Ok Nice with Tony Zaret
Meme king Tony Zaret stops by for a few questions and a playlist.
I’ve never felt more seen than when I first scrolled through Tony’s instagram page, which has rightfully garnered over one hundred thousand followers.
Just as there’s a place for mainstream/often toxic commercial memes like FuckJerry, LADbible, and the guy who holds up a sign that says what everyone is definitely thinking—that’s great, whatever—there’s also a flip side that appropriates existing formats like these and dunks on them in the most self-deprecating, unpolished, and hilarious way possible. Obviously it’s all in good fun, but it also serves as a counter to some of the worst stuff you’ve seen online.
It’s just refreshing to see something like ‘😆😆This is too true LOL😆😆’ with a picture of a guy eating a hamburger that has nearly 12,000 likes. Or this one, which racked up nearly 18,000 likes.
No one has highlighted and made sense of modern-day internet culture like Tony, and I urge you all to look at his work. I truly believe it’s art and he’s one of the greatest comedians of our time. Would love to see a Tony Zaret exhibit at MoMa someday.
What's your day-to-day like?
I get up around 7 and look at Social Media to see if anything inspires me to make an Offensive Meme or Savage TikTok, then I do that. Then I work on my YouTube or any other longer video for a bunch of hours, some days I go do stand up comedy, and if I've made progress on everything then you know what that means - it's gamer time. Then finally before I go to sleep around 11 I record Cameos for the fans who want me to yell 'Big Chungus' and I check my Tumblr and respond to all the people asking if my posts are 'satire.'
Is there any advice you've been given that you run with? Or anything you keep in mind while working?
I read that book 'The War of Art' which says to work on your Art every day, and after 10 years of doing that I now get booked to yell 'Big Chungus' on Cameo.
What's your go-to beverage when you're out and why?
Beer, for guy's.
Favorite piece of art and why?
A still frame of Bugs Bunny that appears in the Merrie Melodies cartoon Wabbit Twouble, first shown on December 20th, 1941. In the short, Bugs is mocking Elmer Fudd, who in this cartoon was made much more portly than his previous and more iconic design.
What's your favorite thing you own?
My PC Gaming Rig (see attached)
Anything you'd like to plug?
Gaming.
Check out Tony’s playlist for ok nice here.
Follow ok nice on instagram.
