This is a great post. It's something I pondered when I was younger. I often wondered if I should do stand up or move to LA and try out SNL. I never spoke about it much to people because I knew LA would accentuate the worst in me. Other problems made sure it couldn't happen.
It is a funny balance to love yourself and yet make fun of yourself for other's pleasure. It is definitely a tightrope.
I hope both of our Substacks are successful. My Substack is me taking a shot at something I've thought about since I was much younger. We will see how it goes.
Like serendipity, was just thinking about the great comedians and how many of them crashed and burned. Eeverytime I see an article or watch a clip of Robin Williams and it’s after he made Good Morning Vietnam my thought is always, you think he’s funny now? You should have seen him before he was neutered.
All of them, every last one neutered at some point and told to toe the line, to be “safe” funny. Those that didn’t died young or way too soon, those that did lived on in shitty movies or crap TV sitcom that didn’t know what to do with them.
But even worse is those on chat shows or clips on YouTube talking about their “glory days”. People like John Cleese being revered and worshipped for being a comic genius and what we are really talking about is something he co-wrote nearly 50 years ago.
A comedian ,who made me laugh back in the day, was Steve Martin, his live act, his albums and his first movie (The Jerk) showed him at his finest, at his peak then it all went downhill so quickly as he became a corporate shill and sold his integrity, his creativity, his genius for a lifetime of being “world famous” at banality.
Original creativity is perpetual, it only last a short time as many musicians, artists, comedians and actors show time after time.
To your point that the world of comedy is much larger than the world most of us see, there are other options for comedians that aren't readily apparent and do provide opportunities that don't fall to the extremes of uber success or eternal unhappiness and obscurity. I have met successful and beloved teachers, salespersons, speakers, and managers for instance whose sense of humor are the driving force of their appeal and allow them to make a stable living, enjoy families, and feel satisfied with the contribution they make in the world.
Mostly, they fail because they want to glorify themselves, which is at odds with making a fool out of yourself.
Creative work is a revelation of the divine through a broken vessel – a crack filled with gold.”
——
Very touching point about Jim Carrey, Robin Williams, Matthew Perry. The (somewhat) hidden cost of making it. Someone like Theo simply has that undeniable genius (per your last post). I don’t think someone like him would be fulfilled suppressing that wildness in the stiff suit of a “normal” life. So maybe another question for the would-be comic to ask themselves — very honestly — Do I have that ineffable spark, too? And maybe giving it the old college try is how to find out
This is a great post. It's something I pondered when I was younger. I often wondered if I should do stand up or move to LA and try out SNL. I never spoke about it much to people because I knew LA would accentuate the worst in me. Other problems made sure it couldn't happen.
It is a funny balance to love yourself and yet make fun of yourself for other's pleasure. It is definitely a tightrope.
I hope both of our Substacks are successful. My Substack is me taking a shot at something I've thought about since I was much younger. We will see how it goes.
Godspeed to you and your goals
I learned a lot from this post. Brilliantly done. Thank you!
Like serendipity, was just thinking about the great comedians and how many of them crashed and burned. Eeverytime I see an article or watch a clip of Robin Williams and it’s after he made Good Morning Vietnam my thought is always, you think he’s funny now? You should have seen him before he was neutered.
All of them, every last one neutered at some point and told to toe the line, to be “safe” funny. Those that didn’t died young or way too soon, those that did lived on in shitty movies or crap TV sitcom that didn’t know what to do with them.
But even worse is those on chat shows or clips on YouTube talking about their “glory days”. People like John Cleese being revered and worshipped for being a comic genius and what we are really talking about is something he co-wrote nearly 50 years ago.
A comedian ,who made me laugh back in the day, was Steve Martin, his live act, his albums and his first movie (The Jerk) showed him at his finest, at his peak then it all went downhill so quickly as he became a corporate shill and sold his integrity, his creativity, his genius for a lifetime of being “world famous” at banality.
Original creativity is perpetual, it only last a short time as many musicians, artists, comedians and actors show time after time.
Excellent points here
To your point that the world of comedy is much larger than the world most of us see, there are other options for comedians that aren't readily apparent and do provide opportunities that don't fall to the extremes of uber success or eternal unhappiness and obscurity. I have met successful and beloved teachers, salespersons, speakers, and managers for instance whose sense of humor are the driving force of their appeal and allow them to make a stable living, enjoy families, and feel satisfied with the contribution they make in the world.
“I don’t know what that means, but it’s provocative.” Hilarious line!
Other favorites:
“If life were college, comedy would be my minor.
Mostly, they fail because they want to glorify themselves, which is at odds with making a fool out of yourself.
Creative work is a revelation of the divine through a broken vessel – a crack filled with gold.”
——
Very touching point about Jim Carrey, Robin Williams, Matthew Perry. The (somewhat) hidden cost of making it. Someone like Theo simply has that undeniable genius (per your last post). I don’t think someone like him would be fulfilled suppressing that wildness in the stiff suit of a “normal” life. So maybe another question for the would-be comic to ask themselves — very honestly — Do I have that ineffable spark, too? And maybe giving it the old college try is how to find out
What must it be like to have the ineffable spark but to stifle it, to conform too the banality of mass entertainment?
Never thought about it this way. Thank you!