BONUS: You Might Also Like: David Greene is Obsessed

Today we are sharing a special episode of the new podcast: David Greene Is Obsessed. David is one of America’s most familiar voices and longtime co-host of NPR’s Morning Edition. On the show, he seeks out obsessives of all kinds, while unpacking his own fixations. You’ll hear actor David Arquette discuss his love for Bozo the Clown; Paula Poundstone on her house full of cats; celebrity chef Michael Symon explain why he just can’t quit the Cleveland Browns, even though they often make him miserable; and so much more. It’s pop psychology disguised as conversations with the world’s most fascinating people. In this episode, comedian, actress, and podcast host Tig Notaro explains why she quit eating meat almost a decade ago, and hasn't looked back. Plus, she shares a really good potato recipe. Listen to David Greene Is Obsessed at https://link.mgln.ai/SYSK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Mike Carruthers?

  Hi, it's Mike Carruthers and I want to tell you about a great new podcast I think you're gonna like. I've been really getting into it. So what happens when our passions become obsessions? David Green is obsessed, one of America's most familiar voices and longtime co-host of NPR's Morning Edition, seeks out obsessives of all kinds while unpacking his own fixations. You'll hear actor David Arquette discuss his love for Bozo the Clown, Paula Poundstone on her houseful of cats, celebrity chef Michael Simon explains why he just can't quit the Cleveland Browns even though they make him miserable, and so much

• 0:40Mike Carruthers?

  more. It's pop psychology disguised as conversations with the world's most fascinating people. In this episode, comedian, actress, and podcast host Tig Notaro explains why she quit eating meat almost a decade ago and hasn't looked back. Plus, she shares a really good potato recipe. Listen to David Green is Obsessed wherever you get your podcasts. And now, here's an episode.

• 1:09Speaker 01

  If you'd like to join the obsessed community, head over to joincampsite.com. We'll give you updates on episodes, some behind the scenes access, and a whole lot more. That's joincampsite.com. Hope to see you there.

• 1:24Mike Carruthers?

  Campsite Media.

• 1:30Speaker 01

  All right, so we call this show David Green is Obsessed. And I'm gonna tell you the thing I'm most obsessed about is, shall we say, understanding the backstory of obsessions. You know, the deeper things in someone's life that made them fall in love with something or obsess about it. You know, you might meet me and find out that I have taken more than 1,700 SoulCycle classes. Okay, that's weird, right? You're thinking, maybe this dude just likes to exercise. There is actually a lot more to me loving SoulCycle, loving the idea of being in a candlelit exercise studio with the hum of stationary bikes and great music. If

• 2:12Speaker 01

  you dig deeper, there's a lot there about my social anxiety, about wanting a consistent connection with a community, about wanting to know that I can come to a place where I'm always accepted. And that's really the kind of stuff that I hope this show is going to be about. I mean, I truly think that obsessions are a window into someone's soul, and we just follow the conversations where they go. And I expect things are going to get raw, they're going to be joyous, they're going to be wild sometimes, funny as hell, anger inducing, but I hope you'll just be along for the ride. And I think today's

• 2:54Speaker 01

  a big example of the kind of interviews that I'm looking for. Tig Notaro, she's a comedian. You might know her. What you might not know is that she is obsessed with plant-based food. And we're going to get to the question of why. And we're going to learn a lot about her when we come back.

• 3:18Speaker 01

  All right, welcome back. My guest today, stand-up comedian, writer, author, filmmaker, Tig Notaro. Tig, thanks for being here. I'm excited to chat.

• 3:29Speaker 02

  Thanks for having me. You also forgot podcast host.

• 3:32Speaker 01

  And podcast host. What else did I forget? Give me the, give me the full list. I don't want to miss anything.

• 3:37Speaker 02

  I mean, I've done some acting. I have no idea. I was just thinking, since we're on a podcast.

• 3:42Speaker 01

  Parent.

• 3:42Speaker 02

  Yeah, I'm a parent, I'm a spouse, and all sorts of things.

• 3:45Speaker 01

  Yeah. And quite obsessive, committed to a plant-based diet.

• 3:52Speaker 02

  Yes, yes, indeed. And I know it's annoying to a lot of people.

• 3:57Speaker 01

  Do you, I don't, what is annoying? I don't think it's annoying. I don't find, I don't find it annoying. You haven't annoyed me yet.

• 4:02Speaker 02

  Okay, well, it's just the beginning. I don't know, I feel like, you know, there's the There's the joke that is very true that like you don't have to ask somebody if they're vegan, you know, they they know they'll let you know the second they walk in that they're vegan. Because I feel like it people that eat plant based, it's like it's like I've found Christ, you know, is basically the feeling that I have is yes, Jesus is my friend.

• 4:36Speaker 01

  Why do you feel why do you feel Christ like?

• 4:40Speaker 02

  Because it changed my life so much. And if people are interested, I would love to tell them about it. But I don't I'm not I'm not the kind of person that I'm judgmental about how you eat or what you do in any way. It's and it's also I'm not going to plow through and start telling you you need to do this. But if somebody is interested,

• 5:08Speaker 02

  try to stop me.

• 5:08Speaker 01

  Once the door opens, you're you're coming in full, full on. Well, I there's no place more welcoming than this conversation for your plant based information and commitment. So I want you to feel very safe. There's no, there's no annoyance at all. But could we get some definitions out of the way? Like, I think in this world, it's like plant based and vegan exactly the same? Is there something missing in terms of?

