Interview: Comedian Barbara Holm


"I haven't been in shop class since high school..."

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Nailed Magazine conducted a series of interviews with comedians for the 2013 Bridgetown Comedy Fest in Portland, Oregon.

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NAILED: You have quite a funny twitter account, which I really like by the way, is that a decent place to try out one liners or does it feel like a comedic void?

BARBARA HOLM: Thank you for liking my twitter (@barbara_holm)! I like twitter because I like that it encourages getting to the punchline quickly. I think it’s a really fun writing exercise.

NAILED: I specifically love the videos you post there. Do you find having a diverse settings for your comedy helps you as a standup?

HOLM: And thanks! I think comedy is evolving every day with communication technology, which is only helping standup. As we become more interconnected across the globe, it’s easier to share and absorb art. Obviously, this new Internet age helps comedy flourish, spreads discernment in fans, and garnishes very smart, unique, aware styles of humor. Media technology also spreads other ideas, and ideas inspire art. Things like twitter, youtube, and all the blogs have really changed, increased, and facilitated with ease the way comedy is consumed, in my opinion for the better.

NAILED: When was the last time you nailed it?

HOLM: Oh… I don’t know. I haven’t been in shop class since high school and even then I was mostly making feather and leather talismans.


Originally from Seattle, Barbara Holm has performed at the San Francisco Sketchfest, the Bridgetown Comedy Festival, Bumbershoot Arts festival, and the Women in Comedy Festival in Boston. She has written for IGN, Hahajk, and the Huffington Post. She has been awarded Time Out New York’s Joke of the Week and was named “one of the best things about comedy in 2012″ by the Comedy Bureau. Her comedy has been described as clever, unique, idiosyncratic, and exuberant. Seattle City Arts Magazine called her a “comedy wizard” and Seattle Stranger Newspaper described her as an “adorable wunderkind” and she describes herself as “running away from this question to hide under the desk right now.”

This interview was conducted during Portland’s annual Bridgetown Comedy Fest, which takes place on the weekend of April 18 – 21, 2013. Click here for information on shows that feature Barbara Holm during the 2013 festival. [Photo Via: Barbara Holm


John Barrios

John Barrios is a poet and musician. He has been part of the band Curious Hands for eight years. He graduated from Buffalo State College and chased his dreams in the Bay Area for a decade before landing on his literary feet in Portland, OR. Barrios was part of the original team at NAILED, and was a Contributing Editor until May 2014.

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