July 31-August 4

YouTube Clips

Andy Kindler may arguably be the funniest man to have taken the Cap City stage. Yeah, yeah, we know: That’s a pretty big, sweeping statement given the stand-up luminaries who’ve performed there. But first of all, pal, we hedged our bet with “arguably.” Secondly, just look at the range and horsepower of the Kindler Comedy Coupe: For several years running his State Of The Industry Address been the single most hilarious, don’t-miss performance at the Just For Laughs International Comedy Festival in Montreal--often dubbed the biggest, most prestigious comedy event in the world. More to the point, as Andy has delivered these Addresses, the people we’ve personally witnessed doubled over in laughter &/or losing some sort of beverage through their noses range from The New Yorker’s John Lahr to Dom Irrera to assorted executives from assorted networks he’s just lambasted for lame-o programming or a numbskull decision. So if he can elicit gales of laughter from people in the comedy biz who’ve seen it all and heard it all (in some cases, said it all), this would seem to bolster our case that he’s a uniquely inspired and inspiring comic. But for those who’d like this claim further bolstered by more tangible evidence, take these credits for a spin, you skeptical bastard: He’s done more “Letterman” and “Conan” shots than we can count, he’s a recurring presence on such programs as “The Daily Show” and “Everybody Loves Raymond,” and he’s hosted his own shows for networks ranging from TNT to Animal Planet. He’s immensely smart, funny, inventive, unstintingly fearless and talks about things that no other comics do--and if sometimes the topics or people he’s pondering or attacking amount to inside baseball (but about showbiz), that’s just an added bonus: It’s like your own slice of the State Of The Industry Address, without venturing to the comedy festival in Montreal. Who knows, if you catch one of Andy’s shows this week at Cap City, maybe you’ll be lucky enough to shoot a beverage through your nose. With Daniel Jackson