Ladies and gents, it’s our pal Tig Notaro. Party bits, dabbling for decades, a lesbian flying a helicopter, and a dream come true. Pop on your eagle jacket and hop in your Zamboni; it’s an all-new SmartLess. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of SmartLess ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
Hey, guys. Welcome to the show today. I hope you're feeling really good. I got a hat on. You guys don't. Are you jealous of my hat?
I've got a microphone, though. I'm ready to go with a microphone and a couple of headphones here. Yeah, a couple of hands.
That just leaves me, and all I got is a really bad attitude.
Oh, no, and a bad speech thing. We're doing audio.
Welcome to Smartless. Smartless. Oh, boy. Smartless.
You know, Sean, you look like you look a little bit more blonde today.
Did you do a rinse this morning? No, I got a haircut yesterday, and I didn't color it.
I got to color it. It's a little too... Nice try. I saw Sean yesterday. I happened to be at CVS, and he was buying... He bought three things of sun in. And he sprayed a bunch of sun.
It is a little lighter than normal, and I don't like it, so I'm going to color it a little bit.
Now, is Skevo going to get it? Sorry, go ahead. You go ahead. Sorry, yeah. Hang on a sec, Will. This is important. What kind of color?
No, I know. I want to get to Skevo, though.
Skevo, the greatest name in all of hairdressing. Yeah. Sean, what is the color that one tries to target usually? Is there a name for it?
a name for it there's no name burnt sienna no it's like number five and number two or whatever they have yeah well you blend it's a blend it's a blend but i know you don't like when i color my hair but i like it well you well i want i like what you like um but i just want to make sure you know that i need no color to love you any more than i do well that's true but i'm at max
I'm sorry. I'm still reeling. I can't believe you blend five and two. Honestly, I think the coloring world is going to be... I'm going to have to call Eli or buddy Eli Thomas, Skevo. We should have a conference of all the hair guys we know. We'll get McMillan in there. Old sweet, sweet Chris. Chris McMillan. And we'll bring them all in.
Is Skevo short for anything? No, he is a shorter fellow, but no, his full name is Skev. Do you call him anything for short? What would be short for Skev?
Hey, Skev. Oh, sometimes you drop the O, huh? Like if you're in a rush. Yeah.
If you're running a bunch of errands. What's his last name? Because usually last name's more spicy than the first. I'm going to tell you right now, we can cut out this pause while I look it up.
Please be Miller. His last name is Zambilla? Zambilla? Zamboni. Zambillas. Would you say that you guys are tight?
Super tight. Hey, Will, by the way, I played golf the other day with the guy whose grandmother, I believe I'm getting this right, semi-right, reinvented the Zamboni.
Oh, I've played golf with that guy too.
Yeah, and it happened down here in like Paramount, California, surprisingly, not in Canada. Yeah, yeah. And Tracy, the Zamboni is the machine, the sweet little car or truck or minivan that you drive over the ice rinks to make it smooth and shiny.
Cleans the ice, uses hot water and thing, and then drags and smooths it out. It's the one thing for hockey that's hurt it in terms of viewing because they have to ice between periods, and therefore the intermissions are so long. They're not that long. Yeah.
it's you know 20 minutes and it's detrimental there is no alternative why don't they get two out there they do they generally do pro games they do yeah maybe they need three they might need three i don't know i was you know um oh wait sean's got something on this yep well michelle pfeiffer's character's name in greece too was stephanie zanoni i always thought it was zamboni
Huh. So listen. Sorry, do you want to go down? Do you have a list of stuff you misheard over the years? Okay.
Dudes, every once in a while, we get to have a guest on that is also our friend. Today is one of those days. I love every moment I spend with this woman and always wish for more. She's funny, but never on. She's kind and warm, but never one of those smiley creeps. She's done movies, television, radio, podcasts, written a bestseller. She's been nominated for Emmys and Grammys.
She's got two kids, one wife. She started in Mississippi, and now she's right here. Say good morning to the great Tig Notaro. Oh, Tig.
Tig. Tig Notaro.
I love that I was described to a T and Sean's still like, who could this possibly be?
Yeah, I had to zip through it. It doesn't even sound remotely familiar. I knew and I knew and I didn't say anything because I didn't want my disappointment to come through the microphone so early. I didn't want my, and not even disappointment, outrage.
Now, hey, Tig. Tig, your hair is growing out. It looks good.
Oh, it just started today. I'm surprised you noticed. No way has it grown out.
Yeah, you really pushed hard for that.
I just started growing it out today. I woke up and I was like, you know what? I'm going to grow my hair out. And I can't believe you noticed.
Day one. Please do one of those things where you take a snapshot every day for 365 and then put it together as a video and set it to a really sad song.
Okay.
Hey, Tig, speaking of sad songs, are both your parents still with us?
All three are dead.
Three? Three.
Well, I had a stepfather that raised me. Okay. And in fact, not only is he dead, but... He's not coming back. He has no way back to town. A couple of years ago when he died and we were having his funeral in Mississippi, it was an outdoor burial. And we were talking to the priest was saying, how do you want to do this? It's more casual outside. I said, well, I was going to say something.
And my brother said, well, I'll go first. I'll just say something really quick. And he walks up and he fell into a grave.
No. Yeah.
What? Yes, he did.
Is that true?
It is very true. And my entire family is sitting there, and you see everyone just go, oh, shit. And my brother, and there's like this tarp over the hole, and you just see my brother slowly, like it caught him a little bit, but he's slowly going down.
I mean, that would be overwritten in a comedy.
I know, it's too much. And we're trying to help him out.
Had he had a few?
No, no.
He's just blind.
No, the place messed up. They were supposed to put plywood over it. And you see the people from the...
I love that the lawsuit says the place messed up. We're suing you because you messed up.
That's the legal terminology. We messed up. We messed up.
What was the effort like getting him out? Was it tough to get him out?
Well, we were like, oh my gosh, trying to help him out. He's like, no, no, no, I'm okay. And he's pulling himself out like the night of the living dead, like with his dirty suit, just grabbing dirt everywhere. And grass trying to pull himself out of the hole. Like, he was not going to let anybody pull him out.
