Local Lists: Andy Juett

This Friday, Sexpot Comedy will be throwing its one-year anniversary party.  If you’ve been to any of their monthly shows before, I am guessing you already have your ticket.  But if not, Mr. Juett is here to tell you: You.  Is.  Missing.  Out.

If you don’t know, Sexpot Comedy sponsors a whole slew of fun shows and podcasts around town.  The bulk of these events are free or very low-cost, with a good-time party vibe emanating from their Tootsie Roll-like center.  And while the Sexpot monthly showcases do require the purchase of a ticket (either ahead of time or at the door), these events are obscenely packed with talent.  Featuring both local and national acts, surprise special guests, weird ass videos, a full bar with no drink minimum, and atmospheric magic, these are the kind of comedy shows that our forefathers dreamed of.  Read on to learn more about this Friday’s event (which features big name Todd Barry) and more about Andy Juett, one of Sexpot’s founding visionaries.

Name: Andy Juett

What was the first job you remember wanting to have when you were little? I wanted to be The Blues Brothers.  They seemed legit.  Driving through the mall, leading the party, causing trouble, and ramming Nazis into the river social-justice style sounded pretty great when I was 4.  Very little has changed.

Current occupation: Media and Marketing Exec/Owner, Producer, Actor, Writer, Director, and neophyte Comic.

A little about yourself:  I was born in Washington DC, but moved to Michigan when I was 2.  I spent my days of youth playing sports, chasing girls, and making ridiculous radio shows, videos and contraband newspapers with my friends.  Intellectual graffiti by children is the best.  I went to an all-boys Catholic high school and achieved high.  Went to Boston College and partied HARD.  Got a girl pregnant.  Married her for 10 years.  Had another kid.  Got divorced.  For the last 14 years I’ve been running media outlets for some real sweethearts like Clear Channel, CBS, Max Media, Wilks, and Lincoln Financial.  Now it’s just comedy time.

Kill, marry, or fuck – Denver edition: Dinger the Mascot, Chauncey Billups, and Jill Sobule: Definitely kill Dinger.  I’m super anti-dinosaur mascot in general.  There’s nothing less imaginative than a pro sports team marketing executive that decides on a dinosaur as a mascot.  But, Go Rockies.  And Tigers.  Marry Chauncey Billups because you KNOW he got that 401k and comes through on leadership and strong clutch performance on a number of levels.  Fuck Jill Sobule because she kissed a girl and thus she is forbidden fruit.  Also, marry my girlfriend, Chloe.  It’s a polygamy situation.

Tell me a little bit about Sexpot Comedy; how did it get started?  Kayvan [Khalatbari] had some cannabis (to put it lightly) friendly comedy shows at his pizza shop, Sexy Pizza.  He and TJ Miller and I hung out a couple times and it was clear Kayvan and I had a connection.  We discussed it at his place one night as we generated a bunch of crazy ideas together and decided we’d lock arms and make a run at this weirdness.  It’s been a really interesting and fun learning experience.

Tell me a little bit about the events you support around town; why is this important? Sexpot is important because really, all the comics “own” it.  It’s not a corporate entity stripping comedians of all creative control in an effort to further ad dollars exclusively.  It’s really born of the collective creative energies of a lot of performers, producers, and people who want to make something.  It’s for the love of the game so there’s no entertainment industry oversight other than the elevated platform Sexpot itself brings to a national arena.  It’s not solely a Denver product, as we’ve got shows in LA, Chicago, and more coming, but it’s definitely reflective of the spirit of this town.  Sexpot is proud to represent Denver and I feel strongly we’re getting better at what we do.

Tell me about the event this Friday: The 1-year anniversary of our monthly show is this Friday, December 19th at the wonderful Oriental Theater.  It’ll be a special show as Todd Barry (Louie, Flight of the Conchords) is headlining and Karl Hess will be here from LA.  SECRET: Chris Fairbanks will be in town too doing a short set!  Ian Douglas Terry will hold down the proceedings, Shayna Ferm will serenade us with silly, and the ol’ Tenessee logger himself, Elliot Woolsey will be slangin’.  Oh yeah.  We’ll also show a rough of a new episode of Glenn Has Idea$, which is a webseries I wrote with Andrew Orvedahl and made with him, Matty O’Connor, and Andrew Bueno.  It’ll be a rill, rill speshy spesh night of proceedings.

Describe Denver’s comedy scene in 5 words or less: Together Everyone Eats Pizza More.

How does Denver’s scene compare to other cities? We don’t have the industry of New York or LA, but the talent is as good per capita.  I think we stack up favorably to all the other great bastions of weirdness outside the biggest cities.  The scenes that jump out to me as somewhat comparable in spirit might be Portland, Austin, Chicago, and even Omaha.  Obviously Chicago is much bigger, but I feel like Denver and Chicago’s folks actually have a similar envelope-pushing vibe right now.

Who is your favorite comedian at the moment? Sam Tallent.  He’s crushing everything.  He’s a bulldozer and a force and everyone should know about him.  Will he upset Uncle Pancake at Kwanzaa?  Sure.  But you put him in front of any other crowd and he doesn’t give a single fuck in the best way possible.

Who is your favorite comedian’s mom?  Now you’re really throwing a curve at me.  You just asked who my comedian of the moment was.  I responded Sam.  Now if I don’t say Betsy Tallent I’m going to get kicked in the shit because that would imply Sam isn’t my favorite!  This certainly is a pickle!  Nope.  Betsy Tallent.  Super easy.

Tell me a comedian that I may not have seen, but I should:  Aaron Urist.  He’s getting real, real good.  Also Jordan Doll.  But if you don’t know him, you’re probably an amateur Goblinmancer with a baby corn dick .

Favorite restaurant in Denver: TAG.  It’s really good.

Favorite watering hole in Denver: Renegade Brewing or 3 Kings Tavern.  I don’t drink as much as I used to.

Where should we scatter your ashes in Denver? Scatter them in the green room at The Oriental Theater.  When people smoke there, they’ll remember what I was about.  Eventually, I’ll get vacuumed up.  And I’ll have to live with that.

Best event in Denver:  Every August on South Broadway: www.highplainscomedyfestival.com.  Get into it.

Best new trend in Denver: Me getting slightly more sleep.

Worst new trend in Denver: Rent and housing prices.  It’s going to get brutal for people in comedy and other pursuits to stay after a while if the cost of living continues to worsen.  I’d also like to state that I think it’s preposterous that there is no public consumption of cannabis law.  It makes no sense and is a black mark on an otherwise near perfectly regulated model for the rest of the country.

What’s missing in Denver? Water.  But don’t you worry.  When California falls into the ocean, we’ll have plenty.  Ski while you can, brah.

A friend has a few hours to kill in D-Town, what should they do? Go to Denver Relief and get a pre-roll of the Reserva Privada.  Walk across the street to Mutiny Information Cafe and get a cup of coffee and a comic book.  Walk down to Illegal Pete’s for burritos and beer.  That’s what I do like, every day.

New, proposed slogan for Denver: DENVER: This city feels goooooood, booooooy! <50 cent Laugh/Scream!>

Any additional thoughts/plugs:  I would like to use this space to thank the innumerable people who help me stay organized at all.  Specifically, I’d like to thank Karen Wachtel and Isaac Miller for being patient, brilliant saints.  Also, thanks to my kids, mother, and Chloe for accepting me for the weirdo that I am.  I’m a lucky guy.