Andy Haynes: Sectarianism, Having A Famous Wife And Fatherhood.

In this episode of "Kidding," Reece Kidd sits down with the multi-talented comedian, writer, and actor, Andy Haynes, hailing from Seattle, WA. Andy's comedy journey has taken him to some of the most iconic stages and television shows in the industry.

Andy's stand-up comedy has graced the sets of renowned late-night shows like Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and Conan, as well as Comedy Central Presents and the Pete Holmes show. His debut album, "Greatest Hits," released in 2014, has garnered laughs and applause from audiences far and wide.

Beyond stand-up, Andy's versatile talent shines in the world of television and acting. He's been featured in hit shows such as "Another Period" on Comedy Central, "Adam Ruins Everything" on TruTV, and most recently, "Loosely Exactly with Nicole Byer" on MTV. Andy's comedy brilliance extends to his work as a writer, where he served as the head writer for "HOT TAKES with Brandon Wardell" on Comedy Central. He also created and starred in "After Sheldon with Andrew Haynes" on Jash.

But that's not all – Andy is the creative mind behind the animated show "The Champions" for Bleacher Report, which is now entering its second season. His talent has earned him the status of a paid regular at both the Comedy Store in LA and the Comedy Cellar in NYC, two of the most prestigious comedy venues in the world.

Throughout the episode, Reece and Andy delve into a wide array of topics. From the nuances of Northern Irish politics to the wild tales of Liam Neeson, they touch on mental health in comedy. Andy shares his experiences performing comedy at college shows and the adjustments required for different types of comedy performances. They also explore the transient nature of fame and the significance of forging ambitious friendships in the comedy world.

Andy provides insights into his writing process and the business side of comedy, shedding light on the traits that make a comedian truly exceptional. Andy discusses his practical joke about going to Ukraine.

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Transcript

0:02

RISK IT! RISK IT! Interviews funny people So I'm here with Andy Haynes, a writer, stand-up and actor from Seattle, Washington. His stand-up can be seen on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Conan, Comedy Central Presents, The Pete Holmes Show, Comedy Central's Rose Bottle, and his debut album, Greatest Hits, was released in 2014. We're still going. Andy's a paid regular at the Comedy Store in LA and the Comedy Cellar in NYC. You can check out his special, The Card of Gramercy. Gramercy. You're nailing it. You're nailing it. On YouTube. You did it. Welcome, Andy, welcome. How are you doing? Thanks for having me, yeah. Those are all shows that are now dead. So it's aging me. But TV doesn't matter anymore, so it's good. Unless you have your own TV show, but if you just show up on a TV show, I don't think it matters. Except you guys have a good system here with the panels, like the panel shows. We don't have those in the States. I think the panel shows are gone though. I used to watch them as a kid, but I don't know how to watch them anymore. I mean, I have friends that are still like, I'm friends with Jamali Maddox and Aisling B, and they're always doing stuff and being rich and famous. And I don't know how to apply to it, but just see my bitterness come out. It's just being rich and famous. No, but like they're always posting on those shows. So I assume, but I also have never seen one of those shows even while staying in a hotel, like sifting through the channels. So maybe they're, Hard to get I've just been lying to you this whole time. They're like, yeah, no, no, they are very few. They're just there's like a people You know, there's those like instagram photographable spots like where they'll like set up like a wall that's perfect for instagram It's just a wall. It's like a set to make it look like you've been on a panel show. You just bring your friends down There's just homeless people everywhere beside you. Yeah, this is falling apart There's no show, it's just you taking a picture. What kind of Northern Irish are you? Are you a Republican or a... Oh, let's get straight into the political divide. Well, because I studied Northern Ireland in college. Wow. That was like one of my... What was your favourite, Andy? What do you want me to be? I mean, I come from Protestant Scottish people. That's the whole cast, everyone. So thank you very much for coming on. But I'm sympathetic to the Catholics because, you know, obviously they're the ones that have been subjected to a little bit of crown rule. But, you know, it's like one of those things, like I studied sectarianism in college. And so it's like with every sectarian battle, it's like at one point, one side was right. And then they just slaughtered each other for 50 years. And now you're like, well, now nobody's right. And what's the difference? I don't even know what the difference between a Catholic and a Protestant is. And now it's like, it's weird to me now because I've seen, was it in Derry this year where like stuff was flaring up again? And it was like, that's for tourism. Come see the murals, and then we'll set up a fake street battle. So even better, I'm actually half Protestant, half Catholic, or as I call it Catholic, because you don't reveal the Protestant father side, you know, just for, there's actually no issue, but I think I'm doing it. You just get a bottle in the head. Yeah, exactly, just the guilt. Yeah, I would love to go to Belfast. You know, I've heard so much about it, and I'm such a big fan of, what's his name, Jamie Dornan. He's Northern Irish. Yeah, he's Irish, or me and export, him and Liam Neeson are what's keeping us going. And Liam Neeson had a bit of a wild turn too. They gotta do a take in where it's IRA. Liam just goes full method. He's like, no, I don't need a script. I've done this in my youth. I have a special set of skills. And then it's just him and his hometown. So let's bring it the whole way back, Andy. When did you first start sounding? I started my senior year of college, which I don't think you say over here, but my last year of college. And I was very, very much wanted to get into some kind of activism. I was very idealistic. And I would go to like meetings for like Bush protests, like Bush, George W. Bush was the president. And so I would go to these meetings where people were like talking about protests or doing some kind of activism. And everybody was so boring and joyless. which I think it takes to be an activist. You can't be a fucking derelict asshole. I can