Augie T “Laugh With Aloha”

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Who is Augie Tulba?

Augie T. (born Augusto E. Tulba) is an American politician and a member of the Honolulu City Council. He started his career in comedy in the 1990s but came to prominence in the 2000s.

Augie was born in 1968 and is the second oldest of six children. He grew up in the Kamehameha IV Housing Project (known to Hawaii residents as “Kam IV Housing”), in Kalihi Valley, a working-class area in urban Honolulu. He became a Golden Gloves champion boxer at age 16.

In 2002, Augie was voted Comedian of the Year as the funniest comic in Hawai’i by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and MidWeek newspapers. He is the only local comedian to sell out the Blaisdell Arena (“Augie T. – The Blaisdell Arena Show” DVD) and is recognized as one of Hawai’i’s Top 100 Influential Filipinos with an exhibit at the Bishop Museum.

To reach Augie you may contact him in the following ways:

 Email: augietbookings@aol.com
Website: https://augietlive.com/
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/AugieT

Interview Transcription

ADRIENNE: 28:26
Welcome back. And thanks for listening to the Tim Lally real estate show home of the guaranteed sold program. We’ll buy it I’m Adrian and I’m Attilio. And if you have any questions, just give us a call it’s 7999596 or check us out online at Team lally.com.

ATTILIO: 28:43
Our guest is an American politician and a member of the Honolulu City Council. He started his career in comedy in 1990s but came to prominence in the 2000s.

ADRIENNE: 28:53
He was born in 1968 and is the second oldest of six children he grew up in the Kamehameha was a five housing project known as to the Hawaii residents is cam five housing in Kalihi valley, a working class area and urban urban Honolulu. He became a Golden Gloves champion boxer at age 16.

ATTILIO: 29:14
In 2002, Auggie was voted comedian of the year as the funniest comic in Hawaii by the Honolulu Star Bulletin and midweek newspapers, he’s the only local comedian to sell out the Blaisdell arena. Auggie T Bloodsail arena showed Oh, you have a DVD and is recognized as one of Hawaii’s top 100 influential Filipinos with an exhibit at the Bishop Museum. Wow. I did not know that. And he has a he has a brass statue in Waikiki. Oh, wait, no, that was that’s the Duke sorry.

ADRIENNE: 29:48
They do. That’s coming next.

ATTILIO: 29:49
Some different Filipino labor economists. Anyway, Auggie? Are you there?

Unknown Speaker 29:55
That’s that was pretty impressive, right? Yeah.

AUGIE T: 29:57
Did I do all that?

ATTILIO: 29:59
You know, this is like In the 50s, you know that show this is your life.

ADRIENNE: 30:05
An amazing guy.

AUGIE T: 30:08
I’m listening as I like, go do a fact check myself. I’m, I’m so, so thankful and I’ve lived a pretty colorful life. Yeah. And

ADRIENNE: 30:21
you still got more and you know, I think the best is yet to come.

ATTILIO: 30:24
Yes. So, so, yeah, Auggie, the, you know, I know this is what we will say disclaimer, we got to get out of the way. This is not this is not

ADRIENNE: 30:34
endorsed by the City and County of Honolulu

ATTILIO: 30:37
salary. Yes, endorsed by the City and County of Honolulu but but endorsed

ADRIENNE: 30:42
by Adrienne and Attilio. Family,

AUGIE T: 30:45
thank you. City council, because we have a full day of hearing so that I can do this radio show because this is an important radio show. You guys are getting so much information. And first of all to say thank you guys for you know team Lally, for gifting kids to come see the show next week. Saturday. I appreciate you guys.

ADRIENNE: 31:11
Last week. Aloha. Let’s let’s talk a little bit more about that. And how our listeners can support and and help this very important cause

ATTILIO: 31:21
the Hawaii theater. Yeah.

