Meet Melina Best | Stand up Comedian

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

Hi Melina, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
Whenever I finish doing a comedy show, I take a Melfie and post it on my Instagram and Facebook accounts, with a caption that generally describes how fun the show was, thanking the host(s), any friends who came to support and I always finish the post with, thank you self for persisting. I don’t recall when I started, but it’s a tradition now. The reason I like it is because it’s a token of self love. I’ve been hard on myself for most of my life, and sometimes my anxiety and depression have kept me from performing comedy. With this affirmation, I am telling myself that I did get up on stage and made people laugh. It was me that did that, so I can probably do it again.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a stand up comedian, My style is dry and deadpan. What I’m proud of is that I am the same person on and off stage. I have the same demeanor; slow delivery, sarcasm, dry wit. There was one show where I tried performing as a comedian with high energy. I’m glad I did it, because it’s good to challenge yourself, but it felt false. I was pretty shy and quiet growing up, I didn’t fit in. My sarcasm and sass started to appear during my middle school/high school years. Starting around that time, the most common compliment I’d hear from family, teachers and friends was, “You’re funny.” I had low self-esteem, and so hearing that I was good at something, and not only that, but that the something I was good at made people happy and laugh, was very rewarding. With the knowledge that I was funny in mind, I did a one woman show for my senior project in high school. I took experiences from my life that had been hard to digest and turned them into comedic stories and jokes. When I was old enough, I tried an open mic, and it went very well. Due to anxiety, I had trouble getting out to a mic regularly, or coming up with new jokes in a timely manner. I also was and still am learning how to deal with the discouragement that comes from not being booked as much as I might like. I tend to compare myself to others, which doesn’t help anyone. I appreciate that I have a unique style, and even though I take breaks from comedy, when the iron is hot, I am persistent.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take them to SE Hawthorne. There’s a movie theatre, fun thrift stores, cute restaurants, one of my favorite places to shop on Hawthorne is at a place called Presents of Mind. I would also take my friend to meet my old friends at the senior living facility I used to work at; Courtyard at Mount Tabor. I would take them to the East Moreland Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, where there are ducks, geese, beautiful flowers, ponds, trails and benches. I think I would also like to bring them to Voicebox; a karaoke spot where you can book a private room with your friends and sing to your heart’s desire.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate my shout out to my late friend, Bob. I used to work as a server at a senior living facility., I met Bob when he was 99 and he lived to 104. He was a jokester, and loved to make me laugh.. He was hard of hearing, so I would communicate with him using pen and paper. He was one of my biggest cheerleaders in terms of my comedy career: he would remember when my next show was, and would ask how it went the next day. One day he said, “did the audience throw tomatoes at you? I hope not, because tomatoes are a necessity.” When I told him that I had been accepted into a comedy festival or had won a comedy contest, he would smile very big, clap and say, “that’s marvelous. I’ll be able to say I knew you when.” I want to give him a shout out because not only was he funny, we also appreciated each other as individuals. He told me once, “You’re my favorite person. Favorite server? I don’t know. But favorite person? Yes.”

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bestmelina123/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Melina.B3st/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@melinabest8364