His negative attitude has earned him a reputation as a troublemaker, especially among his peers. Kindler breaks through the tired, formulaic style of most stand-up routines, and is infamous for freely mocking fellow comedians onstage. He even wrote The Hacker’s Handbook, a satirical “how-to” guide for predictable comedy.

His only ray of sunshine appears to come from his fondness for marijuana—but even then, he finds a way to complain about the policies that get in the way of being able to enjoy his habit: “I don’t have any conditions that would warrant a prescription for medical marijuana, but I’m all for smoking it as a preventative measure.“ If only pessimism were a disease.

Andy Kindler @ Wiseguys Comedy Café, 505 S. 600 East, Trolley Square, 801-532-5233, Sept. 24-25, 7:30 & 10 p.m., $20. WiseguysComedy.com