One Actual Ton of Friends: An Interview with Tig Notaro
Comic Tig Notaro is known for her deadpan delivery and uncanny ability to find the absurd in any seemingly mundane situation. She's got an impressive roster of stand up specials under her belt, and you may have caught her cameos on shows like The Sarah Silverman Program and Community. Indie label Secretly Canadian will release Tig's debut album, Good One, on August 2. Luckily, you don't have to wait til then to hear from Tig -- you can check out her new podcast, Professor Blastoff (co-hosted with writing partner Kyle Dunnigan and comic David Huntsberger). We talked to Tig about her new pilot, weird audience moments and exactly how much her friends weigh. Want an exclusive track from Tig's new album? We've got a present for you after the interview.
You just filmed a pilot, “Tig Has Friends.” Is it a traditional talk show?
It's a talk/variety show, but not traditional at all. It's themed, so I'll have a TV cast, movie cast, band, athletes or comedians on and I ask them ridiculous questions. I'm not interested in what's coming up for them in their careers, there's no banter on the couch, it's just fun and ridiculous and a great way to get to know the guests through how they deal with what happens live on stage.They provide the variety by revealing a hidden talent, and the real questions come from the fans in the audience. I go into the audience for a very interactive Q & A. That's always really fun.
The pilot episode included some “Mad Men” cast members -- did you make them promise you a guest spot next season?
No, they had me promise I'd do one.
Sarah Silverman helped you develop the show; will she be a frequent contributor?
I hope so. She always has the best insight and ideas. I know she'll be as involved as I need or want and as much as she can. She's tremendously invested in the show, so that is very comforting.
Have you ever done a round-table style live show? How does it compare to the experience of performing stand up?
The only round table for me has really only been on radio or podcasts. The only real difference is it's totally improvisational on air, rather than scripted in stand-up.
You went to high school in Texas -- do you like coming back on tour and for SXSW?
Yeah, there's definitely a sort of "coming home" feeling when I go back to Texas, even though it's not where I consider home. Austin is obviously a great city and SXSW is one of the best festivals going, so it's an all-around great situation. And I still have a ton of friends there, too. An actual ton. Last time I was in town, I demanded that everyone weigh in. One ton exactly.
You were the only female comic announced in the first round of SXSW Comedy performers this year, which became a pretty popular story. Did it bother you that this was such a big deal?
All I'll say is, whatever it took to get Barbara Walters to say my name, I'll take it. Yeah, it was a bit bizarre to me that it got as far as The View and The New York Times. I felt like the child in a divorce, because people would email me articles with my name and face at the top of the page and below was the back and forth between people arguing about sexism. Personally, the issue of women in comedy exhausts me and I'd rather just be the best comic I can possibly be, and I think others should just spend all their energy on that, too. Prove everyone wrong that way.
Your debut album is out in August, but you’ve been touring for years -- why did you wait so long to release a CD?
It just never excited me until Secretly Canadian signed me. I'm keenly aware of where I am in the ranks of comedy, so I knew if I released a CD on a proper comedy label, I'd probably get lost in the sea of everybody. Because Secretly Canadian is an indie rock label, and I'm their first comedian, I know they are especially excited and focused, so I feel like my release will get the attention from the label that I would want and that I might have gotten had I been a bigger name signed to a comedy label. At Comedy Central, I'd just be Little Ol' Tig, where as at Secretly Canadian, I'm totally Dane Cook over there.
One of your jokes ends with an anecdote about an audience member misinterpreting part of your act; what’s one of your weirdest “interacting-with-an-audience-member” stories?
I have never taken the time to rank the weirdest, because it easily happens every night. I will say that one time during a show in Minneapolis, a woman in the second row just started yelling "strawberries" out at me over and over. I stopped my set and said, "Excuse me?" She continued. I finally said, "You are interrupting my show, so I'm going to have to ask you to stop yelling that word out at me." Turns out she thought it was like Who's Line is it Anyway -- she thought she was at an improv show and that I'd just take suggestions from the audience and go with it. So, that was pretty weird. Natasha Leggero was opening for me that week, so she can confirm if there's any doubt with anyone. I asked her to keep her phone by her bed in the event anyone called to fact check this.
Want an exclusive track from Tig's new album? Here's a present from Austinist and Tig:
