Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser in the Emmy Award ®-winning sitcom Mad About You.
and I don’ t remember how it came up, but we decided to write a song together. And then we said,“ Well, that was fun.” So, we wrote another. Basically, I would come up with a melody and play, and she would take it and really rearrange it and
come up with lyrics. And I’ d go,“ That’ s a song!” Then I’ d say,“ Let’ s do another.” We ended up doing ten. She has this beautiful, sultry voice. It sounds like a cello at the bottom and like heaven at the top. Most of the songs— almost all of them— were really slow and heart-wrenching. We couldn’ t come up with a title, and we thought,“ Why so sad?” Nobody’ s going to buy that. We ended up calling it Unusual Suspects, as in:“ Why are these two people together?” But to me, it was like,“ Why so sad? You’ re both happy, well-off people. Why is the music so sad?” I don’ t know. I’ ve always been drawn to melancholy. It’ s part of why I loved Ireland so much. It’ s really beautiful, and the people are really funny, but there’ s a history and a literary heritage of people enduring misery. Not miserable people, but people who carry suffering with grace. And I don’ t know why that speaks to me. I have to figure it out someday.
You make a lot of people laugh. Who makes you laugh? If I really needed a laugh— I’ d put on something really old. I’ d put on the Marx Brothers or Mel Brooks. I don’ t really seek out and watch a lot of comics today. Sometimes I feel like I need to, just so I know what’ s going on out there. But there are people who really make me laugh. Nate Bargatze is really funny. So is Sebastian Maniscalco— I knew him from the clubs a bit. John Mulaney, Kathleen Madigan, and Taylor Tomlinson are really funny. But, as with anybody, it’ s like an album with three great tracks. If you watch an hour of anybody, you go,“ Love that. Love that. That, no so much.” Myself included! It’ s not an hour and a half of punchlines. But there are so many people out there doing great work.
You’ ve had a long and successful
I SPY!
Walter Wick’ s
HIDDEN WONDERS
June 7 – October 26
NRM. org • Stockbridge, MA 413.298.4100 • Kids & Teens FREE
This exhibition is organized by the New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut in partnership with the artist, Walter Wick. I Spy! Walter Wick’ s Hidden Wonders is made possible by The Saunders Foundation and the Cheryl Chase and Stuart Bear Family Foundation.
Walter Wick, Clouds This! from exhibition I SPY Fantasy is organized, 2021. by Pigmented the New Britain inkjet Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut in partnership with the artist, Walter Wick. I Spy! Walter Wick’ s Hidden Wonders is made possible by The photograph: 30 x 50 in. New Britain Museum of American Art. © 2021
Saunders Foundation and the Cheryl Chase and Stuart Bear Family Foundation.
Walter Wick Walter Wick, Clouds! from I SPY Fantasy. Pigmented inkjet photograph. New Britain Museum of American Art. © 2021 Walter Wick
12 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE July 2025