Episode 22 · The GaS Digital / Ray Kump Era
Bully Queen (With Robert Kelly)
with Robert Kelly
Dec 6, 2016 · 1:02:06 · 21 segments, 143 moments indexed
- 1 min
Opening promo/music for Tim Dillon Is Going To Hell describing the show's premise of examining billionaires, dictators, and CEOs.
2moments
- 0:11Tim introduces the show's premise: taking a hard critical look at the people society has decided to hate — billionaires, dictators, and CEOs.
- 0:25Tim argues that bad people are necessary; without evil, there would be no good.
- 2 min
Sound Check Bickering and Mic Levels
#Tim, Bobby Kelly, and Ray Kompf banter about mic volume, sound tricks, and chair heights while getting the show underway.
5moments
- 0:40Tim introduces Bobby Kelly as a very funny comedian and co-host Ray Conpillow
- 0:59Bobby disputes being called the founder of Riot Cast Network, triggering a debate about mic levels
- 1:18Tim accuses Bobby of using sound tricks after years in podcasting, claims Bobby's mic is too loud
- 1:37Bobby insists Tim's mic is set to 10 while his is only at 7.5, bringing up stage positioning
- 1:55Bobby clarifies that Rob Sprance is the actual founder, not him, and gets "a little uptight" about it
Bobby KellyRiot CastYKWDRob SpranceRay Compa
- 2 min
Bobby's Origin as a Podcasting Pioneer (Gcast with Colin Quinn)
#Bobby Kelly claims to be one of the first comedians in podcasting, describing the old Gcast voicemail-based app he used to record hour-long calls with Colin Quinn, and how he helped set up Bill Burr's first show.
4moments
- 2:23Tim claims he was the first comedian to do podcasting.
- 3:11Tim helped Billy Burr set up his first Gcast after Burr asked how to start a podcast.
- 3:39Tim and Colin Quinn would ignore the five-minute limit and record hour-long messages by three-waying the number together while talking.
- 4:08The format mimicked how celebrities like Madonna and P. Diddy communicated with fans through the service.
- 2 min
Social Media Strategy: Facebook vs Twitter and Comedians Gone Political
#Discussion of using Facebook ads to promote shows, why Facebook beats Twitter, the decline of Twitter propped up only by Trump, and comedians who've become full-time political commentators instead of joke writers.
6moments
- 4:55Tim explains his approach to social media platforms: Twitter, Instagram, and now mostly Facebook and Instagram together.
- 5:10He uses Facebook and Instagram primarily because they're integrated, but admits he's tired of the constant self-branding requirement.
- 5:40Facebook is superior to other platforms because it has fewer trolls and offers more promotional functionality.
- 5:59A whole group of comics now exist only on social media, having found a shortcut to relevance.
- 6:14Comedy has been diluted by people who spend all day on Facebook discussing politics but call themselves comedians with thousands of followers.
- 6:27Back in the day, comedians wrote monologue jokes and faxed them to Leno or Johnny Carson instead of chasing political discourse online.
FacebookInstagramTwitterColin Quinnsocial mediaJay LenoJohnny Carson
- 2 min
Vine Stars, Seinfeld Money, and Things Coming to an End
#Riffing on a Vine star's fear when the app died, comparing it to Seinfeld cast members living off residuals, and how everything in show business eventually ends.
5moments
- 6:52Vine stars made a lot of money and quit their day jobs, but when Vine shut down they were left with fear in their eyes.
- 7:10Everything comes to an end, and people forget about it.
- 7:36Tim argues that nobody in the entertainment business understands that everything eventually comes to an end.
- 8:02The shirtless social media guys converted their followings into serious money, some better than others.
- 8:14Tim says Twitter is coming to an end, and he's grateful for it.
- 2 min
Facebook Ad Targeting for Comedy Shows
#Bobby explains how he buys targeted Facebook event ads to sell tickets in specific towns, comparing notes with Jim Serpico, and reflecting on YKWD's six-year run.
6moments
- 8:19Social media engagement is broken — a comic can get thousands of retweets and favorites but gain almost no new followers.