• 5:36Speaker 02

  Yeah, vegan is like

• 5:42Speaker 02

  a more whole way of living. You try to do as little harm to yourself and others and the planet. And and then plant based is very much specifically about what you eat.

• 6:03Speaker 01

  Vegan is a lifestyle, plant based is a diet. Is that a shorthand?

• 6:07Speaker 02

  Yeah. Yeah.

• 6:09Speaker 01

  And are you both?

• 6:11Speaker 02

  I would say I am plant-based and I'm leaning heavy in the vegan direction, but I feel like I can't quite, even though I call myself vegan, I just don't think I'm doing the most tremendous job. But I, I think about it and I lean heavily towards it.

• 6:36Speaker 01

  Where are you falling short of getting the full vegan badge?

• 6:40Speaker 02

  You know, it's those tricky places where I travel a lot, so I'm flying a lot. And I mean, the good thing is, is in Los Angeles, where I live, I live in a very walkable area, so I don't own a car. And the majority of the traveling I do locally is by foot in my neighborhood and the cafes and places around me. But it's, it's just things like that. When I'm on TV shows, the, the clothing that I wear isn't always vegan. And, and even I have some old pieces of clothing or shoes. And that's kind of a toss up within the community of,

• 7:25Speaker 02

  what do you do when you make that transition and then you have leather shoes? And then even if you give them away, they're still out there in the world.

• 7:34Speaker 01

  They're still in the world. Do you destroy them? Like, do you burn them? Like, what are the, what are the various options?

• 7:39Speaker 02

  I mean, people are torn on it. So that's what I mean is that's where I, I can't claim I'm, I'm doing the most top notch job, but

• 7:48Speaker 01

  Gotcha.

• 7:49Speaker 02

  I'm doing, I'm doing my best and I'm very aware of where I need to make little changes.

• 7:58Speaker 01

  So the diet, I mean, just, just so everyone is, is, is with us. I mean, it's no meat, it's no dairy, it's no eggs, it's nothing like

• 8:08Speaker 02

  No animal products.

• 8:09Speaker 01

  Nothing to do with animals.

• 8:10Speaker 02

  Right.

• 8:10Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 8:11Speaker 02

  Right. That is correct.

• 8:12Speaker 01

  And you, you've not just committed to this, but you've gotten your family into it too, right? Your, your sons, your wife?

• 8:21Speaker 02

  Well, my wife was vegetarian, I think since she was a teenager. And I've had a lot of health issues and it kept coming up.

• 8:33Speaker 02

  You know, you gotta shift your diet, maybe look into a plant-based diet. And it was always like, kind of one of those, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, I know. But it just seemed impossible. And it also seemed like it wouldn't be. It felt like if I did do it, that it wouldn't be tasty, fulfilling, exciting. And it was quite literally the opposite. It changed my whole relationship with food. But yes, I was, I was dealing with a lot of pain and a lot of different issues. And I was about to go out on a two-week tour. And in the back of my mind, I thought, okay, I'm gonna be away from my regular, everyday life.

• 9:16Speaker 02

  And I'm just gonna use that time to watch documentaries, to read books. My opening act was vegan, and he's a chef, and all of these things. So I was like, this is perfect. I'm gonna try it out. So I thought it was also a great opportunity, because I was away from my regular life, to try actually eating that way. And where most people think, oh, when you're traveling, it's the worst because there's no options. But there are so many options. But anyway, I did it. And I called Stephanie, my wife, and I just said, I think I'm gonna try becoming vegan. And she said-

• 9:58Speaker 01

  Hi, honey, I went on the road, I think I'm vegan now.

• 10:01Speaker 02

  Yeah, essentially. And she said, you know what I've always wanted to be, so I'll do it with you.

• 10:06Speaker 01

  Well, that's convenient.

• 10:07Speaker 02

  Yeah, it was really convenient. And our, and our kids were one at the time, so they had only had-

• 10:15Speaker 01

  Didn't have much of a choice. They weren't gonna push back much, or at least not persuasively.

• 10:19Speaker 02

  No choices. And, and yeah, only like six months of their life was any meat or dairy. And, and so they've only known that. But what we tell them, they're, they're now nine. And what we always tell them is that they can make their own choices about what they put in their body. And- If they want to try things because you know they're at birthday parties and school events and and they sometimes try things, but in general, they're very proud to be plant-based. And I saw a different, I saw a difference in how I felt. That's the final comeback around to becoming vegan and that has been my north star.

• 11:04Speaker 01

  What is the difference? I mean, what is, what do you tell people about how your body feels? How your health feels different when you're all plant-based?

• 11:10Speaker 02

  It's, it's, for me personally, I had so much more energy. I felt so much lighter. I, I felt more clarity in my, just in my brain. And, and I think that people come to eating like this for many different reasons. And it can be health. It can be animal rights or environmental reasons. And mine was originally health. But then it just bleeds into everything. It, it creates more of an awareness about myself

• 11:50Speaker 02

  and others. And, and I love animals. And it just created a whole different relationship with, with everything that I did.

• 12:00Speaker 01

  What, what makes, what adds to the awareness of yourself when you're, like, what's the relationship there with a diet like this?

