Kill Tony #20 — Doug Benson, Sarah Tiana
Guests: Doug Benson · Sarah Tiana
Lineup
Set: Matthew discusses his grandfather's death and the family's indifferent reaction, revealing the grandfather was abusive and he only met him once. Delivers the set with intense, shouting delivery that panelists suggest could be more powerful if delivered quietly.
Interview: Tony and panelists discuss Matthew's dramatic delivery style and suggest he dial back the volume. They note his acting background and compare his stage presence to Eminem's intensity. Discuss his family situation and emotional investment in the material.
- Grandfather died; nobody cared because he was abusive to family.
- Only met grandfather once as kid; he seemed like weak old man.
- Panel coaching on delivery: Sarah suggests quiet intensity would be more powerful than shouting for emotional truth.
- Doug notes a distraction during set: bar service and customer conversation happening during performance.
Set: Gary discusses the disconnect between college pride and adult reality, revealing he has $40,000+ in student debt while friends without degrees are equally successful. Makes a controversial joke equating abortion costs to tuition.
Interview: Panel praises his swagger and stage presence. Discusses his girlfriend who is a personal assistant to an actress. Panelists critique his abortion joke as a cop-out that doesn't match the quality of his college material.
- Graduates feel superior to non-college peers but end up with same debt load.
- Multiple abortions cost similar to college tuition debt.
- Sarah coaches Gary that his college material is stronger and more relatable than abortion premise.
- Panel discusses Gary's attractiveness and confidence on stage, with compliments on his swagger.
- Sarah notes that when men discuss impregnating women and abortions, it reads as creepy.
Fay Love
Set: Fay describes attending a 10-day meditation retreat with heavy bean and lentil diet that caused digestive issues for all attendees. Makes fart sound effects to illustrate the group gastrointestinal chaos during meditation.
Interview: Panel discusses Fay's spiritual journey, paralysis from autoimmune condition, and her use of a cane/staff. Discuss her meditation practice and healing journey. Panel suggests avoiding fart sound effects and focusing on the cerebral aspects of her story.
- Meditation retreat fed beans/lentils causing fart 'orchestra' during sessions.
- Cook deliberately combined prune juice and beans to give entire group diarrhea.
- Panel coaching: Sarah suggests avoiding fart sound effects and focus on spiritual/cerebral material.
- Fay reveals she was paralyzed for four months from autoimmune condition this year.
- Fay discusses manifesting her autoimmune condition and using healing crystals and laughter.
Joe Carl
Set: Joe Carl, an Arab from Tennessee, opens with self-deprecating material about his unusual combination of identities. Makes a joke about being the face of Arab America despite being white.
Interview: Panel extensively coaches Joe about embracing his Arab identity as his strongest comedic asset. Discuss his name, background, and encouragement to center material around being Palestinian and from Tennessee. Brody Stevens offers opportunities and mentorship.
- I should be the face of Arab America despite being white enough.
- As nervous Arab lifeguard, everyone expects immediate death or terrorism.
- Extended panel coaching: Tony, Sarah, Doug, and Brody all push Joe to embrace Arab identity as his main comedic angle.
- Brody Stevens offers Joe comedic opportunities and mentorship, suggests getting him 'a job at TMC'.
- Panel discusses Joe's father named 'Rock' and how name confusion impacts his comedy.
Set: Brody performs a short set about the movie Straight Outta Compton, discussing how it's really about Eazy-E developing AIDS and the rumors about whether he was gay, rather than about the band NWA.
Interview: Very brief interview. Tony asks if Brody can do a set as an Arab from Tennessee (in response to Joe Carl). Brody demonstrates by making a simple Arab/Tennessee joke.
- Straight Outta Compton is really about Eazy-E's AIDS, not the band.
- Brody offers mentorship and opportunities to Joe Carl, encouraging him to embrace Arab identity.
- Tony notes Brody seems to be from a time when he was doing better/more successful.
Set: Tim discusses his New Year's resolution to stop scraping resin from his pipe and offering it to friends. Second part critiques the historical rule of men opening doors for women, arguing doors are now easy to open.
Interview: Tony praises Tim's authentic communication and delivery. Discuss his recent neck surgery with 20% cancer risk. Tim mentions appearing on Kill Tony a year prior but Tony doesn't remember him. Extensive discussion about boats, lobster diving, and his unconventional relationship philosophy.
- Stop taking pipe resin to friends' houses as a gift offering.
- Men opening doors for women made sense with hard medieval doors, not modern ones.
- Tony specifically praises Tim's set as having something real to say without tricks, hitting across the board.
- Tim reveals he had neck surgery with 20% cancer risk; he stopped rooting for underdog during recovery.
- Extended discussion of Tim's boat life: he has a yacht in Marina del Rey, does lobster diving, and hosts weekly comedy shows.
- Panel debate about door-opening as relationship dynamic and gender roles.
Set: Bryan describes seeing a friend on another BART train whose father just died mid-conversation through closing doors. Adds futuristic commentary about wishing trains could drag conversations so closure could be achieved.
Interview: Tony praises Bryan for adding to the story with futuristic examples, identifying him as a real comic. Discuss his work as preschool teacher in Germany, homeschooling an autistic child. Extensive material about working with children and bodily functions.
- Saw friend on opposite BART train; her dad died just as doors closed.
- Wish trains dragged conversations so you could finish talking to people.
- Autistic kid he babysat smelled his own poop and asked to smell Bryan's poop.
- Tony identifies Bryan as a real comedian based on adding onto story with futuristic speculation.
- Bryan discusses teaching autistic kids in Germany and reveals controversial observation about German acceptance of autism.
- Panel makes dark jokes about autistic German kids and concentration camps.
Set: Melissa discusses her 2009 Christian phase when she was 19 and searching for identity, including getting baptized in the South, joining ROTC, and transferring to a private Christian school. She lost her friends and got kicked out for playing video games instead of chapel.
Interview: Panel explores what drew her to Christianity (depression, need for structure) and military life. Discussed her ROTC experience in the Army, getting kicked out of private Christian school, and her journey away from faith. Panel notes her nervousness adds charm to delivery.
- Started doing 'bumps of G's of Jesus' when she got baptized sophomore year.
- You can tell it happened in South because 'got baptized' means 'I speak English real good'.
- Got kicked out of Christian school for video games instead of chapel—games were more realistic.
- Panel notes supportive yelling from audience can throw off performers during sets.
- Tony praises her 'bumps of G's' pun delivery as having nervous charm that works.
- Panel discusses difficulty of Christian as comedy topic—too old, too hard to keep audience.
Set: Vanessa discusses being socially awkward without friends as a child, playing it cool by lying about a solo lifestyle. Makes jokes about blaming parents and playing imaginary charades with fake friends Billy Bob and Thornton.
Interview: Panel questions her delivery of fart sounds and sound effects, suggesting more swagger and confidence would help. Discuss her family: mother with Asperger's, father with unspecified condition (Tony may have misheard). Panel notes her attractiveness makes 'no friends' premise hard to believe.
- Didn't have friends but played it cool claiming to be lone wolf.
- Played charades by myself with imaginary friends Billy Bob and Thornton.
- Sarah questions whether Vanessa really had no friends given she's attractive and confident.
- Panel coaches Vanessa to avoid fart sounds and lean into swagger instead.
- Vanessa reveals mother has Asperger's and father has unspecified condition.