The Dark Roots of a Comedian’s Family Tree

Depression and comedy are two subjects that don’t seem to go together, yet more research and interviews have begun to reveal there is definitely a strong relationship between them. Many comedians have suffered through traumatic experiences in their childhood and have found comedy as a way to deal with these issues, realizing early on that is a lot easier to laugh about your problems rather than cry over them.

Richard Pryor, for example, one of the most acclaimed stand-up comedians of all time, was born the son of a prostitute and was brought in a brothel by his grandmother who would physically abuse him. Pryor was exposed to things that no young child knows how to comprehend. To escape from his unfortunate circumstancesPryorimmersed himself in movies and began to find waysto articulate his thoughts and feelings in the form of jokes. Despite becoming wildly successful as a stand-up star as well as one of the writers of the classic Mel Brooks film, Blazing Saddles, Pryor continued to be haunted by his past and fell victim to cocaine addiction which led to a suicide attempt and eventual death. If it weren’t for his upbringing Richard Pryor may have never suffered from depression in is lifetime, but he also would not have been so drawn to the spotlight of stand up comedy. His experiences truly showcase the extreme highs and lows a comedian suffering from a mood disorder such as depression can face in their career.

Another comedian audiences are shocked to hear suffers from depression with roots tracing back to his childhood is the legendary Jim Carrey. In a 2004 episode of 60 Minutes, Carrey opened up about his past which has led him to be considered one of the funniest men on the planet. When asked where his amazing sense of physical comedy came from he answered,

“Desperation, I had a sick mom, man. I wanted to make her feel better. Basically, I think she laid in bed and took a lot of pain pills. And I wanted to make her feel better. And I used to go in there and do impressions of praying mantises, and weird things, and whatever. I’d bounce off the walls and throw myself down the stairs to make her feel better.”

Jim’s life continued to get more difficult, at the age of 17 he felt responsible to support his parents so he did all he could to earn extra money, frequenting comedy clubs and solidifying his act. Carrey is another case to examine, if his circumstances as a child were different, say he had a supportive, well-adjusted parental figure in his life, would he still have felt the strong urge to make people laugh and smile? There is no definite answer to this question, but there is no doubt that his upbringing contributed to his over-the-top stage presence. Carrey currently does not take any prescriptions for his depression, he has spoken out against drugs like Prozac, which in his eyes take away from the beauty in life. Depression is a constant battle in his life, but dealing with it for so long has taught Jim the importance of taking on the full potential of what every day has to offer.

It is difficult to discover the dark pasts and presents about the people in life that are there just to cheer you up. It may even cause people to question the authenticity of a comedians work, some may wonder how people so hilarious can be so hurt on the inside. The best we, as an audience can do is keep laughing, show your support for these comedians who have found the stage as the best medium to express themselves. As long as you want them around, they will want to stay around, which will hopefully deter some stand-ups from potentially harming themselves. Don’t stop the laughter, used appropriately it does more good than one can imagine.

No Laughing Matter

A comedian’s job is to take the stage, put on a smile and make people feel better about their lives. This job title implies that stand-up comics are all happy and content with their lives, how couldn’t they be? They get paid to make people laugh.

Surprisingly many comedians fight with their inner demons on a daily basis, whether it be drug and alcohol addiction or battling emotional diseases such as depression or bipolar disorder. This begs the question, are people who already have or are prone to these issues drawn to comedy or does the harsh lifestyle bring foster them?

Many successful comedians have been open and honest about their struggles. Lisa Lampanelli, who frequents celebrity roasts has earned her the title of the “Queen of Mean” by her audience,  surprisingly suffers from extreme anxiety. The roasts are meant to be in good fun, but some of the insults can evoke very emotional reactions and caused Lampanelli to become a therapy patient, which she opened up about on the Adam Carolla Podcast. She would get so nervous and upset during the weeks leading up to the roast that she eventually decided not to put herself through it anymore, her therapist was not even able to find a solution for her. For Lisa, this is not the first time she has dealt with anxiety, growing up was teased because of her weight, which brought stress onto her at a very fragile age. She quickly learned making a joke of the harsh words of her peers was a much easier way to deal with her anxiety, she continued to climb the ladder and eventually became the one who was in the position to make fun of anyone she wanted.

