Jones' Bbq and Foot Massage: Behind the Scenes of the Legendary Viral Commercial
By Alexander Ross
Long before slipping into the guayabera shirt of Toby Jones, Robert L. Hines spent decades grinding through the demanding Chicago stand-up comedy circuit. Hines started performing in the late 1980s, sharpening his timing in competitive urban comedy clubs across the Midwest. His comedy relied on observational street smarts, sharp cadence, and an ability to embody larger-than-life working-class personalities without slipping into broad caricature.
That discipline proved critical when Hines crossed paths with independent filmmaker Pedro Flores. Flores possessed an innate grasp of early online distribution and wanted to produce offbeat, rapid-fire sketches that felt like genuine public-access television oddities. When Flores pitched the concept of a brazen entrepreneur pitching smoked meat alongside foot care, Hines did not play it as a joke. He played it with absolute commercial sincerity. That creative choice elevated the sketch from an ephemeral gag into enduring comedy history.
Alexander Ross has covered the video game industry for a decade, writing deep dives on game design, esports tournaments, VR developments, and gaming culture.
