Blayr Nias writes most material in the shower
With a lightning wit and self-deprecating humor, Blayr Nias is a comic relatable to all walks of life. Unapologetically fierce and funny, she covers everything from current events to race and gender relations, never missing an opportunity to dazzle the audience with wordplay and puns. Blayr has a reputation for saying bad things in a nice way, giving her the style of “mean clean.”
Hailing from Boston, MA and graduating from George Washington University with a degree in Theater and Creative Writing, Ms. Nias is a Yankee at heart but living in the South gives her the perfect blend of Northern aggression and Southern hospitality. She performs at comedy clubs, casinos, corporate events, colleges, and even churches and has worked with comedy heavyweights throughout her career such as Marc Maron, DL Hughley, Katt Williams, and she recently opened for Fortune Feimster as she filmed her Netflix special.
Blayr was selected as “Best Comedian” by both Charlotte Magazine and Creative Loafing Magazine, as well as Top 30 Under 30 by Elevate Lifestyle Magazine. She’s performed at the Laugh Your Asheville Off Festival, Laughing Skull Comedy Festival, and Funny or Die’s Oddball Comedy Festival. Ms. Nias made her television debut on Fox “Laughs” and has also been seen on Comedy Central’s “Up Next”, and as a contributor on WCCB News Rising’s “Couch Chat”. The new mom recently released her debut album “Telling Jokes for Two” and you can follow her on social media @gummyblayr.
What were you like as a teen? (Did you have comedy #goals? Were you already funny?)*
I was loud and funny. I overcompensated for insecurities by always being the life of the party. I was smart and in AP classes. I never studied, just memorized everything in the textbook. I was in a million extra-curriculars from the school paper to track and field, but my love for the theater was very strong from an early age.
I was in every play and musical as a principal role. I felt awkward and clueless around boys, so I tried to be one of the guys and break balls. Again using humor to diffuse uncomfortable situations. Senior year I was voted most likely to be on SNL. Did I mention I went to an all-girls Catholic school in central Massachusetts in a predominately white environment? That explains a lot.
Did you have an un-sexy starter job?
My first real job at 14 was working at a family restaurant where I would steal food. My first “un-sexy” job after I graduated college was at one of those pyramid scheme operations where I was basically a door-to-door salesperson.
What do you consider to be your biggest comedy achievement to date?
Writing for a show on BET produced by Wanda Sykes.
When you were coming up in comedy, what helped you stick with it?
I realized I was good. Really good. I kept getting laughs and compliments and it drove me to write and perform even more.
Have you ever dealt with trolls? Hecklers?
Hecklers I can handle. I’m good at thinking on my feet and diffusing those situations where everyone can laugh it off and move on. Or I get them kicked out. Trolls and toxic people along with suffering so much racism and misogyny broke me several times. I survived and even came out of it with material, but I am very sensitive and did not deal with those situations well.
On your deathbed, what transcendent advice would you croak at a young comedian?
Live in the moment. Don’t regret the past or worry about the future. Just stay in the now.
Best comedy advice you ever got?
To pace myself and go slower. I used to plow through my jokes and even step on the laughs I got. I was so anxious and eager to get to the next joke.
Worst comedy advice you ever got?
Give up trying so hard to advance my career because all or most of my ventures had been failures.
How has being funny helped you in your life?
To this day, I still use it to diffuse tense situations or to cope with difficult times.
What specific things should a novice comic do to shape their voice?
Talk your material out loud, but not to a person. Hearing yourself sometimes helps you figure things out. REVISE, EDIT, RE-WRITE!
The first draft of a joke is just the start. Go take a tree bath and walk through the woods. Take a ridiculously long shower. Go for a drive. Get in a hypnotic state where any and all thoughts start brewing in your head. I write most of my material in the car or shower.
Was there one person who inspired you to go into comedy?
I was always told I was funny and should be onstage by everyone, but I went to my first open mic because I had a crush on a boy. He said I was really funny and should try it out. The person that KEPT me in comedy was my mom. As twisted and toxic as our relationship was, she always believed in my career and was proud of me.
Do you have a writing routine?
I write ideas and premises on my bathroom mirror with dry-erase markers whenever the spirit moves me. I use it as my mind-mapping space. Sometimes it looks like A Beautiful Mind in there. Anything goes. Then I talk it out. I do not have a routine, but I write jokes that I think of in the moment every time I go on stage. Currently, I just waste my talent on punching up my husband’s jokes (also a comic) or giving him ideas for his TikToks.
What single word always cracks you up?
Last words for the people?
Comedy is a career but don’t be afraid to support yourself with a job. We all have to survive somehow. Don’t EVER stop believing in your career. You are a comedian no matter what else is going on in your life. Don’t accept failure or succumb to obstacles. Keep swimming.