Another comedian who frequently addresses and is constantly battling his dark past is, Marc Maron.  Marc suffered from extreme drug/alcohol addiction combined with depression at the beginning stages of his career. These behaviors come naturally to Maron, who has proved to have a very addictive personality, though he has quit drugs and alcohol completely he is addicted to nicotine lozenges. On his podcast, WTF! with Marc Maron, he frequently discusses emotional battles he faces on a daily basis, whether it be getting frustrated with people at the grocery store or feeling like he is worthless. Marc is constantly questioning his choices he makes in his comedy careers, but he needs the acceptance of the crowd to reassure him Maron’s eccentric personality and quirks was highlighted on an episode of A Day in the Life, a Morgan Spurlock series on Hulu.

Marc jokes about his addiction a well as his insecurities,

” I used to do a lot of drugs. I didn’t stop because I didn’t enjoy them; I stopped because I couldn’t handle the commitment. “

This quote in itself, reveals more than one issue in Marc Maron’s lifestyle, addiction as well has being unable to commit. Comments like these tend to trick audiences into believing that a comedian’s personal problems are not as serious as they actually are. This is a dangerous spiral because when comedians are able to get laughs out of their tragic lifestyles it ends up supporting the problem even more because they know they will get laughs out of it.

These comedians have both struggled with their personal issues before their stand-up careers began. It brings me to the conclusion that comedians are drawn to the spotlight because making others laugh in turn makes them feel better inside, even if it is during their brief time on stage. It provides an immediate sense of accomplishment and gratification that is unable to be achieved any other way.

San Francisco Comedy Crossing Boundaries

San Francisco is known as a place that sprouts great talent, art and creativity, including stand-up comedy. A great San Francisco talent that is now being nationally recognized is socio-political comedian W. Kamau Bell, who I have been lucky enough to see perform a few times at Cobb’s Comedy Club in North Beach. His comedic style addresses intense political issues without depressing the audience or alienating anyone. When my friends and I knew he had a unique talent that could reach out to a huge audience, others have begun to notice the talent of W. Kamau Bell, who just signed a deal with FX to write, produce and host his own show along with executive producer Chris Rock. The program has been rumored to be a cross between the Daily Show with John Stewart and classic late night shows. Bell who is extremely excited to begin working on his show will be definitely represent his Bay Area roots, he is thinking something like this would be a good opening,

“Hello, my name is Kamau. I come from District 14, San Francisco. We make progressive politics, gay people, burritos the size of your head, and medical marijuana.”

This is a huge deal for Bell, who has worked his way up from tiny open-mic nights to headlining San Francisco comedy shows. He gained a good amount of support performing his one man stand up show The W. Kamau Bell Curve at the Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles. Where after one show his manager came up to him, with a weird look on her face only to see Chris Rock behind her, Bell was in shock, saying about his experience,

“It was a really good show that night,” Bell explains. “I went backstage and all of a sudden I see my manager walk in and she’s got this real weird look on her face, and behind her is Chris Rock. He slipped in the showroom after the show started— dressed in all black like he was in the Matrix. He came back to tell me he thought it was funny. He also told me to move out of San Francisco as soon as possible.”

Even if W. Kamau Bell does take Chris Rock’s advice to move out of San Francisco, he will never lose is Bay Area attitude and flair, his life in this city has shaped his opinions and style so greatly, he could never give it up completely. As a citizen of San Francisco I will continue to support Bell’s career, especially at this pivotal point because his success will continue to foster Bay Area talents to be recognized.

Here is a video, that W. Kamau Bell has been accredited as telling the first joke about Barack Obama on television.