• 12:06Speaker 02

  Well, just being more conscious. You know, you can be kind of going through your life and your day, doing things kind of unconsciously. And that includes what you put in your body. It's just like, oh, there's a bag of something. You just put it in your mouth. You're just not thinking. And, and not that, I mean, well, I was going to say not that you have to live your life looking at every package that you're opening to eat, but it probably wouldn't be bad to do. But that's what shifting to plant-based was for me is, yeah, I do have to look at the labels and every now and then. I missed something and I'm like, oh gosh, that had.

• 12:47Speaker 01

  I just ate an egg.

• 12:48Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah. But it is interesting, like all of the little mistakes I've made and things that I've accidentally put in my mouth, which of course is not some huge issue. But it's really, I've been vegan now for eight years and, and I often think, I wonder how much I've accidentally consumed. Like, I would love to see, you know.

• 13:11Speaker 01

  Some meter, some, some count.

• 13:13Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah. So, but I don't know that anyone will ever surprise me with that.

• 13:19Speaker 01

  I am happy to. If I, if there's a way to figure that out and, and hand you the data, I would be more than happy to.

• 13:25Speaker 02

  Remember when Oprah lost all that weight and she brought like a wagon out with like lard or something? And she was like, this is how much I lost. That's kind of my fantasy is that somebody will, maybe Oprah one day will surprise me with a wagon of how much, how much animal product has snuck into my body in the past.

• 13:45Speaker 01

  I love that. No, it can be really powerful. I remember the mayor of Philadelphia a long time ago wanted to talk to residents of Philadelphia about how much weight they should lose. And he measured it in like millions of tons or something. And I was like, oh, that's powerful. Okay. Yes. We as a community should, should lose weight if we're dealing with like, you know, the weight of a large naval destroyer.

• 14:05Speaker 02

  Well, that's, that's like, and I saw some clip about the, the sugar that they even put in, in dairy milk. And like, the first five years of a child's life, the amount of sugar in milk is like a wheelbarrow.

• 14:23Speaker 01

  Yeah, that's, that's powerful. That hits you.

• 14:25Speaker 02

  Yeah, it really does.

• 14:28Speaker 01

  When you've, you've done training in terms of plant-based diet, you've learned a lot, you've gotten certified, you share recipes, you evangelize about it. Again, once the doors opened, I mean, you're not doing this like on the street and attacking people. But like, why do you, why is it important to you to spread the word beyond your own personal experience?

• 14:49Speaker 02

  Well, because I, I was truly shocked. I did not expect to see results. And I thought, okay, if I go plant-based for these two weeks on the road, worst case scenario is I ate healthy for two weeks. And, and during the pandemic, I was reading a book.

• 15:11Speaker 02

  About nutrition and, you know, to again, go from having these health issues, which started in 2012. I had pneumonia and then I contracted this intestinal disease called C. diff that can be quite deadly.

• 15:30Speaker 01

  Which sounds horrific as I've read about, I mean, your experience and what other people have gone through. I mean, it's just.

• 15:35Speaker 02

  Oh, it is so bad. It is so, it is so painful and deadly. I'm so lucky that I lived through that. And, and I had invasive cancer. And so I just, I've been fascinated by, I mean, it seems obvious, but just the idea of like, if you put the wrong,

• 16:01Speaker 02

  and my belief is that if you, if you put the wrong fuel in your vehicle, it's going to break down over and over and ultimately die an early death. And if you put like, really, really good fuel in your car, it's going to run forever. And so when I saw that shift, I started reading more about it. And in the pandemic, I had all of this free time. And, and then I thought, why don't I see if there's a class that I could take online just to learn more? And so I did, I got this certification online

• 16:46Speaker 02

  for plant-based nutrition. I'm not like a nutritionist or anything, but it was during the pandemic that I started helping a family member. And my next door neighbor, he had high blood pressure. And so, and my opening act, Greg, he and I would get on Zoom and, and help my neighbor. And he ended up not having to take this pill for the rest of his life because he shifted his diet. And he got the results within weeks that it, it, it was beneficial. And, and so I was just helping, Greg and I helped a couple of other comedians and it just felt good. If people were interested, I just wanted to help them out.

• 17:33Speaker 01

  I think about the question of control. How much of this kind of obsession, commitment to plant-based is a way that you have found that you can control your health and your life? You know, and feel like you do have some semblance of control, because so much of life, as I think you've, you know, you've learned yourself, can be unpredictable.

• 17:58Speaker 02

  Well, I mean, even if you believe, which I do, that you're, you're eating a healthy diet, you certainly can't always fully control your health because there are other factors. But I do believe it gives you a little bit of a leg up. And, and I do, I feel like if there is something I can do, exercise every day. I just know I don't want to end up as sick as I was in a four-month period of time in 2012. Like, I never want to be there again. And if I, if I can be any part of the solution, then I want to do what I can.

• 18:40Speaker 02

  And so it's working at it every day. And it is my north star to not end up sick. Hopefully, hopefully not end up sick again. But yeah, I do. I prioritize what I eat and exercise and try to get good sleep. And I, look, I also have people, when they'll see me eating a donut or cupcake or birthday cake, they're like, what are you doing? And I'm like, it is vegan. It's not like I don't have, you know?

• 19:17Speaker 01

  I enjoy my eating, even though I've committed to this.

• 19:20Speaker 02

  Yeah, I mean, the majority of the time, I try to eat the healthy version of plant-based, but I also indulge in vegan pizza and burgers and all of that stuff from time to time.

