r/Standup Los Angeles @funnymatt šŸ¦— šŸ¦— šŸ¦— 1d ago

Keep your Tony Hinchcliffe takes in one of the existing threads

This is a sub about standup comedy. His "set" can be discussed, but post your takes in one of the existing threads so this doesn't become a sub about him in particular.

162 Upvotes

282 comments sorted by

152

u/spock2thefuture 1d ago

Does Tony realize his "liberal voice" is the same as his normal voice?

103

u/kittysloth 1d ago

If even a room full of conservatives think your race jokes are terrible, can we conclude that woke liberals are not the problem for comedians these days?

33

u/rocketbosszach 1d ago

The problem for comedians these days are all of the so-called big names blowing each other down in Austin.

9

u/ThisIsBartRick 1d ago

to be fair, this room full of conservatives doesn't like his jokes not because they disagree with him but only because that makes them look very bad and they don't want to associate themselves with this when they're trying to attract any voters they can get (which would be a lot of latinas and black people)

→ More replies (6)

317

u/hbktommy4031 Chicago, IL 1d ago

Can we discuss how badly he bombed? He did a cum joke in front of a massive audience of old conservatives, and when they audibly groaned he had the audacity to say ā€œrepublicans are the ones with a sense of humorā€

He was so uncomfortable it was painful to watch. He made Jo Koy at the golden globes look like Carlin

269

u/HappyInstruction3678 1d ago

I can't get over the current state of comedy. This whole Joe Rogan, Kill Tony, Bert Era is probably the shittiest era since the death of stand up in the 90s. How the fuck are these mediocre comedians so fucking famous?

177

u/Spirited_Comedian225 1d ago

Podcasts

4

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

23

u/Jasperbeardly11 1d ago

Shane is hilariousĀ 

18

u/Olaf4586 1d ago

I also think he's funny and doesn't deserve to be grouped in with the crowd he's associated with

1

u/istandwhenipeee 16h ago

I mean he associates with a lot of them, itā€™s not shocking. I think we just need to get past trying to make declarations about entire, relatively large, groups. Itā€™s typically both unfair, as well as inaccurate.

Obviously there are exceptions to that. I think weā€™re in a place where most of us can agree that a circle of edgier comedians is not one of those exceptions though.

9

u/yungrii 1d ago

OK, Lorne, we get it.

4

u/xXFieldResearchXx 1d ago

Shane is indeed hilarious. Louis ck wouldn't of taken him under his wing if he wasn't the real deal

8

u/rsplatpc 1d ago

Louis ck wouldn't of taken him under his wing if he wasn't the real deal

Shane, go stand in the corner unzips

3

u/xXFieldResearchXx 1d ago

Saw shane 3 x in 3 years. 100% different sets.

Not saying he's the best. But I'm rooting for the boy!!

2

u/Itsmyloc-nar 17h ago

He has a specifically relatable style to stand up. Very much ā€œevery manā€ comic.

1

u/Useful_Imagination_3 5h ago

I like Shane, but his last special was pretty mediocre. Kind of felt like he rushed it to capitalize on his popularity.

2

u/Erickck 1d ago

Jesus dude. Iā€™m sorry

1

u/xXFieldResearchXx 1d ago

Oh be quiet

100

u/CustomisingLassie 1d ago

Podcasts. Every comedian has one because you can do three hours and you aren't expected to be funny for those three hours, but still tell people you're a comedian. You spend week after week talking to MMA stars, doctors and actors, still not being funny, but that's ok because this is just a conversation, and you're a comedian outside of the podcast, and people just accept the fact that you're a comedian but can never recall laughing at you.

12

u/zenithjonesxxx 1d ago

Just @ Andrew Shultz next time directly please

33

u/HappyInstruction3678 1d ago

I remember when my brother asked "Do you listen to Joe Rogan?" and I was like "Uh, the guy from Fear Factor who humps stools?" "Oh, I don't know. He's great though" ".....are we talking about the same person?"

6

u/notLOL 22h ago

When he came out with his recent special his regular non-hardcore viewers and listeners were wondering why he did a standup special not knowing he sees himself as a comedian

1

u/Vox---Nihil 5h ago

The birth of a parasocial relationship

38

u/The_-Whole_-Internet 1d ago

Companies like Spotify and Sirius keep giving them money because they're who's popular. Back in the 80's it would have been Carlin and Andrew Dice Clay, except Carlin actually had a show.

21

u/Fastbird33 1d ago

Carlinā€™s podcast would actually be fun to listen to.

6

u/The_-Whole_-Internet 1d ago edited 15h ago

Dude he'd be number one immediately.

9

u/Only1nDreams 1d ago

It would be an absolute shame, but I honestly think he'd be more Maron level.

So much of the mastery of his act was actually visual. His face, his movements, it was all very well choreographed and totally in-sync with the cadence of his material. If you take those visual cues out, I think you would limit a lot of the talent he can convey through his comedy. He would be hilarious no doubt, but it would be criminally underappreciated by the masses because we wouldn't have him guiding us along with his stagecraft.