Have you ever had a nightmare with that? Has that imagery ever come back to you? Like, sort of...
No, that was like a dream come true. That wasn't a nightmare. That was like, oh my God. I couldn't believe my stepfather did not get to see that happen. Right.
And you couldn't believe your luck that you got to witness it too.
Well, and immediately I thought, oh my God, this must happen all the time. And then I was like, wait, this can't happen all the time. In Mississippi is the end of that.
In Mississippi is the end of that sentence.
And people ask, they're like, oh, how come, what's it with, you know, all of these... stories from the south and mississippi and i'm like i have no idea but i truly just show up look around and head home with stories like that i really what was that what about is that did you was army of the dead about zombies
You did an Army of the Dead.
Ooh, good transition. Army of the Dead, I did do Army of the Dead, yeah. In fact, I did it on green screen.
Right, because famously, you replaced a fella on that, right?
Yes.
And so you had to shoot everything on green screen, and then they superimposed you into a film that was already shot.
That's right. Yeah, easy enough.
And were there zombies in it?
There were. There were zombies in it.
So were you like, ah, ah, but nothing was there? Oh.
Sean, you saw the movie, I guess.
Well, I've done some green screen acting. Clearly read for it. I've done some green screen acting.
Yeah. Yeah. I had to, I flew the escape, like the helicopter to- Get in. Yeah. I've got to take off. Yeah. And I had to do, that's not my typical, you know, acting role where I'm yelling things and fighting things and had to do it all on green screen.
And just literally like three feet away is craft service. Just three feet away.
Yeah, through every scene you see me grabbing a donut and it's all on camera.
But you didn't have to, you weren't a zombie yourself. You didn't have to get into any zombie makeup, did you?
No, I was just, I think, a lesbian.
Those zombies aren't flying helicopters. Just a lesbian flying a helicopter. Is that what you said?
Yeah. I think that's what I am in everything.
No take. Now, what about in Star Trek?
I'm a lesbian in space.
There's lesbians in space?
There are now.
Yeah.
Now, do you have to wear any alien makeup in Star Trek?
No, no. In fact, they barely put any makeup on me, I think because they really want to- What if they just put jobs of lipstick and like really- Big eyelashes.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Or you're just sexually active. Massive cleavage too.
No, truly?
No. No, no. My tits are in a dumpster. Yeah. In Hollywood.
Isn't that the title of your new special? Yeah. All right. Hey, Tig, let's go back to the very beginning. All right? So we're in Mississippi. All right? We're in Mississippi. Everyone's alive. Everybody's alive. Everybody's happy. That's a good way to start. Now, but you did start as a rock band manager, right? type of promoter, I'll help you get on stage and from city to city type of person. Yes.
Yes? Yes.
Dude, have you ever spoken English before? What the fuck is going on? I'm such a journalist.
But, you know, I do love that about our show. Every once in a while, as I said in the intro, we get a friend on here and I end up learning so much more about them than I've ever learned in our personal life.
And why do you think that is? Because you don't take time to ask. I don't ask questions. I'm going to sidebar for a second. You don't... Ask questions about other people, right? Hey, Wayne, keep it quiet.
Wayne. You know what I mean? But what about this? So you managed bands?
Well, I really love music, and I play a little guitar, a little drums.
Drums, yeah, I read that. And you're a lesbian, you said, just coming back.
I'm a lesbian, so...
Oh, just a little bit. Sorry, I got confused. And these are drums with sticks, not the hand drums?
No, no, no, no, no. See, I'm still dabbling as a lesbian, so I'm playing actual drums. Once you cross over, then you start doing drum circles. Yeah. I've been dabbling for decades, not sold on it. But yeah, I was too shy to perform. I tried and it was nerve wracking. And so my first girlfriend played in a band. And so I just started booking the band and working in music.
How long was that you did that?
I don't know, maybe three years.
And are we driving around in a van? Yeah. Yeah. Wow.
Like we went on tour in a van. You mean like that? Yeah. Like when we were touring? Yeah, we were in a van. One time we actually rented a friend of ours, Bronco, and while we were on tour, the hood – flew up and like bent in half. Wow.
And you couldn't see anything?
We couldn't see anything.
My God, that's my worst nightmare. I literally thought about that just the other day. I was watching, I could have sworn the hood was vibrating a little bit. I thought, what if this thing flies up? It's like a bad Chevy Chase moment.
What the hood of the, like an SUV type of thing? A Bronco.
Yeah, but it was like an old Bronco.
And so if the top goes off, why can't you see? Because there's still a windshield.
The hood.
The hood. Oh, the hood, the hood.
Sorry, sorry. I thought you meant the roof of the car. Are you catching every third word? Actually, about every fourth word. So, now, but Tig... What kind of music was the band or the bands that you did?
You know, I mean, folk rock. There it is. Of course, of course.
Hey, so, but now, but you decided to help this band out because you wanted to have a seat that was less exposed to the spotlight. But then while you're doing this, you said, well, hang on a second. Maybe I actually want to, I want to be upfront again. I want to do stand up now where there's nothing between you and the audience.
Yes. Well, the... What happened? I moved my very good friends that I grew up with that are still very close to me. We moved from Denver. We were living in Denver at the time. And we moved from Denver to LA and they moved there to pursue...
tv and film and i was newly out of a relationship and i was like well i guess i'll just go with you and so i went and then when i got there i saw in the la weekly all of the different opportunities to do stand-up which had been my top secret dream oh how about that even though you were shy Even though I was shy. And so I spent the first two weeks going to every open mic I could possibly go to.
Oh, my God.
How nerve-wracking. I'm getting nervous just thinking about it. What was that first?
Don't worry. It all works out okay. I end up on Smartless.
Yeah. Ding, ding. Now, wait. Would you just like climb into a bottom of a bottle before you got up there? Like how did you get over this initial stage fright and get up there and start doing it?
Well, somebody had canceled at the show that I was watching and I asked the person, which is so, I should dig this footage up. I have footage of myself talking into a flashlight in a mirror, working out material in my studio apartment.