swear, right? And so then I was kind of like, what should I do, what should I do? And I just saw a standup special, this guy Bill Hicks, and I was just like, oh, he's talking about the war in Iraq and he's talking about Bush. And I was like, I could just do that. And then I, just went to an open mic and this was like 2005. I went to an open mic and everybody sucked. They were so bad. And it was such a good thing to see because if they would have been good, I maybe never would have tried it. But they were so bad that I was like, I can be bad, you know, if it's all right to be this bad, I'll be bad. And so I had to drive like 90 miles to get to that. So the next week I came back down, I did the open mic and kind of never looked back. Were you straight on to the George Bush and Afghan stuff from the get go? I don't think so. I think I got there though pretty quickly. I mean, I was definitely a buzzkill. I was definitely, I definitely like, was like very idealistic. And I'll actually, I still to this point, I have this earnestness and this kind of like knee jerk reaction to kind of like go back into like political stuff. And it's like, it's so like rote, you know, it's just been done and I don't really care that much. I'd rather make people laugh than, any of this other stuff. I just don't have the political knowledge to do it. So I'm just jealous of you that you have that. I have all the knowledge. I do not know how to make it funny. And I think a lot of people that are political comics aren't funny. You know, like it's like, it's we've gotten to a point now where I think we're all so exhausted with the news feed and Twitter and that it's like, can everybody just stop? Can we just talk about how dumb the end of the world is? So how did the first gig go then? Fine? It went fine enough that I kept doing it, but I don't think it was good. I actually have a video of it somewhere because I, I went to like one of those like kind of hippie colleges where you could like design your own major. And so I like parlayed it into like college credit. Um, and so I made a little like video of me like learning how to do standup for the first year. And, um, I think I like got a few laughs. I got enough laughs that it didn't feel completely insane. I think I did well like my first two or three times, not good, like just enough. I got some giggles here, I got a pop here. And then I think like my third or fourth time I was like, I'm gonna stand up. And so I invited all my friends to come see me do stand-up and I I think I'm such an asshole I wore sunglasses on stage or something like I have such a like of just a paper-thin Self-esteem. So if you give me anything I go zero to sixty. I And I put on, I think I had like a warmup jacket, you know, like the light rain jacket that you wear for like sports. No t-shirt underneath at all. Yeah. And a fucking sunglasses and I ate shit, you know, like I was so bad and I'd invited everybody out. It was so embarrassing, but it was a good lesson. You know, I think standup's good where it like kind of, it does a lot of humbling until you kind of get, get to where you are supposed to be, you know, some people don't get it. Some people also just are good right away. They had like, you know, great childhoods or something. Do you think a great childhood leads to a good standard? No. But I think it leads to confidence, you know, and the right kind of confidence. You know, there's a lot of people that are confident because it's like they're competitive. But I think that kind of like confidence you have where your mom was just like, Hey, listen, no matter what, I love you. You know, like that kind of thing. Like they're, yeah, they're supported to feel. Yeah. Someone will be there. Yeah. Instead of. You know, they know they can go, they can go home that weekend and have like a nice supper with their folks. And they're like, hey, you know, at least you tried, you know? And then you're like, my mom would be like, oh, you're doing standup. I never found you particularly funny. Great mom. That's why I'm doing it. That's exactly why I'm doing it. I would say though that most stand-ups kind of come from a damaged place, you know, like a lack of attention. It's changing so much now because it's like, especially in the States, it's starting to be seen more as a career and like, because a thing like a content creator is like a job that you can say and people won't go like, what? I think that comedians kind of, it doesn't seem like the most illogical job. I think it's like kind of on par with saying, I'm going to be an actor or something like that. It's definitely like the place of so many insane people. So many mentally, if you go to, you know, I think open mics anywhere in the world, you're going to find somebody who's like schizophrenic and thinks that like, they're supposed to go talk into a microphone. But you know, I think that was like, I'm not like a huge Hannah Gadsby fan, I don't really know her body of work, but I remember that one special she did, she talked about how stand-up was like, you minimize all of your trauma, and so it's not productive. A lot of people would say it's cathartic, because you speak it out, and you kind of therapize that way, but I think there's so many people that are so messed up in comedy. Just go to a counselor. And also, the problem is that if they do well, then they're never gonna deal with it. You know, like Pete Davidson is like, he did stand up and then he got SNL and then he's having sex with Kim Kardashian. Like he never is going to go to therapy because it's all just worked. You know, if I, if, if, if I had done comedy and it had just kept getting better and better, I would have, you know, I would have never gotten sober. I would have never really dealt with my shit. Not that I'm, you know, fixed, but. You played seven-a-side football today. I did. That's fixed. I guess I'll give you the certificate. You have been fixed. Thank you. As an authority on this topic. I forget that I like am I'm pretty responsible. I'm just like I have so many friends that are like my same age and they like just are like now becoming like partners at a law firm or something like that. And I'm like I did a comedy show in a casino this weekend. As a winner? What are they doing? They're probably at home waiting for retirement, which they're not going to make because of the stress and just heart attack. So I don't know. I'm so enamored with like, I want like, I want like a quasi, like, like a creative job at like a, just a soulless ad agency where all of us think we're just so cool. And we make, you know, a quarter, like a quarter million dollars a year, just selling like, fertilizer that's gonna just poison