TigerBelly Podcast — Tim Dillon & “I’m a flake, I’m a liar” (April 16, 2025)

Episode Overview

In this riotous, irreverent episode, Bobby Lee, Tim Dillon, and friends trade brutal honesty, showbiz tall tales, and merciless self-deprecation. The main theme is the art of "flakiness"—ditching commitments, embellishing truths, and riffing on social taboos—while the group explores friendship, fame, identity, and the absurdities of Los Angeles life. The only rule: nothing is sacred.

1. Rekindled Friendships & Airing Grievances

Timestamps: 02:44–06:18

• Missed Shows and Flakiness: Tim Dillon and Bobby Lee recount their rocky podcast history, taking playful jabs at each other's notorious unreliability. Tim recalls a pivotal moment: inviting Elliott Choi (subbing for Khalyla) to an anniversary show, only to be told last minute, “I’m in the Hamptons,” while Elliott ate a lobster roll ([05:29]).

  • Quote: “In my mind, when I sleep at night, I hear that sometimes—‘I’m in the Hamptons.’” —Tim Dillon (05:41)

• Backchanneling, Not Betrayal: Even when they were feuding, both stayed in low-key contact—like “the Cuban Missile Crisis.” They agree: their beef was never real animosity, just flaky showbiz antics ([04:21]).

• Owning Flaws: Elliott and Tim trade jabs about who’s the true flake (“That’s your whole life, though!” —Tim [04:46]). The discussion sets an honest, self-lampooning tone for the episode.

2. Satirical Takes on “Tariffs” and Cultural Stereotypes

Timestamps: 06:18–08:00

• Tariffs, But Make It Emotional: Elliott jokes about imposing “emotional tariffs”—making people “pay to be who they are” ([06:33]).

  • Quote: “I believe in emotional tariffs…where you make someone pay to be who they are.” —Elliott (06:33)

• Mail-order Brides & Wild Tariff Bit: Tim proposes tariffs on mail-order brides, layering in escalating percentages based on body stereotypes, pushing the absurdity.

  • The segment veers intentionally into edgy satire of stereotypes, satirizing showbiz’s history of racial insensitivity, called out by the comedians themselves.

3. Fame, Parties, and Hollywood Absurdities

Timestamps: 09:32–13:29

• Levels of Fame: Tim and Elliott recount attending a wild rapper’s party in LA (“He’s so famous, it’s unreal”—Elliott [09:42]), poking fun at the insane diversity and cultural reach of Tim’s fans.
• LA Vibe Shift: They joke about LA’s turning from sunshine optimism to morbid, depressive conversations: “Here’s what LA is now: ‘How did that girl from Buffy die?’” —Elliott ([24:33]).

4. Upbringing, Substance Abuse, and Family

Timestamps: 13:29–18:28

• Inventing Backstories: Elliott pranks Tim about growing up in Malaysia at an elite prep school, before admitting, “No, I was Long Island. From Long Island. All right, all right.” ([14:29])
• Troubled Childhoods: Both comics get real about doing drugs at an early age.
  • Quote: “I was doing blow at like 13 and stuff.” —Elliott ([15:39])
  • “I did meth at 12.” —Tim ([15:44])
• Parental Approval: Reflections on whether their parents understand or approve of their unconventional careers.
  • “As a parent, if I had a kid... I’d be worried.” —Tim ([17:42])

5. Stand-Up Comedy Life: Addiction and Flakiness

Timestamps: 18:13–22:10

• Comics as Dopamine Junkies: Stand-up is depicted as another “drug”—addictive, rewarding, but fraught.
• Comic’s Rut: “It’s depressing in Los Angeles... people are upset and their houses will burn down.” —Elliott ([18:28])

6. Dark Satire: Holocaust Comedies and Absurd Pitches

Timestamps: 50:04–56:17

• Excess of Holocaust Movies: They riff on the proliferation of Holocaust-themed films, joking about launching a yogurt shop “near Auschwitz” in a darkly satirical script pitch.

• Quote: “I want more movies like that where the Holocaust is going on—but it’s more about people having lunch in a courtyard.” —Elliott ([51:14])

• Elaborate Movie Pitch: The group concocts a farcical narrative where one character is a Jewish man hiding in Argentina post-war, and the other is his former lover and collaborator—riffing on unrequited love, “sucking off Hitler,” and ridiculous plot twists, all as a showcase of taboo-breaking humor ([53:02–54:50]).

