🏆 BEST OF DAYTON 2018 WINNERS
» Bars, Beer & Nightlife winners
» Arts, Music & Entertainment winners
» Fitness, Outdoors & Recreation winners
“I can remember being a kid and having an ability to make people laugh, so once I got done screwing up my life, I took the plunge with both feet and gave it a shot,” Mays said.
As for his best local comedian win, Mays didn’t think he “stood a chance.”
“To be honest I was shocked,” Mays said.
The local comedian said that some unknown person nominated him, and he only voted for himself twice. We will take his word for it.
Real-life scenarios are the content for many jokes that comics tell. It is one of the best ways to connect with the audience. As for Mays, he draws inspiration from his days of doing drugs and his recovery from it.
“I haven’t had a drink or a drug for three years, so the wreckage of my past is the inspiration for the type of humor I bring to the table. That insanity and destruction I created is now a tool for laughter and education,” Mays said.
When he is not telling jokes, he works as a Certified Peer Supporter at the Montgomery County Jail. He helps people who are in jail and struggling with addiction and helps get them into treatment.
“Believe it or not, you can educate people through humor. You can also help someone laugh who is affected by this god-awful disease of addiction. For a few minutes, they can escape the reality of their situation and laugh,” Mays said.
Mays believes humor is important to everyone’s mental health. It takes those awful things in life and makes them funny and relatable, Mays said.
When it comes to what Mays loves about Dayton comedy, he gave me a list of about 800 people that he respects and have helped him become a better comedian.
“It is the best loving dysfunctional family I have always wanted. In all seriousness though, the community is awesome. There are way too many people to list on here,” Mays said.
However, he did give me a long list. A giant long list of almost everyone in Dayton comedy and beyond. A few people Mays really wanted to thank are Karen Jaffe, Nate Washington, Cal Westray, Luke Capasso, Wendi Furguson, Lori Graves and Jesse Nutt.
“I could go on and on and list names of the amazing comics that blow me out of the water, but this is about me!” he said.
We get it! Mays has some February shows coming up. He will be at the Tammy Lynn Inn in Degraff, Ohio on Feb. 2; The Barrel in Springboro on Feb. 7; and the VFW in Union, Ohio on Feb. 17.
Mays hopes that in the future he can continue to help others, not just with addiction, but also the newcomers to the Dayton comedy community.
“All I want to do is to remain teachable, then in turn, I can pass on what I have learned to the new person coming into the comedy scene as well,” he said.
>> WATCH: Scotty Mays shares how his struggles with addiction now inspire his comedy show
About the Author