So, How Was Your 2020, Tim Heidecker?

So, How Was Your 2020? is a series in which our favorite entertainers answer our questionnaire about the music, culture and memorable moments that shaped their year. We’ll be rolling these pieces out throughout December.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Tim Heidecker enjoyed a productive 2020 as the comedian prepped his first-ever standup special, starred in the comedy series Moonbase 8 — about three astronauts marooned at a NASA training base in Arizona — and released his “serious” solo album Fear of Death, where he pondered dying, eternal resting places and the afterlife.

Surveying his year, Heidecker admits the album he listened to most was his own (“Had to listen to it so many times for various mixes, mastering and quality control”) but he managed to find time to revisit old favorites like Teenage Fanclub’s Thirteen, rewatch the entire Albert Brooks filmography and learn how to bake bread, which he got too good at. “I gained 20 pounds,” he says, perhaps jokingly. Looking forward to 2021, Heidecker is excited for hugs and never hearing the words “death per capita” again.

The album I listened to the most in 2020 was:
If I’m bring honest? My own, Fear Of Death! Had to listen to it so many times for various mixes, mastering and quality control.

My favorite TV show to stream during quarantine was:
My wife and I finally watched Patriot and it was like discovering a whole genre of comedy/drama/storytelling. Total genius level stuff.

I’d define my current state of mind as:
Cautiously pessimistic.

The viral video I kept coming back to in quarantine was:
Anything from Vic Berger, but also this episode of Wendy Williams where she seems very “off” might be the most harrowing and terrifying film of the covid era.

The old-favorite album I returned to for comfort this year was:
I really only return to old favorites — but I’ll go with something a little more modern: Teenage Fanclub’s Thirteen.

The old-favorite movie I returned to for comfort this year was:
We rewatched all of Albert Brooks movies early in the quarantine.

A new hobby I picked up in quarantine was:
Yeah I tried making bread, got pretty good at it too but then I gained 20 pounds.

The celebrity I’d most want to quarantine with is:
My daughter.

The most interesting thing I learned to cook during quarantine was:
Yeah. bread.

The best book I read in quarantine was:
I’m finally finishing Nixonland.

Something positive that happened to me that nobody noticed was:
I learned how to play “American Tune” by Paul Simon. It’s really fun to play.

The mistake I learned the most from this year was:
Reading the replies.

The biggest hero of 2020 was:
No question, Donald Trump, Jr. He’s just a cool guy who is into cool stuff.

A word or phrase I never want to hear again is:
Deaths per capita.

The thing I’m least looking forward to in 2021 is:
Children’s birthday parties.

The thing I’m most looking forward to doing when the pandemic is over is:
Hugs.

My biggest hope for 2021 is:
Oh god, I’m not at the “hope” stage yet. I’m just trying to figure out what I’m going to do for lunch.