a nation. But I'm like, I'm on a seven-a-side soccer team, and I have like a gym membership, and me and my wife go for strolls on Sunday, you know? Don't speak to each other, but like, yeah. We put our hands behind our back. Yeah. So when you started stand-up, did you immediately commit to like, okay, I'm going to do stand-up, I'm going to gig all the time? Or what was the... So this is like something that's very different now is there wasn't any kind of information, right? Like there wasn't podcasts, there wasn't really blogs, there wasn't really like a ton of advice like seattle where i started um everybody was like what we call a road dog which is just they were going around doing comedy like these like biker bars casinos wherever they could there was a couple clubs and like, you would kind of think about it regionally, you know? So you would say like, here we're like, there's a comedy club in Seattle and then maybe there's a comedy club in Vancouver. And then there's a comedy club in Portland. There maybe was another comedy club within, you know, a six hour drive and you couldn't headline it probably because you're not experienced enough. So you were just trying to get the opening spots or just a spot, you know? And there was like times my first year where I would drive like, you know, four hours to do five minutes. Um, And that was it, it was just getting time. But there was no career that you could look at and go like, oh, this is what I need to do next. It was kind of just try to get on these bookers' radar so you can do these horrible gigs. I'm talking like biker bars, where everybody is not happy you're there, they did not want to hear comedy, they think you are less, they're so annoyed. One of my first paid gigs I ever did was At a small casino in a small very. you know, depressed economy kind of town, and they had free pizza for the gamblers. At like a certain time, like 7 p.m., they had free pizza. And so what they would do is they would put out the pizza, open the doors, and all of these guys would come in, these like compulsive, derelict gamblers, and then you would come out and start the show, and hopefully get them to stay and watch you, you know? But they really, they were there for the pizza, not the comedy. Then I went to visit my dad in Washington, D.C. and I met a bunch of people at an open mic that were my age. They weren't these older guys that had made a living driving from Billings, Montana to Washington. Boise, Idaho, doing horrible shows. It was like kids that were 25, college educated, thought more of comedy as a career, but knew more. Like you got to get to New York, you got to get JFL, which is the Just for Laughs Festival, you have to get representation, you want to get a college agent. College agent was like a real good way to make money back then. College agents are like So colleges in the US, they'll have like a comedy show, like for usually for underclassmen just because like they don't have activities to do cause they're not, you know, drinking, uh, drinking at 21. So your first few years of college, you usually can't go out. I mean, kids drink, but, uh, So like you'd go and you'd go random day of the week and you would do college in like, you know, a small theater, sometimes bigger, and it was like a lucrative business, but you had to work clean most of the time, which I've never been. I've never been like a, especially clean comic. I'm not like vulgar, but I talked about politics. I talked about like personal stuff and, you know, It was funny, because college kids, you forget they're 18. They just left home. And so, last time I did a college gig, I think I was maybe 33 or 34, and I just had gotten divorced. And I was doing jokes about being divorced. And all the kids were just sad. They're like, my mom and dad got a divorce. Oh, man, I'm sad. I never related to those kids. So yeah, once I moved to DC, I knew it was kind of a career, but it took seeing other people that kind of had the intel. And it also took... So in Seattle, we had a good club, but we didn't get those national acts that were from New York or LA who worked in the entertainment business and who kind of knew how the system worked. So I was never getting that kind of intel. I was never going down to my local comedy club in Seattle and meeting a guy who was like, oh, you do this, and you're gonna wanna do that, and then maybe you'll get a TV writing job, or maybe you'll get a booking agent. It was just like, Once I went to D.C., there was the D.C. Improv, and I could see Louis C.K., and I could see Mike Birbiglia, and I could see, you know, Dave Chappelle or whoever it was, and then kind of glean what they were doing. So, yeah. Yeah. And in the early days, what was the worst gig you had? That pizza one was pretty bad. I was going to ask weird or worse, but it seems pretty close to that. I've done way worse. I mean, I did a gig one time. Um, it was a good gig usually, but it was at this hotel in Northern Washington, DC, that town called Bethesda. And, um, it was like in the conference rooms of the hotel. So usually the audience was whoever's staying at the hotel. And in like the late 2000s, right when Obama got elected, there was a movement, a political movement that was kind of pre-Trump called the Tea Party. And they like fancied themselves off of like the original Tea Party, the 1776 Tea Party. They were all just old diabetics. You know, it was just like the sensationalism. They couldn't just be like, we're scared because there's a black president. They had to be like, our rights, you know, he's going to force us to get insulin. there was a tea party rally in Washington, D.C., and I was doing the show, and I've always kind of poked the bear, but I didn't know who was in the audience, so I just was making fun of the tea party. Everybody in the audience was there for the tea party rally, and they were so gassed up already. They were ready to march on Washington. So I was just like, have you seen these idiots? Have you seen these fucking idiots down at the mall? And they were like, that's all us. And they started screaming. All of them stood up and started screaming. And then a few people in the audience who were not with the tea party started screaming at them and the show was over. It was like, they just like, they were like, all right, show's over and went home. Still get paid? I think I did. I think I did get paid. That was like, luckily, like a booker that I worked for a lot. And I think he kind of sided with me that like, it wasn't my fault. I mean, how would I have known? But I mean, I've done so many bad. I mean, up until recently, I've done bad gigs because I just, I've always loved comedy and It's