• 19:34Speaker 01

  Can I ask you about that, that horrific period of 2012 when things sound like they, they did feel totally out of control? I mean, you went through a series of really tragic events, all compressed into just a few months.

• 19:47Speaker 02

  It was tough.

• 19:48Speaker 01

  Do you mind reminding us what happened?

• 19:50Speaker 02

  Yeah, I, I think it started out as like, like-

• 19:55Speaker 02

  Bronchitis or a sinus infection, something like that. And I had gone to urgent care and I got, oh, they told me I had pneumonia when I went in there. So they gave me antibiotics. And antibiotics, some people can have an adverse response and it can clear out all of the bacteria in your gut. And that happened to me. And what was left is this bacteria called C. diff, which people have in their gut, but it's okay as long as it's mixed in with a other bacteria.

• 20:37Speaker 02

  But when it's left alone to thrive, it just eats your insides. And so that was brutal. And then when I got out of the hospital, my mother tripped and hit her head and died. And then I went through a breakup right after. And then, and then I was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. So that was in a four month period of time. And it just, it was, you know, it was obviously more than just being deathly ill. But I don't ever, I just, I really want to steer clear of how I felt during that time

• 21:22Speaker 02

  period. Because I did see how quickly health and life can slip away.

• 21:27Speaker 01

  I can't, I can't even imagine going, I mean, I, I lost my mom very suddenly, out of the blue. I mean, I just found out that she had dropped dead. No, I appreciate that. I'm sorry for what you've been through overnight. But I, I remember the, the shock and pain and the feeling of total loss of control. But just to imagine that being exacerbated by just other crises.

• 21:54Speaker 02

  I mean, I was deathly ill on her deathbed. Yeah. Well, I'm, yeah. How long ago did you lose your mother?

• 22:03Speaker 01

  It's been almost 20 years.

• 22:05Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 22:06Speaker 01

  Yeah, I was, I was just turning 30 years old and I think I was, you know, I was mostly raised by just her. It was just the two of us and I've read that you had a really, really tight relationship with your mom, too.

• 22:18Speaker 02

  It was tight, but it was also, my mother was pretty wild.

• 22:23Speaker 02

  It was a lot of the parenting, the parent stuff, but, but I'm very thankful.

• 22:30Speaker 01

  Depression and stuff, it was like, am I the adult? I'm 17 years old.

• 22:33Speaker 02

  My mother would put us to bed and head out and party for the night. But, but she, I'm very thankful for what she instilled in me, which was a lot of like,

• 22:46Speaker 02

  if somebody's got a problem with you, you can tell them to go to hell. So that was how I was raised with that vibe, not in a mean way, but just in a like, you know, I'm good, I'm good.

• 22:59Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 23:00Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 23:00Speaker 01

  I love that. What a good lesson.

• 23:03Speaker 01

  So you're, one of those crises was a, a breast cancer diagnosis. And do I have this right? You got the diagnosis and you were scheduled to do a stand-up show in LA that same night?

• 23:17Speaker 02

  It wasn't the same night, it was a few days later.

• 23:21Speaker 01

  A few days, okay.

• 23:22Speaker 02

  Yeah, that was kind of, when I got the diagnosis, that was the cap of all of the hell. Where I truly, when I got that diagnosis, I was like, what? Like, I can't, I remember thinking, I can't, I, I can't possibly have cancer. I, I've been going through all this other stuff. I, I couldn't even, I was so backlogged with grief and pain, emotional, physical pain. And now you're telling me I have invasive cancer? It was so confusing and so I had called Flanagan, the owner of Largo, which is my home club here in LA. And I just said, I, I can't perform.

• 24:02Speaker 02

  I, I told him everything that was going on and he said, well, let's, let's keep it on the books in case you change your mind last minute. And I thought, man, this guy's nuts. And that, but sure enough, when it came down to it, I, I had time to reflect on how, yeah, life can shift on a dime. And what if? What if I don't come back from this? What if I don't get to do stand up again? I should just take this opportunity because I knew I was about to go into surgery and treatment and recovery and all of this stuff. So I went on stage and talked about the four months of hell I had been going through. And yeah.

• 24:47Speaker 01

  How did you open the show? Do you remember?

• 24:50Speaker 02

  I do. Well, I was in the shower before the show and I was thinking, God, how am I going to get into all of this? Because it wasn't my typical vibe. And so in the shower, a thought ran through my head where I thought, well, what if I walked on stage and said, hello, good evening, I have cancer? And it made me laugh so hard. And then I thought, oh, I can't do that. That's crazy. What if somebody in the audience has cancer? And then I was like, wait, I have cancer. I can do this. This is my story. And so I did. I walked out on stage and said, hello, good evening, I have cancer.

• 25:30Speaker 02

  And it was recorded and released and became the number one selling comedy album of the year, which shocked me, but so many people could relate to losing a loved one or have been touched by cancer in some way in their lives and gone through a breakup. And so, yeah, that's what I did.

• 25:57Speaker 01

  You once described doing the show that night and starting that way as controlling the narrative. What do you mean by that? And why was that important?

• 26:08Speaker 02

  Well, I mean, it's really actually been quite a run of looking back at that time because, yeah, there's controlling the narrative because it's so vulnerable and I'm speaking publicly and all of that stuff. But I actually realized as time went on that more than anything, I was probably needing support. And that's.

