Always Funny: Natashia Mower

It’s Always Funny in Salt Lake City returns triumphantly this week with the endearing, the lovable, the joyous, the hilarious, the small handed Natashia Mower.

We discuss some very important things, such as the haircut situation (somehow it gets mentioned twice, sorry everyone, it was not my intention), celebrity cannibalism and 30 minutes.

Natashia is performing at every comedy show possible this month. So if you go to a comedy show this month, she will be there and you will be able to hear her mouth word joke thingys.

Just so everyone knows, I am watching Hot Rod while I am completing this interview. Cool beans. Cool beans.

Describe yourself in 10 words or less?

Spills things.

If you could compare yourself to any woodland creature, what would it be and why?

I wouldn’t compare myself to any woodland creature, I would compare myself specifically to Thumper from the Disney Motion Picture “Bambi”. Mostly because I’m sitting a lot of the time at work and I’m anxious a lot of the time at work, so I do that super fast, leg shake thing. It’s not soothing, but I feel like I’ll die if I don’t do it. Probably how Thumper felt.

Whose haircut is more upsetting to the Lesbian community, Justin Beiber or Sharon Osborne?

Well, I can’t speak for the four other lesbians I know, but Sharon Osborne can do whatever she wants with her hair because she is married to… um, you know, THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS. As for Justin Beiber, I am very embarrassed to be talking about him as an adult. However, I didn’t like when his hair was all shaggy and in his face and whatnot, cause my hair was inadvertently that way for a time and people made stupid unfunny comments about it. Eff those guys.

If you were a cannibal and only ate celebrities… who would be the most delicious? Why? What do they taste like?

IF I were a cannibal? I’m eating Bruce Willis as we speak. Sorry to anyone who wanted “Die Hard” number 7 or whatever. The most delicious celebrities are the ones who don’t live in overpopulated, gross cities like LA and New York. You go for the ones in places like Portland or Denver. As for the taste-imagine if the most delicious cow in the world was constantly showered with money and praise and just had a monetary richness to it’s meat-that’s what it tastes like.

What got you started in stand up comedy?

I’ve always liked laughing and making people laugh. It’s a rush that nothing else lives up to for me. I started listening to so much stand-up when I was around fifteen and I eventually started thinking in that same mindset all the time, just thinking up bits in my head. I had no idea how people got started doing comedy but I knew for sure I wanted to do it. My first comedy show was seeing Maria Bamford in Ogden when I was nineteen and she told me you just have to do it, which is the only good advice you could get about starting out. I didn’t have the courage or material to actually try it for the first time until I was twenty-three.

Who are your biggest inspirations in comedy?

Early on, I was really inspired by Ellen DeGeneres and Amy Poehler. When I started becoming more familiar with stand-up, Patton Oswalt and Sarah Silverman stand out as people who always got me really excited about their comedy. There are way too many comedians to mention, I watched basically every “Comedy Central Presents” and every HBO comedy special and soaked all of it in.

How long have you been doing comedy?

About two and a half years. My very first time doing stand-up was early 2011 and I was very bad. Eric Kepoo (EK) put me on a few shows at a coffee shop in Sandy called the “Wild Bean”, where I got an idea of the work I needed to do to be a decent stand-up. Unfortunately, I was having really bad anxiety and panic attacks and I remember doing a show in Pleasant Grove with Josh Gret, EK and Rodney Bliss where I bombed for the first time. The experience and my anxiety issues made me stay far away from comedy for 9 months, so I don’t really know if I count that brief period early on.

Who has been the biggest help for you in your comedy career?

Christopher Stephenson, Ben Fuller and Steve McInelly. They’ve not only helped give me necessary stage time, but they’ve had faith in me to put me on shows that where unique experiences. I have undoubtedly grown as a comedian because of the types of shows I’ve been able to do with their help.

What are your 2014 comedy goals?

My only goal is to be developing material more often, either expanding on what I have or writing new stuff. I also want to step outside of stand-up and see if I’m capable of anything else, like writing sketch. I’ve already contracted Andrew Jensen and Troy Taylor to educate me in that area. They kind of acknowledged me, so they have to.

You perform a lot, especially in June. What is your favorite place to perform? Why?

I couldn’t pick a favorite. Some of my most fun shows have been at Club DJ’s, 5 Monkeys and Sandy Station. However, I’m particularly excited to be performing at The Fifth in Bountiful on June 14th with Jokers Gone Wild and Jamie Maxfield. I haven’t been on that stage in a while and it was crazy fun every other time I’ve been there. Ogden is somewhere I’ve only recently started performing, but the audience is fantastic every time.

You are literally performing on on every show locally in June… are you using mind control or have you drugged everyone?

I think part of it is just the rotation of comics that get put on shows every month. I just happened to have not been on any of these shows for a while and they all asked at the same time. Another part of it could be that I’m funny and people want me on their shows, Okay Jordon? The other part could be all of the drugs I’ve been slipping everybody. I’d say a combination of those three things.

If you could do standup anywhere, where where would it be? Why?

I would love to do stand-up at a hair stylist convention, if that is a real event. I freaking kill at Great Clips whenever I’m getting a haircut. Maybe I should just hang out at Great Clips.

What is your biggest comedic accomplish so far?
At this point, I’m pretty proud of being able to do a solid thirty minute set. I’ve rotated and gotten rid of so many jokes over the past couple of years and I finally feel like I have something. I don’t know what, just something.

You got to perform with Fortune Feimster (of Chelsea Lately and Conan fame). How was that experience?
That was a weird night. The club didn’t know too much about running a comedy show and there were some audio issues at first. However, I did really well because the entire audience was hammered before the show even started. They were really fun, but also scary. I felt bad for Fortune because I don’t think the audience registered any of her jokes. They mostly just yelled “WHOO!” anytime she said a word their brains could make out through the booze. But hey, she probably made a butt load of money and the audience had fun, so it worked out.

What was one joke that you have told that has stood out the most?
More recently, people seem to like a joke I tell about different ways to protest inequality. It’s crude and dumb and I enjoy telling it very much.

What do you think of the Utah Comedy Scene?
I think it shows a lot of promise. It’s expanded so much in the short time I’ve been around, I hope the momentum keeps going. There talented comedians running more shows now than I can remember, and it makes it really easy to support and enjoy the comedy scene because they know how to make shows good. Jason Harvey, Melissa Merlot and Christopher Stephenson have a lot to do with making comedy better in this state.

Where do you see it in 5 years?
Sky comedy. There will be comedy in the sky. Hot air balloons. I’m very tired.

What is the thing happening in the comedy scene that you are really excited about?
I’m particularly excited for the next “Always Funny in SLC” showcase as the first one was really great and the SLC Comedy Carnivale for the same reason.

Name one local comedian that is blowing your mind right now? Why?
Nicholas Smith is the best. He makes me belly laugh real hard and anyone who can do that is the best (in my opinion). I see him work through his material at open mics every week, and it still kills me when I hear it at shows. He is the bees knees and it’s wings.

What shows do you have coming up?