Interview: Comedian Tony Dabas finds his voice in stand-up comedy

Comedian Tony Dabas. Photo Courtesy of Tony Dabas.

Stand-up comedian Tony Dabas chatted about his career in comedy and entertainment.

Regarding his daily inspirations as a comedian, he remarked, “I get inspired a lot by real-life experiences such as watching how humans behave, different cultures, understanding idiosyncrasies of the cultures, and just being a genuine person and listening to people and the golden stories they tell you.”

Future plans

On his future plans, he shared, “My plans for the future include a worldwide tour, building my fanbase with my audience, and then parlay that into movies and TV shows that I will take part in writing and producing alongside my brother.”

Governor’s Comedy Club performances

On performing at Governor’s Comedy Club, he exclaimed, “It feels amazing. I’ve been doing stand-up for 10 years.”

“The last three years have been the most impactful because I worked at Governor’s starting two years ago, and it has given me the opportunity to expand my time on stage,” he elaborated.

“Also, performing to a larger audience consistently helps give you confidence, and it also helps you control larger crowds on a regular basis,” he added.

The digital age

On being a comedian in the digital age, he said, “I guess it could be challenging. For some people, it definitely takes some getting used to.”

“I find myself feeling like an old man in a young body because I hate technology, but it’s a necessary evil to succeed in this business especially now in the age that we live,” he added. 

Moments that defined him

On his defining moments, he shared, “Three years ago I had a heart attack from an edible that was laced with fat, which had my heart stop for over 20 seconds. I was revived in the hospital.”

“I spent the night contemplating my life. At that point, I had spent two years on a hiatus from stand-up comedy from 2018 to 2020 and I spent that night in the hospital thinking about my life what I’ve done in the past the six years of comedy that I had done and how I left it all because I was afraid to fail,” he explained.

“Also, I was able to think progressively more and more aggressive about comedy, and my presence on social media, so I would say that definitely defined me,” he noted.

Advice for young and aspiring comics

For young and emerging comics, he said, “Believe in yourselves.”

“You have to go into it knowing you are succeeding and feeling those emotions before they happen because truly successful people don’t have a vision of failure; a lot of times, they know it will work eventually,” he acknowledged.

Success

On his definition of success, he said, “Success could mean a lot of things for a lot of different people. I used to be 300 pounds. I lost 140 pounds, so I guess I am successful already.”

“I have accomplished quite a bit of things but success, for me, means that I have the ability to take care of my family and friends, not just financially but to also leave a mark, so even when you die years later, your name will still be remembered. That is success,” he explained.

Message for his fans and followers

For his fans and followers, he expressed, “I really appreciate everybody who follows me and goes with me on this journey I really feel blessed to be living the life I’m living because it sure as shit could be going a different way.”

Dabas continued, “I spent many years trying many different things alongside comedy and I hope to get rich quick schemes, but at the end of the day, all I had to believe in myself and anyone who has out there watching me if you have this feeling inside but you want to chase something and you’re not doing what you love 100 percent, then do what you have to do to make it happen.”

“Then, make what you want. Your career eventually happens down the road; you just have to believe it and it will be possible,” he concluded.

To learn more about Tony Dabas, follow him on Instagram.