Funny Festival Additions

Judd Apatow makes an appearance at Pete Holmes' podcast taping at SXSW

Festivals have always been a great way for new music, art and movies to be screened and heard, but now a new art form has come to be represented, stand-up comedy. Stand-ups and comedy-themed podcasters have begun to be scheduled into line-ups at festivals, such as the current South by Southwest Festival (SXSW), in Austin Texas ranging from March 10th-17th. Headliners of the SXSW festival include, Mike Birbiglia, Pete Holmes and Doug Benson.

Supplying comedy as an option between exhausting rock shows and emotional independent films is an excellent release at a major festival. It provides a time for guests to sit back, have a few drinks and enjoy some comic relief to end their day or help them rest up for their next activity.

I have enjoyed comedy at a major festival first hand. This past summer I attended Outside Lands Music Festival in Golden Gate Park. It was mid-day and I had already jumped around and sang to Foster the People, my friends and I weren’t hungry enough to grab a bit at one of the awesome food trucks participating in the festival, but we needed to kill some time before Muse headlined that evening. Luckily for us we stumbled upon what they called The Barbary, a tent they had comedy acts lined up all day. We were able to enjoy the hilarious jokes of Matt Braunger, which put us all in an amazing mood. The addition comedy added variety in an otherwise music dominated scene provided a more unique as well as memorable experience to attending Outside Lands.

Integrating comedy into large festivals where it is not traditionally found has had its ups and downs. Sometimes audience members walk into a comedy show expecting a rowdy band to start playing, so when a comedian begins talking they can easily turn into obnoxious hecklers. It is important for people to know what kind of show they will be watching in order for comedians to receive the amount of respect they deserve as performers. When asked about her experience performing at large music festivals Tig Notaro, of The Sarah Silverman Show, responded,

“A few times I was really concerned how it would go, but it always ends up being a great time. Maybe I thought I liked state fairs because of how many outdoor music festivals I do. Who knows.”

Eugene Mirman, a comedian who has been touring with various bands as their opening act for ten years, has expressed that the marriage between comedy and music is not always as harmonious as one would hope. It takes time to find the right balance between comedic and musical style, certain audiences just are not, and may never be prepared to give up an opening musical act for a thirty minute joke-set. Mirman expresses his feelings after his many experiences working with bands,

“The risk of losing people is bigger, it’s like a poet opening for a gymnast. . . . You have to really find a comic and a band and an audience where it jells. . . . If I tried to tour with Slipknot, it might be hard. How would (that audience) react? My guess is they would throw beer bottles.”

If you are open to a new experience next time you are at a festival that has included some stand-up shows in their line up, go experience a different art form while you are waiting for the next band to play.

This post edited on April 5th, 2012

Comedians Standing Up for Themselves

Stand-up comedians truly have to work their way up from the bottom to create a strong fan base that will support them. Once they have begun to generate enough buzz around their act, a successful comedian will be given the opportunity to sign with an agent who belongs to a large corporation. This can be all very exciting, but can definitely interfere with a comedians performance style by forcing them to stay away from certain topics that their label does not agree with, as well as interferring the the amount of profit the comics themselves deserve to be earning.

A new trend to avoid this system some comedians have begun to try is, self releasing their own albums. By distributing their stand up specials individually comedians are able to cut out the middle men, charge less for the content as well as put out an honest product they can be proud of.

Grammy award winning comedian, Louis CK experienced extreme success when he decided to self-produce, Live at the Beacon Theater on December 21st, 2011. After just twelve days of selling his album for $5 through his own personal PayPal account CK had grossed over one million dollars! This is an unbelievable success for the comedian, who had already began to split the money with 250k to covering the cost for the special, another 250k  for his staff’s salaries as well as some pretty sweet bonuses, and 280k in generous donations to charity. That left Louis with a hefty 220 thousand dollars for himself, for which he had to say,

“Some of that will pay my rent and will care for my childen. The rest I will do terrible, horrible things with and none of that is any of your business. In any case, to me, 220k is enough out of a million.”

