Blogging As If Anybody Asked Me To

Believe it or not, I have gotten a handful of messages of appreciation for my ranty comedy blogs, and even a column I did a decade ago called “Comedy Nerd Out.” Just so y’all know, I usually blog about something as a way to reiterate my own principles about shit and externalize things I’d like to hold myself accountable for. I don’t claim to know everything, and there are many ways to go about something as vague and lawless as comedy, but I like to remind myself of my thought process, and also I am stubbornly determined to be the last tumblr content creator. 

I have to admit, I am over the moon right now that I get to do comedy again. I wish I was cool enough to already be over it and jaded, but I only dork out harder on this shit. I am in Atlanta now after being in NYC for almost 10 years and I am loving the change of scenery and finding it easy to focus on the task at hand thus far. I love NY and especially the comedy scene and all I have gotten from it, but I had a super strong intuition that I needed to change things up big time in order to put together an album that I can be proud of/is better than my previous albums. I kind of love rediscovering all the little things that over the years have become my process. I like being around so many young comics that are getting the same thing I get out of comedy. I am stoked to find out that a dozen years of experience melts away a year of rust in no time, and it’s totally possible to raise the bar for yourself the next set you do. 

I remember the Atlanta I came up in very well, and I have the same feeling I had over a decade ago when I planned to move to NYC and people thought I was crazy cuz no one had done that and stayed. I had no reason to assume that so many of my peers in the ATL scene would end up doing huge things, but I just knew that would happen, and even I am amazed when I start listing the achievements of people I shared the stage with every night. Every late night show, Daily Show star, Last Comic Standing winner, emmy winning writers, podcast beasts, Kilmonger’s momma….the list of people and creds goes on. After you see your homies achieve so much and also make your own goals come to fruition, it only makes it obvious how possible that is. I questioned a lot of shit while laid up in ICU and recovering from multiple surgeries over 2020, but I am saved by the knowledge that I can focus all my effort into one goal and that will result in the highest standard possible when I’m done. It’s much less unnerving when you’ve done it before and reaped the benefits. 

I am having too much fun right now to even start to stress over dumb shit. You can’t kill my vibe rn. Not for a long while really. I hope and pray there is a crew of comics somewhere talking shit about my unrepentant enthusiasm for stand up. I am uncomfortable at the thought of no one thinking I am some kinda lame. I think I am kinda lame tbh, but I have been through too much to not acknowledge what makes me happy, or to pretend to be jaded about the only thing I’ve loved doing for 13+ years. 

I hate that I have the backstory of comedy saving my life, and it makes me cringe to admit it has saved me twice, but that’s the hand I’ve been dealt. If you aren’t someone who actually *needs* this to not go off the deep end, you may think it is dramatic to speak on it in terms of life and death, but that is literally the case for me. I worked with Robert Schimmel before he died and he told me to make myself appreciate every set I get to do, because one set will be your last set. I thought it a touch dramatic to put a period on that point by dying, but it made me embrace the sentiment. I haven’t thrown a set since and doubt I ever will. Anyone that thinks I’m just jawin does not know how stubborn I am. I embrace the entire spectrum of emotions that stand up can drag you through, and especially the more humbling end of the spectrum. I would encourage all you lovable, miserable fucks to do the same. It’s very rewarding. 

Getting out on the road in June and couldn’t be more ampt. I mean, you wouldn’t really notice my amptitude if you saw me, but it’s there. I feel like I have blogged enough for now, and not just because I have to take a shit but cannot unplug my laptop. 

Mayo the Cinco de with you, porfavor 

-Andy