Episode 138 · The GaS Digital / Ray Kump Era
Andrew Schulz
with Andrew Schulz
Mar 9, 2019 · 1:26:43 · 19 segments, 156 moments indexed
- 1 min
Brief cold open ahead of the phone call with Colin Quinn.
1moment
- 0:00Tim opens with "Fill her up!"
- 13 min
Tim gets Colin Quinn on the phone and Quinn spends the call explaining why he's still not doing the podcast despite Tim's repeated invitations. They cover Quinn's disdain for podcasts, Bobby Kelly's claims of inventing MySpace and the first podcast, manager Brian's outlandish outfits and picking a 'heart attack outfit' for the hospital, Quinn's health and Irish genetics jokes, America potentially breaking up, avoiding LA, and reviews of Quinn's show Red State Blue State.
13moments
- 2:02Colin refuses to do the podcast because he's been sick of podcasts for years and they make him angry.
- 2:27Bobby Kelly supposedly invented both MySpace and the first podcast with Colin, and he made no money from either.
- 3:27Colin's show ends next week on St. Patrick's Day.
- 3:44Colin jokes he's happy he didn't do the podcast because Tim's producer is English, then corrects himself that he's Australian.
- 4:11Tim asks if Colin really believes America needs to break up as his show suggests.
- 4:50Colin might have to move to Texas or somewhere other than New York given how things are going.
- 5:19Colin thought he'd be the one of Tim's clients to have a heart attack, not Tim.
- 5:49Tim's manager Brian spent 20 minutes picking out the right outfit to wear when visiting Tim in the hospital.
- 7:09Colin says Irish people are mentally more skilled than all others combined but their intelligence only shows when it doesn't matter.
- 8:42Colin lived in LA for a couple years in the 90s and loved it, but has no reason to go back now that his performing days elsewhere are over.
- 10:10Reviews of Colin's show prove his point by praising him for attacking both sides but complaining he shouldn't have attacked the left.
- 11:39Colin never started a podcast and has no interest in doing so.
- 12:43Colin argues the problem isn't comedians but that society needs to recalibrate and realize what actual comedy is—something that elicits genuine laughter.
- 1 min
Short transition bit into the main interview segment.
2moments
- 13:58The show opens with the "Tim Dillon is going to hell" cold open
- 14:21Tim introduces Andrew Schulz as his guest for the episode
- 3 min
Andrew Schultz joins to discuss his self-released special Views from the Cis, how he tested a 15-minute cut after learning fans don't finish hour-long specials, and how Comedy Central copied his format with Thank You Good Night.
7moments
- 14:26Schulz released Views from the Sis entirely on his own YouTube channel, rejecting the industry.
- 14:56Tim explains that Schulz tried selling a special to networks, and nobody bought it.
- 15:12Schulz started releasing jokes individually on YouTube that went viral, building an organic fanbase.
- 15:27Schulz released a 15-minute version of his special because casual fans told him they never finish hour-long specials.
- 16:04The best meal is something you could have one more bite of—Schulz's philosophy for content length.
- 16:19Netflix released a nearly identical 15-minute format special called Thank You Good Night, apparently copying Schulz's model.
- 16:49Tim notes that Comedy Central's version was scripted, whereas Schulz did it organically.
- 3 min
Schultz explains his grind putting out 33 weeks of new jokes, why he thinks people's material often isn't funny enough, and how comics like Dave Smith found success by leaning into a niche (politics/Fox News) that Schulz predicted for him.
10moments
- 17:11Tim wants every comic to copy his social media strategy to empower the comedy community rather than compete with networks.
- 17:36Schulz started the Brilliant Idiots podcast with Charlamagne after doing Guy Code together four or five years ago.
- 17:56People learn the wrong lesson thinking Schulz's success was overnight, when he actually worked years building his reputation.
- 18:06Schulz did 33 straight weeks of comedy, putting out a new joke every week and a 15-minute special, totaling two hours of material.
- 18:28Tim argues the formula is simple: if you do that work, you'll reach his level, though many struggle giving away that much material.
- 18:50Schulz says he's been telling Jay exactly what to do with his crowd work, calling it a goldmine he's sitting on.
- 19:12Nobody listened to his advice until he had evidence of success selling shows; then people's survival instinct kicked in.
- 19:36Taking advice from someone without proof is like taking advice from a homeless person — people need to see results first.
- 19:54Schulz told Dave Smith years ago to do a show about politics and get inside the Fox News bubble, and it happened for him.
