CHOPSO discovered a young Seattle-based comic Adam Tiller and we have interviewed him for the New Year about his upcoming shows.
How long have you been doing comedy; and why and how did you start doing comedy?
AT: 6.5 years. I started at a weekly open mic at Tony V’s Garage in Everett, WA. Later, I began working at Laughs Comedy Club in Seattle as a host. Laughs is my home club to this day.
What is the Seattle comedy scene like? What challenges do you get as a new comic?
AT: The Seattle Comedy scene is fairly robust for a smaller major city. We have several clubs between Seattle and Tacoma, as well as a bunch of independently produced shows. We are very lucky that we get real audiences at our open mics. I’ve never seen that in any other city besides maybe Portland, OR.
As a new comic, the hardest thing for me was discerning what I should and/ or shouldn’t be doing. When you’re new, you sort of learn from the comics who have been doing it longer than you. Sometimes those comics aren’t always the most optimistic and can exhibit some pretty toxic behavior.
How do you feel about the stand-up comedy scene of being dominated by white males as complained by female and diverse comics? What are your thoughts on diversity?
AT: I never know how to answer this question. No matter what I say, I feel like I end up sounding like a douchebag. But, I think it takes a very specific type of person to pursue a career in comedy. Mainly, because a career in comedy is arguably a pretty stupid thing to pursue.
My only strong opinion on diversity is when I see people book shows that only have one specific race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. all on the same show. Just because the headliner is _______ doesnt mean that the openers have to also be ___________. If you book the show to match all the comics together based on shape, color, and size, it ends up being 90 mins of the same stuff. I’ve found that the most fun shows have a blend of different types of comics from various backgrounds.
What inspires you as a comedy? What type of material do you gravitate toward?
AT: It changes day-to-day. I would say, in general, there is a through-line of me being fairly dark. But I also have some material that mocks political beliefs. I really don’t enjoy listening to people talk about politics. If I get the opportunity to make fun of it onstage, I try to as much as possible. I also watch way too much TV, so that definitely influences my Standup.
So I read that you were a lawyer and you worked for Boeing… what experience did you bring from you previous job and law to your comedy?
AT: I dropped out of Law School after the first year. I was on scholarship and it was contingent on me maintaining high grades. I spent most of my time in class watching live streams of the NHL. I distracted the students around me and was not a positive influence. As a result, I did not keep my scholarship.
I then went on to work in Aerospace, where I continued to not pay attention and distract others around me. I would say that my experience of not taking important things seriously, while distracting others around me, has been the thing I have done best in my career. None of my superiors have appreciated this skill
What are the other comics you like or aspire toward?
AT: Dan Soder and Dave Landau are great. They have both helped so many comics in their careers (myself included). I hope that if I have some level of long-term success, I can give back in a similar way.
Do you have another passion other than stand-up comedy?
AT: Playing Basketball and eating too much pizza with my girlfriend.
What is one advice you’d give to someone who wanted to start stand-up like when you wanted to start?
AT: Watch live comedy before trying it yourself. Go check out some shows and open mics. Once you start, be friendly to people, and dont take it personally when people are mean towards you because you are new.
Follow Adam Tiller on Instagram!
#AdamTiller #standupcomedy
