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And that ain't no joke!
Comedian Tig Notaro last graced Vancouver with her presence a couple of years ago at the Comedyfest, where she was one of several ladies sharing a bill with Janeane Garofalo at The Rio Theatre.
Tig Notaro: No Moleste.
I saw you and Janeane a couple of years ago at The Rio Theatre. That was such a great show! Someone in my group "heckled" you during the show; I'm really sorry about that. It was mortifying and, uh, not cool.
I don't remember your friend heckling me. Usually audience members aren't rude, which is nice. I'm not a comedian that gets into ripping people apart. I feel like its easy to attack and win when you're the one with the mic... under a spotlight... with your name on the marquee. What I find annoying, is if someone clearly just wants attention or thinks they are "helping" and continues to interrupt. And even if they are doing those things, its not something I typically spend time on during my show. If someone talks to me or I talk to them and its an authentic or fun interaction, I really enjoy it.
After my friends and I harassed you and Janeane for photographs you two disappeared into the dark ... by a grocery store. We always wondered where you went and what happened.
First come first serve! Tig and Janeane signing boobs outside The Rio in 2008.
Funny you should ask, because oddly, I'm certain Janeane and I will never forget where we went and what happened that night. We decided to forgo our ride and instead take a long walk back to the hotel after our show. Every one working at the theater that night warned us of how unassumingly dangerous Vancouver can be and that it was way too far for us to walk-especially in that area at that time of night. Being LA and NYC dwellers, Janeane and I did a "yeah, that's adorable, Vancouver, but I'm pretty sure we'll be alright, thanks though" look, then took some photos, signed some boobs and then headed out. We turned the corner and moments later proceeded to immediately be practically held hostage by a homeless man wielding a huge pipe or stick or something-just swinging the thing in circles wildly and making what I can only imagine were cave man noises. Janeane and I were absolutely horrified. He was feet away from us, but totally unaware of our presence. So completely out of his mind. We both stood frozen still in hopes of not drawing attention to us, all the while shooting wide-eyed terrified looks and smirks at each other as if to say, "Vancouver is surprisingly dangerous in these parts at this hour." If only someone had warned us.
I read about "Have Tig at Your Party" and was sort of hoping it was something like the days of MTV of yore, you know ... win a contest and then David Lee Roth shows up at your house for a pool party and BBQ, except instead it would be you riding a surfboard over the heads of my friends ... but it's not. Is "Have Tig at Your Party" still happening? If you were to come to one of my parties, what would happen (besides probably being the only other person than me there and feeling obligated to eat lots of spinach dip)?
Unfortunately no throw back to MTV or Diamond Dave. Sadly, its just me standing still for an hour. Sort of like the burning log video. "Have Tig at Your Party" is still happening, its just a bit delayed because I signed a deal w/this amazing indie rock label Secretly Canadian and they want to release "Have Tig at Your Party" as a partner piece with my first CD, which will be out in 2011. But I promise you, its well worth the wait. I hope.
Your bio reads a bit like a Mad Libs entry. You didn't really fail three grades ... did you? Was it three different grades or one three times? (I skipped kindergarten but failed Grade 12 math.)
I really did fail 8th grade... twice, then was moved up to ninth grade out of sympathy I suppose, failed that, then dropped out. So basically, I have a 7th grade education. But, I do love Mad Libs, if that matters at all.
At one time you were the assistant to Lucy Lawless.
I was an assistant at the production company that produced the show Xena (among other things), not actually a personal assistant to Lucy.
However, my duties did include taking Lucy's daughter to amusement parks, riding roller coasters, eating cotton candy, taking her visiting NZ family members out to eat while she was doing photo shoots or taping talks shows etc. I also did the typical answering phones, eating bagels and daydreaming about one day not being confined to a day job, which thankfully I'm not. However, there is an alarming amount of business that appeared after writing jokes. Anyway, what I mostly took away from that job was really great friendships, including one with Xena: Warrior Princess herself.
