Austinist Interviews Tig Notaro

So are there plans for a second round of it?

Well, we're waiting for this whole thing with the TV pitching and the network meetings and stuff. I think we'll know something better in the next three months. If a network buys it, we're going to have to shoot a whole new pilot. Which means it will be a whole new tour, but it will be a bigger budget.

Can I reprise my role as interviewer?

Absolutely.

Then I'm on board. Yes, is my answer. Has your life changed at all after the Sarah Silverman episode?

I would say I used to get recognized once a month. And now I would say I get recognized once every --- not too often, three to four days. That's about all it's changed. People know me better now. The show's a huge hit --- I don't know if you know that, but it is a huge hit.

Right.

And having that big of a role on a hit show, and having it be my name, is really helpful.

Great. Because it seems like that episode almost was written for you.

Yeah.

Is that the case?

Yeah. When Sarah told me that she had written an episode for me, I thought that she meant I was going to be a cashier or something, saying, "Have a nice day." I didn't realize that she literally wrote an entire episode for me. So when I was looking through the script, I was like, "Oh, my God. This is an entire episode for me."

I was just having lunch with her and the writers the other day --- well, I was having lunch with her, but it was at her office and all the writers were there. I heard a few bits and pieces of, "Oh, that'll be cool for that episode where Tig is…"

To be honest, I have been following whatever news bits I've heard about the show being brought back for a second season. I don't know the Hollywood lingo for that kind of stuff…

Picked up.

Picked up?

For 14 episodes.

Right. So I did hear that, but I mean, honestly, I thought that was the funniest episode. I mean, I loved every single episode, but that episode to me --- the whole thing with you and Sarah was great, and the whole thing with the TAB stuff was great.

Yeah. The TAB stuff was awesome.

But that was probably the highlight of the season, which had already set an amazingly high standard for hilarity.

Thank you. I appreciate that.

Well, thanks for making me laugh. I am really intrigued by your party DVD.

It has been on hold.

Really?

It has. My editor started editing it, and then he got wildly successful with his career. He's doing this as a favor to me because he really liked the project. In his spare time he'd edit my DVD. And then, like I said, he got wildly successful with TV and film and all sorts of stuff, so now it's this side project that he has to just squeeze in every now and then. But I'm hoping in the next few months it's going to be out. I'm really hoping. I don't know if you know exactly what it is.

I saw your appearance on, I think…

Jimmy Kimmel?

Was it? Because I thought maybe it would have been Jimmy Kimmel, but then I thought it was another late night show. Was that the only one?

I think that's the one where I'm talking about it.

Yeah, and they had it actually playing. They showed it at the end.

No, nobody has footage of it.

Well. If your editor wants to know how it should look, tell him to contact me. I did see that Jimmy Kimmel appearance, and it sounds like the most funny thing in the world.

Yeah, well there are a few parts of it. There's one part where I'm standing still for an hour, just having a drink and saying, "Hey, how's it going?" And then there's another thing, which is an infomercial that, actually, Sarah is the host of. And she's like, "Hi, I'm Sarah Silverman. How many times have you had a party and wished Tig was there? Well, now you can."

And then we bring out my friend Angela, who is an expert at having Tig at your party. And it's this big, fake infomercial. There are all these testimonial clips from comedian and actor friends of mine, and they're like, "Oh, my God, I had Tig at my party…" I'm really excited about it.

And then another part of the DVD is just live footage of my standup. But we're getting closer to it being finished. It just took way longer than we thought because of his success.

How has this tour been going?

Good. I never have like a beginning or end of a tour --- right now I'm just in Austin. But this week has been really fun. I used to tour anywhere from one to three months at a time and never go home. But now, with the more success that I have, the less I have to work because the more I make at clubs and colleges. So now I'm just working like probably one week at a club and/or one college a month. It's not like I'm out on a regular tour. I just pop in and pop out. And then I've been working on a writing project on my time off from the road with Kyle Dunnigan --- he's a recurring character on Reno 911. Do you watch that?