7. LA Food Scene: Real and Imaginary

Timestamps: 67:13–73:25

• Best Restaurants Bit: They riff on famous LA eateries—Peujol, Damien, Chosan, Bestia—before Elliott weaves a long con about the hottest new eatery, “ShenChan Chen.” He calls the “restaurant” to make a reservation, successfully duping the room ([69:11]).
  • Quote: “If it's not, welcome to Arby’s. I’m going to be—” —Tim ([68:45])
• Confession: At episode’s end, Elliott admits the restaurant was a ruse; his realtor played the host on the phone, texting back with Asian characters as part of the deception ([97:01]).
  • Quote: “It was a bit. We worked on this for six months.” —Elliott ([97:51])

8. Comics on Acting, Actors, and Sociopathy

Timestamps: 31:17–34:42, 80:04–81:25

• Acting Anxieties: The comedians discuss acting alongside legends (Joaquin Phoenix, Brendan Gleeson), with plenty of imposter syndrome (“I shouldn't be here”).
• Sociopathic Actors: They reflect on actors' ability to bomb onstage yet feel nothing—“That’s a sociopath... They’re not phased. They could put someone in a gas chamber. I could. Because I’m a Nazi sociopath.” —Elliott ([80:15])

9. Movie Buff Banter, Flaky Truths, and Top 5 Films

Timestamps: 43:07–49:00

• Fake Movie Knowledge: Tim admits to lying about his favorite movies: “I’ve never seen any of those movies... My whole life is a lie.” ([46:13]).
• Actual Top Picks: Both try to name top five films, including Bird Cage, Casino, Tommy Boy, Nixon, and The Dark Knight. They riff on classics and fake knowledge about each, playfully testing each other.

10. Reflections: Love, Jadedness, and Wanting Change

Timestamps: 89:59–94:29

• Love on the Spectrum: Inspired by the Netflix show, the comics get semi-serious, lamenting how their own capacity for innocent, electric romance has been blunted by years in comedy and substance use.

  • Quote: “A kiss does nothing for me... you have to stick your two fingers in my butthole for any response.” —Bobby ([90:14])
  • “But when I saw Connor kiss, the purity of that... that’s what love is.” —Tim ([90:31])

• Can Comedians Change? They ponder if parenthood could make them less self-obsessed, wondering whether they could be good dads.

  • Quote: “Are we selfless enough to raise children? That’s a hard question.” —Elliott ([93:01])

11. The Final Confession: The Restaurant Prank

Timestamps: 96:03–98:06

• Elliott reveals the whole “ShenChan Chen” restaurant was a ruse, engineered with help from his realtor, to showcase just how well comics can sell a lie. It's a meta-joke on flakiness, embellishment, and gullibility—a fitting coda for the episode’s theme.
  • Quote: “That’s what a good lie is.” —Elliott ([97:35])
  • “It was a bit. We worked up this for six months.” —Elliott ([97:51])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Being Flaky:

  • “I’m a flake. I’m a liar.”—Tim Dillon ([79:16])
  • “That’s what makes us great.” —Elliott ([79:04])

• On Lying & Showbiz:

  • “My whole life is a lie.” —Tim Dillon ([46:13])

• On LA’s Mood:

  • “Everyone’s to going, oh, I have no job. My house is burned down.” —Elliott ([23:49])

• On Satire:

  • “Imagine we fly in LA strippers [to North Korea]... it would blow their mind.” —Tim ([87:08])

Episode Mood & Style

• Tone: Chaotic, irreverent, subversive—equal parts roasting, riffing, and semi-serious musing.
• Language: Unfiltered, swinging between sincere and satirical.
• Dynamics: The group constantly blurs the line between fact and fiction, heightening the comedic tension with reveal after reveal.

For Listeners

If you missed the episode, know that you’re in for a wild, unscripted ride. Few podcasts can mix dark humor, self-deprecation, and industry skewering like TigerBelly. This episode is overflowing with bits that run long, honest talk about fame’s oddities, and a final prank that sums up the flakiness at its core.

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