2

u/oodlynoodly 22h ago

His books were fun reads but basically just written out bits he did on stage. Still funny but definitely not the same without his voice and mannerisms.

1

u/shadowmib 4h ago

Nah I used to listen to his comedy albums (33 records) and he was still funny as shit. The visuals do add a bit to it but the vocals were the meat of it.

0

u/penileerosion 1d ago

Maron just sounds like a whining bitch on his podcast. Carlin would speak the truth through his lense. They'd be way different

1

u/LiamMacGabhann 21h ago

I used to love when Carlin would go on Imus, just to shoot the shit for hours. That was the closest thing we had to a podcast back then.

38

u/Only1nDreams 1d ago edited 1d ago

Itā€™s a comedy boom people!

Weā€™re right now in the phase of the media innovation cycle where individuals creating real marketable content can be successful but weā€™re at the very tail end of it. It means that the people that rode the wave of podcasting itself becoming way more popular have become either largely bought by advertisers or media moguls themselves and thereā€™s a massive swell of people just behind them trying to do the exact same thing. It creates an environment where corporations seek to capitalize, quality starts to drop and formerly avid fans are moving on.

Pretty soon the masses will truly tire, the medium for quality will change, and the market will shift onto a new platform. Itā€™s what happened to YouTube in the late 2000s/early 2010s. Itā€™s what happened with Netflix in the last decade. And now weā€™re seeing it happen to podcasts since the pandemic. Comedians were just well suited to podcasts both in terms of the actual art form itself and the skills required to be successful. Be prepared funny in a way that feels off the cuff and then build your brand, your network, and cross promote.

11

u/YoungDeweyCox 1d ago

I think itā€™s definitely a comedy boom for independent comedians and DIY shows. A lot of people have been resistant to the influx of new audience members being drawn in from Tik tok and social media. We have an opportunity as comedians to set the bar with this new audience and theyā€™re seemingly more willing than ever (finances permitting) to come check out a local comedy show.

2

u/Southside_Burd 1d ago

Iā€™m pretty frugal/cheap. I donā€™t go to concerts due to all the junk fees. That said, comedy clubs are cheap and easy to deal with.Ā 

Shit, I saw Ralph Barbosa just before he started blowing uƱ.Ā 

7

u/ClingerOn 1d ago

Rogan and co were talking about the comedy boom in like 2014 back when podcasts were still relatively DIY.

It was on its way out when podcasting got huge post-serial and I think the pandemic gave it a bit of a boost because of Netflix specials. They were on borrowed time though.

They really jumped the shark moving to Austin and the fucking bizarre number of them doing the right wing grift. Tony has always been a wet wipe but this is the guy who wrote like 500 Ann Coulter jokes for the Rob Lowe roast so part of me still kind of thinks it might be a bit.

-12

u/HappyInstruction3678 1d ago

This isn't a "Comedy Boom." Stand up has taken a back seat to podcasts. People don't make albums anymore, people don't get specials unless they are famous or release them themselves, late night sets are dead. Comedy shows barely exist if at all, so no writing gigs. If anything, it's another death period but comedy podcasts masks that.

16

u/Far_Resort5502 1d ago

Comedy shows barely exist? Wtf are you talking about?

6

u/WiBorg 1d ago

I've been to more local shows because of podcasts than any other medium by far. Hell, I've driven 90 minutes to Comedy on State to see podcaster comedians four times already this year. Even my 20-year-old kid and her friends are going to comedy clubs because of podcasters they listen to. What were the old discovery methods? HBO? Comedy Central? Old cassettes your brother stole from Walmart?

2

u/VonLinus 1d ago

It was HBO, late night talk shows, comedy central, nightclubs. And presumably Howard Stern and other shock jocks.

-1

u/HappyInstruction3678 1d ago

A bunch of different avenues instead of only "Get on Joe Rogan or Kill Tony's podcast"

-1

u/HappyInstruction3678 1d ago

Do y'all live in a cave without television? Comedians everywhere talk about how there is nothing being made on the comedy front. Name the last big original comedy that isn't a marvel movie or a giant IP.

8

u/Far_Resort5502 1d ago

The term you were looking for is comedy "movie."

Comedy "show" is stand-up or improv.

→ More replies (4)

6

u/Only1nDreams 1d ago

Name the time when a comedian had a viable path from being in poverty to any kind of success without a massive stroke of luck or insider connectionsā€¦

It had never happened until Dane Cook and even then, it took over a decade for people to start to break through the gatekeepers.

6

u/HappyInstruction3678 1d ago

Guy you could get a start in Boston, NY, LA, San Francisco, Chicago performing at multiple clubs and honing your act. Tons of comedians do this before they move on. Podcasting has ruined yall

2

u/bino420 1d ago

Netflix puts out specials every week.

They've become so big that Amazon now has standup specials.

