Meet Lanny Farmer | Comedian

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lanny Farmer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lanny, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I chose to do comedy because it was something I always loved to watch, but it also really scared me to try. When I finished college, I was working a job and it didn’t really fulfill me. So I thought I’d give comedy a try and just do it as a hobby. I fell in love with doing it and wanted to keep getting better at it. It was always a dream of mine to do something artistic wise, and comedy just felt right for me. I’ve always loved to write and be creative, and comedy turned out to be a great outlet for me.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a comedian and I’m also a show runner or producer of comedy shows. I’m not sure if this sets me apart from others, but my style of comedy is kind of deadpan and I enjoy joke writing. I’m not really a story teller. I like to tell jokes. I like the misdirection and keeping people guessing what the punchline is going to be.

The thing I’m most proud of are some of the shows I’m running now. Before the pandemic, I wouldn’t be caught dead hosting or running a show. It seemed like a lot of work and I didn’t think I had the skills to host a show. But once everything shut down, I had an opportunity to start a small show at a coffee shop. I figured I wasn’t doing any comedy at all, so I’d give it a try. Turns out, I really enjoyed it and now I run 4 shows and want to keep growing.

I got to where I am today just by working hard and slowly building. I’ve been doing comedy for 9 years. Part of it was just looking for opportunities and being open to the ones that came my way.

One lesson I’ve learned along the way is to enjoy the process. I’m not where I want to be yet, but I’ve come pretty far. If you would have asked me 9 years ago if I would be where I am now, I probably wouldn’t believe it. Comedy is definitely has a lot of ups and downs. One week, you’re killing it in front of packed crowds or getting to open for a bigger comedian and the next week you’re bombing in front of 3 people at a dive bar. It’s hills and valleys. But, I’ve learned to enjoy the process. I shouldn’t get discouraged and just keep at it. You never know what will come your way.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I guess as a comedian, I would take them to The Laughing Skull Lounge or the Punchline for some comedy. I’ve also become quite the fan of Sweet Hut for desserts. Maybe we would check out some shows at The Masquerade.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to give a shoutout to my parents for being supportive and encouraging me to pursue comedy. They like coming to shows and they let me run my jokes by them. It’s nice to have them in my corner.

Website: Lannyfarmer.com

Instagram: @lannyfarmercomedy

Twitter: @LannyFarmer