Payne using “cheeky” comedy to raise funds for Lobster Carnival

Nikki Payne

Local celebrity weather woman Nikki Payne loves coming to Pictou County.
Hailing from Antigonish County, Payne has never been a stranger to this area. “I have a fondness for Pictou County and you will often see me around town,” she says. “If you can’t reach me, I’m probably at Wicker Emporium.”
Fresh off the heels of a short Newfoundland tour, Payne is excited to be preparing for a show at the deCoste Centre in support of the Pictou Lobster Carnival.
“I kept telling people I was going to the lobster fest in Pictou and they were like, no there’s no lobster fest in October,” she laughs. “I was a bit confused, but the fundraiser is going to be a blast. I haven’t actually had the chance to attend the Lobster Carnival before, but I heard it’s a lot of fun.”
Payne last performed at the deCoste Centre as an opening act for her friend Peter Anthony. That was her second time at the deCoste; her first was for a CBC radio show.
“That was one of the first times my family and friends got to really see my show,” explains Payne. “Which was a bit petrifying, but when I opened for Peter, I was just going to be an audience member and he asked me to come on stage. It was a lot of fun, although I don’t know if I would want every show to be a surprise.”
Currently a resident of New Brunswick, Payne revels in any chance that brings her closer to home; in fact she took her mother along for the ride to Newfoundland where they visited with family.
Her tour is, as she says, “a bit of a mishmash going from Newfoundland to Cape Breton to Edmonton and then Pictou and off again.
“I’m taking December off. I’ll be doing nothing but sitting on my butt and wrapping presents,” she laughs.
Payne has had her share of experiences, from TV shows to live performances, but says she really just wishes she could read the weather on East Coast FM every morning.
“I love doing the weather reports,” she says. “Sometimes I will do them from home in my pajamas. It’s just so much fun. I was told by one woman that she was driving to work and had to pull over because she was laughing so hard. If you could start everyday like that, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.”
But she also has a serious side, standing up against bullying on her website.
“I tell dirty jokes for a living,” she says, “so I’m not really the go-to person on the topic, but things have certainly gotten out of hand. You can’t stop every incident of bullying but there has to be some way we can teach our kids a little bit of kindness.”
Although if you catch her voice mail, don’t feel slighted by the message. “I have a quote on my voicemail from a philosopher that says something like constant communication kills creativity and I am out being creative so leave a message and I’ll get back to you when I feel like it,” she laughs.
Payne will be performing at the deCoste on Friday, November 2 at 8 p.m. and for anyone who has not seen her show, be warned: “It’s not for the easily offended,” she says. “I’m not horrible, I’m not punching puppies in the face or anything… I won’t emotionally scar you but I am cheeky. You don’t want to bring the kiddies out for this one. I’m not in the business of making people angry, I’m in the business of making people laugh, but if your sensibilities don’t lead toward cheeky/dirty, I need to put out the warning.”
Payne describes her act as silly with a little touch of dirt.
Tickets for the lobster carnival fundraiser are $32, available at the deCoste box office.
“I just hope people come out and I hope to be able to do more weather reports. If I could do that every day I would be happy.”