Tim Heidecker
A completely straight-faced performance of a genuinely terrible comedian.
1 special · 2020
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He paces the stage in a leather jacket, projecting the unearned confidence of a man who thinks he is about to blow your mind. Then he fumbles the microphone stand. He steps on his own punchlines. He tries a tired bit about PC culture, forgets the setup, and attempts to save face by screaming at the sound guy. The performer is playing “Tim Heidecker,” a completely delusional, hacky standup comic.
Specials
On stage
Heidecker helped shape the bizarre rhythm of modern alternative comedy, and his standup pulls that same destabilizing energy into a solo act. He targets a specific archetype: the self-appointed truth-teller who actually has nothing to say. He operates as a walking parody of the macho, overconfident comic who complains about being censored while delivering agonizingly weak jokes about soda brands.
The tension in the room comes from how long he lets a bit fail. He will sigh heavily, repeat a broken setup three times, and let the awkwardness stretch out. The joke is never the punchline itself. It is the pathetic nature of the man trying to deliver it. Over the course of an hour, the hacky persona cracks just enough to reveal a deeply sad, narcissistic bully going through a miserable divorce.
He performs ineptitude so thoroughly that you stop laughing at the material and start laughing at the collapse of the guy holding the mic. Fans of his On Cinema universe will recognize the maneuver. Heidecker has spent over a decade playing men who demand respect they have done nothing to earn.
Turning points
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Adult Swim Launch of Tom Goes to the Mayor
After sending tapes of their early work to Bob Odenkirk, Heidecker and Eric Wareheim secured Odenkirk as executive producer to launch their first television series on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.
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YouTube Premiere of An Evening with Tim Heidecker
Heidecker released his debut full-length standup comedy special independently on YouTube, presenting a meta-parody of hack comics after traditional distributors balked at the conceit.
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Appointed Creative Director of Onion Infowars Satire
Following The Onion's takeover of the conspiracy media outlet Infowars, Heidecker was named creative director to rebrand the platform as a satirical creative venture.
At a glance
- Born
- , Allentown, Pennsylvania
- On stage
- since 2000
- Style
- parody, satire, anti comedy, character
- Breakout
- An Evening with Tim Heidecker
- Influences
- Andy Kaufman, Neil Hamburger
- Topics
- Elsewhere
- Website, Wikipedia
Podcasts
-
Office Hours Live with Tim Heidecker · host
Weekly comedy call-in talk show featuring drops, sound bite battles, listener calls, and commentary on politics and pop culture.
-
On Cinema · host
Parodic film review show and podcast analyzing cinema releases through antagonistic, character-driven discourse.
Also on screen
- 2004–2006
- Tom Goes to the Mayor
- Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
- Bridesmaids
- The Comedy
- Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie
A clip to start with
Coke Vs. Pepsi | Tim Heidecker | An Evening With Tim Heidecker