When you grow up surrounded by dysfunction, you have a couple of choices: drink the Kool-Aid and let that environment consume you or you can convert it into fuel and use it to blaze your own trail. Fortunately for comedy fans, Amy Miller chose the latter.

Amy was Voted Portland’s Funniest Comedian by Willamette Week in 2013 and has performed at the San Francisco Sketchfest, Bumbershoot, Noise Pop Festival, The All Jane No Dick Festival and Bridgetown Comedy Festival. She’s opened for national headliners such as Hannibal Buress, Moshe Kasher, Kyle Kinane and Rory Scovel. She hosts the monthly standup show Midnight Ma$$ and a new show called Stand Up for Yourself, during which she intends to fix everybody. She is also the host of the Sorry About Your Dad podcast and she has a column in the Willamette Week called Fresh Meat.

Amy joined us to talk about overcoming the loss of two fathers, mending family fences, finding her voice on stage, her approach to taking down hecklers and what she learned during her recent L.A. experience.

We also talked with Amy about her love/hate relationship with Portland and why a heaping spoonful of real talk could be a healthy thing for the city.

For more on Amy and her comedy, check out her website, go see her standup shows Midnight Ma$$ at the Funhouse Lounge and Stand up for Yourself at Helium Comedy Club in Portland and follow her on Twitter @amymiller.

And come see her co-hosting Movies in Black & White at the Hollywood Theatre on March 31st!