Amazing moment.
For those two weeks. Amazing. And so I was practicing in the mirror in my flashlight.
All you had to do was flip it on and you could tell ghost stories right after.
Exactly. Amazing. And so I had all of this stuff worked out over those two weeks that I had been living in L.A. And then I asked the person, I was like, hey, can I go on stage? And she was like, sure. And so I did. And when I say it went well, if you showed me the footage now...
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Horrifying. But, Tig, what was the first thing you said?
Okay, the very first thing is a true story. My friend, who I rented the Bronco from... Yeah, who's mad at you because of the... Returned it without a hood, yeah. We moved beyond that. We got the car fixed and remained friends. So my friend, his name was Ro. Hey, Ro. Well, he passed away, sadly.
Oh, sorry. Everyone's dead.
Anyway... Ro called me and told me our mutual friend, Johnny, was going to be in Denver.
Can we say hi to Johnny? Johnny's still with us?
I don't know where Johnny is. Say hi to Johnny. Hi, Johnny.
Hey, Johnny. Johnny.
So he told me that our mutual friend was going to be in town when I was living in Denver. He said, Johnny's band is going to be there. You should go see him. And he hooked me up with the road manager for me to get tickets to Johnny's show. This is some backstory. Yeah. I'll say, I'll say. Oh, there's more. And so I called Johnny's road manager.
What was the number?
This is where the story kicks in.
Okay.
So I called the road manager and I said, Johnny's friend, could I get tickets to the show? And he said, yes. And then at the end of the conversation, he says, now I don't feel comfortable calling you this, but I guess I'll see you tonight, pig. And I said, oh, I said, I actually don't feel comfortable calling you or with you calling me pig either. I said, my name is actually Tig.
And he said, yeah, that's what I said, pig. And I said, no, it's Tig with a T. And he said, tit? And then I just said, yeah, that's right. It's pig tit. I'll see you tonight. Okay. So, anyway, that was my first story.
No way. That must have killed. Now, your name, Tig, was given to you by your brother when you were two years old.
Yeah.
See? Guys, I know how to research shit. Yeah.
Well, it's more fun to just ask her how she got it, and then she tells us that, you know what I mean? Oh, yeah. Wait, okay.
We can do it. Are we still rolling? We can do it a few different ways and then just see which.
Why are you sweating, Bateman? What is going on?
Okay.
He loves me.
Your real name, I think, is one of the best names in the history of names.
I don't even, I've known you for 75,000 years. I don't even know your real name. Can we say it?
We can say it. It's on Wikipedia.
I don't even know if you'd pronounce it correctly. I know what you think it is.
Oh, well, let's hear that. Let's hear what he thinks. Can I guess the correct pronunciation?
Yes.
Matilde.
That's correct. Matilde. No, it's Matilde.
Oh. Matilde. Well, then what happens to the D? M-A-T-H-I-L-E. C'est Francais?
M-A-T-H-I-L-D-E. But it's pronounced Matilde.
Matilde. So you don't suggest the D is, no, there's no use of that. That's French Creole. Yes. Yes.
I think it's just French. French. My mother was Mathilde. My grandmother was Mathilde. My grandmother went by Thiel. My mother went by Susie, and I go by Tig.
Wow. And then why did your young brother come up with Tig?
He was older than me. He couldn't pronounce Tig, or he couldn't pronounce Mathilde, and somehow he came up with Tig. And his name is Rud.
Renaud. Renaud.
Is R-E-N-A-U-L-T, Renaud?
R-E-N-A-U-D.
A-U-D, Renaud. Renaud. Who was French? Do people speak French? My mother. Is Renaud still with us?
Yes, he's the one that fell in the grave and lived.
Renaud, let's just shout out to Renaud. Ça va, Renaud? Yeah, Renaud. Bonne cigarette. Renaud.
Baguette. Wow. And we will be right back. And now, back to the show.
Wait, I want to know, like, back to the stand-up, and that was a really funny story. Did you know? Thank you. You're welcome. Oh, Jesus. Come on. You don't keep that.
We'll stay out of this, okay? Oh, God.
Was there, did you know, because when I first did it, I was terrible.
This is where we take a break, sorry.
You did stand up?
Hang on, this is, Tig, we always do this where we take a break. Sean, and why don't you just tell, our audience knows, but tell Tig what your first joke was. Let's go ahead. Well, I think.
Okay.
Sean.
It's a callback. Sean was it? My first joke was, well, I'll do two because one's not even, one was they say ballet is one of the most difficult things you could do, so just don't do it. That was the first one. And then the second one was. Wait, I'm sorry.
That was the joke?
There was a joke. Yeah.
Wait. Say it again.
You're with it. You're on it. You're right on it. Doing ballet is one of the most difficult things you could do, so I say just don't do it. And then the second one was... What was the second part of your speech? Appropriate response. And then the second one was really bad. There's not even a joke.
Wait a second.
It got worse.
Go ahead with the second one, Sean.
Now you've got the audience. Guys, he's on a roll. Let him go. And then what?
He had the audience with that first one. I didn't know how to write a joke.
What was your closer? My closer was something like, hey, isn't it funny when you see people outside in public call their pet for the first time? Like, you know, hey, Spot, hey, whatever. But like, what if it's like, hey, Mustard, come here. Hey, Ketchup. And it was, there's not even a joke. It's just bad. At 22 years old, I'm like, this is going to kill. Yeah.
And it was terrible.
I mean, I don't even know what the joke is.
Honestly, it's mystifying that somebody would not just have the balls to get up and do it. We know how scary that is. I'm not a stand-up. Yeah, but them being that bad. But to go up and think. Think, right, that you could just talk. That would be an appropriate thing to say in front of a group of people. Fuck as a comedy, just to say out loud as a thought. Yeah.
And to relay that in front of someone who was, you had the number one selling comedy album in the world in 2013.
Yeah.
Amazing.
Number one. Even without Sean writing my material.
