STAND-UP TUESDAYS: Andy Hendrickson

March 13th, 2012

Angie Frissore

Stand-Up Tuesdays is a weekly comedy spotlight written by the wonderfully talented Angie Frissore. Covering both known and unknown comics, Stand-up Tuesdays is your new source for all things funny.

This week, Angie puts a spotlight on Andy Hendrickson. If you or your comedy troupe would like to be featured on Stand-Up Tuesdays, please email utgjames@gmail.com.

If there’s anything I can relate to, it’s being a single, dog-owning underachiever – so it’s no surprise that Andy Hendrickson’s new release through Rooftop Comedy, Underachiever, made an instant fan of me. In his third release, the New York-based comedian and writer proves why he’s a favorite at comedy clubs nationwide and beyond.

Although initially caught off-guard by Hendrickson’s nonchalant stage presence (his voice is almost too soothing for comedy), I quickly warmed up to his non-showmanship, conversational style – he’s the guy at the party that always has a crowd of people around him, intently listening to his hilarious stories. He doesn’t rely on outrageous or overly dirty material to win over his audience, instead sharing stories of his family and his single life.

“He’s the overachiever in the family,” Hendrickson states, describing the oldest of two brothers. “He went to the Naval Academy, which is very difficult to get into…became a Navy Seal, left the Navy and went to Harvard and got his master’s in business. Thanks a lot, nice shadow…dick.”

Even when he’s recounting a story of air-travel-annoyance, Hendrickson does so with such a laid-back attitude that it’s difficult to picture him actually getting angry – even at an un-manned toddler who won’t leave him alone.

“Got me so annoyed I wanted to go back through time and cock-block the father on the night of conception,” Hendrickson quips calmly.

Hendrickson fluidly moves through his set, never taking too long to transition from one joke to another. He’s also extremely confident without being cocky or brash – though he’s quick to poke fun at himself, he never relies on self-deprecation for laughs and doesn’t seek pity from his audience at all. The audience instead feels connected to Hendrickson, as he shares scenarios that could happen to any of us.

“I went out with my cousin, got black-out drunk. I woke up the next day there was an email in my account that said, ‘Thank you from the Long Branch New Jersey Half Marathon’,” the comic recalls. “I assumed it was junk mail till I opened it up – no, apparently I signed up to run 13.1 miles in a row. On the same day. And I paid $100 to do it.”

Hendrickson has performed at HBO’s U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen and TBS’ The Comedy Festival in Las Vegas, and has had multiple appearances on the nationally syndicated Bob and Tom radio show and TV show. He’s been performing for over a decade at clubs across the country, and internationally, he’s performed at military bases in the Middle East and at clubs and festivals throughout Canada, England, Holland, and Ireland. Bottom line – if you have not yet heard Andy Hendrickson’s brilliantly concise comedy, you should change that…now.

Underachiever by Andy Hendrickson is available today from Rooftop Comedy Productions – pick up your copy today and look forward to seeing much more of Hendrickson.