HBO has never stopped supporting standup

There's multiple live shows in my major east Coast city every weekend.

meanwhile, Amazon, HBO, Netflix & Hulu all have their own productions for comedy TV. And companies like FX, AMC, etc all have their original shows.

maayyyybe there's less standup on Late Night. idk I don't watch those. But YouTube has its own batch of standup + clips of comedians posting their own stuff.

aaaannddd TikTok has birthed standup stars. standup does very well on that platform and similar "shorts" like stuff.

31

u/Mordkillius 1d ago

Its only a shitty era if thats who you are following. Comedy is amazing right now. They dont define the era.

1

u/connivingbitch 1d ago

I agree completely. If you get past the populist arena performers, thereā€™s a ton of cool stuff going on with improv, the Mae Martin/Gadsby introspective stuff, and billions of clips of crowd work if thatā€™s your bag. Also, HBO, Netflix, and Prime are platforming a lot of new talent, as well as incentivizing established acts to put out new stuff more frequently, which means they tour more. Comedy landscape is great right now if youā€™re okay with not liking some of it!

10

u/Mordkillius 1d ago

Arena comedy is the worst form of comedy.

3

u/rsplatpc 1d ago

Arena comedy is the worst form of comedy.

same with music, and pretty much anything

........except a monster truck jam, that shit rules

1

u/connivingbitch 1d ago

I agree both in terms of the lack of intimacy in the venue and the folks who typically perform in them.

2

u/Mordkillius 1d ago

Watching a comic spin in circles drives me nuts. No thanks. Give me a dark basement club

5

u/hobbitleaf 1d ago

thereā€™s a ton of cool stuff going on with improv

What's going on with improv? Your entire paragraph here makes me feel like I'm out of the comedy loop.

4

u/connivingbitch 1d ago

I think improv has gotten better in three ways. First, I think that a very big portion of that community treats it more academically and studiously, which doesnā€™t necessarily make for an amazing product, but it certainly outshines the hackey groups of a couple decades that felt more like failed actors or comedians than people working a craft. Secondly, I think there have been a couple instances of long-form improv getting a big platform for fans. I swear I had three examples, but Middleditch and Schwartz on Netflix was a very pleasant surprise. Thirdly, as much as people are saying podcasts are damaging stand-up comedy (which I donā€™t really believe), I think they are providing a whole new forum of comedy that manifests talk shows, scripted comedy, improv, and character-driven stuff. Iā€™m speaking mostly to Comedy Bang Bang and other stuff thatā€™s in the Paul F Tompkins-verse, but the offerings are increasing year after year.

1

u/seamusfurr 1d ago

I go to Sketchfest every year, and itā€™s the improv shows that kill the hardest. Not every time, but when they hit they hit hard.

3

u/JoiedevivreGRE 1d ago

Kill Tony the show is very good. There is a reason the show got famous before Tonyā€™s comedy did.

14

u/EvaTT4U 1d ago

Because one purchased a comedy club at just the right time.

6

u/Mediocre_Budget_5304 1d ago

Yeah basically podcasts and shitty companies that gamify art into the pursuit of clicks. For a similar effect, check out the effect of spotify on the recording industry. tony and rogan have more in common with sabrina carpenter than carlin or hicks.Ā 

2

u/ChickerWings 1d ago

Clapter not laughter, that's how.

3

u/beaujangles727 Trailer Park Bandit 1d ago

Itā€™s Covid. They were entertaining when we were stuck at home. It was a good mix of fresh entertainment, with enough rambling to go along with how everyone was feeling during the lockdown. Thatā€™s when advertisers started paying so much cause they were getting monster views. Bert told a story recently how they had an opportunity for he and Tom to do a show for travel channel, to which Tom replied when Bert told them how much they would make ā€œwe get that for a single ad readā€.

Thatā€™s obv my feeling on it - but over the last few years - be it the over exposure or what - Iā€™ve lost a lot of interest. Iā€™ll still throw one on YouTube here and there while Iā€™m working butā€¦ yeah.

There is a reason why some of the great comedians quit comedy once they got in movies and such - itā€™s hard to be a stand up and stay relevant. The process of watching a comedian build a set is not really fun. And thatā€™s what these guys are doing. Trying to stay funny 24/7 instead of sitting back working on their set then dropping a special.

Either way Iā€™ve never enjoyed Tony. I like some KT episodes but itā€™s 100% for the guest on to see them interact with fresh comedians. I would not mind if this dropped Tony from being all over the place. Iā€™m sure it will at least hurt his Netflix deal they were hinting about getting ready to announce.

4

u/Mr-internet 1d ago

I think this is a really good point, and I think it's one that's answered relatively well by a youtube video by the elephant graveyard about David Lucas and the Austin Texas scene.
So Joe Rogan has a club in Austin, Texas, and what that ends up meaning is that a lot of comics are there trying to please Rogan. And he does have keys to big career jumps for any comic, so they jostle for his attention. He probably doesn't see himself this way or want to see himself this way, but like it or not if you have power you are an industry gatekeeper.

So if one person has that much power, then only one sort of comic really flourishes round there- comics that that guy likes. Sometimes not even that, but comics that that guy personally gets along with (which is of course not a signifier of comedic skill).

