Today we’d like to introduce you to Tony Rodriguez.
Hi Tony, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have always liked getting people’s attention, whether it be getting jumped by a neighbor on a bike pedaling as fast as he could while I lay at the foot of a ramp, Slamming beers Stone Cold style, standing on a bar (I sometimes wish this one wasn’t true) or trying to make people feel a way, by telling a sad story or relaying my facts and opinions I enjoyed getting their attention. For a few seconds or as long as they would listen. My pops wasn’t really around and was a not-so-cool person, so I came up raised around my mother’s family, who moved to Greensboro in the 70s; they were originally from Lansing, NC, which no one know where that is, so West Jefferson, Boone, Tweetsie Railroad, Grandfather Mountain area. Good folks. My Grandpa (maternal) was my father figure I tried to model my life around him. Work hard and be good to people, that was how he was and how I wanted to be. But you know, unfortunately, I wasn’t always that way. For years, I battled Addiction and Depression, and no, that is not because I want claps or anything; you’re not supposed to do cocaine in the first place so support for getting off is cool, but it’s no cause for applause. My cousin was a big part of my life. We were super close as kids, He was an amazing hockey player. We used to skateboard together and everything, we had a basketball goal at our grandparents (the same grandpa from earlier) and we hoped on that thing well into our adult lives. He, unfortunately, had the same demon as me and I lost him, well we as a family lost him a few years back, our grandfather a few years before that, so I didn’t wanna spiral again, went totally sober and thought comedy would be a great outlet a way to translate pain into anecdotes for people to laugh at or learn from, to cry with you and heal together, and in 2019 I did my first ever set at The Idiot Box in Greensboro NC, My absolute favorite place in the universe. Jennie Stencil has captured lightning in a bottle, and all the frequent open mixers and comics make that place magic. It’s the cool people I met there that kept me going when I wasn’t getting laughs that told me this takes time and effort and you get out what you put in, Guys like JD Ethridge and Dusty Cagle that were the first to talk to me. Vets like David Goolsby, David Decaruex, Dejahzh Hendric, and Eric Trundy, that I picked up things from asking questions and just being a part of the hang, and countless others that became friends Like Tonio Washington, Eric Brown, Lucas Gumbrecth, Ryan Bender, I can literally go on for pages. These are the people along with so many others I’ve met from doing NC’s Funniest at Goodnights and the Ultimate Comic Challenge & NC Comedy Festival at The Idiot Box, that make all this in my opinion the coolest thing in the world to do. So, I revamped an old page and revived my Podcast “The Sidewalk Crew” so I can have all these great people and others like Rappers such as Fat, an amazing infusion chef (Chef Najah Hines), The current Miss Black North Carolina, And a smattering of other people including a very emotional episode recently with the owner of Golden Spiral Sean Carey. It’s my second favorite thing to do next to comedy. Of course, none of this happens without my Amazing other Half the Future Mrs. Rodriguez, my finance Molly Comedy and the podcast might be my favorite things to do but there is no better person to spend time with than her. So now I know what got me here, and though not totally sober anymore (Cali Sylte lol) and not really chasing random reactions from people, on stage or talking to someone on the air. That’s the place and thing for me. I love you all and hope to see you all at shows.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh man I didn’t make the big jump to joke-telling until I had cleaned myself up, I was completely strung out for a while and lost my soul in the process, something I didn’t get back until I started sharing my story 5-minute bit by 5-minute bit. Now full disclosure: I’m Cali Sober nowadays meaning I am a big supporter of the cannabis is medicine philosophy. I know it’s helped my addiction, mental health, and demeanor, and when used CORRECTLY it can help anyone. The hardest part was by far, a few years back during the pandemic, I worked auto parts retail, and we were ALWAYS open; the company was also super short staffed so I left the place I had spend most of my working years and went to a collision shop, now around this time a variant called Omicron showed up, and due to the working all the time and limited availability I had not quite made it to get waxed yet, And Omicron got me, after a week at home I woke up lips blue and barely breathing and went to the hospital where I found out yes the covid was trying to kill me, but it had some help from something I had always feared Type 2 Diabetes. Now I have to change my whole life; I have to forget comedy; it’s over. But I got better and tried harder and wrote more and after about a 2-month break, I was back telling jokes and losing weight. I am ashamed to admit when I went to the hospital, I was on the upper north side of 580 pounds. Legit the number is just gross, and I had never been that big (to my knowledge). AS I sit here before you today I can with confidence say I’m down over 200 pounds and looking to lose more and more. It was the support of my family, finance, friends, and fellow comics I got through that and keep working at the everyday.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
Doing Stand-up is just the best thing in the world, getting to connect with new people every night, traveling, and meeting folks. Hanging with other comics, I have come to notice that most comics at any level will converse with other comics because it’s something we all have in common the process of working it out is the same from your first-time open mic er to your Ali Saddiq’s of the world, it all happens one Mic at a time. And on the podcast “The Sidewalk Crew” I try to break it down when I have comics on and maybe the process will translate or become more clear to someone. It’s not all. I ate a 1000-milligram edible and her day’s jokes. It’s about sharing yourself with people and making them forget that life sucks sometimes.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I’m dedicated, like when I’m passionate about something, I’ll give 200% to it. That and I can be stubborn. And if I really love something then that is what I am going to do. I’m super loyal to the ones I love whether it my fiancé, Molly, or my friends. If I love, you then I’m there for you no matter what. I have a need to try and relay a message and try and help people and if it’s a story that someone comes on the podcast to tell or if it’s a joke that’s all I really wanna do. Thats why I get up at as many mics as I can I even book a few now with my friend Robert Every at Live to Laugh Comedy. Or going to other city’s mics like Goodnights, Starlight, The Real Funnys mics in VA, and others. And always trying to post new content via reels, clips, and the podcast on an at least bi-weekly basis.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/digitalparadox.tony/
- Instagram: @thatcomictony
- Facebook: facebook.com/thesidewalkcrew/
