Lollipops and Candy Crushes by Mary McGinn literature
I meet with Big Tim Murphy on the back patio of local craft beer bar , The Thirsty Topher . This is not my usual interview . First , Big Tim Murphy isn ’ t what comes to mind when one thinks literary . He writes , but you probably won ’ t fi nd his content in a book or a magazine . Big Tim Murphy writes jokes . He ’ s a local stand-up comedian who ’ s been on the Central Florida scene for the better part of a decade . The second thing that differentiates this interview is the fact that he ’ s vending hot dogs . I roll up on his cart around the same time as a hungry older couple . They order some dogs and ask him about his lollipops . Murphy also sells suckers . They ’ re called Big Tim ’ s Fancy AF Lollipops and come in a variety of fl a- vors , including White Male Tears and Toasted Coconut .
“ I started comedy about this time in 2009 ,” he says after the couple has been squared away . He started at a place called the Why Not Lounge . This bar inside the Holiday Inn on I-4 and Wymore started doing comedy on Tuesday nights in the early ’ 90s . It was open until 2015 and saw both Carrot Top and Daniel Tosh as hosts . “ The crowd was usually people who were drinking on a Tuesday inside a hotel bar , so it tended to be kinda sad .”
When Big Tim Murphy started comedy , it wasn ’ t the same scene . “ In the last fi ve years , we ’ ve experienced a renaissance .” Back then there was no Spacebar , no Drunken Monkey . “ There was Why Not . There was Austin ’ s [ Coffee ] which is still happening Sunday nights . Craig ’ s been hosting that for … shit … no one knows how long it ’ s been going on , it ’ s been going on for so long . And then occasionally , for a little while , there was a place called Cracker House in St . Cloud that did an open mic . It was everything you ’ d expect .” Now , it ’ s different . “ We ’ re probably the best place to start comedy . We have a very supportive scene .”
These days , Murphy really digs The Bull & Bush . This low-key bar in the Milk District is home to comics the fi rst and third Saturday of every month . The Milk District is a hub for the comedy community with mics at Barley & Vine , Drunken Monkey , and Spacebar . You can also fi nd comedians down the road at Dandelion Communitea Café for their Tuesday night open mic , and Natura Coffee & Tea ’ s Penguin Knife Fight in East Orlando . “ There ’ s a lot more indie stuff , a lot more art stuff ,” says Murphy . “ Larry Fulford started doing Life ’ s a Gift , which is a comedy game show thing .”
Murphy likes the indie stuff . He ’ s one of the organizers of the Orlando Indie Comedy Fest , which admittedly is “ only called Orlando Indie Comedy Fest because Orlando Comedy Fest was taken the year before .” He ’ s thrown a roast of Pokémon , puts on a pool party comedy series in his backyard ( the next one is April 2 ), and hosts Shady Brunch , a quarterly Sunday series at Will ’ s Pub .
I leave the interview with a hankering for a lollipop and a small crush on Big Tim Murphy . Making money through art in Orlando isn ’ t always the easiest task , especially when your medium is standup comedy . His fi rst year , he performed 36 weekends for free . He ’ s put in time and work to develop his craft and bring up the scene . Now , Murphy supports himself through creative entrepreneurial pursuit . He ’ s given his fans an easy means to support him and also eat delicious treats .
If you want to fall for Big Tim Murphy as well , catch him live on April 16 at the Orlando Improv , or just try a Fancy AF Lollipop .
Photos by Mary McGinn
You can see more at : @ BigTimComic
Orlando Arts & Culture , v . 2.4
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