Is there a way, is there any way you could make Sean's, either of Sean's, and I'm going to use the term joke loosely, would you ever be able to make that work on stage? Do you think that that's?
Change the name of the animal from mustard or ketchup to something that would be a little bit funnier to hear yelled across a park.
Or just construct a joke about it, which was my question, which was I was getting at, which was like, when you got up and, because you're a very great storyteller and a lot of your comedy comes from things that have happened to you in life.
Thank you.
Did you, you're welcome. Fucking hell. Honest to fucking God. Did you, how did you learn how to craft jokes? like the rhythm of a joke or a story because I got up, the point of me telling you how bad I was, I got up and thought I could just talk. And were you that way when you first started or did you know how to write?
Well, I thought, and I realized I must be like everybody else that you go watch standup and you think, oh my God, I can do this. Everybody that does standup thinks, oh my God, this is, and you know, there's, I get calls from people that are like, Oh, my friend at work is so funny. He's moving to LA. Can you meet with him? It's like, yeah, everybody in the office is hilarious.
Everybody watching standup thinks they can do it. And it just was, you know, I took the leap like everybody else. And I think my first one did go well. And then I signed up for a competition the second time I did stand up and I bombed so hard. Wow. And the only thing I heard in the audience, aside from silence, was my friend Derek choking to death laughing at me.
And then I ran off stage and we drove back from Orange County back to L.A. But it's just been a process of, you know, of... I mean, I thought I could do it. I have been doing it. And, you know, I started out doing kind of deadpan one-liners and then they kind of got longer and I experimented. I will say... Will, I'm talking.
No, I was gonna tell you something. I know. We always interrupt. This is our hallmark of our show is interrupting our guests.
So then once I was finally... No, go ahead, Will.
Well, I just wanted to say what I was kind of agreeing... I wanted to say that it's not surprising, and kind of going off what Sean said, it's not surprising because you have one of those... You are the type of person, and I don't know you that well, but we've known each other over the years a little bit and gotten to know each other a little bit more. You are a very funny person.
And it's not true for all stand-ups. And you're not just a stand-up. But you are a very naturally funny person. You don't have a choice in it. I will say that. Thank you. I don't think that... Thank you. Sorry, Sean gets that one.
And you are a very naturally, so, you know, I think that it does come to, I'm not surprised that the first time you went up that you were able to sort of connect with the audience because you're a very naturally funny person. I will say that. That's what I wanted to say.
Well, I appreciate that. Well, and certainly after I thought I had gotten my bearings in standup, I thought, well, I've got this. And I booked my first gig on the road. And it was like in this comedy club in a strip mall. And I had only done shows in Los Angeles and like kind of hip rooms and whatever. And then now I'm like in the middle of nowhere strip mall.
And I was staying with friends and they let me use their car. But the venue actually will put you up at a condo and they have a car for comedians. And I was like, oh, I don't need the car, but thanks. And this club was called Wits End in Denver. Yeah.
Oh, that's good.
And I bombed. This is my first road gig. I bomb the entire weekend. And then I hear before the second show on Friday or Saturday, I hear the owner saying, where is our emergency fill-in comedian? And I was thinking, oh, no, what happened to Nancy? Because I was thinking something must have happened to Nancy. I was mortified. I thought she died.
And he was like, has anyone heard from the emergency fill-in comedian? And I'm like, what the hell? And then he walks up to me and gives me my check and fires me. And it was so mortifying. It's again, my first gig on the road. It's the holiday season. I walk out the front door and I'm like, oh no, I forgot my friends were coming that night.
So my friends are in line to get into the show and they're like, woo, we're so excited. And I was like, I said, oh, I was just fired. My comedy was so bad it caused an emergency. And so they're bringing in a fill-in comedian. Like they couldn't even stomach me for the rest, like that last night. So they said, let's all go meet at the Mercury Cafe. I'm like, okay. I go to get my friend's car.
And I drive off, hit an ice patch.
No.
Spin out of control like in a cartoon. I'm still in the parking lot of Wits End.
Oh, my God.
Okay. And then the car stops. And I'm, of course, pointed in the wrong direction. I'm mortified. I'm like, I thought for sure I was going to be wrapped around a pole.
Uh-huh.
And then I start laughing when I realize I lived through it because I immediately thought, what if I had used their car? Their car was a station wagon from the 70s that had clowns painted on it that said, follow me to Wits End Comedy Club. And if I had died in that moment wrapped around a light post.
After being fired. After being fired.
Fired.
Fuck.
Fired. So anyway, it's been a long road, but I'm almost 30 years in.
Yeah, how did you stick with it with that kind of a start? Why didn't you say, yeah, fuck this. I'm going to start a different career.
You know, I feel like stand-up is like if you're in an abusive relationship and you keep thinking... It was good once. I can get that feeling back, you know? Because the first time I did stand-up, it was... I do think it went well enough. And then the second time, I did not win the $100 in the competition I signed up for.
Did you ever think about sending the charts from your number one comedy spot and sending it to the dude in Denver?
Well, he also died. Oh, my God. Fuck Widow.
I know.
Out of the path of Tig.
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, what? Well, how about do you think that your talent, your skill, your angle on all of this has progressively been arcing up? Like, has it continued to get better and better and better and better?
My attitude? Yeah.
No, no, doing stand-up and your experience with it and like... My question is your attitude, yeah. Do you find that you're getting... Is stand-up a thing that can be... I find that I'm getting hopefully a little bit better each year I continue on doing it over the hell I'm doing. Oh, really? I think, I hope.
I'm not asking. He's talking about golfing. Let's be clear.
Yeah, it's golfing. Is that something that you're still enjoying? Are you still ascendant?
Well, you know, I finished my last tour and put out my stand-up special. And my last tour really kind of ran me into the ground. And I'm working in Toronto right now. So this painting behind me is not mine.
That's not yours. I was going to ask you about that. Listener, it's just a shot of basically Jesus' home. It's up there in the clouds somewhere. That's right. Go ahead. It's a nice hotel painting.
But I've been working on new material when I have nights off here, and that's felt good. But I've had this building need and interest— in doing a one-person show.