AUGIE T: 31:24
Yeah, so what happened was, you know, with the help of great, great sponsorships, you know, after being locked down for almost two years, I just felt like it was a need to like, come back and do something to get people out of their homes, sitting down laughing. And sort of theater, I had to rent the theater for a day. And I was like, Man, that’s a lot of bread to it the theater. So I was like, What do you think if you guys could help me out and we do something cool. Do a matinee, you know, if I first responders invite, you know, Kupuna families that have assistance, and, of course, the militaries. And they’re like, yeah, we can do something like that. But yeah, want to do the tickets at 10 bucks. Can we do a $10 ticket? Because we all know, like the historic Hawaii theater, you know, the beautiful renovation and they try to keep the theater pristine, you know, there was like, Okay, let’s do it. Let’s do it. Yeah, so many of us have never been to the theater. And one of the things that really inspired me, as a young man growing up in Killeen, was I was introduced to the arts at a very young age. And I, you know, went to a theater show, and it blew my mind, you know, and I changed the way I saw life, how and what I wanted to become, you know, so I just felt like it was a great opportunity to bring people to the theater, and witness, you know, if its attainment of performance, and hopefully, it’ll inspire, you know, kids in there, who, you know, what I’ve checked up on, like what I’ve done in my past, and I can tell a cool story of how it all started for me. And it was coming to a performance and you know, watching an entertainer like blew me away when I went in fourth grade, like I told myself, that’s what I wanted to become on and become a stand up comedian. Oh, wow. It is because I was brought to a performance because you know, my, like aging. When she introduced me I grew up in public housing. So going to these performances was like almost cannot because he just couldn’t afford it.

ATTILIO: 33:45
You sitting at home no more he sees when you will call it off. You come to this thing. Oh, wow.

ADRIENNE: 33:51
He was sitting in his

ATTILIO: 33:53
chair can Yeah, we couldn’t hold his devotees when he put pants on for the show. Yeah, the pants on for the show. I saw like I was I was at I was on an EVO beach and I saw some graffiti and it said got by buddies. Like who is walking around with no underwear that they have to have this reminder, surprise, got debris,

AUGIE T: 34:19
surprise. Attilio Yeah, you’d be surprised. Well,

ATTILIO: 34:23
after the after the pandemic, I went Commando. Just kidding. No,

AUGIE T: 34:29
I’m not so like, you know, for me, it was just kind of like, what a great opportunity to one. Do a theater and do a performance in the theater that where it’s all it all started for me. You know, I’ve been in this career now for 30 years, but I never stopped making money about the 15 year and I did that I did the show at the Hawaii theater. You know, we videotape. And at that time, people bought, you know, DVDs and and videotapes. said, I was able to withdraw money, you know, send my kids to school. Just you know it, and it kind of propelled my career. So, going back 30 years, to the time I started, like, so, you know, it’s not only gonna be fun, but hopefully inspiring for people that’s coming to watch the matinee show that people that you guys supporting, you know, to, to come out and watch the show, which you guys sponsorship. So I’m excited about. I’m more excited about the matinee show than my nighttime show, which we will be filming. Because you know what it represents? So thank you guys for doing that.

ADRIENNE: 35:41
Augie is there? Is there still tickets available for the for the nighttime show?

AUGIE T: 35:47
Yeah, sure. So both Yeah, both both the daytime show, if you want to take advantage of the $10 ticket, you gotta go to the theater box office. So again, if you’re a first responder, military kupuna over 65, and you have family assistance, like the EBT card, all you have to do is go down to the theater, and show that identification. And I’ll give the tickets were 10 bucks. And it comes in a theater fee. Because we want to keep the theater pristine. If you want to go to the nighttime show. You can buy those tickets online or at the box office tickets start at 20 bucks, even 20 bucks over last time you went to any show and pay 20 bucks.

ATTILIO: 36:30
That’s you spend more money?

ADRIENNE: 36:33
I know.

AUGIE T: 36:34
Yeah. Yeah, here’s the kicker. So if you buy tickets online, so the tickets start at 20 bucks for a nighttime show, and at your checkout the discount code, if you put in Domino’s because they’re one of our sponsors, yeah, they’re knocking off $10 Off the ticket. Wow. So 2030 and $50 ticket, you can, you know, put the promo code and it’ll pick up 10 bucks 10 bucks from the, from the original price. So taking damage around, I’m like, you know, I’m at a point in my career where, like, I’m having so much fun. And, you know, I’ll take a team leader because Attilio you know, he mentors me. And in the beginning, I gotta get on schedule. You know, and, and I’m telling you, I’m able to wear three hats because of just now understanding the importance of, you know, living by like caliber, you know, because you find yourself scattered all over the place and you cannot do that. And remember because I’m having so much fun Yeah, go ahead.

