For comedian Harland Williams, the purest form of comedy comes in those unscripted, off-the-cuff moments.
You know, it’s that quick-witted zinger, that impromptu joke that sends the crowd into a roar of laughter.
And while he is always working on his prepared material, Williams thrives in those instants of spontaneity. Perhaps that’s why he quickly became a regular on the live comedy podcast “Kill Tony,” hosted by Tony Hinchcliffe and Brian Redban.
This Friday, Williams and a handful of other “Killers of Kill Tony” will perform at Pikes Peak Center, showcasing the same stand-up skills lauded on the pod. In addition to Williams, the show’s lineup includes Hans Kim, Ari Matti and Jessie “Jetski” Johnson.
“These are some of the best comedians working out there right now,” said Kim, who first appeared on “Kill Tony” in 2021.
Entering the show as a newer comedian, it launched his career. It’s been nice, Kim said, to have some guidance from other career comics he’s met through the podcast.
“Tony is always there to help you and guide you, and show you how he navigates it,” Kim said. “It’s a great crash course in being in the public eye.”
Williams, on the other hand, has been at it for a while. You might recognize him as the state trooper from “Dumb and Dumber” or the Disney comedy “RocketMan.” As a veteran in the comedy world, he’s at a point where he feels he can be carefree and comfortable, which lets him take chances.
“I’d say it sort of feels like a familiar warm sweater. But at the same time, I turn it inside out and wear it backwards a lot. So it’s a mixture of both, you know,” Williams joked.
When it comes to the sets, Kim describes his comedy style as irreverent. He’s not up there to give a sermon, he said — he likes to push boundaries.
“It’s not a goal of mine to portray myself as a moral person,” Kim said about his sets. “I like to break those boundaries, and I like to just … go where people are not allowed to go and say things that you aren’t allowed to say in polite society.”
For Williams, he likes to leave reality at the door, instead opting for a world of fantasy and the bizarre. Part of his work, he says, is selfish, because he wants to amuse himself, too — after all, he’s the one who has to live with himself. But that authenticity often pays off.
“I want to make sure I’m having fun and I’m making myself laugh, and I’ve sort of grown into learning that if I can tap into that energy where I’m amusing myself, I think people feed off it and pick up on it,” Williams said. “I kind of half do the shows for the crowd and half for me.”