- 8:41Trump is the only person keeping Twitter alive; it was on its way down before him.
- 8:59Facebook ads let comedians target specific audiences by location and interest, unlike Twitter's ineffective system.
- 9:23Tim has seen a real bump in bookings from buying Facebook event ads with small budgets of five, ten, or twenty dollars.
- 9:43Jim Schruppico exemplifies the obsessive learner who tears apart a system for two weeks to master exactly how and where to target ads.
- 10:22Tim has been doing YKW D for six years and has learned to do his homework on audience targeting.
FacebookTwitterDonald TrumpJim Schruppico
- 2 min
Bobby's Speech Impediment and Instagram Roasting
#The group jokes about Bobby's tongue-too-big-for-his-mouth speech impediment, his 'baby mouth,' and mutual insults about disgusting Instagram posts and the chaotic recording setup.
6moments
- 10:50Tim asks Bobby about his mouth size, and Bobby explains he thinks his tongue is too big for his mouth rather than his mouth being too big.
- 11:02Tim says he loves a speech impediment and thinks it makes someone unique, calling it his gimmick.
- 11:37Bobby accuses Tim of roasting his Instagram and calling it disgusting and horrible.
- 11:51Tim tells Bobby the whole show has no direction and he just wings it.
- 12:08Bobby calls Tim a cocksucker for bringing up old conversations and pivots to complaining about bailing on decorating a tree with his kid for the show.
- 12:29Tim tells Bobby to shut up while Bobby claims he skipped therapy and family time to come do the show instead.
- 5 min
Bobby discusses getting sober at 15, leaving his family, and traces his history of violence back to a violent stepfather, describing how fear and rage became learned survival tools, including punching a suitcase and screaming into a wall.
10moments
- 12:42Tim recounts arriving at an Indian woman's apartment after waiting three hours because Shannon couldn't push a button quickly enough.
- 13:16Conversation shifts to his spiritual awakening and decision to stop using drugs and alcohol.
- 13:44Tim lists what he was done with: getting arrested, people pleasing, leaving his family—he quit at 15.
- 14:03Something spiritual entered him and gave him the ability to ask for help.
- 14:24Violence stemmed from fear and hurt feelings, not the drugs themselves—alcohol just removed the chains on those impulses.
- 15:17Tim learned from a violent stepfather that punching things and letting rage build would keep him away.
- 16:02Building rage and releasing it violently made people stop fucking with him, though he insists that's not actually who he is.
- 16:27Tim demonstrates his violent persona from those years with an intense outburst, then jokes about being convincing.
- 16:46Watching fights on Facebook—he claims he watches them because he hates violence and wants to be disgusted by it.
- 17:21In any fight he's been in, winning made him feel worse than losing because he doesn't want to hurt people.
- 5 min
Bobby talks about breaking the cycle of violence with his own son, watching Facebook fight videos despite hating violence, and working through communication issues with his wife via therapy instead of yelling.
10moments
- 17:33Tim doesn't hit his kid, breaking the cycle of violence his stepfather modeled.
- 18:02At a retreat with Don Foth, Tim punched a suitcase nine times and screamed at the wall, but won't let his son see that rage.
- 18:32Tim refuses to call his wife names or let her control his emotions through manipulation.
- 19:01The goal in life is eliminating emotional manipulation, though defense mechanisms learned in childhood can't be unlearned.
- 19:27Therapy for over ten years hasn't stopped Tim from arguing with himself in the car about people who don't exist.
- 19:48Comics fear losing anger because they think they'll lose their funny, but Tim got funnier the moment he became vulnerable on stage.
- 20:26When Tim was young and good-looking, he was just trying to be funny and get pussy; now things get very serious because he has something to lose.
- 20:58Tim is connected to his kid, his wife, his house, and the life he built, which creates conflict about how often to go to the city.
- 21:39Yelling at his wife to stop talking won't work; the only way is approaching her with vulnerability and saying he loves her but needs her to stop.
- 22:34Nobody wants to get rejected, but rejection is part of life and you have to be willing to risk it.
