“Everybody here is a killer”: Robert Kelly on The Nasty Show at Just for Laughs [Interview]

Robert Kelly performs at The Nasty Show during Just for Laughs Montreal

The Nasty Show is one of the most popular and long-running shows at Just for Laughs for a reason; it allows both comedians and the audience a chance to let loose.

“The Nasty Show is for people who just want to see some crazy stuff,’’ says comedian Robert Kelly, who returns to the festival to appear on the fan-favourite show this year.

Kelly is known for his abrasive edge and his boundary-pushing material, but his goal is always the same —  to help audiences laugh at the insanity of everyday life.

Known for his take-no-prisoners standup, his role as Louis CK’s brother on Louie and his You Know What Dude? podcast, we caught up with Kelly to discuss the pressure of performing at Just for Laughs, his role in Louis CK’s Fourth of July movie, and the difficulties of sharing a name with a notorious R&B star.

Kelly appears on The Nasty Show at Just for Laughs Montreal alongside Josh Adam Meyers, Liza Treyger, Sophie Buddle, Yamaneika Saunders, with host Big Jay Oakerson. The Nasty Show runs from July 20-28 at MTelus; tickets are available here. Kelly will also tape a live episode of his podcast on July 28; tickets are available here. 

Not that Robert Kelly

Bad Feeling Magazine: I’m sure you know this already, but you do have a very difficult name to Google.

Robert Kelly: You know, it’s so funny because of R. Kelly. It’s terrible, because there are so many disappointed limo drivers in Vegas when I come down. They have a sign that says ”R. Kelly,” and I’m just this chubby white guy walking up to them. It happens a lot.

You’ve been a standup for a long time; coming back from COVID, have you found it’s different to be back on stage? Have audiences changed in any way?

Well, it is funny, because audiences have changed a little bit. Audiences get younger every year. And when they they’re coming in younger, their way of life is different, you know, the way they look at things? A little more woke, I would say, in the city. [People ask me] if it’s hard to be a stand-up now with all the political correctness — I’m like, ”no, that’s, that’s for actors.” Stand-ups don’t care about that. We’re trying to be funny. I think if you’re trying to be funny, you can talk about whatever you want, as long as it’s funny. If it’s not funny, you’ve got to stop. You know what I mean?

That’s why I love the festival because it’s not just one style of comedy, they bring up every style of comedy. I mean, there is a show for you. You know, even if you’re not a comedy fan, there’s a show for you. And I’m just happy to be on The Nasty Show, because on The Nasty Show, you get to be 100% you and there’s no handcuffs, you just go out and have fun. And that’s why I think it’s one of the most popular shows at the festival.

The Nasty Show

Do you feel more freedom performing at The Nasty Show?

I think calling it The Nasty Show is good because it lets people know who really don’t like that type of material, hey, stay away. You know, this is for people who just want to see some crazy stuff. You know what I mean? So, I think they’re doing them a favor by putting them in the right mentality. But in reality, anybody could go to The Nasty Show. Even if you don’t like blue humor, you could still go, because it’s our job to find the funny that makes everybody laugh. The host this year is Big Jay Oakerson, he’s one of the funniest — I just did a little mini tour with him. I can’t tell you how funny Jay is.

“Everybody here is a killer”

And I do get nervous. Do you understand that Just for Laughs, it’s not like being on the road where the emcee is doing it, you know, a year, and the feature act has probably been doing it for four years, and you’re the best thing on the show. Everybody here is a killer. You know, they’re just inviting the best of the best comedians to do shows together. That’s nuts. So yeah, you get nervous, man, you don’t want to take a hot one in front of all your friends.

I interviewed Jessica Kirson just a few days ago and she was saying that audiences have never been so sensitive; has that been your experience as well?

Absolutely. I feel like it’s my responsibility to loosen those asses up. I feel like that’s our responsibility as comics is to loosen them up and let them know, hey, it’s okay to laugh. It’s okay to smile at some of this. Any of the stuff I’m talking about fucked me up too, I’m talking about it so you get to have a good laugh. It’s comedy and tragedy, man. That’s why comics are so important, is that we go up and we make you laugh at shit that you didn’t think you could laugh at. You know, I have a whole thing in my act about death and dying. And then I say, you know, “Somebody dying isn’t the worst. It’s when they’re sick. At least dying, they’re out of your life. When they’re sick it’s like, I’ve got to give them fucking rides?”

“Comedy is therapy”

You have to laugh at stuff like that, right? Otherwise, it would make you crazy.

Yeah, you have to. She’s absolutely right, especially in New York City, but it’s okay. The next generation of people have to realize that comedy is therapy, man. Laughing at fucked up shit, laughing at fun shit. Any form of laughter is a good thing. And you do break them out of it.

You’re also bringing the You Know What Dude? podcast to Just for Laughs; any hint on who the guests might be on that?

I don’t pick it till I get up there, dude. Because I don’t know who I’m going to bump into. I did that one year. I picked it, and then I saw all these other people I wanted on more than the people I picked. It’s always fun. My podcast, I call it a comic hang. Because really, you know, it’s just comics hanging out. And we’re viciously mean to each other. I feel like it’s what you get if you went to the back table at any comedy club and saw a bunch of comics sitting down, that’s what my podcast is.

Louis CK’s Fourth of July

Can you tell us anything about the Fourth of July movie that’s coming up?

Well, the premiere is tomorrow at the Beacon Theatre, sold out. Joe List and Louis CK wrote this movie together during the pandemic. And then Louis CK produced it with Joe and Louie directed it. And it’s a beautiful, beautiful movie, about anxiety, about family. About love. I play a recovering alcoholic that Joe’s sponsoring.

I have a nice little role in it. Joe knocks it out of the park. I mean, this movie, it’s funny, it’s serious. It’s got everything in it. It’s a very independent film. I love it.  And it’s going to be in theaters. And I love it too because it’s all fans. The fans sold it out. They put the tickets on sale, like a comedy show. And the fans sold it out. They’re doing it in Boston and Chicago, too. And the cast is gonna go up at the end. Ron Bennington is gonna host a Q&A at the end with the cast. The world we live in today, you don’t have to ask for permission anymore, you know? You don’t have to ask, ”Am I good enough to get a special?” You just go do it. You can hire a couple of cameras and shoot it. A movie too, you can just go make it. I really think that people are gonna love this movie.

Decoy pizza for all

You’re going to be in Montreal in just a few weeks; do you have any special memories of the city or hanging out with comics when you’ve been up here for the festival?

Yeah, I have one. You know, they have the big party at the circle bar, right? I changed it up one year it was me and Anne Harris, who was one of the heads of Comedy Central. We were in the lobby, and we had a pizza party in the lobby. We ordered around 10 pizzas, and then the whole bar all came out to us. It was funny because we had all these great pizzas, but then we got a decoy pizza for people we didn’t like, and it had all vegetables on it.

Robert Kelly appears on The Nasty Show at Just for Laughs Montreal alongside Josh Adam Meyers, Liza Treyger, Sophie Buddle, Yamaneika Saunders, with host Big Jay Oakerson. The Nasty Show runs from July 20-28 at MTelus; tickets are available here. Kelly will also tape a live episode of his podcast on July 28; tickets are available here.