not, I guess I don't ever think about it like gig to gig. It's just like the continuation of doing gigs, trying to get better, trying to just get as much stage time as you can, which is definitely like probably like sick because you need to have a life. So I'll take a gig, you know, like I'll just, I'll take a gig if, even when I'm like, you know, here in London, it's like, I have a few relationships with clubs, but sometimes they don't have spots or sometimes they don't get back to me. And then it's like, all right, well, I don't have a spot tonight. I should, I'm in London. I should try to find a spot. And then I'll end up doing like, you know, a back room in a pub for like five guys who just are not interested at all. And it's like, You'd think it, you know, I've been doing comedy 19 years. You'd think I'd have some like, all right, I've done that, you know, but I still will be like, what's the worst that's going to happen? And then I just, you know, bomb and feel bad about myself. With those like five people bar gigs, do you go in with like, what's the plan for you? Given that you have so much experience, is it to try new stuff or to just impress the five bartend, five people? I think I try to usually riff. I mean, you can't, that's like a mistake a lot of new comics come in with is like, that they go like, oh, these are my 10 minutes. These are my 10 minutes and I have to do my 10 minutes. So they'll just go in and there'll be no energy in the room and they'll just be like, these are my 10 minutes. And it's, I think you have to, you have to, you definitely have to adjust for every single show you're at. Right. So I think that I'll always try to start and test the temperature of the room. If I'm at the top secret and I walk in and it's almost never not completely full and it's super fucking hot and everybody's just laughing at everything, I'm probably not gonna. do much other than my act, because it's, you know, I might ask somebody where they're from or what they're doing, or if somebody's like a distraction, but I'm gonna probably just do my jokes. But if it's, you know, five people in a bar, I'm gonna fucking comment on it. You know, what the fuck are we all doing here? Why did you come out? I'm from America. Yeah. Do you know who I am? No, you don't. All right. Get them to take on Instagram. Look at that. That's a blue check. Laugh harder. That's the funny thing too is it's like you come out here and you know. Nobody knows really who Jimmy Fallon is or Jimmy Kimmel or Conan. I mean, they know, you know, like they've seen probably, you guys aren't like completely socially inept. Americans don't know any of your people, just so you know. James Corden's only representative and he's not doing well. Yeah, I mean, Craig Ferguson and James Corden. But yeah, I think it's one of those things where it's like my credits mean nothing out here. You know, I literally, the first time I came here, I messaged Top Secret. The booker there is kind of, you know, renowned, eccentric. And he, I think Ashlyn B. like introduced me, and then he did not reply. And then I was like, you know what, fuck it, I'm gonna go down there. Like, just because like, You know, I'm a good comic. He should have replied. I'll just see if I can ask him in person. And he goes, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember the email. He didn't remember it at all. He goes, what's your name? And I go, Andy Haynes. And then he goes away. And then he comes back, and he's so effusive. And it was very obvious that he had just Googled me, and I'd done Corden that week. So it just popped up, and he was like, oh, he's on Corden. It's like, he's actually a comic. And then I got spots. But it was so funny, because it was like, he was not going to pay attention to me until he saw that thing. And I don't know where we started this track on, but it's weird, because credits expire. And I think it's good to never rely on credits. A lot of people are getting famous very quickly now. It's like with the internet, there's people that, you know, especially like these kind of like straight up like clip comics, people just follow them and they'll go to their shows and they don't really know a lot about them, but they don't have to like earn that cachet. They walk on stage, it's the guy, it's the guy from the Instagram clips, you know, where in the past, I think you kind of had to do a lot And a lot, and a lot, it was like, oh, that's the guy from, I saw him on Carson, and then I saw him, I was never, I don't know why I said Carson. That's my dad's era, but like, you know, I saw this guy on Letterman, and then he did a pop-up in, you know, Broad City, and then he was on this Comedy Central thing, and then he, you know, like, and it coalesced into a career over time. But now, I mean, there's some people in New York that started During the pandemic, there's like two guys I know that started during the pandemic and they were just so good at the clip game that they have a million followers and they're selling out theaters all over the US. And it's like, I don't besmirch them for that at all. I think it's probably more the merrier. It's good for the business. But even they know, they're like, I shouldn't be a headliner yet. And they work their asses off, but it's such a different fame. Nobody, unless they were like, Plucked and they were just like already this kind of fully formed character and they got put on a sitcom or something like that Nobody grew to fame like that like ten even five years ago, you know, the Internet's changed everything So if you were to start again as a comic today, what sort of approach would you take? I mean, obviously I would do the internet stuff. I don't know how long this can last because it's like, I have, I don't know, 10 friends that are selling out a theater every night in America. That's a lot of comedy tickets and they're in every different city this is happening. I feel like every, if you aren't a comic and you don't live in New York, I feel like you just go to, every Saturday night you go to a different comics, But I don't know where these people are getting the money because it's not cheap. But I think I would – if I started it over again, I would be – and I was young, I would probably – I don't know. I guess be a little bit more business savvy, but you know, I think it's just, it's still the same thing. It's write jokes, make friends that you are challenged by and you find funny. You know, I think to some extent it's like you should be friends with people that make you feel good and value you. But I think in standup, your standup friends, I think it's really important to kind of like find people that are also, that wanna