The Whip Talk-O boys were our guests of honor this week on It’s Always Funny in Salt Lake City. Things got a little crazy because this is my first threesome… interview.
We talk about grandmas, Whip Talk-O and both of them missing my “Footsteps in the Sand” reference in question 3.
Note: Same questions given to both, responses delivered separately.
Describe yourself in 10 words or less?
Jose: A Humble Man with a God Like Complex.
Vinny: I think too goddamn much. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven.
Whose grandma is hotter? Need photo evidence. There will be a poll.
Jose: I would have to say Vinny’s without a doubt. I’m not into Latina women. In case Latina Women do read your blog then I would like to retract my statement and say I LOVE THE LATINA WOMEN!!! PAPI LIKEY LIKEY MI AMOR. XOXOXOXO.
Vinny: I’m ashamed to say this, but I don’t believe I have a picture of my Gram. She doesn’t have a Facebook and I don’t keep a scrapbook. Enclosed please find this picture of Farrah Fawcett instead. Just tell everyone it’s my Gram. Don’t write that part. Or this one. Or that one.
There are 2 sets of footprints in the sand, at some times there are only one. Who is carrying who? Why?
Jose: Oh that was one crazy night. Okay so Vinny was walking down the beach with this local prostitute by the name of “Chingles” or however you spell it. Well long story short… he killed her and gave her a Viking funeral fit for a NORSE GOD. It was beautiful.
Vinny: Trick question, it’s a horse that walks on it’s front legs sometimes. Show-off.
Why did you start doing stand up comedy?
Jose: Comedians are no different than Super Heroes. Instead of fighting crime we fight sadness with the power of JOKES. My orgin story is no different than Bruce Waynes or Chazz Blackwood, except mine is real. I was 17 and my Aunt was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. I remember one day she asked me if I could perform my rendition of Britney Spears “Hit Me Baby One More Time” (yes there is a video of it). She absolutely loved it and laughed uncontrollably through her oxygen mask. That’s when I knew I wanted to do this. I wanted to make people forget about their problems for only a few minutes and enjoy life. She is no longer with us, but I hope she knows that she’s my reason on why I started doing stand up comedy.
Vinny: Several years ago I showed up to a roast just to watch but it turned out I knew a bunch of the guys there, including Jose. One of the comedians performing that night asked me if I’d like to say a few words and I politely declined until someone offered me a big pile of cocaine which I politely accepted. The gloves came off and I jotted down a set in a couple of minutes. Nobody told me I was supposed to keep it kind of clean because the roastee’s mother was in the audience so I was up there saying shit like “Hey do you think the 1200th trimester is too late for an abortion?” People laughed. I was hooked. I have literally never done that well onstage since, but that might be just a cocaine and alcohol-fueled memory. There is a very good chance that I wasn’t funny that night and I’m not funny now and that my entire life is based on a lie. Which is as close as I get to being normal.
Who are your biggest inspirations in comedy?
Jose: Darren Carter, Robin Williams, Bobcat Goldthwait, John Leguizamo and Keenan Ivory Waynes. These are the comedians I grew up watching.
Vinny: Hard question for me. I haven’t even begun to find my voice yet so it would almost be disingenuous for me to say that my inspirations are George Carlin or Louis C.K. since saying that would make it seem like I thought I was anything like them or anywhere near their level of talent. But the answer is George Carlin and Louis C.K. because I’m every amateur comedian ever.
How long have you been doing comedy?
Jose: It’s crazy to say, but I’ve been performing comedy for about a decade. I’ve performed all over this great country and had the opportunity to open up for some great comedians over the years.
Vinny: Off and on for 3 anxiety-filled years. Here’s to killing myself before I make it to 4!
Who has been the biggest help for you in your comedy career?
Jose: I would have to say KEITH STUBBS. He allowed me to share his stage with numerous talented comedians from around the world and introduced me to my first comedy booker. It’s true Keith is indeed the GOD FATHER of UTAH COMEDY.
Vinny: Tyrell Forrest has been an enormous help in creating my material and forcing me to go to open mics, but the person who has helped to build my “career” the most is unequivocally Mr. Jose Bacio. He has dragged me kicking and screaming through so many important things that I didn’t want to do but needed to. I don’t think anyone would even know that I do stand-up if it weren’t for Jose. And of course, I have to give a shout-out to the wonderful Steve McInelly for being supportive and for giving me and so many other fresh-faced jerks a shot at a real audience. That guy is a badass.
I was a guest on Whip Talk-O last week, both of you explain what it is to you and why you guys do it?
Jose: Whip Talk-O is basically a 10 minute show with a one or two guests discussing topics that are either trending, in the news or shit we feel like talking about. It’s unscripted, raw and low quality. We do it because it’s fun to do.
Vinny: I do it because Jose shows up at my house every week and drags me out of bed. Kidding aside, this is another thing that Jose made me do and I really am so very glad because it’s a really great thing that I can point to and say “Here’s something that I do that’s kind of fun and kind of cool”. I’ve been struggling with awkwardness and shyness for most of my adult life so Whip Talk-O has been instrumental in getting me out of that shell this past year.
What are some of the favorite topics that you have covered?
Jose: Miley Cyrus. We have done a total of 13 episodes and somehow Miley manages to Twerk her way into the show. She’s this generations Madonna.