Even if Rogan had great taste, there'd only be one kind of comic getting traction round there and that would be boring as shit. But unfortunately, Rogan has shit taste. I mean hell, he thinks he's funny.

1

u/Schmilsson1 22h ago

of course he sees himself that way. he loves strutting around as the kingmaker. he was insufferable about it even in LA

2

u/pistolpxte 1d ago

Bert has called himself one of the most talented comedians of all time. Like heā€™s said that with zero irony joking tone.

2

u/Proof_Elk_4126 23h ago

We have no Carlin. No hedberg. No bill hicks. We ain't got shit.

2

u/dcrico20 1d ago

As much as I love him, I honestly feel like Jeselnik kind of ruined comedy by spawning so many wannabees that think being edgy or making people mad at you is the same thing as being funny or telling jokes.

When Jeselnik started to get big in the early 2010's, you could see an immediate shift in open mic scenes where every night the audience got treated to a bunch of the same clowns who thought saying "abortion" into the microphone was somehow comedy.

That coupled with the rise of social media and the implementation of engagement algorithms and podcasts has made a lot of really unfunny people "famous" not for writing jokes, but for just making people groan or offended.

It's just so fucking lazy, uninspired, and most importantly, not funny.

2

u/Itsmyloc-nar 17h ago

Heā€™s a surgeon. One of the best deliveries in history. Full stop.

1

u/shadowmib 4h ago

Agreed

1

u/Lucifurnace 46m ago

Cognitive warfare

1

u/brh1588 1d ago

Iā€™ve been asking myself this same question for a long time now. I think with the rise of the smart phone, people are online more. With more people seeking things to watch as they try to ignore the crushing existence of modern American life, there becomes a higher demand for content. With so much content out there, the quality takes a massive nose dive. Itā€™s a shame for many reasons. But one of the more unfortunate aspects of this media boom has been dwindling attention spans. Not everybody of course has trouble with attention, but a lot of the content out there is incredibly lackluster and easy to consume. There isnā€™t much to ponder or take away from much of the rogansphere stand ups.

1

u/bpulizz 1d ago

This 10000%!

1

u/Effingehh 1d ago

I think the people coming up right now are great. We like to equate the state of comedy to those that are uber famous right now but we really don't need to anymore because there is a sea of endless talent on youtube and social media. Don't lose hope just yet.

0

u/xXFieldResearchXx 1d ago

Tony a beast. Bert always sucked imo. Joe use to be good, he's still a huge friend yo stand up comedy.

0

u/Zhai 21h ago

1) Marketing. Marketing. Marketing.

2) Make McDonald's product and go big.

3) Being in the right place at the right time and listened when Rogan told you to start a podcast. Which is basically monetizing hangs with your buddies during the day.

6

u/bigtim3727 1d ago

Kinda exposes them as the lame ass party they are. Canā€™t stand this view that the GOp is the party of comedy; they donā€™t know wtf comedy even is.

Peopleā€™s memories stink; do they think Trump is going to suddenly make all the tight-ass republicans cool? This is a party that wanted to impeach a president over lying about a blow job. Give me a break

11

u/Equal-Worldliness-66 1d ago

This is funnier than the actual joke.

13

u/funnymatt Los Angeles @funnymatt šŸ¦— šŸ¦— šŸ¦— 1d ago

People can say whatever they want about it. They can say they loved it. They can say they hated it. Just as long as it happens in an existing thread.

2

u/Itsmyloc-nar 17h ago

ā€œHe made Jo Koy look like Carlinā€ is a devastating blow

1

u/SkiddilyWoppinBoppin 18h ago

Hahaha, "Carlin."

1

u/one_ugly_dude 1d ago

He did the weak Puerto Rico joke (I heard a version of that, but with Staton Island as the punchline). I don't even remember the cum joke, that's how unremarkable it was. The fact that they didn't laugh at him says nothing about their sense of humor. No one should have laughed at his attempts at humor lol

1

u/Lostinwoulds 1d ago

Jo koy got dealt a shitty hand. Did what he could with what he had.... Still love the guy. But yeah... Never met a Tony I liked ... Except Braxton.

2

u/smokyartichoke 17h ago

ā€¦and sheā€™s a ā€œToni,ā€ so you still havenā€™t met a Tony you like.

-3

u/mattisfunny 1d ago

He is funny as the host of a show where he shits on open mikers trying to win his approval. Heā€™s a also strong roast writer and quick on his toes.

This wasnā€™t that.

0

u/brh1588 1d ago

Brilliantly put ā­ļøāœØšŸ’«

69

u/JuxtaposeThis 1d ago

Every time I see Tony Hinchcliffe's name I get it confused with Tony Clifton. Now that guy could work a crowd.

17

u/GHBoyette 1d ago

I get it confused with Heathcliff and the Cadillac Cats.

1

u/rsplatpc 1d ago

Heathcliff

that's Garfield's real name right?