ATTILIO: 37:46
Remember in the beginning I said Auggie when you say shoots through everything you saying shoots to nothing.

ADRIENNE: 37:54
Some time blocking. He has some time blocking and time management.

ATTILIO: 37:58
I’ll use this word from wine. I know. Oh, can you come to this? Can you come do that? Can you come do this and then over there and it’s all at the same time in three parts of Ireland. No.

AUGIE T: 38:08
So so so you know prior to that right prior to that I I did that I live my life because I felt like I needed to be everywhere I needed to be in front of people and then they started doing this job here the city council and and I realized you know, when you responsible for over 157,000 registered voters, you’re not gonna make everybody happy. You cannot split yourself up in you know, four or five augis And you gotta you gotta gotta be discipline and never realized that until I get a month into it. And it’s been almost two years and I still learning but I’m understanding the importance of living by a calendar because and you’re not going to satisfy everybody. No, no you like you know driving yourself crazy. And trying to do that and you know, the beautiful thing is because this job is so stressful. I get the opportunity to jump on stage on the weekend. It’s my for my own personal mental health people always ask me why do that? Are you doing radio in the morning and then go to city council and then doing stand up on a weekend just because it helps my my own mental illness? And I will perform me

ADRIENNE: 39:26
so Okay, so you have a radio morning show? What channel can our listeners find you on and listen to you and from what time? Yeah, where can you tune in? More Auggie

AUGIE T: 39:38
is the last dial on the radio 1079 decades so if you love listening to Fleetwood Mac Michael Jackson, Huey Lewis, you know who else Elton John. I think you’re gonna enjoy listening to us in the morning.

ATTILIO: 39:55
Deep Purple Judas priests. No, no, it’s more of my Cool.

AUGIE T: 40:00
Yeah. Rebellious in the morning,

ADRIENNE: 40:04
I like to listen to you guys on my way into the gym. Yeah, because we go to our 615 workout every morning and a 45. And yeah, always listening to to Auggie. Appreciate

ATTILIO: 40:16
you. Well, I think you know, I think what’s important for you and your your political pitch position. This show is not endorsed by City County of Honolulu is that the you really have your finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the community, because you’re in the community, you’re in the trenches, as we say, serving.

AUGIE T: 40:37
Yeah. And the way we’re going to change our community is not relying on government, but really having great private and public partnerships, working with nonprofit. I think that’s the most exciting part about being in this position. I already did that prior to coming into office, but the office gave me the ability to put the right people in the room and go, What can we do to help change our community? Like really change our community? So like, that’s the one thing that I’m like, so, so thankful for that, you know, it gave me that opportunity.

ATTILIO: 41:13
Well, you know, Abraham Lincoln said, You can’t keep all the people happy all of the time. And, and Uncle Wally from Cali, he said, you know, you can’t piss off some of the people some of the time, but you can piss off all of the people all of the time. No, no, that was the first one can keep all the people happy all of the time. You gotta realize that right? You know, if you try to keep everybody happy. It’s not it’s impossible. It’s yeah, it’s

AUGIE T: 41:43
I don’t know how you. I don’t know how you do it with Attilio. Because you don’t know if he’s serious. Or he charged you a curveball.

ATTILIO: 41:50
You know, it’s like I’m a boxer, you got to keep you on the ropes. keep you on your toes.

ADRIENNE: 41:56
He gets sidetracked a lot. Yeah. Bring him back. Bring him back.

ATTILIO: 42:00
My favorite line is what was I talking about? Yes. always helped me out.

ADRIENNE: 42:05
Okay, so Okay, so back to the left with aloha, that’s on September 17 is the date and you have an afternoon show and an evening show. There’s still tickets available. We have reduced price tickets for our first responders, military kupuna.

