A Day in the Life: Jason McLin of the Blue Man Group

Jason McLin./ Photo by Caroline Talbot

Jason McLin, Blue Man Group Member

There’s a very good chance you’ve paid to watch Jason McLin perform, but you almost definitely wouldn’t recognize him on the street.

That’s because McLin is a 14-year veteran of the Blue Man Group—and he looks a whole lot different when he’s not covered in makeup. Off stage, McLin’s life looks pretty similar to yours: He lives in Amesbury and spends most of his free time with his wife and two daughters, reading, playing board games, or exploring New England.

We asked McLin what a typical day looks like when you’ve got a decidedly atypical job.

6:00 a.m.: McLin gets a wakeup call—in the form of singing—from his 7- and 9-year-old daughters.

Breakfast: McLin is a vegan who doesn’t eat gluten, so he starts his day with a grapefruit, a rice cake topped with homemade almond butter, and steel cut oatmeal with pecans, maple syrup, and cinnamon. “For me, I just feel healthier since eating [vegan],” he says. “My system runs more smoothly.”

Late morning: The Blue Man Group is known for its intricate drum routines, so McLin aims to practice for at least 15 minutes each day. “There’s nothing more effective for improving your drumming skills than practicing with a metronome and a drum pad, but yikes, there are days I’d rather watch paint dry,” he admits.

Workout: Blue Man Group performances are physical, so McLin says he takes yoga and does cardio—preferably outdoors. He also uses the Feldenkrais Method, which helped him overcome drumming-induced tendonitis in his elbows.

Lunch: Lunch is usually leftovers from dinner the night before. Today, that’s a brown rice tortilla quesadilla with refried beans, vegan cheese, mashed avocado, salsa, purple cabbage, and arugula.

4:30 p.m.: Afternoon show. McLin does between six and eight shows per week, each one lasting an hour and 40 minutes.

Dinner: “For dinner, I’m a big lover of all things lentil: red, green, French, you name it,” he says.

7:30 p.m.: Evening show.

11:30 p.m.: Bedtime. “On nights when I’m not in the show, it’s jammie time at 6 p.m. and lights out no later than 9:30 p.m.,” he says. “Oh, yeah.”

Photo courtesy of the Blue Man Group