Tig Notaro & Grace Kuhlenschmidt | The 2022 MAKERS Conference

Tig Notaro & Grace Kuhlenschmidt at the 2022 MAKERS Conference.

Video Transcript

- Please welcome Grace Kuhlenschmidt and Tig Notaro.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[APPLAUSE]

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Hello, everyone. Can you all hear me?

[AFFIRMATIVE RESPONSE]

Yes?

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Great, so earlier, they had the amazing Piper Persley, 11 years old. So now, they have 12-year-old TIg and I.

TIG NOTARO: That's right; I just turned 12.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Yeah, it's such a great year.

TIG NOTARO: Ha!

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Thank you very much.

TIG NOTARO: Oh, I thought that was our cake.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: [LAUGHS] All right, Tig, well, let's get right into it.

TIG NOTARO: Yeah.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: So before comedy, you were working in band management under Tig Nation Promotions, such a good name.

TIG NOTARO: Out of business.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: But a good name.

TIG NOTARO: OK.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: And then, you first tried stand up in LA in the '90s. So my first question is if you remember maybe that first time doing stand, maybe those first few times, did it come naturally for you? Was it easy? Were you scared? Were you having fun?

TIG NOTARO: All of those things, but mainly, I thought I was killing it.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Totally.

TIG NOTARO: And I couldn't believe how good I was out of the gate.

[LAUGHTER]

I was truly blown away by myself.

[LAUGHTER]

And that was the first time I went on stage. I was like, wow, I guess I'm just a natural. And then I the second time, I signed up for a stand-up competition. And halfway through the set, I was getting no laughs, and I ran off stage. And my friend Derek drove me back. Actually, it was in Orange County. And we drove back to Los Angeles, and he laughed at me the entire way home.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Wow. So you peaked in the first night?

TIG NOTARO: That's right.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Yeah, not a lot of comics can say that.

TIG NOTARO: No, no, they can't. Yeah.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: [GIGGLES]

TIG NOTARO: But I am here now.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Absolutely.

TIG NOTARO: At the Makers Convention. At age 12.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: [GIGGLES] A lot of your comedy focuses-- maybe what you're most generally known for-- focuses on what some people would consider private matters. You call it personal comedy, such as your breast cancer diagnosis as well as you and your wife's pregnancy. I mean, we just saw a clip of it. It's so, so funny. But was that an active decision you made? It seemed like it was. Was it hard for you to do? Did it seem therapeutic at the time?

TIG NOTARO: It was definitely an active decision because I had-- within four months, I had pneumonia; I had the intestinal disease, C diff, invasive cancer; my mother tripped, hit her head, died; and my girlfriend and I broke up. Those five things in four months. And I thought, well, I'm not going to do my regular monthly show because I'm in a very weird, bad place. And I had called the owner of Largo in Los Angeles and I said, I just can't do my set. And he said, let's just keep it on the books, and you can decide the minute before if you want to go on.

And I was like, this guy's nuts. But as it was inching towards the day, I thought, I love doing stand-up so much that-- and I had seen how health and life quickly slips away, and I wanted to do it one more time because I was scared that I could die. And so I just wanted to do it. And so I went on stage, and I-- many people told me not to do it. Because they were like, you're in such a fragile space. Why put yourself through it?

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Were those other comedians or friends of yours?

TIG NOTARO: Friends that were comedians that were like--

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Comedians can be friends.

TIG NOTARO: Yeah. And can be decent people looking out for your--

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Right.

TIG NOTARO: But anyway, I don't know if I answered your question.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: I think you did. It was semi therapeutic for you.

TIG NOTARO: It was definitely therapeutic. That was the other part. It was so therapeutic. And before that show, I had never shared much personal information about myself. And I always just kind of kept it very observational about the world around me. And I was really at a place where I felt like I had lost everything, even though there's obviously always more to lose.

But it felt like I had truly lost everything in four months. And so when I went on stage, I just thought, I'm going to share this. And the audience was just so-- they were with me. And it just changed my life and it changed how I do stand.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: That's so special. I mean, just plainly put, watching those clips is very inspiring. And in terms of the risks that you've taken in comedy, how important does that feel to you personally and also professionally? Like, do you credit a lot of your career to it?

TIG NOTARO: Well, it's really interesting because when I told the audience that I had cancer and everything else that was going on in my life, everybody told me that was such a risk, and it felt like a risk. I was so nervous. And right before I did the show was is when I thought of my opening line of, hello, good evening, I have cancer. And it made me laugh so hard, like maniacally. I was like, oh my gosh. I have to walk out and deliver it like, are there any birthdays here tonight?

