Tig Notaro: Purveyor of fine comedy

by Emma Kat Richardson

The Sarah Silverman Program’s Tig Notaro has been no stranger to some of the hipper comedy festivals in the past few years. But this month, she shuffles away from her West Coast base and debuts her own mightily stacked fest in our nation’s capital.

If her name isn’t quite water cooler worthy yet, it should, at the very least, be more than just a little memorable. Amid a sea of Jens and Brads and Danes, Tig Notaro stands out boldly, not only for her unusual moniker, but also thanks in no small part to her appearances on The Sarah Silverman Program and a hugely sardonic stand-up style. Next year, Tig fans will be able to catch her as Joan Jett’s mother in an upcoming biopic about 70s punk femmes The Runaways.

But it isn’t just her work in front of the camera and the mic that has made Notaro a comedy hurricane. From October 22-25, the Bentzen Ball, a comedy fest — featuring the likes of Sarah Silverman, Patton Oswalt, Reggie Watts, Todd Barry and many more — set to conquer the hallowed earth of Washington, DC, will be kicking off for an inauguration of its own. The Ball just happens to be Notaro’s brainchild.

Checking in with Punchline Magazine, the woman called Tig discusses the locational ADD of her childhood, how she makes each show special, and how she supports the troops in a manner as unique as the woman herself.

Can you tell me a little bit about the Bentzen Ball? What prompted you to establish it?
Well, I did the DC comedy festival last year. I had a really great time, so when I checked to see if the festival was going to be going on again this year and they said no, then something came over me. I’ve always been kind of interested in producing a comedy festival, and I thought about places like Austin and Denver or something, but I went with DC because there’s a website there called BrightestYoungThings.com, and when I did the DC festival last year they interviewed me. They’re a very hands-on website that’s involved in the arts and culture, music/comedy world; they know every event that’s going on, and they produce events, so I just thought I’d partner with these guys.

When they interviewed me, we really clicked – we were friends who hung out around town, and they brought me out to DC for their inauguration party. So, when [I found out that] the DC festival wasn’t coming back, I ran it by them and said, “Hey, what do you think about starting this festival?” They’re such comedy fans over there that they immediately came on to co-produce it with me.

What are some of your hopes and expectations for it?
Well, I hope it’s a gigantic success. I’d love for it to continue going yearly. We’re going to be donating a portion of all proceeds to the Walter Reed Army Hospital. I’ve been invited, in the past, to go to the Middle East and perform for the troops, and I’m very hesitant to do that. I’m very scared to fly that long and then be in that kind of situation, and there are a lot of comedians on this festival [lineup] that are thrilled that they get to contribute to the troops without having to go over there.

It’s a really great opportunity over here to be able to do something. I know personally I’ve not gone because I am a chicken. We’re even considering doing a live show at the hospital if we get the okay from Walter Reed’s side.

We’re also really hoping to make the festival in general all about the comedians, so that it’s not just a festival where you show up and do your shows and then disperse separately to bars and restaurants. We’re organizing activities for the comedians for during the day and after the shows. Just the whole feel [of the festival] is very much about the comedy community.

Do you see a future for yourself as a comedy promoter and a festival organizer?
With [Bentzen] – I don’t see myself getting out of stand-up and just becoming a producer and everything. I like producing – I like putting things together, but I’m not going to leave comedy and start producing county fairs or anything.

What do you think that you bring to the modern comedy landscape that no one else does?
Oh my gosh, I wasn’t ready for this one. What do I bring to the modern landscape? Gosh, I guess… you got me. [Laughs]. You totally got me. I mean, I feel like my stuff is different and interesting, but I also don’t think I’m… oh gosh, you got me.

Well, I read a review that called you the ‘most unique voice in comedy today.’ Would you agree with that assessment?
Well, I love that somebody would think that. I can’t say I would come off the street to see myself perform before I would go see somebody like Maria Bamford perform. I don’t know – I think that I’m good at writing jokes, but I also think that I have a strength in interacting with the audience, and I definitely feel like none of my shows are the same. I feel like that, I guess, is pretty… unique? I don’t know.

So you don’t really repeat material?
No, I do. I do repeat material. Like, I’ll write jokes, and those will get thrown into the mix for a while; I’ll use old, just-trying-stuff-out kind of material, but I’ll also have an interaction with the audience to lull them through my jokes, that makes it to where it’s not like you’re seeing the exact same show every time.

