rant · moment 4 of 24
Debasement, Agents, and the Kill Tony Format Explained
from No Fat Nazis · #126
Audio-only archive episode — no video to seek.
2 minDiscussion of comedians debasing themselves for a shot at representation, how the Kill Tony lottery format works, and the cultural difference between LA comics flexing wealth versus New York's grittier, more grounded comedy scene.
- 7:21Tim acknowledges comedians should be willing to take lumps for the sake of comedy.
- 7:44The indignities pursued in comedy are hard to explain to people and never end.
- 8:04Some comedians do Kill Tony ten years into their careers because agents in the back of the room might sign them if they kill.
- 8:21Tim clarifies they weren't shitting on the comics; they were trying to be funny and probe for stories.
- 8:37How Kill Tony actually works: all comics put their names in a hat, sit on one side, and get pulled out as the show goes on.
- 8:53Whether a comic murders it or bombs, the hosts riff and try to have fun, with no guarantee of representation even if you kill.
- 9:19LA comics pull up in Audis and Porsches while New York comics just walk down the street, but New York probably has better comedians overall.
- 9:32A guy walking in New York wearing Louis Vuitton is an amazing comedian, not a bad one.