Yeah.

Do you know the Craig character that has like a lisp and big glasses? He's so funny ---- he was supposed to be a serial killer that they ended up killing. Anyway, he and I are developing a project for that character outside of Reno 911 that Nick Swardson is producing. Do you know him? He plays Terry on 911? The gay guy on rollerskates?

No. I guess I don't watch it that much.

Yeah, these are some big characters.

I know the guy with the short shorts.

These are just like recurring characters. These aren't the regular cops. These are either perpetrators or victims. So that's what I'm doing on my time off. Just writing and working on these Crackpot meetings and negotiations.

So as far as priorities go or time spent, where does stand-up fit in? Is that at the top of the list or does that fall somewhere in the middle?

I would say that it's at the top of the list, but this is the first time in my career where I'm now really excited to be negotiating my own TV show possibly, and excited to be coming back on Sarah's show. You know? I have new ventures that I've never really had before. But stand-up is still there. I always have a flame under my ass. And I always love doing it. I can't imagine not getting on stage and doing stand-up.

So will there ever be a point where you permanently give up stand-up to pursue film or TV?

I can't imagine. Because there will always be time to go down to the Improv, the Hollywood Improv and go do a set. Or head out to a college one night. And if it got to that point, I don't think it's anywhere in the near future. But ten years down the road, if I was so successful that I didn't need stand-up, I don't think that I would not do it. Just because it is a total passion.

Do you think just saying that you could always go down to the Improv and get on stage --- and this is just me randomly thinking this, but when Michael Richards went to the Laugh Factory, I don't think he was pursuing a stand-up career at that point. He just wanted to get on stage, and he made a fool of himself. Does that cheapen stand-up for you? This guy's off-the-cuff idea to just get on stage.

It wasn't even off-the-cuff, though. Because he had been doing stand-up regularly --- in fact, I've been on many shows with him. He's not a great stand-up or anything, but he does stand-up.

But I feel neutral. I feel like what other people are doing with stand-up doesn't have anything to do with what I'm doing. It doesn't cheapen or help --- maybe I'm naïve and can't see something, but I feel like what he did doesn't affect me. At all. I mean, I'm not a fan of…

You're not a fan of that kind of language?

And it's not just the language --- I know you're joking, but he's just really not a good stand-up comic. I think he was just dying on stage and snapped. I've died on stage, but I can't imagine going to the level that he stooped to. I'd rather just die on stage.

I'd rather get the big hook. The shepherd's crook.

That's what I'm saying. Just die on stage --- don't act like a scared, wild animal.

Going back to what you were saying earlier --- would you rather do a college or a week-long stint at a club like this?

It depends on the college and it depends on the club. I just did a college that was Christian, and my agent didn't tell me that. And I'm not a vulgar comic, but I couldn't even say 'ass'. So I felt really backed into a corner as far as what I could do. So I had to just go really off-the-cuff and talk to the audience. Which I do anyway, so luckily I had that strength. But that's not ideal.

But then I've done Princeton, and it's just like a 600-seat theater, packed, and everyone's awesome. You know? That's ideal. Really ideal.

I like them both. It just depends on the club or college. The money's better at colleges.

Is it?

Oh, my gosh. I get three times what I make at a club at a college --- in one night, for one hour.

And then after the show, kids just coming up to you in awe --- not that it wouldn't happen in clubs, but I think it would be to a greater extent at a college because it's a famous person.

Yeah, everyone watches Comedy Central.

So you get a more informed audience, as far as who you are. And then they just invite you to frat parties.

And then I don't go.

But sometimes at clubs, it's just like an entire audience of people that got free tickets. And they're like, "Who are you?" I'm like, "Don't worry about it. Just be quiet." But yeah, I like them both.

And living rooms. I do clubs, colleges, and living rooms. But that's the lower pay --- unless it turns into a TV show.

Which, apparently, it could.