JRE 1750 · June 27, 2024

Ari Shaffir & Tony Hinchcliffe

comedyphilosophypolitics

Who is Ari Shaffir & Tony Hinchcliffe?

Ari Shaffir is the host of "The Skeptic Tank." His most recent special, "Ari Shaffir: Double Negative," is available via Netflix. Tony Hinchcliffe is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor. He's also the co-host, along with Brian Redban, of the podcast and live YouTube show Kill Tony.

Topics and Timestamps

01Ari Shaffir and Tony Hinchcliffe discuss their comedy careers and the evolution of stand-up in the modern era
02Discussion about the Kill Tony podcast format and how it differs from traditional comedy shows
03Conversation about cancel culture and its impact on comedians and free speech
04Ari talks about his Netflix special Double Negative and the creative process behind it
05Tony and Ari share stories about live comedy performances and audience interactions
06The guests discuss the comedy community, relationships between comedians, and touring experiences
▶Introduction and Kill Tony format explanation0:00:00
▶Ari discusses his Netflix special Double Negative creative process0:15:00
▶Discussion about cancel culture's impact on modern comedy0:35:00
▶Tony and Ari share bombing stories and how failure shapes comedy1:00:00
▶Conversation about comedy community relationships and touring life1:45:00

The Show

Joe sits down with two heavy hitters in the stand-up world: Ari Shaffir, host of The Skeptic Tank podcast and star of the Netflix special Double Negative, and Tony Hinchcliffe, co-host of the wildly popular Kill Tony podcast. This is the kind of episode where you get genuine comedy shop talk mixed with real philosophy about what it means to be a working comic in 2021.

Tony and Ari bring the energy from the jump. The conversation bounces between Kill Tony's unique format, which basically takes roasters and has them bomb jokes to comedians in the crowd, and what makes that show work as entertainment. Tony explains how the format has evolved and why it resonates with audiences in a way traditional comedy specials sometimes don't. There's something raw about watching someone get destroyed on a live show that translates.

Ari digs into his Netflix special Double Negative and the pressure that comes with putting out a special. He talks about the creative decisions, bombing early on, and how you have to be willing to fail in front of people if you want to make real comedy. Joe and Ari get into the philosophy of it, discussing how comedy has changed and what separates comedians who are just doing bits from comedians who are actually saying something.

The three of them discuss cancel culture and how it's affected the comedy landscape. There's acknowledgment that some comedians have gotten too careful, that the fear of saying the wrong thing has neutered some comedy. But they also talk about comedians who've leaned into controversial material and made it work. It's a nuanced conversation for a topic that usually gets binary treatment.

Throughout the episode, there are genuine laughs and moments where you can feel the camaraderie between these guys. They're not trying to prove anything to each other. They're just talking about what they love and what frustrates them about comedy. There's respect in the room even when they're disagreeing about how comedy should work or what material lands.