- 20:16Schulz knew the strategy would work for Smith, it was just a question of whether Smith could execute and access that world.
Charlamagne tha GodBrilliant IdiotsDave SmithGuy CodeFox News
- 2 min
Schultz talks about why comics used to chase TV and hour-long specials purely because that filled network time slots, comparing it to arbitrary Game of Thrones episode lengths, and why an hour isn't sacred anymore.
5moments
- 20:33Tim dismisses the idea of artistic integrity preventing self-promotion, arguing that if you don't want to share your material, don't go on stage.
- 21:08Every door in the stand-up industry closed for Tim until he figured out how to work every angle.
- 21:43Networks got fat because they were the only game in town, demanding a blood oath from comedians since TV was the only way to reach an audience.
- 22:18Tim criticizes even great comedians like Seinfeld for insisting that an hour special is the only format that's real.
- 22:29The hour-long format has nothing artistic about it—it was chosen purely to fill a time block on television.
- 4 min
They discuss forced diversity in movies versus Schulz's organically diverse fanbase, Louis CK's school joke, and the idea that real comedy hits a primal, 'reptilian' nerve regardless of the audience's demographics.
9moments
- 23:17Tim's comedy style hasn't changed—he went from being called douchey to being praised as brave while doing the exact same material.
- 23:36Cultural perception shifts over time: abolitionists were heroes in their era but would be dismissed today for obvious positions.
- 24:20Tim acknowledges seeing his friends' point about wanting diversity in movies instead of the same white actors repeatedly.
- 24:36Spies in movies absolutely have to be white—you can't send a black guy to Russia without raising questions.
- 25:11Tim claims nobody in comedy has a more diverse fan base than him, built by not forcing diversity.
- 25:31Connection happens through ideas, not racial categories—jokes don't have a race; real comedy is reptilian.
- 25:48People ask how Tim gets away with his material; old women laugh at his jokes because he's tapping into real emotion, not word problems.
- 26:26Comedy done right is reptilian—it goes deep into something everyone feels, whether they admit it publicly or not.
- 26:39People didn't have a choice but to laugh at certain jokes because Tim tapped into something universal they all felt.
- 6 min
Schultz discusses the lack of openly gay figures in hip hop and sports, then goes deep on his own experience having to 'come out' anew in every headlining set, how the timing/placement of that reveal changes crowd reaction, and actors who come out late getting stuck playing 'weirdos.'
10moments
- 27:24Tim asks where the gay rappers are and notes he gets messages from gay people who don't want to come out because they disagree with what gay media figures say.
- 27:55Andrew describes Tim as representing a generation of gay person who doesn't crusade but simply exists—just a dude who happens to be gay.
- 28:27The difficulty of being a gay comic: having to come out every time you're on stage during a full set.
- 29:10Andrew avoids mentioning his sexuality early to see what he can get away with without the advantage of 'chips for being gay' that New York and LA offer.
- 29:47Tim notes the audience reaction when actors come out as gay after becoming famous—people feel lied to and uncomfortable.
- 30:10Gay actors who come out late end up having to play weird characters; Neil Patrick Harris can only play gremlins now.
- 30:43Andrew's approach: come out on his own terms, sometimes five minutes in, sometimes at the end, just a casual mention to move the conversation forward.
- 31:29Tim suggests Andrew experiment with different approaches, like having the host introduce him as gay so he can acknowledge it and immediately move on.
- 32:14Tim argues Andrew's identity gives him leeway for his perspective because he's challenging conventional wisdom—his life is a daily challenge of it.
- 33:01Andrew explains hip hop is wildly homophobic and that's a major barrier to gay rappers coming out, unlike sports where the locker room dynamic creates additional pressure.
Neil Patrick HarrisJoe Rogan
- 6 min
Schultz describes growing up hustling in NYC, going to Burning Man and the gifting economy, doing Molly and discovering a 'surplus of love,' and how getting comfortable with having nothing after being rejected by TV networks made him fearless.
11moments
- 33:40Tim argues there aren't many poor elite comics because they lack the comfort needed to question how the world works.
- 33:59He describes growing up with immigrant parents who instilled a work ethic through example—his father working 18-hour days, his mother staying up three days to learn taxes.
- 34:55Tim says it took him until age 34 to believe in altruism, having grown up cynical in a city where everyone seemed ready to exploit him.
- 35:24At Burning Man, Tim discovered a gifting economy where people volunteer their time and effort with no expectation of payment or tips.