And so... But isn't that what you do?
No, I want it to be a little more of a theme.
Like a two-act, three-act structure. Like on Broadway.
Yeah, sure.
But more like a I Love You, You're Perfect Now change. Like one of those ones that used to pass down 7th Avenue.
Yeah, do a little singing, dancing.
Well, My Big Fat Greek Wedding was a one-woman show that turned into a movie because it was her story. So you mean something like that? Like a Spalding Gray type of thing?
Something. Something like that.
Or like a talk radio. Are we going to keep going with this?
Yeah, keep guessing. More examples.
I'll have a copy sent to you today. So then there's a theme to it and it's a little bit more scripted or fully scripted.
Well, I mean, my standup is scripted, but I do interact with the audience. Or if an idea comes to me while I'm doing a show, I'll just go with that and just kind of explore it. Because I don't sit down and write my comedy. I write on stage in front of a live audience. So I do it fully, you know, without a net type writing. Okay.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you do, I know you're up there in Toronto working. When you have free nights or whatever, do you still go and perform out like at clubs in Toronto? Are you doing that all the time?
That's what I'm doing is there's a comedy club, yeah, out here in Toronto, Comedy Bar. And I've been doing shows like, I don't know, two or three nights a week. Wow.
You got a Comedy Bar car? Yeah. They send you a card that says comedy bar. It says Zamboni. It says Zamboni. Comedy bar. Just for a callback.
Now you dabbled in, you do the acting as well, and then you dabbled in directing with Stephanie, your wife, right?
And we directed Sean Hayes.
Yeah, good luck with that.
Oh, boy.
Talk a little bit about that. Go ahead.
We did. We made this decision last minute to hire him. We couldn't get anyone else in the role. I was the emergency actor.
The emergency fill-in actor.
I was Nancy, yeah.
That was super fun. I laughed so hard those two days. It was really fun. Is this a project we should plug?
Yes, it's called Am I Okay? starring Dakota Johnson. Am I Okay?
It was out a couple years ago, right?
It came out this year. So thanks for being on top of that, promoting my hard work. You've been such a good friend.
So what kind of part did Sean... Don't forget, he doesn't... Oh, you don't forget. He doesn't ask any questions. He has no idea, and he's not curious about your life.
Go ahead, Jason. You know, I want to say something about the stand-up thing, though, because you know what always blows my mind? You want to change the subject from your casting?
No, he has more bits that he used to do. Let's hear him.
You know what blows my mind? It's like when people get up there and they can just... How can you just talk? Like, how do you have so much material that you don't, because I'm used to memorizing a script, right? And so, but there's nothing, and I know you've written it all, but just to like, if somebody says a topic, you can have the perfectly constructed joke about that thing.
And you have it all in the bank of your head.
But it's not all perfectly constructed. It's that I just try to leave my mind open outside of what I've already written or thought about. And then if something crosses my mind or somebody in the audience says something, I allow myself to go with that.
Whatever that is, yeah.
Yeah. I got it.
And explore and find what's funny about that. And now that you've had all of this tremendous success over the years, do people come up to you all the time and say, and say, hey, I'm such a fan, can you just do, can you say that funny thing? Or like, do they try to prompt you to perform for them?
I would say the most common thing I get is that, no, no, people don't do that. But I did this like 15-minute bit about running into the pop star Taylor Dayne. I did this story years ago, and I did it on This American Life. I ran into her so many times. And the first time I ran into her, I genuinely said, excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you. I just have to tell you I love your voice.
And she was rude to me. And she said, yeah, I don't do that anymore. And then turned and kept talking to somebody. And then I kept running into her. And every time I saw her, I was like, oh, my God, I'm going to go up and say the exact same thing I said to her at that party.
Just for my sister, Taylor Day was a big 80s pop star. Okay. Just in case people don't know who Taylor is.
Was your sister born after the 80s? The fuck are you doing? That was for me too, by the way. Was it really? You didn't know who Taylor was?
You don't know Taylor? Tell it to my heart. Tell it to my heart. Love will lead me back.
Nope. Anyway, so you see her a bunch of times.
So I see her out to dinner. I see her at cafes. I see her everywhere. And I just walk up and I interrupted her every time and would say, hi, excuse me. I'm sorry to bother you. I just have to tell you, I love your voice. I love your voice. Yeah. Every time. She's like, who the fuck are you? It became this experiment that I was doing.
Did she know it was you every time?
No, no. She never registered. Never did. No way. Yeah. But anyway. Did she die? It's really funny. Huh?
Did she die?
No, she's alive. And then we actually became friendly because of this because word got out that, you know, I was doing this story and then whatever. And I did this on This American Life. They did the story and then invited Taylor Dayne to that performance. And so I met her there. No way.
But anyway, people come up to me all the time and say, excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you, but I just have to tell you, I love your voice. That's amazing.
Wait, Tig, that's so good. I love that you did that. First of all, I love your commitment to shit like that. You've told me umpteen stories of things that you do. And one of my favorite, please tell us about some of the things you'll do at parties. Because it's my, these are my favorite.
Party bits, sure. Party bits. Actually, you know what a bit that I did on radio, morning radio, when I first started doing stand-up, I'd have to go at six in the morning to, you know, some like Fargo or something to do to promote my show. And I would always ask the radio host to please... like as soon as I come on the show, please talk about how gorgeous I am.
And just like, just like go on and on. Like Howard Stern and certain people, just like you are beautiful. I mean, look at you. And because I thought, oh, maybe that'll get people to the show, but also it really made me laugh to think of people showing up to see, this is years ago, and just seeing a disheveled monotone lesbian on stage, you know, talking about my cats.
You're like, I didn't know I was going to an Indigo Girls concert. Hey, wait a second. But talk about the party bits. The fucking, God, I'm so jealous.
I feel like you really liked this one, but my friend Henry Phillips, who is one of the funniest comedians, please look him up and watch everything he does. He's so funny.
Hi, Henry.
And he has a couple of movies out, Punching Henry, Punching the Clown. I'm in one of the movies. But anyway, he and I do so many bits together.
