Debbie Millwater

Today I am interviewing Debbie Millwater, a comedian from Charlotte, NC who has been doing comedy for three years. To find out more about Debbie, please visit her website.

Why did you start doing stand-up comedy?

I'm originally a Florida native but now that I live in Charlotte, NC I'm delighted to finally consider myself a Southerner (why I had to move 650 miles north to be considered by most as Southern, I'm still trying to wrap my head around, but I promise you there is a difference). 2009, marks my third year as an open micer, but I've been exposed to stand-up comedy for a dozen years already. I guess you could say that I married into the business as my husband, Johnny Millwater, has made his full-time living at stand-up comedy for the last thirteen years. Watching Johnny hone his craft over these years has definitely sparked my interest.

What is the weirdest thing that happened while you were on stage or while you were in a comedy club?

I've witnessed plenty of strangeness and oddity over the years while at comedy shows. One of my favorite moments though was when I was hosting a show where Mike Spurlock was featuring and Mark Klein was closing. Mike crushed his set and quickly won the audience over; before long they were sending him shots of "Three Wise Men." Somehow, Mike made it off stage having had a strong set all the way through. Then, ALL "Three Wise Men" kicked in at once. Over the course of only ten minutes, Mike was devoid of trousers and being carried out of the showroom by the bartender. Luckily, Mark Klein is a consummate professional and was able to roll through and riff through this distraction using it to bond with the audience even further and it lead to a very funny show. Had it been a less experienced headliner on-stage though, this could have quickly turned into a fiasco ruining the show for all. I've got another headliner comic friend who almost always gets shots sent to her during her set, but she knows well enough to make an agreement with her server and bartender before the show starts that all drinks sent to her while on-stage be 'mock-shots' (of water or iced tea) and that the server should just pocket the money spent by the audience member - so in this scenario everyone wins!! Mike woke up in his hotel room the next morning having been placed there by the bartender - he had a tremendous hangover and no pants - he learned not to drink every shot sent to him on stage.

Is there anything you know now that you wish you knew when you started doing stand-up comedy?

I've had a very long transition between being a fan of comedy, a comic's wife, and an open micer; I still have years to go before my set is tweaked enough to where I can approach bookers for paid gigs. I wish I understood when I started that comedy is a process and that every comic is on their OWN timeline. For many, like my husband Johnny, being on stage seems second nature, as though they were always destined to be there. For some, like myself, every gain that was made came with a tremendous amount of struggle and growth . The key for ALL seems to be patience with oneself as they transition through all of the stages in this process.

I heard once that anyone in feudal Japan could declare themselves a ninja, but only through repeated victories in battle would one be accepted by their peers as a ninja (thanks History Channel!). I think the same is true of comics.

A common trait that I see in people who call themselves comics is their desire to constantly be up on stage. They will take every opportunity given to them to be in front of the mic. In fact, I've seen my husband, Johnny, take the stage several times during the same show both as himself (emcee then later closer) and as an alter-ego. I find that I even have to compete with Johnny for the same stage time (this has lead to fewer spousal arguments than you might think). It always comes down to who wants to be on stage more.

And I'll leave you with this thought... I've been lucky enough to follow the career of, Tennessee turned New York Comic, Keith Alberstadt. I remarked once to Keith that "Although I've been working at it for a while, I'm having difficulty coming up with even a minute of material that I was comfortable with." Not missing a beat, Keith chimed in "Yah, me too!! But that hasn't stopped me yet from taking the stage." Now this was a week where I saw Keith close for the Comedy Zone here in Charlotte, so I know that he had a solid hour under his belt, so I found his remark to be a huge inspiration. Last week, I saw Keith's first Letterman appearance - all five minutes were very funny and all five minutes he seemed quite comfortable with.