Why Tony Woods Transfers His Anxiety To Others

If you Google Tony Woods, you'll get a whole bunch of links about a former Aussie Rules footy player. This is not Tony Woods the comedian, who — as an African American veteran of the funny business — has absolutely nothing to do with the sport (although he has appeared on The Footy Show). But he has everything to do with comedy, appearing on HBO's Def Jam, Last Comic Standing, A&E's Caroline's Comedy Hour, Showtime At The Apollo, NBC's Friday Night Videos, Just For Laughs and N.Y.P.D. Blue, and a soap opera in 1994 called Bad Guy - No really, he played 'the bad guy' in a black leather jacket.

"I hope that the overwhelming anger, fear, rage, distrust and utter motherfucking confusion that life gives me chokes the living scheit outta you."

He's bringing his unique brand of dry, quick laughs and 'Merican humour down under for Comedy Festival season, where "all the lonely comedians get to be together, all alone together" according to Woods. He's pretty excited to bring his show to Aussie audiences, "I hope that the overwhelming anger, fear, rage, distrust and utter motherfucking confusion that life gives me chokes the living scheit outta you until you're laughing hysterically with tears in your eyes and piss in your pants." He's hoping to use his charm to bring people to the show, suggesting that "You get to go with me… I could take you with me, cause I've wanted for so long to have you see what I see." By "you" we're assuming he means the people of Australia as opposed to us at The Music personally, as we tend not be dates for our interviewees to their own shows.

When asked about the biggest challenged he came across when writing the show, he surprised us with "I didn't write it, but other cats who stole from me did! So ask them…" Let's hope that they fair better than the poor bugger who heckled him at one of his performances: "I turned him into my punch line and made him spend the rest of the show as the fool who really hates himself for not being man enough to be like me," and the people who work with him: "[I] transfer all my anxiety on to the people who organised the show, cause I don't need that stress so I'll give it to them. Afterwards I like to laugh, a lot!"

Watch out, he's coming to Sydney — so just make sure you're not his date, the person who doesn't like his show or the one organising it!