Vinny: Miley Cyrus. Every time. I love doing Miley Cyrus for two reasons. One, I get to give Jose shit for always making her a topic (even though I’m secretly okay with it). And two, I get to say Miley Sideboob on camera.
Who are some other guests you have had on it? Which guests are coming up?
Jose: We had an awesome number of guests on our show that you wouldn’t believe. Have you ever heard of Andy Kaufman? Yeah, he was on. Unfortunately the file got deleted. Other than that we had Guy Seidel, Levi Rounds, Paul Duane, MMA Fighter Salvador Sanchez, Fitness Model Amy Updike, Greg Beeler, Reality Show Celeb Charlie Andrews, Reality Show Celeb Johnny Riche, you and a few others that I can’t remember due to the fact that too much AWESOMENESS might BLOW… MY… MIND!!!
Vinny: Greg Beeler is always an interesting guest because he is highly opinionated and a lot of his thoughts can be pretty controversial. I only agree with about half the stuff that ever says, and I’m sure he’d say the same about me, but I sure as hell do respect the man for saying it. We had Tyrell Forrest and my old friend Ty Norton on once. That was a fun show. My absolute favorite guest, though, was Levi Rounds. Holy crap, that guy is sharp. That was a really funny episode.
I have NO idea who is coming up. Jose books our guests and pretty much runs the show. Sometimes I think that if he could find someone prettier than me to sit in the backseat I wouldn’t be on the show anymore.
Jose, you are busy… tell us everything that you do. What do you enjoy the most?
Jose: I do a lot of things but love. I don’t have time for a relationship due to my hectic schedule of managing a Strip Club (Southern X-Posure Showgirls and Southern X-Posure Downtown), cage announcing for UTAH’S MOST ENTERTAINING MMA PROMOTION, Steelfist (MY UTAH KMYU 9-10pm on Channel My Utah), Whip Talk-O and performing Stand Up Comedy. I honestly enjoy promoting the shit out of everything I do.
Vinny, You recently started a new open mic at the Day & Night Event Center, how did the first show go, when is the next one and what can we look forward to going forward with them?
Vinny: The first show at D&NEC was pretty good. It wasn’t the turnout that I had hoped for or the one that I expected given the volume of interest that it received but we did have a turnout and it was a nice, fun show. There are a handful of things that are just an uphill battle to get started, like karaoke, open mics, and of course, battles on ascending hills.
The trick to everything worth doing, though, is to just keep chipping away at it.
For right now, we’re TBA on the next show but when we start back up it will be a weekly thing that everyone can count on being available, which will be nice because everyone can always use more stage time and this city is sorely lacking in venues.
What do you think of the local comedy scene? Good and bad?
Jose: The scene is good. It has improved from the days of yore when there was a rift between the Wiseguys Comedians and the Local Comedians.
Vinny: Hard to say without a basis for comparison, but from my own narrow view, the scene here is amazing. I have yet to deal with a single dickhead, although I’m sure they’re out there. Nobody has ever been anything but polite, considerate, and massively helpful toward me.
What would make it better?
Jose: A Lap Dance.
Vinny: More open mics, more people grinding it out. It’d be really nice to have a few nights a week where you can bounce from spot to spot. I take notes on my performance but even then it’s hard to keep fresh in your head exactly what went wrong and what went right when you’re only hitting it every few days or weeks. I want to ride that feeling. I want to be able, after a good show, to keep that confidence for another round. And if I bomb, it’d be so great to have the chance to redeem myself so I don’t sit around questioning my choice of hobbies and my right to exist for seven days straight.
What is one cool thing that is happening in the Utah Comedy scene that you are excited about?
Jose: There’s only ONE cool thing I’m excited about and that’s ME getting back up on stage and doing what I do best… FIGHT OTHER COMEDIANS.
Vinny: Oh boy. Outside of the upcoming open mic that I have at Day & Nite I don’t really know. I feel bad. I really should be more connected but stuff has just been all over the place lately.
Who are some of the difference makers/favorites in the comedy scene? Why?
Jose: Steve McInelly is a real difference maker in the scene. The guy started K-Town comedy and his involvement with Lumpy’s South is really helping get comedians get more stage time. You could say what you want about him, but I give respect to the guy. I know how hard it is to keep a room going and he’s doing a pretty damn good job. Other than that one of my favorite comedians in the scene is Blake Bard and loved my time on the road with Kiley Cook and Mike Jenkins. Those were the days.
Vinny: The answer I have for this is the same one I gave for the question about who has helped me the most. I can’t speak for who is making the biggest difference in the scene, but I can definitely tell you who has made the biggest difference for me personally.
What shows do you have coming up?
Jose: I’ll be doing the cage announcing for the upcoming STEELFIST card Friday December 13th and I’ll be performing comedy at Club DJ’s Saturday December 14th at 7:30pm.
Vinny: Right now I don’t have anything at all coming up. I cleared my schedule a few weeks ago while I move and get back into school. I’ll be back around April.
How can people connect with you?
Jose: Follow me on Twitter: Jose_Bacio, Facebook: facebook.com/jlbacio and facebook.com/whiptalko other than that I am a hard man to connect with… mentally.
Vinny: Glue. Or solder. Scotch tape won’t work, I’m very oily.
Jose and Vinny are seriously funny! lol..