Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with one of Olympia’s coolest stand-up comedians, Sam Miller.
Sam tours nationally, is a regular guest on the nationally syndicated “Bob & Tom Radio Show,” has written for Newsweek, and had his comedy album, “Round Trip” hit No. 1 on the iTunes Comedy Charts and break into the Top 200 overall charts. (“Round Trip” was recorded at Stand Up! Records by Grammy Winning Producer, Dan Schlissel).
Good news for us all is that Miller will be recording a new album this weekend (more on that later). Equal among his accomplishments, Miller is a proud father, husband, man in recovery and fellow Olympian.
Sam Miller’s comedy comes from his ability to make both clean and dirty jokes, allowing for greater diversity in his audiences.
Reflecting on this, Miller stated: “There’s a lot of comics that think it’s not really art if you have to follow rules. I’m very proud that I can do that because a lot of other comics cannot work clean, and I don’t mind it at all.”
Seeing it as his job to make people laugh, Miller acts with impromptu flexibility that comes with reading the room. The secret lies in Miller’s opening joke and the way his audiences respond to it. When audiences are open to it, Miller does have very filthy jokes that are a lot of fun.
While Miller offers a variety of jokes, there are a few topics audiences can expect to hear about, including being a sober parent, experiences with homelessness, drug addiction and jail (more on that later).
The topic I found most refreshing was how he talks about his attraction to larger women. He might poke fun at skinner women, but he does so in a way that leaves them feeling OK.
“I know that what any lady’s body looks like has nothing to do with me, but I love to push back against unfair body standards and societal norms," he said.
When Sam did comedy for the first time, he had a switch flip inside of him, and he knew there was no going back — he was going to do comedy for the rest of his life.
Miller started in comedy through his recovery experience with the 12 Steps program. In his own words, the people who helped Miller get sober had a lot to do with him doing comedy and recognized his talent before he did.
“I never thought that comedy was like a thing for a guy like me, it didn’t seem like it was possible. I thought there was no way people would laugh at this stuff," he said.
Talking and joking to people about his experiences with drug addiction and homelessness is very important to Miller.
“I don’t talk about these issues with an air of shame, there’s nothing to be ashamed about. Addiction is a disease and the American Medical Association says it’s a disease. People want it to be better immediately, but there are no easy solutions." he said.
"There is so much stigma on being a drug addict and homeless, but then you start talking to people and realize ... even though drug addiction was a very personal problem for me, it’s a very visible public, social and political problem.”
Pushing back on societal norms, unfair standards and stigmas looks different for everybody. Comedy is a jovial place where we can all laugh together and create amity and camaraderie.
Miller wants to personally invite readers to come to the recording of his new album on March 8 at the Liberty Theatre in Astoria, Oregon. This is a unique event and a once in a lifetime opportunity. The show starts at 8 p.m. and is for audiences 18 and older.
People can purchase tickets for the show by visiting this link.
Sam Miller will be performing in Olympia again within the next month. You can find him at the Washington Center on March 29 at the “Mercury Rising Queen Tribute” show and at the Capitol Theater on April 5.
To purchase tickets to the Washington Center show, click here.
To purchase tickets to the Capitol Theater show, click here.
Sam Miller’s performance schedule can be found here.
Rachel Benton is a columnist, freelance writer, performing arts enthusiast and a Thurston County local. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in History and Political Science and minor in Music. When not writing or enjoying the arts, Rachel can be found spending time with her family, friends and two golden retriever puppies (Elliot and Ernie).
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