like, maybe they're not ambitious in the sense that they want to make a lot of money and get famous, but at least be ambitious with the kind of quality of comedy you're doing, you know, because it's like, it's very often that people will get into a group where you're like, that guy's so funny. And he's hanging out with all these guys who are not funny. Like I get friendship, you know, be friends with people. But as far as comedy goes, I think you gotta, you gotta kind of, there's a term in, um, like skateboarding. When I was a kid, they always told you to skateboard with people that are way better than you because you'll always improve. And I always felt like that with comedy. It was just like, try to hang out with comics that are better than me. Try to like learn from them and stuff like that. And then, you know, I think the regular stuff, you know, there's only so much space for podcasting now, but you want to have some kind of content generator and you want to show people who you are and You know, I roll my eyes all the time at what people are doing, even my friends. You know, I have friends that are like, you know, they're like, today I'm in Cleveland and I'm going to try the, you know, the monkey burger. And you're like, dude, what are you doing? Like, are you, are you like a travel show now? But It works, you know? And then all they really want to do is they want to sell tickets so they can do comedy. So I can't really like shit on them for that. But I think, you know, I think you got to be careful because it's like a black hole. You can do it so much. You've got full influence, right? You forget about the comedy, just hamburger reviews. Yeah, I mean, right now I'm like doing, I've like, fired my reps, I don't have any reps, and it's been good. I've had a really good year, but it's exhausting. It's like I do my marketing, I do my booking, I do my admin, and at the end of the day, somewhere in there, I was also supposed to write jokes, be a husband, exercise, like all these things, and obviously, there's time in the day, but it is exhausting to do all of it, and it's definitely a younger man's game. How do you manage your day to try to get everything done? I definitely try to write it out. I try to take care of the business stuff right away, first thing in the morning, which is I think every creative handbook would advise against because then you kind of sap your energy but Try to exercise every day or do something physical because I think that's important to your mental health I'm sober so I do like sober stuff like 12-step and then I don't do that every day but I definitely like to add that to my day because it mixes it up in a positive way and then I Just be a professional. If you really want to do this, treat it like a job. I think a lot of younger people kind of go into it going like, if I do this, I'll never have to work. Maybe, but it's probably, yeah, you're going to have to do like Deliveroo and Uber or whatever. Uh, yeah, I think, I think, you know, you want to approach it like you're an entrepreneur and that stuff. But I also think you have to like, it's, it's like a thin line because if you come into it with too much of that business energy, where's the funny. Well, also everybody in the business is going to be like this fucking guy. He sent me an Evite, you know, like whatever, they're not gonna like it. So you gotta be able to hang at that certain level to kind of like, you know. I'm sorry for sending you a Calendly invite to this Sunday, I do apologize. What's that? I sent you a Calendly invite. Oh, that was a hard word for the Northern Irish accent, Calendly. No, that was good. You know, I don't mind it. And I, you know, I always think it's impressive, but I think that like, There's a lot of guys that you're going to see and they're going to show up and they're going to be in their book and they're going to be looking at their jokes, like very diligently. And then they're going to watch from the back, not really joke around. And then they're going to set up their phone tripod and they're going to record their set. And then they're going to walk out the door and then. You know, that's good and all. It'll make you a better comic in the sense of like, you might be better joke writing. But you know, at the end of the day, when this is all over, the most help I've ever gotten has been from my friends in comedy, you know? Everything that I've needed. you know, longterm has been from somebody in comedy being like, Hey man, I heard this thing is like looking for people. And I thought of you or like, Hey, I'm writing a script and I wrote a character for you or Hey man, I'm putting together a room for this project. And I'm, and so it's like, you might be able to become a great comic being like, you know, the A student, but those friendships are like, that's what it's all about. And I mean, you should want to do that. That's like more fun as well. I think that's the main reason to get into this. You'll see like, There's a couple of comics I know, great comics. Everybody hates them. I didn't know that. Because they're just like, you know, like they're just, they've never made the point of being friends with everybody. And I don't, you know, you don't have to be friends with everybody, but this is, that's what this game is, you know? And it, you know, I think long-term it'll hurt you because people wanna, people, I think people wanna feel like they can trust you. And, you know, it's like, I think the more the merrier kind of stuff. Going the journey together, all that sort of vibes. Exactly. Exactly. No, yeah. I think that's a perfect example. Cause it's like, um, you know, also it's like, there's something really beautiful about coming up with people and doing those shit gigs and just really eating it and then doing, you know, running around from show to show. And then eventually somebody gets a little break and everybody in the friend group is so jealous. Great job. Yeah. But they're like, okay, he made it. Now we're in the kind of picture. And then you guys all kind of come up together and you, success ebbs and flows. But then one day, you're 40, 45 and you got kind of a career and you got kind of a history with all these people. And it's not, I don't know what it's gonna look like for you when you hit that year because God knows what comedy is gonna look like then. It might just be all of us sitting in like fucking, 3D reader machines. Apologize to each other. I remember back in 2023 when you had an amazing clip. You know, oh man, that guy, the best crowd work clips. I'll never forget his crowd work clips. It's going to be art someday. Oh God, we should all walk into the Thames. turn ourselves as a