PCM's Kristyn Clarke had the recent opportunity
to chat with comedian Daniel Tosh about his new
Comedy
Central series Tosh.0
! "Tosh.0" goes deep
into the Web, spinning commentary about blogs and vlogs
both popular and obscure, tweets and pokes, popular sites
and new technologies. In addition, the series will feature
viral clips of the week, premiere its own original videos
created by and starring well-known actors and comedians,
as well as highlight a weekly "Viewer's Choice"
video chosen from among those uploaded and voted on via
COMEDY CENTRAL's flanker Web site,
Atom
.
Each episode will feature the segment "Web
Redemption," which will give subjects of infamous viral
videos a second chance to redeem themselves from the embarrassment
with which they've become synonymous.
Be sure to tune into Tosh.0 on Thursday
nights at 10:00pm ET/PT.
Q:
What kinds of feedback have you been receiving from the
show so far?
Daniel Tosh: Just glowing reviews. People just gushing over
the brilliance of the simplicity of this idea. No, I haven't
gotten much feedback, but then again I don't really listen
to a lot of people. Umm, I hope its good.
Q: Well, I can tell you
from what I have been seeing it is pretty good
DT: Well, that's good. We have been
shooting a lot of stuff at the offices, but who knows? It's
a simple show and in the first few minutes of the show I
have my take on clips and I break things down, then I go
out into the field and I take someone that has had a huge
mess-up on the internet and I give them a chance to redeem
themselves. I also let views and celebrities send in shorts
that they have created and we kind of premiere it on the
show and that's it! There's your TV show!
Q: I did have a chance to
check out the pilot episode, is the show filmed in front
of a studio audience?
DT: Yes, the first episode was filmed in
front of a studio audience of about 100 people.
Q: Does that put the pressure
on you any more?
DT: I feel comfortable in front of an audience,
but it definitely makes them get very agitated when around
take three when I can't say Kobe Bryants name.
Q: Okay (laughs) How much
of your dialogue is scripted and how much is on the fly
when you are doing your video commentary?
DT: I had written a lot of jokes beforehand,
but I can say anything that I feel in the room. I am not
worried about that at all. As much comedy gold that comes
out of my mouth is accepted.
Q:
What are you looking for as far as content when viewers
submit content? How much has been submitted so far?
DT: A lot of it we kind of reach out to
people that we know that do a lot of shorts. Ultimately
what I am looking for is something that doesn't have to
be edited at all, its just short! The reality is, is that
we can't..I don't know what happened to YouTube with people
doing this five minute clips, they are unwatchable. I need
it short, 30 seconds to a minute or minute and a half at
the most.
Q: Right. After the first
minute the funny part is over and then it is just watching
people do whatever it is they are going to do, right?
DT: Right! As soon as I see something loading
and I see the time mark below say four and half minutes
I just instantly get angry at whoever forwarded it to me.
Q: How involved are you,
yourself with determining which material make it on the
show? I am sure with you being executive producer, I would
assume you are very involved with that process?
DT: Sadly, I am way too involved. But that
is only now and I probably shouldn't be, I should just enjoy
the ride and if the show works great. Right now I am a little
too hands-on. I think. I would like to just come in once
a week, record the show and not do anything else. Just take
a check for being an executive.
Q: Do you have a personal
favorite viral video?
DT: Hmm..my all time favorite? We just flew
in Miss Teen South Carolina, that chick that did the "Such
as…" and I really did like hers. I feel like I was the only
one who really had true compassion because I have been on
national television before and froze and forgot what I was
saying, but didn't stop talking. I kept rambling and I know
nothing I said made any sense at all, but that happens.
I definitely had a little compassion, I was not the one
throwing her under the buses saying "Oh my goodness, this
chick is so dumb!". But then after a day or so with her
I thought maybe I was wrong.
Q:
(laughs) Is she going to be another one of those web redemptions?
DT: She is! She is going to be on our second
episode.
Q: Do you have a least favorite
viral video?
DT: The prank videos, where they are
set up so I can tell they are fake. That is my ultimate
pet peeve, when people try to pan off these elaborate pranks
as "Oh my goodness, I didn't know there was a dead bird
in my cereal".
Q: Oh, okay, I hear ya on
that one!
DT: Or whatever the case may be, there are
always random ones. I mean, I appreciate people getting
hurt just as much as the next guy, but if you are going
to butter your kitchen floor and your room-mate comes running
in and splits his head open. Yeah, I appreciate that!
Q: Who doesn't like videos
of people falling down , right?
DT: Right, exactly. It sadly never gets
old. I don't need the slo-mo replay montage, but it works.
Q: I love when people do
these remix videos such as the Shamwow rap remix and Grapestomp
lady techo remix.
DT: Oh, sure. You know I think that my all-time
favorite online celebrity video, if you had asked me yesterday,
would have been one called "Sipping In Cups" or "Drinking
In Cups" which is about a guy that was apparently on an
acid trip in his closet and it was just what he was seeing,
then I was just told recently that he wasn't tripping. It
is almost like finding out that Santa Claus isn't real!
Q: That just ruins the whole
thing!
DT: Yeah, but I still, in my head, think
it was real and there was just a little damage control done
to say "Oh, no I wasn't doing drugs".
Q: I can see that. You know
what, if you can think that it's great! So, what is one
piece of advice you would give to someone looking to break
into comedy?
DT: Don't! But if you really have to just
do whatever YOU want! It's a silly profession, so you might
as well not take anyone's advice. Enjoy it and have fun.
Don't move to L.A. or New York for five years, that usually
kills most peoples careers.
Q: Really, why is that?
DT: If you are like, "Oh, I want to be a
comic, I am going to move to New York". It is just a bad
place to start those careers because it is impossible to
get stage time and you are almost better off starting in
a smaller city somewhere else.
Q: How did you first get
involved in comedy?
DT: I moved to L.A. and no…(laughs) I just
tried it college as kind of a past-time. I tried to do some
open mics and one thing led to another and six months later
I am headlining show, no I am just kidding that was like
twelve years!
Q:
What else do you have going on these days besides Tosh.0?
DT: I am putting the finishing touches on
the next tour. I will be doing dates over the summer, but
most likely the real tour will start in September which
will lead up to the new Comedy Central hour special.
Q: Awesome. We will certainly
keep tabs on all of that!
DT: Thank you
Q: In your words, why should
viewers tune in to Tosh.0?
DT: Because Carlos Mencia was on for
five years and that's really not fair so, please for the
love of God watch me for 10 weeks. You don't even have to
watch, just set your DVR. I just want to get to season two!
It's a down economy and this show employs a lot of my friends
that really need the money!
Q: Okay
DT: Is that a good enough plea?
Q: Yeah! Definitely! It
works (laughs)
DT: Alright!
Q: You know YouTube and
the internet sensation thing is at a popularity high right
now, so I think you are going to do just fine.
DT: I'm glad because it has been tried a
few times and failed so I am willing to at least give it
a shot.
Q: Thank you so much for
taking the time out to speak with me today!
DT: I appreciate it…thank you!
