MONTREAL — Though every year Andy Kindler tries to convince a room filled with a few hundred comedians and industry folks at the Just For Laughs comedy festival that he’s devastatingly underappreciated, clearly the man is loved. No other comedian would be afforded the time and space to deliver such a disjointed, poorly paced and uneven speech.
And all those adjectives are part of the reason Kindler’s speech each year – this was his 15th – is a must-see for every fest attendee; there’s something incredibly liberating to watch a comedian air out like that—good, bad, ugly. The other, and most important reason people watch, is that he says horrible things about other comedians— things other comedians think but can’t say.
And although Kindler’s targets are largely the same from year to year (Dane Cook, Larry the Cable Guy) or somewhat expected (Jeff Dunham, Robin Williams) there’s always some great eyebrow-raising moments. My favorite of this year’s hour-long address: “Can we all admit that Parks and Recreation is horrible?” Kindler tags it with, “Maybe everything shouldn’t be improvised,” referring to the show’s alleged liberal improvising, on which star Amy Poehler has denied.
I like this for a two reasons: no one ever says anything negative about anything Amy Poehler or Aziz Ansari are connected to. Secondly, the show is on NBC, the network currently employing him as a judge on Last Comic Standing. Biting the hand that feeds you is always awesome to watch.
And Kindler continued chomping on the hand of NBC, laying into The Office stars Mindy Kaling and BJ Novak for their quick rise to fame. “They really paid their dues in the trenches. They’re grizzled veterans,” Kindler said.
George Lopez, another comic that doesn’t get nearly enough shit, was also a target of Kindler’s. He calls the veteran comedian, actor and now talk-show host out for “always being on the verge of funny,” knocking him for punctuating his live jokes with hurried Spanish phrases and for this horrible pee-your-pants themed ad for Lopez Tonight.
Whether it was in good fun or pure hatred, all jabs were well placed. And that Jeffrey Ross, the Roastmaster himself, a veteran of taking the piss out of people – who was sitting a few chairs from me – was laughing like a mental patient throughout the address, is enough receipt of a job well done.
After the jump, check out an almost complete list of Andy’s targets from yesterday’s State of the Industry Address.
Bill Maher
Parks and Recreation
Mindy Kaling
BJ Novak
Jeff Dunham
Robin Williams
Sex and the City 2
Stand-up boot camp-style classes
Sherri Shepherd
Last Comic Standing
Mo’Nique
Grown Ups (the movie)
The Today Show
Tim Allen and his movie Crazy on the Outside
Valentine’s Day (the movie)
George Lopez
Dane Cook
Denis Leary
John Mayer
The History Channel
Larry the Cable Guy
Betty White
Mel Gibson
James Cameron and Avatar
CSI
Jay Leno