society. Well, what about the comedy? Because your stand-up special is so punchy. How do you write? I know it's a big question, but what's your sort of process? I'm a horrible, horrible writer. You wrote for everyone. I'm good at writing for other people. I'm really good at sitting in a room, like a writer's room, and somebody goes, hey, we need a joke here. Great at that. My shit, I have to fail so much at it, and it usually is really hard for me to write something down and internalize it and then go on stage. I kind of have to have an idea, and I kind of have to float it out there. and have it eat shit and then try it again and maybe have a little more progress and then, you know, find something there, you know, just a little nucleus of a bit and then build and build on that. Sometimes I can write a joke and I just know it's going to work and I go with it, but it's, um, it's pretty like, it's pretty trial and error for me. Um, and you know, I take a lot of like suggestion and if somebody gives me a tag, I'm never, uh, I've seen people who you give them a tag, and they're like, you think you can give me a tag? And it's like, yeah, we're all comics. I'd love a tag, and if it's bad, I'm not gonna use it, but if it's good, then thank you, that's so nice of you. Do you write with any other comics or anything? I don't always, but I think writing with other comics is a great way, because you really need to say it out loud. I think if you're saying a joke for the first time out loud, in front of your audience, it's probably gonna be pretty obvious. Some people are great at it. It's not me. I have to try it out with people. I also need to know, I don't know how I don't know, but after doing this almost 20 years, I still can go up and say something and have it be not funny at all. And it drives me crazy. I go, am I on the spectrum or something? Am I not getting this? Like literally, because I'm going like, I really thought that was funny and no one reacted to it. But, you know, that's a good thing. And I also think there's something to be said about writing every day. So sometimes I will get in a pattern of like free writing or just going through jokes and just really laboriously trying. It's never really stuck, that kind of thing. I do think it's good. And I think for most people, that probably is a great place to start. For me, it's almost always been, I have an idea, I'm gonna go on stage, I'm gonna just float it out there and see if I can find something in the moment. Because that also, for me, is like, I have to find something, right? If I go up there and I say, it's weird, my wife, she does this, and then I don't have anything to follow it up, It's going to be painful. So I want to make them laugh. That means so much to me. So I'll have a premise and I'll kind of, you know, always let them know if, you know, I'll say something like, I was thinking about this like cleverly. And then I have to get a laugh. And if not, then, you know, I'm punished right there. No laughter. awkwardness well i really loved in your special where you were like stay with me like it's so like anytime you say anything obviously the special is super honed but i imagine even in a situation where you're trying new material you're going to be so comfortable that they're going to be like ah andy he can say what he wants um you'd be surprised I'm a real trial and error guy. I have a bunch of bad nights. But I think one thing that's happened, and I think we're kind of on the other side of it, was throughout COVID and a little bit before that, I think it was just in reaction to like Brexit, Trump, whatever. Me Too, like all these things, people kind of realized like how much kind of bad stuff we had in the culture, that they were like very on guard for it. You know, you say the wrong kind of word to describe a group, you make joke that's at light of a group that's kind of like already being persecuted or whatever. Then I think we kind of righted the ship in the right way. It wasn't really graceful. But because of that, sometimes I have a joke where I know because I look like me, I'm a white, straight guy, and especially in America where I think we're stigmatized in a deserved way. But so if I bring up something that's about a group that's not me, I think a lot of times everybody goes, okay, what is he about to do? This is about to turn into some kind of weird rally, you know, or am I going to witness a hate crime? And I think a lot of times you have to go like, um, Hey, I'm, I know this is going to scare you, but I'm going to, I'm going to make a joke. All right. We're all going to be fine at the end of it. Nobody's going to cry. You know, sometimes people cry, but yeah, you can't please everybody. So, but I don't, I don't ever, I like to poke the bear and I like to like, you know, cause trouble, but I also never want to like piss people off. I never, there's so many comics. I don't know if you guys have it as much, but in the US, especially New York, there's comics that are like, I'm going to say the worst fucking thing, you know? And it's like, why? What a waste of time. There's like seven tours in the audience for his comedy show. Yeah, I mean, literally. I've seen that so many times where there's these comedy clubs in Times Square in New York, and they'll have these guys down on the street barking, and they'll be like, we got comics from HBO, Comedy Central. They'll have a picture of Dave Chappelle, and it's because one time Dave Chappelle maybe walked in, or whatever it is. Or walked straight back out. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And then these poor tourists that just wanted to see, you know, the fucking, all the lights in the M&M store. And then they'll go in and this guy will get up there and he'll be like, so I was fucking a dead baby. And you're like, why? Why did you do that? That's the opening act. Yeah. Opening line. Yeah. Oh, that's funny. What's the sort of worst piece of advice you hear comics being told? I think just that, the kind of like, business side of things, you know? They're just like, you wanna get in and you wanna do this, this, and this, and you gotta do this. I don't think that should be your initial, I think you should really fall in love with it and try to hone it. And like, you know, like, If you have a job, like a desk job or like some kind of job that lets you do comedy, don't try to get away from that right away. Like try to get really good at comedy and let that be your base and have a normal life and have stuff to pull from so that when you go out at night and you're telling jokes, you're not telling jokes about, you know, I've been doing comedy so long. Sometimes it's hard to talk about