In a sea of raunchy comics who abide by a “the more expletives, the better” mantra, Andrew Chapman’s comedy is refreshing. Much like Jerry Seinfeld (one of Chapman’s comedic influences), Chapman’s routine is clean, polished and “semi-observational,” which probably helped land him a slew of gigs at YTV, including the new show, Extreme Babysitting. We chatted with the Toronto comic about his first standup performance, Rich Little and Hollywood’s oldest stuntman.
Were you the class clown growing up?
No, I wasn’t the guy that got sent to the office or goofed around. My answer would be a combination of what Dr. Allan Pearl (Eugene Levy in Waiting For Guffman) said: “People ask me if I was the class clown. No. I wasn’t. But I sat next to him and I took notes.” And what Billy Crystal has said, that he wasn’t the class clown, more the class comedian. If there was ever a chance to get up and perform though, I would do it in a nanosecond.
Describe your first standup performance. Where was it and how did it go?
First time I ever did standup was when I was 16 at a high school coffee house/talent show. I was at a track and field meet that day and it ran long (didn’t mean to have that sound like a joke). So my mom drove me back to school — the show had already started — and I changed into my suit as we’re driving. We get to the school, I run out of the car, run back stage and they tell me we’re just coming back from intermission and the host of the show isn’t doing the rest of it, so can I host? And I’m on in two minutes. So no introduction, I walk out and the auditorium is packed with my peers and I say, “Hi,” and then the next seven minutes is a blur; everyone’s laughing at what I’m saying, I’m comparing school to jail, making fun of Celine Dion, then I go into an impression of how Richard Nixon is really Jimmy Stewart (I know, what is this, Rich Little in Vegas in the ’80s?) and for some reason everyone liked it. I introduced the next act and went backstage and my friends were all congratulating me, slapping me on the back and telling me that I “killed,” and I remember my reaction being, “Yeah. Great. OK.” Almost as if I was saying, “Well, isn’t that what comedians are supposed to do?”
Where do you find inspiration for your routine?
Talking, mostly. Just talking to people and funny stories would just happen and you’d say funny things and whatnot. Also, comparing things and observing things seems to be on my brain, I suppose. I just watch and listen to comedy all the time, so I think your brain just adapts to that, soaks it in and starts thinking “funny.”
How would you describe your brand of comedy?
Clean, polished, insignificant. Semi-observational. Pretty tame, but, hopefully, also pretty funny.
You also host a couple of YTV shows. How is it balancing performing for a way-young audience and performing for an older audience?
Well, I started telling jokes and doing standup way before YTV, but because my comedy has always been clean, it’s not that hard to adjust. Granted, I won’t do the jokes I do for YTV on a comedy stage because that just wouldn’t make sense. But I would do a joke I’ve done on stage on YTV if it called for it. The only hindrance I’ve noticed from time to time is when an MC will introduce me as, “You may have seen him on YTV…” and it sets it in the audience’s head, “Oh boy! Here comes the rainbows and puppy dog and SpongeBob jokes” without even hearing one joke. So that’s the only “tough” thing.
What or who makes you laugh the most?
Lots of things. My friends, Adam Downey and Mark McIntyre. My brothers. And just stupid silly things. There’s a thing that happened on the old Late Night with Conan O’Brien show. It was Hollywood’s oldest stuntman sketch. Oh man, check it out on YouTube.
What’s your favourite funny movie?
Liar Liar.
What’s your favourite joke of all time?
This is really stupid. It’s the “Why did the chicken cross the road?” joke. Because it’s not a joke. The other person makes it the joke. But it’s not. And it’s probably the first joke we all learn, but it’s a non-joke. Also, a man falling down is really funny to me, and may be the first joke ever.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
In a mirror?
The details:
Year started stand up: 2002
Influences: Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Cosby, Jim Carrey, Eddie Izzard, Johnny Carson