- 5 min
Bobby recounts his last job before comedy, living in and working at a group home for elderly mentally challenged men, riding motorcycles to the beach with a Down syndrome friend named Barry, and a knife incident he handled himself.
8moments
- 22:52Tim's last job before comedy was working with mentally challenged people in a group home in Boston.
- 23:10He worked 11 p.m. to 8 a.m., five nights a week, with high-functioning elderly men with intellectual disabilities.
- 23:25He took the job for housing and food money after getting kicked out by his foster father Ken Laz.
- 23:56Tim became genuine friends with the residents, including Barry, a 55-year-old man with Down syndrome who he'd take on his motorcycle to the beach.
- 24:28He worked there for three years while also delivering flowers on Sundays and working two nights a week at a juvenile detention facility—the same facility where he'd been incarcerated.
- 26:35One time Tim found two residents fighting with a knife and grabbed a larger knife to intervene, which scared the resident into backing down.
- 27:20The six guys in the home were among the nicest people he's ever met, though he regrets not staying in touch with them.
- 27:36The residents were genuinely happy to wake up and go to work at Pizza Hut, teaching Tim a lesson about contentment with simple employment.
- 5 min
Bobby describes company-coordinated 'mixers' for disabled residents to have sex, jokes about Ray attending one, then gets reflective about his pattern of disconnecting completely from surrogate families throughout his life in foster care and juvie.
9moments
- 28:02Mentally challenged people have regular sex drives and want to have sex.
- 28:25Group homes coordinate mixers for residents with Down syndrome to have sex.
- 29:02Tim grew up with surrogate families in foster homes and juvenile jails.
- 29:20He could disconnect easily from these families and leave without talking to them again.
- 29:48Tim regrets not keeping in touch with people who helped him survive.
- 30:19He spent months away from family in juvenile jail and a year in rehab.
- 30:36None of his old surrogate families have reached out now that he's on TV.
- 31:37Tim's strategy for making friends at new schools was getting detention and selling weed.
- 32:06He'd smoke a joint with the coolest bad kids on his first or second day and become friends immediately.
- 2 min
Studio Complaints and Bad Coffee
#A tangent breaking the fourth wall about the terrible soundproofing of the recording space, Ralph in the next room, and complaints about bad coffee made with the wrong creamer.
7moments
- 32:28Tim complains about recording in a spare bedroom with foam soundproofing that does nothing against ceiling fans and accordion doors.
- 33:04The foam wall treatment is defeated by ambient noise, making the whole setup absurd.
- 33:23Tim's advice: stop complaining and be grateful to have the space at all.
- 33:42He threatens to convert the room to digital and install a shade instead.
- 33:53Tim declares the coffee the worst he's ever had in his life.
- 34:06An argument unfolds over what milk was used—regular milk with a cat picture on it instead of French vanilla creamer.
- 34:24Producer admits he fucked up and should have used the French vanilla creamer he originally promised.
- 3 min
Bobby discusses selling his TV script developed with Jim Serpico and Tom Siletti, comparing it to an earlier failed FX script he wrote with Joe DeRosa and Bill Burr called (maybe) 'Three Kings' tied to his book Cheat.
6moments
- 34:57Tim congratulates himself on selling the FX pilot script with Serpico and Siletti.
- 35:10He emphasizes creating the script from the ground up with Jim Serpico and Tom Siletti, then getting FX interested enough to buy it.
- 35:37Tim warns there's a long way to go before the script actually makes it to air.
- 36:17The old script was called "Three Kings" — a title Tim admits is bad.
- 36:54That project came from a book deal about infidelity, which then led to a short film that played Tribeca.
- 37:13Tim reflects that you never know what will happen with these deals, expressing hope the current script actually gets made.
FXJim SerpicoTom SilettiCheat: The Man's Guide to InfidelityBilly BurrDeRosa
- 5 min
Bobby recounts the long process of writing and pitching his FX show with Denis Leary's team, including a funny story of Joe DeRosa pitching with a 104-degree fever, and how a prior pilot (Bronx Warrants) with Andrew Schulz got passed on.