AUGIE T: 42:23
And families with assistance now unless you have like, EBT card, and yeah, you just show your card, and you can get those $10 tickets. With the fee. You know, I’m excited about this routine, because, you know, it’s a new routine. And of course, you know, you got to do some of your classic favorites is like going to watch print. And he loves seeing Purple Rain. So, you know, I understand that. But I’ve just, I’m having so much fun. And I never realized because there was a Saturday, two and a half years ago when I said Sue’s gonna be my last shows small parties. And I was really serious because I wanted to, you know, get focused and, and really learning how to do this job good. The city council, but after being locked up like most people, and I realized how much I miss comedy and how much it’s so important in my life.

ATTILIO: 43:16
I remember you went to a parole officer said You know, I got to do new things locked up. Don’t mean that like that. We mean like the COVID right home sheltering

ADRIENNE: 43:25
I’m sure you got lots of new stories to share that are like quite hilarious. Yeah.

AUGIE T: 43:32
It was my wife was my wife. She was like, do we have quality time, and we had quantity time that she just wanted to keep me out of the house.

ATTILIO: 43:39
Too much quality time.

AUGIE T: 43:40
So too much too much now.

ADRIENNE: 43:42
So are you gonna ask so is the matinee show? Is it like more of a, you know, clean comedy evening is where they’re both or you know, it’s all clean

AUGIE T: 43:53
things that I’m so thankful for is that I you know, I’ve always worked clean, you know, and, and so the daytime show is just something you know, like I said, it’s a giveback show, and I know that majority that people are gonna be in a show, because sponsors, you know, you know, supporting a group, or, you know, giving the tickets away to people who really, you know, need me to last. So like I’m looking for the show is not different, the same show. So, you know, I’m ready to, I mean, doing all these small shows, if you following me on social media, I mean, going to places like Kohala places like Pahala who I mail, you know, because I like a lot of other comics. I can just show up, you know, to do like an open mic people who unexpected, you know, 100% again, for me, I felt like I needed to work on my routine, and I needed to get on I needed stage seven only way I could get facetimes is like you know, go find small neighborhood and charge a 10 box and go work out. So they want to work out this last couple of last couple of weeks jumping on stage and you know really fine tuning this show, so I’m excited about it. I’m looking forward to making a lot of people laugh.

ATTILIO: 45:18
You know what I love about Auggie? He’s so dedicated. He even went Niihau and he did his whole show and even hiked down to Kalaupapa. Seacrest in the world he hiked all the way down.

ADRIENNE: 45:35
But for real, though, he did go out to youth challenge, I know that you go out to youth challenge quite frequently and you speak to those kids and inspire them and make them laugh. So

AUGIE T: 45:51
yeah, and I love I love going because you know, in some small ways, that was Attilio 2030 years ago

ADRIENNE: 46:05
inspiring little Attilio errs.

ATTILIO: 46:09
Really happy to be here. I call her lava. You know, all you bomb craters. I’m glad you came out to see my show. But, you know, I think humor, I think what what people really are attracted to you and why they want to follow and you’re a good leader is that, you know, we see the same thing about us in real estate. We don’t take ourselves seriously, but we take what we do seriously.

AUGIE T: 46:34
Right? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, no. And I realized that, you know, this is much more than just, you know, getting on stage and being it was it was, it’s a business. And, you know, you need to take care your business, and I’ve been blessed. 30 years, I was doing it when I had to walk around, put posters around town, and try to beg to get on anybody’s radio show. Now, you know, the kids get the social media depressed and they become stars. Yeah. You know, to last this long, 30 years, you know, it’s just a testament of hard work. You know, no, no, no bragging, it’s just, you know, I, I walk into places and I still get the same feeling. You know, I’m just blown away that people came when spend some money to watch a guy talk and tell stories. And I think that’s the coolest thing they do. Everything is a coolest business anybody can get into so, you know, if you know, some kid or someone gets inspired on snick, Saturday, you know, I did, you know, I did what I think God has planted me on this planet to do is make people laugh and, you know, hopefully inspire a next generation of local comics that