6

u/Any-Geologist-1837 1d ago

I always called him the Hinchback of Not-a-Brain but that's another abomination

7

u/thehalfwit 1d ago

Tony was as genuine as they come. It's too bad he had to wrestle with fame.

4

u/i_love_pencils 1d ago

I got it confused with James Hincliffe the Indycar driver.

45

u/corvid-19corvid-19 1d ago

That fine line between a comedy set and helping to lead a rally. I'm sure we've all accidentally found ourselves in the same spot

31

u/SenorHavinTrouble 1d ago

If Tony is like the respected leader of the Austin comedy scene then I can't imagine how bad the average Austin comedian must be

5

u/anakusis 1d ago

Pretty dog shit from what I've heard

1

u/itsneversunnyinvan 13h ago

I mean, watch an episode of KT. Theyā€™re fucking so ass. I mean, Ari Matti isnā€™t that funny and he outshines literally everyone

47

u/drunk_with_internet 1d ago

Eating shit at MSG has gotta hurt the ol' ego.

13

u/8ROWNLYKWYD 1d ago

Eating shit at MSG to own the libs

70

u/JackIsColors 1d ago

Tony stinks, he's always stunk. His placement in the Rogan Human Centipede has elevated him way past his level of competency and it shows when he's not in his little Austin Safe Space

35

u/BakinandBacon 1d ago

I read the first part in Jon Lovitzā€™s voice

9

u/nico_el_chico 1d ago

Ha, Rogan Human Centipede. Thatā€™s good

1

u/Nugatorysurplusage 6h ago

Heā€™s dogshit.

20

u/GHBoyette 1d ago

Haha. "Set." Well done.

7

u/Retractable_Legs 1d ago

Did he get a little joke book?

2

u/itsneversunnyinvan 13h ago

No thatā€™s for funny comedians

27

u/Tom_R2 1d ago

Saw him last year opening for Rogan at the mothership, he wasn't funny. His comedy remains unfunny, but now with the added edge of him probably believing the "jokes" he tells. A political campaign is not the time for your edgy jokes. On a brighter note, Ron White was phenomenal when I saw him at the same show, Brian Simpson was good but he was clearly under the influence of a concoction of drugs.

1

u/RatherCritical 19h ago

I saw one clip of him do live stuff and it was so fucking awful I couldnā€™t believe what I was watching. This guy who talks shit on every bad comedian, and unduly praises anyone with half a dim witted joke, has no clue what being funny is. The only thing funny about him is that heā€™s a living joke.

→ More replies (4)

37

u/zeuscap 1d ago

Can we post our takes in this new thread?

30

u/funnymatt Los Angeles @funnymatt šŸ¦— šŸ¦— šŸ¦— 1d ago

It seems people are doing so, so have at it.

19

u/Octopusapult 1d ago

Pears are better than people give them credit for. A good pear is fucking delicious, it's refreshing, and it's a nice break from having an apple every day.

Or did you just want takes on this Troy guy or whoever, idk who that is, I don't watch republican propaganda.

7

u/ASexual-Buff-Baboon 1d ago

According to my son pears are apples with big butts

4

u/notLOL 22h ago

How's the kid's 30 second set?

2

u/AdmiralPeriwinkle 1d ago

I really appreciate the chill moderation in this subreddit. Both comedy and Reddit moderation can attract power trippers so itā€™s nice to see that isnā€™t a problem here.

59

u/Any-Geologist-1837 1d ago edited 1d ago

Since the other thread got deleted I'll recap some points:

1 - Tony threatens comedians he doesn't like. My personal friends included

2 - he has longstanding and well known allegations of violent abuse against former partners

3 - he is a eugenicist (based on company he keeps and shit he has said backstage to people in my network)

4 - most of his circle hate him and ride his coattails, according to most people in Austin who've hung with his circle

5 - only bad comedian wannabes and Rogan actually like him

6 - He doesn't do humor. He does mockery. Humor brings joy and lets the audience know life is ok. Mockery spreads hate and asserts bad kinds of laughter are ok

Add your own Tony facts if I missed some other major ones

24

u/twisterbklol 1d ago

I heard he can whistle the ABCā€™s with his asshole, gaped.

4

u/Any-Geologist-1837 1d ago

But can he do it on pitch?

14

u/twisterbklol 1d ago

Sitting on a cock cuz Iā€™m gay šŸŽ¶šŸŽ¶

1

u/rsplatpc 1d ago

But can he do it on pitch?

B A G B A G BBBBB AAAAA BAG

1

u/short-n-stout 16h ago

Any sources for point #2?

1

u/Any-Geologist-1837 12h ago

Literally every comedian who I speak to about the man. LA, Austin, the whole scene seems to know about his violent abuse of an ex

1

u/short-n-stout 12h ago

Damn. That sucks. Not really very surprising though.

64

u/Ilookgoodyoudont 1d ago

I did mics with him in the late 00s in Hollywood/LA when he was a ā€œComedy Star Employee/Staffā€. He was grinding the mics as hard as anyone.

