'Unarmed and dangerous' comedian Ryan Niemiller riffs on life from a unique perspective

It was the second episode of August quarter-finals of America’s Got Talent and judge Simon Cowell appeared to be in a foul mood.

That’s to say, he was in a foul mood even by Simon Cowell standards.

The prickly judge savaged his way through the episode, telling a knife-throwing/singing act that it was the “worst live performance” he had ever seen and also making a 13-year-old singer cry.

It all began to chip away at Ryan Niemiller’s self-assurance.

“I would be lying if I said that my confidence didn’t wane at least slightly,” says the comedian, in an interview from his home in Indiana. “I think I was the seventh or eighth act that night and there were acts that went on before me that, on paper, were supposed to do really well and Simon hated everybody. It’s hard not to go in and say: ‘Did I pick the right jokes?’ At that point, it was too late and I said I’m just going to do things like I did everything else. I’m just going to go hard as a I can on it and do the best I can and we’ll see what happens. And, luckily, I was able to turn him around on the night.”

Niemiller’s performances on America’s Got Talent that year earned him millions of new fans and saw him rise up the ladder of standup to become one of his country’s most in-demand touring acts. If Cowell’s demeanour damaged his confidence, it was only a minor blip for Niemiller, who said he was otherwise fairly poised during the show.

After all, he had been working up to this for more than decade, playing tiny clubs throughout the U.S. and strengthening his resolve.

“It sounds really weird and sounds like I’m just trying to play a tough-guy character,” he says. “But this is something I’ve worked for my entire career. America’s Got Talent was always one of the platforms where I thought ‘Hey, if I could get on the show I could do something really cool and really special. I’d been trying to do America’s Got Talent for five years … So once I finally got that chance, I was like ‘We’re going to make this happen.’ I don’t do anything not thinking I’m going to be successful. If I didn’t think I had a chance on that show, I wouldn’t have bothered.”

Niemiller triumphed. Sure, he didn’t win. But he did place third, which is no small feat for a comedian up against all those feel-good singers. It was a high-water mark for the comedian but also one that has required a shift in thinking when it came to his material and audience.

“I don’t know how to fully explain how things have changed,” says Niemiller, who will perform at Calgary’s Laugh Shop at Hotel Blackfoot Feb. 6 to 8.

“It just ended in September and I’ve barely been home. It’s different. I did it (for) 12 years before I got on America’s Got Talent, but now that I’m on the show my whole perspective has had to change. I’ve built my career, and a lot of comedians do this, as the underdog. I was trying to get traction, trying to get comedy clubs to notice me, trying to just do enough gigs and make just enough money to pay rent. After America’s Got Talent, people are coming to shows on purpose and they want to see YOU. I can’t go in as a surprise anymore. People have expectations, they watched you on the show so they want to see the guy they loved on the show. You have to go in knowing people are expecting from you as opposed to in the past, where you could do whatever you wanted and hopefully it worked but if it didn’t, it didn’t — they didn’t remember you anyway.”

Niemiller’s routine was certainly not dependent on surprise. But it’s safe to say he does have a unique perspective. He was born with ectrodactyly, a congenital disorder that resulted in a disability in both arms. He does not shy away from talking about how it has affected his life, giving unique comedic power to run-of-the-mill standup fare such as dating, the withering honesty of children or navigating a drive-thru window staffed by a dense employee. Niemiller brings an irreverence to the topic, even describing himself alternately as the “cripple threat of comedy” and “unarmed and dangerous.”

As with most observational comedians, Niemiller is simply talking about the reality of his life and the absurdities that go with it.

“The cool thing now about going through America’s Got Talent, if I don’t want to talk about it … I don’t have to,” he says. “But for me, it’s still important. My life is shaped by it. It’s part of who I am. It’s not just this crutch or gimmick that I luckily get to exploit. People are like ‘he shouldn’t talk about his disability.’ Well, people should stop staring at me in public. I wouldn’t have done comedy if people would have given me real jobs, but they thought I was too disabled to work real jobs. So if I have to deal with all these negative effects of having a disability, the least they can do is let me joke about it and make some money.”

Niemiller grew up in a trailer park outside a small town in Indiana. Comedy was one of the few things he and his father bonded over. He was occasionally allowed to stay up late with his dad and watch Dana Carvey or Gallagher do standup on TV. It was his early intro to comedy. Laughter was a great way to break down barriers.

“If you can make people laugh, you get to do stuff,” he says with a laugh. “People will really come on board with what you’re doing. It sort of planted the seed.”

For now, Niemiller is happy to take advantage of his TV fame and continue touring the standup circuit. It’s his first love. But down the line, he would also like to parlay his talents into acting in movies or sitcoms.

“There was never anyone that looked like me doing stuff in entertainment,” he says. “Now I want to do sitcoms, now I want to do movies. As much as I love America’s Got Talent and I’m so grateful to everyone there for the platform … within five years, if I’m still America’s Got Talent’s own Ryan Niemiller I messed up somewhere. I want it to be the springboard to everything else I do, not the last thing. I still have a lot to get done.”

Ryan Niemiller performs at the Hotel Blackfoot’s Laugh Shop on Feb. 6 at 8:30 p.m. and Feb. 7 and 8 at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Visit laughshopcalgary.com