- 36:03Tim tried Molly at Burning Man and found it interesting as a drug that made him question his usual vices.
- 36:38He describes the greatest lesson coming from rejection: when everyone said no, it was an ego check that forced him to get comfortable with having nothing.
- 37:07Once comfortable with nothing, Tim became fearless because no one could take anything away from him—a concept he compares to Batman learning darkness in The Dark Knight Rises.
- 37:40Tim claims the key to getting what you want is to stop asking for it, calling it a glitch in the system that mirrors the message of Ready Player One.
- 38:16Burning Man forced him to embrace altruism: people spend all year building things in the desert just to give freely for a week.
- 39:14Molly showed Tim what a surplus of love felt like for the first time—instead of filling a void through stand-up, he had excess to give to others.
- 39:37Once success came, Tim's instinct shifted to wanting to help people rather than take from them.
Burning ManDark Knight RisesReady Player One
- 6 min
They riff on why people who protest allegedly don't have kids, moral relativism (the polar bear/seal bit), fake outrage over PC culture, and how both Trump and the Democrats operate in political extremes to get attention even though nothing really changes once elected.
10moments
- 39:55Comics validate themselves through club spots because they can't sell tickets on the road or build audiences any other way.
- 40:33You're only a genius if you're rich or dead — money is what makes people listen to you.
- 41:03Tim argues with people who don't want kids, especially heterosexual people, saying they have to have them.
- 41:16Every person at a protest or march doesn't have a kid — that's all wokeness comes down to.
- 42:20People anti-PC culture just want to use the N-word all the time, but don't have the skill Louis C.K. had to make it work.
- 43:00Comedy has to be funny first; if you start proving points, you're no different than a woke comic — same side of the same coin.
- 43:33Tim meets talented comics in alt rooms whose social media convinces him they're insane, but he appreciates their talent anyway.
- 44:29Good comedians expose people to the fact that the way they thought about the world isn't entirely true.
- 45:21The Democrats tried to win by saying they're not Trump, but that's not how you win — you have to tell people who you are, not who you're not.
- 45:48Both parties go to extremes to make noise: Trump on the right, Democrats threatening 90% taxes on the left, but nothing actually changes when they win.
Louis C.K.Donald TrumpChuck PalastrisSeller
- 4 min
Discussion of why classic street jokes always target the same handful of taboo subjects, judging historical figures like George Washington in context, and how audiences online want to be led by someone who has proven they can survive cancellation attempts.
9moments
- 46:26Tim stopped desiring things he couldn't control, which he calls the most liberating decision of his life.
- 47:28Every street joke functions with one of four targets: homophobia, sexism, racism, or pedophilia.
- 48:02Those four topics make people uncomfortable because they're hard things that comedy exists to address.
- 48:21Anybody who does comedy about unicycles is wasting comedy.
- 48:40Jokes from the 90s about feminine gay dudes using a gay voice won't land anymore because context matters.
- 49:04Tim claims he's a monarchist and believes in the English crown.
- 49:29People on Twitter attack Andrew Schulz subliminally, the way they do in rap music.
- 49:57People want to be led by the worthy, so they test your worthiness to see if you can walk through the fire.
- 50:22Tim is an opinionated person unwilling to move those opinions based on people's feelings, only facts, logic, or empathy.
- 6 min
Schultz talks about losing significant ad revenue for controversial jokes, ignoring subliminal Twitter hate, competing for the 'belt' as motivation, and trying to help other comics who lack direction or aren't improving.
10moments
- 50:53Tim lost $100,000 on ad boycotts for things he said.
- 51:47He needs to wear the belt because it gets boring, defining success on his own terms rather than just ticket sales.
- 52:28Tim tries to help other comics improve, and people are more receptive to his advice now.
- 53:01He unlearned old advice about not sharing content until it's perfect, making short Instagram videos that hit 200,000 views.
- 53:27Comedy's job is to explain feelings; great comics like Patrice O'Neal tap into what people experience and articulate it.
- 54:22Ben Shapiro is followed by people who don't like Jews but want Republican arguments to use at dinner parties.
- 55:15You only need to connect to people on one or two things to bring them along with you politically.
- 55:28Brooklyn socialists wanted to start a dating app just for socialists, showing they don't understand how love actually works.
- 56:08The entertainment business is undergoing a massive shift comparable to Perestroika in Russia.
- 56:28People are becoming overnight entertainment millionaires through viral moments on Instagram, because the nature of viewing has completely changed.