10moments
- 37:43Tim describes the script-development process working with high-level writers like Celletti and Serpico, who have worked with Denis Leary.
- 38:34All three pitched the Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll concept to FX in Los Angeles.
- 38:48Joe DeRosa got the flu at the airport but Tim forced him onto the flight anyway.
- 39:07DeRosa had a 104-degree temperature at TSA and sat in a window seat on a packed flight, looking clammy and white-faced.
- 39:29DeRosa called into the FX pitch meeting from his hotel room while sick, and the network gave them money to write the script.
- 39:53Two cops wrote a script called Bronx Warrants that got to pilot with FX, starring Tim, two actors, and Godfrey as four cops.
- 40:16Filming the Bronx Warrants pilot, Tim had a monologue as a captain and felt like he'd made it, but it was ultimately just work.
- 41:01Tim told the guest that network rejections are nobody's fault—it's just a process most people don't understand.
- 41:28The rejections weren't personal; guys like Billy Burr and Denis Leary still love him, and networks want hit shows to succeed.
- 41:42Networks want you to succeed and bring them something special, but there's a lot of stuff that goes into making it work.
Joe DeRosaDennis LearyBilly BurrAndrew SchulzStavros Halchius
- 3 min
Bobby talks about learning real drums for the show, the show getting canceled despite FX's efforts, and how it's nobody's fault — just brutal competition from hundreds of TV shows now including CW's superhero lineup.
9moments
- 42:06Tim learned drums at 45 years old for the Sex, Drugs & Rock & Roll pilot—not a fake instrument, actual drums.
- 42:31The show got canceled despite the network doing everything to make people watch it.
- 42:57The cycle of pilot rejection and pickup—once picked up, you're relieved, then 12-16 hour days for three months of shooting.
- 43:43After wrapping, the promotion phase kicks in: first-class flights, red carpets, interviews, recognition.
- 44:18First season numbers climbed and the show got renewed, but year two faced major obstacles.
- 44:37Summer viewing habits kill Thursday night TV numbers; people want to be outside, not watching on gorgeous nights.
- 44:53Television landscape changed completely—400 shows on air now versus 35 or 36 back then, and viewers DVR instead of watching live.
- 45:04The CW alone runs five superhero shows: Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, and others that moved networks when canceled elsewhere.
- 45:16Netflix has another 10 superhero shows on top of the broadcast network glut.
The ApostleSex Drugs
- 3 min
Bobby explains how his manager made him build a resume first, and why his show could only work now on FX rather than as old-fashioned network sitcom hokum, keeping the comedy grounded in real moments rather than broad gags.
5moments
- 46:01Tim's manager advised building his resume through other shows before developing his own, rather than risk a premature pilot that could end his career.
- 46:22Louis C.K. gave him the break of his life.
- 46:57On FX, he can tell his story authentically instead of adapting it to network television conventions.
- 47:15Tim describes the absurdity of network comedy props—a clock that shoots ejaculate when it hits three—as the kind of forced joke he wanted to avoid.
- 47:32Every laugh in his show comes from a real moment; the actor has to find that genuine beat and make it funny through authenticity rather than broad comedic mechanics.
Louis C.K.FXPatrice O'NealSex and Drugs
- 4 min
Bobby contrasts the immediate gratification of stand-up with the depressing grind of writing, name-checking Colin Quinn's prolific writing habits and the value of collaborators like Serpico who can rewrite and improve his work.
5moments
- 48:18Tim describes learning storytelling from writing—comics can verbalize great stories but struggle getting them on paper.
- 48:49Stand-up provides immediate gratification that TV writing doesn't, creating depression when nothing lands.
- 50:34Tim says writing is pure depression—people rarely like what you produce, or they give lukewarm feedback.
- 50:53He'd write something he thought was great, then Serrano would rewrite it and transform it completely.
- 51:20Finding collaborators who can critique you positively without damaging your confidence matters more than working alone.