I was watching a clip of you with Zach Galifianakis and noticed you sat really, really close to him. I was struck by the mass, volume, and quantity of his hair. It's fascinating! What's it like up close?
It tastes as great as one would imagine.
This video with Zach Galifianakis is very funny. Also, his hair is fascinating!
You are in some "viral videos" online. There has been a really interesting explosion of these funny time-wasters in the past few years. On one hand, it seems an egalitarian way for comics to reach their audience. On the other hand, maybe it is contributing to some sort of economic downfall - people looking at these things instead of working.
I have no idea. I don't own a computer these days, so I'm not quite sure the level of wasted time these videos are causing. But, I was reading the news the other day and it basically said Facebook and YouTube are pretty much sucking peoples lives away. I'm more than happy to be a part of that time suck for society, I just try to avoid being on the flip side of that. All I'm trying to say, is I enjoy making videos.
Certainly one of your more popular "bits" (and the one I remember laughing at hardest) from your act is "No Moleste." What is the opposite of "No Moleste?" You should sell no moleste door signs.
Funny ha-ha in English and Spanish.
Si moleste is the opposite. I have thought about selling a door sign, but haven't done anything yet. I mean, they're basically out there free at hotels for the taking. I do sell "no moleste" t-shirts and those sell really, really well at shows and on my website I will have "si moleste" t's soon too.
Seems like everybody these days is putting out a comedy album.
It does seem like everyone puts one out these days. CDs and DVDs aren't something to rush, I think. I had never been interested in putting out an album, really. Certainly not just for the sake of doing so. I turned down offers in the past because I didn't feel ready. I really love the labels that approached me, but I wanted to be ready and for my CD to not get lost in the sea of everybody, but I didn't know how. As I mentioned earlier, I ended up signing with that indie rock label and that felt right. They seem so genuinely excited to push my record. I will be their first comedian, so we are both really invested. I feel like top priority there because they have only done music previously (Jens Lekman, Dinosaur jr., Foreign Born, Bon Iver etc.) They are assigning a publicist to me and I'll be doing a proper US tour to support the release in comedy clubs, theaters, rock clubs and art houses. Signing with them is opening doors that I think are specific to our partnership. I feel really, really lucky to be working with them. And as for what the CD will sound like, probably if everything goes accordingly, reminiscent of big band and swing.
Do you have any beauty/hair/fitness regimen or secrets you could impart to the Vancouver masses?
Yes I do, and I appreciate you providing me with the opportunity to share them. These days I try to just cover all the daily basics such as walking, flossing, drinking tons of water, eating organic and doing heaps and heaps of blow. It keeps me looking exactly my age.
I can not stop listening to the song Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. I will listen to it 10x in a row, I just totally dig it. Is there anything musically you're obsessing over right now?
Yeah, those guys are great. If you like that, you'll probably maybe like this old song by the late great John Hartford, Gentle on My Mind sung by Glen Campell. I've loved that song forever, but I recently hooked up my record player and have been enjoying some old vinyl.
This is what the inside of Tig's brain sounds like a lot of the time.
What's next for you? Movies, TV, etc?
Probably a lot of "etc," if i have my way about things. Right after I signed that record deal, I sold a TV show with my lovely pal Sarah Silverman executive producing. The label is waiting to see if/when we get a pick up date for the show, so ideally it can all come out around the same time. Other than that, I'm always just telling my jokes, touring and writing. Things are certainly a'brewin outside of what I just mentioned, but nothing to speak of at this time.
And by the way, I too am astounded by how "Hollywood" my answer to your question sounded.
If I gave you $100 to spend in Vancouver when you get here, what would you spend it on?
Will, the producer, kindly gave me an open invitation to the festival every year, so if I'm smart, obviously I should open a savings account and let it accrue interest over the next 40 years, then purchase a wheelchair that I'll keep in Vancouver to use when I'm doing the festival down the road as an elderly woman.
