Ask Andy Huggins if he has time for a conversation and his response comes quickly: “Probably not much.”
The white-haired comedian, somehow still a rising talent at age 75 (he did “The View” last month), has settled into a winning motif after nearly 50 years in the business: The modern quirks of getting old.
“I joined a dating site for people my age … called carbon dating,” he says in one bit.
But the easygoing Huggins is not playing the role of doddering grandpa lost in the Apple store, and he is not looking for sympathy. Once a member of the Texas Outlaw Comics, which included legends such as Bill Hicks and Sam Kinison, the Houston resident is an exacting comedy writer who has found himself at a place in life with no shortage of relatable ridiculousness. It just took time.
“It’s not a novelty act. It’s not a freak show — like, ‘Oh, look, isn’t it cute, he’s doing comedy.’ What I do is good, solid stand-up comedy. I just happen to be 75 years old,” says Huggins, who will perform on Saturday, Oct. 18, at The Studio at Mizner Park in Boca Raton.
In a time when top-selling comedians such as Nate Bargatze, Gabriel Iglesias and Iliza Shlesinger spin intricate loops of narrative storytelling, Huggins’ act is a fusillade of one-liners. Recalling the work of Rodney Dangerfield and Steven Wright, it’s all punchlines.
Huggins says the goal of all comedians is to arrive at the same place, but by eliminating the meandering contextual details of the story, he gets to the laugh quicker. He’s been doing one-liners since he was a kid growing up in Virginia, and it’s even easier now.
“It helps that I look every bit as old as I am. I’m a walking premise. I don’t have to set anything up. I’m 75 years old, so I’m going to write jokes about being old, the problems and the goofy situations that come along,” he says.
Related Articles
Benefit for rescue dogs to feature live bands, auction for Kenny Chesney, Chris Stapleton memorabilia
Where to find pumpkin patches, fall festivals & trick-or-treating in South Florida
Huggins has a diverse comedy resume that began in the late 1970s at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, where as the emcee he introduced an unknown Howie Mandel in his first U.S. show after arriving from Toronto. He has written for Jay Leno and Billy Crystal, and opened for Ray Charles to Billy Gardell.
In 2018, he was reunited with Mandel on NBC reality competition “America’s Got Talent,” where Huggins won over famously finicky judge Simon Cowell. Recalling their time together in L.A., Mandel told him he was “like fine wine. It was worth the wait.”
Huggins’ career turned in the early 1980s when he met Hicks in Los Angeles and followed him to Houston, where Hicks grew up. They were among a small group of regulars at the city’s famed Comedy Workshop who created a buzz in the fertile Houston stand-up scene, and the Texas Outlaw Comics were born.
They were much better comics than they were outlaws, Huggins says, recalling Hicks’ Elvis gag that included a spool of toilet paper wrapped around his neck as a scarf, which he would share with the audience.
“Bill was a great guy, a great guy. And, of course, an excellent comedian,” Huggins says.
Huggins was drinking in those years, and at some point stopped writing, instead leaning on “crowd work,” generating laughs by asking audience members about their jobs and hometowns. He once got fired for being drunk onstage.
“I have a vague memory, I think it was Dallas. I can’t remember the club. The only thing I remember about it was getting fired and not objecting,” he says. “I have a lot of jokes about being a drunk. I’d have a lot more if I wasn’t a blackout drunk.”
Huggins and Hicks started attending recovery meetings together at around the same time in 1988. Huggins has been sober for 37 years.
“[Sobriety] got me back to writing again. The longer you’re a drunk, you get more insulated from people and what’s happening around you. When you’re sober, you get more open and sensitive to what’s going on,” he says.
Huggins continues to write about what he sees, avoiding politics and (mostly) profanity, and doesn’t ever see running out of material or motivation.
“Here’s a cliche for you that’s true: It keeps me young, doing jokes. It is my joy in life,” he says. “I’m going to keep doing it until the mind goes. I don’t mind being wheeled onstage.”
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Comedian Andy Huggins
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18
WHERE: The Studio at Mizner Park, 201 W Plaza Real, Boca Raton
COST: Starts at $43.90 at Ticketmaster.com
INFORMATION: TheStudioAtMiznerPark.com
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on IG: @BenCrandell.
