T.W.
Wednesday 11th November 2009 7:57am [Edited]
15,786 posts
Quote: RubyMae - Glamourous Snowdrop at Large @ November 10 2009, 1:07 PM GMT
I think I want to look at it as a coping mechanism as well as possibley the history of mental health in comedy. I think it's quite interesting that many people are almost in love with their mental conditions seeing it as a large part of who they are and I wonder how that works for comedians.
A big part of the psychology of many top comedians, whether they have obvious mental health issues or not, is "losing it". That is, losing - or running out of - comedy. What if they can't be funny anymore? Will they lose it as they get older? Comedy, like any art, tends to diminish as one ages. And (it certainly used to be the case that) if you're a comedian and can't be funny, what else are you useful for?
Comic ability is especially something that tends to run dry as one ages. That is, at the upper professional end of the scale. A novelist, actor, or painter can produce quality work most of their lives. With comics this is less common. For some it seems their comedy is almost a libido-like power. And like libido it tends to wane over the years. (This may be actually linked with waning libido in male comedians. Being funny is actually quite an aggressive or passive-aggressive thing to do. It is territorial and power-asserting in nature. Which is probably why most comedians are men.)
The ability to be funny is relatively elusive. You can sort-of be taught to act, sort-of be taught most musical or artistic talents. But to be a comedian does seem to require something "other", an unknown quantity. (And it's not always a peculiar-looking face. Frankie Howerd had a funny face, no doubt about that, but the ability to exploit it was his genius.)
So I think some comedians will cling to anything they associate with their ability to make people laugh - and making people laugh is a powerful drug in itself. Think of the potential ridicule - or worse - silence, they risk enduring for the sake of a few laughs. (Having been a bloke doing stand-up, when you get a great reception, loads of laughs, the initial feeling is not one of pride or happiness or gratitude that you've achieved this. The feeling when you're up there is one of power, control and dominance. You own and control the audience.) I think this need leads some to be reluctant to address both issues such as depression or addiction to substances.
For all they know, they may be just as funny without mental health issues or chemical substances. But the fear is there that once they are "cured" from these then the comedy might go, never to return.
Well... it's a theory anyway. 