And then I was like, oh god. I was worried. I was going to hurt people's feelings that maybe had dealt with cancer or knew somebody with cancer. And then I was like, oh wait, I have cancer. So this is my thing, you know? But I just kind of recently realized that my life, in general, just personally, I was a risk taker, not always good or positive, in fact, mostly terrible, terrible ideas that I did, and I can't believe I'm here.

But I think that once I found stand-up, my life clicked into place, and it really saved my life because I was flailing so much. I was a dropout, a failure, just being gay-- like, I didn't know what I was doing or I just didn't have really great direction. And getting into stand-up, I locked in, and then I was able to shift that risk into what I was doing on stage.

And then, I did my HBO special with my shirt off, exposing my double mastectomy scars. And everybody was like, I wouldn't do that. It's going to seem like you're doing it for attention. And I was like, I am.

[LAUGHTER]

I would like to talk more about this.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Yeah, always doing it for the male gaze.

TIG NOTARO: [LAUGHS] Yeah, for the male gaze. But I definitely-- it was a stunt. But I also wanted to do it with a sense of humor, and that's why I did it, and took my shirt off, and just talked about flying in an airplane and never mentioned my shirt coming off.

But yeah, I just-- every time I've jumped off of a place, whether it's in my personal life or in comedy, it feels so much better to make that leap than to be standing in that safe place. And more times than not, I've landed on the other side.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Very cool. In these like past few years, where you've really been taking off is in the podcast space. You have two podcasts.

TIG NOTARO: Wait, that's where I've really been taking off?

[LAUGHTER]

Nobody's mentioned that.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: You could turn this right here into a podcast [INAUDIBLE]

[LAUGHTER]

You have two podcasts right now, "Don't ask Tig" with you and a new guest every week. You've had on people from Phoebe Bridgers, to Lena Waithe, to David Sedaris. You also have "Tig and Cheryl," which is with you and the amazing Cheryl Hines from "Curb Your Enthusiasm," where you discuss documentaries.

TIG NOTARO: Barely.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Yeah. [LAUGHS] Which is the perfect way for a podcast to be. [LAUGHS] What do you like about podcasts? Why are you doing them, honestly, yeah?

TIG NOTARO: Tig, why are you doing this?

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: We're all wondering.

TIG NOTARO: That's why we all met here today.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: It's an intervention.

TIG NOTARO: I don't know. I started doing podcasting in the early days of podcasting, and then my original one lasted like five years. And it does feel like the wild west, you know? Because you can say and do whatever you want, for the most part, as long as you're not being hateful. And I mean, people still do that. But that's not my focus.

And so I just there's an ease to being at home and working. And I got back into it, like everybody else alive, during the pandemic. And it's fun to do my advice show and have a new guest. And usually, it's a friend that I know, a celebrity. And it's fun to connect with them.

And then Cheryl and I are friends of like 15 years, and we're just ridiculous together. And we both enjoy documentaries, so every week we talk about a new documentary. And barely. We barely talk about a documentary. We definitely go off the rails a bit. But it's a fun way to express myself and use my humor without having to go on the road or have the pressure of writing new material, even though I'm also always doing that.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Sure.

TIG NOTARO: It's nice to have that other outlet.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Maybe feels kind of low stakes, but high reward and--

TIG NOTARO: Well, high stakes now that I know it's the big thing to my--

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: It's your biggest thing.

TIG NOTARO: It's my biggest accomplishment. So yeah, pressure's on.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: You are gay, as am I.

TIG NOTARO: Well, I'm dabbling.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Of course.

[LAUGHTER]

That's the quote of the day. Just dabbling.

TIG NOTARO: [LAUGHS] I've been dabbling for decades. I'm not sold on it.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Right, of course. You need some more convincing.

TIG NOTARO: Yeah, I have a wife.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: What do we get financially out of being gay? I can say, generally, in the media right now, we have more LGBTQ representation. Generally, we have better LGBTQ representation. Wow, say that five times best. LGBTQ representation.

TIG NOTARO: I'll leave that to you.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Yeah, thanks. Is there a place in media you'd like to see more representation? Could be TV, film, behind the camera?

TIG NOTARO: You know what? Yeah, it's behind the camera. Because I think people put so much focus on the actor or director has to be whatever, fill in whatever blank. I've been on production, some of my own, and it's-- I was thinking about this today.

And so it's interesting. It's one of your questions. It's a shame that I carry, that I had that blind spot, that I've tried to have representation in what I do. And I feel like I, as well as other people that I've worked with, ignored the behind-the-scenes.

And I think that it's foolish to think that the most important person or people are the stars, the directors, the writers. You cannot do any of those parts, positions, jobs, without the camera operator, without the sound person.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: More gay gaffers.

