Andy Sandford talks recording his first stand-up special at Star Bar

One of the first big names to emerge from the Atlanta comedy scene was Andy Sandford. A long-time staple around town and a pillar of the city’s alternative scene, Sandford gained notoriety touring with Dave Stone, Joe Zimmerman, and TJ Young as the Beards of Comedy, putting out two albums with the group. In 2011, Sandford moved to New York. Since then, he started a very popular monthly showcase, Comedy Freaknik, at the Creek and the Cave, performed on New York’s infamous Monday night show Whiplash. He also put out his first solo album, Me, the Whole Time via New Wave Dynamics, and recently earned his first late night spot on “Conan.”
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? Through everything, Sandford always makes sure to represent his hometown of Atlanta and now the comedian is back in his old stomping grounds to perform at the first Red Clay Comedy Festival. Atlanta’s first DIY comedy festival will kick things off in a big way when Sandford tapes his first hour stand-up special on Thurs., Oct. 15th. Teaming up with director/producer Dave Willis (“Aqua Teen Hunger Force”), Sandford is returning to Star Bar, first place he did stand-up, and recorded his album. For 12 years, Star Bar has been home to the very popular Monday Night Comedy show, hosted by Rodney Leete, where Sandford and his Thursday night openers Noah Gardenswartz, Shalewa Sharpe, and Stone were all once regulars at.
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? CL spoke to Sandford about recording the special, and how Atlanta’s comedy scene helped become the comic he is now.
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???? You recorded your first album at Star Bar, now you’ll be recording your first special there. Why is recording at Star Bar, or Atlanta in general, so important to you? 
? Shortly after my album came out, I got a call from Dave Willis asking me if I’d be down to film a special at Star Bar. So it was Dave’s idea really, but I thought it was a good one. I had done an album there, Joe DeRosa had done an album there; but no one had really seen Star Bar in a special, and if we could capture what an average Monday looks like then I’d be pretty happy.
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? You come back to Atlanta a lot. Overall, what does Atlanta mean to you? How did it help you be the comic you are now?
I wouldn’t say I come back “a lot,” just a couple times a year to do a weekend at a club or visit around the holidays, but Atlanta does mean a lot to me. I started doing stand-up here. In NYC, all of us from Atlanta are known as “Atlanta guys,” so it is good to check in on the scene that we are all representing in NYC. I think what helped me and everyone else in the Atlanta scene is this mentality that existed where everyone pushed each other to be better. You really didn’t want to lull yourself into complacency and stop pushing yourself because then you’d just be in the way.
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? Have you been doing anything special to prep?
Nothing special really, just been working out the set on the road and in NYC.
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? You’re producing this independently (without a distributor), why did you want to do it yourself?
Dave Willis is producing and directing it, and we decided it was best to make the special exactly how we want and then worry about how it will be distributed to avoid having too many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak.
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? Tell me about your openers for the special. They are all former ATLiens like yourself; is that part of the reason you chose them?
?Yeah, I chose Noah Gardenswartz, Dave Stone, and Shalewa Sharpe because they are all very funny and are also sort of the Star Bar old guard and have moved from Atlanta like myself. So I thought, “Why not take advantage of everybody being in town for Red Clay Fest?
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? Are you nervous at all about the taping?
I suppose so, but I don’t worry about being a little nervous. Nerves are good: they make sure you don’t fuck things up.
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? You recorded your first album at Star Bar last year. It was very well-received and made some lists. How did that feel to see all those articles roll in?
It was pretty cool having an album that got some notoriety. That’s what you’re really hoping for from an album aside from the album itself being good. 
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? You just did your first TV spot on “Conan.” What was that like? What’s the audition process?
It was something I’ve always dreamed about doing and I’m looking forward to doing more late night spots in the near future. I grew up seeing stand-up on Letterman and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” and to me there was nothing cooler, so it was a big thing for me to make my late night debut. As far as the audition process, it’s like a lot of things in comedy: vague. You just find a tactful way to get in front of that booker and start a dialogue. But most importantly, just be good enough to do what you’re trying to do.
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? Andy Sandford’s Live Special Taping. $20. 8 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 15. Star Bar, 437 Moreland Ave. 404-681-9018. redclaycomedy.com