BONUS: You Might Also Like: David Greene is Obsessed

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

• Comedian Tig Notaro's nearly decade-long commitment to a plant-based diet stemmed from a desire to address significant personal health issues, leading to increased energy and mental clarity.  Copied to clipboard!
• Notaro's traumatic 2012 period, involving severe illness, the death of her mother, a breakup, and a cancer diagnosis, profoundly shaped her current focus on controlling her health through diet and exercise.  Copied to clipboard!
• The conversation highlights that obsessions, like Notaro's diet or David Greene's own fixation on SoulCycle, often serve as windows into deeper psychological needs, such as seeking community or control amidst life's unpredictability.  Copied to clipboard!

Segments Expand All Collapse All

Introduction to David Greene’s Obsession

Copied to clipboard!

(00:00:00)

• Key Takeaway: The podcast ‘David Greene Is Obsessed’ explores the roots of people’s fixations, using pop psychology disguised as interviews.
• Summary: The episode promotes the new podcast ‘David Greene Is Obsessed,’ which features host David Greene seeking out obsessives while unpacking his own fixations. Guests mentioned include David Arquette (Bozo the Clown), Paula Poundstone (cats), and Michael Symon (Cleveland Browns). The featured guest in this segment is Tig Notaro, discussing her plant-based diet.

Defining Plant-Based vs. Vegan

Copied to clipboard!

(00:05:26)

• Key Takeaway: Plant-based specifically refers to diet (no animal products), whereas veganism is a broader lifestyle encompassing choices like clothing and avoiding harm to all living things.
• Summary: Tig Notaro clarifies that ‘plant-based’ focuses on diet, while ‘vegan’ is a lifestyle commitment to doing as little harm as possible to self, others, and the planet. Notaro identifies as plant-based and leans heavily toward veganism, noting challenges like travel and existing clothing items complicate a strict vegan badge.

Transition to Plant-Based Diet

Copied to clipboard!

(00:08:27)

• Key Takeaway: Notaro transitioned to a plant-based diet during a two-week tour after experiencing significant health issues, finding the change unexpectedly tasty and fulfilling.
• Summary: Notaro’s wife had been vegetarian since her teens, but Notaro’s own chronic health issues prompted the shift, which she initially thought would be difficult but found to be the opposite. She used a two-week tour, supported by her vegan opening act, as an opportunity to try the diet, and her wife joined her upon her return.

Health Benefits and Awareness

Copied to clipboard!

(00:11:01)

• Key Takeaway: The primary health benefits Notaro experienced from a plant-based diet were increased energy, feeling lighter, and improved mental clarity.
• Summary: The diet shift, initially for health reasons, created a greater awareness about self and others, extending beyond just food consumption. This awareness involves consciously reading labels, contrasting with the unconscious eating habits previously maintained.

The Horrific Period of 2012

Copied to clipboard!

(00:15:28)

• Key Takeaway: In a four-month span in 2012, Notaro suffered from a deadly C. diff infection, the sudden death of her mother, a breakup, and a diagnosis of invasive breast cancer.
• Summary: Notaro contracted C. diff after antibiotics cleared her gut bacteria, allowing the harmful bacteria to thrive and ’eat her insides.’ This health crisis was immediately followed by personal tragedies, leading her to seek control through diet to prevent future health crises.

Controlling the Narrative on Stage

Copied to clipboard!

(00:25:57)

• Key Takeaway: Notaro opened her comeback show post-diagnosis by announcing ‘I have cancer,’ which allowed her to control the narrative and receive necessary support from the audience.
• Summary: The decision to announce her cancer diagnosis on stage was initially a way to control the narrative but evolved into a need for support, as the audience provided an immediate, fully engaged reception. The director of her upcoming documentary was coincidentally in that audience that night.

Tig’s Tater Time Recipe

Copied to clipboard!

(00:34:27)

• Key Takeaway: Tig Notaro’s favorite non-smoothie recipe, ‘Tater Time,’ involves a baked potato filled with chunky pico de gallo, surrounded by avocado wedges, and drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
• Summary: The recipe is a collaborative creation with a close friend, designed to be surprisingly delicious despite its simple, plant-based components. The key is ensuring every bite includes a piece of the potato, pico de gallo, avocado, and balsamic vinegar.

New Obsession: Acting Technique

Copied to clipboard!

(00:40:10)

• Key Takeaway: A new rule on the set of ‘Starfleet Academy’ requiring actors to not have lines on set forced Notaro to obsessively learn her lines, leading to a new interest in acting technique.
• Summary: Previously, Notaro relied on scrambling to memorize lines, but the new rule pushed her to prepare better, sparking an obsession with learning acting techniques from others. This new focus has also improved her connection with her wife, who is interested in the craft.

Shared Obsession: Half-Popped Kernels

Copied to clipboard!

(00:43:37)

• Key Takeaway: Both David Greene and Tig Notaro share a quirky obsession with the crunchy, half-popped kernels found in popcorn, which aligns with Notaro’s love for crunch (like raw oats).
• Summary: Notaro’s wife also hunts for these kernels, which led to the revelation that Greene had previously found and bought her a lifetime supply of a product called ‘popnots’ that specialized in barely popped corn. Greene suggests trying air-popped sorghum as an alternative crunchy snack.