Serper ConezilettiSerpicoSalatie
- 2 min
The Writing Shed and Bobby's Haircut Roast
#Bobby describes procrastinating in his writing shed with cigars and Howard Stern before getting anything done, his wife's blunt but valuable script notes, and the group brutally mocking his new haircut ('college rapist do').
8moments
- 51:40Tim describes his writing shed setup: cigar, heater, music, then immediately shuts everything off to watch Facebook bully videos instead.
- 52:07Wife walks in on him after three hours of "writing" with only one paragraph done, and he pretends he's been productive the whole time.
- 52:20His wife is right about creative suggestions because she's a civilian who knows what actually plays with regular people.
- 52:33Tim says his wife is the perfect partner except she won't let him get his cock touched by other women.
- 52:46Tim jokes about getting married to a man and defends gay marriage against accusations of hypocrisy.
- 53:03Lewis Gomez would be the priest at a Gas Digital wedding and probably has a contract clause that gives him a cut of everything Tim does.
- 53:28YKWD is joining forces with another network now that Sculpo's gone, planning to crush the competition.
- 53:41Tim questions whether they might just crush themselves instead of the network.
- 5 min
Bobby talks about Riot Cast's subscription model, bonus content and Yankee swap specials, joking rivalry with Gas Digital/Lewis Gomez, and his philosophy of helping other comics build their own shows.
10moments
- 53:49Tim claims he fully supports the network despite just having told someone to leave and start their own.
- 54:21The studio cameras, website setup, and hired staff are all Tim's personal work and investment.
- 54:50Ellen lives in Staten Island now because she can't afford Brooklyn due to the network not paying her enough.
- 55:16Lewis finally smartened up and started his own network to put all his mediocre shows on one channel.
- 55:55Tim explains the difficulty of charging one price across four shows versus twenty shows on a network.
- 56:12On Riot Cast, each show's hosts keep what they earn from their own subscriber count.
- 56:35Tim has one-on-one interviews scheduled with Colin Quinn and others going behind the paywall, plus a Christmas Yankee Swap special.
- 57:23Tim says all the podcast network people support each other despite busting balls and eventually starting rival networks.
- 58:03If the show becomes successful, Tim vows he'll never speak to anyone again and forget this place exists.
- 58:31Tim threatens to shut down the podcast if fifty or sixty thousand listeners won't pay a dollar ninety-nine to support it.
Colin QuinnJoe ListLewis GómezRiot CastShame OnLewisEddieEllen DeGeneres
- 2 min
A caller named Christy (Lauren) calls in sick with food poisoning and has to bail on doing Tim's show, leading to some ribbing about her canceling.
6moments
- 58:50Bobby plugs his website and live dates on Robert K Live.
- 59:02Tim dismisses the caller's promotional efforts, saying eight weeks in the business doesn't earn credibility.
- 59:14Tim argues that being conventionally attractive wouldn't help the caller's career either.
- 59:31Caller Lauren reveals she's on a show called Tim Dylan's Going to Hell at Gas Digital.
- 59:46Lauren says she has food poisoning and can't make an appearance.
- 1:00:09Tim wraps up by sympathizing with Christy Cello's food poisoning.
Tim Dylan's Going to HellBobbyLaurenChristie
- 2 min
Bobby plugs his website, Facebook page, upcoming Toronto comedy festival dates with Big Jay Oakerson, Kurt Metzger and Andrew Schulz, his December 14th show, and hosting Caroline's on New Year's Eve before the show wraps.
6moments
- 1:00:12Tim calls the conversation anticlimactic after the phone call ends.
- 1:00:26Plugging his website and Facebook page, inviting people to see him live.
- 1:00:38Tim appreciates that young comedians just want to do their plugs without extra talk.
- 1:00:57Toronto Dark Comedy Festival on December 9th and 10th with Big J, Kurt Metzger, and Andrew Schultz.
- 1:01:09Tim clarifies the Toronto event isn't actually a festival—just working clubs, noting it's a pot club with thirty stone dry comedians.
- 1:01:40New Year's Eve at Caroline's hosting all night.
The Creek and the CaveToronto Dark Comedy FestivalCarolinesAndrew SchulzKurt MetzgerRobert Kelly