Interview: Rarely Asked Questions – Lynn Ruth Miller: Page 2 of 2

6. What do others (delete as applicable) think of your job?

I have no family. Other people think I am outrageous or very brave and I am neither. I am just doing something I love to do and thank goodness it is resonating with others.

7. What’s the worst thing about being a comedian?

Not getting a laugh.

8. I think you are very good at what you do (that’s why I’m asking these questions). What do you think of you?

I think I am not there yet. I have a long way to go but in this profession, unlike any of the many others I have tried, I know I can get there if I can just manage to stay alive long enough.

9. How much do you earn and how much would you like to earn?

I am awful with money and I honestly have no idea what I earn. I know I do not earn very much and in the line-ups where I am booked I always get the least amount. I would like to be able to actually support myself as others who are at my level do, but in reality that isn't why I am doing this. I have found something I truly love doing. How many of us are fortunate enough to discover what it is that feeds their heart and soul? The amount I am paid indicates what the bookers think I am worth and validates me as a professional comedian but that is all it does really.

10. How important is luck in terms of career success – have you had lucky breaks?

I believe luck has a lot to do with career success but most important is putting in the time and effort. I do not believe in instant success and at least for me, the beauty of this career is that the doing it is what satisfies me. Comedy is like a golf game to me and I measure my progress by how much I have improved over the gig I did before. I do find that those who have had a lot of accolades tend to ride on previous successes and do not put in the effort anymore and I find that appalling.

11. Alan Davies has said that comedians fall into two categories - golfers and self-harmers. The former just get on with life, the latter are tortured artists. Which are you – or do you think you fit into a third category?

I am not sure which category applies to me. I am an achiever...I want to get better at what I do. I also think all of us in comedy are very needy. We want love and approval and that is what laughter gives us. So lets say my category is a neurotic senior citizen. How is that?

12. Who is your favourite person ever and why – not including family or friends or other comedians?

I think Rumi because he is so wise and sees so clearly the workings of the human heart.

13. Do you keep your drawers tidy and if not why not? (please think long and hard about this question, it's to settle an argument with my girlfriend. The future of our relationship could depend on your response)

I am OCD. My kitchen and bathroom are tidy because chaos upsets me. My drawers are a complete mess because I am in too much of a hurry to live my life to waste the time I have left folding underwear or sweaters. If you are talking about the other kind of drawers, I have to say mine are a ragged mess because no one has been in them for years. If your relationship with your girlfriend depends on the condition of your drawers, Bruce, you are in trouble. You might remind her that he who has never forgotten to fold his smalls, is the only one who has the right to cast the first stone (so to speak of course).

 

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