Pete Holmes doesn’t skimp on his podcast. Any given You Made it Weird can clock in well over the two-hour mark. Episode 177, with comedian Tig Notaro, was no exception.
I typically don’t finish an entire Weird — don’t have the time — but this one was different. Notaro is one of the most uniquely disarming comedians around. Equal parts Steven Wright, Sarah Silverman, and Spalding Gray; she can draw you in and tickle a part of your consciousness you rarely summon.
Like a pinch of cayenne in a piece of chocolate, her jokes take a second to land. But they land hard. That’s not to say her acumen for silly isn’t equally impressive. Just listen to some of her impressions on a 2010 episode of Comedy Death Ray.
Notaro, along with co-hosts Kyle Dunnigan and David Huntsberger, does Professor Blast Off on Ear Wolf, a relaxed rap session loosely orbiting around a central theme. It’s pretty great, too. But it wasn’t a big talking point on this episode.
It’s no secret, Notaro had a difficult year. Actually, “difficult” is the wrong word. Her 2012 would’ve cracked anyone’s resolve. Over the course of a month, she contracted a debilitating illness, lost her mother, and was diagnosed with cancer. For better or worse, her now-legendary performance at Largo the day she found out she had cancer put her in the spotlight.
Holmes is like one of those guys that you wind up at a party with after everyone has left, talking about your childhood, and all the people you’ve dated prior to the party in question. A Holmes interview, much like the rap session with the dude at the party, can go from intimate, to inappropriate, to sweet, in a matter of seconds. This episode didn’t disappoint in that department. I was relieved to hear Notaro is having a better 2013. She and Holmes spent the better part of an hour talking about love and relationships. All in all a very uplifting conversation.
They covered “eating raw,” the ins and outs of organized religion (a topic Holmes invariably touches on), and Notaro’s unique upbringing. They really dug in. Take a listen. Definitely one of Holmes’s better ones.