• 26:40Speaker 02

  Probably the most honest answer of what was going on. It was, yes, I wanted to do stand up again, but I also, I was without my mother. My girlfriend was gone. I was, this was, my home was on stage essentially. I'd been doing stand up for decades at that point. And that audience that night was, I always say it was like the exact, perfect people there to receive that information.

• 27:08Speaker 01

  What made them perfect?

• 27:11Speaker 02

  They went on the ride. Nobody, people thought I was kidding when I walked out and said, hello, good evening. I have cancer. How's everyone doing? It was awkward, awkward laughter. There was shock and silence and people realizing it was true. And then laughter, hard belly laughter. It just was, they were along for the ride, fully with me. And I, every now and then I run into people that were in the audience that night. What's really crazy is I just produced a documentary about my friend, the poet Andrea

• 27:53Speaker 02

  Gibson, and it's gonna be out on Apple. And the director of that film was at my Largo show that night.

• 28:04Speaker 01

  No way, just by happenstance?

• 28:06Speaker 02

  Well, well, his producing partner, Jessica, she was the tour manager of a tour that I was on years before. And I didn't know she was a documentarian. And Jessica had invited Ryan, the director, to my show that night in 2012. And then she got sick. And he said, oh, I'll just bring all my gay guy friends and we'll go see this comedy show and have a good time. And he said, he remembered, he told all of his friends, he was like, yeah, I guess this comedian's funny. And then I walked out on stage and was like, hey, I have cancer.

• 28:48Speaker 02

  So it's really wild, the full circle of him directing the Come See Me in the Good Light documentary all those years later.

• 28:57Speaker 01

  That's amazing.

• 28:58Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 28:59Speaker 01

  Do you ever, you know, just think about when you were talking about the diet?

• 29:06Speaker 01

  How that gives you this feeling of I have built some kind of defense against having to go through a horrific period in terms of health and that that feeling of not being in control of 2012 like it, do you think there will ever be a point where you get farther enough away from that terrible period that you it doesn't need to shape how you think about life as much because I know like early in your life, it's like friends said there was something called Tig luck, like you, you were a very lucky person, like things just went well. And then when something, when so many things don't go well and you're you're sort of looking for some way to to build a defense against that, is that a like

• 29:48Speaker 01

  a lifelong sort of way to live? Or is there a time when you're like, okay, it's been, it's been enough time. I don't have to fear that as much anymore?

• 29:56Speaker 02

  I can't say that I fear it. I think what that experience taught me is that, like I was saying before, the response I had when I got diagnosed with cancer, I was like, this can't happen. I was just, I went through all of this other stuff. And I really believe that. I thought that I had all of the bad luck in the world. So now it must be just a smooth ride in life. And that hasn't happened. I do feel like I still have Tig luck, but I also think I have a very realistic perspective on life. And part of that realistic perspective

• 30:37Speaker 02

  is knowing that the fun and wonderful thing about life is we don't know what's around the corner. And it really has made me learn to trust life and trust what's coming, even if it's not great. And so I don't feel fearful. I feel more so, I just want to be prepared, you know, I it's like when I take my sons to their baseball games, I, I want to make sure that if we're between a double header, that I have lunch packed, you know, I'm not scared my kids are gonna starve. I just, I just want to make sure we're all set. And and that's the best I can do.

• 31:23Speaker 01

  Your sons are nine now, is what you said?

• 31:25Speaker 02

  Mm hmm.

• 31:26Speaker 01

  I saw you told this incredibly charming story. I think it was on Colbert recently of when you were in the car on the way to school.

• 31:34Speaker 02

  And Yeah.

• 31:35Speaker 01

  You realized that they didn't know that you and your wife are gay? Is that what was that conversation like?

• 31:41Speaker 02

  They were seven at the time. And yeah, they were in the backseat on the way to school. And Stephanie said something about being gay. And our son Finn leaned in the front seat and said, you're gay? And they were like, oh, my God, how? How on earth do our kids not know we're gay? This was, it was so wild. It was so, and there we are just trying to explain everything in the next three minutes before we drop them off.

• 32:16Speaker 01

  It's a lot to fit into three minutes. I mean, how did you approach this?

• 32:20Speaker 02

  Well, they also were like, what is gay? Which also was so confusing. It was like, how, wait a minute, we're like the mayors of gay town. Look at me. And, you know, like, oh, gosh. And we realized that just because they knew they had two moms and they had seen our wedding pictures, that that doesn't equal gay, you know? Like, you have to actually say gay is a boy and a boy, a girl and a girl. And so we were explaining that before we drop them off. But we were just like, oh, my God. Like, it was so confusing. But the more I've talked about it, there are other parents that have told me that they experience the same thing.

• 33:04Speaker 02

  And, and there's kind of this beautiful thing in that it's a non-issue, you know? Like, they didn't know or care. And, and now they really know. But, but yeah, it was, it was, it was shocking. It was shocking. And they're surrounded by so many different people and gay families. And, but yeah, they're just, and I joke that like, man, what did they think I was? The butler? What, what did, what did they think I was? So. Yeah.

• 33:39Speaker 01

  God, there's something so beautiful about it not being like a, like the fact that we have two moms, that's like totally normal.

• 33:45Speaker 02

  And they lead with it.

