Heather Snow passed away on December 31, 2016. She was a gifted comedian who brought joy and laughter to many people. Her light was taken away too quickly. Heather Snow hailed from Sandusky, Ohio and was based out of Denver, Colorado. She used storytelling and dry humor to talk about her view on the world pre-sobriety and post, having made her national television debut three months into recovery. Her hilarious take on sobriety and the change in the world for her was beginning to get her national notoriety and peace within her artistic self. Being sober on stage isn’t for the weak, and she was anything but.
She had been featured on TV Guide Network’s Stand Up in Stilettos and NUVOtv’s Stand Up and Deliver. She was a finalist in the first annual Cabo Comedy Festival in 2013, and was a performer at Boston Women in Comedy Festival and Laugh Track Comedy Festival. She’s won Westword Magazine’s Best of Denver for her Comedy Show, “Ladies Laugh-In” in both 2011/2012. And was voted one of Denver’s Most Eligible in 5280 Magazine’s Single in the City in 2013.
We were lucky enough to have the chance to interview Heather back in 2013. Here is some insight into Heather’s talented comedic mind. You will be missed, Heather.
Recovery Comedy: What were you like as a kid?
Heather Snow: I was competitive, dramatic and all-in. Whatever club or activity I could be in, I would join. I didn’t want to miss anything and be the best or better than most at everything. And try to beat my brother…
Recovery Comedy: What made you decide to become a stand-up comedian and how long have you been performing?
Heather Snow: I was doing a thing that I called “Productive Drinking” as a way to control my drinking frequency. I set the standard that I’d have to be doing an activity in order to drink (Which, I just found a whole bunch of activities)
I would play poker with some friends on Thursday nights and met a girl there that ran an Open Mic at a local Denver bar called “Paris on the Platte”. After watching for a few months, I was drunk enough to go on stage and told all of my Grandfather’s old jokes because I was too drunk to remember my own material. It was a blast. I went back the next week, relatively sober, and completely ate shit. Then, I thought I needed to be wasted to be funny. My friend and I did a ton of shots and I went up again. I ate shit again. And then I was hooked…
Recovery Comedy: Were you performing stand-up comedy before you got into recovery?
Heather Snow: Yes, I was 3 months sober when I got my first television booking.
Recovery Comedy: Does your comedy have a message and if so what is it?
Heather Snow: Laugh at yourself.
Recovery Comedy: Who are your comedy idols?
Heather Snow: Steve Martin, Phyllis Diller, George Carlin, Bryan Regan, Mike Birbiglia to name a few…
Recovery Comedy: Where does your inspiration for material come from?
Heather Snow: Most of my comedy is absolutely true stories, exaggerated from real life experiences from my absurd life. Unfortunately, being a ridiculous person wasn’t a side effect of alcohol.
Recovery Comedy: What is your joke writing process?
Heather Snow: Live it, write it down, try it at a mic, and then fine tune it.
Recovery Comedy: What is your kryptonite?
Heather Snow: Nerves and anxiety.
Recovery Comedy: Is your family supportive of your comedy career?
Heather Snow: I’m not sure that they really understood how much of a part of my life it was until recently. They’d support anything that would make me happy.
Recovery Comedy: Is comedy part of your healing process?
Heather Snow: Definitely. The stage was the one place that I felt comfortable in social situations after I stopped drinking. I no longer related to a lot of my existing material because my life changed so dramatically. It took about 9 months before I found my sober voice on stage and in life.
Recovery Comedy: What was your worst experience performing comedy?
Heather Snow: A week after I was sober, I had a gig booked to perform at a professional conference for women in business. My material was the worst possible material for that situation. And I felt like my skin was on fire. The stubborn me thought I would be okay, but I definitely wasn’t. Luckily, I had a hilarious friend there that crushed so the comedy wasn’t a total loss for the people. I’m still feeling the embarrassment of bombing that one… a boss that had fired me from a job when I got a DUI seven years prior was in the audience. I did not exactly rise above…
Recovery Comedy: What was your best experience performing comedy?
Heather Snow: Most recently, the Cabo Comedy Festival. I performed in the Jack Rollins Competition and had a blast. The weekend was amazing, and I met a ton of wonderful people.
Recovery Comedy: What is your favorite joke?
Heather Snow: You guys drinking tonight? I had to stop drinking because I couldn’t stop crying…
Recovery Comedy: What is your comedy dream?
Heather Snow: Enjoy the present and stay open for the future.
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