CK discussed his experience more in depth on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Admiring his success, comedian, Jim Gaffigan, has decided to self release his next album, Mr. Universe, scheduled to come out in April with 20% of his proceeds going towards The Bob Woodruff Foundation, which serves injured veterans. Gaffigan is fully aware of the huge risk he is taking by this decision, especially with the massive amount of online piracy that is present these days, but he is excited to put out content he can honestly be proud of. Gaffigan comments,

 “I must admit that I have not felt this excited and nervous since I first tried stand up over 100 years ago. It’s humbling to take a risk that you are not sure will work. You don’t know if a joke will bomb unless you try it.”

Fans of comedy are all in agreement that this is a positive direction for stand-up to be headed. Comedy geeks everywhere appreciate the opportunity to easily download an album at a lower price, knowing that their money is directly supporting the comic. Gaffigan’s release will definitely be a major factor in deciding if this trend will really catch on.

Below is an excerpt from one of Jim Gaffigans previous Comedy Central specials, Beyond the Pale, if you enjoy it share his stand-up with your friends, because the best advertising a self-producing comedy special can receive is positive word of mouth from his audience.

Todd Glass Comes Out Laughing

Stand-up comedians are often categorized into different groups such as race, gender or sexual orientation and their core audience is usually related to whatever “type” of comedian they may be classified as. On the January 16th episode of WTF with Marc Maron, comedian and fellow podcaster Todd Glass, made a huge decision go public with his homosexuality and possibly alter his career. This major part of Glass’s life had only been known to his parents, best friend and committed boyfriend of fifteen years.

In his interview Glass mentioned he had just never been comfortable indentifying himself as a gay man, but was motivated to finally come out after hearing news of the numerous devastating suicides rencently among gay teens. Glass told Maron:

“I cannot listen to stories about kids killing themselves any longer without thinking, ‘When are you going to have a little blood on your shirt for not being honest about who you are? I always say, if you are homophobic, you better be positive you’re right. Because is it going to blow [that] all these kids are killing themselves, and that in 20 years, you get to write a book about how wrong you were. They’re dead. So why don’t you have a soul-searching moment now? Go into your house, shut the door, and make sure you’re positive that you’re making kids feel like crap for no good goddamn reason.”

His “everyday mans” stand-up comedy act in no way suggests him leading a gay lifestyle, like other “out” comedians, such as Mario Cantone of Sex and the City fame, who regularly address the topic. Todd’s comedic style  is very satirical and showcaes his wit while addressing politics, people he has come across at parties or bars and current events. Todd has also created an audience because of the hilarious prank videos he has created that have aired on the hit Comedy Central show, Tosh.O.

Todd definitely has expressed he is finally completely content now that all of his fans and friends know the truth, but his craft of comedy is well established and will not be changing just because his sexual orientation is now out in the open.

This raises the question, will Todd Glass’s audience be negatively effected by his decision to come out publicly?

The answer has proved itself to be quite the oppisite, in fact Glass is beginning to receive more support for his comedy from the gay community along with his already committed fan base. Perez Hilton has even praised Todd for his decision, strongly supporting his motives behind the reveal. Fans say that they don’t feel any different about Todd now that he has decided to make his homosexuality a public subject. Numerous bloggers and comedy websites have shared the news allowing readers to comment and disscuss the topic, from this no derogatory phrases have been uttered about the comedian, just continuous love and appreciation for the laughter that Glass brings into people’s lives. After hearing the news an annoymous fan quotes on Reddit.com,

“Oh, ok thanks! Now I can go bak to loving him.”

Nothing about his act will change, Todd will continue to supply his witty observations and hilarious commentary for a diverse, laughing audience.

Below is a video to enjoy that is a great example of Todd’s comedy style from one of his many late night appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

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