- 5 min
They discuss Ben Shapiro giving Republicans debate 'sauce,' how people bond over primal feelings rather than facts, Brooklyn socialists starting their own dating app, and the Perestroika-style economy of overnight entertainment millionaires on Instagram.
8moments
- 57:13Before the internet, TV competed only with staring at your wall, so networks could make anything — even a show about three Muslim trans kids — and people would watch it anyway.
- 57:41The internet transformed viewing into multiple screens and formats: your phone is the least interesting screen but the most versatile, making TV the shittiest option.
- 58:06Now there are different tiers of viewing — long-form like Game of Thrones, short-form like YouTube for subway commutes, and Instagram for moments when you're uncomfortable and need distraction.
- 59:00Sitcoms are completely dead; there will never be another sitcom, not even a new Friends with unknown actors, because the format has been replaced by something else entirely.
- 59:49Tim asks about favorite scenes from sitcoms to illustrate why they died — people remember only isolated sketches, not plot or character arcs.
- 1:00:50Sitcoms were always just five sketches strung together, like the dinner party scene in Frasier or the muffin tops episode of Seinfeld.
- 1:01:18In today's content economy, people want exactly what they want — just the scene, just the muffin tops, without a twenty-minute story to get there.
- 1:01:37With drama people still care about the beginning and end; with something like The Sopranos, viewers remember the beginning and end of episodes but not the middle.
Curb Your EnthusiasmFrasierFriendsSeinfeldThe SopranosGame of ThronesNYPD Blue
- 7 min
Schultz argues sitcoms are dead because narrative was always just filler for a 30-minute slot, and that modern audiences only want individual memorable scenes (muffin tops, curb your enthusiasm dinner scene) rather than a full arc, citing his own YouTube data showing people binge his clips for two hours.
10moments
- 1:01:52Tim on the future of sitcoms: narrative replaced by the same character group doing sketches together.
- 1:02:08Right now unfunny people are doing Instagram sketch content, but funny people will eventually dominate it.
- 1:02:29Tim compares himself and fellow stand-ups to the gunslinger arriving in a Wild West town—no one funnier exists on the planet.
- 1:03:02Stand-up comedians do the hardest version of funny: testing material in front of a crowd instead of putting on a wig for Instagram.
- 1:03:27People can focus on longer content—it's an illusion that they can't, and specials prove this point.
- 1:04:32Tim jokes that when people email saying his videos helped them during hard times, he responds by explaining how rough his own day was.
- 1:05:06Tim doesn't watch comedy specials while in the creating phase; watching great comedians like Chappelle can make you second-guess your own approach.
- 1:05:46Attention comes from intimacy: people listen to the entire podcast because they're connected to the host, but won't spend an hour on a stranger's content.
- 1:06:41YouTube revealed that after watching a three-minute clip, viewers enter a wormhole and watch for two hours total—longer than they'd watch a full Netflix special.
- 1:07:33Tim positions himself as the first SoundCloud comedian, releasing digestible clips that get more total viewing time than a single hour-long special ever could.
- 5 min
Schultz explains his strategy of dropping a new clip every Sunday to create many entry points into fandom rather than one hour-long special, and describes firing his manager because she didn't understand this new distribution model.
10moments
- 1:08:33Tim manages himself and says he doesn't need a babysitter like some comics do.
- 1:09:01He profusely thanked his manager's assistant for booking flights, shocked that anyone would handle tasks for him.
- 1:09:29Tim tells his team he has a crystal clear vision for where he wants to go and demands they trust him completely.
- 1:10:09Skepticism transforms to belief when people see him execute on something they thought was impossible.
- 1:10:44You only get one shot at your comedy career, so Tim needs to fail on his own terms if it happens.
- 1:11:00Charlemagne is incredibly skilled at making things sticky and memorable when he grabs the microphone.
- 1:11:44Tim tells other comics not to be hesitant asking him for help and says comics need to empower themselves.
- 1:12:05After his specials he wants to start bringing other comics into Unsafe, posting their jokes on his YouTube.
- 1:12:32Comics who get featured on the road then immediately ask to go to seven other shows, which is mentally unwell behavior.
- 1:12:57Tim never felt like a darling of the comedy community and always felt kind of outside of it, maybe because he grew up in New York with his own friend group.
- 4 min
Schultz describes taking full control from his team, telling agents to trust his vision rather than pitch ideas, and praises Charlamagne tha God's unmatched ability to say something 'sticky' that spreads.
10moments
- 1:13:15Tim recalls being in auditions from age six to twelve in New York City.