• 33:47Speaker 01

  And this gay word, it's just like, hey, I'm just curious.

• 33:48Speaker 02

  Our kids lead with it. They tell everyone, they're like, oh yeah, I have two moms and, and they, they feel lucky and proud and so it's pretty great.

• 34:00Speaker 01

  We're gonna take a quick break and I'm gonna come back with Tig Notaro in just a moment to talk about some other obsessions. We'll be right back.

• 34:10Speaker 01

  All right, we're back with David Green is obsessed. I am with Tig Notaro, podcast host, we'll say that first, also filmmaker, comedian, author. This is the part of the show I like to say, it's not David Green is obsessed, but Tig Notaro is obsessed. So I want to ask about a few other obsessions and I guess, related to plant-based, is there a recipe that you obsess about more than any other that you would want to share? So those of us who are plant-based or not might get a tip?

• 34:40Speaker 02

  Um, I can't even go into my morning smoothie because that is, I, there is-

• 34:48Speaker 01

  We don't have time?

• 34:49Speaker 02

  No, we don't. Because like, I'm so, I researched like, all of the most nutrient-dense things that I find delicious and they're all in there and the different measurements.

• 35:03Speaker 01

  Give me the thumbnail of this, now I need to know a little bit about this smoothie, even if we don't have time for the full recipe.

• 35:08Speaker 02

  I mean, oh my, I, I, it's, it's like oats, steel-cut oats, I eat them raw in the smoothie, it gives them a crunch. There's frozen wild blueberries, avocado, half a banana, chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seed, there's so much stuff in there and it is so delicious. But yes, I have to put that aside, there's, it's too complex.

• 35:42Speaker 01

  But I, but I want to make it, like I don't, even if it's complex, like I now want to go find it and make it myself.

• 35:47Speaker 02

  I use golden raisins, dates.

• 35:51Speaker 01

  Oh yeah.

• 35:52Speaker 02

  Oh, I love golden raisins so much.

• 35:54Speaker 01

  So good. I used to have them in my cereal, like those were my, my choice raisins, like as a kid, that's so much better.

• 35:59Speaker 02

  Yes. Almonds, almond milk, unsweetened almond milk.

• 36:06Speaker 02

  Um.

• 36:07Speaker 01

  This is all in one beverage?

• 36:08Speaker 02

  Yeah, cinnamon. There is, it's a lot. It's a lot of things. A little bit of raspberries. But the thing that I want to share with people is this meal that my closest friend of my whole life and I, we both claim the other one created it, but I'm certain she created it because she's way more of a cook.

• 36:33Speaker 01

  Oh, you're, you're giving each other credit. This is not claiming credit. This is.

• 36:37Speaker 02

  No, we give each other credit and I'm certain Beth created this.

• 36:43Speaker 02

  There's no world I would have ever, ever come up with this. This is going to sound weird and just clear your mind, go get the ingredients.

• 36:53Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 36:53Speaker 02

  And taste this. It's so good. Everybody's like, that seems weird. And then they taste it and they're like, oh my God. Okay, so.

• 37:00Speaker 01

  I'm letting go of all preconceptions. I am now a fully open minded eater.

• 37:05Speaker 02

  Amazing. A plate full of raw spinach covering the entire bottom of the plate.

• 37:10Speaker 01

  Every acre.

• 37:10Speaker 02

  Yes. Then a plain baked potato placed in the middle there.

• 37:16Speaker 01

  Sounds great.

• 37:17Speaker 02

  You crack it open, you fill the potato with not salsa or anything other than pico de gallo. I mean chunks of pico de gallo, which is sliced tomatoes, onions, cilantro, all that kind of stuff, like just chunks of it inside of the potato and the juice of this pico de gallo all over.

• 37:42Speaker 01

  Into the potato.

• 37:43Speaker 02

  Yes, yes, yes.

• 37:44Speaker 01

  Just all up, yeah.

• 37:45Speaker 02

  You slice up an avocado, you put the, the wedges around the potato and then you take balsamic vinegar at, I believe is what it is. And then you kind of drizzle that around and you must take a piece of everything in each bite because.

• 38:08Speaker 02

  Yes, it is so delicious. And I beg anyone to argue with me.

• 38:14Speaker 01

  I don't feel like you have to do much convincing. Are people skeptical? Like, have you started to get into this recipe? And they're like freaked out? I mean, it sounds amazing.

• 38:22Speaker 02

  They're like, no butter? And I'm like, no, no butter. It's just pico de gallo in the potato. It's so good.

• 38:29Speaker 01

  But it probably like flavors the potato, right? I mean, it just gets all up in there.

• 38:33Speaker 02

  Yes, it does. It is so good.

• 38:36Speaker 01

  No, I'm on your side. No, this sounds phenomenal. Do you have a, is there a name for this thing?

• 38:39Speaker 02

  Yeah, we call it tater time.

• 38:41Speaker 01

  Oh, I love that. Okay.

• 38:43Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 38:43Speaker 01

  I might make it for my wife, like, tonight.

• 38:45Speaker 02

  You should.

• 38:46Speaker 01

  She's a huge baked potato fan. She does love butter. She says, like, hold everything else if you go to a restaurant or something. But if I get her away from...

• 38:54Speaker 02

  Just don't even tell her what you're doing. Just make it and deliver it. And, and, and give her a, put a little something on the fork, a little something, everything on the fork. Tell her to take a bite.

