Moontower Preview: Andy Kindler Talks About Twitter Addiction, And Going to Austin

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Andy Kindler is a legend among comedians and a familiar face/voice for everybody else. He’s been on Everybody Loves Raymond, Maron, Dr Katz and Bob’s Burgers. He’s also had some of the most memorable appearances of any comedian on Letterman and delivers an annual State of The Industry address at the Just For Laughs Festival that’s always a ballsy, funny, controversial highlight of the festival. He also runs a top notch monthly show in Los Angeles called Andy Kindler’s Particular Show. This weekend, Kindler will be appearing at The Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival in Austin, Texas.  Amy Hawthorne caught up with him to talk about the festival and his Twitter addiction.

TheIBang: So, this is going to be your third or fourth time at Moontower Comedy Festival? 

Andy Kindler: I think it’ll be my fourth time. I don’t wanna lie. I’m not one of those people who lies…unless I can get away with it. So it’s 3 or 4, however long the festival has been around. When the festival started, I was there and the second year I was the only person who got invited back. It sounds like I’m bragging, I guess I am.

TheIBang: What brings you back to this festival over and over?

Andy Kindler: Well, years ago I did SXSW, but SXSW you have to fly yourself in, stay on somebody’s couch, they don’t give you a pass to the festival and anyway you can’t go see it because you’re doing comedy shows. I decided I can’t leave town anymore and just break even. So, that’s my message to the world, “Pay me something!” And the other thing that’s great is that it’s not during sxsw, so it’s a wonderful atmosphere there and all the comics love hanging out. Sounds silly, but it’s true. We only get to see each other at festivals now, we’re so busy worrying about… we’re not doing anything, we’re busy worrying about our careers. That’s a full time job.

TheIBang: A lot of people cite the camp/reunion vibe at a festival. What are the other things that make you say “this weekend, a festival”?

Andy Kindler: Well, I’m crazy about Austin. Not in an insane way. Probably shouldn’t say that anymore. Do you ever watch Real Housewives of New York? My wife and I do, RELIGIOUSLY, and Bethany is always saying everything is “nuts” and that’s just not appropriate anymore. It’s not nice. But Austin, they have these breakfast tacos that are amazing. They’re everywhere. Some place like Taco Deli makes them or something. So great. Also, I’m a coffee snob and they have great alternative coffee makers.

TheIBang: This is a weird question, but I’m fascinated by the way your brain works in your comedy, on your twitter, everything you write. What were you like back in school??

Even when I was three years old, I was like, “Gentlemen, is this really necessary? What are we, two?”

Andy Kindler: The things that have always driven me are the fear of social and the fear of all things collective. By the time performing could help me, I became very comfortable and people liked me. I did this thing, it’s called a declamation contest, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of anything like that. You all give speeches and kind of like poems, so I did an impression of a person training someone how to do one of these things. And it went over really well in a big auditorium, so then I started performing.

I was never the class clown. I don’t like bathroom humor. Even when I was three years old, I was like, “Gentlemen, is this really necessary? What are we, two?” It actually was a very funny school (Bayside High School and PS 194 Junior High School), so I was among the funny people.

TheIBang: I’m also wondering, did you drive your teachers crazy by answering a question by getting all meta about the lesson plan or anything?

Andy Kindler: I do say “Before I was in the comedy business, I was in the deconstruction business” – “Dry wall, looks more like wet wall!” So I wasn’t consciously trying to do that as a kid, but very early on I was attracted to the process of whatever we were doing.

Are you also fascinated by how on Twitter I get into arguments with robots?

The IBang: Actually, yeah, I was going to ask you about that. I’m always curious about people who are very interactive on social media with trolls and bots and strangers… why? Do you enjoy it? is it a weird compulsion? Do you feel obligated to do it to be polite to people who are giving you attention?

Andy Kindler: I think it’s all over the map to me. Sometimes there’s nothing more fun than bantering with people online. But then sometimes it gets to be where I get very angry with the way people are online. It’s out of control, it’s not good, so I’m trying to get better at that. Whenever I’m going through lots of stress in my life, I tend to have more of a Twitter addiction. And then the other stuff.. I really do feel strongly about. I’ve actually lost a lot of friends who are comics over me saying it’s okay to be spiritual and I’m not going to condemn people for it. It’s kind of weird. People have such a weird idea of what spirituality is and they’re very closed off to it. The other thing I get really passionate about, I can’t stand the whole Islamophobia thing in general.

Sometimes I’m very proud of myself but sometimes I’m very ashamed of myself. I think sometimes I need to modify how much of myself I show online. But I don’t want to be someone who doesn’t exhibit who they are. I mean, Colin Quinn does it in a hilarious way, but I don’t like doing that thing where I’m just playing around all the time.

The IBang: That’s an interesting thing about fame right now. You go back to the old studio system and there was no real part of you that you had to show and then you start getting paparazzi coming and going “Look, stars grocery shop just like us!” and now it feels like if you have any level of fame, you are almost compelled to share so much of yourself. Do you feel that pressure?

Andy Kindler: I do. But I think Twitter is my own problem that I can get a handle on. But, like, when I see people go on reality shows.. they even have that show now on Oxygen following around women being comics… to me, I don’t put those people down. As critical as I am, I mean, Jason Alexander used to sleepwalk through commercials, I understand getting a paycheck. But that [reality shows] is too much, it shows too much of you. That’s why I never, well it’s convenient that I also don’t have the focus to have a podcast, but I’d much rather be a guest on other podcasts than have my own. People like Maron, I’m so amazed at. You’re able to go see him at a club and still really enjoy him. My fear would be if I had a podcast and people saw me all the time, they’d get tired of seeing me all the time. Especially on reality shows. That’s where I think people need to be really careful about what they do.


You can see Andy Kindler at the Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival this weekend at five different shows including Dr. Katz live on Thursday night at Stateside, Particular Show later on Thursday night, Four Eyes and Supershow on Friday night, and Stars in Bars and Four Eyes yet again on Friday night.  Get ticket info here.

Follow Andy on Twitter | Get Info on Andy at Moontower

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Amy E Hawthorne is a New York by way of LA comedy journalist and founder of ComedyGroupie.com. She's also a produced numerous stand-up shows, got a paycheck and a drinking problem from The Comedy Store and is convinced that the Big Avocado lobby are the ones who really pull the strings in this country.
Amy Hawthorne
Amy Hawthorne
Amy E Hawthorne is a New York by way of LA comedy journalist and founder of ComedyGroupie.com. She's also a produced numerous stand-up shows, got a paycheck and a drinking problem from The Comedy Store and is convinced that the Big Avocado lobby are the ones who really pull the strings in this country.