Comedian Amy Brown is excited to make her return to Comedy @ The Carlson with her show, “Southern Fried Funny” next Saturday.
Originally from Geneseo, life and her physicist husband led her across the country until they eventually settled in Atlanta. Although she finds the culture to be very friendly and open like small-town Geneseo, there are still some things that shock her when she stops and thinks about it.
Food is a perfect example.
“(In the south), if there’s mayonnaise on something, that counts as a salad,” says Brown with both incredulity and appreciation in her voice. She goes on to describe an experience with a “ham salad” which ended up being just ham with mayonnaise on it.
Food, relationships, parenting challenges, and skewing female stereotypes are all common areas where Brown finds comedy. She describes her style as “nerdy and dirty,” as in, seemingly dumb, silly jokes done in a smart way.
“It helps in that way to be married to a real life atomic physicist, especially one who flirts with being a vegan,” says Brown, touching once again on the topic of food.
As an extroverted “recovering musical theater nerd,” Brown’s decision to enter into comedy was in part brought on by her husband and two sons, who she describes as “definitely introverts.”
“I was watching TV, eating Cheez-its, and drinking white wine by myself downstairs one night,” she recalls.“I just fast-forwarded in my mind and thought, ‘Okay, if I keep going this way, I’m either going to die of a fatty ass or a fatty liver.’ And that’s a grim future.”
Desiring the camaraderie and energy that comes with performing on stage, she signed up for comedy class that same night and never looked back.
“It was kind of a mid-life crisis,” Brown reflects and then resolves, “But I turned it into my profession. It wasn’t just a sports car that (was) going to sit in the garage with a cover.”
And she has turned it into her full time profession. Over the past three years, Brown’s following has grown to the point that she performs regularly in Atlanta and other locales. In her home city, Brown has deep connections to the comedy scene, many of whom are guests on her podcast, or are featured in shows together.
“Southern Fried Funny,” for instance, will also feature Holly Balantine, a fellow comic and Texas native who is a close friend and on a similar creative wavelength.
Brown’s podcast, “Nerdy For”, is focused on delving deeper into obsession by asking people what things they are nerdy for. But, she’ll readily admit, it’s also just because she doesn’t want to get lonely and bored at home.
“The children are all grown basically and my husband just keeps going to work so I’m alone every day and the dog doesn’t talk back,” she says.
Jacob Schermerhorn is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and data journalist. The Beacon welcomes comments and letters from readers who adhere to our comment policy including use of their full, real name. Submissions to the Letters page should be sent to [email protected].