Stand-up comedian and volunteer Anton Timoshenko gave an exclusive interview to the Wave RBC.UA project, where he decided to be unusually candid. The artist, known for his sharp jokes, opened up about topics that often remain taboo in Ukrainian society in a blitz-interview format: from personal finances to fear of the future.
Money: taboo or reality?
Timoshenko immediately noted that for Ukrainians, the question of money is the "most intimate question." According to his observations, people are ready to discuss details of their intimate lives but hide their income. The comedian gave a cynical but illustrative analogy: "I love it doggy-style because 1 minute of orgasm doggy-style is 15 minutes human-style".
However, when it came to specific figures, the artist admitted that his limit is $1,000 a day. He warned that exceeding this amount would lead to a stroke. At the same time, he expressed an ironic fear: "What if mom reads this interview and finds out I spent a thousand dollars a day".
Envy and competition
In the Ukrainian stand-up community, according to Timoshenko, there is healthy competition. He listed colleagues he envies in a good way. This list included Yegor Shatailo, Sergey Chirkov, Anna Kochegura, Nastya Zuhvala, Sergey Lipko, and Evgeny Evsyukov — for their talent and unique phrasing.
The artist expressed special admiration for those who master improvisation: Vasya Baidak and Roma Myshcheriak. He also separately noted Mark Kutsavalov for his Lilu character and Roman Shcherban for his charisma.
As for comparisons with legends, Timoshenko does not strive to surpass Evgeny Petrosyan. On the contrary, he believes that being worse than Petrosyan is already an achievement, and comparing himself to him means being "worse than Petrosyan".
War and humor
The topic of war inevitably touched the sphere of humor as well. Timoshenko admitted that humor changes during war, but did not go into details, limiting himself to stating the fact. He also answered a question about presidential ambitions, noting that most colleagues do not think about going into politics for various reasons.
Advice to my 18-year-old self
Concluding the blitz, the comedian gave advice to his younger "self." He urged not to worry, as "everything will be super in the future." However, he added an important caveat: "But the Russian language pushes you back." This phrase became a concise summary of his views on identity and cultural context in modern Ukraine.