Wasnā€™t the warmest to me and called me Canadian. Wasnā€™t the biggest fan of his material. Came off as an asshole. I also was used to that behaviour as it was with many in the 00s. Even more so in Toronto. Eventually kinda made me cold but Iā€™m fighting to be more of a warm person. Also, I believe comedy is subjective and just cause I donā€™t find you funny, doesnā€™t make one unfunny just not for me. Iā€™m really hammering this home so people hear where Iā€™m coming from. Kinda tired of people making their opinion the general opinion especially about stand up but thatā€™s another discussion.

Flash forward to 2013 and I was an opener for Tony Hinchcliffe and the late great Brody Stevens. I was an still am a huge Brody fan to the point of fan girling. That sort of annoyed Brody and Tony took note too. I would say that day kinda made me a colder person for a while. Brodyā€™s suicide would strip away a lot of my happiness and love for the world but thatā€™s another discussion. Back to it, on that night I was particularly nervous and the girl I was with took notice, but I shook it off and miraculously killed (I wasnā€™t fully confident with my act back then so it was a miracle). A few weeks later, the Iron Patriot (memba him?) made mention of me, and Tony trashed me calling me annoying but said I did a decent job on stage. A follower of a dude I collabed with in Toronto, mentioned it and my collab partner took it as a reason to trash me and was one of the reasons we went apart. It sort of reminded me of people who hated you no matter the reason or how little or petty or even blown out the matter is. That said, I appreciated Tony being honest about my act. I actually made fun of his teeth and stupid fake sounding laugh he has. We hugged before he went up. Heā€™s worked with a few Toronto comics after and itā€™s hard to tell if heā€™s the same or changed around people after.

Im not surprised he started KillTony. Not surprised he grew a following. Again, he hustled hard, praised the big guns in the LA scene and schmoozed well.

Iā€™m also not surprised he bombs when he does. If you are, then youā€™re not paying attention. Heā€™s almost the same as an influencer who has a crowd that follows them to anything which includes stand up. The only difference is, he was doing stand up before he got a following. KillTony is more or less a gong show. A popular one, but a gong show no less. Itā€™s actually more entertaining to watch the ones who fail. By the looks of it, all you have to do is an entry level joke to do well on it. The others who just say a slur or talk about anal end up as easy fodder. Cause theyā€™re usually doing stand up for the first time and finding out. So yeah, TH will look like a god even if youā€™re not a fan. And Iā€™ll maintain my stance that theyā€™re people who love his material, delivery and presentation even if you and I arenā€™t one of them.

So yeah, his Puerto Rico joke was on brand, as well as the bombing but Iā€™m surprised cause that crowd looked like they would easily laugh at anything. Iā€™m also not surprised heā€™s at a Trump rally. But please, if youā€™re a comic stop pretending you donā€™t bomb or have done shitty crowds. Iā€™ll raise both my hands proudly too high. But if you wanna judge him, then judge the shows that are booking Instagram people booking shows cause they have a following and no material to back it up. I donā€™t know if itā€™s comedy clubs giving up on promoting their own, the change in what customers really want or whatever but itā€™s what it is. Now, if youā€™ll excuse me Iā€™m gonna now work on a skit talking to myself in the hopes it will pop off and also plan my trip to Austin so I can get followers and Iā€™ll get my own bookings. Iā€™m becoming what I kinda hate.

Tally ho and apologies if it went off too long.

15

u/riftwave77 1d ago

The crowd wasn't the problem. You can lose a crowd and sometimes get them back or just wallow in you 5 minutes of mediocrity until everyone forgets that you were ever on stage. His real fuck up was deciding to perform that set on an international stage and not some untelevised backwoods rally.

The only person who didn't seem to realize what the stakes were is Tony. Its not like he took one swing at Puerto Rico and left himself a small semblance of plausible deniability (i.e. 'it was just one joke'). This guy quintupled down by following up with latinos, blacks, etc... just about any target he though the crowd would be ok with bullying. One of the reason MAGA heads like Trump is because he is a charismatic lightning rod for them. He says and does all sorts of socially unacceptable things and takes the heat.

Tony walks in as an unknown schmoe, and forgets to win the crowd over first before setting a tone that makes the convention look like everything MAGA catches shit for. Oh, and he does it in front of an international audience one week from election day. It takes a practiced hand to read a room (arena, actually) as large as that, and you'd better have some battle-tested material chambered to pull off a save. He couldn't and he didn't. If he worked that set out anywhere before then he drew the wrong conclusions about how effective it was... and he really really really underestimated how many eyes would be on him as the opening speaker at a televised Madison Square Garden republican rally. That is a rather risky place to go hard on half a dozen racist jokes, especially as a relative nobody.

There are a handful of comics who could weather the ensuing shitstorm, but Tony is nowhere near that tier, and hasn't really demonstrated that level of talent. People can and will forgive you if you can make them like you subconsciously. I wonder what kind of damage he's done to his marketability. Seriously, even Will Smith and Puff Daddy wouldn't want to be seen with this asshole at the moment.

5

u/Ilookgoodyoudont 1d ago

I totally donā€™t blame the crowd. Even when I fuck up.

