Comic Andy Huggins has a kickstarter campaign going to document his work in a comedy special. HugginsComedy
in May at The Secret Group. He said that venue has one of his favorite rooms, an intimate space dubbed “The Box.” His favorite room and gig, he said, is Rudyard’s on Monday nights where he’s routinely stationed.
Is that the pitch he got when he was encouraged to move here from Los Angeles where he’d been giving comedy a go playing the fabled Comedy Store? “I’d like to think that we kind of set a standard for subsequent generations. I know the generation that came after us, Rob Mungle and John Wessling and Mike MacRae and that group, I think they might have taken a little bit of inspiration from us. I think maybe The Whiskey Brothers might have been a logical successor to Texas Outlaw. I think we set a standard that other generations have followed. Or, maybe not,” he vacillated. “That might be arrogant on my part. Maybe not at all.
“I’ll tell new comics this at several points along the way — everything I say I believe and I’ll state strongly, but if the audience disagrees, listen to the audience. The audience knows more than I do. I could tell you all kinds of reasons why a joke shouldn’t work, but if you get laughs with it then to hell with me. Listen to the audience. Audiences will tell you everything you need to know. And that’s always my advice to comics.
“Alcoholics Anonymous has so many clichés it’s almost funny, but they’re clichés for a reason and to say ‘one day at a time’ that’s the first bit of advice I would give anybody. Get through the day, just get through the day. Don’t take a drink or do any drugs today. And then when tomorrow comes, you can worry about that day.
“One day at a time. I know people roll their eyes maybe in hearing that cliché but it’s absolutely true. And, if you’re an artist, you’re gonna be better. The whole bullshit romantic notion that artists are crazy and artists have to be drunk or high or stoned in order to fulfil their artistic ambitions, that’s just nonsense. It’s an appealing notion, but it’s just nonsense. It gets to be fun, too.