Yeah.
He's so good. And I used to live in Venice in California. And he was like, hey, I'm at a party near your house. He was like, I don't know any of these people. He was like, you got to come do some bits with me. And I was like, yeah, sure, I'll head over.
I love the mischief of it.
So I go meet him. And we're just loose at this party doing all these different bits that are truly for our own amusement, which is what I do things for. And if people catch on or they enjoy it too, that's fine. But I love looking foolish. So I go in. I don't know anybody at this party except Henry. I go into the kitchen.
There's like five people standing around, you know, leaning against the kitchen counter, having a drink, chatting. And it's a Saturday night, maybe 9.30. And I lean in and I just tap the wall and I go, hey, guys, I'm going to be going to bed in like 10 minutes. I have no idea if the owner of the house is in there. Tap the wall. I have no idea if the host is in the kitchen.
I don't know who those people are. And then I go find Henry and I'm dying laughing. And I was like, oh my God, I just told five people in the kitchen I was going to bed in 10 minutes. And he's like, oh my God. He said, there's like 200 people in the backyard. You have to go out on the deck and announce that. So I was like, no problem.
And this is years ago before I was like on TV regularly and whatever. And I walk out on the back deck. Everyone's holding their solo cups and whatever. And I'm like, hey, everybody, just so you know, I'm going to be going to bed in like 10 minutes. And... And to me, I'm like, you know, I am, for all you know, I could be going home and going to bed in 10 minutes. That doesn't mean I own the house.
They're bad, not yours. Tig, there's something about that that I've just always loved. I think it's the funny, it's so fucking profoundly funny. It reminds me, I used to always want to do this, but I never had the guts.
I wanted to drive around like Beverly Hills, Bel Air, like in a fancy car and pull up to gardeners as they're about to start on these big fucking estates and just go, roll my window down and go, I just spoke to the missus. She said, you guys can take the day off fully paid and just start relieving gardening crews around Beverly Hills and Bel Air. And they're like, look at each other, fully paid.
Yeah, you guys, the missus said, go ahead. She had a long night.
You guys don't turn that shit on.
Get out of here.
I remember one time you texted me to, you said, I'm about to drive by your house. I want you to stand outside and look on your phone, but don't look at me. Yeah. as I drive by. And so I was like, okay, I'll do it. And I stood by and I couldn't look up and you drove by and you said, hey, Sean, hey, Sean. And I didn't look up. That was the bit. I had a beat buried in my phone.
I didn't quite understand it, but it made me laugh.
You don't understand it?
It was like performance art.
God, that is so good. You know, Tig, you'd like this. My buddy Pete Serafinowicz and all these English guys, they did this bit once. They'd go to a restaurant in London, and they all learned beforehand. They got together, they conspired, and they learned. And they sang, it was somebody's birthday. So they sang happy birthday.
And then everybody at the table, like eight of them, launched into a second verse that they had written. So they start singing a second verse to happy birthday, and everybody in the restaurant starts looking at each other like, hey, what is this?
That's so funny. That is so funny. How fucking funny is that? Oh, my God. That's great. I am so jealous.
I know. We'll be right back. All right, back to the show.
Tig, what about the kids? You now have, with your wife Stephanie, you have two little, the cutest boys ever.
Yes, Max and Finn. They're doing well.
They have a sense of humor.
Seven, eight.
They are eight. They will be eight and a half this month. And huge into golf these days. Truly? They are so into golf. Come on. They're so into baseball, basketball. They're on some team. But yes, Sean, they have a sense of humor. My son, Max, I think that... Well, I tell everyone he's bone dry and we don't know where he got that. Sure, sure.
Was there a bone dry comedian that really kind of defined your comedic sensibility? Was it like Stephen Wright or somebody like that?
I was really into Stephen Wright. I also really loved Paula Poundstone. I thought she was so great at... writing jokes, telling stories, and also interacting with the audience. I felt like she could do everything and still feel that way.
But yeah, my kids, they're like little, a friend of ours described them as like little Midwestern uncles because they're just, they have like a certain maturity about them. And my son, Max, one of my favorite things that he said when he was four,
Stephanie and I were sitting on the couch with Max, Finn, her dad, and our three cats, and Max got up when he was four, just got off the couch, and he said, I'm getting the hell out of here. All these damn cats walked out of the room. I was like, I like your style, kid.
No way. That is so funny.
Yeah, they're the best.
Never dogs for you.
No, I've had dogs. I've had a couple of dogs in my life, but we call our house Kitty City.
Yeah. And do you like that the cats just sort of, they take care of themselves? They don't bother you? You don't bother them?
Yes, I like that in a person.
Yeah, a dog needs shit, right? A cat needs nothing.
I mean, but I do love an excited dog that's just like about to have a stroke. They're so excited to see you.
They get the zoomies. Now, Stephanie, you really make Stephanie laugh too, which is great. You guys laugh a lot.
Stephanie really makes me laugh a lot.
Yeah, and she's really funny too. She's super funny.
She's so funny and she's in love with Will. I'm in love with Jason and we don't know where Sean fits into this equation. Sean was with the kiddies.
I love Stephanie. I love stuff like that.
Is there a meet cute there you want to share with us? Yeah.
We met on the movie, Lake Bell's movie called In a World.
The Great Lake Bell.
Yeah, and I was deathly ill. I didn't know I had three deadly diseases at one time. And then I collapsed, went away, and dealt with... Wait, was this the cancer? It was cancer, pneumonia, and this intestinal disease called C. diff. I had it all three at once. Christ. So I go away. And I was in a relationship. Stephanie had never dated a woman.
We really enjoyed each other on set, but I wasn't thinking I was into her romantically, and she wasn't thinking that about me. So I collapse, I go away. Six months later, I resurface in the world, and the movie's going to Sundance, and we exchange numbers, and... I told her, I said, you know, I'm not the biggest texter.