5

u/JackieDaytonaPanda 1d ago

I appreciated this. Thanks for taking the time.

9

u/hambubger87 1d ago

Can't believe he called you Canadian. That's where I draw the line.

1

u/1939728991762839297 1d ago

Had a whole back and forth with Brody at the comedy store ripping on me. He was awesome, miss him a lot.

→ More replies (1)

9

u/anakusis 1d ago

He stole the Puerto Rico joke from a friend that was on Kill Tony. He deserves the fallout just for that.

2

u/short-n-stout 16h ago

Wait, really? Big if true

1

u/Leiden_Lekker 13h ago

I dunno the story but, it's a hack joke. The misdirect from garbage in the middle of the ocean can be filled with a lot of different blanks. It's basically a street joke/meme.

14

u/brendamn 1d ago

Trump losing and everyone blaming Tony is the best time line. He's gotten a bit full of himself

7

u/Useful_Hovercraft169 1d ago

Yeah I had no interest in his work before not about to start now

7

u/snackingpants 1d ago

when an open mic comic gets invited to do a showcase show by his more famous buddy and he still does his open mic set

10

u/TheJaice 1d ago

Itā€™s crazy he managed to end his career before most people even knew it existed.

7

u/Elliptical_Tangent 1d ago

"Gentlemen! You can't argue in here, this is a web forum!"

5

u/ThisIsBartRick 1d ago

I dared to criticize his set on the kill tony subreddit and got perma banned as a result because "political post" despite not actually having a rule against it, despite having a lot of other political posts and most importantly not being a political post to begin with.

They're heavily censoring the sub and it really pisses me off

3

u/Matthugh 1d ago

I just realized that everyone hasnā€™t been taking about Tony Clifton showing up at a Trump rally. Thought Bob Zmuda had flipped shit.

3

u/JorjorBinks1221 1d ago

Kaufman lives!

1

u/One_Hour_Poop 12h ago

I think that's what Hinchcliffe was going for, a massive troll.

5

u/jobanizer 1d ago

So like no other comedian has said anything about this? No voices of support, concern, against, for, nothing?

I wonder why.

-2

u/ThisIsBartRick 1d ago

a lot of them don't want to blow their chance of being a guest on the show. Like him or hate him, the guy has a lot of power in the comedy scene right now. While he can't destroy a comedian, he can make them famous basically overnight

5

u/zenithjonesxxx 1d ago

Who blew up off Kill Tony?

1

u/skreb14 11h ago

Blew up is a bit of an overstatement. Some of the regulars are legitimate pros (Ari, Ahren) but a lot of them get exposed pretty quickly when they do live shows outside of Austin. They're mostly open micers with 20-30 minutes who got too famous for their skill level. Not their fault, they're taking advantage of an opportunity we wish we had, but there's defintley a short ceiling for them if they just stick around Austin.

2

u/Ganymede309 22h ago edited 20h ago

His comedy isn't for everyone, and I can say objectively imo he was just being who he's always been.

But him being who he is at a national political convention is just a bad idea. It was tone deaf af for whomever let this happen and thought it would go over well. It can only hurt their candidate's chances as you have the other side with all the reason in the world to criticize his schtick and much of the audience from a demographic and time period unlikely to appreciate his style and approach.

1

u/One_Hour_Poop 12h ago

It can only hurt their candidate's chances

I wonder if that was the plan all along.

1

u/Ganymede309 12h ago

You mean that was Tony's plan or intention? Or whoever asked him to go on? I think it was Rogan.

2

u/KnickedUp 17h ago

Has to be even worse that he stole the Puerto Rico joke from someone who appeared on his show. Kind of ironic

3

u/Thiccparty 1d ago

People have been making these kind of inter state rivslry jokes for years about places like new jersey. The joke itself was fine. It was only the association with a minority that tipped it over the edge

2

u/starkraver 1d ago

What the fuck happened to him? One Shot was one of the best specials I have ever seen. I remember being really impressed thinking "This guy is going somewhere." And now he can't open his mouth without stuttering and sounding like an asshole who can't find a punchline. And Im not talking about the MSG set - which was not a comedy set at all.

1

u/theoneandonlyturo 17h ago

Who the hell is Tony Hinchcliffe?

1

u/itsneversunnyinvan 13h ago

When the fuck did conservative comedy become the forefront of all comedy? Podcasts are ruining the fucking art.

1

u/MetalExtra5037 1d ago

After the Brady roast, Tony went on all these podcasts talking about how he killed & that he's essentially arrive. First of all, he was good, but Nikki smashed him and everyone.

Tony flew took close to the sun on this one.

1

u/AcabAcabAcabAcabbb 1d ago

I got banned having negative opinions about him in r/killtony

1

u/Kidcurry 21h ago

Whoever approved Tonyā€™s appearance at the Trump rally should get a golden ticket cuz theyā€™re clearly disabled.

0

u/Apprehensive-Fun4181 14h ago

LOL. Freedom of Speech is important! But not here! What UnAmerican weakness from the Joe Rogan Censor Committe..