- 1:13:25Joan Didion's observation about never truly knowing New York the way someone who arrives there at twenty-one does.
- 1:13:50The analogy: you can't see your own mother as attractive because you're too close to her, same as natives can't see New York the way outsiders do.
- 1:14:22Charlamagne's best friends in New York aren't comedians—mostly people he grew up with locally.
- 1:14:38His best friend Jamil works as an ad executive at TripAdvisor and saw the entire journey from the beginning.
- 1:15:18Charlamagne and Jamil are starting an ad agency and media group because they weren't getting enough sponsors for the podcast.
- 1:15:43Pitching ads to brands by being honest about the podcast's wild, uncensored, unfiltered content rather than promising advertiser-friendly behavior.
- 1:16:14The Unsafe Sets project on Instagram drops new clips every Sunday, eventually expanding into a full show format.
- 1:16:27Vision for Unsafe Sets: two shows at the Cellar with ten comics each, curating three unsafe bits per comic that don't have industry places but resonate with audiences.
- 1:16:53Tim questions whether the industry will ever realize that unsafe comedy has an audience and place in people's hearts.
Jamil HibbertUnsafe SetsJoan DidionTripAdvisorDoug Stanow
- 5 min
Schultz tells the story of how Nescafe cracked the Japanese coffee market over 15 years via a kids' cartoon and candy, using it as a metaphor for how his YouTube special will change the industry organically rather than chasing network deals, citing his Trump joke's low dislike count as proof.
11moments
- 1:17:03Tim claims his special will change the industry.
- 1:17:38Tim tells the Nescafe Japan story: a consultant advised they wait 15 years and first introduce coffee culture through a kids' cartoon and candy.
- 1:18:22Japan now has the world's biggest Starbucks in Tokyo because the culture was organically grown, not forced.
- 1:18:58Netflix greenlit his 15-minute format after seeing it work independently with high views on a small channel.
- 1:19:18Tim says he made edgy comedy formats okay for the industry, and Ray Romano's new special direction is now doable because of it.
- 1:19:48His Trump joke saying Trump is 100% right gets only 50 dislikes, proving funny material works regardless of subject.
- 1:20:14Tim turned down offers to release the special on platforms because sometimes the work is bigger than personal gain.
- 1:20:43People who need a billion dollars are sick; once you're a billionaire you're the poorest one and barely in the club.
- 1:21:19Tim has made different amounts of money yearly but his lifestyle didn't change; once full, he gives back rather than chase more.
- 1:21:48He helps other comedians find ways to maximize their specials by extracting 15 minutes of material and amplifying it.
- 1:22:02A single viral clip from a special or album is all you need to make an impact.
- 3 min
Schultz reflects on detaching from outcomes and loving the creative process itself, telling a story about losing an hour-plus of recorded audio for a Penthouse interview and not being upset about it, and hoping other comics will eventually help each other once they have financial security.
6moments
- 1:22:37Tim worries marketing success might drain creative energy, but says the joy is in creating, not the outcome.
- 1:23:03Falling in love with the creation process itself, rather than how people receive it, changes everything.
- 1:23:33Even if a podcast episode doesn't go out due to technical failure, the conversation and connection matter more than distribution.
- 1:23:49Tim lost an hour-and-a-half audio interview for a Penthouse feature but didn't stress because the real value was connecting with the person.
- 1:24:21He positions himself as a resource and welcomes feedback on how to improve other people's work.
- 1:24:41Once comics achieve financial security, they'll start genuinely helping each other instead of fighting over scraps.
PenthouseHaitiConnecticut
- 1 min
Tim thanks Andrew Schultz, plugs his YouTube and a future appearance on Tim's Inside Jokes show, mentions comedian Yohonis, then does housekeeping about tour dates, rating the podcast, next week's guest Nick Bryant on Jeffrey Epstein, and teases the separate Colin Quinn phone call clip.
4moments
- 1:25:22Andrew Schultz directs viewers to find him on YouTube at 'Andrew Schultz' with no T in the name.
- 1:25:37Tim plans to get Schultz on the show for inside jokes, describing it as a good fit for what they do.
- 1:26:03Tim promotes his website and social media handles: timdillacomedy.com, Tim J. Dillon on Instagram and Twitter.
- 1:26:32Colin Quinn declined to do the show but spent 15 minutes on the phone explaining why, and Tim recorded it to release as a separate clip with this episode.
Andrew SchulzNick BryantJeffrey Epstein scandalColin QuinnHonesty