• 39:06Speaker 01

  And just start that way.

• 39:07Speaker 02

  And, uh, yeah. Let me know how that goes.

• 39:09Speaker 01

  I appreciate this. You might have just made my marriage even more solidified because she's gonna love that.

• 39:14Speaker 02

  Good.

• 39:16Speaker 01

  What is an obsession that you have only revealed to your wife until this moment?

• 39:22Speaker 02

  An obsession that I have revealed? You know what? I've kind of, um, I'm on this new Star Trek series, uh, called Starfleet Academy.

• 39:35Speaker 01

  Yep.

• 39:36Speaker 02

  It is, um, we're filming the second season. First season comes out in January of 2026.

• 39:44Speaker 01

  This is a brand new franchise, right? Star Trek, it hasn't been around very long. This is like a newly introduced, uh...

• 39:50Speaker 02

  It's, it's brand new. We'll see how it goes. We'll see if the fans get into it.

• 39:55Speaker 01

  There might, I feel like it could become like a cult thing.

• 39:58Speaker 02

  Yeah, we'll see. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Will tater time or Star Trek?

• 40:03Speaker 01

  Yeah, one or the other.

• 40:04Speaker 02

  Pull, pull, uh, pull through in the long run? Okay.

• 40:10Speaker 02

  I have not until this show.

• 40:13Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 40:15Speaker 02

  Taken, I've, I started out as a stand-up and I got into acting kind of accidentally. And I didn't take acting lessons. I just kind of would scramble around, memorize my lines.

• 40:31Speaker 02

  After working on Starfleet Academy, they had this rule where you couldn't have your lines on set with you.

• 40:40Speaker 01

  Anywhere.

• 40:42Speaker 02

  Correct.

• 40:43Speaker 01

  Wow. Is that a new rule? Like, is that normally you can have your lines?

• 40:46Speaker 02

  Yeah, it was a new rule.

• 40:48Speaker 01

  Like in your pocket or on a teleprompter? Where do you normally have?

• 40:50Speaker 02

  Yeah, you just kind of have it like in the green room with you or at your chair where you, you know, and they said, no lines on set. And.

• 40:58Speaker 01

  Is that just to be cruel or because they wanted people to just feel like more ad libby?

• 41:02Speaker 02

  No, they wanted people to learn their lines and show up and have it down. And this is, you know, acting, it can be hard to learn your lines, especially if it's made up science stuff. And at first, I was already struggling.

• 41:19Speaker 01

  It's particularly difficult, yeah.

• 41:20Speaker 02

  Yes, I was already struggling. I've actually been on, I was on another Star Trek series before this called Discovery. And I scrambled around famously with my lines. And, and when that new rule popped up, I was like, what? What? But then I thought.

• 41:41Speaker 01

  Was this rule made for you and they're not telling you if you had been like holding on to?

• 41:45Speaker 02

  You know, maybe I'm the only one that they told the rule to.

• 41:48Speaker 01

  Just curious, just asking.

• 41:49Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah. But I have to say, once I got over the shock and frustration, I thought.

• 42:00Speaker 02

  This is probably better for me if I really, really get ahead of the game, prepare better. And I've now become a little obsessed with, I want to be the best actor I can be. I want to,

• 42:15Speaker 01

  Love that.

• 42:16Speaker 02

  I want to learn. You know, people would always ask me in interviews previously,

• 42:23Speaker 02

  what's your technique and how do you do what you do? I'd be like, oh, you know, I just do my best. That's, that's what I do.

• 42:34Speaker 02

  Whereas now, I just, I'm way more interested and I want to hear how people do what they do and what did their teacher teach them? And what about this actor they worked with? And, and now Stephanie and I connect in a way that we didn't before because she's so interested in actors and their technique and all that, all that kind of stuff. And so it's, it's a new obsession for me. And, and look, I'm no, I'm no Meryl Streep and I'm no Holly Hunter, who is the, the star of Starfleet Academy. But it's, it's, um, it's fun when you kind of force yourself to, to do better and, and make those big leaps.

• 43:18Speaker 01

  I love that. Okay. Last question. My wife is going to kill me for, for revealing this on my show. But my favorite quirky obsession of hers is she's not just obsessed with late night popcorn, but she loves the like half popped kernels. And so she obsessively

• 43:39Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 43:39Speaker 01

  hunts them.

• 43:40Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 43:40Speaker 01

  Like hunts.

• 43:42Speaker 02

  Same as you.

• 43:43Speaker 01

  I mean, needs to, oh, you do too?

• 43:44Speaker 02

  Oh, yes, sir. Yes.

• 43:46Speaker 01

  What is it about these half popped kernels?

• 43:48Speaker 02

  What are you talking about? What is it about them?

• 43:51Speaker 01

  I've tried them. I've like tried to understand this, but now I like.

• 43:54Speaker 02

  I mean, if you go back to my smoothie, I, I have raw steel cut oats in there. I love a crunch. And so your wife must love a crunch. I mean, she loves you, right?

• 44:04Speaker 01

  Nice crunch.

• 44:07Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 44:09Speaker 01

  Okay, so that's a shared obsession.

• 44:10Speaker 02

  Yeah. Has she tried sorghum?

• 44:13Speaker 01

  I have no idea.

• 44:14Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 44:15Speaker 01

  Should I tell her to try sorghum?

• 44:15Speaker 02

  Yes, tell her to try.

