Analysis of Tig Notaro’s “LIVE”
Tig Notaro has a knack for making comedy out of the terrible events in her life. In her standup set “LIVE,” she discusses cancer, her mother’s death, and her recent breakup with her significant other, all topics that you usually wouldn’t talk about, but Notaro’s deadpan delivery makes all of it funny.
Notaro delivers her comedy in the form of anecdotes, with pauses for comedic effect, with a flippant attitude to make it funny. It speaks to her talent that she can make a retelling of the story of how she got cancer, how her mother died a week after Notaro was diagnosed and her breakup around the same time funny.
One anecdote that Notaro brings up is how “frustrating [it is] that no one will talk casually to [her] now.” Because Notaro has cancer, her friends are reluctant to bring up seemingly trivial problems in their life to Notaro, whereas Notaro wishes that her friends would treat her the same as they did before she got cancer.
I can understand why Notaro’s friends would tiptoe around Notaro; they’re just trying to be sensitive to her feelings and follow the societal norm of tiptoeing around sensitive matters. However, in light of the recent issues with racism across the country, it’s important to address issues that matter without being too cautious. There cannot be true dialogue if one or more parties are not willing to speak truthfully and straightforwardly about the issues; in this case, Notaro and her friends could enter such a dialogue about how sensitive her friends need to be about her cancer.
What is also impressive is how Notaro is able to come on stage and do a standup act 4 days after she was diagnosed with cancer. However, Notaro’s true feelings about her diagnosis are shown when she says that “[she] really didn’t feel like she could tell normal jokes” after being diagnosed and had to abandon her previously planned jokes to talk about her recent tragedies. This shows a more wholesome side to her comedy, as the audience is indirectly serving as a therapist who Notaro can confide in. This type of “therapy” is beneficial to both sides because Notaro provides comedy to the audience and the audience provides comfort to Notaro. This relationship is only possible because of the supportive audience, and leaves the audience feeling good after hearing about her tragedies as Notaro thanks the audience for being so responsive to her comedy.
Notaro’s courage in doing this act is inspiring and shows that good things can come out of taking a leap of faith, because that is what Notaro is doing here. It can be terrifying to open yourself up to potential criticism or ridicule, hecklers or an unresponsive audience in Notaro’s case, but you can gain closer relationships and more confidence as a result. By putting her story out there, Notaro gained publicity, more closure with her tragedies, and a closer relationship with the audience.
