I first heard Tig Notaro on a segment of This American Life. Notaro is a stand up comic and she was riffing about running into Taylor Dayne. It was pretty funny. A few days ago, I was listening to a podcast on KCRW's The Business. Kim Masters was interviewing Notaro and it was there that I heard about the cascading crises that had befallen Notaro in the span of a few months:
Louis C.K. was in the wings that night, waiting to perform. He was blown away, calling the 30 minute set by Notaro "masterful;" he offered to place the audio of that night on his site. Her full performance can be heard here:
The performance, and the story behind it, have gone viral. Notaro was back on This American Life for another segment:
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/476/what-doesnt-kill-you
Terry Gross, iinterviews her on Fresh Air: Tig Notaro on Going 'Live' About her Life: NPR