By Dempsey Gibson
Comedian, painter, actor, musician, screenwriter LA resident Nicky Shane has done it all, seen it all and performed it all on the stage and does it again on the page for you now.
A true artist draws from a wealth of life experience, both good and bad, to connect with an audience that feels what is being conveyed but is unable to express it themselves. Art lives when the two meet. To move others you have to first be moved, Nicky was and this is his story.
Nothing in life ever came easy for this multi talented performer. His parents divorced when he was just entering the third grade and he withdrew from participation in class as a result. Instead, young Nicky began to draw as a form of escape from the reality of what was now a broken home. His older sister introduced him to a friend who taught Nicky how to illustrate which quickly took over any interest he may have had for reading, writing and arithmetic.
Actor Nicky Shane
At 23 Nicky, now living in San Diego, had fought his way through three years of painful disappointment a
nd physical injuries from trying to play both college and pro level football. At the same time Nicky was living in his van trying to figure out what to do next in his life. It was at the time he decided to move back to Northern California where he took a job painting houses. After saving up some money Nicky spent three months backpacking all over Europe before returning to the states and giving the life of a working artist a legitimate try.
Back in the states Nicky attended classes at West Vally College where he auditioned for and landed parts in two stage plays. During the next year he started attending comdey clubs on the regular where he watched and studied comics on the rise such as future SNL star Dana Carve
y. Excited and with a new sense of creative purpose Nicky's next step was moving into the world of stand up comedy himself, live and onstage.
Working up a tight 5 minutes Nicky was able to take the stage where he cut his teeth on audiences more interested in the drink specials than the young man trying to make them laugh but that didn't damper his enthusiasm. Bombing was a right of passage and a way to weed out the "wannabes" from the " really has a chance 'ers". Nicky forged ahead working his "tig
ht 5" into a "tighter 20" and that allowed him to hit the road as an act and MC.
His hard work finally paying off in a big way Nicky in just a few years went from barely there groups of people not listening to standing room only crowds belly laughing at his act and new character creation; "The Buzzard". That character gave Nicky the clout he needed to headline shows and cultivate a faithful following here in the US and in Canada!
During his live performances Nicky also includes his skills as a world class harmonica player for the audience ticket price. He began playing harp at the age of 18 practicing sometimes as much as 7 hours a day! As Nicky continued to get more proficient on the instrument he also became increasingly faster and faster! So much so that by early 2005 Nicky Shane was declared the worlds fastest harmonica player by the one and only Guinness Book of World Records!
Nicky's comedy has allowed him stage access to some of comedy's most hallowed ground including "The Improv", "The Comedy Store" and "Dangerfield's" and shared stage time with legends Steve Harvey, Shirley Hemphill and the afore mentioned Dana Carvey!
Always of a generous nature and not forgetting what it was like to live in his van, Nicky donates parts of his show proceeds to help the homeless in cities where he performs.
Several things are now in the works for Nicky including a tv series, a new book and of course his ever growing collection of original paintings. Please partake in all but do yourself a favor and ...
...never challenge him to a harmonica show down!
For more on how to purchase Nicky Shane Art, get information on performance dates and his availability for bookings please contact the socials listed in below
Actor Nicky Shane
Heart Of Hollywood Magazine Contributor
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