With her trademark deadpan delivery, multiple nominations and awards, and more TV appearances than you can count, it’s fair to say Tig Notaro has made an impact on the cultural landscape—so naturally, SPR News wanted to hear from her as part of our “Tastemakers” series.
You might’ve seen her on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, “The Morning Show,” or “Star Trek: Discovery.” Rolling Stone even named her one of the "50 best stand-up comics of all time."
Being ranked among comedy’s best wasn’t necessarily how she envisioned her life early on, though. In fact, she didn’t even know how to start a career in comedy.
“I used to watch stand-up and was very, very obsessed with it,” Notaro told SPR. “It was a dream to do it, but then I didn't really understand how to get into stand-up.”
But a move to Los Angeles and a year of open mic opportunities opened her eyes to the possibility of a career.
Flash forward, and now Notaro is a two-time Grammy nominee and an Emmy nominee for her comedy. Most recently, she became an Oscar nominee for producing the documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light.” The film follows Notaro’s friend, poet Andrea Gibson, after Gibson’s stage four cancer diagnosis.
“I felt confident that this would be a beautiful, moving, funny documentary,” she said. “I think everybody was a little stunned that it made it as far as it did with all of those award nominations—just because it was so independently done.”
With the awards season behind her, Notaro is back on the road with her “Out of Nowhere” stand-up tour. She spoke with SPR ahead of her stop in Spokane.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
OWEN HENDERSON: So, the documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light” is about your friend Andrea Gibson and their journey after a stage four cancer diagnosis. You've talked quite publicly about your own cancer diagnosis during stand-up sets. How did your experience with cancer inform the way you approach telling Andrea's story?
TIG NOTARO: You know, I feel like the strength that I brought to it was I was actually the subject of a documentary as well for Netflix years ago. And so, having gone through cancer, having been the subject of a documentary, knowing the ins and outs of what it's like to have your life filmed that intimately.
Yeah, what I brought was just a sense of knowing that this has to be a very, very safe, comfortable environment to protect Andrea and to also make sure that, because Andrea wanted to do this movie, to make sure that there was a comfort level to be expressive in a way that was going to make the best film possible.
OH: Well, what is it like to have your life filmed that intimately? What surprised you the most about being the subject of your own documentary?
TN: It's funny because going into it, I thought I had an idea of how it was going to all play out similarly in the way that people might think they know how their life might roughly play out, because you can have all these ideas of, ‘Oh, I'll go to school. I'll move here. I'll get in a relationship. I will or won't have kids. I'll live this long. I'll be healthy. My parents will live a full life and they'll see their grandchildren.’
You might have all of these ideas. That's what I had about life. And then it was quite different with my health and losing my parents. And I never thought I wanted to get married. And meanwhile, I'm very happily married. I didn't know if I'd be able to have kids. I have two extraordinary children.
I can't believe I kind of fell for it again when we were making the documentary. I thought, ‘Oh, I have an idea of how I think this will go.’ And then I forgot about how life is continuing on.
And it's a little jarring to have a camera on you when you're caught by surprise in moments. And in my documentary, I was caught by surprise by another wave of grief and disappointment. And I was caught on camera, wasn't expecting it.
And it was a brutal reminder that you have no idea what's coming. And that's the beauty and horror of life. But I feel like my life and filming that documentary and everything has made me lean more towards I'm open to what's around the corner.
OH: And for this new documentary, how did the production process and then going through the gauntlet, that is the quote-unquote ‘awards season,’ change your own self-perception?
TN: I knew that Andrea was a really compelling person and I felt confident that this would be a beautiful, moving, funny documentary. I think everybody was a little stunned that it made it as far as it did with all of those award nominations, just because it was so independently done around a not so obvious subject and topic.
But I was on a walk with my wife. I said, ‘You know, I feel like I wandered onto a football field and ended up playing in the Super Bowl.’
And Stephanie said, ‘You know, you should really stop saying that about yourself because you legitimately produced that film.’
She said, ‘You brought all of the key people together and you saw the vision clearly and you moved it forward. You didn't end up there accidentally.’
I think it was a really helpful thing for me to hear because I think my upbringing and failing school and dropping out, I think I've kind of seen myself as somebody who just kind of stumbles along in ways and it's like, ‘Oh, wow, this worked out. That's crazy.’
And so I think it was a bit of a turning point of seeing myself like, “Yeah, I guess I did do that. I guess I am capable of those things.’
OH: You are a two-time Grammy nominee, an Emmy nominee, and now you're an Oscar nominee. Any plans to get a Tony Award nomination and finish out losing an EGOT?
TN: It was never my dream, but it is now my dream to be an EGOT loser. I don't put a huge amount of weight in any of that, but it's certainly fun. And as far as a Tony, I guess, you know, I have dreams of potentially doing a one-person show and there's been this idea rattling around. But yes, it would be a fun thing to be an EGOT loser.
OH: Tig Notaro will bring her out-of-nowhere tour to the Bing Crosby Theatre in Spokane Friday night.
