Meet Michael Yetman | Comedian

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

Hi Michael, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
I’m sure it is like other artistic pursuits, but there is no guidebook to the process. No classes, no playbook, and ultimately no silver bullet. If you remember the Assassin’s Creed game, the old load screen where you are just standing in a formless landscape with fog all around. It’s not all miserable but it’s a slow chipping away. I have seen performers launch into space after a year or so, and I have seen some of the funniest people I’ve known never really elevate. I feel like I understand the business and I can’t seem to break into a viral existence. All career paths in all professions have their ambiguity but we all mostly understand how to excel in focused fields. In comedy, a catchy phrase can be just as effective as well as an intricate observational joke. It truly comes down to the person and that’s always a tangled mess.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a comedian. A white, mid-thirties man with a beard and glasses. Standing out is tricky. I like to think that my style is unique but I like to mix observational with story-telling, The one thing that I think makes me special from a production standpoint is I really work to create an experience. It’s the same technique as standup, Each room is different, and each audience is unique. My jokes have enough flow to them that I can adjust them to fit the energy of the room, no pandering, just no rigidity. It’s tough to leave your house, and the internet is incredible. You have to give people a reason to want to leave. It’s not always great but more often than not we hit the mark.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A fun brocation for me? You come to town around 4p Friday:
4p-post travel bathroom break and clean up
5ish- We hit Hawkers to absolutely destroy multiple plates
7p- we are checking Basement East lineups/alternatively we hit Game Terminal
10ish-Back home to sleep because you leave Sunday and we have a lot to accomplish

Sat:
9a- Percy Priest Lake trail for a walk praying the dam is open for that awesome rumbling sound
Brunching at Milk and Honey
Opry Mills Mall for people watching/maybe loop through the opry hotel
Late lunch at Greko
Zoolumination at the Zoo
Baked Bear

Sun:
9 am coffee and Longhunter State Park
11 am Help you pack
Noon- Give you the ole Midwestern Farewell

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have been doing comedy for a little over a decade, but there were some years when the pursuit wasn’t really strong. The club in my town shut down, out of the blue. Chains on the door, the whole ordeal. I had worked hard to get into this club. I had produced a couple of shows, I was the regular host and they were open to letting me headline. I was gaining some community clout and even developing a fan base. The biggest boon to my career was opening for some real professional comedians. These names I could say to non-comedy nerds and they knew them. So when the club shuttered I was pretty low. I lived in a college town that didn’t have much in the way of comedy. A local dive had a weekly open mic. Then I got an interesting email from the rock club in town. Rose Music Hall. A shotgun-style room with an elevated stage, full-length bar, and sophisticated grime. They wanted to try and build a show. Pay McKay (check out his band) believed we could make it work. He taught me how to really produce a show and create an experience. He guided me and ultimately the show was a wild success, eventually, when I left and my best friend took over they held regular monthly shows at the sister theater selling more than 200 tickets for a local showcase! It was kismet to work with someone like him at that time.

Website: www.michael-yetman.com

Instagram: @yetmanmt

Facebook: Michael Yetman

Youtube: Michael Yetman