Where does your comedic voice come from?
I think that my thoughts are always so that I’m listening to something or looking at something from every angle, and so I analyze and break things down a lot. That tends to show up in my jokes a lot, and I think it’s very much a part of my personality. Offstage, it’s how I think and feel. On other levels, my comedic voice came also from my mother – she’s a very funny person – and yeah. Do you know what I mean?

So you don’t really have an onstage persona, per se? Who you are onstage is who you are in life.
Yeah. I mean, you’re not going to meet me offstage and be like, ‘Oh, that was weird. Where did the Tig character go?’

The Sarah Silverman Program
Tig
www.comedycentral.com

Speaking of the Tig character, what’s the story behind your nickname?
My brother made it up. He couldn’t pronounce my real name, so it’s not like I started doing stand-up and I named myself Tig.

What is your real name? I haven’t been able to find it on the Internet anywhere. Do you not share it?
Yeah, it’s not anything that I blab to everybody. I mean, I guess you can say it’s Carl.

Does your southern-fried upbringing factor into your comedy at all, and did it influence your decision to become a comedian?
I’m sure, yeah. There are so many people in my family – there are some bizarre characters. I lived in Mississippi, Texas, Colorado, New Jersey; I moved around a bit, so I wasn’t just solely living in Mississippi. I think moving around in general and meeting people – it’s like now, even touring as an adult and a comedian, you get such a better perspective on life and people. People can live in Los Angeles or New York and think that’s what this country is – that’s what the world is – and it’s just not at all. But yeah: I think growing up in Mississippi, Texas, New Jersey, all of it added to my comedy.

What do you think are some of your greatest successes so far as a stand-up comic?
Well, I enjoy that this is what I do for a living, and I’m really thankful that I’m not still doing only open mics. I think having the opportunity to be regularly on The Sarah Silverman Program has been a really great success in my career: it certainly wasn’t based on being some great actor. It was based on just being a really great friend of Sarah’s.

I think just having the opportunity to do stand-up as a full-time job and getting to be on the show with Sarah is really great. Even though I didn’t set out to do acting, I enjoy that my stand-up has moved me into that direction. At any moment, stand-up gets a little tiring here and there, and when that happens, there’s the acting part, which is brand new to me in a way that’s completely foreign.

Do you see yourself ever moving away from stand-up and pursuing acting full time?
No. Absolutely not.

What’s been your favorite moment from your comedy career so far?
My favorite moment from my comedy career. I would have to say that there’s been a handful of theater shows I’ve done in front of a few thousand people. It’s so fun: being alone, in the darkness, with a spotlight. You know that there’s a few thousand people out there, but you can’t see them. You go out, tell your first joke, and then when the wave of laughter comes in, you go from not being able to see them to the loudest laughter I’ve ever heard, with anything I’ve ever said. It’s a pretty great feeling.

Is there any moment from your career that you wish you could do over, or do differently?
I mean, there’s business-type things. I am absolutely happy and thrilled with my representation right now. I settled for different representation in the past, and I just wish I would have been more persistent about, ‘Oh, this doesn’t feel right; maybe I should move on.’

But I don’t have any huge regrets about things I’ve done. I feel like things have unfolded nicely. Like I said, I’m glad I’m not doing open mics 11 years later. I’m also glad I’m not somebody who exploded out of nowhere. I just like for things to progress naturally, and I feel that my career has progressed naturally. I don’t think that I’ve ever had a huge, overnight success moment; I’ve never had a moment where I haven’t worked in a long time. I’ve always consistently moved forward and moved up.

What long-term goals have you set for yourself that you hope to accomplish?
Well, I would love to be able to get rid of paper clutter on my desk. That’s been a real pain. In comedy, I haven’t worked as a writer yet, but I would like to start working as a writer. I don’t want to get out of stand-up, but I would like to start writing for other people. I feel that I’m now consistently working as a stand-up and as an actor. I’d like to work here and there as a writer, maybe on something of mine, or on somebody else’s show that I enjoy.

I have a writing partner, and he and I have been putting together a writing packet, so that’s something that I would really enjoy doing, I think, or at least trying out— writing, and getting my paper clutter down.

What goal I have accomplished is I told myself I was going to make sure I flossed my teeth every day and take a vitamin, and I’ve totally stayed on top of it. It started in February. For the record, since this is an interview, I want the facts to be straight, so if you could, jot down that in February I started flossing my teeth every day and taking a vitamin.

For more info on Tig, check out tignation.com For full lineup and schedule of the Bentzen Ball, check out their official site here.