ERIC ANDRE Saturday (June 20) at 9 pm at NXNE Hub (170 Spadina), platinum badge or $20. nxne.com.
If you want a break from music but still want to catch an insane, unpredictable show that could easily involve stuff getting trashed, check out Eric Andre’s stand-up set at the NXNE Hub. This up-and-coming L.A. comic is headlining the second of two stacked comedy bills at the festival this year this one also includes Ashley Barnhill and James Hartnett.
If you’ve seen FXX’s locally shot sitcom Man Seeking Woman, you’ll recognize Andre as Jay Baruchel’s sex-obsessed best friend, Mike. But to understand Andre’s own style of weirdo, wacked-out, anything-goes absurdist humour, you’ve got to watch his hilariously awkward talk show parody The Eric Andre Show, now heading into its fourth season on Adult Swim.
With Hannibal Buress as his straight man sidekick, Andre sabotages his interviews in epic fashion, asking inappropriate questions, responding in non sequiturs, berating his crew and repeatedly destroying his desk and set in fits of blind rage. Fans of this show won’t be surprised that he’s just as bizarre when giving real-life interviews.
On the phone from L.A., Andre is tight-lipped about what to expect from his stand-up except to hint that it will be in the vein of his talk show, and “a psychedelic fever dream.”
He’s more open about his comedic influences – “I love Bill Hicks, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Space Ghost [Coast to Coast], Tom Green, Da Ali G Show, Beavis And Butthead” – and about his transition from music to comedy after four years at Berklee College of Music, where he studied upright bass.
“I just finished music school and I realized that the music industry is a fucking nightmare, and then I was like, ‘I just want to do comedy.’ I haven’t owned a bass in six or seven years.”
Andre knows Toronto well, having spent 10 weeks here last year shooting season one of Man Seeking Woman (season two has been greenlit, so he’ll be back), and counts tunes by local heroes Drake and The Weeknd among his go-to jams.
“I love it in Toronto. I’m looking forward to it in the summertime. Make sure to mention that I love the murals under the Dufferin Bridge.”
The rest of the year will see Andre working hard on the aforementioned TV projects and hopefully making a guest appearance on Buress’s upcoming Comedy Central series, Why? With Hannibal Buress.
For now, he’s keen to turn out a crowd at NXNE.
“Toronto, get out of Old Fort York, get off Spadina, get off Dundas, get off Bathurst, get yourself a bag of milk and come sniff glue with me at the comedy show.”
stage@nowtoronto.com | @jordanbimm