TIG NOTARO: Yeah, got to get some gay gaffers out there. But, yeah, I think that everybody could do way better all around, but really, behind the scenes is-- it's not--

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: I agree. I feel like the dialogue around LGBTQ representation is almost solely about the actors, and it really is, we just need some more sprinkling throughout every single part of TV, film, [? media. ?]

TIG NOTARO: Absolutely, and every other sort of course area of inclusion and part of the process of making anything. Makers.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Makers. [LAUGHS]

TIG NOTARO: We're makers.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: [LAUGHS] In terms of the future, that's what a lot of this amazing convention is about, where do you see comedy going? Do you see it getting riskier, safer, for better or for good? Do you see it getting straighter or gayer?

TIG NOTARO: Comedy in general?

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Yeah, comedy in general-- or you can answer however you want. [LAUGHS]

TIG NOTARO: No, I honestly don't know where I see comedy going. I think it's very similar to the world and the country right now because it's so divided. I think the comedy world is very divided. I think entertainment is divided. And it's really unfortunate. The comedy scene used to be, like I said, a place that saved my life.

And now, it's a place where I just-- I'm just like, what are you doing? What are you saying? It's so nice when you see people learn, and grow, and change, and then it's so confusing when you see people refuse to and really dig their heels in. And so I really don't know-- I don't know where it's going. Where do you think it's going?

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: I mean, I hope that it gets-- it's becoming, I guess, from my perspective, riskier and gayer. But yeah, I think that a lot of comedians lose focus sometimes on why we do this. And that's not to say-- like, obviously, you are able to talk about so much personal comedy, and we can talk about politics in a way that can also still make us laugh and give us release.

But sometimes I think it can get misconstrued. Like, I'm always looking for-- I'm scrolling through Netflix, Hulu, and just trying to find a single rom-com, you know what I mean?

TIG NOTARO: Uh-huh, yeah, yeah, that's where we're different.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Yeah.

[LAUGHTER]

TIG NOTARO: Yeah.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Yeah. There it is.

TIG NOTARO: Yeah.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: I have one last question for you, kind of going off of what we were just talking about. But if you do have any advice for up-and-coming comedians, up-and-coming actors, writers, if there's anything-- like where you see the world of comedy right now, where would you want to push yourself? Like, for example, my career is really only happened like through being online in the past few years? Do you have a perspective on that? Do you think stand-up is the way to go? What do you think?

TIG NOTARO: Stand-up is the way to go. And I want to encourage you all to get out there and do it.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Yeah, Tig's going to have an open mic right after this, so five minutes, everyone gets.

TIG NOTARO: Well, as far as like pursuing whatever you're interested in, I feel like you have to be so focused. When I started doing the road earlier years, I remember one of the club owners came up to me and she said, OK, so I've told all of the female comedians locally to come in, ask you questions in between the early and late show, and I was just trying to like catch my breath. I was like, oh, gosh, OK.

And so I sat down and I remember this one woman said, I do stand up Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Does that seem like enough? And I was like, if you're planning a schedule, then this is not your passion?

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Yeah.

TIG NOTARO: Like, you have to be getting up, every day, going, thinking about-- you're not like, OK, I hit my 8 PM spot on stage, I did this, I did that. It's like, oh my God, I can't-- nobody would get in your way. And that is, if you were asking for advice, I just feel like if you're not all in, I don't know what to say.

And as far as internet, comedy or stars coming out of the internet, I've heard people say, I remember you used to have to save money come out to Hollywood. And, those are real stars, and these people are just at their home. And I'm like, who cares? Who cares? Like, what if the person can't save the money? What if they can't make it out to Hollywood? You're going to discredit somebody because they're in their bedroom, and they're uploading something, and they're a real talent? I don't understand that idea. It's like, Justin Bieber--

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Famous comedian. [LAUGHS]

TIG NOTARO: I'm just saying, like, whatever you're doing out of your bedroom and putting it online-- Bo Burnham, you know what I mean? What are people talking-- I don't feel that way at all. I do feel like I'm not great talking around the topic of internet stuff because I try to not spend too much time in that world.

But I understand and appreciate it and respect what anybody is doing. And I don't feel-- not what anyone is doing, but I do feel like there's so much talent out there. And however you make your way, I'm behind it.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Totally.

TIG NOTARO: Yeah.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Well, Tig, thanks so much for being here. Thank you all for being here.

TIG NOTARO: Thanks for having me.

[APPLAUSE]

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: Thank you Makers.

TIG NOTARO: Thank you Makers.

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: And everyone enjoy the rest of your day.

TIG NOTARO: Are our mics on still?

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: They must be off.

TIG NOTARO: OK. All right

GRACE KUHLENSCHMIDT: I'm kidding. [GIGGLES] Thanks, everyone.

[APPLAUSE]