Woo-woo [ˈwü-ˌwü]; adjective. Dubiously or outlandishly mystical, supernatural, or unscientific.
Despite long being a derogatory term for alternative belief systems, “woo-woo” has gone mainstream. Drive down a few streets in LA and you’ll quickly spot a row of psychics offering palm readings, or a Instagram-ready store stocked with crystals and sage. Horoscopes have become something of a universal language. In most parts of the world, you can begin a conversation with “Wow, I’m such a Virgo,” and there’s a high chance you’ll find a kindred spirit.
For the uninitiated, woo-woo is a lot more than horoscopes and alternative therapies. It also encompasses ghostly encounters, Ouija boards, conversations with angels. Oh, and don’t forget manifestation — possibly the most widespread fringe belief system after astrology.
Woo-woo as a field is not without its controversies. Some view such interests as being anti-science. This is, of course, not the aim of most who enjoy the fluffier arts. But just as I can’t simply enjoy rewatching Nicholas Cage’s 2004 masterpiece National Treasure without feeling rueful about where casual conspiracy theorizing has taken us, it’s hard not to lament that something as joyful as using the stars to navigate through life could be politicized.
Rachel Dratch, former SNL star and comedian, is decidedly pro-science. In fact, Dratch’s ability to balance her woo-woo with a belief in science and medicine is indicative of how most people interact with mysticism. Who doesn’t have a woo-woo story or two in their back pocket?
As her recent New Yorker profile notes, Dratch was initially a skeptic. She kept an open mind to other explanations for life’s stranger phenomena and was rewarded with a great concept for a podcast.
They say Joan Didion heard some of the stories that inspired her work at the famous dinner parties she threw in Hollywood. Dratch’s interest in woo-woo similarly began at dinner. After years of hearing woo-woo stories from friends, her fascination evolved into a comedy podcast that explores time travel and astral projection, ghost stories and the varying levels of belief among guests.
With a focus comedy storytelling, Dratch, alongside co-host Irene Bremis, brings a lighthearted and engaging approach to the paranormal, proving that even skeptics can find joy in the weird and wonderful. I spoke to Dratch a few days before Halloween to learn more about her favorite guests, craziest woo-woo stories, and why she went to Salem for her first Woo Woo field trip.
Alice: How did the idea for Woo Woo with Rachel Dratch come about?
Rachel: I’d heard a few really “woo woo” stories over the years just from friends that kind of stuck with me — and then I noticed people love talking about this stuff like at the end of a dinner party. Someone’s like “I have a ghost story!” You find out like everyone has something woo-woo to share. At the time I thought it was this really original idea. I thought like, “Oh, this will be the only one of these.” And then when I when I entered the whole [woo-woo] world, I realized there’s a lot of these paranormal things. But of course, [my podcast] also has a comedy bent, and now I’ve run through all my little rolodex of comedy friends pretty quickly.
Alice: You’ve done many other types of shows, from SNL to movies like Wine Country. Why did you want to try podcasting?
Rachel: It was kind of an accident in that I wasn’t like, “Okay, I want to do a podcast. What is it going to be about?” It was more like I had this idea that seemed like a good fit for podcasting. I wasn’t out to add another podcast into the world — there are many of them! But it just became kind of fun. Like I said, there were a few stories that I had kept in my mind for like 20, 30 years that had really stuck with me as these crazy stories. Some of the people I wasn’t even really in touch with anymore, but they all said they would come tell their story. The ones towards the beginning, to me, are really mind-blowing. Then I also ran through all my celebrity comedian friends [Dratch has interviewed Amy Poehler and Tina Fey on the show, amongst others], and we definitely start out by talking about how I know the person, if I know them. “Oh, we did the show together back 15 years ago,” that kind of thing. So, the comedy journey is usually thrown in there, especially at the beginning of the pod.
Alice: If someone new were to listen to the show, which episodes would you recommend they start with?
Rachel: There are three stories that have changed my worldview the most. One is with Tara Davis, who I used to do theater with like 30 years ago. She told me this crazy story about time travel, and it’s really interesting. It even has some corroborating pieces to it that make it really believable. That one is really crazy.