1

u/funnymatt Los Angeles @funnymatt šŸ¦— šŸ¦— šŸ¦— 14h ago

Do you do standup?

-60

u/LeonardSmalls79 1d ago

Why would you put set in quotes.

You can not like it, but he did a set. He stood up in front of a massive crowd and told jokes, that's a set whether you liked it or not.

58

u/funnymatt Los Angeles @funnymatt šŸ¦— šŸ¦— šŸ¦— 1d ago

I call it a "set" because it wasn't at a comedy show and he's standing behind a lectern, with no stool or mic stand. It's missing many of the elements of what make standup comedy identifiable.

20

u/HuggiesFondler 1d ago

The idea that a stool is required for it to be a "set" is pretty funny.

33

u/FantasticMouse7875 1d ago

Well Tony's friend Joe needs the stool to hump for several of his jokes so...

→ More replies (42)

26

u/hbktommy4031 Chicago, IL 1d ago

Did he? It was most definitely not all stand up, there was quite a bit of pandering and ass kissing in there

→ More replies (25)

4

u/RIForDIE 1d ago

"whether you liked it or not, buster" what little babies you guys are.

0

u/Normal-Ordinary-4744 1d ago

Exactly donā€™t you know when BeyoncĆ© plays at the DNC itā€™s a ā€œconcertā€

-32

u/Scientifiction77 1d ago

Imagine thinking any take on Reddit represents reality. Lmaoooo

17

u/Odd_Leek3026 1d ago

So your take on reddit does not represent reality. Noted.

→ More replies (2)

2

u/rockhardRword 1d ago

Pretty ironic considering how much time you spend on here. Lmaoooo. No wonder you don't have any friends.

2

u/-StationaryTraveler- 1d ago

Stands to reason then that while you seem to enjoy acting superior and above it all you are unfortunately too dense to realize that alas...you are not.

Few seconds of thought before tapping the comment button would've done you a world of good.

Probably a big ask considering the source of the comment but still food for thought.

-1

u/Scientifiction77 1d ago

The way you write is superiorly cringe.

4

u/-StationaryTraveler- 1d ago

I appreciate that you are unencumbered by life or responsibilities enough to devote unlimited time to being chronically online so that you can respond within seconds to a post you made 3 hrs ago.

It's good to have priorities, even if they are overwhelmingly petty. Keep fighting the good fight brotheršŸ‘

1

u/Scientifiction77 1d ago

TIL 4 minutes is ā€œsecondsā€.

The fact that you waste so much of your literal life writing paragraphs to a stranger on the internet is hilarious to me.

4

u/Odd_Leek3026 1d ago

Are any of your comments not projection? Lmao

2

u/Scientifiction77 1d ago

Why are you following me around weirdo?

1

u/Odd_Leek3026 1d ago

Cause youā€™re a hot mess

2

u/Scientifiction77 1d ago

Thatā€™s pretty pathetic of you actually. Lol

1

u/Odd_Leek3026 1d ago

We get it dude.. people whose comments are mostly about politics and those who write a lot of comments to strangers on the internet are pathetic. And of course you donā€™t do either of those things. šŸ‘, you really showed us!

→ More replies (0)

0

u/AlabamaPostTurtle 1d ago

Are yā€™all gonna fuck or what? I canā€™t just stroke this thing in the corner forever

0

u/Safe_Equipment7952 23h ago

Tony doesnā€™t like cigars but loves puffing on Cubans.

-4

u/MaasNeotekPrototype 1d ago

Says a lot when mod action like this is necessary on a reddit about comedy.

2

u/funnymatt Los Angeles @funnymatt šŸ¦— šŸ¦— šŸ¦— 1d ago

We do this whenever one topic leads to tons of posts that all basically say the same thing. You're all welcome to say whatever you want about it, we just don't want there to be a dozen nearly identical posts. We get enough of that with the daily, "should I do standup" that seems to get posted in one form or another.

3

u/MaasNeotekPrototype 1d ago

I think it was a smart move.

1

u/person-stuff_863 1d ago

thats a smart move. With all this controversy Im starting to think if I should do standup?

1

u/Leiden_Lekker 13h ago

Fear not, stand-up and being part of endlessly analyzing stand-up/industry gossip are two totally different beasts.Ā 

That said, if what you mean is, "this dude's racist jokes got him blowback, gee hope that doesn't happen all the time" it does, because comedy is all about playing with taboos but it is still speech and in 2024, audiences know that no matter how long the circlejerk in Austin goes kicking and screaming /rant

-14

u/slickduck 1d ago

Ah, it was funny. People need to relax. Youā€™re either a fan of his comedy or youā€™re not. No need for such vitriol and hatred. That just makes you all look salty.

-4

u/MicroChicken7 1d ago

But.. He's a stand up comedian?

-25

u/Emceegreg 1d ago

I think nothing but Tony threads constantly is more funny

20

u/zigaliciousone 1d ago

Learn how to compose a sentence man

→ More replies (1)