Was it tough at all for you to get rid of that writer’s mentality of mapping out every single beat of a story, and instead just show up in a place, without a script, and see what happens?
That was the challenge. I’ve never been particularly great at public speaking or anything like that. But when you meet hobbyists — who are all nerds like I am, mostly — you just start to bubble . . . The good stuff starts to drop when you engage. [Interviewee] Paul Riss has all these Latin bird names tattooed of every bird he’s ever seen. Our producer said: “Hey, would you get a Chicken Lady tattoo?” And he went, “Yep!” When he was getting his tattoo — which looked really painful — I consoled him in my Chicken Lady voice [from Kids in the Hall]. That was totally spontaneous; that wasn’t scripted in any way.
You also really dig into the communal aspect of being a hobbyist . . .
Absolutely. There’s something about doing something in a group that’s empowering, and becomes a sort of skills and information exchange — and a community. Because we all got sentenced to our basements for a year-and-a-half [during COVID], I think people had pause to realize how important that was.
And you got to reconnect with an old Superstore co-star as well.
Yeah, Ben Feldman came out to do the “Collectors” episode. We visited an apartment that just had the most incredible collection of Hollywood memorabilia. He was very good at discussing what is beneath the idea of collecting; by the end of that episode, the crew was going, “Why don’t we get Ben Feldman to host?” It was actually a little off-putting.
Speaking of Superstore, just how did you find Glenn’s one-of-a-kind voice?
I made, like, a sketch-comedy choice. The character just seemed to live if I pitched it into this falsetto. [Adopts Glenn’s voice] There’s something about getting up here. It slows down your cadence and makes you a person who is really trying to understand what’s going on, but might not have the mental capacity to understand your answer in all its dimensions.
SNL’s 50th anniversary special is coming up in February. What does it mean to you to be part of that legacy?
It’s an amazing institution. Fifty is just mind-blowing. I was there as an apprentice writer when it was season 11 . . . I got to participate in the year that Lorne Michaels came back to Saturday Night Live [after Michaels had parted ways with the show in the early 1980s]. I was working at a Second Cup in Toronto one week, and giving notes to Madonna the next.
Who could’ve imagined back then that SNL would become an “institution?” That it would never get cancelled?
Well, who was it, Harry Shearer, who said, “Is it really a show or is it just a restaurant with a good location?” But it’s amazing. It’s been so piercingly relevant so many times over the years — and it waxes and wanes, it goes up and down . . .
Sticking with sketch, whenever Kids in the Hall do reunite, is it a tricky process for you all to get back on the same page?
There’s a process of memorization, because we go, “Remember that sketch?” “No, I don’t.” [Laughs] But no, it’s like a conversation that never ends. We’re pretty quick at picking up where we left off.
Mark McKinney Needs a Hobby airs Wednesday, October 30 on CTV and Thursday, October 31 on CTV Comedy
MEMORABLE ROLES:
Born in Ottawa, the son of a diplomat, Mark in many ways grew up around the world — yet he’s claimed by Canadians as one of our home and native land’s most revered comedians. That’s due in no small part to his status as one of the Kids in the Hall, the homegrown sketch troupe that influenced comedy across the globe. Plus, there’s his turn as co-creator/co-star of beloved Shakespeare romp Slings & Arrows and six seasons as endearingly clueless manager Glenn on NBC’s Superstore.
CURRENT GIG:
These days, you’ll find the funnyman hosting a warm ’n’ quirky CTV docuseries exploring such indelible pastimes as birding, puppeteering, dancing and historical re-enacting.