Tim Allen: From Buzz Lightyear to stand-up
The TV Guy million worldwide.
Yet Allen’s fiery stand-up is for 18 and older. “I just use rough language. It’s not sexual content. I’m a lazy linguist. I use expletives,” he said.
He recalls that his grandmother complained that he dropped the f-bomb too often. He’s still at it. “I broach into the PC world, ’cause for comedians right now, it’s a little dicey,” Allen said. “People are very sensitive about the words you use.”
He cites two comedians as inspirations: Lenny Bruce, whose fierce take on words was life-changing, and Richard Pryor, whose dynamic style wowed Allen twice in concert.
“My idol onstage was Pryor, who never put his foot off the pedal. That’s where I like to be,” Allen said. “I love making people laugh. I think it feels good. It’s totally a gift for me that seems like I’m giving somebody something. I get so much joy out of it.”
But Allen also delights in annoying. “I do like to irritate the political bone,” he said. “I don’t do politics. I do jokes about politics. I haven’t changed my act.”
Comedy is all about timing and surprise, Allen says, adding that he exaggerates to clarify.
“I like to piss people off. It’s part of my routine to see how far you can go,” he said. “My personal politics are really of no value to anybody. My speculation about anything is of no value.”
His speculation about another “Toy Story,” however, has value for fans. Would he be up for doing another one?
“Oh, yeah. I love this brand. It’s always about the script,” he said. “Over the years, the letters I’ve gotten, the kids’ lives that have changed because they liked these characters — it’s hard not to get emotionally involved in it. The way it [‘Toy Story 4’] ended was a real choke-you-up moment.”
Tim Allen
Buzz Lightyear represents some of his bestknown work, but Allen credits the writers and animators. “That’s the genius of animation,” he said. “When I was a kid, I was a huge Mickey Mouse fan. Every now and then it got to the point where Woody and Buzz were Mickey and Donald [Duck] in a weird way. What a world that I live in. Then I go down to a theme park in Orlando and there’s Toy Story Land. It was quite something.”
“Last Man Standing” will go into its eighth season next year on Fox, and Mike Baxter (Allen) and wife Vanessa (Nancy Travis) will face new challenges. “Our children have moved out; now it’s an empty nest show,” Allen said. “It’s a transition. I think it’s wonderful. What are we going to talk about? What will we do?”
He talks with respect about acting with Travis and Héctor Elizondo on “Last Man Standing” and with Patricia Richardson and Earl Hindman on “Home Improvement.
“I worked with actor actors,” Allen said. “I do what I do very well. It comes natural for me. I can do comedy really simply. These great actors can do comedy like drama. I find that skill set fascinating.”