Comedy Central Presents: Tony Woods

A true comic’s comic, Tony Woods steps onto the Comedy Central stage with the laid-back, jazz-like timing that made him a quiet force in stand-up. He doesn’t rush or shout; he glides through his set, pulling the audience into his strange, mischievous wavelength. The twenty-minute television slot is an ideal vehicle for his patient delivery, highlighted by an extended explanation of why monkeys make the absolute best pets.

Filmed at the Hudson Theatre in New York City and aired in August 2001, this half-hour arrives well after his breakout as an original performer on HBO’s Def Comedy Jam. By this point, Woods had already spent years shaping the craft, famously mentoring a young Dave Chappelle in the Washington, D.C. scene. Here, he applies his smooth, conversational pacing to analyzing a classic street joke and reinterpreting well-known fairy tales. He operates completely on his own rhythm, demonstrating exactly why his peers study his every pause.