my life because it's like, Most people don't have like a thing where they just wake up and fuck about, you know? And also if you just do comedy then you're just always around comics and so all your friends are comics and it's just a little bit of a ouroboros or whatever. It's super dark all of a sudden. Yeah, yeah. But I think the worst advice I see is kind of people telling these new comics how to jump straight into the career path. And I think that it works for a lot of people. I mean, there's guys that have been doing it way less than me that make a way lot more money than me. I think you should really spend that kind of sweetheart moment with it, where it's not about the money. It's about the stage time, and it's about getting good and figuring out those beats and pops. Now, you live in London. It's pretty fucking expensive and stuff like that. So you've got to survive, and I understand that. But on the other side of it, it's like, this someday will become a job for you and it will not be as fun as it was when you started. So don't be rushing into the job side of it because someday you're gonna really miss those days when it was not about the money at all. Me and the boys and the three people in the pub were performing. Yeah, I mean, some of my best memories of comedy are like those nights where it was like, should have been a bad set, should have been an awful show, And it was great. And then all my friends joked about it. And then we went out and sat at a diner and, you know, shit on each other. And we all paid for one guy because he never had money, you know, whatever. Like not the most successful. Yeah, exactly. If you had to make like a super comedian from three comedians, who are you combining? What sort of traits from them would you like to take? Well, God, I'm going to try not to, it's so funny because when I answer these, I always look at Mike, I gotta get a woman, I gotta get a minority. So I would, Louis C.K. has always been my favorite comic. So I would definitely use parts of him, not the part where he shows people his penis. saying that. I know that was uncomfortable. He's a great comic, I agree. He's one of my favourites. I don't support exposing yourself. I was hoping you were going to say that's what I love about him. Not the jokes, only jerking off in front of strangers. The confidence. I really love him. I think what I love about him is his ability to talk about himself and kind of society in a very relatable kind of like, it's almost like talking about like really high cultural kind of stuff at like a dumb kind of blue collar guy level, even though I think he's never been like a blue collar guy. God, it's so weird right now because it's like, it's so hard. You know, Shane Gillis is somebody I love to watch. He's always able to, he's really straddles that line because he comes from very like blue collar, kind of small town America. And it's so funny, I'm like saying two very controversial people. I also love Shane Gillis, so you said the right people. His live at Austin special is amazing. Yeah, and just his ability to, I really envy his ability to talk to both sides, because America's so divided right now, that he does a thing where he talks about something that is very much like this side agrees with and that side totally disagrees with, but he kind of gives it a place where it's like, it's okay because I'm taking the bullet kind of thing. And so, and he's just, he's so like likable, you know, you just see this big dopey, you know, pie, pie eyed American. Yeah. So I really love Shane. And then let's give a woman or she'll die. Oh God. Super comedian. I mean, It's hard because I think African-American comics are like some of the best comics in the world just because of the vernacular of the like, I think black American culture is like the most ubiquitous like thing on earth, you know? So, I don't wanna say Chappelle though, he's too up his own ass. Let me think of... God, this is so hard. You should have asked, this is what you should have prepared. This should have been in your calendar. Feedback will be accepted at the end. What if I just said the worst YouTuber? I was like Jenna Marbles. No, I'm trying to think of somebody else that I really enjoy watching recently. Andy had the choice to choose a woman and he decided to choose no one. I'll just see my wife. I'll say my wife because it's safe. But also, no, she's just such a great comic. I think my wife is like, has this ability to take something, like an experience that I am like, we're just doing something. And it's like, she has this ability, her name's Rosebud Baker. And she has this ability to like, she, I don't know, It just, it can be like the most basic interaction and I don't see a joke anywhere in there. And then she's telling that story and it's crushing. I mean, half the reason why I don't see it is because it's usually about me. Something I told her in confidence and she's just telling the world. But yeah. Is that true? All the time. All the time. I, I, was trying to go to the Ukraine in February. And I was trying to go because- Cheap flights. So cheap right now. No, I wanted to, all these kids are doing comedy there. And I wanted to make a documentary, like I'm not a documentarian, but I was like, this would be really good content slash interesting slash something I care about. So I'm gonna go over there, I'm gonna go with a camera guy and I'm gonna do shows, but I'm also gonna talk to all these kids that are doing shows while missiles were falling. I think that's so like, crazy. I would never do comedy in a war, unless it was for the troops, I guess. I don't know. I'm not really pro-war, but... And so I told her, but I also told her... She told me she was pregnant, And then I was like, Hey, I was thinking, I hadn't told her about this yet. Like I was kind of lining up, but I kept on getting farther along in the planning, but not, I couldn't figure out how to tell her cause I knew she wasn't going to like it. And so I told her and she was like, when are we planning on telling me? And I was like, well, I kind of was going to just go there and tell you because I didn't think you'd like it. So I thought it would be kind of funny. And then she just told everybody that I wanted to go to Ukraine to play a practical joke on her. So the story she tells everybody is that I wanted to go viral for going to the Ukraine and calling her and being like, hey, I'm in Kiev. What do you think about that? That was not, that was, I thought that would be funny, but that was not why I was going. But all, you know, people keep on coming to me and being like, why would you go to a war zone just to prank your wife? And it's like- After she told