And I told her about this girl that texted me incessantly after coffee and that she texted that night, she said, sweet dreams, the girl I had gone out with. And not that I thought Stephanie was into me, but I was just giving her the example that I'm not... Great at this. And that night, Stephanie texted me sweet dreams. And I was like, oh, that is hilarious.
And then we start texting and it's kind of building. And I'm thinking, oh, I'm really into her. And she had invited me. I was writing my book at the time. She invited me to come meet her and her friends at La Pubelle in Los Angeles. And I thought, oh my God, it's 11 o'clock. I haven't showered. I'm wearing this big wool, Canadian wool sweater with an eagle on my back. I can't go meet her.
And then I thought, oh, well, she's not even into me. So who cares what I look like? And it happened to be Valentine's Day. And so she's sitting at this table.
Happened to be.
But truly, she wasn't into women. And so she's at this table with friends. I walk into the bar. She is wearing a dark blue Canadian wool sweater with an eagle on her back.
No way.
And I was like, this is insane. I said, let's switch sweaters. So we switch sweaters. And her friend says, get together so I can take a picture of you. We go to hug each other, and we start making out immediately when we touch each other. Nice. Wow.
So we end up making out that night, and then she writes me a five-million-page email the next day, I get it, that's telling me how much she loves hanging out with me, how funny she thinks I am, she's not gay, but that she wants to be friends. I can't tell you how long this email was. I'm reading this going, ah. Because I realized I do like her, you know? Yeah, yeah.
And that's the only thing I wrote.
Ah!
And then she said when she got that response, she just thought, okay, I like this person. Yeah, that's great.
And then so, I mean, however you're comfortable relaying this, if there's any further in the story you're willing to go, how does that – do you guys just start seeing each other for a while? Because you want to respect her sexuality, but you want to continue seeing her, but you also don't want to like, you know, work on flipping her or like, how does that go?
What happens? Well, so. It's true. It's a good question.
I just don't like, how do you protect your own heart? How do you protect your own heart? And like, you know. Go to work on flipping her.
Yeah.
So I didn't know that she had, that OK, I didn't know OK Dyke made the impression that it did. I just thought I need to be lighthearted, let this go and just see her as a friend down the road. But I knew it was going to take me a beat. So I told her, I said, I get it.
You know, like when we talked again, I said, I just need some space and then I'll be able to see you as a friend and everything's fine. And so I went to Montreal and, And was doing shows there. And she reached out to me like a few weeks later. And she said, I'd like to see you when you get home. And I said to my friend who was there with me, and I was like, why does she want it?
And he was like, because she likes you. And I was like, no, no, no, I know. But she told me she doesn't want it. He was like, what do you think? She's like, oh, I want to see you again so I can tell you for sure I don't like you. And I was like, I don't know, maybe. And then she came over.
We had multiple friends that were females that weren't gay.
Right?
You had multiple friends that were females that weren't gay. So you were thinking, you know, maybe this is just another one of those, perhaps.
Yeah, I just didn't know what to think. But I got back to L.A. and she came over. And she's just a very... She's a very confident, comfortable person. And she's very straightforward. And it's what I realized I'm so into about her. And so she sat down on my couch and she just turned to me and said, I realized that I want to be with you. And I was like, oh, okay. What do you mean?
And she said, like, I want to be with you. I don't want to, I'm not saying I want to see how it goes or check things out. I want to be with you. And I was like, what?
I was so, I was so- You still had the eagle jacket on or? You still hadn't showered?
We took our eagle jackets off and we got down to it.
And it was just pure. It wasn't about declaring as a label or anything. It was just like, all I know is I just really want to be with you, whatever that is, it is. Yeah, yeah. That's great.
Yeah, and we make each other laugh a lot.
Very cool.
I love that.
I love her so much, and I love you so much. And I remember one time you were doing your live show and you wanted me as a guest, and it was at the— Largo. Largo, at Largo. And so we had such a good time and we laughed really hard. And then the next day, literally the next day.
Next morning.
I go, yeah, the next morning I go to Le Pan, this restaurant on Larchmont. And you walk in and we both had the exact same outfit on that we had, that we were on stage in.
no way yeah we both slept in those clothes and then woke up thinking well it's early I just want an egg I want a couple eggs and I'm gonna go home and shower and change across the city no one from the show is gonna be there yeah do you remember that
except we live close to each other and dress alike. Yes, exactly. Oh, and you know what I have to say? Also, Stephanie directed my latest stand-up special. Oh, no way. And was nominated for an Emmy, and so was the editor, and so was everyone else except me. I was the problem.
Oh, no.
Oh, really? Oh, no. Yeah. Now, wait, what is the name of that one? Is that one Hello Again?
That is Hello Again, yeah.
Very, very nice. So wait, are you in Toronto doing stand-up or movie?
Stand-up. Show. I'm doing a show. I pay attention because I know what she's doing.
I'm doing Star Trek with Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti.
Oh, great. Wow. Do they have to wear the alien makeup?
Paul, yes. Holly, no.
Are they lesbians in space too? I have to ask just for full...
It's called Starfleet Academy, Lesbians in Space.
That's the new series. I don't know Holly Hunter, but we love Paul Giamatti. He's just a gem. He's a gem, gem, gem.
Yeah, he is. Yeah, and Holly's great too.
I'm sure.
Obviously a real talent. And then I'm thrown in the mix.
Don't you dare. Don't you dare.
But I do have, I mean, close to lesbians. Well, it's across the spectrum. But my podcast, Handsome, is right here on planet Earth. It's like my fourth podcast. I don't know if you know. I've been podcasting for a long time, you guys.
And how are you loving it? Are you loving it? You're still loving it.
I really enjoy podcasting. Oh my gosh, yeah. I was so baffled by it in the early days. I think I started in like, I don't know, 2006 or something. I have no idea. But I do enjoy it. It's such a different way to be comedic and tell stories.
Yeah, and you can do it inside the comfort of an air-conditioned room.
In the comfort of an air-conditioned or heated furnished apartment in Toronto.
Up there with the Jesus painting behind you.
Do you want... I'll text her real quick. Guaranteed she's available. Do you want to have lunch with my mom today?
I would love to. Would you?
