If Wendi McLendon-Covey had her druthers, she and her husband, Greg Covey, would see every band that rolled into Los Angeles.
“We usually go to a concert a month,” the actress said. “You’ll see us dancing in the first 10 rows of whatever shows we can get into.”
This year, McLendon-Covey, 55, known for her comedic roles in “The Goldbergs,” “Reno 911!” and “Bridesmaids,” has rocked out considerably less because of a packed work schedule. She spent six months filming the new NBC workplace mockumentary “St. Denis Medical,” in which she plays a plucky hospital executive who puts a positive spin on budget crises and bed shortages. The sitcom, the latest from Justin Spitzer (“The Office,” “Superstore”), mines the chaos for levity and normalcy and is set to premiere on Nov. 12.
“In every hospital everywhere, there are people that are trying to have a baby shower in the break room while other things are going on,” McLendon-Covey said. “There’s always someone that doesn’t pay in for the ice cream cake, and you’re holding a grudge against that person, but someone has a gunshot wound and you have to attend to that.”
On a video call from her home in Long Beach, Calif., she talked about the “ridiculous and hilarious” book that reminds her of doomscrolling, her seven cats and the one band she’s glad she didn’t miss this year. These are edited excerpts.
Steely Dan
We saw them earlier this year at the Forum. “Peg” is my theme song. Because I love them so much, on “Reno 911!” they wrote in something about my character going on to be a groupie for Steely Dan after we all got fired from the department. In 2007, my husband and I got to see them at Tower Theater in Pennsylvania and go backstage. Walter Becker gave us a shout-out during “Hey Nineteen.” It was like all my Christmases came at once.
New Orleans
I didn’t start going until I was in my 50s. I don’t know why I waited so long! We ended up buying the tiniest condo in the French Quarter, and we go as often as we can because the vibes are amazing there. No matter what time of day, you hear live music playing and you see people enjoying the hell out of themselves.
‘A Confederacy of Dunces’
I’ve read it at least 10 times. It’s so ridiculous and hilarious. Ignatius Reilly is too brilliant for the world — so brilliant that he cannot move out of his mother’s house or maintain a job. His little rants about things remind me of the political discourse you read on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok. He knows he’s right and you can’t tell him otherwise.
‘Discipline Is Destiny’
Right now I’m reading “Discipline Is Destiny,” about the benefits of not letting things affect you personally and how to push through what you think is an obstacle. It’s a kick-start to the day to put you in the right frame of mind: Not everything’s going to work perfectly, you might encounter people that are tough to deal with, but you can control your reactions.
Our Garden
Our landscape architect made us a nature trail that’s designated by the city — there’s a plaque and everything. It caters to birds, butterflies and little creatures. I’ve got a cutting garden with roses and lilies on one side, and anything birds and bees would love on the other side. It’s lit up like Disneyland at night.
Ring Cameras
We have cameras everywhere because, first of all, I don’t want to be burgled. But I love checking them every morning and seeing the families of skunks, raccoons, possums or mice. An animal network walks up and down our trail. It’s so cute.
Chewy.com
We have a lot of pets — seven cats, then there’s the creatures outside. My God, we were spending so much time running to the store to get litter, food and supplies! Cardboard scratchy pads? We go through those weekly. This way, it’s delivered right to us.
Dunch
I can’t do brunch anymore. It’ll ruin your whole day because the food is heavy and there’s always mimosas involved. (I don’t know how to have one mimosa.) “Dunch” is dinner and lunch anytime between 2 and 4. I like to do dunch at a Mexican place that gets too busy around 5. We go early, get those meals out of the way and go on with our day.
Home Spa Tools
I love a home spa because I can multitask. I can be catching up on my stories or my podcasts and snatching my face. I have my Solawave, Tria, an infrared sauna — all the fun stuff that you can do at home and feel like you’re being proactive about your health or your presentation.
My Husband
We consider ourselves a little gang of two. I cannot do anything without him, and everything I have that is good is because he’s in my life. We’ve been married 28 years, together for 31. He’s a good one … and I don’t make it easy.
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