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| Photos courtesy of Boomer Nichols |
1. Who are you and what do you do?
I am Boomer Nichols and I am, among other things, a stand-up comedian.
2. How did you get your start?
I started studying stand up, as a fan, at a very early age and always wanted to do it. One day in 1996, I think, while tending bar I met a comedian and asked him for some advice, and ran some ideas for material by him. He took me out to some of his shows, and made me get on stage one night at Bobby McGee’s in Scottsdale. He didn’t even tell me I was performing until it was time to go onstage. I went up totally cold, unprepared, scared out of my mind…and got some laughs. I was addicted instantly. Comedy is like crack, but with a less glamorous lifestyle.
3. What inspires you?
At this point, I’d say my children inspire me more than anything. The unconditional love and admiration they have for me makes me strive to be the best I can be for them, and to always be someone that they can be proud of, even when I am making fart noises at a church function.
4. What do you like about AZ?
The fact that we have oppressive heat that gives me multiple excuses to stay inside on most any given day… yet on the off occasion I feel like being active or productive, there are so many things you can get out and do all year round. To me Arizona is a lot like an ex girlfriend I took to prom…not very smart at all, but everyone wants to go check things out whenever they can. Especially the peaks and the canyon.
5. Where can we see your work?
Well, this Sunday (March 10th) is my annual passion project, “Comedians for a Cure“, a benefit for Phoenix Children’s Hospital at Stand Up Live in downtown Phoenix. (Event begins at 4:30, tickets at standuplive.com) My daughter is a cancer survivor, and her brother saved her life by being her bone marrow donor. So, I have become very involved with P.C.H and try to give everything back that I can, since they saved her life. At this point in my life, with kids that are 8 and 5 and a wife who is busy running her own business, I really have to pick and choose my spots carefully when it comes to booking comedy. I primarily perform at Stand Up Live and soon their sister club, The Tempe Improv, which will re-open in April. I get out on the road, around the state and nationally, when I can. I keep a schedule posted on my website, www.boobernipples.com, and I am always posting my shows on my Facebook page.
6. What would you like accomplish before you die?
I’d like to raise my kids to adulthood and see them both be content, secure, and happy adults with a bright future ahead of them. Maybe get to spend some time with their kids before I go. Oh, and convince my wife to bring home sportscaster Erin Andrews, for just one night.
7. What is your mantra?
I guess I’d have to use an old line that my brother K.C., who really turned me on to stand-up, taught me when I was very young. “F**k ’em if they can’t take a joke.”
It can actually be a pretty deep and impactful statement, the way we comedians live it. Literally, and figuratively. Think about it.
