Tig Notaro: Crises and Comedy

When Tig Notaro took the stage at Largo in August she had no idea what was to follow. She'd just been diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer which was the latest in a series of devastating crises that included the sudden death of her mother, the end of a relationship, and a life-threatening bacterial infection. That night at the Los Angeles club she went through it all. By all accounts it was a remarkable set of comedy. Louis CK, who was also performing that night, tweeted, "In 27 years doing this, I've seen a handful of truly great, masterful standup sets. One was Tig Notaro last night at Largo." Subsequently CK convinced her to release the set as a comedy album on his website. A portion of it is airing on This American Life. Now she's recovering from a double mastectomy. Her prognosis is good -- and her career is booming.