As an aboriginal comedian, Howie Miller has taken it upon himself to let everyone know Indigenous people have a great sense of humour.
“I’m a pretty easy going comedian who thinks that everyone should laugh and I try to find the humour in everything,” Miller said.
Miller will be bringing his comedy show to Lake Country on Friday as the opening performer for the Creekside Theatre 2017-18 season.
Miller’s show, called Train Wreck Comedy, is about trying to make comedy accessible to all, he says.
“I’m not just a ‘native comedian.’ I’m a comedian who happens to be native,” he said.
Still, in a historic nod to his own culture, he does poke fun at the Canada 150 celebrations.
“Some people have been here longer. I do poke fun at myself for being mistaken for every other race besides being native.”
Miller hails from Edmonton, born to Cree Nation parents, fostered at six months of age and ultimately adopted by his German foster parents.
After working at several odd jobs, Miller thought playing off his native descent could open up a unique opportunity for him as a comedian.
He thought it was a way he could make a lot of money quickly as in his early 20s he was supporting a family of four.
Over the last decade Miller has become a fixture at many major Canadian comedy festivals including the prestigious Montreal Just For Laughs Festival.
He is currently working on his own special for the Comedy Network, a gig that almost forced him to cancel his Lake Country show but “we managed to figure things out.”
Miller was recently featured in the Showtime special No Reservations Needed and can also be heard on CBC Radio’s popular show “The Debaters.”
In 2010, Miller joined the Pow Wow Comedy jam and since then has received an entertainer of the year award from the National Indian Gaming Association and comedic performance of the year honours at the National Indigenous Awards in New Mexico in 2012.
Miller says he tends to avoid being too political in his act because he doesn’t want to appear “one-sided” on a given issue.
“That gets in the way of making everyone laugh,” he explained. “But be warned, if I’m ever elected prime minister, there’s going to be some changes.”
Miller adds he also steers clear of the “Trump factor” because “there is nothing I can say that is funnier that what the man is doing everyday online or on TV.”
Buy tickets online for Miller’s Creekside Theatre show at www.creeksidetheatre.com.