I’ve been doing stand up comedy for about 8 and a half years now. I’ve been a regular poster on :”/r/standupshots for about seven of those years. On August 31st I recorded my debut album “Swing For The Fences.” I’m super excited for people to hear it. I’m independently releasing it at the end of next month using CDBaby for Distro. I used a kickstarter campaign to help offset the production costs and serve as a way for people to pre-order the album. That link is here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/timeross/swing-for-the-fences?ref=user_menu&utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

Here’s a short preview of the album: https://youtu.be/sOnLOSn62Oc

Ask me anything about comedy or albums or hecklers or whatever you feel like. I’m doing this on lunch at my day job in a comic book store so if you wanna ask stuff about that feel free.

I’ll get to the answers I can during lunch and then pop in later to answer some more. Have at it!

Proof: https://twitter.com/timrosscomedy/status/1187398686961221632?s=21

Comments: 93 • Responses: 29  • Date: 

notyodoritos24 karma

Does it bother you that a fucking unfunny hack like Brandon Schaub gets time at the comedy store because of his connection to Joe Rogan?

TimIsWin39 karma

I haven’t seen his act but these sorts of things don’t agitate me too much. The guy has an audience from MMA and Rogan. Comedy clubs are a business and as much as I’d like to see a bigger focus on the art form I have to realize that they still need to put butts in seats to keep functioning. It’s a frustrating part of doing comedy but it’s something you gotta take with a grain of salt. Reality stars and wrestlers and folks of that ilk are gonna get time on stage regardless of their comedic skills because they have the name recognition it takes to sell tickets.

I_Have_No_Proof14 karma

Do you know any jokes?

TimIsWin48 karma

Ya why do seagulls fly over the sea?

Cuz if they flew over the bay they’d be bay-gulls!

Haha!

jeremylittle10 karma

Hi Tim, where do you find the time to have it all?

TimIsWin32 karma

I have negative three dollars in my bank account lol.

captmrwill10 karma

Have you ever thought of going to either NY or LA to improve your shot at getting big? Do you think you can make a big leap from Pittsburgh? What's your end goal in comedy?

TimIsWin12 karma

I’m not really sure. I’m fine with the small town near Pittsburgh I live in for now. I get to hang out with my nephews and work in comic books and do comedy. I’d like to make a move but probably not for a couple years.

yawetag129 karma

Been wanting to do an open mic. Never done comedy on a stage before, but I've worked up what I see as a solid few minutes. I'm still a few months away from actually doing it.

What should I expect? Do I just walk in and put my name on a sheet? How much time should I expect to get?

TimIsWin18 karma

Don’t wait! The only way to get better at stand up is to get on stage over and over and learn the craft in front of an audience. It can be brutal and disheartening when you’re just starting it out but it’s so rewarding to trudge through the muck and finally get to a place where you’re regularly performing for good audiences and getting paid to do it.

Some cities do online sign ups! Check local comedy Facebook groups. Get to a mic and do the stuff you’ve written as soon as you’re able to!

DEADPYNE6 karma

How’s your day bud?

TimIsWin5 karma

Good! Just moved a bunch of long boxes of silver age stuff!

dbrad8145 karma

How are you able to turn you're confidence on, once you are on stage?

gdan954 karma

What's the funniest joke you wish you had come up with?

TimIsWin13 karma

Shane Torres Guy Fierri Joke. https://youtu.be/JK6zuii2OLI

It’s such a great joke from a perspective most folks hadn’t considered. I love it. I opened for Shane a while back and did a newer joke at the time I was nervous about but I thought would be good for that crowd. After my set Shane complimented that joke specifically and it warmed my heart haha.

GayFesh4 karma

Are there any regular good-selling titles at your comic shop that aren't superhero/franchise based?

TimIsWin8 karma

Gideon Falls is great! It’s a horror comic. I don’t know about sales but I wish people would branch out into stuff like it and Mountainhead and Southern Bastards and Shoplifters Will Be Liquidated to name a few.

Samtallent3 karma

Hey Tim. Congrats. And southern bastards is the shit. Have any other recommendations for similar books?

TimIsWin3 karma

Have you read Jason Aaron’s Men Of Wrath mini-series? It’s dark and gritty and fucking wild. It’s so good.

Samtallent3 karma

Just ordered it. Thanks man. He’s my fave. I’ll be coming back through pgh in April.

TimIsWin3 karma

Just read your username! Where ya gonna be at? Been a while since I’ve been able to see ya perform so I’ll try to be there for sure.

Freelancer_Alpha1-13 karma

where do you get your ideas?

TimIsWin1 karma

It all depends. Sometimes it’s a concerted effort to try and generate material. Sometimes it’s just writing. Sometimes I’ll just say something funny and make a point to jot it down and try to build off of it.

