Since 2010, in various publications, I’ve interviewed authors—mostly memoirists—about aspects of writing and publishing. Initially I did this for my own edification, as someone who was struggling to find the courage and support to write and publish my memoir. I’m still curious about other authors’ experiences, and I know many of you are, too. So, inspired by the popularity of The Oldster Magazine Questionnaire, I’ve launched The Memoir Land Author Questionnaire.
Here’s the 229th installment, featuring comedian, actor, podcaster, musician, and TV writer Eliot Glazer, author of The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Gay. - Sari Botton
P.S. Check out all the interviews in The Memoir Land Author Questionnaire series.
Eliot Glazer is a comedian, actor, podcaster, musician, and writer for beloved TV shows including New Girl, Younger, and Broad City, on which he played “Eliot” in his most challenging role to date. He lives in Los Angeles. His first memoir in comic essays THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD GAY is now available wherever books are sold.
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How old are you, and for how long have you been writing?
I’m 42, and I’ve been writing professionally for about 20 years, although this is technically my first book of original work.
What’s the title of your latest book, and when was it published?
The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Gay, out today, 8/11/26, from Simon & Schuster.
What number book is this for you?
Although I’ve edited an anthology of essays, this is my very first memoir-style book.
When it comes to being part of the LGBTQ+ community, Eliot just can’t seem to find his shade of the rainbow. Through laugh-out-loud yet quietly heartbreaking stories, The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Gay chronicles the glory, chaos, and contradictions of queer modern life by a comedian who always seems to “do gay wrong.”
How do you categorize your book—as a memoir, memoir-in-essays, essay collection, creative nonfiction, graphic memoir, autofiction—and why?
It’s a collection of funny essays, so I guess that would technically be a memoir? But “memoir” sounds really heavy in relation to a book with a lot of talk about boners.
What is the “elevator pitch” for your book?
Poppers make him dizzy. Parties make him panicked. The term “guncle” makes him queasy (what’s so wrong with good old uncle)? When it comes to being part of the LGBTQ+ community, Eliot just can’t seem to find his shade of the rainbow. And in a culture built around the idea of “chosen family,” he can’t even seem to get adopted. Through laugh-out-loud yet quietly heartbreaking stories, The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Gay chronicles the glory, chaos, and contradictions of queer modern life by a comedian who always seems to “do gay wrong.”
What’s the back story of this book including your origin story as a writer? How did you become a writer, and how did this book come to be?
I first worked as a blogger before transitioning into screenwriting, where I worked on shows like Younger, New Girl, and Broad City. But when the writer’s strike happened in 2023, my book agent—a friend who had seen me often pull my hair out over stuff like casual racism on Grindr and Pride parades being way too hot—was able to finally pin me down and get the proposal done. Once that was locked, we started getting bites almost immediately. That, in and of itself, felt like a type of cognitive dissonance, considering that being courted by publishers is very different from the process of selling a TV show, praying that just one executive will take a chance on you and settle your financial worries for 6-8 months. This was the opposite, and it took me a minute to actually get used to it.
What were the hardest aspects of writing this book and getting it published?
The process of writing wasn’t necessarily hard since I’m pretty disciplined at the practice. The hardest part was excavating my own life for material, living in my own head ALL THE TIME. I needed a break from my own interior monologue because he became A LOT. Although it was really when my editor James astutely insisted I replace punchlines with actual vulnerability that it became more intellectually challenging and fulfilling. It’s no secret to me that vulnerability always elicits authenticity in art, but I needed reminding.
It was really when my editor James astutely insisted I replace punchlines with actual vulnerability that it became more intellectually challenging and fulfilling. It’s no secret to me that vulnerability always elicits authenticity in art, but I needed reminding.
How did you handle writing about real people in your life? Did you use real or changed names and identifying details? Did you run passages or the whole book by people who appear in the narrative? Did you make changes they requested?
I changed the names of real people but only ran passages by my family to give them early vetoing rights. It was a pretty nerve-wracking part of the process since I tend to be a “no drama” kind of girlie. But anonymity was a gift in the process, so outside of name-checking my nuclear family, everyone else’s name has been changed to protect the innocent. And the guilty. Mostly the guilty.
Who is another writer you took inspiration from in producing this book? Was it a specific book, or their whole body of work? (Can be more than one writer or book.)
Samantha Irby, Ryan O’Connell, Mike Albo, David Sedaris, Michael Arceneaux… Girls Can Kiss Now by Jill Gutowitz had me legitimately guffawing, and I’d never guffawed in my life! Her ability to marry a burgeoning queer identity with an almost academic approach to millennial nostalgia opened my mind to the possibility of merely attempting to write something in proximity to her book.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers looking to publish a book like yours, who are maybe afraid, or intimidated by the process?
It is scary. It is intimidating. That’s a good thing.
What do you love about writing?
Editing. Pouring over the language to get it just right. Fortunately, it brings out my intense perfectionism.
What frustrates you about writing?Editing. Pouring over the language to get it just right. Unfortunately, it brings out my intense perfectionism.
What about writing surprises you?
The copy editors, who aren’t technically in the same role as an editor, but whose intrinsic connection to working with my essays and going leaps and bounds beyond grammar policing was the most delightful, unexpected part of the process. I found my literary guardian angels in the margins!
Does your writing practice involve any kind of routine, or writing at specific times?
Not any particular routine other than attempting to sit and work for around 4-6 hours without interruption. But as a visual learner, every creative pursuit of mine begins with free handed pencil sketching in my beloved, unlined Shorthand notebook. I’m a visual learner, so before I ingest, digest and synthesize anything creative, it has to start in pencil, pens and colors, even if it’s just highlighters.
I changed the names of real people but only ran passages by my family to give them early vetoing rights. It was a pretty nerve-wracking part of the process since I tend to be a “no drama” kind of girlie. But anonymity was a gift in the process, so outside of name-checking my nuclear family, everyone else’s name has been changed to protect the innocent. And the guilty. Mostly the guilty.
Do you engage in any other creative pursuits, professionally or for fun? Are there non-writing activities you consider to be “writing” or supportive of your process?
I’m always hustling: developing, pitching, and selling projects. But I have a band now! We’re called DON HUR, and we describe our sound as dark R&B, like if Thundercat and Randy Newman had a weird little baby.
What’s next for you? Do you have another book planned, or in the works?
I would love to do a follow-up of essays, but I’m also eager to write a book for kids. Reading with my 5-year-old niece reminds me that children’s books are, at their best, life-affirming in the ways in which they can gently introduce young minds to the simplest yet most revolutionary ideas in humanity: empathy, curiosity, individuality, and the reminder that there are, in fact, many different ways to belong in the world. It’s nice to be reminded of that, and I’d love to find a way to contribute to that canon.
In terms of hard comedy, my next project is a YouTube podcast called So U Think U Can Sports in which I ask world class athletes like Charles Barkley about the thing I know least: balls. Because, really, what is the deal with sports, and why are there so many balls?
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