 Hughes' early comedy was influenced by Bill Cosby and the works of Woody Allen, particularly his books "Side Effects" and "Without Feathers" as well as a 1965 recording of one of Allen's stand-up shows that Hughes had owned on audio cassette.Hughes has also cited having been influenced by the comedy of Richard Pryor, Dave Allen, George Carlin and Eddie Murphy.Hughes' comedic style has also been influenced by the political and subversive humor of Bill Hicks, as well as the spoken word performances of musicians Henry Rollins and Jello Biafra.