Then, my friend Craig Chester came on, and that one’s really fun, too, because we have a lot of laughs. He knew this person who claimed they could astral project, which is when you leave your body and travel other places. That story is also crazy and, to me, has some undeniable weirdness that made me believe it. A third one, I think our best ghost story, is with this actor named Frank Whaley, who has this ghost story that I just don’t know how you explain it other than that there’s a ghost there.
In terms of fun, Amy Poehler’s episode is probably our most listened to. That one’s just fun; we have some that are just laughs and fun. I host it with my friend Irene Bremis, who’s a stand-up comedian, and we went to high school together. When I was first starting out, I was going to do it myself, but then I realized, with my shy side, if it’s someone I know, then I’m fine. If it’s someone I don’t know, I just wanted backup there. But it’s actually worked out really well because people seem to like our banter. We kind of have different styles that fit really well together, so that makes it more fun for me.
Alice: Do you and Irene have different levels of belief and skepticism?
Rachel: I think Irene’s more of a believer than I am sometimes. She sometimes does these outrageous things when I’m turning to her like, “What?” But that makes it fun, too. I might be thinking, “Well, that could have been the wind,” but I try to be open because they’ve taken the time to be on our show. Irene and I have some laughs with our different energies, and we’ve known each other so long.
Alice: Do you ask people about their level of skepticism before they come on the show?
Rachel: Most people aren’t full-tilt skeptics. Everyone is at least like, “I don’t know.” No one wants to go on record saying they believe in ghosts, except a few people like Lea DeLaria; she firmly believes. But most people have an open mind. Some people come on because they have a big story with a beginning, middle, and end, and other people are just there to chitchat and have fun.
Alice: What woo-woo thing are you currently obsessed with?
Rachel: My final frontier of disbelief is mediums, because I feel like there are a lot of charlatans out there. I think you can give the most vague tendril of something, and people will believe it. But then I had a strange experience myself, which I might call a “message from beyond.” That was more recent and is in an episode called “Rachel Gets a Message,” which didn’t involve a medium. That again, I feel like the more and more I do this, the more “woo-woo” I become. When I started out, I was like, “I’m not Shirley MacLaine; I’m rooted in science. I don’t want to be known as the ghost actor.” But I think the more open you are, the more you’ll actually discover. It’s fun to be open to it because you do get weird little signs and indications.
Alice: What’s coming up next for the podcast?
Rachel: We did our first real field trip to Salem, Massachusetts, home of the witch trials, and that was really interesting. Irene and I grew up nearby Salem, but you don’t always go to the tourist spot that’s right around the corner. We took one of the haunted Salem tours. We have one interview coming up this week with one of the guides, and it was history mixed with lore and ghost stories. It was a really interesting discussion about why we tell ghost stories, whether you believe or not. He had this cool overview about ghost stories and what purpose they serve. Then we’re going to interview the head of education at the Salem Witch Museum, and that’s going to be a two-parter all about the history of the witch trials, covering many different topics. So that one’s not as much “woo-woo” as it is the hardcore persecution aspect; it becomes quite poignant. She knew everything about the witch trials, so this is a little bit more of an intellectual bench for us.
Alice: Is “Woo Woo on Tour” going to be a continual thing? I’m from Edinburgh and would recommend it.
Rachel: Yes, that’s a great point! I took a ghost tour in Edinburgh years ago. It was great. I like us going abroad to search for our ghost stories. It’s something that we’ve thought about, and maybe we’ll branch out more to that kind of thing.
I’m always on the hunt for guests. So if I ever hear someone saying something at a cocktail party, I’m like, “Wait, what did you say? Come on the podcast,” because I’m always looking for people with stories, but not just anyone. Comedians and actors make really good guests because whether or not their story is completely mind-blowing or mundane, they’re usually good storytellers and good at just chatting.
Alice: Thank you for chatting, Rachel. I can’t wait to listen to the Salem episode.
Rachel: Awesome!
Don’t miss the latest spooky and strange stories on Woo Woo with Rachel Dratch. Episodes are released weekly.
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Alice Florence Orr is Managing Editor of Podcast Review