• 44:17Speaker 01

  Tell me more about sorghum.

• 44:18Speaker 02

  Sorghum is like an even healthier grain than popcorn. Popcorn is healthiest if it's air popped, by the way.

• 44:28Speaker 01

  Right.

• 44:29Speaker 02

  If anyone cares. But sorghum.

• 44:31Speaker 01

  Don't do it in butter. You're probably not doing it in butter.

• 44:33Speaker 02

  No, I'm not.

• 44:34Speaker 01

  Venture, I guess, yeah.

• 44:35Speaker 02

  I'm not. What I do with my popcorn, I air pop it and then I do, and then I sprinkle liquid aminos on there and hot sauce, Cholula, and nutritional yeast. And I mean sprinkle, so it's, so you're not soggy. And my sons love it. Everybody, it's so delicious. But, um, but yeah, sorghum is just, it's just a healthier kind of version of popcorn and it's so delicious. Then there's really cool flavors.

• 45:08Speaker 01

  This is amazing. I now have a lot to tell her. Sorghum, I can tell her that she shares an obsession with you and it comes, and tater time.

• 45:14Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 45:14Speaker 01

  I was gonna ask you, what is there, is there a, what's your favorite quirky obsession of your wife's?

• 45:20Speaker 02

  Wait, real quick. Does she know that there's a product where they have just little barely popped popcorn?

• 45:27Speaker 01

  Interesting you ask, Tig. I found Popknots for her years ago and bought her the equivalent of like a lifetime supply or membership. But I think the company went out of business. I can't find them anymore.

• 45:39Speaker 02

  Unbelievable, because, no, I thought I invented it. I was at a, I was watching a movie. I was at a movie theater years ago and I was like, you know what? Cause I was digging around in mine and other people. Yeah, I was like, gosh, it's like barely popped popcorn. And then, um, sure enough, you know, as soon as I invent something, two days later, I found out it's already been on the market for years. So I didn't know they went out of business, but maybe I'll get back into it.

• 46:05Speaker 01

  Maybe they're back. I mean, I, I can't, I haven't looked recently. They went out of business. It was devastating.

• 46:09Speaker 02

  Well, let's keep it on the DL and you and I can start our own.

• 46:12Speaker 01

  We can start the company.

• 46:13Speaker 02

  Yeah, me and your wife and you.

• 46:15Speaker 01

  Yes, yes.

• 46:16Speaker 02

  So what is my wife's?

• 46:18Speaker 01

  Favorite quirky obsession of, of your wife?

• 46:21Speaker 02

  Gosh, my wife isn't terribly quirky.

• 46:23Speaker 01

  Or favorite obsession. Let's just take quirky out. Let's eliminate the adjective. Who needs an adjective?

• 46:28Speaker 02

  She's also not terribly obsessive.

• 46:31Speaker 01

  Who needs anything?

• 46:32Speaker 02

  I would say her-

• 46:33Speaker 01

  Tell me what you love about your wife.

• 46:35Speaker 02

  Her love for me is a quirky obsession.

• 46:40Speaker 01

  Perfect.

• 46:41Speaker 02

  I think that my ex-girlfriends would say, yeah, that's a quirky obsession. After they are no longer with me. Yeah, she's just not terribly quirky or obsessive.

• 46:55Speaker 01

  Well, she saves all of her quirky obsessiveness.

• 46:58Speaker 02

  She's very much into safety. And I have to say, I appreciate that a lot about her. Because I was raised, you know, water skiing in the swamps of Mississippi. So I needed to be reeled in a little bit. And yeah, so it's not quirky, but it's definitely something she's got her eye on all the time.

• 47:20Speaker 01

  What does she worry most about you doing? Like, what is the thing that she's like?

• 47:24Speaker 02

  Well, it's just anyone or the kids, you know? Or it's just everything is a safety first. And I don't think I led with that. And it's a really great quality that she has is having a real eagle eye on safety.

• 47:39Speaker 01

  Sounds important.

• 47:42Speaker 01

  Tig Notar, this has been such a pleasure. I really appreciate it.

• 47:45Speaker 02

  Thanks for having me.

• 47:47Speaker 01

  Thanks for being here.

• 47:48Speaker 02

  If anybody wants to check out the Handsome Podcast, we certainly welcome all new listeners.

• 47:55Speaker 01

  Well, we will send them all your way to the Handsome Podcast and also the new Star Trek show.

• 48:00Speaker 02

  And also come see me in the good light, the Andrea Gibson documentary that will be out on Apple TV.

• 48:06Speaker 01

  It's all, we can find you in many places.

• 48:09Speaker 02

  Yes, you can.

• 48:10Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 48:11Speaker 02

  Thanks for having me.

• 48:11Speaker 01

  Send everyone your way. Yeah, thanks for being here.

• 48:20Speaker 01

  David Green is obsessed is a production of Campside Media. It is hosted by me, David Green. Our senior producer is Lane Rose. We are mixed by Ewan Leitrimuin. The executive producers of Campside Media are Vanessa Gregoriadis, Matt Scher, and Josh Dean. Special thanks to our operations team, Ashley Warren and Sabina Mara. If you have an obsession you would like to share, hope you do, you can send us an email. The address is [email protected]. That's [email protected]. And hey, if you enjoyed the show, please rate and review the show wherever you get your podcasts. Really appreciate you listening.