She's close. She's a character. She's a lot of fun. She'll keep you on your toes.
Okay, we'll hook up the lunch.
Okay, I'm gonna hook it up.
Tig, hurry home and get back to our Sunday rhythm, please.
Yeah, we miss you.
We miss you.
I have missed you dearly. We would love to see you. When does this come out?
Today. It's on right now. You gotta tell your family. Yeah.
I'm going to tell all my dead parents to listen.
But hurry home so we can hang out again.
There's a better chance of them listening than of Sean's dad listening. Put it that way.
Wait, how can I naturally mention, because I wanted to naturally mention something and I didn't naturally mention it.
You're doing it.
I have a documentary that just got accepted to Sundance.
You ready for this? You ready for this? Fantastic. And weren't you working on a documentary for a while?
Yeah, I was going to get to that, Will. You know, I've got a bunch of questions here.
Jason, you didn't even know about it.
Thank you for asking, Will. Of course. I have been working on a documentary, and I had called – They're incredible filmmakers. They did the Pamela documentary and the Dr. Ruth documentary, Serena Williams, all this. But I was like, I can't sell you on this person. You have to do a deep dive, not even that deep on Andrea Gibson. And they called me three days later and they were like, we're in.
And they got on a plane, flew to Boulder, Colorado and started filming. When does it come out? Well, it's going to be at Sundance. Sundance, okay.
That's January, right?
In January. But Andrea is a brilliant poet, just a brilliant poet, mind-blowing.
Yeah, what's it called? Yeah, what's the documentary called?
I believe right now it's Come See Me in the Good Light. Come See Me in the Good Light.
The title's kind of shifting a little bit as we get closer to finish.
Well, I mean, that's the last I've heard. That's the working title is Come See Me in the Good Light. But it's a phenomenal documentary about a phenomenal person.
Sorry, mention Andrea's full name again.
Andrea Gibson.
Andrea Gibson.
Written eight books.
Amazing. Wow.
Incredible book.
I'll check her out online. Amazing. These guys will love the books. Yeah. Is there an audio version? These two love books.
Now, are you going to go to Sundance? I am. Okay, good.
I'm going to go to Sundance. Yeah, going to Sundance.
Well, good luck with it. Thank you. Congratulations on that. Finish strong there in Toronto and get your ass back home here.
Send our love to Stephanie, who we also miss.
And all of my love to your families. And I'll see you at Sunday Funday anytime I'm home.
Very soon. Wonderful. All right. Love you. Thank you for doing this. Enjoy the rest of your day. Stay warm up there.
Well, truly, thanks for having me.
Of course.
Love you all dearly.
Love you, honey. That was awesome.
Bye.
Bye. Guys, that was Tig Notaro.
Yeah.
That was Tig Notaro. Tig Notaro, spelled T-I-G.
Yep. That was such a funny story about her name. Good chord. About the pig teeth.
You know, pigs do have teats. Yeah, that's why it made sense. Did you know you can get milk from a pig? That there's pig milk? No. There's certain countries, they drink pig milk. Oh, God. I'll try it. Did you know that? Will, did you know that? I'll try it.
No, I don't know what you're talking about, man. Pig milk. Okay. Pig milk. Okay. Yeah. And people drink pig milk? Yeah. Yeah. You knew that, though. I'll put it in cereal. I didn't. No, no. Good. Actually, I feel worse for now.
It's not true. I was hoping you would say, yeah, of course I fucking knew that. No, no.
You fucking...
How great is Tig? Tig, we've known for, I've known Tig for a long, long, long, long time. She's always been so funny and so unique. Like there's nobody like her.
They're really, yeah. And I just, I love, I just love, because I usually end up sitting next to her at Sunday. And I just, I love, I just drink it all up. I love her. I love every minute with her. She's so funny. Yeah. So, Willie, I say you call your mom and- I might do it. I would have lunch with your mother in a heartbeat if I was in Toronto.
Oh my God, I would too. I would love, when is she going to come down here? I want to talk to her.
You know what else I'd like to do? I'd like to go to your childhood home. I'd like to see your bedroom, which I bet is still pretty much intact.
No, no, no, no, no, no. They've moved a few times since, yeah.
What would we see on your boyhood wall when you were growing up in the house there? Were there like posters of hockey players? Like, you know, 12, 13, 14?
Okay, well, these are various. So like 11, you know, from the time I was like six to 11, I had a map of the world.
This is true.
Huge map of the world. And then underneath, on the sort of the legend underneath, it had all the countries. And it just had, listen, just basic info about every country. Capital, the size, it's, you know, sort of square mileage, population, et cetera, for every country in the world. So I had that. Wow.
And then when I was a teenager, I ended up having, like, I went to boarding school, as you know, for a few years. And then I came back and I had... I had a Smiths poster on my wall. Yes, yes, yes. I had a big The World Won't Listen and a Morrissey poster. Yeah, the best.
Were you kind of like a mod? Did you ever wear like eyeliner?
No, no, no, no. But I wore like, I wore like tapered, like green sort of Dickies type pants. I wore a lot of that. And I wore... Doc Martens? Doc Martin brogues. What are brogues? Like shoes, right? Like wingtips sort of like, you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. Like Ducky from Pretty in Pink. Yeah, but I never, but yeah, but like, but never, I wasn't a mod in that sense. But I, yeah.
You kept it tasteful, sure. Yeah. Yeah, of course. You keep it timeless. That's the key. 12 or 13.
Did you have posters of yourself on your wall?
Because you were in Tiger Beat and 16 and all that shit.
All the different hairstyles. There's a different sweater in each one. Yeah, yeah. God, I wish it revealed that Sean had a poster of you in his room.
It would be the best.
That would be the greatest reveal. I think we said this when Rashida was on the show. I had a life-size poster of Quincy Jones on my wall.
Did you really?
Oh, wow. That my dad just put up there for me. And I just never took it down. You never took it down? Yeah.
All I had was Michael Jackson posters everywhere. Did you really? When I was a kid. And my favorite one was probably Biley Jean. Oh, my God. Biley.
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