Brittani’s Team Pick:
I wanted to wait until I’d actually listened to Tig Notaro’s already legendary performance at Largo Theater in Los Angeles before I publicly endorsed it, because I am obviously very discerning with my tastes. Whenever someone describes a thing as incredible and moving and whatever other slew of overly positive adjectives, I am wont to avoid it entirely as I usually end up feeling like they are a dirty liar. After reacting in horror that someone hadn’t seen the stool bit, I thought I should go ahead and download “Live” (rhymes with give). Not because everyone else says it’s amazing but because I already know Tig Notaro is amazing. So I did. And well, shit. It’s everything all those idiots said it would be. So I’m another idiot telling you to go to Louis C.K.’s website and download it right now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo1oyoRGkCg
It doesn’t sound like stand-up. It’s weird. After four months that included a break-up, the unexpected death of her mother, pneumonia, a bacterial infection in her digestive tract, and cancer in both breasts, she found herself on stage full of tragedy and honesty. It’s a really moving sad story. Somewhere in there it found room to also be hilarious.
We all saw the ultimate embodiment of what comedy is supposed to do: deeply personal tragedies somehow transformed, with the enormous, necessary power of an open-hearted audience, into brilliantly-written truths that we’ll all take home with us and keep with us as long as we’ll have a sound-enough mind to remember that show. –Kira Hesser
Tig’s moving to New York to work on Amy Schumer’s new show, has a book deal, was on This American Life, and her comedy album, “Good One” continues to chart well. Apparently being one of the most well-respected people in her field wasn’t enough to make people give a shit but almost dying a couple times sure did.