you she was pregnant. Yeah. I was like, that was not the story. That was never the story. But she's more famous, so she gets to control history right now. But she's pregnant, so I've ruined her life. That's nine months she's out. She's out for a while, though. Once she's, the baby comes in October and I'm gonna just burden her with childcare and just demolish her career and then be able to tell all my stories. And what's in it for the future of Andy now? What's the plan? Well, a child in October. Congratulations. Thank you. Probably spending quite a bit of time with her. We're having a daughter, get to know her. I kind of am a little burnt out on the road. So I think I'm going to stay in New York for a couple months, maybe six months, just do no roadwork. And try to kind of, like I have a podcast, I've really been enjoying that, it's called The Known Zone, it's do it with my buddy Wilford Padua. So probably focus on that and then some writing stuff, try to go out and maybe make something longer form, like a TV show, something like that. But these are all ifs. But you've done a lot of TV writing already, haven't you? It's a great job to get hired to write a show, but I've never gone out with my show very hard. And I made a pilot last year on my own money. And so I want to go out and try to see if somebody will give me some more money to make more of that. What's the premise for the pilot? So I was a mover in New York for like, A decade. Like a rental mover? Yeah, like a, you guys call them relocation? Yes, I don't know actually what we call them. I think movers, I'm just being dumb, I just wanted to be clear. No, but I said mover in a show somewhere here and they were like, what are you talking about? But yeah, like a truck, you know, I drove a truck and I moved people's furniture from one house to another. But I did it in New York and it was awful. And it was like the most ragtag group of people. There was drug addicts and ex-felons and just crazy people. And then on top of that, it was like I would go from house to, you know, I'd go into someone's home and have to deal with their whole life from day to day. So there was just so many stories about like that. You know, I went into a person's house one time and it was just a pile of stuff. Like a room high pile of, like imagine going into a house and you go into one room and you open it and it's like dresser, bag of clothes, coffee maker, a chair, you know, just like in a pile. And I was like, what is this? And they're like, that's the stuff you're going to move. Oh, so they had, they organized the stuff. They just put it in a pile. But then like. I'm not the nice man. But then I've also lifted up a couch and there was four rabbits. Nobody told me there was gonna be rabbits. That was a surprise. I've had things where I go and the client's very clearly on drugs. I've had hoarders that are disgusting and it's just like, you have to go and you have to be like, hey, I'm not gonna do this. You need help. I'm gonna go. You need some help. This is not acceptable. There's cat shit and garbage. I shouldn't do this. I love the ambition to think that you're also going to just be like, OK, I'll clean. I'll put them over. And they'll sort it out. It's so optimistic. I think some of those people are so sick that they're just hoping you'll do it. I think one time I told a guy I wasn't going to do it, and he goes, that makes sense. Yeah, you're probably right. But I was also like, you know, that was like my mid 20s and or my late 20s and some of my 30s. And I even I had to go back to moving after being a TV writer because I relocated to New York with like nothing. I had nothing going on. So I had to reset. And before I could kind of get my job going again and get the gigs and the money, I just had to be a mover. And it was fucking Horrible because I'd had like a parking spot on a studio lot and like, you know Somebody would go and grab me lattes and then all of a sudden I'm like in the Bronx in a four-story walk-up and there's like, you know Rat shit and fucking like a loose dog and a fire burning and I'm like carrying boxes to a disgusting truck. So Why did you move? Sorry if it was good. That was just better opportunities in New York Oh, why'd I go back? Because I wasn't getting any work in LA. And I'd also burnt out on it. It's weird. It's like what I was talking about earlier, like enjoy the comedy of it before it becomes a job because LA is just like, that's all they're doing there. It's like, Birmingham used to make steel, LA makes show business. You know, and you'll like go outside in LA and like, people will be like doing a tick tock dance, like on your street. And then like down the street, another person will be taking headshots. And then you go to your coffee shop and somebody is like reading sides for like a audition they have. And it's just like, you kind of like start to just be like, I fucking hate this. Be a normal person. Well, thank you for coming, Andy. Yeah, yeah, thanks for having me, man. This has been a blast. Yeah, lots of good advice for everyone. Everyone should go check out your, what's the name of the podcast? The Known Zone. The Known Zone. And that's, it's in like all my bios on all my social media channels, but it has its own channel. It's the Known Zone pod. And we have some great guests and I'm really having a lot of fun doing it because I'm kind of a, you know, I would say that I'm slightly, I'm definitely like, I should take a test for the spectrum. because I'm having trouble making eye contact, but I can remember all my credit card numbers. You've already had Mark Norman on? Yeah, we had Mark Norman, we had Joe List, not Joe List. We had Mark Norman, Ashley Gavin, my wife. We have a guy named Rene Goubet coming on soon, who was a writer for The Bear, which is a show in the US, great actor and a writer. And a bunch of other people lined up for the whole summer. Like, you know, I'm really gonna dig into my professional relationships. Really try to grease this wheel. Yeah, well, I'm gonna go see you tomorrow. I'm very excited to see your show. A few of us are coming tomorrow to see you. Great. You're the tickets that sold. All three of us. No, you'll have a great time. Also, me as a venue, dude. You're at Angel. It's the best venue in London. Oh, I'm excited. I'd rather do the Hackney Empire, but whatever. No, next time. Thanks for having me. No worries. And if you've enjoyed it, everyone, just give it a five star, please, on Spotify and Apple. And the Instagram clips are now being posted on Caden Podcast instead of my channel, just so we can post more. And thank you very much. And thank you, Andy, for coming. Thanks, man. Have a good day, man.