improvised with for ten years who will take care of you. And I think that no matter who you are—superfamous or not—you’ve got to be on your toes. Because I’m 5’2”, I’m always on my toes.

TOC: Are you familiar with improvised TV shows like 10 Items or Less and Thank God You’re Here?
Amy Poehler: Yeah. They’re awful.

TOC: Yeah! But why?
Amy Poehler: Because they’re awful. Not in any part due to the people on them. Just awful. You know why. They’re manufactured and really gamey. I think they degrade the form. It’s hard to transfer improv onto TV. In many ways, DVDs are the most successful in terms of capturing what’s exciting about being [at an improv show]. When you’re in a studio, doing a three-camera thing, and the viewers know you’ve edited it, and all different kinds of performers are thrown together, it’s a recipe for disaster. That’s why we’re releasing the DVD ourselves. It’s like someone in the music industry saying, “We don’t have a hit.” And then you’re, like, “I’m just going to release this record on my own.” People get really nervous when they don’t know where the jokes are.

TOC: So what’s making you laugh now?
Amy Poehler: Oh my God, that’s a good question. I don’t watch a lot of comedy because if it’s good, I’m jealous, and if it’s bad, I’m angry. It’s funny because all I do is watch The Wire, Law & Order and those Discovery channel shows about how things are made.

TOC: Does Will Arnett ever get angry that people refer to him as “Amy Poehler’s husband”?
Amy Poehler: No. That’s what I call him at home.

Grab some ASSSSCAT Tuesday 25, $14.99 from Shout Factory.