SeattleGreySky3 karma

How often does someone confuse your name for Tuvok? (Tim Russ)

TimIsWin2 karma

It’s happened a few times I know it’s a Sci-Fi thing is that Star Trek? (Sorry if I’m wrong I’m more of a Fantasy guy)

NielsenOp572 karma

Is there any theme that you cannot joke about? I'm asking this because I'm a fan of black humor but my friends always seem sickened by it...

TimIsWin7 karma

My approach is this:

I don’t do political comedy. My intent as a performer and an entertainer is to provide a respite from the stress and chaos of today’s world. To bring people together and have a good time and enjoy an evening. So with that in mind I don’t wanna ruin anyone’s night.

I had a joke in my act a while ago that went like this:

I always seem to approach the one woman in the bar who sounds like she started smoking in the womb. I’m like “what’s your name?”

And she’s like (gravelly voice) “AMANDA”

“Whoa...you got the first four letters right.”

Now it’s a silly joke but one day I got to thinking about that joke. And thinking that inevitably I’ll play to a crowd with a transgender woman who is feeling insecure about the way her voice sounds. And hearing a crowd laugh at that joke would put a microscope on those insecurities and fuck up her night.

And I’m just not there to ruin anyone’s night. So I dropped the joke. But I am still a comedian and I’m friends with comedians so we privately joke about killing ourselves on a daily basis. So there’s that.

llamawolf2 karma

What questions are you dying for someone to ask, just so you can answer with a good story?

TimIsWin2 karma

Oh I dunno really. I’ve got some fun stories about hell gigs and eating shit on stage.

dmc202 karma

Does anyone still call you Time?

TimIsWin3 karma

A handful of folks from the hxcboards. My login handle at work for our time clock is “timeross”

metagloria2 karma

Who's the coolest person you've ever met and why is it that guy who multiplied two three-digit numbers in his head at Purple Door?

TimIsWin3 karma

Wait the answer is someone I met at purple door and it is Aaron Weiss also hi Matt ilu

resetmypass2 karma

I've been trying to find good names that will be tougher for school-children to make fun of for my future kids.

Tim seems like a good one.

But kids can be cruel -- did kids ever make fun of your name?

TimIsWin2 karma

Not Tim! But when I went by my first name in school I got called Fat Phil a lot. But it grew to be a bit of a term of endearment over time.

sillyjake2 karma

Any relation to Bob Ross?

TimIsWin3 karma

If there is it’s unfortunate cuz I can’t draw for shit

dago23672 karma

Who is your favorite comedian?

TimIsWin2 karma

Of all time? Mitch Hedberg.

Shepsus2 karma

Well this is fantastic. I am happy you did this AMA. I understand your Youtube is pretty old (minus the new thing you put up) but I recommend continuing to put stuff up. You are Good!!!

Backed in KS, new YT subscriber, and new digital friend! (I'm totes gonna stalk you cause I'm bored here in Arizona... Maybe I'll wait til it warms up again.)

Besides working on the stand up routine, have you written anything or want to write anything and put it out in the world?

TimIsWin3 karma

I really really wanna write a comic book. If I could find someone to collaborate with I’d love to give it a shot. I’ve got a couple ideas I’ve been tossing around for a bit.

Thanks for subscribing. I just got a new phone recently so I’ll be able to put up more digital content!

Shepsus2 karma

Dude! Same! I'm a comedic novelist. And I spent a long time trying to find an artist. It's difficult. So instead I am trying to get my novel out to a publisher. Get some cred to then pursue comic books and other writing.

TimIsWin2 karma

Good luck! DM me if it works out and I’ll check out the novel!

adambeforevade2 karma

Hey man congrats as usual but real talk what’s your favorite track off of Limp Bizkit’s landmark sophomore release, Significant Other?

TimIsWin1 karma

Break Stuff

Hxcmetal7242 karma

Will there be a hidden Fear takes flight track on this album?

TimIsWin1 karma

I have my doubts.

nobledoug2 karma

What is your writing process before you perform a bit for the first time? What’s your process for refining and polishing?

TimIsWin3 karma

It used to be a bit more rigorous. A lot of prep and repetition and re-writing. These days I mostly have a framework and some punchlines and I write more on stage than when I first started out.

dirtysheer6662 karma

What's your favorite Non-PGH city to perform in?

TimIsWin3 karma

I love Ohio and Michigan in general. Knoxville and Chattanooga are a blast. Love the south. Love New England. Hartford and Portland Maine were great. I’ve always had fun shows and fun times drinking in Ohio and Michigan tho. Am I supposed to say Cleveland? I do like Cleveland. But you’re in Colorado now right?

EnxOrtixd2 karma

Do you get told: "Nobody laughs at you"? If yes, how do you make clever answers?

TimIsWin3 karma

Nah honestly. Sometimes people on here don’t like me but they mostly talk about me being fat and say how and why they hate me.

ExFiler1 karma

Still got the Beard??

TimIsWin1 karma

Yup!

Rivet220 karma

Do you include the democrats in your act?? Because they have been providing great material this year!

TimIsWin1 karma

I don’t do political humor.