ATTILIO: 47:55
are like, well look at it is you you have a profession and a trade that very few people are successful at. We were in New York City, right? We were in Greenwich Village. We went to all the cleverest comedy, comedy places, you know, you’d be out there and Dave Chappelle might show up or Jerry Seinfeld or you know, Eddie, these guys, and they’re really testing out their comedy. And, you know, most of these guys are just they’re working the door, they’re handing out flyers, they’re hustling, they’re hustling for you, you know, you’re hustling in a different way and giving back to the community and that it’s not just one comedy thing after another thing and you just trying to build up yourself as an entertainer. You are playing at the one of the toughest gigs on the planet, which is down at the not at the City Council and and you know, having to partake in the, you know, all of that decision making down there which is critically important for our community.

ADRIENNE: 48:49
Auggie? Do you use humor to get through to the others when you’re trying to get your point across to get them on your side? Sometimes

AUGIE T: 48:57
it’s an interesting place because I I tried give me as an example, couple months into, you know, winning the election, I sit on the parks committee, and I chaired the parks. Mexico gave us a gift of a hippopotamus and now going through the whole process you know, you have to hear from the director from the zoo the administration and either you ask questions like is the hippopotamus gonna be here time? They do they be and say my very everybody has a cadence, you know people talking like cadence and they’re talking abbreviations and you know, I have to learn how to fit in and then you know, after asking is any reservations anybody else want to speak? Okay, then I did. You Is anybody here to speak on behalf of APL, potamus kind of throwaway line. And everybody was like, kind of looking at me, like, oh my god, this is this place is dead dry, like, nobody caught on that I just, you know, just kind of tune in something just to make people laugh. But, you know, because people, serious people, you know, people want to see their leaders get stuff done, and I get it, I do. But I do find that being an entertainment for the last 30 years has been bringing, you know, especially when it’s a heated debate, and people get very passionate, you know, I can call it kind of walk into the room and go, Ooh, let’s just kind of calm down a little bit, you know, using maybe a little humor. But like, at the end of the day, like, I think I was brought here to, like, bring people together. And like, there’s no reason for me not in high school anymore. To sit down. Let’s agree to disagree. Yeah. You know, and, you know, I, that’s one of the biggest reasons why I love doing it is because, man, you learn, and I’m a people watcher. So, like, I’m learning from so much different people, so much great leaders, and interesting people in our community, you listen to them, everybody has some unique ideas, people get some great solutions. You know, and that’s the cool thing about doing it is because now, you know, I get to, I get to be a part of an amazing discussion that maybe can help change policy. And, you know, at the end of the day, we want to make our lives easier, in a way. And that’s that’s what I fight for every day. I try to.

ATTILIO: 51:47
I mean, how can you stay focus on that topic? I mean, I’ll be thinking about was that happy hippopotamus game? Are you hungry hippo Hungry, Hungry Hippo game? And like, that’s what I’ve been thinking the whole time talking about this hippopotamus. Maybe like directly your question

AUGIE T: 52:07
making sure that I, the one place that we still go to that free. I mean, if he just calls you I speak about, you know, people love coming into Hawaii. But, you know, we’ve had challenges with toilet paper at parks. You know, you see some of our parks on the west side and so dilapidated, you know, I just think like, just imagine if, you know, we were known not only as the most amazing place to come to, but our parks, green, clean, the one place where you still can go to it’s free. A lot of man, I, you know, if I had that magic one, that’s what I do. Because that’s what we learn a lot of our social skills, a lot of, you know, the way we view life because of what we did in the parks. Yeah. And that’s what I love being the chair parks because I want to, you know, gosh, I walked to some of our parks. I just, well, remember.

ATTILIO: 53:08
We’re not gonna support you with a park cleanup. Yes, I’m gonna shout on that. So we need to do some parks,

ADRIENNE: 53:14
join you and have a beach or a couple of nights wherever you let us know. We’ll be there.

ATTILIO: 53:18
Just like when we have our best guests on the show. Time runs out and we are out of time.

ADRIENNE: 53:23
So until next time, Augie Council, get back to work. All right. Thank you.

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