Sumith Prasad
In Netflix’s sitcom ‘Tires,’ Shane Gillis’s character, also named Shane, is a mechanic who is an outspoken man with a controversial way of life. His words and remarks are as sharp as the comedian’s stand-up bits. As the show’s first season progresses, Shane shines with his unfiltered wit, just like the comedian does in his specials. His brutal honesty not only makes him a polarising part of the Valley Forge Auto empire but also raises concerns as far as his customers are concerned. Since the comedian’s character has the same name as him, it is tough to ignore the possibility of them having a connection beyond the sitcom!
Shane Gillis Was Never a Mechanic
Shane Gillis never worked as a mechanic before becoming a comedian. The only connection he has with the profession is that he was born in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, a town renowned for the settlement of mechanics that can be traced back to the 1800s. Having said that, he did sell Hondas for a while before establishing himself as a comedian, which was the only time he was a part of the auto industry. His career selling vehicles didn’t last long, as he went abroad for another job. Gillis was actually a teacher before becoming a comedian. After graduating from West Chester University, Pennsylvania, with a degree in history, he ended up in Spain to teach English.
Even though Gillis’ experiences as a Honda seller might have helped him place his character Shane in a similar industry in the show he co-created and co-wrote, the biggest similarity between the two doesn’t have anything to do with cars. Both Gillis and Shane were football players when they were young. The comedian played as an offensive tackle while attending Trinity High School in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. He was also a part of the football team while he was attending Elon University in North Carolina, but his sports career was more or less limited to practicing with the stars.
What makes Shane a very personal character to Gillis is their characteristics rather than their profession. Gillis was infamously fired from ‘Saturday Night Live’ when a video of him allegedly making racist, sexist, and homophobic comments surfaced. These politically incorrect jokes can be paralleled with Shane’s words and attitudes in the series. The fictional mechanic sexually targets and objectifies women and even goes on to make them uncomfortable by demonstrating how he usually has sex in front of his customers. Shane’s unflinching attitude is not drastically different from Gillis’ in real life.
Gillis has described himself as “a comedian who pushes boundaries.” The description also matches his character, Shane, as he keeps on delivering shocking and controversial remarks about gender, sexuality, and workplace discrimination. Gillis’ stand-up performances are often filled with these unexpected bombs, which he shares now with his character in the sitcom. Gillis and Shane are not the same person. While the comedian is regarded as one of the brilliant minds working in the industry, the latter has to be condemnable for a large part of the show’s viewers. Still, the similarities between them cannot be any more evident.
