Standing Up – Episode 47
Posted on: February 24, 2011
Episode 47 features Nina G, the Bay Area’s Only Stuttering Stand-Up Comic. Nina is a return guest. We first met Nina and heard her story in Episode 17, back in early August 2010. At that time, Nina talked about how she always wanted to get into comedy and what finally prompted her to take the plunge.
In today’s episode, Nina shares how it feels to be approaching her one-year anniversary as a comic and what the experience has really been like. She also shares the significance of how performing stand-up on stage allows her to perfect real “standing up” for herself.
We also discuss how important validation is, the importance of laughter and giving people permission to laugh, and how comedy has brought Nina much closer to authenticity, which is what we all strive for.
Nina also shares what the reactions have been to her comedy, from her stuttering peers, her family and mainstream audiences. And we talk about how stuttering more, and in comedy, has crossed over into other areas of her life.
Listen in to this great episode and hear how stand-up comedy from a person who stutters really does mean “standing up”. I must get to the San Francisco area one day to see Nina G perform on stage. She has offered me a “standing” invitation. Please be sure to leave comments or questions for Nina, and me too, if you wish!
Credit for the podcast safe music used in this episode goes to DanoSongs
Also, if you have not seen a clip of Nina, please be sure to check this out. Nina G – a stand up woman standing up for all of us.
13 Responses to "Standing Up – Episode 47"
February 25, 2011 at 1:21 AM
Pam,
Thank you for another wonderful podcast. Nina is another example (one is you) of a person who has something that i call “fluent stuttering”. Which means speaking confidently, passionately, without avoidance and fear. The difference of this kind of stuttering from “typical case” – monotone, deliberate, struggled, covert speech (I had this too) – is that such fluid stuttering is easy to listen to, and in a while you stop noticing this just as you stop noticing a bit of an accent or some peculiar manner of speaking. Speaking openly, expressively, without holding back is a very real goal. I myself aim for total fluency, but if I end up with fluent stuttering instead, I will be just as happy. By the way I also learned a lot when I enrolled in a clown class – I am not performing on real stage, but the whole approach to performing, learning how to interact with audience and feel confident on stage is very valuable.
Anna
February 25, 2011 at 9:09 AM
Clown school? What a great idea! Fun and a way to build confidence and learn how to interact with an audience in a different way. So glad to see that you keep listening and commenting. Your feedback is important! Thanks. I hope we both make it to Ft Worth to meet and hang out!
February 25, 2011 at 8:11 PM
CLOWN SCHOOL!
That is great! You know Rowan Atkinson stutters! I think finding different ways to express ourselves is key to communicating, including physically! I think clown school is a great idea and might even make an interesting presentation one year at NSA (for kids or adults!).
February 25, 2011 at 8:13 PM
Thanks for all the feedback! And I am sure I am the first one on Our Stories: Women who Stutter podcast who had a comment from someone with the nickname Biatch! I am so proud!!
Seriously, thanks for the feedback and all the love from the stuttering community. It means so much to me.
February 27, 2011 at 1:08 AM
Nina and Pam, one great thing I learned in a clown school is about directing your attention outward. We have lots of exercises to make sure that we focus on the outside rather then staying inside our heads. We, people who stutter, are usually all inside our heads – watching ourselves, anticipating stuttering, trying to figure out listeners’ reaction etc. Having your attention concentrated on the outside, allow you to enter the state of fluency and freedom of fear. The moment you go inside your head (I wonder, how I am doing, do they like me?) – you get tense and nervous. NIna, your confidence on stage indicate that your attention is out there, you are connected to your audience and this what makes you so fluent, despite your stuttering. Fluent stuttering sounds strange, but it is a real phenomena and the one that everyone can learn how to do.
Anna
March 2, 2011 at 6:11 AM
Awesome show, Nina and Pam! I am so proud to have such an amazing friend! I LLLLLLLLOVE (both stuttering and emphasizing) watching you on stage! BTW, thanks for the shout out!
March 3, 2011 at 6:07 AM
[…] contributed some great comments on the most recent episode featuring Nina G – Standing Up. Anna notes the importance of “fluent stuttering”, which is a term described by Van […]
August 8, 2011 at 6:03 AM
[…] Nina G has been featured twice before on this podcast, and we are so fortunate to see and hear her progression from just starting out in comedy, to being a successful and sought-after comedian. If you have not yet been introduced to Nina, check her out here in Reclaiming Her Space and Standing Up. […]
[…] am so late to the game! It seems like everyone has already interviewed Nina G since she first started as a comic a few years ago. But did any of them have a fake competition in the middle of the interview to see […]
Make Room For The Stuttering 
February 24, 2011 at 11:01 AM
Thanks for including me in your wonderful podcast Pam!!! I always love working with you.